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

Chapter 337: Expansion of the Danglu Army, provincial system, shock!

In the first year of Kaiwu, in early October, Xu Changzhi got married.

Almost half of the military of the Great Zhou Dynasty was present.

In terms of grandeur, it was no less grand than the wedding of Wei Yuan and Zhang Guifen.

After all, the woman Xu Changzhi wanted to marry was a girl from the Chai family.

Since the Sheng family is related to the Xu family, Old Lady Sheng and her family arrived at the Marquis Yongyi's Mansion early.

Minglan did not travel with the Sheng family, but went to the Guanjun Marquis's Mansion first, intending to go with Zhang Guifen.

When leaving the Marquis' Mansion, Minglan did not see Wei Yuan, so she asked curiously:

"Where's my uncle? My cousin from the Xu family is getting married, shouldn't my uncle go there early?"

Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "Your uncle got drunk at the Yongyi Marquis's residence last night and rested there."

Minglan covered her mouth and smiled, "My cousin from the Xu family and my uncle are close friends. I remember that when my uncle married you, my aunt, my cousin from the Xu family was also drunk."

Afterwards, the two of them got on the carriage and headed to the Mansion of Marquis Yongyi.

At this time, Wei Yuan had just woken up in the mansion of Marquis Yongyi.

He looked at the maids and servants constantly coming and going in the yard and felt it was a bit noisy. He wanted to find a quiet place to have a good rest. He was really exhausted after a night of hangover.

Unexpectedly, many guests had already arrived at the Yongyi Marquis's residence. When they learned that Wei Yuan had settled in the courtyard near the backyard, they went to visit him and greeted him warmly.
"Lord Wei, General Xu's wedding today is as grand as your wedding."

"Marquis Wei looks a little off. Did he not get enough rest last night?"

"Greetings to the Lord of Wei."

"."

Wei Yuan had no choice but to endure the pain brought by the hangover and responded to them one by one.
"Minister Cao, you're here so early? I had a hangover with Changzhi and the others last night, and I'm feeling uncomfortable right now."

"Hey, Pan Shu, I heard that you had a duel two days ago and lost?"

"Mr. Han, have you had breakfast?"

"."

After a brief encounter, Wei Yuan went to the main hall, only to see Old Madam Sheng and Xu Changzhi and others there.

When Sheng Hong and the others saw Wei Yuan coming, they quickly stood up and greeted him with smiles.

Wei Yuan nodded one by one, then bowed to Old Madam Sheng and said:

"Is the old lady in good health these days?"

Old Madam Sheng smiled and said, "I am doing very well. Thank you for your concern, Marquis Guanjun."

Wei Yuan came to the Yongyi Marquis's residence as if he were at home. He sat directly in an empty seat and ordered a maid to cook a bowl of sobering soup. Then he asked Xu Changzhi,
"How about Yuanzhi and the others?"

Xu Changzhi said: "It seems like he went out to play."

Wei Yuan frowned slightly, "Send someone to look for them. We will be going to welcome the bride soon, don't let them get in the way."

Xu Changzhi nodded, and then asked several trusted men to go find them.

After a while, when Wei Yuan was drinking the sobering soup, Zhang Guifen, Minglan and others also came over.

After greeting Old Lady Xiang Sheng and Xu Changzhi's parents, she came to Wei Yuan.

Zhang Guifen asked, "Did you feel uncomfortable last night?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "It's okay. I was too drunk. I just lay down on the bed and rested."

At this time, Gu Yankai's wife Xiao Qin came here with her biological son Gu Tingwei.

Just like Zhang Guifen and others when they came, he first greeted the elders, said a few words of congratulations, and then sat here for a while.

Suddenly, Xiao Qin looked at Wei Yuan, then looked at Ming Lan who was standing behind him, and said with a smile:

"This is Lord Wei's niece Sheng Minglan, Miss Sheng, right?"

Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "Didn't Madam Gu meet Minglan?"

The mother of a prince is called the Grand Lady.

Now, Xiao Qin is the nominal mother of Ningyuan Hou Gu Tingye, so naturally she should be respected as "Madam Tai".

Xiao Qin smiled and said, "I have seen it before, but I have never looked at it carefully."

Zhang Guifen held Minglan's hand and smiled at her, saying, "My niece is very pretty and kind-hearted. Madam Gu will definitely take a closer look at her."

Xiao Qin smiled wryly, "Of course."

After a pause, he looked at Gu Tingwei and said, "Wei'er, go and pay your respects to Marquis Wei. Your father once taught Marquis Wei some martial arts."

In her opinion, Gu Tingye’s current status is entirely due to Wei Yuan’s care.

They are both sons of Gu Yankai, how could Wei Yuan favor one over the other?

Having said that, Xiao Qinshi did not want Minglan to marry into the Gu family, because if she did so, Gu Tingye's position would be completely unshakable.

When will my son have a chance to succeed?
Just as Gu Tingwei was about to meet Wei Yuan as his mother ordered, he heard Wei Yuan's indifferent voice.

"Let's skip the traditional rites. I heard that Tingwei likes poetry and books but not swords and guns? It would be a good idea for him to take the imperial examination and become an official in the future."

What I mean is that your son, Xiao Qin, and I are not the same kind of people.

"At first, Tingye also liked to study for the imperial examinations, but it was you who told him to join the army that made him famous today. Speaking of which, our Gu family should thank you, Marquis Wei."

Xiao Qin's words were flawless.

Wei Yuan smiled, stood up and said, "You guys chat, I'm going to go take a look and see who's here today and say hello."

There were mostly women here, so he was too lazy to waste his words.

As soon as Wei Yuan left, Xiao Qin started asking Minglan all kinds of questions.

Wei Shuyi did not come to this occasion today, and Wang Ruofu was not good at speaking and found it difficult to say anything for Minglan.

Fortunately, Zhang Guifen is not someone you can easily mess with.

Whenever Xiao Qinshi made things difficult for Minglan, Zhang Guifen would make Xiao Qinshi speechless.

Although Xiao Qin was the lady dowager, Zhang Guifen was the lady of the state. In terms of status, Xiao Qin was far inferior to Zhang Guifen.

Later, Zhang Guifen and Minglan went to the backyard to rest for a while.

On the way, the former said dissatisfiedly: "I heard from your uncle before that the Gu family is quite chaotic, especially that little Qin, who is sarcastic and mean. Today I have seen it for myself."

"I don't know if Gu Tingye is your ideal match. No, let's just pretend that nothing happened. I'll find someone for you later."

Minglan smiled and said, "Aunt, don't worry. Uncle Gu won't be back until the beginning of next spring. Let's just go with the flow."

Zhang Guifen nodded and said nothing more.

The two of them had just arrived at the backyard and were about to sit down in the pavilion when they suddenly saw a group of young and beautiful ladies rushing over, all of whom were eagerly greeting Zhang Guifen.

"Sister Guifen, it's been a long time since I last saw you."

"Sister Guifen, have you heard? Earl Fuchang has found a marriage for Rong Feiyan. He is Pan Shu, the eldest son of the Duke of Han."

"Meet Madam Zhang"

"." No matter where Zhang Guifen goes, she is an extremely dazzling presence.

It's noon.

The Eight Tigers of Daizhou and Wei Yuan went to welcome the bride.

The Chai family has a mansion in the capital, which was given by Taizu himself and named Zhengwang Mansion.

After the Chenqiao Rebellion, Emperor Zhou abdicated and was later demoted to King of Zheng. Therefore, the house was named King Zheng's Mansion.

The Zhao family may have felt indebted to the Chai family, so over the years, even if they had to reduce their fiefdoms and titles, they never thought of taking over the Chai family.

The wedding procession entered Prince Zheng's Mansion in a grand manner, and they overcame all obstacles along the way. No matter how difficult the questions posed by the Chai family were, with Wei Yuan and the others there, they were naturally safe and sound, and met the bride, Princess Chai, calmly.

When Princess Chai was taken out of the house, an interesting thing happened.

Princess Chai said, "I know that Brother Xu has made great contributions in Daizhou, and I also know that Brother Xu regards Marquis Guanjun as his elder brother. As the eldest brother, how can I not have some sincerity?"

Xu Changzhi and others were stunned.

Even Wei Yuan was surprised. He glanced at Xu Changzhi and said with a smile:

"Changzhi, you're not going to team up with your wife to cheat me, are you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present burst into laughter.

Princess Chai held a golden fan in her hand to cover her face, and smiled slightly as she said:

"Brother, what are you talking about? Your brother is very happy today, shouldn't you, as the eldest brother, express your gratitude?"

Qin Zhen said, "Brother Wei, Princess Chai has already called you big brother, you should also show some appreciation, brothers, am I right?"

Chen Daniu quickly agreed, "Yes, that's right, brother, do you have anything valuable on you?"

Wei Yuan had no choice but to take out the jade pendant that the emperor had given him.

In the end, Princess Chai didn't care at all, "You sent your sister-in-law away with a jade pendant? As a big brother, you are so insincere."

It stands to reason that women shouldn't say too much about such a big thing as marriage.

However, Princess Chai knew early on that these new nobles in Daizhou never liked worldly rules and regulations and preferred to act according to their own will.

It just so happens that she doesn't like any rules, so she just wants to be casual.

Xu Changzhi pretended to cough and was about to excuse Wei Yuan, but Princess Chai already knew what he was thinking and glanced at her best friend beside her.

The woman immediately said, "Lord Wei, I heard that you have a legitimate son and daughter. After my sister and brother-in-law get married and have children, how about we arrange a marriage between the two families?"

Wei Yuan suddenly slapped his forehead. It seems like he is waiting for me here?

Today, Wei Yuan is extremely powerful, and the Wei and Xu families are more like one family.

Princess Chai has not yet completed her wedding, but she has already considered and done everything for the Xu family.

Wei Yuan said: "I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to go home and ask my wife what she thinks. No matter what, if your sister and your brother-in-law have children in the future, how about I adopt them as my adopted sons and daughters?"

Having said this, the matter was finally settled.
-
In late October of the first year of Kaiwu, the military reduction plan that lasted for several months was declared a success.

In the same month, Zhao Xi issued an edict to abolish the complicated names of the various armies and establish five major camps.

In early November, Wei Yuan began to discuss the details of establishing the Five Camps with Wang Anshi and others in Xuanzheng Hall.
"There are more than 30 types of military designations alone. It is too difficult to manage them in a unified manner."

"After the establishment of the five major camps, the army will be governed and managed uniformly using the army, division, brigade, regiment, company, platoon and squad."

"An army has about 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Generals above the brigade level are called generals, and generals below the brigade level are called commanders, such as regiment commanders, company commanders, etc."

"."

Wei Yuan's opinions were highly praised by Wang Anshi and others.

In this way, the military deployment of the Great Zhou would be more coordinated and clear.

"If there is another conflict with the Liao army, when deploying troops, we can use the name of the First Army of the Northern Camp, the First Division, etc. This will make it easier to command the troops."

The military reform has reached this stage and is basically nearing the final stage.

To be honest, Wei Yuan had never expected that such a groundbreaking event could achieve such high results in such a short period of time.

This means that in practical terms, the military reform has taken the most crucial step.

Based on the strategy proposed by Wei Yuan, Zhao Xi formally made a decision to immediately form five major camps and divide them into armies, divisions, brigades, and regiments for management.

Later, Wei Yuan told Zhao Xi another thing.
"The establishment of the five major camps is to match the current strategic policy of the country, but it is far from enough to just establish the five major camps. I hope that the Sweeping Army can be expanded."

"This army will serve as a sharp sword for our Great Zhou, and at a critical moment, it can pierce the heart of the enemy."

"The Danglu Army will not be included in the Five Battalions for the time being."

Zhao Xi said thoughtfully: "To what extent does the guard want to expand?"

Wei Yuan said: "One hundred thousand."

One hundred thousand?

Only one hundred thousand?

Zhao Xi immediately waved his hand and laughed, "Okay, go ahead, Master Wei. I will have the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War fully support Master Wei."

Apart from the military reform.

Wang Anshi, Fan Chunren and others also began to work on political reform.

First of all, through Wei Yuan's proposal, they all agreed that the county system currently used by the Great Zhou, with "road" as the largest regional division, was actually too complicated, and the implementation of many policies of the court could not effectively reach the local level.

This is also one of the reasons why the New Policies of the Qingli Period did not have much effect.

Wei Yuan proposed to Wang Anshi and others to abolish the county system.
"When the First Emperor unified the country, he adopted the county system in order to offset the drawbacks of the feudal system. But now, thousands of years have passed and the county system has become outdated."

"We need to introduce a completely new system, redefine administrative regions, and make the court more centralized, but it will not hinder local development."

A major hidden danger after the establishment of the Five Camps is that once the commanders of the Five Camps associate with local officials, they may not obey the call of the central government and there will be a risk of separatism.

The new administrative system that Wei Yuan is about to introduce will be able to fundamentally solve this problem and increase centralization.

Wang Anshi was puzzled and asked, "Master Wei, please stop beating around the bush. Do you have an idea in mind?"

Wei Yuan nodded. "I got an idea and came up with a new administrative system called the provincial system."

"The many roads of our Great Zhou will be unified into twelve provinces. For example, the Jiangnan area will be called the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province."

"In each province, there should be three departments: civil affairs, justice, and military affairs, which will play the role of dividing power and preventing separatist regimes from happening."

"The Military and Political Department of the province only manages the local garrison troops, government troops, etc. It has no right to interfere in the affairs of the five major camps, and the commanders of the five major camps are not allowed to have any relationship with local officials."

"The civil affairs department of a province reports to the Ministry of Revenue, the judicial affairs department reports to the Ministry of Justice, and the military affairs department reports to the Ministry of War and the commander-in-chief of the garrison army. All matters are controlled by the court."

"."

Every word he said would shock Wang Anshi and others more.

Until the moment he finished speaking, everyone in the hall was stunned and silent.

Because they all had a premonition that the provincial system introduced by Wei Yuan would completely overthrow and abolish the existing county system.

(End of this chapter)