The sun never sets in America

Chapter 261 Military Reform and Ladder Drawing

War Department Building——

Compared with ordinary official buildings, the army building looks more solemn and more tightly defended. This can be seen from the guards standing guard outside the door, all of whom are about 1.8 meters tall.

Although it is suspected of creating a facade image, when viewed from a distance, combined with the sharp-edged Bagua Building, it is indeed full of majesty and makes people shudder.

[The Army's building is designed according to the Tai Chi and Bagua methods, so it is also nicknamed the Bagua Building and the Metaphysics Building by the people. 】

The main reason why such a building was designed was because of the former Army Minister Li Zhaowu, who chose this design plan before leaving office. Even if the current Army Minister Tao Wang wanted to change it, he was unable to Thanks to the kindness of his boss, he finally agreed to this plan, which is now the very unique Bagua Building! !

Today, June 9th, has been two days since the fiscal budget meeting. During the previous period, in addition to the military expenditures that had been allocated, the army received a total of 4,000 Chinese yuan in military expenditures, of which only The Army alone received 27 million, while the Navy only received 13 million.

Such distribution rules are also in line with the long-standing Army priority standards. After all, the long land border between Han and the United States is an insurmountable barrier.

Logically speaking, the Army should be happy after receiving such military expenditures, but it can be seen from the expressions of everyone in the building that they are very dissatisfied, quite dissatisfied.

The reason is that the army's stall is too big. In addition to raising the 70,000 regular troops, it also has to support local militias. It also squeezes out funds every year for the purchase of military weapons, even if many weapons are only used as inventory. , but according to tradition, more or less purchases are still required, which leads to the situation of being unable to make ends meet. [Later, according to adjustments, another 10,000 was added]

In fact, the cost of raising an army in the Han Dynasty, or the cost of raising an army, is not as high as many people outside imagine. First, according to the self-reliance plan developed by the army, they reclaimed military land to supply themselves, and even raised pigs and sheep themselves, saving money. A lot of food and military expenditures.

In addition, there are basically several criteria for recruiting soldiers in the Han Dynasty. The first is young people. Anyone older than 25 years old will not be admitted except military academy students. The second is that children from peasant families are given priority. For this reason, This is because serving as a soldier in the Han Dynasty can reduce part of the land tax.

This treatment is of little benefit to urban residents, but for those farmers who rely on the land for their livelihood, it is extremely profitable. This leads to the fact that children from farmers are much more enthusiastic about joining the army than children from cities.

But there are gains and losses. The treatment of soldiers in the Han Dynasty is divided into three levels. The first level is the long-term soldiers, which are actually veterans, mainly the sergeants and sergeants. These people are well paid and are the real mainstay of the army. cornerstone. [Refer to the German veterans after World War I]

The second class is the Chinese Army. In fact, they are soldiers who have been here for a few years but are not old. This group of soldiers has the largest number in the Han Dynasty. They may not be as senior as those who have been in the army for a long time, but their marksmanship is accurate and they are effective against their superiors. The majority of the Han army can execute orders accurately. . The income of this group of people is similar to that of ordinary workers, and after they retire from the army, they will also receive retirement benefits. The annual retirement benefits alone are as high as three million, which is so ordinary.

And further down is actually the New Army. To put it bluntly, these people are actually newcomers. Generally speaking, three years is used as the standard. Three years and above are called the Central Army, three years and below are called the New Army, more than three years and more than six years are called the above. It is the army of economic control, and the one in the middle is the army of China. [Collected in the Military Records of the Han Military Museum]

The New Army has the lowest income. Compared with the average salary of nine yuan in the current market, they can only get five yuan. From a monetary point of view, they are definitely losing money.

But if you look at taxes and other honors and promotions, they all benefit. This can be seen from the fact that no matter how low the military salary is, the number of people joining the army in the countryside still does not decrease.

Although there are clear opinions that the salary is too low, the Army still goes its own way. After all, numbers cannot fool anyone, nor can the size of the army fool anyone.

And if you include the officers' pay, the Han Army's annual military pay must be more than 10 million. For example, the annual funds have just been received, and half of it has been spent including retirement pay and military pay.

The remaining half cannot be retained. According to the Han army's exercise process of small exercises in January, mid-month exercises in March, and large exercises in half a year, the annual military expenditure for exercises alone exceeds five million. If maintenance and ammunition replenishment are also included, In fact, the purchase of new weapons is basically spent every year, and not a penny can be retained. Sometimes, when encountering such a large-scale team year, military special operations funds have to be advanced. [There are tens of millions of reserved funds every year, which are mainly used for sudden military operations and similar emergencies. Under normal circumstances, they are not allowed to be used. 】

In the words of Tao Wang, the current Minister of Army:

"The military is in trouble. If you want to change it, you can ask Cai. Where is the wealth? Now it is safe. If the wealth is not there, the army will be weak. The country will be safe. If the country is uneasy, Hu will invade -"

This paragraph explains the importance of the army, and further explains the situation of the army. Without money, I am afraid that it will not even be able to maintain its current strength.
-

"Tao Shuai!!"

"Tao Shuai——"

As soon as Tao Wang entered the conference room, a large number of people stood up and saluted Tao Wang with fists. [Army clasping fists, Navy saluting]

Tao Wang looked at the conference room, where the stars were shining, with a sigh of relief on his face. More than ten years ago, when he was still an officer under Li Shuai, there were only two or three big cats in the entire Han Army, like him. You can count the kittens on your fingers. Now, look at the house full of generals, the ground full of military commanders, and dozens of millions of troops under their command. It is truly amazing how the stars are changing, how unpredictable it is.

And he himself has gone from being an ordinary infantry commander to being the Minister of the Army today, holding the rank of general. Things are really unpredictable in the world, and the days and months fly by, and the boy becomes a general in the blink of an eye.

Tao Wang looked at the Han generals around him who were wearing gray officer uniforms, wearing various medals, and proud faces, and finally said;

"Gentlemen, our army has not fought in years since Longwu's invasion of Brazil in the eighth year of his reign and the conflict with the United States. I wonder if we can still fight??"

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone around him changed, wondering what Tao Wang was talking about.

Seeing this, Tao Wang did not engage in the same roundabout way as a civilian official, and said directly: "Our army has not fought in years, and the world is changing, and the national interests are extending wider and wider, so Tao Yu wants to change the military system to adapt to the times. Bureau——"

As soon as these words were said, the hearts of all the people present sank. My dear, this is not a financial meeting. This is clearly the Hongmen Banquet! !

Tao Wang was not surprised to see such a situation. This was something he expected, and he continued:

"Nowadays, the east of our country borders the United States on a large scale, the west is the Pacific Ocean, and the east is mostly fortresses and ravines. Taking advantage of the dangers of the Rocky Mountains, it can be said to be a powerful pass??"

"However, the defense is adequate but the offense is insufficient——"

Tao Wang pointed out the shortcomings of the Han Dynasty's defensive war system for several years. There was a feeling that the defense was strong and the offense was sluggish. It was okay at first, but then it felt more and more wrong. This was still the same Han army that looked at every direction and broke mountains and stones. Army? ?

This was also Tao Wang's original intention to reform, and it was also a measure to revitalize the Han army.

"I discussed with Director Wan for several days yesterday and came up with a new set of countermeasures. What do you think?"

Tao Wang pointed his finger at Wan Tenghui, director of the Army Operations Department.

Wan Tenghui looked at the looks from the people around him, stood up immediately, took out a thick document from the briefcase on the table, and distributed it one by one.

After picking up this document, everyone's expression changed. Good guy, what kind of surgery is this? It's just dismantling it into pieces and then putting it back together again.

I saw eight big characters written on it:

"Change division into army, change defense into war."

What do you mean, that is to directly cancel the current division-level organization, switch to a military system, re-activate the legion organization in the early Han-Mexican War, and retain the brigade system.

Changing orders to war is easy to understand. In fact, it means changing the garrison commanders in various places into theater commanders.

The reason for this is because Tao Wang and Wan Tenghui studied for several days and finally found that the current division of 10,000 people would be difficult to cope with a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands or even millions in the future.

With a headquarters, a direct command system, and a more flexible military-level organization, it is the best combat unit.

[The main reason is actually to facilitate future wars with the United States, to recruit new troops, and to expand the number of people. In theory, a qualified military-level command structure can have up to 100,000 people without any problems. The number of people under command is relatively small and the military rank is lower. The division level is much better. To put it bluntly, it is actually convenient for blowing up the number balloon during the battle]

But after seeing it, many people present felt a chill in their hearts.

Because according to this method, what should we do with so many garrison commanders on the front line? You must know that due to garrison reasons, the highest military rank of these people is colonel, but their treatment has always been the standard of general level. If this is cut off with one knife, maybe How many people are complaining! !

And if we really follow this military system, what will happen to the division commanders and deputy division commanders? ?

What about those who enjoy teacher-level treatment? ?

These people are all ordinary big shots! !

Some officers even looked at Tao Wang with admiration. Throughout the ages, those who have succeeded in reform have always done so by wielding their swords inwards. Tao Shuai dared to offend so many people, what a man he was! !

But Tao Wang spoke at this time:

"However, if our army's current organization is maintained, many of our colleagues may be harmed. Commander Tao really cannot bear to see this, so he established a military academy to participate in military affairs and comfort the hearts of the generals——"

This paragraph is very brief. Tao Wang had thought of it at home and even polished it several times. After all, His Majesty's cabinet must know about such a big event as today. Every word and deed must be appropriate and there must be no mistakes. .

When the surrounding generals and officers heard this, except for some old people whose faces were ashen, the rest of the young officers were in high spirits and even looked happy.

The reason for this is that Tao Wang is not carrying out any kind of military reform this time. It is clearly to purge those veterans who have not kept up with the times and pave the way for young people.

The so-called Invalides seems to be glorious, and the people who enter it all have great achievements, many of whom are veterans of the Han and American periods, and all of them hold high positions.

But isn't it the sadness of being abandoned by the times? The command is rigid, the factions are strong, teachers and students are passed down from generation to generation, isn't even Tao Wang himself a beneficiary of this system? ?

If there was no relationship with Li Zhaowu, how could he climb so fast and stand so high.

But now Tao Wang's so-called Invalides and the so-called military reforms that have amazed later generations are just a cover-up. The real purpose is to break the current nepotistic promotion system. In many people's minds, Tao Wang typically climbed up via a ladder. The first thing he did when he finally got up was to swing a sickle and cut off the ladder that had brought him up. Isn't this kind of behavior a kind of betrayal? ?

After this meeting, Tao Wang's reputation among the army veterans was basically on par with that of a hypocrite.

He even changed the poem to mock Tao Wang:

"The Duke of Zhou was afraid of leaving a message, but Tao Wang was humble and did not usurp it."

Wang Mang, who is trying to stand up for himself, is compared to Tao Wang, who was their brother before climbing up the wall.

For those young officers, Tao Wang is their hero, the Tao commander who wiped away the old-fashioned attitude in the army and gave them a bright future.

The evaluations from both sides correspond exactly to the new and the old, and to keeping and advancing.

All things, only by continuous improvement, continuous progress, and constant supply of fresh blood, can they continue to thrive and become immortal! !

.............................................

"This Tao Wang, he dares to do it, he dares to do it!!"

"Live up to Gu's expectations of him..."

Liu Peng looked at the Army's reform charter in his hand. His gloomy mood in the past few days because of the tiger incident had improved, and he had a smile on his face.

Liu Peng's biggest impression of Tao Wang was Li Zhaowu's comment when he left office: "He is brave and resolute, brave and resourceful, adaptable and smooth, and can be a good minister!!"

And after this iron-fisted change within the Army, Liu Peng is afraid that he will have to add:

"Dare to break the ice, dare to smash the stubborn rocks, dare to touch the tiger's beard, dare to be the first in the world..."

The four words "dare" suddenly raised Tao Wang's status in Liu Peng's heart to an unprecedented height.

The presence of people like Tao Wang in the Han Dynasty who dared to change also represented the beginning of changes in other departments except the army.

This is a good thing, and it is in line with Liu Peng's current advocacy of being an honest official and keeping private affairs for the public good.

Thinking of this, Liu Peng picked up the imperial edict and wrote with a thick pen:

"Tao Wang, the general of Lu, dares to be the first in the world to change the rotten spirit and replace it with a new one, and the whole world will learn from it..."

"Promoted to the title of earl, hereditary title!!"

After stamping the royal seal of the Han Dynasty, Liu Peng looked at it and picked up a memorial, which was written to the cabinet: "Today the army takes the lead in making changes. If the military changes and the articles remain unchanged, why should we settle down?"

"In the past, Tang and Wu reformed, and China prospered. Shang Yang's changes led to Qin's strength. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng also made reforms. Now we, the Han Dynasty, are about to change. If we don't change, the country will decline. Decline will lead to decline. This ancient principle also!!"

"You, all ministers, should regard all dynasties as police officers and do not allow your private thoughts to concern yourself with state affairs, otherwise you will be infamy for eternity!!"

"Convene the cabinet for deliberation, hold a court meeting, and conduct the trial alone!!"

The last sentence is ultimately the first and most important step for Liu Peng to improve. He first tests the attitude of his subordinates.

The reform of the Army may not have given Liu Peng an opportunity to lift the lid.

An opportunity to add firewood and water again, to clear away the twelve years of troubles of the big man, and then to throw away the burden and stride forward.

"Someone, send this document to the cabinet!!"

"Let the Ministry of Internal Affairs go to Tao Wang to read out the imperial edict again!!"

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

After everything was over, Liu Peng sat on a chair, pondered for a long time, and finally stood up and walked to the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard is a quaint-looking Jiangnan style building with a water tank. There are some carp in the water tank and some duckweed on the water surface.

In the hall of a house in the middle of the courtyard, there is a memorial tablet.

The holy title of Taizu Liu Yan is written on it! !

This is a tablet that Liu Peng set up privately for Liu Yan in addition to the imperial mausoleum, specifically for him to pay homage to at any time.

shuh...

The lighter lit three sticks of sandalwood. Liu Peng clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully three times.

After inserting the incense into the incense burner, Liu Peng sat cross-legged on the futon and looked at the memorial tablet opposite, as if he had returned to the moment when he and Liu Yan were talking face to face.

"Dad, it's almost twelve years since this big man was passed down. Twelve, what a good time it is!!"

"I also have six sons and three daughters. Brother Ming also has three, and Brother Tian has two. My old Liu family can be considered prosperous now..."

Liu Peng sat cross-legged on the futon and muttered to himself in front of the tablet, regardless of whether Liu Yan could hear it or not.

"Everyone now says that I am a holy king, and there was a memorial not long ago that asked me to proclaim myself emperor!!"

"Ha ha……"

"Don't I know what these people are thinking in their hearts? What they are thinking is that they want to send me to the throne of the emperor, the throne of the emperor, and then mythologize me and isolate me..."

"Make me a real loner!!"

"In this way, their power can be guaranteed, and their descendants can step on everyone's head and dominate!!"

There was no expression on Liu Peng's face, but he was more serious than usual.

"Emperor, what a beautiful and mythical position. Son of Heaven. When the Emperor is angry, the mountains and rivers will turn upside down. Who doesn't want to and who doesn't want to??"

"I think too. I have been the King of Han for more than ten years. Dad, to be honest, I also want to go further, but I am afraid. I am afraid that after I take the first step, they will become more unscrupulous and use the same methods they used against previous emperors on me. On the head!!”

"If it doesn't rain, the emperor is immoral and the world is in chaos. It's the emperor's fault. But is the emperor really at fault? The emperor is not guilty. The fault lies with those rotten beasts. They keep saying that they are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but which emperor are they loyal to? Which country do you love??”

"Why don't you enrich yourself, exploit the common people, and ruin the world? There are three thousand people in China, all of them are emperors and ministers..."

When Liu Peng said this, his eyes shone coldly, as if he wanted to kill someone.

Liu Peng calmed down his emotions, and then said to himself again: "It is impossible to kill them all. Strict investigation and treatment will not take long, but slow treatment will change. Therefore, we should be in prison, under inspection, and clean up at all times."

"If all the kings in the past dynasties followed this path, if not, then the decline of the country will not be far away!!"

　The current situation of this book is very bad, and piracy is also serious. During this period, my grades have dropped drastically, and the author is also in a bad mood. People in the group asked me to write it down. Considering that many people have already ordered a lot and ran away midway, it is indeed It wasn’t appropriate, so I decided to keep writing.

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(End of this chapter)