"It's good that you're here."
Wu Shuangren got up and took two wooden boxes from the bookshelf.
He opened one of them and took out a epaulette.
Blue cloth background with four red stripes of the same length—this is the rank of Senior Militia Colonel!
Wu Shuangren walked up to Luo Heng and personally handed him the epaulettes. "These are for you."
Luo Heng looked down at the epaulets, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something, but for a moment he couldn't utter a word.
Flying Feather Hall was in charge of gathering information, so he quickly figured out the new system Wu Shuangren had created here, as well as the meaning of all the military ranks in the Yi Province Militia.
There are no more than ten people in the Yi Province Militia with the rank of Senior Militia Colonel.
Luo Heng originally thought that even if he were awarded a rank, he would at most receive the rank of Junior Militia Colonel, but he did not expect Wu Shuangren to directly give him the Senior Militia Colonel!
He solemnly accepted the epaulette with both hands.
The piece of cloth in his hand was worthless, but Luo Heng held it with more care and joy than if he were holding a thousand taels of gold!
A fortune could provide for him for life, but this epaulette could take him to even greater heights!
"Luo Heng, Flying Feather Hall, from this day forward, your Flying Feather Hall is officially under the command of the Yi Province Militia, and you are awarded the rank of Senior Militia Colonel."
Wu Shuangren said.
Luo Heng stood at attention, slamming his right fist heavily into his chest, and roared, barely able to contain his emotions:
"Luo Heng accepts the order and swears to follow the Commander-in-Chief to the death!"
Wu Shuangren patted him on the shoulder and handed him another wooden box. "This is for Chief Steward Mo. Have someone send it back. Tell him that I will officially establish the militia logistics department after I return, and that he should guard West River Market. He doesn't need to come over for the time being."
"Yes."
Luo Heng took the wooden box, his expression much more relaxed.
Although he didn't open it, he guessed that the box probably contained a rank insignia from a Senior Militia Colonel.
Wu Shuangren continued, "For the Flying Feather Hall, we'll give them three more Junior Militia Colonel, twelve Senior Militia Officer, twenty-four Junior Militia Officer, and one hundred and twenty Militia Soldier. I've already decided on the three Junior Militia Colonel. As for the Militia Officer, you can draft a list for me to see; you can decide on the Militia Soldier yourself."
Luo Heng was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.
He was not surprised at all by Wu Shuangren's direct arrangement for three Junior Militia Colonel to enter the Flying Feather Hall, nor did he feel the slightest discomfort.
Wu Shuangren's decision to entrust him with the selection of both the Militia Officer and the Militia Soldier demonstrated his complete trust in him, making him realize that he had indeed chosen the right person to follow.
What kind of leader is most liked by subordinates?
There is no doubt that he is generous, trusts his employees, and is willing to delegate authority.
When Luo Heng was the leader of the Flying Feather Gang, he didn't have the same charisma as Wu Shuangren, so he admired Wu Shuangren even more.
"The three Junior Militia Colonel of the Flying Feather Hall will be appointed as deputy hall masters, and I will have them directly liaise with you."
Wu Shuangren said.
He had already decided on the three candidates for the Junior Militia Colonel, and planned to give one to Hou Huai.
The opponent had his arms and legs broken and one ear torn off; even after recovering, his martial arts skills were completely gone, rendering him unable to fight anymore.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren planned to have Hou Huai take on intelligence work.
The other party is an experienced veteran constable, meticulous, responsible, and completely trustworthy.
Intelligence work is of utmost importance. Even though Wu Shuangren trusts Luo Heng, he still needs to arrange another trusted confidant as an informant to keep an eye on the entire Flying Feather Hall.
Hou Huai is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
When Wu Shuangren first became the head of the Bo County Militia, he invited Hou Huai to join the militia, but Hou Huai refused. However, now he is confident that he can persuade Hou Huai to come and help him.
As for the remaining two candidates for the Junior Militia Colonel, Wu Shuangren planned to choose two from his seriously injured personal guards.
Both men were relatives of the Wu Clan. They had been seriously injured in a previous battle and were left disabled, making it impossible for them to fight on the front lines again.
The two men had already proven their abilities and character during their time as bodyguards, so Wu Shuangren trusted them with the responsibility of employing them.
After exchanging a few more words with Luo Heng, the two of them left the study together and went to the courtyard.
The five wooden crates that Luo Heng brought were placed in the courtyard.
Wu Shuangren had someone open the box, inside were five sets of self-made iron armor.
Previously, he had sent the three generations of a family who were blacksmiths in West River County to West River Market to continue forging armor for him.
He also gathered all the blacksmiths in West River Market and had them learn the craft from these three generations of the family.
The five suits of armor that Luo Heng brought were newly built in West River Market during this period of time.
"How's the factory Mo Zhengxing?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
Before leaving West River Market, he had Mo Zhengxing build a factory by the canal, specifically for forging armor and weapons.
Wu Shuangren plans to turn this place into his military factory in the future.
Although I don't understand the professional knowledge of ancient salt making, cement making, glass manufacturing, gunpowder and the like.
But Wu Shuangren was familiar with the concept of an industrial assembly line.
When he asked Mo Zhengxing to build the factory, he shared his ideas with him, instructing him to consult the three blacksmiths (grandfather, grandfather, and grandson) about the specific processes involved, separating each important step into a separate area within the factory, each managed by a dedicated person. Furthermore, the location and workflow of each area had to be taken into consideration.
Luo Heng nodded. "As you instructed, it's been repaired. However, there are too few people skilled in armor forging, and the iron ore and charcoal aren't enough to produce the large-scale armor you requested. Currently, only the three of them—the grandfather, grandfather, and grandson—are skilled enough, and only they can forge most of the armor plates that are usable. The other blacksmiths forge eight out of ten armor plates that are brittle and unusable. So even if we work non-stop every day, at the fastest pace, we can only forge three or four suits of armor per month."
After listening, Wu Shuangren looked at the armor in the box.
These armors were also lamellar armor, falling somewhere between light and heavy armor.
Compared to the light, standard lamellar armor produced by the imperial court, these iron armors offered slightly better protection. However, they were still far inferior to the armor worn by infantrymen.
It's not just a matter of the number of armor plates; more importantly, it's about the quality of the iron used to forge them.
He questioned the three generations of the family in detail, as well as other blacksmiths. The reason why the armor forged by the imperial court was better was because the imperial court had better technology, higher furnace temperatures, and could also use water power for forging.
These technologies were strictly controlled by the government and were not circulated among the common people.
Wu Shuangren had previously suggested that the blacksmiths forge plate armor similar to that of the Western armor of his previous life.
However, after careful questioning and conversation, I learned that while the plate armor appeared simpler to forge than lamellar armor made of many iron plates, it was actually more difficult and costly to forge. Moreover, the joints were difficult to work with, and even if it was forged, it was far less flexible to wear than lamellar armor.
With traditional folk craftsmanship, at most a breastplate could be made from a single piece of iron.
Besides, there is another very important limiting factor for the mass production of iron armor: raw materials.
Xi Province has many iron mines, and there is a lot of private iron trading. Wu Shuangren also has channels to buy private iron. But buying private iron and charcoal on a large scale is another matter.
Even if it were possible, it would inevitably attract the attention of the government.
It's one thing if the local militias are large-scale, but it's another matter if they try to build a large number of armored vehicles on their own.
Wu Shuangren now finally understood why Mist Hidden Temple had previously preferred to purchase infantry armor from elsewhere at exorbitant prices rather than privately manufacture large quantities of iron armor themselves.
It's simply impossible!
Although Mount Liang has its own iron armor, the quantity seems to be limited at present, probably due to years of accumulation.
According to Luo Heng's statement, even if the blacksmiths in West River Market improve their skills, they probably won't be able to produce more than ten suits of armor per month.
Wu Shuangren couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he knew that things had to be done one step at a time, and there was no rushing it.
"Go and rest first."
Wu Shuangren said to Luo Heng.
Early the next morning.
Yi Prefecture City, a formation of tens of thousands of people had been set up for the first time to practice together.
A high platform was erected in the center of the position, and the banner bearing the character 'Wu', representing the Yi Province Militia, was already planted to the side.
A dozen or so Militia Private stood below the stage, holding flags.
Wu Shuangren ascended the high platform, with Xu Jing standing beside him, and they began to arrange their troops—
At the very front of the formation was a large archer unit, more than two hundred men lined up in order, with crossbowmen in front and archers behind.
Behind the crossbowmen was a spear formation consisting of four battalions, each with over a thousand men, their spears like a forest. The thousand men formed a row, and the four battalions formed four rows in total, with a line width exceeding two hundred zhang.
Behind the spear formation was the central high platform, around which Wu Shuangren's personal guards rode on horseback.
Further back were a Yi Province Militia battalion and two Rong Province Battalion, all of whom were spearmen and served as the rear guard.
There were two battalions on each of the left and right flanks, all of them composed of swordsmen and shieldmen.
On the outermost sides, there were more than a hundred cavalrymen on each side, forming a large cavalry force that protected the left and right flanks.
Many cavalrymen's horses were circling in place, with shouts from the riders and neighing from the horses, creating a somewhat chaotic scene.
It took nearly two hours just for tens of thousands of people to arrange themselves into this single formation.
Wu Shuangren stood beside Xu Jing the whole time, watching him give instructions attentively and silently memorizing all the details.
After everyone had lined up, the twelve drummers below the stage swung their drumsticks together, and the first drumbeat sounded.
The drumbeats were deep and resonant, one after another.
These drummers were included in Wu Shuangren's Command Flag Battalion, with twelve drummers accompanying him. In addition, each battalion also assigned a drummer to walk in the middle of the formation and play the drums, using the sound of the drums to replace rhythm, so that the battalion of more than a thousand people could march in an orderly manner.
As the central drum sounded, the crossbowmen were the first to move, slowly advancing. The spearmen following behind, hearing the drumbeats, also stepped forward.
For a moment, footsteps and drumbeats mingled together, and the ground trembled slightly.
"Green flag, move forward on the left wing!"
Xu Jing gave a shout, and a flag bearer below the stage raised a blue flag and waved it three times to the left.
However, the cavalry on the left flank were a moment too late to move.
Zhu Junchi shouted at the front of the formation, "Watch the flag! Watch the flag! Left flank forward!"
He spurred his horse, and the riders behind him urged their horses forward.
"Red Flag, right flank, follow!"
Xu Jing shouted again.
The cavalry on the right wing were faster this time, but once the cavalry scattered, some charged too far ahead and some fell behind, like leaves scattered on the ground by the wind.
The formation pushed forward about two hundred paces, and Xu Jing gave another order:
"All troops halt, spears at rest."
The drumbeats stopped abruptly, and the command flags were waved.
The four spear battalions at the front gradually came to a stop, but the Yi Province battalion and two Rong Province Battalion, which were part of the rear guard, failed to keep up and continued to advance.
Some bumped into the backs of those in front, others stuck their spears into the ground. A Rong Province Battalion swerved, somehow cutting diagonally into the ranks of the Yi Province battalion next to them. The two battalions were crammed together, spears and shields tangled in a chaotic mess...
Wu Shuangren didn't get angry. He stood on the high platform and scanned the entire formation.
With nearly 10,000 people practicing together, the fact that they can stand in this roughly position for the first time is already quite good.
The drumbeats came at different times, the flag signals were fast and slow, and each battalion had its own separate flag signals and drumbeats, so chaos was normal.
Even Wu Shuangren herself sometimes struggled to keep up with the pace, let alone those involved.
When each battalion trains individually, everyone can march in unison, but when they train together and interfere with each other, the difficulty increases significantly.
Many of these people have only been in formal training for less than a month, so it's impossible for them to become qualified soldiers overnight.
Let's go one more time.
Wu Shuangren said to Xu Jing.
An even more powerful enemy is on its way, and the Yi Province Militia is running out of time.
But every drop of sweat shed at this moment is meaningful.
The 10,000-strong Yi Province Militia moved slowly to the sound of drums and flag signals, like a giant beast that had just learned to walk.
Although it was slow and somewhat chaotic, everyone was ultimately moving forward step by step in the same direction!
P. S.: I'd like to recommend my completed novel, "This Martial Saint's Health Bar is Too Thick," a work with over three million words and more than 10,000 subscribers—you can't doubt its quality. Readers who liked that book will likely enjoy this one too. The link is in the author's notes; just click to read it!