Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 73: A common man makes irresponsible remarks about the affairs of the past (Part )
To be fair, calling everyone to vote on something is a bad idea.

In this era, especially in the military, authority and dictatorship are important, and democracy is naturally opposed to dictatorship.

Regardless, we must respect the laws of historical development. It's not impossible to pursue military democracy in this era, but it can easily backfire and lead to a military disaster caused by multiple orders.

Elite soldiers and generals should be able to brave the dangers and dangers ahead at the command of their leader.

If we had held a meeting before the battle, promoted the spirit of democracy and voted by raising hands, the war would not have to be fought.

To put it more seriously, Liu Huai's action was like personally cutting down Wei Sheng's flag and personally cutting down the authority of the feudal army's commander.

However, Liu Huai also has his own explanation.

"Everyone, today is a serious military meeting. We need to learn from the way the Jin people did when they founded their country and vote on important matters by raising hands."

As Lu You and others who served as staff members, as well as the commanders and generals of various armies gathered in the general's tent, the meeting officially began. Liu Huai stood on Wei Sheng's left and read out the meeting agenda.

Before he could finish his words, Dong Cheng, who had just finished presiding over the trial, frowned and asked, "Are we still going to learn from the Jin thieves? Can we learn anything good from this?"

Liu Huai replied frankly, "The Jurchens have grown from a small tribe to a vast nation, so they must have had their strengths. If we don't want anything from the Jin, then Uncle Dong, do you still want the armor we seized from the Jin bandits yesterday?"

There is not much difference in the shape of the armor of the Song and Jin dynasties. Both are iconic heavy armor. The only difference is that the Jin army's helmet is gourd-shaped, while the Song army's helmet is close to round. As long as it is slightly modified and repaired, it can continue to be used in battle.

Dong Cheng chuckled, "Of course I want something nice like armor, but as a humble man, I can't say for sure whether the rules of the Jin thieves are good or bad."

"The rules are simple. Before a battle, when a decision needs to be made, the Jin army's main generals will gather together, pointing to the sky and drawing on the ground before the ash plate. Everyone can express their opinions on the battle, and in the end, the commander-in-chief will finalize the battle strategy."

Liu Huai's eyes passed over the faces of the generals. "The key to this rule lies in the last step. After the military meeting is completed, all the generals will smooth out the ash trays in front of them. After that, the entire army must work together according to the strategy discussed. Regardless of victory or defeat, no one can be held accountable based on what was said during the military meeting."

Dong Cheng was so engrossed in listening that he didn't even notice he'd ripped a few hairs out of his beard. "Jin thieves...the Jin army still has such rules?"

He looked around, as if talking to himself, as if asking a question.

Lu You was also confused.

The Jin Dynasty was founded forty-six years ago. At that time, both Wei Sheng and Lu You were still children and could not possibly know the customs of the Jin army. By the time they reached their prime, the Jin army had long lost its former strength and had completely fallen into disrepute, and even more so, no such rules were followed.

How did Liu Huai know this? Did he make it up?
But why does it sound so reasonable?

The Jin army swept across the world back then, so there must be some explanation!

Seeing that the generals had only been noisy for a moment before returning to calm, Liu Huai immediately said, "Of course, the Jin army's rules are very crude. They are merely a continuation of the military democracy of the tribal era, and there is no formal system. Therefore, after more than a decade of implementation, they have become completely useless. What we need to do is go a step further and establish these rules."

Liu Huai's voice rose as he spoke. "There's a problem now. Commander Wei needs to hear your opinions. Present are Commander Wei Gong of the Loyalty Army, along with Dong Cheng, Zhang Xiaoyi, and Liu Huai; team commanders Li Huo'er, Yu Yuan, Wei Chang, Li Xiu, and Shi Qilang; and staff members Lu You, Luo Shenyan, and Wei Jiao. Also present are Li Gongzuo, Bian Shining, Zhang Qing, and Zhang Baiyu, who are also foreign and guest generals. Including Luo Guzi, who is also attending the meeting, there are a total of seventeen people."

"Commander Liu Huai believes that the current situation is urgent. Commander Wei Gong should immediately take charge of Haizhou affairs and, as the commander-in-chief, oversee the expansion of the Loyal and Righteous Army. The reasons are as follows..." "Commander Wei Gong believes that national laws cannot be abolished. This must be reported to the court and formally appointed. The reasons are as follows..."

Liu Huai finished his words concisely, then turned to look at Wei Sheng. Seeing his adoptive father nod slightly, he said, "You can communicate with each other. In a quarter of an hour, we will vote by raising our hands."

Whispers suddenly arose. Not everyone outside the tent heard the entire process of the dispute between Wei Sheng and his son, but this quarter of an hour was enough for them to find out the cause and effect.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly.

Liu Huai glanced at Wei Sheng and spoke again: "Time is running out, so vote quickly. If you agree with me, raise your hand."

As he spoke, he raised his hand first.

Everyone in the tent looked at each other, and no one raised their hands immediately. Of course, no one spoke out in rebuttal.

After a moment of silence, Lu You sighed and raised his hand secondly.

This time, not only Liu Huai, but even Wei Sheng felt a little strange.

"What does Lord Lu mean by this? Lord Lu, as the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, is a distinguished official of the imperial court. Shouldn't he be the most wary of people like us who engage in bloodshed? Why would he agree to such an unlawful act now?"

Wei Sheng didn't beat around the bush and asked curiously.

Lu You lowered his right hand, twirling his beard with a wry smile, then spoke of something else: "It is precisely because I came here from the central government that I know some court affairs that you are unaware of. Gentlemen, are you aware that Qin Hui's traitorous clique has never been purged from the court?"

Everyone looked confused and shook their heads.

These heroes who came from humble backgrounds did not really understand the political struggles taking place in the core of the Song court, and they did not understand why Lu You wanted to talk about court affairs at this time, but in the end no one interrupted him.

"I won't talk about the others today. Let me just talk about the two people who worked alongside the emperor and were in cahoots with the treacherous minister Qin Hui. One is the eunuch Zhang Quwei, and the other is the medical officer Wang Jixian."

"In May of this year, the Jin sent envoys to denounce the Great Song in court. War between Song and Jin is inevitable. Knowledgeable men in the court, such as Chen Gongkangbo, strongly advocate preparations for resistance. However, these two traitors, Zhang Quwei and Wang Jixian, are trying to persuade the emperor to flee to Bashu and Huzhou to escape the chaos of war, leaving the emperor hesitant and undecided about whether to fight or make peace."

Upon hearing this, Liu Huai scoffed, "Perhaps he doesn't know whether to fight or flee. Mr. Lu, you don't have to be shy about the emperor. The emperor has been in power for over thirty years. Who is he? Can he hide it from the world?"

"Even the dumbest person would understand the true character of our Emperor Zhao after seeing him appoint Qin Hui, unjustly kill Yue Fei, abandon the Central Plains and the two rivers, and hand over the people of the north to the Jin people, even disregarding his parents, brothers, wife, and children. How could he possibly have any respect for himself?"

Wei Sheng immediately shouted angrily: "Da Lang, shut up! You are so presumptuous!"

Liu Huai quickly bowed to Wei Sheng and then bowed to Lu You to express his apology, to show that he had spoken out of turn.

(End of this chapter)