When discussing battles in the Age of Cold Weapons, there is a widespread question: Why do those who rush to the forefront seem to hang in the balance between those who rush to the forefront in battle? Regardless of whether the battle ended in victory or defeat, the soldiers in the first platoon always faced the highest danger of life and death, so they were nicknamed "cannon fodder". But why would anyone take on this dangerous role without hesitation? I will discuss this on two levels.
First, who will be the vanguard? From our point of view, of course, no one wants to be in the vanguard, and some may even be reluctant to fight, because we live in times of peace and we prefer to pursue a peaceful life. But in times of war, the situation is very different and everyone needs to take responsibility. As I mentioned in a previous article: although we are now afraid of death, if faced with a situation like the War of Resistance Against Japan, our bloodiness and courage will be aroused again. In ancient times, due to the solidification of social classes, especially for the bottom society, in order to get ahead, it was almost only by giving life in exchange for opportunities. Military merit is one of the most direct and violent avenues, but it also comes with high levels of danger. Of course, there are other paths, such as entering the junior high school entrance examination, but the chances of success are limited, and not everyone can do it.
Therefore, from the point of view of subjective wishes, not all vanguard soldiers are forced to take risks, and some people are brave in order to change their destiny. There are countless such examples in history, such as Yu Ban, Lü Meng, Deng Ai, etc. (taking the Three Kingdoms era as an example). In addition, there are other attractive conditions and benefits for becoming a vanguard. On the battlefield, not evenly distributed, but rewarded according to performance. For low-level soldiers, the opportunity to achieve the greatest battle merit is to kill the enemy, siege the city, behead the general, and capture the flag. To achieve these goals, there are only chances to rush to the front, and the opportunities in the rear are relatively small, and it is usually possible to watch others gain merit. In addition, with the permission of the main general, the soldiers could even plunder the enemy and hide the loot. Even if they die on the battlefield, the state will provide pensions to the families of soldiers to protect their worries. Therefore, in the era of war, some people regarded becoming a soldier as a profession and even passed it on to future generations, which is called the "world soldier system", such as Wei Wuxian.
Of course, if everyone is afraid of death and does not want to be the vanguard, the last option is compulsory conscription, roll call system, whether they want to or not, they must obey orders and do not compromise. However, such armies generally lack morale.
Secondly, Do vanguard soldiers really have the highest mortality rate? Some people think that the death rate of the vanguard is the highest, probably because they are misled by the TV series. The scenes in the TV series that rush to the front, are shot into a hornet's nest by a bow and arrow, and are burned by boiling oil when landing in the city seem unrealistic, after all, who would be so stupid? In fact, the vanguard is fully armed, they are equipped with shields and are well protected. In contrast, the archers in the rear had weak armor and were more likely to be injured in a rain of arrows from both sides, and the task of the vanguard was to protect these rear archers. When the two sides began to fight in white, most people no longer used bows and arrows except for cold arrows, and the combat ability of archers was relatively low. In addition, once the vanguard is injured or exhausted, he will withdraw in time under the cover of his teammates, rather than staying on the front line to bear the pressure, which even a warrior like Dian Wei can experience. In addition, the vanguard has a significant impact on the course of a war, and if lost, it may lead to the collapse of the entire war. Therefore, in many key battles, the vanguard was usually served by famous generals themselves, such as Gao Shun's trapping camp. The vanguard is not sent to death, they are the elite troops of the army.
Of course, there are cases where prisoners or criminals are used as vanguards, and this situation is more exceptional.
(To be continued)