Tiger Guards

Chapter 732 Transfer Payments
Luodu, the headquarters of the Grand Protector and the General.

Inside the West Pavilion, Lü Bu strolled up the steps to the third floor, sat directly by the window to enjoy the breeze and the view, but his expression was not very happy.

His chief clerk, Sima Yi, brought over a tray of official documents. As trade between Luozhong and Taiyuan became increasingly close, paper was now being used to transmit official documents and family letters in the Heluo region.

After all, bamboo slips were too bulky, and people of all social classes, both men and women, could make bamboo slips in their spare time.

But the days of spending time carving bamboo slips and using them as a form of barter are long gone.

Before the people of Luozhong could even react to the paper dumping, they discovered that the bamboo slips they used for folding money were completely unused.

In any case, officials had a fixed salary and income, so they did not feel the impact of the paper dumping.

Instead, they really like the convenience of paper. In just over two months since the beginning of spring, Hanoi and Lac Trong have started to use paper in the office.

At this moment, Sima Yi handed over the official document awaiting approval. Seeing that Lü Bu looked displeased, he smiled and asked, "What is your concern, Your Majesty?"

"I just went to the toilet, and the flesh on my thighs has grown back."

Lu Bu looked displeased: "I originally intended to defeat the treacherous ministers in Luoyang, the central capital, and welcome the emperor back to the old capital. However, the two cunning traitors, Yuan and Sun, refused to fight, causing me to waste my time."

Sima Yi laughed at this, saying, "Grand Tutor has just quelled Pei Mao's rebellion, and the day he sends troops to Liaodong is not far off. The day when Your Majesty's great ambitions are fulfilled is yet to come."

"Ah."

Although Lü Bu was somewhat displeased, he still admitted that Sima Yi's analysis made some sense.

Although Pei Mao's failed rebellion did not cause Zhao Ji any major damage, it at least delayed Zhao Ji's deployment of troops for three months.

Over the past four years, Zhao Ji's army has exhibited a high frequency and cycle of combat operations.

It wasn't that Zhao Ji's army was particularly patient or bloodthirsty and warlike.

The fundamental reason was that Zhao Ji maintained a highly efficient policy of rotating military service, seemingly fighting non-stop in the south and north, east and west.

In reality, Zhao Ji's army could be divided into three or four groups. Each time, one group was mobilized as the core elite force to expand outwards. In this way, the elite forces broke through the enemy lines, and the troops, in rotation, rushed in through the gaps in the membrane, specifically targeting the weak points.

Initially, Zhao Ji's army could barely be divided into two forces, which took turns serving.

When conquering Liangzhou, Zhao Ji's army could be roughly divided into four groups; the Pingyang camp, though seemingly mobilized, remained idle and rested, with no need to consider the soldiers' morale.

Therefore, when Zhao Ji launched the campaign against Liangzhou, he still only mobilized a quarter of his troops for field battles.

After the Liangzhou campaign ended, Zhao Ji did not expand the army, but the influx of so many surplus men into Xizhou meant that the army could be mobilized more efficiently.

Based on previous mobilizations, Zhao Ji can mobilize at least three-fifths of his troops this time.

This three-fifths of the army, which is nearly 100,000 strong, consists of a mix of infantry and cavalry.

Even the Jin army infantry had enough wagons and horses to accompany them, and the amount of supplies they carried on marches was unimaginable to other armies.

Zhao Ji often led armies of 30,000 to 50,000 men into battle, defeating Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Li Guo, and Han Sui, and forcing Gongsun Zan, Xianyu Fu, Zhang Yan, and Zhang Lu to submit; he also made Sun Ce, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao dare not close their eyes to sleep.

Now, with the possibility of mobilizing an army of 100,000, Lü Bu's mindset and stance may have changed, and he now feels a strange sense of anticipation. While chatting with Sima Yi for a few moments, Lü Bu had already picked up a pen and begun to review the documents from various departments awaiting his approval.

The documents were generally divided into two types. One type concerned internal affairs of the Heluo region. Once Lü Bu signed them, they could be implemented. Even personnel transfers at the county magistrate level, which were routinely sent to the three provinces for procedures, would be directly approved by the Zhao family's representative without any obstruction.

Another method was to issue official documents to the various departments of the Grand Tutor's and Grand Preceptor's offices. The departments of the three Grand Duke's offices would then coordinate and handle the matter... The hierarchy was clear, and since the Zhao family had two Grand Duke's offices, they could basically suppress the opinions expressed by the departments of the Grand Protector's office.

Especially after the various departments connected, there was a discussion and evaluation process, which made some outrageous and unreasonable official documents stand out and become a laughing stock for the other party.

This provided a different form of oversight, allowing the officials and subordinates of both sides to make comparisons and eliminate such shameful individuals through self-screening.

For both the Zhao family and Lü Bu, it didn't matter if there were a few incompetent scoundrels in the Duke's mansion. Even if they harbored malicious intentions, it wouldn't matter as long as they didn't show it too obviously.

Now that the various departments have taken over, the foolish behavior of their subordinates will cause us to lose face. The losses can be recovered, but if it's a disgrace, the losses are too great and must be severely punished.

Therefore, under this special supervisory environment, the government offices of both sides began to operate with high efficiency, initiating a competitive and externally driven mode.

This also led to Lu Bu finding it pleasing to review official documents, since some of the foolish decisions made by his subordinates could make him laugh in exasperation.

Since connecting with the two government offices of the Zhao family, and severely punishing some people, at least the subordinates will try their best to consider the overall situation when doing things.

To Lü Bu's surprise, the first document in the tray of official documents that Sima Yi sent was an unprocessed document, a proposal for the reorganization of the army from the Military Affairs Department of the Grand Tutor's Office.

Based on his understanding of Zhao Ji, Lü Bu immediately concluded that this was a genuine reorganization proposal, but also a false message released to the outside world... After all, who would mobilize 100,000 troops while carrying out a major reorganization of the army?

He read it carefully and discovered that Zhao Ji intended to downsize the army.

The current military system is rather disorganized. For Zhao Ji's forces, relying solely on the Five Battalions and the Tiger Infantry is no longer sufficient. Therefore, a series of General Departments and Colonel Departments have been newly established to serve as fulcrum forces.

Lu Bu's forces consisted of the Grand General's Five Battalions and the Eagle Flying Army, along with the Henan troops from the Henan Kingdom and the garrison troops of General Wei Yue stationed in Luodu.

However, due to the expansion of the prefectures and counties under Zhao Ji, the army had to be expanded, resulting in a disorganized situation.

Lu Bu was confined to the Heluo region, where it was difficult to support his army. He had to streamline his forces, retaining only a sufficient number of field troops, and then integrate the rest of his manpower into Wei Yue's garrison and land reclamation system. This military-land system was used to maintain the army's organizational structure and productivity.

At this moment, Zhao Ji's proposed reorganization plan did not intend to harm Lü Bu.

The designations of the Grand General's Five Battalions and the Eagle Flying Army were maintained, and the position of General Wei Yue and his garrison troops were also retained.

The focus of the reorganization was the transfer of money, provisions, and military equipment, namely, the reinforcement of the various armies of Heluo from Xizhou.

Lu Bu stared at the text and began to calculate the amount of money, grain, and military equipment he could obtain this year.

If the funds are received as promised, not only will the reduced field forces be able to recover to some extent, but the treatment of military officers will also be truly implemented.

Although there are disadvantages, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

He naturally understood that having received Zhao Ji's money, provisions, and weapons, he had to assist in the battle. At the very least, he had to lend a hand and tie down some enemy troops.

(End of this chapter)