The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 543
Chai Rong ordered Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin to submit a plan for the restructuring of the Forbidden Army long before the court meeting.

After Chai Rong read them, he was very satisfied with both plans. On the day of the back cabinet discussion, he took out the two plans and handed them over to the ministers for full discussion and implemented them with slight modifications.

In fact, the two plans were very similar. Chai Rong was very happy about this and believed that the decision to let Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin partner up to be responsible for the reform of the Forbidden Army was completely correct.

After all, the two hadn't passed the gas before, but the plans they submitted were surprisingly similar.

After Zhao Kuangyin saw it, he was also surprised and suspicious. He could only answer by saying that Zhu Xiu had made full preparations for this.

How did they know that the plan submitted by Zhu Xiu was based on a series of arrangements in Zhao Kuangyin's actual operations in history.

Zhao Kuangyin wrote his thoughts in a form, and naturally it was not bad.

The plan was decided, and the prime ministers were summoned just to clear the air and let all the important ministers work together to ensure that the military reform went smoothly.

Although this reform touched many people with vested interests, because Chai Rong, as the supreme ruler, vigorously promoted it, he had already made it known that anyone who obstructed the military reform would be punished, so very few people dared to violate it.

Generally speaking, this reform is divided into three major aspects.

First, build a complete military and yamen operating system of the Palace Front Division, modeled on the setup of the Guards Division, but streamline many yamen offices.

For example, the Guards Prison, which is unique to the Guards Department, is a special military prison, but its scope of power is not limited to the generals in the army, and even all civil and military officials have the right to be held accountable and sent to prison in name.

When the Guards Department was in great power, the Guards Prison was a notoriously frightening place.

It's quite a bit like Jin Yiwei's imperial edict.

After a heated discussion, Chai Rong decided not to set up a similar military prison in the front department of the palace. According to Zhu Xiu's suggestion, a military governor's office was set up to supervise the squads and armies in front of the palace. Armor, horses, farmland, and the Warlord's Office can all monitor them.

When the Forbidden Army is fighting abroad, the Military Supervisory Office is also responsible for supervising the army.

The scope of authority is strictly limited to the Palace Secretary and does not involve courtiers.

The guards' prison was also renovated according to this method.

The first military governor's office was signed by Cao Han, deputy envoy of the Wude Department.

Chai Rong was quite satisfied with this arrangement.

Originally, according to Zhao Kuangyin's intention, a prison was to be set up in the Dianqian Division, called the Military Prison, which actually had the power to hold officials accountable.

Zhu Xiu strongly opposed it, Zhang Yongde also thought it was inappropriate, and Chai Rong decided to give up after careful consideration.

Zhu Xiu objected, citing both public and private considerations.

First, the Guards Division had a bad reputation and was hated by all the officials. The Palace Front Division had just been established, and Zhu Xiu did not want to become a thorn in the officials' side.

Second, if a similar military prison is established, it will inevitably squeeze the authority space of the Wude Department.

Wu Desi was originally engaged in spying on intelligence and supervising officials. He set up a large prison to detain important criminals and officials suspected of treason.

The Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs directly obeys the emperor's orders and is not subject to the interference of the Justice Department. This is also what the Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs is afraid of.

Zhao Kuangyin wanted to set up a military prison in the Dianqian Division. It was obvious that he wanted to take the opportunity to expand his authority and seize the Wude Division's errand.

As a military envoy, Zhu Xiu must certainly stop him.

The best thing is that Zhu Xiu proposed to let Cao Han also serve as the military governor.

Cao Han was the deputy envoy of the Wude Department, and naturally he would not be happy if the Wude Department's authority was damaged.

Zhao Kuangyin accidentally offended Cao Han because of this incident, which made him very depressed.

Cao Han and Zhu Xiu worked together harmoniously and tacitly in Wude Division. When they came to Dianqian Division, they would naturally be more like Zhu Xiu.

In the initial confrontation between the two for power due to the military reform, Zhu Xiu had a slight victory.

The second major aspect is to cut and reorganize the bloated Guards Department and select strong ones to serve as the Palace Front Department.

The Division in Front of the Palace initially set up various squads in front of the Palace, and together with the Yulong Zhuzhi, there were a total of more than [-] people.

Zhu Banzhi is the imperial guard under the jurisdiction of the Palace Front Division. They are responsible for guarding the palace in peacetime, and can also lead field troops to fight in wartime.

Among them, the four teams directly under the inspection in front of the hall include the four teams on the left and right of the inner hall and the four teams on the left and right of the outer hall.

Affiliated to the commanding envoy in front of the palace are two squads on the left and right of the commanding envoy in front of the palace, and four squads on the left and right of casual personnel.

There are four built-in squads and two Sanzhi squads under the command of Yuhou in front of the palace.

The rest of the infantry and cavalry troops stationed near Kaifeng and guarding Gyeonggi initially consisted of six armies each, making a total of twelve armies. The army is known as the four armies.

The rankings are reviewed every six months. Those ranked higher up, from general to sergeant, will receive rewards and favors, as well as more opportunities for promotion.

Those ranked lower will not only be punished, but may also be demoted, demoted, or even kicked out of the Imperial Army.

When the news spread, both the government and the public were shocked.

Being so strict, aren't we afraid of causing protests among the military?
This suggestion was made by Zhu Xiu, and Chai Rong praised it greatly after hearing it, expressed his strong support, and even issued an edict to implement military law in the name of the emperor.

Having learned the lesson from the Bagongyuan battle, Chai Rong did not want to experience the entire flanking regiment's retreat again.

Zhao Kuangyin also expressed his support. As a member of a military family, he understood the impact of strict military orders on the overall combat effectiveness of the army.

Then, Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin started a battle for people.

First, find the familiar generals of the Guards Department, select strong and capable people from the army, and add them to the new Palace Front Department armies.

For the Twelfth Infantry and Cavalry Army, Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin were each responsible for half of the additional troops.

In line with the principle of quick action and slow action, Zhu Xiu directly moved into several military camps in the Guards Department. He did not go home for more than a month and led his generals to rob people on a large scale.

If the guard Si Jian'er were a little slower, he might fall into the opponent's pocket.

In terms of familiarity, Zhu Xiu suffered a big loss. Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Hongyin, father and son, came forward together to win over many generals of the bodyguard department and give priority to the outstanding soldiers under their jurisdiction.

Not to be outdone, Zhu Xiu sent an urgent letter to Li Chongjin in Bozhou, asking him to introduce him on his behalf. He also wrote to several senior generals in the bodyguard department, asking them to support Zhu Xiu's work.

Li Chongjin was the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards Division. Before the military reform, he was No. 1 in the Forbidden Army.

This guy was bold and cheerful, he had many friends and subordinates in the Guards Department, and he had great reputation. With his help, Zhu Xiucai managed to get a piece of the pie without leaving the several armies under his control empty.

The third aspect is to follow Chai Rong's will and recruit talented people from all over the world to join the imperial army.

This move can be said to be a blow to the bottom of the cauldron, directly breaking the backbone of Jiezhen's forces.

All the most elite soldiers and generals from the vassal towns in the world were transferred away. In the future, local athletes would also be given priority to join the Forbidden Army. Even if the vassal town had different intentions, it would not have the strength.

According to the historical trajectory, a hundred years later, this policy will become an extremely heavy burden for the Song Dynasty.

On the one hand, there are millions of soldiers, and countless money is spent on food and soldiers every year.

On the other hand, most of the millions of soldiers are empty-handed, and if they go to the northern border, they will not be able to defeat the Khitan and Xixia people.The so-called million forbidden troops is just a joke.

Those who can really fight are the Xiang troops recruited from some places.

After a policy has been implemented for a long time, if it is not adjusted in time, big problems will inevitably occur.

But it is undeniable that when the Forbidden Army was undergoing major reforms in the first year of Xiande, this policy did bring hundreds of thousands of brave men to the Zhou Forbidden Army.

This is the method of gathering all the feudal lords and towns in the world to serve as a forbidden army, and to strengthen the weak branches.

The last aspect is to select capital schools for the newly recruited armies and set up military attachés at all levels.

In line with the principle of promoting talents without avoiding relatives, Zhu Xiu directly separated the Tiger Wing Army from the Guards Department and assigned it to the Infantry Army of the Palace Front Division. Pan Mei still served as the commander of the Tiger Wing Army.

Cao Bin was promoted to the commander of the Cavalry Army Gongsheng Army, Zhu Wu was appointed the first commander of the Left Wing Army of the Infantry Shenyong Army, and Bi Zhenhai was appointed the commander of the Left Wing Capital of the Infantry Guangyong Army.

The commander of the Shen Yong Army was Gao Huaide. Zhu Xiu went to invite him personally and persuaded him after some persuasion.

Zhao Kuangyin also fell in love with Gao Huaide, so he went a step late, his teeth itching with anger.

Originally, Zhu Xiu was afraid that others would say that he was nepotistic, but after hearing what Zhao Da did, he realized that he was still too timid.

Zhao Da, for some unknown reason, actually asked Chai Rong to agree to transfer the cavalry troops to the front division of the palace.

Zhao Hongyin, the commander of the cavalry army, became one of Zhao Da's die-hard subordinates.

The fact that father and son both worked in the palace, and that the son was my boss was one of the anecdotes that made people in Kaifeng talk about it.

Of course, these personnel arrangements cannot be left to Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin to decide.

After the two of them discussed it, they took out a rough charter and gave it to Zhang Yongde for review. If Zhang Yongde thought it was feasible, he would report it to Chai Rong for approval.

Normally, Zhang Yongde would have no objections to the candidates for military attaché proposed by the two of them. Chai Rong only gave it a rough look and approved it.

The restructuring of the imperial army, which began in August of the first year of Xiande, was in full swing.

Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin became the busiest people in Beijing.

At the beginning of October, the plates of the Guards Department were almost divided, and the two guys began to run to the surrounding vassal towns, recruiting strong men from various states and counties.

Soon the scope expanded to Huaibei, Shandong, Hebei, and Henan states. On Zhu Xiu's side, Pan Mei, Cao Bin, Zhu Wu, Gao Huaide, and Shi Shouxin rushed to different states and counties to select able men.

On the other side of Zhao Kuangyin, Han Lingkun, Han Chongyun, Ma Renyu, Yang Xin, and Zhang Qiong were in the same situation. The two groups were so busy that they were afraid that if they arrived late, all the good seedlings would be snatched away by the other party.

In terms of personnel appointments, Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin showed favor to each other. Zhu Xiu promoted Zhu Wu and Bi Zhenhai, but Zhao Kuangyin did not interfere.

Zhao Kuangyin rearranged Han Chongyun to enter the front office of the palace, and Zhu Xiu also pretended not to see it, and the two sides had a tacit understanding.

Shi Shouxin continued to serve as the Marquis of Yu, the direct capital of the inner palace, and also the officer in front of the palace. He was directly under the orders of Zhang Yongde and was not under the jurisdiction of Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin.

Shi Shouxin could help, and Zhu Xiu was very grateful.

There is a lot of movement in the reform of the Forbidden Army, and there is naturally some resistance. After all, the Guards Department alone almost caused several mutinies. Fortunately, Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin worked together on this issue, and used the emperor's edict to suppress them forcefully, and those who dared to cause trouble were severely punished. loan.

In October, Meng Hanqing, the general of Zuo Yulin, suddenly led a dozen generals of the bodyguard department to take off their armor and wear only white clothes to rush into the palace to see him.

After Chai Rong found out, he summoned them. Meng Hanqing knelt in front of the emperor and cried, cursing Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin for destroying the foundation of the Zhou Imperial Army. Chai Rong patiently explained to him, but Meng Hanqing just whined and couldn't listen.

Unexpectedly, Meng Hanqing did not hesitate to speak, and suddenly burst out: "If the Duke of Shangdang was here, the bodyguard department would not be reduced to the current situation!"

As soon as these words came out, Chai Rong was furious and scolded him on the spot for having bad intentions and trying to sow discord between the king and his ministers.

Chai Rong scolded him on the spot: "If Li Chongjin were here, he wouldn't tolerate you guys breaking into the palace and causing trouble!"

Immediately, Chai Rong ordered Meng Hanqing to be imprisoned, and then sent Cao Han to ransack his house in the name of embezzlement. Many accounts were copied out, related to the salary of the guard Sikong.

Chai Rong was even more furious and ordered the execution of more than [-] bodyguard generals including Meng Hanqing, which frightened both the government and the public.

Another half month later, Chai Rong received a secret report from the Wude Division. Songzhou inspected Zhu Fenngling, and together with the local army, they pretended to be robbers and robbed merchant ships along the way.

Chai Rong ordered Cao Han and Dali Temple officials to investigate and found out that the incident was true. He also killed Zhu Fenling and the general of Songzhou, and sent his family members to the army.

After these two incidents, Chai Rong became more determined to rectify the Forbidden Army.

Everyone inside and outside the imperial court and in the army knew that the emperor's mind had been made up, and no one dared to oppose the reform of the imperial army.

At the end of November, the military reform work was coming to an end. The organization of the Dianqian Division was basically fully equipped, and the first martial arts exercise was successfully concluded under the personal inspection of hundreds of officials led by Chai Rong.

The Banzhi of the Palace Front Division and the army soldiers and horses had a new look and high morale. The quality of the soldiers displayed was completely different from that of the Guards Division before the military reform.

It can be summed up in eight words: the soldiers are strong, and they are incomparable in modern times.

In early December, Zhu Xiu had just finished working on the major military reform, and Chai Rong specially approved him to take a rest for half a month.

Zhu Xiu enjoys leisurely life at home and is very happy to be with his wife and daughter all day long.

On the first night before his rest period expired, the weather over Kaifeng suddenly changed and the clouds became dense. Just after the evening, it started to rain heavily, and lightning and thunder pierced the sky.

Xiao Yuan'er kept crying and refused to sleep no matter how much she was coaxed. Zhu Xiu stayed with Shi Lingyan in his room and was helpless.

Suddenly, Ma Qing's shouts came from outside the house where the wind and rain was howling. Zhu Xiu put on her clothes and opened the door. The wind and rain poured into the house, instantly making her whole body wet.

Ma Qing was wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, as if he had just come back from outside.

"Sir, something big has happened! There is a flood from Bozhou to Qingzhou, and countless fields and farms have been destroyed!" Ma Qing wiped the rain off his face and sent Zhu Xiu a piece of information that had just been sent to the city.

Zhu Xiu was shocked and quickly took apart the paint to take a closer look.

The information was sent from Yunzhou, which is not far from Bozhou, and I am afraid it will also suffer a disaster.

"Bozhou.Bozhou"

Zhu Xiu murmured to himself, stamped his feet suddenly, and remembered that in this year in history, at the end of the year, the water in the lower reaches of the Yellow River rose, and several tributaries burst their banks, and Bozhou and Qingzhou were flooded with oceans!
The thing that he had never thought of before was this!
"Confused! How confused! How could I forget such an important thing!?"

Zhu Xiu rubbed his forehead with self-reproach, this flood was the first major natural disaster encountered by the Xiande Dynasty, Qi, Di, Zi, and Qing prefectures in the lower reaches of the Yellow River were all affected.

Zhu Xiu sighed and sat down, looking worriedly at the storm outside the house.

For such an important event, the Yunzhou courier must report it to Kaifeng quickly.

I'm afraid that the news will be sent to the palace in the middle of the night.

Little Yuanyuan was still crying, and Shi Lingyan couldn't coax her well.

Zhu Xiu took it and held it in her arms, murmuring to herself: "It's better now, we both don't want to sleep anymore."

(End of this chapter)