Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 334 Military Reform, Establishment of Five Battalions, Great Era
Wei Yuan asked Gu Tingye to go to a room to take shelter from the rain.

He was not in a hurry to meet the other party, but said to Wei Shuyi:

"Gu Tingye is a general of the frontier army. I don't know how many wars he will have to participate in in the future. Swords have no eyes."

Wei Shuyi knew what he wanted to say, "Isn't I also from the military? Besides, if Guifen can bear it, what can't Ming'er bear?"

Wei Yuan asked curiously: "When did you start to like Gu Tingye?"

Wei Shuyi glanced at Zhang Guifen, and the two of them looked at each other and smiled without saying anything.

Wei Yuan understood instantly. He sent someone to invite Gu Tingye to Chunyi Pavilion, and then he went to meet him alone.

It didn't take long.

In Chunyi Pavilion, in the pavilion, Wei Yuan and Gu Tingye sat opposite each other.

At this time, the latter had already bathed and changed clothes, and there was no rain on his body.

The former's eyes were fixed on him.

He kept his head down and remained silent, appearing very restrained.

After a long while, Wei Yuan finally exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "Have you expressed your feelings to Ming girl?"

Gu Tingye responded to his question without any hesitation.
"Not yet. I think I still need your consent first."

Wei Yuan slowly stood up, sighed softly, and said, "Be nicer to Ming girl."

Hearing the voice, Gu Tingye's face lit up with joy. Just as he was about to say something, he saw that Wei Yuan had already left.

He looked at Wei Yuan's tall and straight back, was stunned for a moment, and then bowed deeply.

He thought that Wei Yuan wanted to talk to him a lot today.

But who would have thought that when the words came to his lips, only a few words came out.

Wei Yuan just felt that there was no point in saying more.

Just let Gu Tingye clearly feel what you mean.

In mid-May of the first year of Kaiwu, Wei Yuan gave Xie Yuying the status of a concubine.

But there was no banquet, just a gathering of relatives and friends.

As a result, Xie Yuying transformed from a geisha into the concubine of Marquis Guanjun.

As the saying goes, there are seven officials in front of the prime minister.

Xie Yuying, a concubine, is equivalent to the wife of a third-rank official.

Late May of the first year of Kaiwu.

Those old ministers who were once loyal to the late emperor have resigned one after another under Zhao Xi's strong persuasion.

For example, Wu Kui, Fu Yanguo, Cao Yaoheng, Hai Zhong and others.

To be honest, it was extremely difficult for them to land safely.

The current court situation is less complicated than in the past and has become much simpler and clearer.

First of all, there was the civil service team, with Fan Chunren, the Minister of the Secretariat, as prime minister, and Wang Anshi, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Personnel, as deputy prime minister.

Hai Zhou is the new Minister of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Rites remain unchanged. The former Fujian Transport Commissioner Cai Xiang was promoted to Minister of Works, and the current Fujian Transport Commissioner is Liu Yi, the former Governor of Fuzhou.

In addition, several of Wang Anshi's students, such as Li Ding, also held high positions.

Sima Junshi, who had some conflicts with Wang Anshi, is now the Imperial Censor.

The team of military generals is simpler and clearer.

Wei Yuan, Qin Zhen, Xu Changzhi, etc. As for some old nobles, they had already made way for them.

After those old ministers resigned, Zhao Xi finally could not hold back any longer and began to order Wei Yuan, Wang Anshi, Fan Chunren and others to implement military reforms.

After a shocking war, the prestige of the new emperor Zhao Xi in the country skyrocketed.

He wanted to take advantage of his prestige to completely solve the problem of redundant soldiers.

As for how to solve it, it depends on what Wei Yuan and the others do.

He is only responsible for support.

In order to effectively implement the military reform, Zhao Xi temporarily gave the entire Xuan Zheng Hall to Wei Yuan and others for office use.

Hundreds of officials from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War and other relevant departments are too busy to handle the filing of cases every day.

No one knows exactly how this military reform, which will have such wide-ranging implications and can even be described as groundbreaking, will be carried out.

Even Wang Anshi didn't know.

At this moment, in the Xuanzheng Palace.

Everyone was busy.

However, only Wei Yuan was sitting in a secluded corner drinking tea and eating fruit.

Seeing this, Wang Anshi came up to him, frowned,

"You were the one who suggested the military reform to the government. Everyone else is busy, but you are just sitting here doing nothing. Isn't that a bit too much?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "How about you have some tea and take a break?"

Wang Anshi snorted unhappily, "I'm not thirsty."

Wei Yuan said: "Mr. Wang, I am only responsible for giving guidance. It is up to you to decide how to make the changes."

Wang Anshi was so angry that he laughed, "Guidance? The words coming out of Master Wei's mouth are really original. Then why don't you tell me how to guide?"

Wei Yuan said: "Wait until you sort out the military personnel files first, and then you will know."

This highly anticipated and massive military reform began quietly.

Late June of the first year of Kaiwu.

After a month of cooperation among various departments of the imperial court, the information on military personnel in various territories of the Great Zhou was finally compiled.

At this moment, Wang Anshi was reporting to Zhao Xi.

"Your Majesty, right now, within the Great Zhou, there are a total of 1.2 million troops, including the garrison troops, the imperial guards, etc."

After a pause, he looked at Wei Yuan who was standing beside him.

"The Grand Master asked us to investigate the files of soldiers from all over the country before deciding on the military reform. Now that everything is clear, I wonder what the Grand Master plans to do?"

Zhao Xi also looked at Wei Yuan, his eyes full of curiosity.

Wei Yuan said shockingly: "Disarmament."

disarmament?

Many people felt a pang in their hearts when they heard these two words.

Disarmament means that many people in the military will lose their jobs.

This means that the imperial court must endure the pain of cutting off one’s own arm.

Wang Anshi shook his head and smiled, "I thought the Grand Tutor had some brilliant ideas, but it turns out he is still talking about cutting down the army."

At first, he reported this matter to Zhao Xi.

Disarmament is one of the most effective ways to alleviate the problem of redundant troops.

Zhao Xi said: "Master Wei, just say whatever you want to say."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan nodded and said, "The reduction in the army that I proposed does not mean reducing tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops, nor does it mean only reducing the imperial guards or the garrison troops."

"Instead, we will unify and reduce the number of troops in the country. I have made some preliminary considerations. Although the various departments have sorted out the military personnel files, I believe that these are only the visible ones. The invisible troops are at least more than 200,000."

"Therefore, this military reduction is to reduce the total national military strength to 800,000, with priority given to troops who have never been on the battlefield and the elderly and weak soldiers."

To be honest, civil officials would be happy to see a reduction in the number of troops.

After all, this would greatly reduce the country's expenditure.

With the remaining money, they can continue to make bold moves in politics and development.
Wang Anshi said: "If we reduce the army to 800,000, we still need to divide the troops to guard various places. Is it feasible?"

Wei Yuan explained: "These 800,000 troops are the combat force."

Having said this, he bowed solemnly to Zhao Xi and said, "I plan to set up five major camps."

"The Northern Camp is stationed in the Daizhou area and needs 200,000 troops to deter the Liao army;"

"The Western Camp is stationed in the Yanbian area and needs 200,000 troops to deter Xixia;"

"The Central Camp, with Bian Jing and Daming Prefecture as the main forces, needs 200,000 troops to support the Northwest Camp in times of crisis;"

"The southern camp is stationed in the Fujian Road area and needs 100,000 troops to strengthen the coastal defense;"

"The eastern camp, mainly in Shandong, needs 100,000 troops to coordinate with Daizhou and other northern areas to curb the development of Liao."

"This is where the five major camps with 800,000 troops are deployed."

After a pause, he continued:
"In addition to the five major camps, I intend to establish garrison troops in the capitals of each route, ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 in each route."

"This garrison force is only responsible for maintaining the safety of the road and suppressing bandits. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it does not need to participate in fighting the enemy."

"I made a rough calculation and found that the garrison forces for the ten routes would be around 300,000."

"There are still many details that have not been considered. What I mean is that things should be done step by step, first dismantling the army, and then establishing five major camps."

Wei Yuan’s idea is undoubtedly advanced.

However, in this way, the commanders of the five major camps will have a large number of troops under their command.

If there is any rebellious intention, wouldn't it cause chaos in the world?

Fan Chunren said: "Take the Northern Camp as an example. The commander of the Northern Camp is in charge of 200,000 troops. If he develops a rebellious heart, wouldn't the entire northern land be in chaos?"

Wei Yuan said: "Before, the local governors had great power. They not only controlled the economic lifeline of a place, but also controlled the army. Otherwise, the local army generals would be in league with the local officials."

"My idea is to implement a system of separation of military and political power, abolish the position of militia commander, and only manage the army according to the rank of general in the army, and it will be under the unified jurisdiction of the court."

"Local officials can only manage garrison troops, but have no authority over military affairs. The army is directly under the jurisdiction of the court. This can prevent the commander of a battalion from being suspected of becoming too powerful."

"Moreover, every three to five years, the commanders of the five major camps must be swapped to prevent the infiltration of power."

Some officials who hold military power can dominate a region and do whatever they want after gaining support from local authorities.

But now, you are not allowed to interfere in local affairs, and you are only allowed to manage the army.

Money, grain and other items were all paid by the imperial court.

The local area no longer has any connection with the military.

This is the separation of military and political affairs.

The most crucial thing is that every three to five years, the commanders of the five major camps are swapped, which means that no commander can cultivate his confidants in the army without restraint.

Wei Yuan continued, "I have another plan. As long as we are citizens of the Great Zhou, we can all join the army. Except for those above the rank of general, those below the rank of general will serve for a five-year term. When the term is up, they must return to their hometowns to farm and cannot stay in the army."

"When their military service period is up, our army can recruit new soldiers to fill the manpower gap. If a war breaks out, the retirement date can be delayed. Veterans who have served in the army must also return to their respective camps on time to prepare for the war when there is a shortage of soldiers."

In this way, the problem of a general cultivating his own confidants is completely eliminated.

It can also provide a steady supply of troops for the future Great Zhou.

After hearing Wei Yuan's long speech, Zhao Xi, Wang Anshi and others all felt as if they had been enlightened.

If Wei Yuan's plan really succeeds, then it will not only affect the present, but also future generations for thousands of years.

In particular, the five-year term of military service completely solved the problem of insufficient manpower and temporary expansion of the army during wartime.

The so-called redundant soldiers, don’t they just refer to soldiers with low combat effectiveness?
"When the five-year military service period is about to expire, each army can hold a military competition or trial. Only those with outstanding results can continue to stay in the army, and their treatment will naturally be improved."

"As for how to place the retired soldiers, I suggest that the court officials arrange for them to return to their hometowns to farm and change jobs, or give them a sum of money when they retire."

"."

Wei Yuan continued speaking for a full half hour.

He only shut up when his mouth became dry.

At this moment, the way everyone looked at him changed.

Various looks of surprise, admiration, etc. were mixed together and all focused on him.

Wei Yuan saw that everyone seemed to have fallen into silence, so he bowed to Zhao Xi and said, "I have finished my speech."

However, those people have not yet recovered from their shock.

Everything Wei Yuan said shocked them so much.

After a long time.

Zhao Xi barely came back to his senses and warned everyone in an unprecedented serious tone,

"Whoever dares to reveal even a single word of what the guard said just now will be killed by me!"

If Wei Yuan’s military reform was known to the enemy country.

Then, it is entirely possible to further enhance the enemy's military strength.

"Master Wei, I will no longer interfere in matters concerning military reform."

"I'll leave everything to you. I'll just look at the results!"

Zhao Xi is full of confidence in Wei Yuan.

If the military reform could be successful, he would also gain martial arts skills through it.

When everyone goes back to rest.

Wang Anshi specially sought out Wei Yuan and bowed to him, saying:
"Brother Wei, your words today have enlightened me. You should accept this greeting."

Wei Yuan quickly helped him up and said with a smile, "Mr. Wang, Brother Wang, what are you doing?"

Wang Anshi said: "If your military reform strategy can really succeed, then our Great Zhou will no longer have to worry about foreign affairs."

Wei Yuan said sternly, "Prince Wang, what I said is easy to say but hard to do, especially the disarmament. Such a large-scale disarmament will inevitably face great resistance. If I am not careful, I, the champion marquis, will be cursed by the soldiers."

Wang Anshi also said solemnly: "Master Wei has done this for the country. I will bear the infamy with you!"

He held Wei Yuan's wrist tightly.

At this moment, the two of them seemed to have returned to a day when Zhao Zhen was still alive.

At that time, both of them thought of the same words in their hearts, which were no different from today.

【Generals and ministers are in harmony, and the world is at peace】

Early July of the first year of Kaiwu.

Sheng Changbai and Hai Chaoyun get married.

Wei Yuan, Wang Anshi and others all went.

Now, under Wei Yuan's suggestion, Sheng Changbai, who is young and has little experience in governing, has become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The speed of promotion is astonishing.

Sheng Changbai certainly understood that all this depended on Wei Yuan's help.

At first, Wang Anshi, who was unwilling to form a clique for personal gain, naturally was unwilling to support Sheng Changbai based on Wei Yuan's suggestion.

Later, Wei Yuan spoke to Wang Anshi earnestly, which made Wang Anshi change his mind.
"You and I are officials in the court, and now we are in high positions. We have been busy for so long, mostly for our country, but a little bit, we also have some selfish motives, and we also want the younger generations to have a better life and to be able to show their strengths."

"Changbai is your disciple, and he is my nephew. He is also a rare young talent. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he values ​​young officials and only seeks great governance. He needs young people like Changbai to stand firm in the torrent and work for the people. We can also be regarded as recruiting talents for the country."

Wang Anshi thought that what he said made some sense.

Thus, Sheng Changbai became the youngest Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Sheng Changbai's promotion gradually reflected on the entire court, which meant that the court no longer selected talents based on qualifications and experience. An era that allowed young people to show their talents and an era that allowed everyone to make the leap to success had arrived.

This period was called by later historians the Great Era of Reform in the Zhou Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)