After the Smolensk War most, but not all of the expensive "foreign formation regiments" had been disbanded. A few thousand "foreign formation" infantry and dragoons had manned the Abatis Line, but in 1646 the government decided to make "foreign formation" units an important permanent element in the army. A number of officers were hired abroad, especially in the Netherlands; a "war manual" on the exercise of musket and pike was translated into Russian, to help in training Muscovite infantry; a new census was conducted to levy troops by household (one from every 20-100 homes); and Tsar Alexis placed thousands of "state serfs" along the border in standing service as ‘settled’ dragoons and infantry, drilled in their villages year-round under foreign officers.