Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were the two most prominent military generals in the Ming Dynasty, equivalent to Zhu Yuanzhang's main and deputy marshals. However, these two people, Xu Da, zhu Yuanzhang's young hair, was born poor, did not read any books, nor read any martial arts. Chang Yuchun was also poor and joined the den of robbers who robbed his family and house, and later defected to Zhu Yuanzhang. That is to say, these two people originally did not know how to lead troops to fight, why did they eventually become the supreme commander of the army of the Ming Dynasty?
(Xu Da stills)
1. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were strong in martial arts and brave in battle.
Although Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had not learned the art of war before and had not led the army, they had a characteristic, they had learned martial arts and had a good martial art.
Because he has a good martial art, he is admired in the army and loved by soldiers. This is very important. If it was a white-faced student who did not know martial arts to direct the battle, the soldiers would certainly disobey him. And Xu Da and Chang Yuchun themselves are strong in martial arts, and the soldiers will feel that they have "level", of course, they will listen to their words.
When we look at the novels written in ancient times, the generals in them are very strong in martial arts. In the late Sui Dynasty, there was also a ranking of the martial arts of good men. Even when fighting a war, it is usually the general who fights first, and then the soldier fights after the victory or defeat is decided. All of this, we know, is different from the actual situation. The question is, differently, why are deductive novels still written? This shows that in the hearts of the common people, they attach great importance to the martial arts of generals in the army.
Xu Da and Chang Yuchun are highly skilled in martial arts and are naturally very respected.
In addition to having a good martial art, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun also have an important place, that is, when they fight on the battlefield, they fight bravely and fiercely, and every time they charge forward. There are many places in the historical records that specifically record the examples of their charge in the front. Since the commanders were all charging ahead, how could the soldiers not keep up? So the fight is naturally very powerful.
(Stills from Chang Yu Chun)
Second, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's opponents also did not learn the art of war.
Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's troops did not fight much with the Yuan Dynasty army. They fought with the Yuan Dynasty army after pacifying the south.
At that time, in the south, it was mainly the troops of Chen Youyu and Zhang Shicheng. And these people, themselves, are peasant armies. Although Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had not learned the art of war, the generals of Chen Youyu and Zhang Shicheng, who were opponents, had not learned the art of war. When everyone has not learned the art of war, the main reason for fighting a war is to rely on bravery, relying on the charm of the generals in the army, not on scheming.
In fact, the unification war at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the tactics used in the war are indeed not as famous as those of the late Qin Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms, there were very many great military experts and strategists. However, there seem to be very few military and strategists who are remembered by later generations at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (like Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, they actually rarely command wars, but more strategic planning and logistical support). This also shows that because most of the peasant rebel armies are fighting each other, the use of strategy is indeed very small.
Some people may say that when Zhu Yuanzhang unified the south and sent Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to the Northern Expedition to attack the regular army of the Yuan Dynasty, wouldn't the regular army of the Yuan Dynasty also be unable to win? In fact, when Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were in the Northern Expedition, on the one hand, they already had actual combat experience; on the other hand, the Yuan Dynasty was not a regular army for a long time, but became a remnant of the defeated generals in the battle against the peasant rebel army in the north, and they were vulnerable. Therefore, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun fought very easily.
(Zhu Yuanzhang stills)
Third, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun fought out through actual combat.
What is a punch? First, they have actual combat experience and know how to fight a war and how to fight a war. The second is to know what their strengths are, what the enemy's weaknesses are, and how to give play to their own advantages to combat the enemy's weaknesses. Third, the generals have established absolute authority in the army, and there is no need to emphasize discipline and execution.
Fourth, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were absolutely trusted by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Xu Da was a young man of Zhu Yuanzhang, and Chang Yuchun was also considered loyal and honest by Zhu Yuanzhang, so he trusted them very much, and there was no such thing as Liu Bang directly breaking into the military camp and taking Han Xin's soldier charm.
So Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Xu Da and Chang Yuchun very much, so their battles could come according to their own ideas, and therefore they fought very smoothly. As long as the battle is smooth, the fight will naturally be very strong. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, who had gained Zhu Yuanzhang's trust, naturally became the supreme commander of the Ming Army.
(Reference: History of the Ming Dynasty)