The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 412: Drink from the Golden Cup

The moon shines brightly through the west window, washing away all the mountains.

November 10th, evening.

The Hanzhong Army completely occupied the city of Xuzhou and completed the purge.

Chen Wang, wearing military armor, a bright helmet and a brocade belt, led the chestnut horse under him and entered the gate of Xuzhou City surrounded by a group of armored cavalrymen from the Guards Cavalry Battalion.

The crisp sound of horse hooves hitting the bricks echoed back and forth in the corridor of the city gate, echoing in everyone's ears.

Torches one after another illuminated the corridor of the city gate and also illuminated the road ahead for Chen Wang.

After three days of continuous bombardment, the southwest wall of Xuzhou City collapsed, and the west city tower, parapet and battlements were all destroyed.

The Second Regular Battalion launched only one charge and then entered the city of Xuzhou.

There were only more than 8,000 soldiers guarding Xuzhou.

At the beginning, even though they suffered heavy bombardment for several days.

The Wanmin Army in Xuzhou still put up a stubborn resistance, but it soon collapsed in the face of the overwhelming firepower of the Second Regular Battalion.

Xuzhou fell into the hands of the Hanzhong army without any suspense.

Chen Wang had already ambushed a force of several thousand men in the southern suburbs of Xuzhou.

The Wanmin Army who wanted to escape from Xuzhou were ambushed in the southern suburbs and many of them were killed.

Only more than 3,000 soldiers guarding Xuzhou escaped, and the rest were either killed or captured.

With the alternation and clearing of the city defenses, after the Hanzhong Army controlled the entire Xuzhou City, Xuzhou City regained its peace.

Thousands of houses in the city had their doors tightly shut, and all the high gates in the streets and markets were dark.

Many people are destined to be sleepless this night.

In the west city of Xuzhou, the Hanzhong military camp was brightly lit.

Although the Wanmin Army defenders in Xuzhou City had been cleared out, the cleanup of the remnants of the Wanmin Army had been basically completed.

However, for safety reasons, Chen Wang still did not enter the central area of ​​Xuzhou City, but chose to place his main force in the west city of Xuzhou.

Taking over a city requires a lot of work that cannot be completed in a short period of time.

And capturing Xuzhou was not their end this time.

Xuzhou was just the starting point of this attack.

Subsequent arrangements will be made according to changes in the situation...

……

Xuzhou West City Camp.

It was full of armored soldiers.

The strong smell of blood has not dissipated yet.

Teams of armored soldiers marched steadily along the aisles left by the tents.

The night was deep and the victory was great, but no one slacked off.

Outside the central army tent, a group of fully armed soldiers, each holding a sword, stood outside.

Inside the tent, the lights were on brightly, as if it were daytime.

The officers and generals from Hanzhong and Henan sat in rows according to their status.

The seats on the left and right were empty, with no one sitting in them.

Following them were the commander of the Guards Cavalry Battalion Zhao Huailiang, and the Hanzhong Town guerrillas Huang Long and Zhang Er.

Gao Qian, the deputy general of Henan, and Chen De, the lieutenant general of Henan, sat in the back.

After Chen De, there were not only the generals of Henan Camp Town.

In the Seventh Battalion of the Henan New Army, all the battalion officers were appointed as guerrillas, and none of them was appointed as lieutenant general.

Following them were Chen Ming, Chen Heng and other twelve thousand captains from the first and second regular battalions and the Guards Cavalry Battalion under Hanzhong Town.

Chen Ming is Chen Wang's elder cousin, and Chen Heng is Chen Wang's younger cousin.

Originally, Chen Ming, like Chen Wang, was a servant under Cao Wenzhao.

When Chen Wang first started to become successful, Cao Wenzhao instructed Chen Ming to bring a message to remind Chen Wang to be careful.

Chen Heng joined the army from his hometown in Liaodong after he wrote a letter to Liaodong after being appointed as the lieutenant general after Chen Wang.

Now, except for a few, the captains of the first and second regular battalions are either surnamed Chen or Hu.

Although he is only a thousand-man commander, he is the most loyal among the loyal ones.

So after them came the guerrillas from the 7th Battalion of the Henan New Army.

After them are a group of officers in charge of military law, liaison, logistics, military affairs and other miscellaneous duties.

More than forty people filled the entire central military tent.

However, although there were a large number of people, the central military tent was quiet and there was no chaos.

Everyone was sitting quietly in their chairs, with their backs straight and their hands on their thighs, maintaining the standard sitting posture in the military.

It was unusually quiet inside and outside the tent. The only sound was the rustling of flags in the strong wind.

After an unknown amount of time, the silent atmosphere was finally disrupted by the sound of footsteps.

All the generals in the tent turned their heads and looked towards the tent door almost at the same time.

The footsteps came closer and closer, and just as they got closer, the curtains were lifted up by the guards on both sides.

A flying fish soaring in the clouds first caught everyone's attention.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Wang strode into the tent.

The dress Chen Wang was wearing was called Bright Red Silk with Gold Weave and Flying Fish Sleeves.

The flying fish pattern fills the upper body, and even the arms are embroidered with flying fish patterns.

The flying fish-like python also has two horns.

The so-called flying fish pattern is a python shape with fish fins and tail added, which is slightly different. It is not a true flying fish shape.

The Feiyu robe is the second level of bestowed robes, second only to the dragon robe.

It was one of the rewards issued by the imperial court after the recovery of Xiangyang in recognition of his merits accumulated over the years.

The imperial court sent an imperial edict to commend him, promoted him to the title of Right Commander-in-Chief, and gave him a Feiyu robe, a sword, a set of armor, and some silk cloth, with a total value of no more than a thousand taels of silver.

Considering the current state of the national treasury, the reward can be considered generous.

The Feiyu suit and the dragon robe are similar in many ways. Some people even make the Feiyu suit look like a dragon robe.

The flying fish robe that Chen Wang was wearing was similar to the dragon robe in many ways.

Chen Wang held the jade belt around his waist with one hand and the goose-feather knife slung across his waist with the other hand, and walked slowly forward.

Behind him, Chen Gong and Hu Zhili, wearing robes and belts, also entered with knives drawn.

The eyes of the officers and generals followed Chen Wang's steps.

Chen Gong and Hu Zhili sat first on the first seats on the left and right sides.

Then wait until Chen Wang sat on the first seat.

The captain of the guard who had been standing on the left shouted a salute.

All the officers in the tent, whether from Hanzhong or Henan, stood up and saluted Chen Wang in unison.

Chen Wang sat on his chair and returned the greeting, and everyone sat down again.

However, Hu Zhili did not sit down. Instead, he walked to the right side of Chen Wang's seat holding a document.

"What we are doing today is to change the system in our army, clarify responsibilities, and divide powers."

All the generals in the tent held their breath and concentrated. Many of them did not know Hu Zhili. But not knowing him did not mean not knowing him.

Before going to the tent, everyone had already received the news and knew what was going to be announced today, so they were not too surprised.

"The original Military Law Department was changed to the Military Law Department, which has military judges at all levels under its jurisdiction and is under the jurisdiction of the Central Military Department."

"The Military Law Department will only be responsible for military law from now on."

"A training department will be set up to be responsible for preaching, training, and learning. It will be under the direct jurisdiction of training officers at all levels."

Hu Zhili paused, turned to look at Gao Qian and Chen De, and then said.

"All camps and towns will have military judges and training officers. Military judges in the Military Court will be assigned to the department, and training officers in the Training Department will be assigned to the bureau. Military judges and training officers will be directly assigned by the Military Court and Training Department."

Gao Qian's expression did not change. He had no objection to Hu Zhili's suggestion to send military judges and training officers into the army.

Because now almost half of the officers in the camp have been replaced by Chen Wang, and even a lot of soldiers have been replaced.

Now that things have come to this, there is naturally no need to add some sand into the mix.

The same goes for the reinforcement battalion under Chen De's command. The Seventh Battalion of the Henan New Army was founded by Chen Wang and was promoted by Chen Wang, so naturally there would be no objection.

"The Supervisory Office is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Military Law Department, but has been changed to the Intelligence Department, which is directly under the jurisdiction of the Department."

"The Intelligence Department is responsible for gathering relevant military intelligence, capturing spies, and eradicating lawlessness."

As Hu Zhili finished speaking, the expressions of the generals in the tent changed slightly.

Gao Qian and Chen De looked at each other, and then turned their attention back to Hu Zhili.

They have now gradually entered the core of Hanzhong Town and understood Chen Wang's planning and layout.

This so-called Intelligence Department should have functions similar to those of the imperial guards. It can even be said to be the guards, except that it is the guards of Hanzhong Town.

Gao Qian felt a little depressed. In addition to investigating border affairs and military affairs, the imperial guards also had the function of monitoring officials.

Although the Intelligence Department under Hanzhong Town did not say it explicitly, I'm afraid it also monitors them.

Gao Qian recalled what he had done so far, and only felt relieved after he was sure that there was no problem.

However, he did not let his guard down. Gao Qian had decided to be careful with his words and actions in the future.

"A new Central Military Department will be set up in the town to take charge of all matters in the town, both military and political."

The previous reforms were all aimed at the military system, military armaments, and the establishment of important institutions such as military law and supervision.

This time's reform was not as drastic as the previous ones, and it mainly focused on changes in military affairs.

"The Central Army is under the jurisdiction of the Internal Affairs Department, the Military Order Department, the Quartermaster Department, the Military Affairs Department, the Military Law Department, and the Engineering Department."

"The Internal Affairs Department is responsible for all internal affairs of the town, including assessment, appointment, dismissal, and transfer. Chen Gong is the first director."

"The Military Order Department is responsible for conveying the orders of the Central Military Department, responsible for all military operations such as mobilization and combat, and issuing military orders. The first director is Zhao Huailiang."

"The Quartermaster Department is responsible for managing military expenditures, logistical support, material supply and other related matters. Tang Shiping was appointed as the first director."

"The Military Affairs Department is responsible for military registration management, officer appointments and dismissals, and military training. Hu Zhiyi was appointed as the first director."

"Military Law Department, in charge of military law."

"The Public Works Department is responsible for the affairs of local engineering, military equipment and miscellaneous construction departments. The first director is Wang Yuankang."

"In addition, a staff office will be set up in the town, which will be directly under the jurisdiction of the town."

"The General Staff Office selects outstanding officers with outstanding command capabilities from each battalion and appoints them as Central Army Staff Officers to provide advisory support and assist in formulating strategies."

Inside the tent, all the officers and generals from Hanzhong Town looked excited, and many of them leaned forward subconsciously.

The officers and generals of Henan Town had different expressions, but most of them were shocked.

Gao Qian had a complicated expression. What Chen Wang was doing now was actually a disguised way of establishing a government.

The Intelligence Department is the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Central Military Department has six departments under it, corresponding to the six ministries of the imperial court.

Hu Zhili paused for a moment, then took out the second document and continued reading it.

"In this reform, the military system and jurisdiction will remain unchanged."

"The various camps under Hanzhong Town still follow the old system, so I won't explain it here."

"The soldiers of Henan and Huguang are still officially called regular, special, aid, and tour troops, but their numbers are changed within the towns."

"There are thirteen battalions of soldiers and horses in Henan Town, numbered in numerical order."

"There are six battalions of soldiers in Huguang Town, and they are also named in numerical order."

Everything is announced, not negotiated.

Now that the situation has changed, it is time to completely bring the troops of Henan and Huguang under unified control.

The first step to come under unified control is naturally to change the flag and number.

However, if you just want to change the flag and number, there is no need to announce it in public, an order will do.

The order to change had already been sent to the camp commanders of Henan and Huguang, and everyone knew the numbers of the troops under their charge.

Naturally, Chen Wang’s reforms of military camps would not be so superficial.

"In addition to changing the number and flag, the town will add a division-level unit, with a minimum of three battalions as a division."

Chen Wang knocked lightly on the table in front of him, attracting everyone's attention.

Hu Zhili also put away the documents in his hand in a timely manner and sat back down on his right seat.

"Under Henan Town, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th regular battalions will be combined into the 1st Regular Division of Henan Town, with Chen Yongfu as the division commander, stationed in Yingshan and Huoshan districts."

Chen Yongfu had already pledged his allegiance, and his family was under the control of Chen Wang in Kaifeng City.

In today's Kaifeng City, the person who actually controls the city defense is naturally Chen Wang.

This is also the reason why Chen De was able to obey orders in the tent.

"Under Henan Town, the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th regular battalions are combined into the Henan Town Regular Army 2nd Division, with Gao Qian as the division commander, stationed in Xuzhou."

"The remaining regular battalions will be stationed in Kaifeng Prefecture as a reserve to defend the Yellow River and will be directly under the jurisdiction of the government."

The decision to add a division-level combat unit was made by Chen Wang after careful consideration.

The Ming Dynasty fought with Mongolia for hundreds of years, which gradually evolved into small-scale security wars in the later period. The garrison system of the Ming army in the later period was also produced in this environment.

In subsequent battles, the number of enemies will continue to increase, and the intensity of the war will continue to increase.

With only a few thousand people at the battalion level, it is completely impossible to meet the requirements of war.

The military system of the garrison camps during the Ming Dynasty had begun to fail to keep up with the times, and its elimination was inevitable.

Chen Wang did not read out the appointments of the two towns of Huguang and Hanzhong here.

Chen Wang planned to directly organize the Sixth Battalion of Huguang into a division, and the natural candidate for the division commander would be Zhou Yumao.

As for the Third Regular Battalion of Hanzhong Town led by Zhou Yumao, Chen Wang planned to let his cousin Chen Ming take over directly and then directly assign it to Hu Zhiyi.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth regular battalions were combined into one division under the command of Hu Zhiyi, responsible for the defense of Hanzhong.

The First, Second, and Guards Cavalry Battalions were combined into another division and placed under direct jurisdiction.

After the reading, Chen Wang picked up the wine glass on the table and stood up.

"Everyone."

Chen Wang's actions attracted the attention of everyone in the tent.

Seeing Chen Wang stand up, all the officers in the tent also stood up.

Chen Wang knocked on the table in front of him. Following a burst of hurried footsteps, two teams of fully armed soldiers entered the tent carrying glasses of water and wine.

All the officers were given a wine glass.

Chen Wang raised the wine glass in his hand slowly with a serious expression, looked down at the officers in the tent, and spoke in a serious voice.

"today……"

"Let me drink from your golden cup..."