Jiuxi

Chapter 969: 967 [Civil and Military Comprehensiveness]

The northern suburbs of Heluo, a strategic military camp.

After Lu Chen led his troops back in triumph, he only allowed Liu Yin and Song Shifei to lead 30,000 elite troops to enter the city to take control of the overall situation. The remaining 70,000 troops were stationed in the camp outside the city to avoid causing too much pressure on the people in the city.

In addition to the 80,000 troops stationed on the border, there are nearly 20,000 Seven Star Army troops stationed in the north of Dingzhou, and a total of more than 20,000 troops responsible for maintaining public order in various parts of Jiangbei. These are all the troops in Lu Chen's hands.

Compared with the vast territory of Da Qi today, these 220,000 soldiers are certainly elite troops tempered by war, but their number is still too small, and recruiting soldiers is inevitable.

However, before that, Lu Chen decided to adjust the army's framework first. Regardless of whether the southern court was willing to go north or not, he wanted to extend his influence to every corner of the army before the other party made a decision.

In the command hall, thirteen generals sat in two rows on the left and right.

They are Li Bingxue, Tong Shiyuan, Pei Sui, Duan Zuozhang, He Gui, Song Shifei, Huo Zhen, Zhang Zhan, Qiu Jixun, Li Chengen, Liu Yin, Li Tangbin, and Bao An.

Except for Li Bingxue who has a special identity, among the other twelve people, Pei Sui and other four were from the Huaizhou Army of that year, Huo Zhen and other three were from the Jingzhou Army, and the remaining four including Li Chengen were generals who were personally trained and promoted by Lu Chen over the years.

Tong Shiyuan is different from the others. He had previously served as the governor of Chengzhou, but he had been loyal to Lu Chen a few years ago, and he completed the subsequent tasks very well, so he was able to attend today.

The thirteen men in the hall all had distinguished military achievements and were capable of standing on their own. Together with Ye Jitong, Yu Dajun, Lou Chengyuan, and Chu Zhu, who led the Seven Star Army for Lin Xi in the northern part of Dingzhou, and Fan Wendi, Xu Gui, and Liu Jiangdong, who guarded the border, as well as thousands of capable and battle-hardened middle and lower-level generals, they formed the skeleton of the current Great Qi army for Lu Chen.

"I have sent a fast horse of 800 miles to deliver the memorial to Nanjing City, Jiangnan."

Because the people in the hall are all his closest relatives, Lu Chen was not as serious as usual. He smiled and said, "Your rewards will be issued within two months at most."

The generals couldn't help but smile.

He Gui said meaningfully: "If it weren't for the prince, how could the Great Qi win this time? I wonder how the court will reward the prince."

Song Shifei said bluntly: "In my opinion, he should be at least a prince!"

"That's right!"

Liu Yin followed closely behind him and said sternly: "The title of a prince, the establishment of a government office, this is worthy of the prince's merits!"

"OK OK."

Lu Chen raised his hand and said calmly, "I called you to this meeting today not to discuss this matter, but to talk about some serious matters related to the military system."

Hearing this, all the generals sat up straight and the smiles on their faces faded.

"Although our Great Qi's military system was not bloated before, it still had many drawbacks, such as redundant personnel, unclear affiliations, and complex factions. For example, the capital garrison was divided into the Imperial Army and three Beijing camps, and the border army had four governor's offices in Dingzhou, Jingzhou, Chengzhou, and Taipingzhou."

"Of course, this is a system that was formed over a period of time due to the current situation. It is a result of the situation and is understandable. Now that the offensive and defensive positions between Qi and Jing are different, our military must naturally make corresponding adjustments. From now on, Da Qi will no longer set up the Capital Camp and the Border Military Governor's Office. Instead, the central government will directly manage the generals. The two camps on the border are only a temporary transition and will be reformed after the situation stabilizes."

"In other words, the general in charge is responsible for training the soldiers under his command. In wartime, the court will designate a commander to mobilize troops from various routes. In peacetime, there will no longer be a fixed commander."

Lu Chen looked at the thoughtful crowd and asked, "This is the general outline of the military reform. Is there anything you don't understand?"

Others did not dare to speak rashly, so Li Bingxue asked, "What arrangements do you have for Governor Liu and Marquis Yongding?"

According to Lu Chen's idea, it is equivalent to abolishing the position of Grand Commander, and he will directly command the commanders of each army. In wartime, a commander-in-chief will be set up depending on the situation. This means that Liu Shouguang and Zhang Xu will no longer have the power to command troops.

"The Military Academy will be reorganized into the Military Affairs Office, with a number of military ministers, each responsible for a part of military affairs. Old Liu and Zhang Xu will both be the first military ministers."

Lu Chen explained briefly, then looked at Tong Shiyuan and said, "You were the Grand Commander of Chengzhou before. If you were to be a general commanding an army, it would be a demotion and a reduction of power, which is unreasonable. I just wonder if you are willing to join the Military Affairs Council as the Minister of Military Affairs?"

Tong Shiyuan was pleasantly surprised and quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your support. How can I not be reluctant?"

"No need to be polite, just sit down."

Lu Chen smiled slightly.

Tong Shiyuan did not expect that Lu Chen thought so highly of him, but the other generals did not feel envious, because they knew very well that as long as they had soldiers, they could win the battle by following Lu Chen, and military merit was the foundation of their lives.

The Jing Kingdom in the north is still a big country with a vast territory, that is the real achievement of expanding territory!
"Wang Jun and his men have already completed the statistics two days ago. Over the past year, our army has seized more than 80,000 war horses. They have selected 5,000 stallions from them. The horse farms in the three northern states are being planned and built. In the future, they will be able to effectively alleviate the predicament of our army's lack of war horses."

Lu Chen looked at the tiger generals whose eyes lit up instantly, and then said: "The Dingbei Army and Feiyu Army will each expand to 20,000 men, according to the configuration of one man with two horses. Count the vacancies and report them."

Li Bingxue and Li Chengen responded in unison.

Seeing that the others could not hide their envy, Lu Chen smiled and said, "You will also have to expand your army to 20,000 people. In addition to the ten commanders, there will be three deputy commanders, commanding five regiments and twenty battalions, namely five captains and twenty lieutenants. Each regiment has 4,000 people, and each battalion has 1,000 people. Each army will have 10,000 infantry, 3,000 archers, 3,000 sword soldiers, 1,000 light cavalry, and 3,000 firearms soldiers."

When the last three words were heard, the hall suddenly became restless.

"Your Highness, are you serious?" Pei Sui, who had always been calm and reserved, now had a trembling voice.

Ever since they witnessed the power of guns and cannons on the battlefield, who among these generals would not be jealous?
But Lu Chen refused to give in, and even someone as straightforward as Song Shifei didn't dare to ask for it easily.

"of course it's true."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then said: "It's just that we don't have that many firearms at the moment, so you just need to lead the troops with all your heart. Within two years at most, I guarantee that each of you will have enough firearms under your command, and you will shine in the future battle of destroying the scene."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

All the generals praised him in unison.

"I have arranged for people to recruit good family sons from all over Jiangbei to join the army. It is expected that within half a year, the 20,000 men in each army will be recruited one after another."

Lu Chen looked around at everyone and said solemnly: "I will fight for the title for you. The salary will be greatly improved compared to before, and the military pay will be paid on time. If you are still not satisfied with this, and I know that there are people who are eating empty salaries and sucking the blood of soldiers, no matter how old your qualifications are and how great your achievements are, I will kill you with my own hands."

The generals were startled and stood up, saying, "We will follow the prince's instructions!"

……

In the afternoon, Lu Chen and Li Bingxue returned from outside the city.

They came to Chengpingfang, located southwest of the imperial palace. Twenty years ago, this was where the residences of the powerful and wealthy of the Great Qi Dynasty gathered, and the infrastructure was very complete.

Lu Chen chose a spacious mansion occupied by a Jinglian noble. After several months of repairs and reconstruction, and with Lu Tong bringing hundreds of servants from the Guangling family to clean up in late February, the mansion now has a plaque of Huai'an County Prince's Mansion hung up, and has become the center of the entire Heluo City.

There were 5,000 elite soldiers led by Liu Yin himself, plus 3,000 elite cavalry stationed in Chengpingfang. The Prince's Mansion had 800 personal guards led by Qin Zilong, plus secret guards arranged by Nan Yi, Qi Lianfu and Yin Shangfu. The layers of defense were like an iron barrel.

Lu Chen walked into the main hall of the front house, looked at Chen Xun who quickly stood up and saluted, and said with a smile: "It looks like there is trouble again."

Chen Xun couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Now he is no longer an official of the Governor's Office with low rank and little power, but is temporarily serving as the governor of Heluo Prefecture, responsible for managing all affairs of this mighty city.

As for Liu Yuan, who was ten years older than him, Lu Chen ordered him to take charge of the political affairs of the three northern states and temporarily maintain stability in various places before the officials selected by the court took office.

At present, Liu Yuan, under the protection of two thousand elite soldiers, is traveling around the north with a group of officials.

"Your Highness, Lord Bingyuan sent someone to deliver a secret letter. He is really short of manpower."

Chen Xun knew that Lu Chen didn't like beating around the bush, so he got straight to the point: "It's the same here, my subordinate. There are so many things to do, and my colleagues are almost working as three people, but they are still too busy. I'm not complaining to the prince, I'm just afraid that I've delayed important matters."

Lu Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip, then asked, "I asked you to notify all places to recruit talents earlier. What was the result?"

Chen Xun replied: "There are quite a few people who have come to apply, and I have registered them. However, since there is no appointment from the court, I cannot give them a clear answer, so many people are hesitant."

"What's so difficult about this?"

Lu Chen smiled and said calmly, "Tell them that if they want to be officials, they should show their abilities to me first. Now, Jiangbei is in a state of disrepair, and the court is dragging its feet. When the officials they select arrive, I'm afraid that next year's spring ploughing will be delayed. That's why I'm promoting a group of people. There are many vacant official positions now, and those who are capable will take them! You and Lord Bingyuan will coordinate this matter. All those who work hard will be recorded in the register. When the court returns to Heluo, I'll go and ask for official positions for them personally."

Chen Xun was overjoyed and said, "With your words, I know what to do."

In fact, what he wanted was Lu Chen's promise.

"You are too cautious."

Lu Chen shook his head. He saw through Chen Xun's thoughts and said seriously, "De Zun, you have been following me for almost four years. You should know that I will never mistreat my subordinates who work hard, and I will never force you to report everything rigidly. As long as you don't cross the bottom line, you can do it boldly. I will support you in everything."

Chen Xun was moved and said, "It is my great honor to follow a wise leader like Your Majesty!"

"Your words are enough."

Lu Chen looked at the fatigue that could not be concealed on his face and sighed, "You have to do it well, but don't be too anxious. You have to take care of your body. I will still rely on you and Lord Bingyuan in the future. I will have someone prepare some supplements and send them to your house. It's my little token of my appreciation."

Chen Xun did not refuse, he stood up and saluted, saying: "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty! If Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will take my leave."

"it is good."

Lu Chen looked at the departing figure of the Huaiyou scholar, picked up the teacup and pondered for a moment, then whispered to himself: "After sitting on the bench for so many years, I think those people in the Wang family should cherish this opportunity."

(End of this chapter)