Chapter 46 – Army March (MTL)
Bloodfalcon had decided to MTL Lu Bu, I will be going back to make sure the accuracy was correct and replace it with corrected version once I do. However, if anyone is anxious to know what happens, feel free to check out the machine translations first. I have worked with his previous machine translations, they were pretty accurate and just certain minor details were wrong.
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My Father in Law is Lu Bu – Chapter 46 – Army March (MTL, not translation checked yet)
Translated by Bloodfalcon, Edited by TyrLoki
"Urban Management Army?!" Lu Bu brow frowned, what a strange name? Usually elite soldiers use the name of the location where it was formed, for example the Bing Province Heavy Cavalry, Danyang soldiers, Qing Province Soldiers, and there’s a name that uses the tiger’s ferociousness for its title, the Ferocious Cavalry, but no one has ever named an army the Urban Management Army.
TL Note: From Chapter 45, there is a sentence “Urban Management Army is the strongest in the world”, this is actually a joke (satire) due to their harshness to common people. My guess is they put a subtle joke in here due to Liu Mang is still weak and hiding behind the strong Lu Bu army, some kind like a bully if I may say.
”You said that he’s still practicing on standing?!” Lu Bu asked rhetorically. “Yes, Milord!” The messenger replied while lowering his head. “Now they’re not only practicing on standing but learning Goose steps! “Goose steps?!” Lu Bu said in surprise, what is that thing?
TL: Goose step. Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_step
”Yes, it’s like this!” Messenger demonstrated what the Urban Management Army is practicing, the Goose step.
“Doing goose step?!” Lu Bu looked at the messenger’s movement and his brow wrinkled even further. If it was standing under the sun like before, Lu Bu can understand that it is military law demonstration. It instills excellent obedience to his commands, after all Liu Mang has killed a soldier before for disobedience.
After standing on the sun, now he’s making them practice this goose step? If it’s practicing battle formation it’s okay, after all when in the battlefield, coordination with each other is needed, but does that boy even understand the battlefield? Lu Bu is really confused, what the hell is this boy is thinking!
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in Guandu is already like fire and water, therefore when Boss Lu left Xu Province not only did he not send out troops to pursue but he also made the surrounding Cao army let him pass smoothly. However Cao Cao did not want Boss Lu unmonitored.
Due to not having any troops in pursuit of Lu Bu army, Boss Lu has enough time to recuperate his units. Now Lu Bu’s army not only consists of Bing Province Heavy Cavalry and Formation Breaker but also Liu Mang's Urban Management Army.
Lu Bu's was intuition correct, Liu Mang's goose step parade was an actual strategy for the battlefield, his battle formation not only changed into a snake but also changed into goose formation, and moreover it is not impossible to change it into circular defense formation. This formation perhaps was a very strong one, but Liu Mang did not understand about formation at all. Therefore he can only use square formation, square formation parade goose step.
(Editor: Fuck that was a hard phrasing they did there! It was so vague I had trouble seeing mount Tai even if it was in front of me)
“Milord!” While Lu Bu still thinking, a mighty general walked in and said a few but straight words “Milord, Hanyang took 200 warhorses from me!” From the total of less than 6000 warhorses, Zhang Liao had planned to set up 3 platoons of Bing Province Heavy Cavalry, but now creating the 3000 Bing Province Heavy Cavalry is becoming more difficult. Zhang Liao cannot directly disagree with Liu Mang, after all these warhorses was brought by Liu Mang, so he can only report it to Lu Bu.
”Oh?!” Lu Bu said surprised. When Liu Mang formed Urban Management Army, he requested a military order that decreed Urban Management Army can take any military supplies without reporting, who knew that boy was going to use it almost immediately.
”Does he want to form a cavalry unit?!” Lu Bu contemplated about those 200 warhorses, the Urban Management Army had less than 1000 people right now, did he think to ride? If it’s like that, a dozen warhorses should be sufficient, not to mention those warhorses that Liu Mang had taken were Ferghana horses.
What effect can several hundred cavalry soldiers have? A cavalry of less than a thousand people is unable to be called a unit.
Lu Bu has hasn’t finished contemplating but Gao Shun had also come to complain “Milord, Hanyang took 300 pieces of great shield from my Formation Breaker unit. These great shields are really good treasures. These shields were not only light but also big and very sturdy; they can resist an arrow volley without wearing out the shield. So Gao Shun loved these shields greatly but all of a sudden Liu Mang took 300 of them! It would not be right if he did not complain to Lu Bu about this.
“He took also 300 great shields?!” These great shields only suit for the heavy infantry, for breaching enemy lines, what the hell is Liu Hanyang thinking?
At this time around, Zhang Liao's subordinate came in and whisper something in Zhang Liao's ear. Zhang Liao's voice at this time got very loud “What, he also took 800 cavalry javelin? Milord, you see that!”
Lu Bu felt a headache forming, what the hell is Liu Hanyang doing? What did he want to do with the cavalry javelin? Those things are no good in close quarter combat. You form cavalry soldiers took 200 warhorses, now 800 javelins.
”Gongtai, are you going to complain also? Quick say, what Liu Hanyang took from you?!” Chen Gong who just entered the commander's tent, sported a confused look. When Lu Bu explained, he laughed.
”I, Chen Gong, did not come here to complain!” He shook his head while smiling. His purpose in coming to the tent was to tell Lu Bu to march tomorrow, but he did not expect to be encountered with such questions.
”Oh, yes, if you did not ask that question then I would have also forgotten. It seems, Hanyang also took 700 bows from Chen Deng!” Chen Gong also adds in.
“This Liu Hanyang some days he makes me want to beat him, he want to amuse me with what!” Actually Lu Bu is very curious with what Liu Mang is doing! Why does he need so many tools for only 1000 soldiers?
800 javelins, 300 great shields, 200 warhorses, what weird creatures will come out of this? With these equipment, you can make formation consists of 5000 people.
Speaking of that, Liu Mang really gave birth to a really weird creature.
200 warhorses are given to 100 soldiers. A person using two horses can maintain high horsepower. The Arabian war horse's horsepower is high with a rider who is also acting as bodyguard equipped with javelin. One can say, as long as do not have to fight big war, they can absolutely protect themselves.
300 great shields, Liu Mang also gave to the cavalry soldiers. This is the same treatment as Bing Province Heavy Cavalry. The remaining 200 shields were given to the front row. If 200 defense shields formed a good formation, then it can certainly protect these 1000 people.
From the 800 javelins 100 pieces had been given to cavalry soldiers; the remaining 700 javelins have all been given to other 700 soldiers. Those 700 bows were also given to them. So the javelin soldier can also act as a bowman when in a long-range battle.
1000 people can form a phalanx formation, while 100 cavalry soldiers protect the flag. But people may ask, why is it that Liu Mang's infantry can use cavalry javelin? Indeed for conventional infantry soldiers it is impossible to use cavalry javelin because in close quarters combat, it is impossible to utilize the javelin’s strength. Even cavalry soldier draws sword on close quarter’s battle.
The phalanx formation that Liu Mang formed is different. The first row is for the shield troops, protecting and guarding front, behind is 700 javelin soldiers, it took 35 people in one row with total of 20 rows.
The first row of soldier generally squat and align with the first javelin soldier’s row. The second row of soldiers, place their javelin on the shoulder of the first row. This can strengthen their destructive power. But the real essence of phalanx formation tactics lies in complete synchronization of all the soldier’s movements, so if they are not in line with the formation, it will compromise the tactics severely.
Therefore Liu Mang had been very strict on that standing formation because if even one person does not obey the command, it will compromise the phalanx formation and it can be broken by enemy easily.
That’s correct, this is the famous Ancient Macedonian phalanx, the phalanx formation strikes the enemy directly, and those 100 cavalry soldiers protects the flank so as not to be besieged in all directions.
Right now it cannot be compared with the late Han elite units such as Danyang soldiers, Formation Breaker , Great Ji soldiers and skirmishers of Ji Province, or with the White Feathered Soldiers or even Qing Province's elites! Liu Mang's prowess as a general is also nowhere near Gao Shun or Zhang Liao. Also it is nowhere near Qu Yi's force need not mention Liu Guan Zhang.
TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_phalanx
TL: Qu Yi, Yuan Shao general known for his prowess defeating Gongsun Zan and on par with Zhao Yun
TL: White-feathered soldier is a heavy infantry unit that act as Liu Bei's bodyguard and was led by General Chen Dao
He can only have this tactic to compete with them, to work as one, unity as strength. If these elite units are wolves, then the present Urban Army are the sheep. If sheep work as one to attack, even wolves must retreat. 1000 people unity and striving to excel, can be compared to that of 5000 people.
TL: Urban Management Army is too tedious to write down, so from now on Urban Management Army is written as Urban Army
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At that time, when Liu Mang wanted to build Urban Army, Lu Bu complied with his request which to take any armament at will, but of course now he cannot comply due to the intervention of Gao Shun and Zhang Liao’s complain report. The next day, the urban army started to emerge by itself. Lu Bu is very curious, he wanted to see what kind of army Liu Mang has built, so he went to Liu Mang's camp.
When Lu Bu entered the camp, he saw a very well-formed phalanx formation, a very organized formation.
Before Liu Mang could explain this phalanx formation, Lu Bu had pulled him closer.
“Today, we must leave, to march, after the recuperation is over!” Liu Mang said.
When Liu Mang said this, a lot of soldier had a happy expression, most likely because they have been made miserable by Liu Mang these past days. Not training any type of martial arts and only practicing four monotone movements the Standing formation, Goose step, rising of javelin, laying flat. This can put ill intent on these soldiers but now finally they can rest a bit.
TL: Modern skills for ancient soldiers? But it is necessary for unity.
”Laugh, smile, be happy, try to be as happy as possible!” Liu Mang also knew that these Urban Army have been harboring ill intent, but this is exactly the result he wanted.
“So,is there no one complaining the training is boring? Do you want another new training?” Said Liu Mang while smiling. The collective Urban Army recognized this smiling gesture and became a little afraid, because each time Liu Mang showed this gesture; There wasn’t a good thing that came of it. Liu Mang threw down a big pile of cotton bags. Usually these sacks are filled with food but right now it’s empty and was borrowed by Liu Mang, he attached two straps sewn with a needle and a thread, a full 1085 sets.
TL: more like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpack
”These are the cloth backpacks that my wives had sown?!” Lu Bu looked at the cloth backpacks. Because a couple of days ago, his wives were very busy due to Liu Mang bringing these cloth sacks to have two straps added into them, also few women participated in sewing these.
What did he want to do?!
Then he saw Liu Mang take up the cloth backpack on a nearby slope, filling it with stones one by one until the entire backpack was full. Liu Mang then demostrated it’s use by carrying the backpack behind him.
Oh, those two straps are used like that! Lu Bu tried to understood a little but he is truly could not understand at all.
”Everyone steps forward and pick up a backpack, and fill it with stone, take away both your weapon and armor and we will begin the march!” Liu Mang shouted “Do you understand what I said!”
”We understand “Everyone also shout with one voice.
Marching with stones on your back? Was Liu Hanyang insane? From here to the next camp site is at least a dozen li traveled. Carrying a weapon was already very uncomfortable, now they also had to carry stone? Lu Bu wanted to step forward to stop this madness, but did not expect that one by one the soldiers started following their leader by putting stones from slope in the backpack.
”Very good, it is very good!” Liu Mang also very satisfied that nobody questioned him.
“I will also carry the same heavy load with you crossing country! All cavalry soldiers dismount! You will also carry stones with me!” Liu Mang said.
“Yes sir!” 100 cavalry soldiers also got backpack filled with stones. On the back of each of their warhorses, they also put the tents for troop garrisons for their own usage.
”Everyone march!” Under the bright sunlight, Liu Mang took the lead to leave the camp. The big and powerful Urban Army also followed him.
Lu Bu looks at Liu Mang who was already far away from him, with a worried look he talked to himself “He can really train them like this, huh?” After that Lu Bu laughed at himself, wondering when was it that he began to be so sentimental.
