Chinese New Year

Chapter 1447 Working Overtime
"Has His Majesty issued an edict to change the reign title?" When Chen Yougen met Liang Fen early in the morning, the first thing he asked was about the change of reign title.

"Not yet." Liang Fen sat down and said, "Perhaps the reign title will only be changed after the Western Regions have been completely dealt with."

“That was the eighth year of Zhenming (341).” Chen Yougen nodded and wrote the date on an official letter.

The government office was deserted; most of the officials had gone home for the Lunar New Year. The two of them had also rested for a few days during the New Year, but on the seventh day of the first lunar month, they both came to work without prior arrangement.

Old Chen is over sixty, but he doesn't look as healthy as Liang Fen, who is over seventy, making people wonder who will pass away first.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Some people are just naturally long-lived. For example, Cui You, Liu Yuan's mentor from Shangdang, was asked to take up an official post at the age of ninety-three, but he refused and soon passed away. If Liu Yuan hadn't bothered him, he might have lived a few more years.

Liang Fen seemed to have a knack for surviving, and Chen Yougen had to admit it.

"After the New Year, we need to send people to Jingzhou, Xuzhou, and Pingzhou to investigate the mountains and rivers. Who would be the best choice?" Chen Yougen asked.

Liang Fen slowly took out the tea cake, first taking a light sniff with feigned intoxication, and then began to brew the tea herself.

Just as Chen Yougen's temper was rising and he was about to lose his patience, Liang Fen finally spoke up: "Let the officials of the Eastern Palace rest for a while. This matter can be handled by court officials. There are so many officials, such as the Military Officers, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and the Six Ministries, all of whom can take charge."

Chen Yougen remained silent for a moment, then agreed. However, the specific candidates still needed further consideration, especially since Pingzhou was not a very peaceful place. Furthermore, it wouldn't be right for the Crown Prince's palace to be completely uninvolved.

“I heard that Cui Tao is in Lushun and has not yet set off. Why don’t we let him survey Pingzhou?” Chen Yougen suddenly said.

Liang Fen sat in front of the teapot, slowly scooping up the tea foam, and said, "That's fine."

Cui Tao was the Crown Prince's tutor. Last October, he arrived in Penglai with a large number of gifts and then took a boat to Lushun—this trip was for Prince Shao Yu of Yan, who was celebrating his birthday in the winter month.

At this time, heavy snow was falling in Liaodong, and the weather was cold, so Cui Tao was not in a hurry to return. Instead, he stayed in Lushun and would return next spring. It was indeed very suitable for him to investigate the mountains and rivers of Liaodong.

"We need to expedite the compilation of 'Traditional Diseases: Shuozhou Chapter,' ideally finishing it by the end of this year and printing it next year; otherwise, the Emperor might urge us to hurry up," Chen Yougen continued, his enthusiasm for his work running high.

“The Emperor will not rush us,” Liang Fen said. “Shuozhou is inhabited by many Hu tribes, and they can’t even speak fluently, so how could they possibly describe their illnesses? The Emperor is reasonable and will certainly not rush us, so please rest assured.”

Chen Yougen opened his mouth, but said nothing.

The room fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, Liang Fen poured a bowl of tea herself and placed it in front of Chen Yougen, saying with a smile, "People shouldn't be too hasty or impatient. Haste hurts the mind, and impatience hurts the body. There are only a dozen or so of us working in the Eastern Palace, what's the rush?"

“Those who come from our army can’t stand things piling up,” Chen Yougen said.

However, he still thanked Liang Fen, took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Nowadays, all kinds of teas are on the market, such as Yixing tea, Mengding tea, Zhongwu tea, Huainan tea, dozens of kinds in total, which is dazzling. But after drinking them, I feel that there is no difference."

Liang Fen couldn't help but chuckle and said, "The difference is indeed not that big. But sometimes, people are willing to pay a high price for that little difference."

Amid Liang Fen's witty banter, Chen Yougen also put down his brush. The two old men sat in the yamen, basking in the rare warmth of the winter sun, drinking warm tea, and chatting idly until the Crown Prince arrived around noon.

"Your Highness." The two old men were just about to go to dinner. Although it was a bit early, they immediately stood up and bowed when they saw the Crown Prince arrive.

"No need for formalities." Crown Prince Shao Jin was quite familiar with the two of them. After sitting down, he looked at Chen Yougen and said, "His Majesty has ordered the mobilization of the palace troops after the spring plowing. I wonder if Lord Chen has informed the various guards?"

Chen Yougen nodded and said, "After the Lantern Festival, the Privy Council will send people to the various guards to mobilize troops."

"But how many troops have been dispatched?" Shao Jin asked.

"The Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards, the Left and Right Flying Dragon Guards, the Left Feathered Forest Guards, the Left and Right Golden Guards, the Right Dragon Tiger Guards, and the Left Divine Martial Guards, totaling 6,400 infantry and cavalry. The Five Camps of the Victorious Army will each send 1,000 men, totaling 5,000 soldiers. His Majesty may also dispatch 1,000 Imperial Guards to the west." Chen Yougen replied, "That's all."

"Weren't the Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards and the Left and Right Flying Dragon Guards already on their way to war?" Shao Jin asked.

Chen Yougen patiently explained, "Last year, these four guards mobilized a total of 2,400 men, so in principle, they shouldn't be mobilized again. However, the Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards are the only cavalry units among the government troops, and the Left and Right Flying Dragon Guards are heavily armored mounted warriors, which are very suitable for the geography of the Western Regions, so they still need to be sent out."

Shao Jin nodded and then asked, "Then why not mobilize ten thousand soldiers all at once? What's the point of dismantling troops here and there?"

"It's for training the troops," Chen Yougen said bluntly. "The veterans in the garrison are constantly retiring, and there are more and more new recruits. They need to see blood. Those who have fought on the battlefield can pass on their experience after returning to their posts, inspire others, and even improve the atmosphere. There are many benefits. If we mobilize an entire guard, it will be easier, but it won't achieve the same effect. The same applies to the Wansheng Army."

"What about the imperial guards?"

"The commander of the Youzhou Cavalry will be returning to base next year, and the Imperial Guards are all elite soldiers, skilled in both infantry and cavalry, with excellent warhorses. Once equipped with horse armor, they will become armored cavalry. The Western Regions have many nomadic cavalry, and armored cavalry will be of great use."

Shao Jin understood.

He did not ask why the Right Heavenly Guard and the Left Dragon Tiger Guard had not mobilized troops.

The Right Tianwu Guard was used to suppress Huainan, while the Left Longhu Guard was newly formed last year and still needs to be reorganized and should not be transferred. In the second half of last year, the Huanshui and Zhangnan Longxiang Prefectures were established in Wei and Qinghe counties respectively, and then the six counties and eight prefectures in Hebei were reorganized into the Left Longhu Guard.

In addition to these two prefectures, Tongwei and Lanxi prefectures were also established last year, the latter located within the territory of Yiyang Commandery (northwest of present-day Xishui). By this time, the total number of military personnel in the prefectures nationwide had reached 127200, spread throughout the area north of the Yangtze River.

Over the years, Shao Jin has increasingly felt the immense power of the Fubing (府兵) as a force. While their strength is far inferior to that of the literati—after all, their cultural level is quite low, making it difficult for them to become officials, with a large number illiterate, and perhaps only the next generation will have some who can even begin to read and write—this group is truly energetic and has a very strong desire to rise in rank. However, their foundation is weak, and there are few representative figures at the top. Even those who hold high positions are mostly confined to the military system, making it difficult for them to intervene in political affairs; they are not yet capable of rising to the ranks of generals or prime ministers.

However, Shao Jin could clearly sense their scheming efforts, as evidenced by the Right Dragon Tiger Guard of Bingzhou.

Since the beginning of this year, as he began to oversee the country, officers of the Right Valiant Cavalry Guard near Luoyang have also made moves, openly and secretly showing goodwill towards him and expressing a strong desire to serve him, seemingly wanting him, as the Crown Prince, to act as their proxy.

Shao Jin was very clear-headed; he knew that this so-called loyalty was neither genuine nor fake.

The real part is that they genuinely wanted to rise in rank and stand on equal footing with the literati, even though it was difficult.

The false part is that as long as the father is alive, they can never truly come to his aid.

My father, who left behind countless legends in the army, would have been enough to cause the Right Dragon Tiger Guard and the Right Valiant Cavalry Guard to defect if he stood there.

Only on the day he truly inherits the throne will he be able to escape the mountain-like shadow of his father.

He must try his best to restrain his thoughts and not reveal the slightest ambition, otherwise all his efforts will be in vain.

"Is there anything else, Your Highness?" Chen Yougen asked, noticing that Shao Jin seemed a little distracted.

Shao Jin snapped out of his reverie and said, "I've heard that the war in the Western Regions has resumed?"

"It's a minor matter," Chen Yougen said. "It's just that the Luoyan Army and the Liao soldiers have gone too far, and the Xianbei and Loulan soldiers of Li Bai's tribe are too unruly. We can quell it soon."

"Your Highness, do not worry," Liang Fen said from the side. "General Yang is sensible and reasonable; he will handle it well."

"In that case, I can rest assured," Shao Jin said with a smile.

Just yesterday evening, a messenger arrived from Chang'an, carrying a copy of the military report from the Western Regions. It mentioned that the people of Gumo were repeatedly asked to send gold, silver, and provisions to the army, which greatly displeased them. Therefore, they secretly contacted their former master, Kucha, and agreed to rebel together.

The people of Kucha dared not, and told them everything.

Yang Qin then led his army south and discovered that the people of Gumo had also contacted Shule. He then swiftly ordered the Gumo garrison to arrest people according to the list and defeated a hastily organized rebel army, beheading more than two thousand.

After interrogating the prisoners, they learned that the Shule people thought they had done a great service, but were repeatedly extorted by the Qifu Xianbei and Loulan soldiers—some of the Fuhan camp soldiers were also involved—and, out of anger, they contacted Dayuan and agreed to protect themselves.

Yang Qin used both soft and hard tactics. On the one hand, he strictly enforced military discipline in Gumo, declaring that anyone who dared to disturb the people or extort money would be killed without mercy. On the other hand, he informed the King of Shule that he would forgive the King's momentary lapse in judgment and that as long as the King submitted a letter of apology, he would be safe.

Of course, at this time he was also mobilizing troops and supplies, preparing to use force if negotiations failed; in short, he was prepared for both possibilities.

After reading it, Shao Jin felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, and at the same time, he felt a sense of disgust towards these martial artists.

Their military discipline is terrible!

While complaining to the officials under the Crown Prince, Yuan Xi, the Left Guard Commander, said that if the court were willing to give the Fubing and Hubing soldiers three bushels of grain per month, five strings of cash and ten bolts of silk as a reward per year, and provide ten years of pensions for the wounded, disabled, sick and dead, the military discipline would be improved.

Shao Jin was speechless after hearing this.

He didn't know the cost of firewood and rice until he was in charge of the household. Only after he became regent did he realize that every bushel of grain and every string of cash had a purpose. Could the 120,000 to 130,000 soldiers in the country afford to be paid military salaries?

The local soldiers have all received their pay, but what about the hereditary soldiers who are even worse off?

The hereditary soldiers in Shuozhou, Yongzhou, Qinzhou, Pingzhou, Youzhou and other places either guarded the border or suppressed the Hu people for a long time. They fought many battles, but received little reward. They divided the grain they grew into three parts: one part for their own consumption, one part for military rations, and one part for handing over to the court. They received very little compensation after dying in battle. They shed blood and tears. Should they be paid military pay?

If they don't issue them, and things are already in such a mess, how can you expect them to maintain strict military discipline?

At this point, he could understand why these warriors were looting like starving ghosts, and why the officers were turning a blind eye.

Everything is based on money.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; nothing is simple. My father established the Fubing system and, after reducing the number of hereditary soldiers to a certain extent, retained the hereditary soldiers in the border prefectures, all to save money.

If the imperial court cannot satisfy the military personnel financially, then it must provide them with appropriate preferential treatment in other aspects. This logic is not difficult to understand; after all, he is not foolish enough to think that the world is at peace and that weapons can be stored away and the army drastically reduced.

"Many have made great contributions in this western expedition. This year, the Imperial Academy..." Shao Jin looked at the two of them and said.

Chen Yougen glanced approvingly at the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness is wise."

Liang Fen remained calm and composed, offering no comment but also offering no objection.

Shao Jin nodded slightly.

His father has not yet returned, and he still needs to continue overseeing the country. He can make decisions on these minor matters, and the Council of State will probably not make things difficult for him.

(End of this chapter)