I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 751: Preparation for the Grand Ceremony, Su Yao Reorganizes the New Army
When faced with Su Yao's plan to reform the official system, everyone was shocked but also discovered a fatal flaw.

After all, the system of three provinces and six ministries is a reform of the centralization of imperial power. These checks and balances will certainly improve efficiency, but Su Yao is not the emperor after all, so what role should he play in it?

Jia Xu's words hit the nail on the head and went straight to the point.

Wang Ling also stood up and said directly that although Su Yao's proposal was good, the position of prime minister should be restored first, and then the Marquis of Champion should be appointed prime minister to lead all officials so that it would be legitimate.

Wang Ling's words made Xun Yu, Zhong Yao and others feel nervous. Establishing a prime minister was undoubtedly a decision that ran counter to this reform plan.

Once this happens, Guanjun Hou will be in charge of both military and political affairs. Coupled with his reform of the official system and his special status as the emperor's husband, he will surely become a powerful official far surpassing Dong Zhuo and second only to Wang Mang.

In this way, he will inevitably stand at the center of the storm. Although he can temporarily stabilize the situation, in the long run, it may lay deeper hidden dangers for the government.

However, they did not object.

The reason is very simple. The times are like this. When the world is in chaos, the central authority is lost, and the trend of separatist rule by the princes is gradually taking shape, there must be a person with great courage to control the overall situation with powerful means, reorganize the government, and suppress local separatist forces.

It now seems that, whether because of their own camps or their judgment of the world situation, there is no doubt that there is currently no one more suitable than the Champion Marquis to take on this important task.

So, after Wang Ling and Jia Xu, they also stepped forward to express their support.

However, Su Yao's response surprised them:

"That's not necessary."

Su Yao smiled and nodded:

"Since I have abolished the system of three dukes and nine ministers, it is naturally impossible for me to reverse history. I have no interest in the position of prime minister."

"what?"

"what?!"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. They obviously didn't expect Su Yao to reject the proposal to establish a prime minister so directly and express that he had no interest in the position of prime minister.

"What do you mean by that, my lord?"

Jia Xu spoke first, with a hint of confusion in his tone:
"The current situation is turbulent and we need a strong leader to lead the country out of the predicament. Since you have this ability, why are you unwilling to take on this important task?"

Wang Ling also said: "Yes, my lord, if you don't want to be the prime minister, who in the court can take on this important task?"

Su Yao smiled slightly, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice:
"Don't worry, everyone. It's not that I don't want to take on the responsibility, but I don't want to be bound by the title of Prime Minister."

He paused and continued:
"The position of prime minister carries too much power. Once established, it will set a precedent for future generations. Although it can temporarily stabilize the situation, in the long run, it may sow hidden dangers for the future."

"Such an action is contrary to my desire to make a fresh start."

Xun Yu heard this, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, he stroked his beard and smiled:
"Your Excellency is right. The position of Prime Minister does require careful consideration. However, since Your Excellency is unwilling to serve as Prime Minister, how can you lead all officials and implement reforms?"

"Who says you can't govern if you're not the prime minister?"

Su Yao laughed and said:

"I only need to take the position of general and control the army, and then wait until Wannian ascends the throne to marry him, and temporarily act as regent with the position of general. Wouldn't this solve the dilemma?"

Su Yao's words brightened everyone's eyes and they nodded in agreement.

Although the position of the general is not as powerful as the prime minister, it is enough to control the military power of the court and has great influence. Moreover, after Su Yao married Princess Wannian, he temporarily acted as regent as the general, which was in line with the court's etiquette and could avoid the long-term risks that the position of prime minister might bring. It was indeed a best of both worlds.

"Your Excellency has a far-sighted vision, this is a brilliant plan!" Xun Yu bowed and praised.

"Yes, the position of general can not only demonstrate the prestige of the prince, but also avoid the drawbacks that may come with the position of prime minister. It is indeed the best choice." Jia Xu also nodded in agreement.

Wang Ling, Zhao Yun and others expressed their support, believing that this plan was both practical and could effectively promote reform and stabilize the government.

Su Yao was quite satisfied when he saw that everyone agreed, so he immediately made the decision:

"Since everyone has no objection, then this matter is settled."

"Next, we will start preparing for the specific matters of reform."

He looked at Xun Yu and Jia Xu and said, "Wen Ruo, Wen He, you two are important officials in the court and are quite familiar with the official system and personnel of the court. Next, you two will be responsible for drafting the specific plan for the reform. Make sure it is detailed and thorough to ensure that the reform can be carried out smoothly."

Xun Yu and Jia Xu hurriedly bowed and accepted the order, saying that they would live up to the trust.

Next, everyone had an in-depth discussion on the specific details of the reform, including how to redivide the ranks of officials, how to adjust the functions of various departments, how to select and appoint officials, etc.

After intense discussions and consultations, a relatively complete reform plan gradually emerged.

On the basis of the previous system of three provinces and six ministries, Su Yao will temporarily take charge of government affairs as the general and the empress's husband.

In order to ensure the stability of power and the smooth progress of reform, Su Yao also deliberately reorganized the organization of the central army in advance to keep the military power firmly in his own hands.

First of all, Su Yao reorganized the Northern Army, Xiyuan, Yulin and Huben armies that had been devastated in the war, and together with the existing troops in his hands, he established twelve new guards of his own army.

They are the left and right Huben Guards led by Dong Yong, the left and right Yulin Guards led by Zhao Yun, the left and right Jinwu Guards led by Dian Wei, the left and right Xiaoqi Guards led by Guan Yu, the left and right Yingyang Guards led by Zhang Fei, the Jinyi Guards led by Wang Ling and the Chiyun Guards led by Su Yao.

That’s right, there are only six Lieutenant Generals among the Twelve Guards besides Su Yao. Among them, except Wang Ling, the other five are responsible for two guards at the same time.

The biggest reason for this is not only that Su Yao could not pick out enough outstanding generals who could lead the army independently, but also because the number of troops is really limited.

After a series of major battles, even including the troops Su Yao brought with him and the remnants of the Western Liang army that surrendered to Dong Zhuo, the size of his army was no more than 30,000 people.

Compared to the 800 cavalrymen that Su Yao brought from Liaodong, this is naturally a leap forward.

But considering Su Yao's newly formed guard, with five vacancies for centurions in one guard, a full guard still requires 5600 people.

In other words, the existing troops, if they do not have special functions and the Jinyiwei who have taken away the functions of the Inspector of the Imperial Guards, can only fill the quota of six guards at most.

Obviously, considering that there were some people like Zhang Ji and Li Lei who led the uprising or surrendered, the shortage of the royal guard was even more serious.

However, Su Yao still set the quota for the twelve guards first.

On the one hand, of course, this was to take into account the future expansion of the central army, and on the other hand, it was also a reward for those subordinates who had always followed him.

In addition to Guan, Zhang, Zhao Dian and others who were all promoted to General of the Central Army, those grassroots soldiers were also promoted one by one as the number of vacancies in officer positions more than doubled.

For a time, although it was only a preliminary plan and had not yet been implemented, the people who received the news cheered, their loyalty increased rapidly, and they were looking forward to the empress's ascension to the throne.

However, when some people are happy, others are naturally sad.

In the court, all the officials were shocked when they learned of such a radical reform plan. They discussed it a lot, and some even denounced it directly.
(End of this chapter)