Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 157 Xu Da's Opinion

At this time, Xu Da was still a little immature, only 20 years old, just in his early twenties. He was wearing coarse cloth clothes, with an iron sword hanging from his waist. He had a sharp gaze, but he was not a talkative person.

Seeing Lu Jin coming to stand in front of him, he was obviously stunned. Just now he saw Lu Jin picking out many young people, some of whom were even children, and he didn't know what they were going to do. At this time, he obviously misunderstood and thought that Lu Jin was going to group him with those teenagers and children.

But he still spoke sparingly, "Yes, Marshal."

Lu Jin nodded and continued, "I heard that you have been practicing martial arts since you were young, and you can read and write, and you have also read military books?"

"Well, I've read some of it." Xu Da frowned and nodded when he heard it. From what the general said, it seemed that someone recommended him. Could it be that the person Lu Jin approached was different from those young children just now?
Facing the legendary figure in history, Lu Jin was somewhat curious after all. Seeing that Xu Da was very frugal with words, he did not care much about the other party's attitude, but continued to test him.

"You have been in the army for a few days, I wonder what you think of our military system?"

This question is very meaningful. Lu Jin directly asked him about his views on the military system, which is difficult for ordinary people to answer.

Different people will have different perspectives when joining the army. Some people join the army just to serve as soldiers and get food. They only care about what to eat. As for the military organization, they will do whatever you tell them to do. Most illiterate people don’t know what the organization is, let alone its importance to command and training, as well as tactics and strategies. These people just want to eat and wait to die.

There are also those who are obsessed with officials. This type of people can become familiar with the military system very quickly, but they only think about how to climb up and what functions to establish to get promoted to higher levels. But if you ask them whether the organization is good or bad, they may not be able to answer you.

Only a person who has truly read the Art of War would care deeply about compiling this thing.

When he first joins a unit, the information he can understand is extremely limited. If he is asked other questions, he probably won't be able to answer. But if he doesn't understand the organization and even the command system, there is no point in him thinking about becoming a famous general.

First of all, if you join a military unit and don't even know the organization and your responsibilities, isn't that just a waste of time? How can you expect to achieve anything? Such people are even worse than those who are obsessed with power. At least they know how to make contributions and make progress, and they have some ambitions, even if these ambitions are just for themselves.

Sure enough, when Xu Da heard this question, he looked at Lu Jin seriously and felt that the question was well-thought-out, otherwise why would he ask about the organization of the new army?

Xu Da thought for a moment before saying, "The commander-in-chief's army, if we talk about military battles, seems to be taking the path of lean troops and simple administration, with clear hierarchies, swift and calm command, good at attacking but poor at battle formations, but in terms of military management, it is unheard of, never seen before or since."

As soon as Lu Jin said this, the generals behind him couldn't help but frown. How could a new soldier know how many victories the commander had won? Did he know that the commander had never lost a battle? How dare you criticize him here? Who are you?
"You ignorant youngster, if you know what you know, and if you don't know what you don't know, that's true knowledge. Don't lie in front of the commander-in-chief, and don't fight back. Have you ever seen the commander-in-chief deploy his troops? In the battle of Chao County, the commander-in-chief used inferior forces and a magnificent formation to defeat the enemy's 10,000-man formation head-on. Are you qualified to speak nonsense here?"

As the only general who had participated in the Battle of Chao County, Zheng Yong immediately reprimanded him. He said that he was the first to break into Kang Maocai's central army formation through a gap opened by a regiment of infantry that day, and he also shot and killed an enemy general with his own hands. If they still claimed to lose the battle after this, he really couldn't think of any more powerful army formation.

However, Lu Jin was very interested in the evaluation of this famous historical general. He raised his hand to interrupt Zheng Yong, signaling them not to speak, and continued to ask.

"Oh? How come they have a lean army and simple government? How come they are good at attacking but lose in battle?"

Xu Da glanced at Zheng Yong and knew that Lu Jin was naturally the largest here. The commander-in-chief didn't care and asked him to continue speaking, so he followed suit.

"I have only been in the army for a short time and have never seen our army's battle formation. Besides, the commander-in-chief asked about the military system, so I made this statement." He first explained why he said that just now, and then continued.

"The Yuan army's military system used squad leaders, platoon leaders, hundred-man commanders, thousand-man commanders, and ten-thousand-man commanders. The command was cumbersome and it was inconvenient to pass orders. Generals at all levels had to command ten teams.

"The commander-in-chief has 12 men in each squad, four squads form a platoon, four platoons form a company, and four companies form a battalion. Each level is composed of four men, and four men can form a square formation. The captains at each level only need to command four men to dispatch them easily, so I call it a simplified administration."

Lu Jin smiled and asked, "That's not quite right. According to what you said, the Yuan army only has one officer for every ten teams, but I have one officer for every four teams. In terms of the number of officers, I definitely have more than the Yuan army. How can I simplify the administration?"

"No, what I mean by simplification of administration is not the number of officers, but the clarity of military orders. On the battlefield, the sounds of drums and gongs are complicated, and one person is in charge of ten teams. If he dispatches one team and three teams follow, the ten teams will be in chaos or it will be difficult to take care of them. The commander-in-chief's military system is based on teams of four. Although there are many officers, the military orders are simple and clear. This is called simplification of administration." Xu Da explained hurriedly.

Lu Jin nodded and asked, "What are elite soldiers?"

"I see that each squad of the commander-in-chief's army is trained with spears. There are squad leaders, deputy squad leaders, and 'veteran squad leaders'. Within a squad, they can be divided into four or three groups to fight in battle array. The requirements for the soldiers are quite high. Aren't these elite soldiers?"

Xu Da talked about what he had seen and heard in the past few days, and then gave his own analysis. "Such an organization focuses on the command of grassroots lieutenants and elite veterans, rather than the individual skills of the soldiers. In addition, there are many lieutenants at all levels, and four squads form a team, which is flexible to command. This kind of military formation must change very quickly. If it is a small-scale battle or an ambush attack, as long as the plan is reasonable, the general's army will win.

"However, the commander-in-chief's military system values ​​colonels and generals more than officers. If a squad is facing a ten, and the squad has two more soldiers and a battle formation, then the squad will surely win. If a company is facing a hundred households, or two hundred against a hundred, then it will be even more overwhelming. However, when it comes to the thousand households level, the commander-in-chief has slightly fewer troops, with only eight hundred combat soldiers, while the enemy has a thousand.

"If the enemy army sends out 10,000 households, and the general sends out two regiments to counter it, that means he has 6,400 combat troops, which is a greater disadvantage against an enemy of 10,000. If he sends out three regiments to counter it, that means he has 15,000 troops, which is a bit of a waste of manpower against a battle of 10,000. That's why I say that the general's military system is good at surprise attacks with elite troops, but loses out in battle formations. The larger the scale of the battle formation, the greater the loss of manpower, with fewer combat troops and more auxiliary troops."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded. From the perspective of the military organization alone, what Xu Da said did make sense.

The Shengwu Army is indeed taking the route of elite troops. It cannot be said to have simplified administration. The ratio of officers is much higher, and the number increases as you go down the ranks. However, the command is indeed more flexible and clear. After all, there are fewer troops to manage, but more managers, so management efficiency has definitely improved.

Xu Da said that the organization of the Shengwu Army was suitable for elite surprise attacks. In terms of the battle formation, just looking at the organization, under the same scale, the larger the organization, the fewer combat troops the Shengwu Army would have. This is indeed a problem, but it is only from the perspective of organization.

Because Xu Da had only been there for a short time and had not received any unified training, he did not know that the auxiliary troops of the Shengwu Army were actually "soldiers" rather than civilians.

The auxiliary soldiers' battalion had to do miscellaneous tasks for the combat soldiers when stationed, provide armed escort when marching, take on defensive tasks alone when camping, and push carts to charge during battles. He did not regard these auxiliary soldiers as combat arms, which is why he felt that the Shengwu Army had few combat soldiers.

Moreover, this four-four organization, even if the auxiliary troops are included, is indeed less than the enemy's combat troops of the same size, but this organization is easier to manage. The enemy has 10,000 people, and the training level is definitely not the same. Among the ten thousand households, there must be elites and some are just for show. Lu Jin's Shengwu Army is organized in four-fours. After unified training, he can ensure that the combat effectiveness of each unit is similar, which is actually an advantage.

It's just that Xu Da has only been here for a short time and has never participated in a battle. As a rookie, he is unable to comprehend this invisible advantage that requires a long time to experience and understand.

After hearing Xu Da's evaluation of the military system, the generals present also frowned and began to think deeply.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "You do have some truth in what you said, but you have only been here for a short time, and you have not yet fully understood the advantages and disadvantages of our military system. Moreover, this military system is actually a semi-finished product and a stopgap measure. When the weapons and tactics are improved in the future, you will be able to see the all-round advantages of this military system."

Xu Da also frowned when he heard this. From what Lu Jin said, it seemed that the commander-in-chief was also aware of the shortcomings of the current military system, and that this was only a stopgap measure. What would the full state be like? What would the military equipment and tactics be like in the future?
After all, Xu Da was just a rookie at that time. He had indeed read some military books, but had never commanded an army to fight a battle. So to put it bluntly, he was just good at talking about military affairs on paper.

Lu Jin did not make any sarcastic remarks, but asked again, "I know that you are good at attacking but poor at fighting in battle formations, but what do you mean by the method of governing the army, which has never existed in ancient and modern times?"

This time Xu Da did not think too much, but said directly, "I can understand that the army has military judges and grain officials, but I don't understand the training officers set up by the commander-in-chief. The regimental training officers can even control the power to mobilize troops. Doesn't this weaken the military power of the generals?"

This was what Xu Da couldn't understand the most. He really couldn't think of any benefit of this instructor. According to Lu Jin's method of commanding the army, it seemed to have become a dual system. An army had two commanders of the same rank. Who should they listen to when fighting?
Perhaps this was to prevent the army from rebellion, but shouldn't the army be under the control of a single leader, with the commander having absolute power over life and death? If even the power to punish the officers was taken away, how would the commander establish his authority, and how would a commander without authority command a battle?

In fact, let alone Xu Da, even many generals in the Shengwu Army do not understand the benefits of instructors. In their view, grassroots instructors are indeed useful and can boost morale and unify the military, but doing so seems to violate the methods of commanding the army in ancient military books.

For example, Wu Qi, a famous general of the Wei State, who trained the Wei Wuzu and defeated the Qin State, advocated that generals should be kind to their soldiers. Especially the story of Wu Qi sucking pus from his soldiers, which has been passed down through the ages, all of which are examples of generals showing kindness to their soldiers.

However, the training officer appointed by Lu Jin was promoting the Marshal in the army all day long, and deliberately ignored the chief generals of each unit. The trainer did the Marshal a disservice, and the chief generals completely became machines for commanding operations. They only had to give orders, and the chief generals hardly needed to intervene in administrative and military management.

In this way, the commander-in-chief's job is indeed easier. For some generals who have no experience in leading troops, this system is also very friendly. You don't have to worry about leading the troops. You just need to focus on training and find ways to defeat your opponents.

But this also sacrificed the commander-in-chief's prestige in the army. In other words, in such an army, Lu Jin could replace any general he wanted. They were trained under the same system and the same training syllabus, so there would be no significant decline in combat effectiveness even if they replaced generals at will.

This is definitely a good thing for the entire army, but not necessarily for the generals.
But of course Lu Jin wouldn't say that, instead he smiled and said.

"You can't figure it out? Actually, I set up the position of instructor to facilitate commanding and governing the army."

"Is it convenient to command and manage the army?" Xu Da asked puzzledly.

The other generals around pricked up their ears when they heard this. In the Shengwu Army, the prestige of Marshal Lu Jin was naturally the greatest. Lu Jin had his way done. He set up training officers, and although they took away some of the power of "military affairs", the generals did not dare to say anything. Now that a young man asked this question, they naturally wanted to know the answer.

So I listened to Lu Jin's explanation.

"The purpose of establishing a training position is definitely to reduce the burden on generals and help them deal with military affairs. Can you understand this?"

"Yeah." Xu Da nodded.

Lu Jin continued, "Why do we have training officers to help generals with military affairs? It's because many generals in the army are like you, joining the army for the first time. Some of them may have read military books, but they don't have any experience in commanding an army.

"But the enemy will not give our generals time to grow. If we want them to mature quickly and lead an army that can fight quickly, we must have trainers to help them deal with these chores. Do you understand?"

Xu Da suddenly realized, is this the secret of how Lu Jin was able to raise a large army so quickly? He had indeed only read some military books and had no experience in commanding an army. Lu Jin's idea of ​​commanding an army was indeed a feasible plan.

However, Lu Jin said again.

"This is only one of the reasons. There is also a second reason, which is that the sources of our army's soldiers are complex. Some of the soldiers in the army are recruited, some volunteered to join the army, and some were captured from the enemy.

"Have you ever thought about how to quickly absorb the surrendered soldiers, make them united with our soldiers, and make our soldiers not discriminate against or hate the surrendered soldiers?
"If we want to quickly expand our military strength, we must absorb surrendered soldiers. If we want to win back the surrendered soldiers and prevent our soldiers from harboring hatred and discrimination, we will definitely need training officers."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on when they heard this. It turns out the instructor has this function as well!
Xu Da also looked thoughtful, as if he had figured something out, but also seemed not to understand quite well.

Lu Jin glanced at him and thought to himself, with your level of military management, the old soldiers under your command bully the surrendered soldiers every day, and engage in internal bullying in the army, which eventually causes the surrendered soldiers to rebel again, resulting in the loss of cities and territories, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about military management?

So, don't be superstitious about Xu Da. Xu Da's abilities were not that great at the beginning. He had a good sense of the overall situation, a good strategic level, and was good at commanding operations. These were all Xu Da's strengths, but when it came to military management, his subordinates were infiltrated by enemy spies and became like sieves. He ran away with his troops and was accused by Chong Ba Ge of lax military management. You can imagine Xu Da's level of military management at the beginning.

In fact, a general like Xu Da, who is only focused on commanding battles, is good at grasping the overall situation and has a strategic perspective, can better exert his full abilities in the military system designed by Lu Jin.

You only need to take care of fighting, military affairs, counter-espionage, and military morale. The instructor will help you with all of them. With the instructor as a lock, the soldiers will no longer have the possibility of defecting. Of course, the opportunity for generals to rebel is also locked. Even if the generals want to rebel, they can only run alone, and the generals can't even think of taking away their troops.

But this is the third function, and it is also the function that Lu Jin will not tell them publicly.

(End of this chapter)