Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 150 Breaking and then standing up

Humans are very strange creatures.

They toil and struggle all day long, scheming and seeking only to make a living, working for the fields, running around for carriages and horses, and serving for their reputation.

However, when illusory things like "honor" and "responsibility" are bestowed upon him, he is willing to pay the price, even with his life.

As Liu Shan just mentioned, the Zhechongfu (a military unit) takes eight households to support one soldier. Besides the fact that it takes about eight households to raise enough money and food to support one soldier, the more important thing is "responsibility" and "honor".

From among the eight households, choose the youngest boy with the best qualities in all aspects to serve as a soldier in the Han Dynasty's garrison.

This kid joined the army for your eight households, and because of him, your eight households enjoy preferential treatment and honors that are higher than those of ordinary civilians. Naturally, you should provide him with weapons and logistics, and naturally treat him as your own child.

The kindness and expectations of the eight elders were also placed upon this young man who became a soldier.

This shared sense of honor and disgrace, along with the expectations of the elders, easily instilled a sense of responsibility and honor in the soldiers.

This sense of responsibility and honor will motivate them to urge and inspire themselves to hone their skills and become familiar with battle formations in their daily lives.

Ultimately, this sense of honor, responsibility, and honed skills all translate into formidable combat power on the battlefield.

When burdened by a sense of responsibility and honor, and with enormous benefits as bait, even the Qiang and Di people are unwilling to easily disobey military law.

By this time, Dong Yun, Fei Yi, Yang Yi, and all the other officials and staff had taken their seats.

They were all filled with excitement and fervor as they carefully considered the Emperor's proposal to "recruit the Han and Qiang youths from Guanzhong as soldiers of the Zhechong Prefecture."

Without a doubt, once this system is implemented, the Han Dynasty will likely be able to directly acquire at least four or five thousand Zhechong soldiers for its own use.

After Dong Zhuo seized power and Li Jue and Guo Si wreaked havoc in Guanzhong, the powerful families who still lived in Guanzhong each had hundreds or thousands of followers and built fortified villages for self-defense.

They possessed armor, weapons, horses, and provisions.

However, the vast majority of them would not be willing to offer their troops, armor, weapons, horses, and other valuables to the Han Dynasty.

Among these, the most crucial element is the sergeant.

The status of a retainer is somewhere between that of an ordinary person and a slave; they can marry a free woman and retain their own property.

Apart from being dependent on powerful families and paying them a portion of their land revenue in order to avoid higher taxes and more frequent corvée labor from the imperial court, they were no different from ordinary people.

The emperor's practice of supporting one soldier for every eight households would undoubtedly provoke the retainers of powerful families in Guanzhong to unite and support one soldier for every eight households.

In this way, these eight households would inevitably have to take the initiative to register their household registration with the Han officials.

The Han people then naturally obtained a portion of the household registrations from the powerful clans of Guanzhong.

In fact, the so-called "protected households" were often not powerful people who seized household registrations by trickery and force.

Instead, the common people voluntarily concealed their land and household registrations and surrendered them to powerful clans and families in order to avoid the high taxes and frequent corvée labor imposed by the imperial court, and in return, to obtain personal protection from these powerful families.

Once the situation stabilizes, the imperial court begins to provide protection for the people and offers them better policies. These households are willing to break away from powerful families and respond to the imperial court's policies of registering households and surveying land.

Therefore, it must be said that the emperor's decision to recruit the Qiang and Han youths of Longyou as soldiers of the Zhechongfu Army was truly a move that achieved multiple benefits.

They could gain an elite garrison, gradually ease tensions between the Han and Qiang peoples, and also obtain some of the household registrations of the hereditary households.

In the future, when these soldiers achieve merit and are promoted, they can become the emperor's most loyal supporters and protect him.

The more the officials discussed it, the clearer their thinking became, and the more excited they became, lamenting their loss and applauding in praise.

The Prime Minister had already taken bamboo slips, paper, pen, and ink from the accompanying secretary and meticulously recorded the system of the Fubing (military force) that the Emperor had just mentioned.

It seemed that he was afraid of missing or misremembering something, so he would occasionally hand over bamboo slips or silk scrolls, and only continue writing after the emperor had confirmed that there were no errors.

In the end, he completely forgot that there was still a grand feast to reward the three armies to preside over. Instead, he directly held a discussion with his officials and subordinates under the wooden pavilion next to the dew-collecting plate of Bailiang Terrace about the system of government troops that the emperor had just mentioned.

After much discussion, the officials and subordinates of the government finally began to discuss more specific questions, such as "what kind of military achievements should the government soldiers make to be promoted to a certain rank?"

Some say that beheading someone is equivalent to receiving a first-class merit and a promotion.

After the sixth level of the merit system is completed, the difficulty will increase, requiring the player to defeat level two, level three, or even more enemies to be considered a first-level merit.

Some argue that the system of awarding merits should be based on different grades and categories.

Any infantryman who beheads an enemy soldier will be awarded one merit; any archer who kills an enemy soldier from a hundred paces away will be awarded double merit; and any infantryman who breaks through enemy cavalry charges and breaks their advance, even without beheading an enemy, will still be awarded one merit.

Some people also suggested setting a "battle advantage bonus".

He was awarded three promotions for his outstanding achievements in dangerous battles such as night raids to break through enemy camps, cutting off enemy supply lines, being the first to scale and capture cities, and beheading generals and seizing flags.

If a small force defeats a large one, such as a thousand defeating five thousand, even if only a hundred are beheaded, the entire army will be awarded a promotion.

There was a great deal of discussion.

The Prime Minister finally looked at the Emperor, his expression a mixture of joy and satisfaction: "Your Majesty's system of conscripted soldiers is extremely comprehensive. I suppose Your Majesty has already decided how to reward meritorious service?"

Seeing that the Prime Minister was even happier than after winning a battle, Liu Shan smiled and nodded: "Prime Minister, I do have a rough plan."

"Whether it's Yingyang Prefecture or Zhechong Prefecture, they usually live and train together with two or three hundred people from the same prefecture."

"In times of war, we will go to the battlefield together."

"When meritorious service is achieved, it should be considered in the context of the collective."

"To fight a large number with a small force is called going into battle."

"When the number of soldiers is equal, they form a central battle formation."

"To attack the few with the many is called 'to surrender'."

"Four out of ten prisoners were beheaded, and the news was reported to the emperor."

"Two-tenths of the prisoners were beheaded, and the rest were captured."

"Kill one-tenth of the prisoners, and the rest were captured."

"Going into battle and gaining merit, achieving five transformations."

"Gained merit in battle, achieving four transformations."

"Going into battle and gaining victory, the achievement is the result of three transformations."

"The central battle was won, and the four turns were accomplished."

"A victory in the middle of the battle, achieved through three turns."

"The victory was achieved in the middle of the battle, a feat accomplished in two turns."

"The victory was achieved through three transformations."

"Gained victory in battle, achieving the second transformation."

"The battle was won in one fell swoop, and the victory was achieved in one turn."

Not only that.

"Although killing and capturing 40% is a great achievement, it must be offset against the losses suffered by the prefectural troops in this battle."

"For example, if 20% are lost, then 60% must be killed or captured to be considered a gain, and so on."

"In this way, we can ensure that they will not deliberately abandon their comrades during wartime, and we can also alleviate the conflict between the Han and Qiang people, so that they can become comrades who can trust each other."

Upon hearing this, the officials looked at each other in bewilderment once more, and finally fell silent in thought.

The Prime Minister, perhaps deep in thought or something else, gazed intently at the serious-looking Emperor, his eyes fixed on him for a long time.

A year ago, he traveled from Chengdu to Hanzhong.

A year ago, he wrote a memorial to His Majesty entitled "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops".

He said that the ministers who guarded the palace were diligent in their duties, and the loyal and devoted men were selfless in their service outside the palace, all because they cherished the special favor shown to them by the late emperor and wished to repay it to Your Majesty.

He said that the Attendant-in-Ordinary, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, the Chief Clerk, and the Military Advisor were all loyal and virtuous ministers who would die for their principles. He hoped that Your Majesty would be close to them and trust them, then the prosperity of the Han Dynasty could be expected in a matter of days.

He said that the south was now pacified and the army was well-equipped. He should lead the three armies northward to pacify the Central Plains, and do his utmost to eliminate the treacherous and restore the Han Dynasty to its former capital. This is how I repay the late emperor and fulfill my duty to Your Majesty.

He said that Your Majesty should also make your own plans, seek wise counsel, heed good advice, and deeply follow the late Emperor's edict. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your kindness. He said that now that I am about to depart, I am moved to tears as I write this memorial and I am at a loss for words.

It's been a year since we last met.

The emperor wrote him a letter.

The saying goes, "If, in the end, the state cannot be restored from peril to peace, and the sun and moon from darkness to light, then the ruler may die for the state."

So the emperor personally led the expedition, braving arrows and stones.

He beheaded Cao Zhen and defeated Zhang He.

They won battle after battle, and were invincible.

When they met again, it was too late; they had already turned the tide and saved the collapsing edifice.

Finally, he commanded the troops in battle, brandished his sword to fight the rebels, and with ten thousand troops surrounding him, the rebels lost their courage. Thus, he recovered Guanzhong and returned to the old capital.

The sun and moon, once hidden, will shine again.

The Han Dynasty declined but then revived.

Just as the entire court was filled with joy and emotion at the return of Yudu to the old capital.

The emperor had just finished rewarding his ministers when he introduced the Fubing system, a system that could not be accomplished in a day or two, as a long-term strategy for the revival of the Han Dynasty.

Your Majesty... what have you done in the past year?
The image of that six-foot-tall orphan from back then slowly overlapped with that of the emperor before him.

With his vision blurred, the Prime Minister suddenly stood up, shook his sleeves, and bowed deeply to the Emperor: "Your Majesty's talent is truly a gift from Heaven."

Liu Shan was deep in thought when the Prime Minister's sudden bow startled him.

He hurriedly helped the prime minister up. He wanted to say something, but when he met the prime minister's slightly red eyes, his mind went completely blank.

All I could say was, "It's all thanks to the good teachings of my father."

For a time, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was harmonious, much to the amusement of the court officials.

A moment later, Liu Shan continued to discuss the Fubing system with the Prime Minister and other ministers.

This was not Liu Shan's own wishful thinking; it was the historical answer sheet submitted by the four dynasties of Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang.

Liu Shan simply copied the answers.

In conclusion, for the Han Dynasty, which was still a small country with a small population, the Fubing system was undoubtedly the lowest-cost and most effective way to raise soldiers.

Moreover, the Fubing, as a military aristocracy and a new type of powerful family that existed entirely dependent on imperial power, would undoubtedly become Liu Shan's most powerful weapon against the powerful clans in the future.

For Liu Shan, a time traveler, the path of history was crystal clear: how to concentrate imperial power and how to focus resources on major tasks.

From the time when Duke Zhuang of Zheng shot the emperor with an arrow, and Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin declared themselves "lonely and weak," thus dividing the power of the Zhou emperor, the central authority became extremely weak.

Then Qin Shi Huang unified the world and held unparalleled central power, but was met with resistance from the six states. So Liu Bang shared the world with the feudal lords.

As the feudal lords were weakened and eliminated, the power that shared the central imperial power began to transform into aristocratic families that originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and reached their peak in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

From the time when Huang Chao trampled the bones of nobles on the Heavenly Street and burned the Imperial Treasury to ashes, until the establishment of the Song Dynasty, aristocratic families and powerful clans stepped down from the stage of history.

Those who shared and protected the central imperial power became the less powerful gentry, the so-called scholarly families who passed down the tradition of farming and studying.

Compared to feudal lords, powerful clans were a more advanced class for the central imperial power, which needed to concentrate its resources on major tasks.

The gentry, who were weaker than the powerful clans, were a more progressive class compared to the central imperial power.

Emperor Wu of Han was able to expand his territory, escape the Xiongnu, drink from the vast sea, and inscribe his name on Yanran Mountain, achieving military accomplishments worthy of being called one of the greatest emperors in history. Behind this achievement was not only the military contributions of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, but also the strong logistical support.

Behind this strong logistical support, in addition to the national foundation built up during the sixty years of recuperation and development under the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, was the highly centralized imperial power, which enabled Emperor Wu of Han to implement his decrees.

Where did Emperor Wu of Han's highly centralized imperial power come from?
It was briefly seized from the landlords and powerful families who had not yet become aristocratic clans.

At that time, the old-era nobles such as the feudal lords were weakened and eliminated by Liu Bang, Empress Lü, and Emperors Wen and Jing, while the new noble families, the aristocratic clans, had not yet taken shape during Emperor Wu's reign.

The powerful nobles who were still wealthy families were not strong enough to challenge the imperial power, so the central imperial power during the reign of Emperor Wu was extremely powerful.

However, at that time, productivity was low, and the small and medium-sized landowners and self-cultivating farmers who were most suitable as the tax base for the dynasty were not yet mature. This highly centralized situation was destined to be unsustainable.

As powerful families evolved into aristocratic clans, while the power of small and medium-sized landowners and self-cultivating farmers remained weak, the highly centralized imperial power gradually disappeared.

However, the brief power vacuum created by the succession of princes and aristocratic families, which led to a temporary period of centralized power, enabled Emperor Wu to successfully implement a series of policy reforms and resolve the Xiongnu threat that Emperor Gaozu and Emperors Wen and Jing had failed to address, thus expanding the territory by thousands of miles.

If Liu Shan wanted to accomplish great things, he had to centralize power. To centralize power, he inevitably had to support a group of forces capable of countering powerful clans.

The Fubing (府兵) were this force.

This is a new type of powerful family that exists entirely dependent on central authority.

The so-called productive forces determine the relations of production, and the relations of production react upon the productive forces. When the current social productive forces are insufficient to produce enough small and medium-sized landlords and gentry to protect the imperial power, a group of landlords and gentry is created and used to protect the imperial power, thus in turn affecting the development of social productive forces.

Before the local militias grow into new powerful clans, they are naturally the enemies of those clans.

This also meant that even if Cao Wei and Sun Wu realized the superior combat power of the Fubing (府兵) and the advantages of the Fubing system, they could not simply copy it.

Within the territories of these two regimes, there were too many powerful forces sharing the central imperial power, making it impossible for Cao Rui and Sun Quan to do such a thing.

The saying goes, "No destruction, no construction; destruction precedes construction." Rebuilding a house on ruins is sometimes much easier and more effective than patching up an old one.

Liu Shan did not intend to rely on the support of established powerful families like Emperor Guangwu, hoping to quickly unify the country in the shortest possible time.

The result of that would inevitably be the same as Emperor Guangwu inheriting all the problems of the Western Han Dynasty, and the Sima clan inheriting all the problems of the Han and Wei Dynasties, which would eventually lead to rapid collapse.

Only by smashing the old system and collapsing the old superstructure with our fists can we rebuild a new system and a new structure on the ruins.

Eliminating powerful clans is impossible.

However, weakening the power of aristocratic families, delaying their formation, and accelerating the rise of small and medium-sized landowners are achievable with some effort.

All of this began with the creation of a group of guards specifically to protect the imperial power.

To be fair, the current situation of the Han Dynasty is much better than when the Western Wei Dynasty first established the Fubing system.

First of all, it had one more prime minister than the Western Wei!

Secondly, it also had an additional province, Yizhou, compared to the Western Wei.

Secondly, when the Western Wei established the Fubing system, it fought a Pyrrhic victory in Luoyang, injuring its own Xianbei soldiers. Only then was it forced to establish the Fubing system and absorb powerful Han Chinese from Guanzhong into its service.

The Han Dynasty is now riding high on its victory and implementing the Fubing system. In addition, the Han Dynasty has nurtured scholars for four hundred years, and the people of Guanzhong are yearning for the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty's appeal is far greater than that of the Western Wei Dynasty.

Finally, as a Xianbei regime, the contradictions between the Xianbei people and the Han people of Guanzhong in the Western Wei were far greater than the contradictions between the Qiang and Di people, who had long admired the virtues and customs of the Han and had already adopted Han surnames, and the Han people.

Following the War of the Eight Princes, during the darkest three hundred years of bloody integration in Chinese history, the final step in achieving "Han-Hu unification" was changing Xianbei surnames to Han surnames.

Surnames are the final barrier to blurring racial boundaries.

He Liuhun was from Bohai Gao, Pu Liuru was from Hongnong Yang, Daye was from Longxi Li, and Dugu, Tuoba, Changsun... became Chinese compound surnames like Zhuge, Sima, and Shangguan.

In the end, you will no longer be you, and I will no longer be me; we will both be Chinese people of the same language and culture.

When barbarians enter China, China becomes Chinese.

The surnames of the Qiang and Di peoples, such as Yang, Yao, Lei, and Lü, and even the surname of the Xiongnu people, such as Liu, are all results of these barbarian tribes admiring and assimilating into Han culture.

Now, the system of government troops is established, with merit and rank as the threshold, granting the Qiang, Di, and Yi peoples who have always admired Han virtues, revered Han customs, and dreamed of becoming Han people an opportunity to enter the Imperial Academy and study Han classics.

When they have completed their studies and become Han officials, with their families possessing classic texts, they can become like the Yang of Hongnong, the Ma of Fufeng, the Li of Longxi, or the Wei and Du of Jingzhao, or the Qu Tianchiwu.

The same applies to Hanhao, a family that has no classic heirlooms.

There are three ways to be a great man: first, to righteously accept calamities; second, to impart the law to the sages; and third, to transform and influence the people.

Education should be provided to all without discrimination, and the Way should be promoted to instruct the people. No one should be ignorant of virtue, and no one should be far from home. This will transform barbarians into Chinese and spread civilization to all people.

(End of this chapter)