Lin Yi held Qi Jiguang in high esteem.
Putting aside his character, his military tactics and ideals are undoubtedly worthy of recognition.
There is a well-known saying, "I do not desire to be ennobled, but only wish for peace on the seas." This saying was written by him and represents his determination to fight against the Japanese pirates, which is truly moving.
According to records, Qi Jiguang was a great talent. He was especially good at troop deployment and created the legendary Mandarin Duck Formation, as well as the Qi Family Army, which was capable of multi-service coordinated operations.
This army has one outrageous trait: its casualty ratio is simply unacceptable.
[If the loss exceeds one hundred people, I'll consider it a loss!]
This is how the Qi Family Army fought; it sounds arrogant, but it became a reality in the face of Qi Jiguang.
In the Battle of Baishuiyang, Qi Jiguang led 1,500 men against 2,000 enemy soldiers, not only annihilating the 2,000 Japanese pirates but also achieving an absurd casualty ratio of only three deaths.
That was bad enough, but then came the Battle of Niutian.
He defeated tens of thousands of Japanese pirates and beheaded 688 of them, yet not a single one of his own men was killed—this is even more outrageous.
Then came the Battle of Wangcangping, where he defeated nearly 10,000 Japanese pirates, beheading 177 of them, and yet not a single one of his own men was killed.
In the later battle of Caipiling, he suffered relatively heavy losses, with as many as 31 men, but he defeated more than 7,000 Japanese pirates and killed more than 1,000.
Lin Yi couldn't help but exclaim, "Zero casualties once or twice is pure luck, but so many times with such low losses undoubtedly demonstrate Qi Jiguang's strength!"
Without absolute capability, one could not have fought such a battle.
It's important to understand that even a stray arrow can be fatal on the battlefield. To achieve such a record, Qi Jiguang must have possessed extraordinary military strategy and tactics to minimize his casualties.
Even the pride of Japan in that era would probably have to kneel before him.
Qi Jiguang's expertise wasn't limited to military matters; he could also invent and improve weapons, which was undoubtedly what Lin Yi was most looking forward to.
Now, the Great Liang has entered the gunpowder development period, but everything is still in the exploratory stage. The knowledge in Qi Jiguang's mind is undoubtedly the most valuable thing. In addition to military capabilities, there is also a large amount of weapon application, which can serve as a reference for the Great Liang.
Qi Jiguang improved the cumbersome cannons and created the easily portable Crouching Tiger Cannon, which was exactly what he was good at!
This thing isn't as ferocious as the Red-Coat Cannon, so the requirements for the cannon barrel aren't as high, making it much more suitable for the Red-Coat Cannon Great Liang.
Regardless of its actual power, this thing is absolutely a powerful deterrent. In the era of cold weapons, it was a god-like existence, and the West would probably be having nightmares.
With the Crouching Tiger Cannon, the Great Liang Technology Library will unlock a new level of technology.
Based on this alone, drawing Qi Jiguang this time is a huge win.
Regardless of Qi Jiguang's own abilities, the emergence of the Qi Family Army undoubtedly had a huge positive impact on the Great Liang Dynasty, as it was one of the few semi-modernized armies.
Once fully integrated, the fighting power of the Great Liang will reach a new level!
"Summon Qi Jiguang!"
With a thought, Lin Yi directly chose to summon Qi Jiguang.
With war imminent against the Zhennan Dynasty, it's time to deploy this Crouching Tiger Cannon; it will surely accelerate the process of destroying the Zhennan Dynasty.
The next moment, a dashing figure appeared in front of Lin Yi; it was none other than Qi Jiguang, who fought against the Japanese pirates.
" Qi Jiguang pays his respects to the lord!" Qi Jiguang glanced at Lin Yi, then knelt on one knee to express his loyalty.
No need for formalities!
Lin Yi waved his hand and laughed, " The Great Liang is currently at a critical juncture in its development and will soon be at odds with the world. It needs Yuanjing's help!"
"I dare not disobey even unto death!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited.
With His Majesty protecting them, their greatest support is sure to propel their Qi Family Army to new heights.
A strange glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. He had initially thought Qi Jiguang was an honest and loyal man, but it turned out this guy was quite cunning. He knew that following the emperor meant a good life; he was a smart man.
He couldn't help but ask curiously, " Yuanjing, what's the equipment like for the Qi Family Army? Crouching Tiger Cannon and arquebuses...?"
He was very much looking forward to the weapons and equipment of the Qi Family Army. If they were all muskets, he would be rich this time. That's 300,000 muskets, enough to put him in a comfortable middle-class life.
Forehead!
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Qi Jiguang's eyes as he awkwardly said, "My lord, most of the weapons in this Qi Family Army are still cold weapons, with only one thousand cavalrymen carrying muskets."
Moreover, this arquebus has significant limitations; loading and range are both issues, so in some respects it is even inferior to the Divine Arm Bow used by the Great Liang dynasty.
However, there are nearly a hundred Crouching Tiger Cannon, which should be able to serve the Emperor.
After saying that, he took out a musket from his waist and handed it to Lin Yi. This was a weapon he always carried, but he hadn't used it much.
"So that's how it is!"
Lin Yi's lips twitched, and his expectations for the musket instantly dropped by half. He then accepted the musket.
After playing with it for a while, he called Zhao Gao over and said in a deep voice, " Zhao Gao, go find a target. I want to test the gun!"
Test firing?
Zhao Gao was completely bewildered, but he quickly recovered and couldn't help but give a knowing look before asking, "Since Your Majesty wants to test the gun, should we invite Princess Anne over?"
Holy crap!
Lin Yi was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh and cry. Zhao Gao was actually driving! When was he going to test that gun?
Come to think of it, the Great Qin didn't have the concept of guns, no wonder he got the wrong idea.
He said impatiently, "I ordered you to bring me a target. Go get it and you'll see. Hurry up. Also, summon Ma Jun and a few other important officials. Let them experience it too."
"Yes, yes, this servant will go right away!"
Zhao Gao blushed, realizing he had misunderstood, which was quite embarrassing. He quickly went down to find a target.
However, he was incredibly curious: what was a gun?
Soon the target arrived, Ma Jun and the others also rushed over. Looking at Qi Jiguang beside them, everyone's eyes were filled with doubt. It was this man who had prompted the Emperor to summon them.
Who exactly is this person?
Lin Yi didn't explain it to them. Instead, he took out the musket in his hand and said with a smile, "Today I'm going to introduce this to you. This thing was improved by General Qi Jiguang!"
It can be launched using gunpowder to shoot at distant enemies; it is a prototype of future weapons.
A prototype of future weapons?
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. This was interesting; this pole was actually quite powerful.