1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 684 Military Reform
February 1653, 2, Hanzhou, Jianye City Military Building.

"By the end of last year, there were more than 460 navy ships under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs, 650 officers and soldiers, 960 officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps, and 460 coastal defense artillery stationed in the mainland and overseas territories; The lower two battalions have 580 five officers and soldiers; the gendarmerie has 110 officers and soldiers; the above-mentioned officers and soldiers have a total of [-] five officers and soldiers.”

Cui Shaochuan, chief of the general staff under the military department, finished reading the data on the information, paused, looked at the many senior officers sitting, and found that everyone had a look of surprise and joy on their faces. , somewhat surprised.

"However, the number of our army in Qi State has reached 2000. In addition to the addition of equipment such as ships and artillery, military training, combat deployment, and many military operations, it also cost Hanzhou 95 silver dollars last year, accounting for nearly sixty percent of the government's fiscal revenue. As a result, it has already had a certain impact on the domestic economy. For this reason, the cabinet recommends that our military department reduce some military expenditures as appropriate, and reduce military expenditures to about [-]% of fiscal revenue in the next three years."

As soon as the voice fell, the venue suddenly became noisy.In the next three years, if the military expenditure is to be reduced by [-]%, wouldn't that force the military to partially reduce existing troops and reduce (slow down) the speed of replenishment (replacement) of new equipment? As far as this is concerned, it is tantamount to suddenly pulling a rein, which makes all soldiers feel unacceptable.

You must know that in this era, whether it is the continent in chaos or Europe that has just ended the 30-year war, military expenditures account for a very high proportion of fiscal revenue in almost all countries and regions.In the United Kingdom, military expenditure accounts for more than 60.00% of fiscal revenue all the year round, and French military expenditure once accounted for 80.00% of fiscal revenue a few years ago.Even the Song Dynasty, which was famous for its wealth, had military expenditures accounting for [-]% of the country's total fiscal revenue all the year round.

Today, I heard that the cabinet actually requires the military to control military expenditures to [-]% of the fiscal revenue. Isn't this suppressing the expansion of military power, and repeating the old example of suppressing warriors in the Song and Ming Dynasties?

Could it be that the king is afraid of the army?
Some military officers involuntarily turned their eyes to the silent king, full of apprehension.

"Everyone, don't doubt me!" Seeing many military officers looking over, Qi Tian smiled, "The reduction of military expenditure is really a suggestion made by the Ministry of Finance of the Cabinet, not that I want to use this to suppress the military and repeat the Song and Ming dynasties of emphasizing culture over military affairs. Because the government runs a serious deficit every year and the military expenditure accounts for too much, it has already affected the livelihood and economic construction of the people in the country. It should be known that when the government’s income is constant, if the military spends an extra penny, it will be used to improve the economy. There will be a penny less in terms of people's livelihood."

"For example, ten years ago, there were only a few hundred children born in China, and the annual support and education subsidies were only a few thousand Hanzhou silver dollars. Now, there are more than 40 newborn children in China, and the cost of child support and future education subsidies is estimated More than [-] Hanzhou silver dollars. In addition, medical care, road construction, industrial and mining enterprise investment, farmland water conservancy construction, and the most important immigration affairs, which one does not cost hundreds of thousands of Hanzhou silver dollars. Especially last year, large-scale For the drought in China, the government spent more than [-] Hanzhou silver dollars in relief subsidies, which made the government deficit reach a record [-] Hanzhou silver dollars last year. For several years, the cabinet household department has already been heavily in debt and cannot make ends meet. "

"Everyone, do you think that when the cabinet government cuts government expenditures to reduce the fiscal deficit, it will focus on domestic children's raising and education funds, or will it focus on slowly reducing military expenditures?"

Everyone was shocked when they heard the words. His Majesty obviously agreed to cut military expenditures to ensure the sustainable development of the domestic economy and the normal progress of immigration affairs.In this way, the army is bound to make certain sacrifices.

Although the dispute with the Dutch East India Company ended and the close economic and trade exchanges between the two parties were resumed, there is no need to worry about local security.But the problem is that Qi State is still deeply involved in the Ming and Qing wars. If the army is too weakened, how to maintain the necessary force and carry out necessary military operations in the mainland situation.

"After more than ten years of limited exploration, except for the ignorant and ignorant natives in Hanzhou, there are basically no enemies that can threaten the vast population of Qi." , The Army Cavalry Wing maintains an establishment of more than 400 people, I think there is no need for this.”

"How can this happen!" Fu Jinbiao, the commander-in-chief of the Army Cavalry Wing, was stunned at first when he heard Niu Hu say that the cavalry would be abolished, and then a little annoyed.Although Niuhu is his old officer, in order to maintain the cavalry system, he poked his neck and said with a tiger face: "Not to mention that the exploration of inland mineral resources in Hanzhou and the development of new settlements require cavalry protection, and it is carried out in Daming. Necessary military operations are also inseparable from our cavalry's scouting and sentry! If you think about it, the coastal defense forts in various places can be handed over to the local soldiers on duty. This may save a lot of military expenses, right?"

"Without my coastal defense officers and soldiers, what if the barbarians or pirates raided and landed, destroyed the coastal towns, and then waited for your cavalry to rescue them?" asked Ma Desheng, the commander-in-chief of coastal defense, with a serious face.

"Where did the barbarians and pirates dare to attack our Hanzhou mainland!" Fu Jinbiao took a peek at Qi Dajiang, the commander of the navy, "the navy has so many ships and officers and soldiers, how can the thieves easily get close to us? The mainland of Hanzhou? Even the Dutch, I am afraid they may not dare to provoke you again!"

"With the tens of thousands of kilometers of coastal defense in Hanzhou, plus many overseas territories, how can we deploy defenses everywhere with the current strength of our navy?" Luo Rucheng, the admiral of the Ryukyu Fleet, said in a deep voice: "It is nothing more than the enemy's attack. Gather all the ships and fight over there, kill them all, and avoid future troubles forever."

In the venue, there was a lot of debate, and everyone was emphasizing the importance of their respective arms. Not only could they not be abolished, but they had to be further strengthened.

"Stop quarreling quietly!" Qi Dajiang glanced at Qi Tian who was smiling and silent, and then said loudly: "Everyone is concerned about their own three-point field, so can't they take the overall situation into consideration?"

"If you take the overall situation into consideration, several fleets of the Navy have the largest number of officers and soldiers. Could it be possible to save a lot of military expenses by abolishing one or two fleets?" Fu Jinbiao murmured softly.

Although the army is also under the jurisdiction of the military department, it is only a few hundred cavalry, and it was established the latest, so it has almost no right to speak.Even if they participated in Ming Dynasty's military intervention, they would only undertake some unimportant tasks such as pre-war investigation and information transmission.However, who calls cavalry long-range delivery more difficult?

In addition, there are almost no threatening local tribal forces in the interior of Hanzhou. Often dozens of cavalry and more than a hundred local soldiers can sweep any indigenous tribe they encounter.In addition, the dense rainforest environment of the Nanyang islands is not suitable for cavalry battles at all.Therefore, the cavalry wing, which symbolizes the Qi Army, seems useless, and it is implicitly subordinate to the Marine Corps.

"Well, for the sake of the overall situation, some of our navy officers and soldiers will be abolished." Qi Dajiang glanced at Fu Jinbiao lightly, and said seriously.

Many naval officers sitting here were surprised when they heard this.My Great Qi Kingdom hangs alone on the mainland of Hanzhou. If I want to travel across the Southeast Asia, travel around, and even promote the country's prestige, I can only rely on a powerful naval fleet.For more than ten years, if it hadn't been for the whole country to develop maritime force with the strength of the whole country, I am afraid that the Dutch East India Company would have been locked in this remote continent long ago, without any material and personnel being imported.

How can this easily abolish the naval fleet?

"I think that the Qi State Navy Fleet was established more than ten years ago. It started with a few armed merchant ships, and now it has two large battleships, nearly [-] professional warships, and more than [-] armed merchant ships of various types. Its strength is not in the East of the Netherlands. Under the Indian Company." Qi Dajiang said loudly: "The number of navy officers and soldiers has gradually expanded from less than a thousand to more than eight thousand, becoming the most important armed force in our country."

"However, with the expansion of the size of the navy, there are also a large number of recruited officers and soldiers who are unevenly recruited, which violates military discipline, is not good at operation, and there are even many people who are afraid of fighting. So, how can we maintain the combat power of our Qi State Navy? , how can we continue to strengthen the military power of our Qi State Navy?"

"In addition, in the several large-scale naval battles that have taken place over the past few years, our navy has relied on professional warships as the main force, supplemented by armed merchant ships. Therefore, I thought that to optimize and strengthen Qi's navy, it would be better to eliminate a large number of armed forces. Merchant ships are used to save costs, and the number of professional warships is gradually increased. A large number of unfit people in the army should also take advantage of this to reduce and retire to purify our navy."

In fact, before this military meeting, Qi Tian discussed with Qi Dajiang, Luo Rucheng, Niu Jinming, Cui Shaochuan and other senior military generals in advance and reached a consensus.In order to adapt to the future situation of maritime warfare, enhance the combat effectiveness of the navy, and carry out standardized management, it is planned to abolish some armed merchant ships and personnel in the naval fleet, and establish a new professional and standardized naval force.

This new naval force will consist entirely of professional battleships and large battleships, supplemented by some armed supply ships and transport ships.As for the abolished large number of armed merchant ships, a new overseas shipping company will be formed separately, or it will be auctioned to major domestic trading companies that are interested in business expansion.Of course, after the outbreak of a large-scale maritime war, the navy will also, under the authorization of the military department, be able to recruit armed merchant ships and personnel owned by major domestic trading companies and bring them into temporary military management.

During the several days of military discussions, a number of military system revision regulations were successively reached.

[-]. The name of the Navy was changed to Daqi Kingdom Navy;

[-]. The General Logistics Department, the General Armament Department, and the Military Order Department (under the Ministry of the Navy and the Department of the Army) are set up under the Military Department, and together with the General Staff Department previously established, they form the highest military institution in the Qi State, and the King of Qi takes command.

5000. Within three years, gradually withdraw part of the armed merchant ships and officers and soldiers of the Navy, and temporarily control the number of personnel within [-];
400. Within two years, part of the coastal defense fort soldiers will be abolished, mainly professional and technical artillery officers, supplemented by rotating local soldiers, and the number of personnel will be controlled within [-];
[-]. Split the previous three major fleets of the navy into five major fleets, namely, the local fleet, which includes the battleships "Hanhe" and "Hanping", professional warships "Yangming", "Weiming", " "Zhenming" and "Fengming", supplemented by a number of supply, transportation, and fast contact ships, are active in the northern and western parts of Hanzhou, Xuanhua Island (Timor Island), Java Island, Sulawesi Island, Spice Islands, etc. In the vast area, the resident is Jianye City;
The Indian Fleet has professional warships "Qiming" and "Xingming" under its jurisdiction, supplemented by some armed merchant ships from Indian trading companies. The area of ​​activity is the east and west coasts of India, Ceylon Island, the Strait of Malacca and other countries and regions. The station is Anfeng Fort, India. (now Cochin, southwest India);
The Annan Fleet has professional warships including "Shunming", "Anming", "Luming", "Shengming", and "Zhenming", supplemented by several supply ships, transport ships, and fast contact ships , the area of ​​activity is Annan, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Guangdong, Qiongzhou and other countries and regions, and the resident is Nanping City (now Cam Ranh City, Vietnam);
The Ryukyu Fleet consists of professional warships "Fenming", "Jingming", "Changming", "Yongming", and "Yuming", supplemented by a number of supply, transportation, and fast contact ships. The area of ​​activity is Ryukyu , Japan, Taiwan, the coastal areas of Daming, and the coastal areas of North Korea and other countries and regions, and the resident is Hanxing Island (today's Miyako Island);
The Weiyuan Fleet has professional warships "Yuanming", "Renming" and "Weiming" under its jurisdiction. The area of ​​activity is Weiyuan Island, the eastern sea area of ​​Hanzhou, Luzon and other areas, and the station is Weiyuan City ( present-day Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea).

Sixth, officers and soldiers in the army implement a military rank system, with ten ranks of third rank for officers, and five ranks of second rank for soldiers.

Low-ranking officers, Lieutenant Peirong (Second Lieutenant), Lieutenant Renyong (Lieutenant), Lieutenant Yuwu (Captain); middle-ranking officers, Lieutenant Xuanjie (Major), Lieutenant Linghui (Lieutenant Colonel), Zhaoxin Lieutenant (colonel); high-ranking officers, General Mingwei (Brigadier General), General Guangwei (Major General), General Zhenguo (Lieutenant General), and General Hussars (Admiral General).

The ranks of soldiers are private and private first class, while non-commissioned officers are corporal, sergeant and sergeant.In the first year of service, the rank of private soldier will be awarded; those who are promoted to the position of squad leader during the first year of service, and those who serve in the second year, can be promoted to the rank of private; The best ones will be promoted to corporal; the squad leader who has served for the third year, and the corporal who has served in the fourth year can be promoted to sergeant; the squad leader who has served in the fourth year and the sergeant who has served in the fifth year can be promoted to sergeant, and the sergeant is a soldier Highest rank, Private is the lowest rank.

To be promoted to an officer, a soldier must be recommended by a superior officer, and enter the corresponding army and navy officer school for a one-year refresher training. After passing the examination, he can be appointed by the military department.

The conferment of military ranks was originally meant by Qi Tian, ​​which directly used the military rank system of later generations.However, many military officers suggested that we should not use the ranks of military generals imitating the Song and Ming Dynasties to distinguish the ranks in the army, which is not only familiar to the officers and soldiers, but also has the tradition of our Han family.After considering this, Qi Tian readily agreed, and ordered the military department and the cabinet to sort out and simplify the ranks of military officers in the Song and Ming Dynasties, forming Qi's unique military ranks.

"By the way, Zheng Zhilong's envoys have been in Hanzhou for more than ten days, and they have fully figured out the conditions for the summation they gave. What kind of reply and response should we make to this?"

(End of this chapter)