Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

When you follow an emperor to conquer the world, isn't the final battle all about securing titles and privileges for your wives and children?

The power discussion was the main event, and this conferment of a title is definitely the main event as well.

Chen Jie saw the expectation in everyone's eyes—the expectation of achieving success and fame.

Chen Jie looked at everyone's expressions and then said, "Everyone, calm down first. Let's not talk about titles for now, let's talk about military mobilization first."

Upon hearing this, the military officers perked up.

At this moment, Chen Jie spoke up: "As for the army, I'd like to say a few points."

"First, who is the highest leader of the military?"

After Chen Jie finished speaking, everyone in the room was stunned and looked at Zhang Dingbian. Who else could it be but the Grand Marshal?

Chen Jie saw through everyone's thoughts and said directly, "Wrong. The highest leader of the army is not the Grand Marshal, but the Emperor. The army is only loyal to the Emperor. The Emperor is the one who is primarily responsible for the army."

Chen explained, “In the past, the army only recognized its commander, which was a bad practice. It seemed that if there was a powerful commander, the army would be strong; if the commander was replaced, the army would be weak.”

"They keep talking about Yue Family Army and Yang Family Generals. The army recognizes its commander. This is not a good thing."

"The army is responsible to the emperor and the people, and cannot become the private army of a certain general. Take our Han Dynasty's 600,000-strong army as an example, there are six armies in total: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Beggar, Buddha Army, and Destroyer."

"If we follow the old naming conventions, then it should be: Jin Family Army, Chen Family Army, Shi Family Army, Zhang Family Army, Ding Family Army, and Xu Family Army."

Chen Jie scanned the faces of these generals and their commanders one by one. They all felt a sense of unease and trepidation. Then Chen Jie looked at them and said, "Gentlemen, you were the ones who built these armies. You also provided them with food, drink and supplies. Now that I am the founding emperor, when I asked you who the highest leader of the army was, the first thing you looked at was still these commanders."

"I believe that while I was alive, all of you generals were loyal to the court and would not have any improper thoughts. But what if our generation is gone?"

"Second generation, third generation, fourth generation, if the military system is not changed, these soldiers who fight for the country will sooner or later become the generals' private soldiers. When they come to rebel against the Han Dynasty, what do you all think we should do?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu was the first to stand up and say, "No, we can't continue to hold military power. I will voluntarily give up military power."

Chen Xiaohu truly lived up to his reputation as the top general of the clan. He set a great example, and everyone's hearts skipped a beat. At this moment, many people frowned slightly. Was he about to use a cup of wine to relieve his military power?

As the generals were speaking, Zhang Dingbian also said, "I will also give up my command of troops."

Xu Da also said, "I'll give up too."

At this point, only Ding Pulang and Shi Gengming remained. Even if they were foolish, they knew something was wrong and both expressed their willingness to give up their military power. Although they were extremely reluctant, they didn't dare to say no when facing Chen Jie.

This is the prestige of Chen Jie, the founding emperor, as a terrestrial deity.

Chen Jie glanced around, and the civil officials were all astonished: What is the King of Han trying to do with this move?

Thinking this, Chen Jie spoke up: "What are you all doing? The country has just been established, and you're already preparing to abandon your responsibilities? That's not right of you."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was taken aback, not understanding what Chen Jie meant.

At this point, Chen Jie said, "You are all knowledgeable about military affairs. If you don't lead the troops, who will? My point is that the old military system had problems. If there are problems, we should change it, instead of sending you, our key ministers, home to take care of your children."

Upon hearing this, the military officers breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out they weren't going to have their military power confiscated.

At this point, Chen Jie looked at the person in front of him and said, "Now I will talk about the issue of military reform."

"The most important thing is loyalty..."

Chen Jie addressed all the officers, who nodded in agreement, indicating that they understood his good intentions.

Chen Jiedao said, "Political work is always the top priority."

After saying that, Chen Jie continued, "The other part is logistics."

"Regarding logistics, all the army's provisions and pay shall be issued by the imperial court. The army shall not engage in farming or commerce, shall not have any property, and shall not be allowed to get involved with money. The absolute cleanliness of the army must be guaranteed, and the stench of money must not be allowed to pollute the army."

"However, the army's logistical support must keep up, including death benefits, wartime allowances, and high salaries during peacetime. In addition, an army censorship department should be set up. If anyone dares to reach into the army or embezzle the army's money, they should be executed immediately."

Chen Jie's face was icy cold. Anyone who dared to plot against the military was simply insane. Every single one of these people had to be eliminated by Chen Jie.

After hearing Chen Jie's words, everyone in the room fell silent and stopped talking. Chen Jie looked at everyone and then said, "There is one last point, which is the system of rotating generals and commanders."

"A system of rotating generals and commanders?"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. What is the system of rotating generals and commanders?

Everyone was thinking this, when Chen Jie said, "It means that every three years, the generals and commanders will rotate the troops. For example, Zhang Dingbian will be transferred to the White Tiger Army as the commander-in-chief, and Chen Xiaohu will be transferred to the Beggar Army as the commander-in-chief."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned, staring at Chen Jie in shock.

"General, what's wrong?"

Chen Jie looked at the group of generals and asked, "Is there a problem?"

At this point, Shi Gengming said, "With such rotations, isn't there a possibility that the soldiers won't know their generals, and the generals won't know their soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Shi Gengming and said, "Old Shi, now that you're being transferred to the Azure Dragon Army as commander-in-chief, how long will it take you to take control of this army?" Shi Gengming replied, "I should be able to take charge of this army in six months, but to be proficient in its use, it will probably take a year or even two years."

Chen Jie said, "I'll give you three years."

Upon hearing this, Shi Gengming understood the meaning behind Chen Jie's three-year term.

At this moment, Ding Pulang said, "My lord, each army has a different training method. If we change it so frequently, won't it delay the training progress of each army?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da, and said to them, "With the two best generals in the world, is training really a problem?"

"Zhang Dingbian, Xu Da."

"Your subordinate is here."

The two men immediately clasped their hands in greeting and stepped forward. At this moment, Chen Jie looked at them and said, "I order you two to go back and compile a book on military training. You must take into account the situation of each unit, and then write it into rules and regulations, and implementable plans, and then promote it throughout the army."

"From now on, the entire army will use the same training methods, namely, training according to this training manual."

"By the way, all of you commanders should participate and share your usual training methods to provide ideas for the two commanders. Also, compile any good training methods into a book."

"From now on, all armies will train according to this book. This can be considered as you writing a book together, so that future generations can learn your training methods."

Hearing Chen Jie's words, the generals were also intrigued. Who wouldn't want to be remembered in history? And such a training manual, which all the armies would follow, would surely become a model for military academies in the future, and would be passed down for generations, leaving a lasting legacy.

Looking at the excited generals, Chen Jie asked, "Gentlemen, what do you think? Can my method solve the difficulty of training troops?"

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately clasped their hands and said, "Yes."

Chen Jie said, "Then it's settled. I'll announce it now: apart from the White Deer Army Corps that Wang Baobao plans to expand, the generals of the other armies will be rotated. The plan is that the commander-in-chief will be replaced every three years, the generals every four years, and the garrison commanders, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, etc., will be replaced every five years if they are not promoted."

After Chen Jie finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Then they realized how terrible this method was. If this was done, the officers in the entire army would be transferred very frequently, and the soldiers would not blindly follow any one commander.

Because not only will the soldiers below you not blindly follow you, but even the officers below you are not your own loyal followers, so you have no chance of rebelling.

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Chen Jie with shock; this method was simply a powerful tool to ensure the loyalty of the army.

The person who came up with such a method is absolutely a genius among geniuses.

Chen Jiedao said: "Since ancient times, the relationship between generals and emperors has been very delicate. Many emperors distrusted their generals and sent eunuchs or civil officials to supervise the army and give blind orders, which led to many defeats in battle."

“I, Chen Jiu Si, come from a military background, so I naturally know the dangers of doing this. But as a monarch, I can also understand the thoughts of emperors throughout history.”

"Many of them were not the founding emperors. The founding emperors mostly came from the ranks of the army, and the army knew them. Therefore, there were very few mutinies in their generation. However, their descendants were mostly born in the capital."

"They have never had much contact with the military in their lives, let alone understand the military commanders. They will always be uneasy about having such an army in the hands of outsiders, which is why they make one bad decision after another."

"We are at the beginning of the nation's founding, so we must do everything well and set an example for future generations."

At this point, Chen Jie said, "That's why I established this rotation system. This makes it virtually impossible for generals to rebel. Later armies followed this method, which ensured the loyalty of the army. It also meant that the emperor could lead the troops without suspicion or hindrance, and thus win battles."

"We won't have to endure the awkward situation of eunuchs and scholars supervising the army, as was the case in the previous dynasty. This is a policy that benefits the country and its people. What do you all think?"

Chen Jie looked at the assembled civil and military officials, and at that moment Zhang Dingbian was the first to stand up and say, "What you say is very true, my lord. Since ancient times, it has been a great taboo for the ruler and his ministers to distrust each other. If you implement this policy, you will completely eliminate the possibility of private soldiers, thus ensuring the loyalty of the army."

"As for the training manual, I will discuss this matter with all the commanders. We will definitely be able to come up with a trial version within a month. We can make adjustments gradually as needed. What do you think, my lord?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that's very good. I'll leave this matter to you."

Zhang Dingbian clasped his hands in a fist salute. At this moment, Chen Xiaohu spoke up: "My lord, we can start this change of commander with my White Tiger Army."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Well then, let me talk about the change of commander. First of all, the White Deer Army will remain unchanged. The White Deer Army will not change commanders within five years. After five years, the White Deer Army will change commanders like other armies."

"Next, I will talk about the army's plan to change commanders. The first batch of commanders will be changed. Chen Xiaohu will be transferred to the Azure Dragon Army as commander-in-chief, Shi Gengming will be transferred to the White Tiger Army as commander-in-chief, Ding Pulang will be transferred to the Vermilion Bird Army as commander-in-chief, Xu Da will be transferred to the Buddhist Army as commander-in-chief, and Fu Youde will be promoted to commander-in-chief of the Beggar Army and Feng Sheng to commander-in-chief of the Destroyer Army."

"Zhang Dingbian is appointed Grand Marshal, in charge of the entire army, and to compile military manuals. There will be no war within the first two years of the nation's establishment. After two years, we will open wars with foreign powers. At that time, I hope you will train your troops into elite soldiers and strong generals."

After Chen Jie finished speaking, the entire army immediately clasped their hands in agreement, especially Fu Youde and Feng Sheng, who were surprised to be promoted to commanders of an army. They were very excited.

They never expected that they, as defeated generals, could be promoted. Only now did they believe that their future was promising.

Chen explained, "In addition, the Great Han Navy was established. Currently, the Chief of Naval Operations is Fang Guozhen, the Dragon King of the Sea. The three hundred warships under his command are the first batch of warships of our Great Han."

"Once the Academy of Sciences develops a steam engine, we will be able to build iron boats."

As Chen explained, the basic structure of the Han army has been established. Currently, it consists of seven reorganized army units plus one navy unit, with a total army strength of 700,000 and a navy strength of 70,000 to 80,000.

With Chen Jie's support, the navy will surely grow rapidly in the future.

At that time, Chen Jie will be able to embark on expeditions to other continents and complete his path to becoming the Emperor of Incense Offerings.

That concludes the troop deployment for now. Chen Jie then continued, "Alright, that's the troop deployment for now. Does anyone have any questions?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present indicated that there were no problems. At this moment, Chen Jie spoke up: "Since there are no problems, then next is the conferment of your titles." (End of this chapter)