RNP Chapter 262 Recruitment Guidelines, Initial Concept of the Five Battalions
Chapter 262 Recruitment Guidelines, Initial Concept of the Five Battalions
Before Wei Yuan left Beijing, his attitude towards Zhao Zhen was very clear.
The new army, also known as the Danglu Army, does not allow anyone or even any external force to interfere.
The purpose of this is to ensure the combat capabilities and level of the soldiers of the Danglu Army.
However, after hearing Yang Huairen's words, Wei Yuan realized belatedly that even the officials might have felt that he was deliberately controlling the new army.
Or maybe Zhao Zhen was tired of dealing with those nobles and clan members, and wanted Wei Yuan to handle it himself.
No matter which possibility it is, it will bring trouble to Wei Yuan, "I know, I will solve this matter."
When Wei Yuan stood in the camp of the Danglu Army, all the soldiers, as if they had seen their backbone, knelt down on one knee and bowed:
"Greetings, Commander Wei!"
What's more, he raised the weapon in his hand high above his head and kept shouting the word "Wei Commander".
The officers and soldiers in the Danglu Army enjoy a lot of special treatment compared to other Forbidden Forces.
For example, the soldiers of the Danglu Army received the highest wages and the highest pensions for those killed in battle. The armors they wore and the weapons they held were the latest and best products of the Zhou Dynasty.
In addition, the soldiers of the Danglu Army often eat meat, and their nutrition is completely up to date.
When he ran out of money, Wei Yuan shamelessly went to Han Zhang to ask for it.
Han Zhang wouldn't give it, but Wen Yanbo would always give it.
Unless neither of them wants to win over Wei Yuan.
But as soon as the military reform incident came out, both of them were thinking of drawing Weiyuan into the game.
In addition, Wei Yuan, as the commander of the Imperial Palace Division, can also control the financial income of the Imperial Palace Division, which is also a large amount of input and expenditure.
Coupled with the friendship contracts signed with prominent families and merchants in the southeast last year, Wei Yuan can earn about one million taels of silver every year.
In short, Wei Yuan has applied for almost all the benefits that he could apply for for the Danglu Army.
Not to mention how bluffing Wei Yuan's identity is and how resounding his name is.
Put yourself in their shoes, if you were a soldier in the Danglu Army, with a salary that was much higher than that of your peers and even various guarantees, who wouldn't want to sacrifice your life?
The soldiers also knew very well that everything they had now was given by Wei Yuan.
Therefore, they all admired and respected Wei Yuan.
In fact, without the support of the court, it would be difficult for Wei Yuan to do this.
Rather than saying it was given by Wei Yuan, it was better said that it was given by the imperial court.
However, the soldiers will remember the good things of Wei Yuan, but not the good things of the imperial court.
This is also the reason why the emperor is unwilling to let one general control an army alone.
Wei Yuan did not leave the Danglu army in a hurry, but walked into the commander's tent, intending to write a note stating the pros and cons of recruiting soldiers.
The military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty is generally a son-to-father system. For example, if the father is very old in the army and is the head of the army, then his son can take his father's position as soon as he arrives in the army.
For another example, if you randomly add people from nobles and noble families to the army, spend some money and establish connections, you can get an iron rice bowl.
The birth of the Danglu Army completely shattered this iron rice bowl.
At present, the Yanbian military reform strategy alone is not enough, and the old methods cannot be used to recruit soldiers.
The father-son inheritance system will be removed, and recruits must not only have age and height restrictions, but also undergo a comprehensive physical examination.
If fathers who have served in the military also want their children to serve in the military, they can prioritize physical examinations.
To put it bluntly, when recruiting soldiers, physical examinations must be arranged.
At this moment, Yang Huairen was guarding Wei Yuan. Seeing so many of his fantastic thoughts, he suddenly said curiously:
"Physical examination? Is there a standard for this physical examination? What are they tested for?"
Wei Yuan explained: "Not only are doctors required to diagnose the pulse of the recruits, but they are also required to conduct physical tests on them."
"For example, our army is currently training on running, crossing obstacles and many other aspects, and will eventually be evaluated."
"Those who meet the physical fitness standards and have no obvious family diseases will be given priority for admission."
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Yang Huairen understood instantly, "Is Commander Wei trying to overthrow the world military system?"
Wei Yuan said: "It is not to overthrow, but to learn from each other's strong points and integrate them with the new system."
"As I said just now, those whose fathers have served in the military can give priority to the physical fitness test, and the difficulty will be reduced appropriately. If they meet the standards, they can be admitted into the military."
"In addition to the physical fitness test, the brain must also be tested and some basic questions asked to ensure that the recruits will not be stupid or stupid."
"Aren't those nobles and nobles coming in from the fortress? They will be treated equally and undergo a physical test. Those who meet the standards can join the army. Moreover, the age limit for recruiting soldiers is between eighteen and twenty-five. No waiting will be done after the expiration date."
In this way, both the recruitment of soldiers and the subsequent reserve of troops can be improved.
After writing the letter, Wei Yuan planned to go to the palace in person to meet the saint.
Otherwise, he was worried that like Yang Huairen, Zha Zi would not be able to get to the official family at all.
In other words, it arrived, but the officials also insisted on letting the third division stay in the center.
The previous three divisions were Zhongshu Menxia and Privy Council.
Today's Sansi is the three provinces under Zhongshu's sect.
As for major military and state affairs reported by the Privy Council, decisions can be made to the emperor alone without going through the Third Division.
Generally speaking, in the current political situation of the Zhou Dynasty, it is the ‘Four Divisions’ that can influence the implementation of national policies and the direction of court politics.
In addition to the Privy Council and Prime Ministers Han and Wen, the deputy chiefs of the three departments are all served by the Council for Political Affairs.
As the name suggests, the position of the Minister of State Affairs can participate in the government affairs, which is considered as the deputy prime minister.
In this way, the power of the position of the Minister of State Affairs has been greatly enhanced.
Han Zhang still serves as the "Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi", which is nominally the head of all officials.
Wen Yanbo's position is "Pingzhang Junguozhongshi". In fact, with the existence of the Privy Council, Wen Yanbo does not need to ask too many military and national affairs.
This position is more like a nominal position, above the prime minister.
If there is only this position, it is just a gimmick without real power. How can it fight with Han Zhang?
So, the Shangshu Province was re-established.
The two positions of Pingzhang Junguozhongshi and Shangshuling can barely compete with Han Zhang.
Party struggles are party struggles, and the affairs of the court cannot be neglected, and the people cannot be prevented from resting and recuperating. Everything cannot be decided by two people.
So, at this time, the power of the Minister of State Affairs must be increased.
The checks and balances between the parties can not only ensure that the internal friction between Han Zhang and Wen Yanbo will clear the obstacles for the future accession of the crown prince, but also ensure that the court will not be delayed by these things.
If Wei Yuan did not submit the petition in person, but went through the process after the three or four departments reviewed it, I don’t know how much time would be wasted.
Now, he hopes to set the criteria for recruiting soldiers as soon as possible.
Otherwise, I don’t know how many people and forces are eyeing the Danglu Army.
If those people pass the rigorous tests and enter the Danglu Army.
Then they will have no status here, and they will start from simple soldiers.
As long as Wei Yuan is still alive, he will never let the pure land of the Danglu Army be polluted.
He wants to ensure the purity of this army.
Later, Wei Yuan went to the palace to meet the emperor in person.
At this time, it was almost evening, and Zhao Zhen had stopped dealing with government affairs and was lying on the dragon couch to rest.
Hearing that Chief Steward Zhu mentioned that Wei Yuan was coming, he reluctantly invited Wei Yuan to Xuanzheng Hall for the time being.
"Didn't I ask him to rest at home? Why did he come here again?" Chief Steward Zhu supported Zhao Zhen and went to Xuanzheng Hall.
"Looking at Lord Wei's expression, he seems to be in a hurry."
In a hurry? Zhao Zhen sighed helplessly: "It's just this brat. If it were someone else, they wouldn't dare to disturb me at this time."
When he arrived at the Xuanzheng Hall and saw Wei Yuan sitting upright, Zhao Zhen didn't look happy at all. He sat down slowly on the dragon chair and said in a deep voice:
"Tell me, why do you want to see me so late at night?"
Wei Yuan handed the note he had just written to Zhao Zhen,
"Your Majesty, I have thought about it. Now our country is recruiting soldiers. Anyone who is over 16 and under 40 can join the army."
"I think this age limit is too large. It's better to set it between 18 and 25 years old."
"There are also some basic principles for recruiting soldiers. I have written them in the note. Please take a look."
Recruitment criteria?
Zhao Zhen became interested and read it carefully.
He agreed with the various physical fitness tests proposed by Wei Yuan.
"If we recruit soldiers in this way, we can greatly improve the problem of redundant soldiers."
"But where can I find so many young and strong men to join the army?"
Wei Yuan had already thought about this question, "Your Majesty, do you know how many people there are now, including the troops guarding the various states and counties of our Great Zhou?"
Zhao Zhen frowned slightly, "I remember that there was a census in the third year of Jiayou, and there were about one million?"
Wei Yuan said bluntly: "The national army, including the imperial army and the local garrison, totals more than 1.27 million."
"Your Majesty, since Emperor Taizong, Since the Emperor personally led the army, how many troops have we deployed in the wars we launched? "
Zhao Zhen thought for a while and said, "It should be the battles where Emperor Taizong's Northern Expedition was frustrated, such as the Battle of Gaoliang River, which killed all the elite soldiers of the founding of our Great Zhou."
Wei Yuan nodded and said, "In fact, when Emperor Taizong went to the North, or in several national wars in modern times, our Great Zhou deployed at most 400,000 troops, and the rest were civilians, about 500,000 to 600,000 people."
"But civilians are not counted as part of the army. In each national war, with the strength of our Great Zhou, at most 300,000 to 400,000 people can support multi-line operations. Have you ever thought about why?"
Zhao Zhen fell silent.
Wei Yuan continued, "Most of the time, too many county soldiers are useless. They are said to farm in their spare time and join the army in wartime, but if a million-strong army is really mobilized for battle, how much food and grass will be needed?"
"Among the millions of soldiers, how many can be fully armed and wear armor?"
"Sir, millions of troops are too many. My Great Zhou does not need so many troops."
No matter who said this, as long as that person is not a military general or a noble, Zhao Zhen can understand it.
But when this came out of Wei Yuan's mouth, Zhao Zhen felt a little surprised.
"You want to reduce the army?"
Zhao Zhen said in surprise.
In theory, as a military hero, he must be happy to see that the national army is no more or less.
It is rare to see a military hero like Wei Yuan who proposed to reduce the army.
"I propose to reform the military system in Yanbian first and propose the criteria for recruiting soldiers, which is to further select strong men to serve the country."
"I have a bold idea. Once the military system reform in Yanbian is successful, it will be implemented nationwide, and the army will be greatly reduced to solve the problem of redundant soldiers once and for all."
Wei Yuan's words were shocking.
Zhao Zhen seemed to be shocked and coughed several times in succession.
It's not that he hadn't thought about reducing the army.
But when he really did it, he found that even reducing 100,000 troops was extremely difficult, and there would be many obstacles in the process.
"How much do you want to cut?" Zhao Zhen asked with squinted eyes.
Wei Yuan said: "According to my estimate, the army will be reduced by 300,000, and there will no longer be a Xiang army, leaving only one million units."
"Three hundred thousand in the northwest, three hundred thousand in the north, two hundred thousand in the capital, one hundred thousand in the southeast, and another one hundred thousand stationed along the Shu Road in case of emergencies."
"There will no longer be a capital military system, and it will be replaced by large camps. Five large camps will be set up. Under the five battalions, there will be various armies, which will be uniformly dispatched by the court. It will no longer be based on the cumbersome garrison of various states and counties."
"At that time, the military and local people's livelihood management will be completely separated. During the battle, they will communicate with each other and be equipped with both offense and defense. They will all obey the imperial court's dispatch, saving a lot of trouble and not delaying the war opportunity."
Hear the words.
Zhao Zhen nodded subconsciously.
Regardless of whether this method is feasible or not, he feels that the idea is good.
Nowadays, the armies of the Zhou Dynasty are indeed scattered in various states and counties as Wei Yuan said, and their numbers are complicated and not uniform, making it difficult to deploy them all at once.
In Wei Yuan's words, it is like a pile of loose sand, vulnerable to a single blow.
"So, you came to see me today, or do you want to carry out military reform in Yanbian?"
"The Yanbian army of 300,000 people is divided into three armies. One army has a strength of 100,000 troops. Who will be the commander of this army?"
"If we want to separate the vassal towns like the last dynasty of the previous dynasty, who will bear this responsibility? You?!"
Zhao Zhen frowned deeply.
Wei Yuan bowed and said, "The officials should calm down."
"In order to prevent the generals from becoming bigger, they can be replaced every three years."
Zhao Zhen sneered:
"Changing positions? That sounds nice, but after all the back and forth, aren't they still the same wing generals?"
"It's okay in the short term, but it will last for a long time."
Wei Yuan suddenly took over the conversation, "From now on, five major battalions will be set up in the territory of our country. Each battalion will have armies under its command. Every three to five years, the commanders of the five battalions and the military commanders will be replaced."
"After all five battalions have changed their defenses, it's almost time for the battalion commander or the army commander to retire and return home."
After hearing this, Zhao Zhen's expression softened and he said:
"In this case, there is no need for your palace's front department, infantry department, and horse army department to exist."
"Even the military system needs to be changed. Have you thought clearly about it?"
Wei Yuan cupped his hands and said, "I really haven't thought about this yet. It's not that I haven't thought of it, but it's just that I haven't had the time yet."
"The most important thing now is to completely reform the Yanbian military system to prevent Xixia from counterattack."
"They suddenly established six major military divisions. They made it clear that after recuperating, they would fight to the death with our country."
"Officials, we must not ignore this matter and must be on guard!"
The solution given by Wei Yuan is to reform the Yanbian military system.
Zhao Zhen was worried that such a drastic rectification would cause problems. What if it really caused civil strife, mutiny, or allowed a certain side general to take the opportunity to become more powerful and disobey discipline?