Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 295 Division of Military and Political Responsibilities, National Financial Shortage

Eight days have passed since the fall of Yiling.

At the dock outside Yiling City, a fleet of grain ships arrived from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and anchored one after another.

The laborers and auxiliary soldiers who had been waiting there unloaded bags of grain from the boat.

A group of officials disembarked aboard the flagship.

After disembarking, these officials did not leave immediately, but waited respectfully at the dock. Before long, a middle-aged man in plain scholar's robes, of medium build and around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, stepped onto the dock surrounded by a group of officials.

This robust young man was none other than Fei Yi, the military commander of the Prime Minister's office who had recently restored order in Wuxian and Zigui.

However, if you call me Chief Secretary in the Prime Minister's residence in Chang'an, I won't argue with you. But what will you call me outside the Prime Minister's residence?
That was the "Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Guanzhong Army" and the "Grand Commander of Logistics of the Guanzhong Army"!
Furthermore, after the recapture of Guanzhong, he was appointed as the Attendant-in-Ordinary, which was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the lifelong pursuit of scholars in the Han Dynasty: "serving as both a general and a prime minister."

Although Fei Yi's ability to coordinate rear-area affairs and handle political matters was not as good as Jiang Wan's, or even as good as Yang Yi, the first military commander of the Prime Minister, he was kind and polite and had a very good reputation.

In addition, he was skilled in both literature and military affairs and was not ignorant of military matters, so he became the glue that held the Confucian scholar and the military generals together.

If it weren't for Fei Yi's mediation, Yang Yi, the former chief military officer of the Prime Minister's office, and Wei Yan, who looked at him with disdain, would have fought to the death.

The current system of the Han Dynasty is still very old. The distinction between civil and military officials is not very clear. It is one thing for those military generals who are not well-educated, but most Confucian officials aspire to become both generals and prime ministers. However, since the prime minister's office has taken full control of military and political affairs, the Han Dynasty has shown signs of using civil officials to control the military.

This is an advanced system.

It was far more advanced than the military governors who held military, political, and financial power during the Tang Dynasty, and the election system for military officers in Weibo.

After all, others might not know, but how could Liu Shan not know? This is a question of whether the gun leads the country or the country leads the gun. The founding father who led the overthrow of the feudal imperial system suffered a great loss on this point, causing many White bandits to become warlords.

The Prime Minister was originally a Confucian official, and he knew very well that his ability lay not in being a general, but in being a commander-in-chief and in managing troops. He also knew that military advisors like Fei Yi were good at overall planning, not in commanding troops to charge into battle.

Therefore, after the position of military advisor was established by the prime minister, all large-scale military operations required the military advisor and the general in charge of specific troop command to gather together for collective discussion.

Or rather, a debate.

Should the Northern Expedition take the Baoxie Road or the Xihan River?
Should we divide our forces in the Ziwu Valley or concentrate our main force in Longyou?
After Sima Yi retreated to Chang'an, did he continue to retake Chang'an, or did he cut off the Longyou region at Wuzhangyuan and Chencang, and seize all of Longyou first?
After capturing Chang'an, should they try to take Tongguan by force, or should they divide their troops to take Yaoguan, advance on Shangluo, and then confront Cao Wei at Tongguan?
In every debate, those involved in the military council argued so fiercely they wanted to tear each other apart. But once Liu Shan and the Prime Minister made a decision, it had to be carried out without fail, and such debates would continue in the next military council.

Liu Shan had already established rules through the conflict between Wei Yan and Yang Yi in the army: military discussions should be based on facts and should not be mixed with personal grudges.

At the very least, one cannot openly mix in personal grudges or oppose for the sake of opposing.

Wei Yan and Yang Yi executed this well when they attacked Chang'an, and there was no further open conflict.

According to Liu Shan's avant-garde approach, this is called collective decision-making, reserving opinions, and resolutely implementing them; it is also called democratic centralism.

The reason for the word "centralized" is that the final decision-making power for military operations rested solely with the Grand Commander leading the army and a general and a military advisor appointed by the imperial court.

Of course, this is a large-scale military operation.

What about when other small corps units are fighting?

When a veteran general in charge of specific military operations has a disagreement with a military advisor who is responsible for staffing and communicating with the corps, whose opinion should be followed?

Just like during the Battle of Jieting, when Wang Ping and other officers repeatedly advised the military advisor Ma Su that they should never abandon the city and go up the mountain, whose advice should they listen to?
So it turns out they were listening to the advice to join the army.

After all, the position of military advisor was established to prevent the emergence of warlords, and to allow military advisors who represented the will of the court and the prime minister's office to lead the army.

This is an institutional issue; the national military must operate based on the system, not on a particular famous or fierce general.

Once decision-making power is handed back to the general, it's a return to the old ways, a degeneration of the system.

However, after Ma Su's defeat at Jieting, a great deal of controversy and disagreement arose within the army regarding whether the decision should be made by the military advisor or the general.

The Confucian officials of the state naturally insisted on making the decision to enlist in the army.

The army naturally strives to ensure that the generals make the decisions, and does not allow military advisors who may not be knowledgeable about military affairs to command the generals to carry out specific combat missions, so as to repeat the mistake of Ma Su at Jieting.

Such disputes and disagreements ended when Liu Shan and the prime minister had a thorough discussion and changed the era name at the beginning of the year.

The emperor and the prime minister's office jointly issued a formal edict.

The original clause, "Military personnel have the right to suspend the execution of orders," was amended.
It was changed to: "In the event of a dispute, the general shall make the decision on the most pressing battle, while the military advisor shall make the decision on strategic and morale issues. After the decision is made, it shall be reported and explained to the higher-ups immediately, and a military council shall be held so that all officers above the rank of military commander shall be informed."

According to Liu Shan, this fully respects military principles, grants military commanders the power to make decisions on the spot, and is a system of division of responsibilities between the military and the government under the collective leadership of the military advisors and veteran generals.

Therefore, for someone like Liu Shan who knew nothing about military affairs, all he needed to do was lead the army on the front lines and carry out strategic and political work. The generals would win the battles, and their merits and prestige would come naturally.

Since Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin were defeated and captured in Xicheng last year, rumors have even circulated among the people that the Emperor of the Han Dynasty possessed unparalleled martial arts skills.

On the surface, Liu Shan seemed indifferent and unconcerned, but in secret he had already begun to imagine what posthumous title he should receive and whether his reputation in later generations could match that of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Gaozu, and Emperor Wu of Han.

Hmph, if the Han Dynasty were to be restored three times under his rule, he wouldn't even care about Emperor Shizu Liu Xiu. He now understands that he is now a perfect protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel, and with the prime minister by his side, how could he possibly be inferior to Liu Xiu in unifying the world?

For example, how should the process of enlisting in the military be systematized?

Even a man of such great talent as the Prime Minister had to figure things out slowly, but Liu Shan, who had read many miscellaneous books, knew that a General Staff Department was necessary.

The functions of the General Staff Department need to be further subdivided.

Such as operations staff, intelligence staff, logistics staff, military affairs staff, etc.

Not only that, the General Staff also had to establish corresponding directly subordinate staff departments in each military unit and school.

The General Staff of Operations coordinates with the first-level operational staff of a certain army, while the first-level operational staff of a certain army coordinates with the second-level operational staff of a certain school.

After all, joining the army and surrounding officers only strengthens their brains. But no matter how flexible and meticulous the brain is, if the body and limbs cannot receive and process orders in time, it will only result in hemiplegia.

However, there simply aren't enough capable soldiers available right now, but... Liu Shan has a solution.

Why not just set up military academies for intensive training? Frontline generals can become military officers, and military officers can also become generals.

During this period, there was no war in Guanzhong. The Prime Minister had already begun working on this matter in Chang'an. Emperor Liu Shan was naturally the nominal principal of the military academy, while the Prime Minister was temporarily in charge of the specific affairs.

This is an unprecedented event, one that may never happen again! Because the methods of governing and using troops, as well as the so-called military strategies, have been the lifeblood of powerful families and clans since ancient times.

Which one would be willing to share this?
Now, Chang'an Military Academy not only teaches its students how to carry out specific military duties, but also how to formulate specific plans.

The Prime Minister, Fei Yi, Deng Zhi, Zong Yu... even the hot-tempered Wei Yan, and even the illiterate Wang Ping, would occasionally serve as guest lecturers at the military academy during their free time or when they returned to the capital to report on their duties.

By reviewing their battles, both successful and unsuccessful, the military academy students were analyzed to understand where they won and lost, how to win more decisively, and how to turn defeat into victory.

Jiang Boyue from Tianshui, who was greatly favored by the Prime Minister and trained alongside him, is now one of the best among the first batch of students at the Chang'an Military Academy.

Fei Yi, who had taught Jiang Wei several lessons on military strategy in Chang'an and then publicly lamented that he was no longer qualified to teach Jiang Wei, was overjoyed to see the soldiers and civilians outside Yiling City. He was deeply impressed by the emperor's methods of pacifying the army and bringing peace to the people.

Outside Yiling City, hundreds or even thousands of soldiers were trading their captured weapons, armor, money, and provisions at the official military market, where the trade was quite fair.

The soldiers were replaced with grain, salt, and cash.

Money and grain were either sent directly home or exchanged for silk and cloth in Chengdu.

As for what the silk and cloth were used for? First, they were sent home by fellow villagers; second, they were taken to the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) field for gambling and entertainment.

Although the movements of the Wu army in the Jiangling direction still need to be monitored, the Han army has been invincible since the Eastern Expedition, and the morale is high due to the unexpected victory at Yiling. The Han soldiers are much more relaxed and at ease in their actions.

The wounded soldiers, who were not engaged in defense, were currently playing various recreational activities outside Yiling City, such as Cuju (ancient Chinese football), martial arts competitions, and Chupu (another ancient Chinese gambling game), indulging in a wide range of activities.

The people who had been driven to Yiling City due to the scorched earth policy also returned to their homes. Before the spring plowing season was completely over, they hurriedly packed up their belongings and went home to tend their fields.

They could either plow the soil again to encourage new seedlings, or directly replant soybeans and other grains in the field.

In the lands of Chu and Yue, people eat rice and fish soup.

Rice seedlings typically take about twenty days to sprout before they can be transplanted to the field. In fact, if rice seedlings sprout at this point and then it is planted, it will be somewhat late for planting, and the yield will be reduced. However, if rice is not planted, people will go hungry in the fall. Other grains, such as soybeans, have a much lower yield than rice.

The advantage is that miscellaneous grains can be planted at any time. If the farming season has passed and a disaster occurs, people will replant a crop of soybeans and other miscellaneous grains.

Currently, due to Zhu Ran's scorched-earth policy, the people of Yiling and the surrounding twenty-odd miles have had all their food and crops looted by the Wu people and stored in the granaries within Yiling City.

Fortunately, the Han army captured the city swiftly, and Zhu Ran fled in haste, leaving no time to burn the granaries before they were taken over by the Han army.

As the saying goes, "A thief passes by like a comb, and an army passes by like a fine brush." ​​This evil act of fortifying the walls and clearing the fields was done by Zhu Ran. This grain was seized by me during the siege, and it was the spoils of my three armies. You, the ignorant masses, want me to spit it out? That's simply a pipe dream.

But who taught that this was the army of the Han Dynasty?
Who taught Emperor Liu Shan to personally lead the expedition?
Not to mention Liu Shan's personal campaign, the two commanders Zhao Yun and Chen Dao were both benevolent and righteous in their actions, and had followed the late emperor for decades. Their actions already bore the shadow of the late emperor.

Liu Shan had just hesitated before speaking, saying that he planned to distribute one shi of grain and one shi of seeds to each person in Yiling. Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yun had already expressed great approval.

In fact, one bushel of food was not much.

If you cook a bowl of thin porridge every day and starve yourself until you're skin and bones, you can probably survive until the autumn harvest.

Therefore, it is definitely not enough.

However, it would be too benevolent of you to ask Liu Shan to distribute all the grain in Yiling City to the people of Yiling.

The Han Dynasty was truly short of food.

Last autumn, during the autumn harvest, in order to carry out the eastern expedition, Jiang Wan, the prefectural clerk, acted as the villain by collecting a year's worth of grain taxes from the people of the wealthy counties in Shu ahead of schedule, causing many people in Shu to complain.

If it weren't for the Han army's successive victories in its campaigns against Wei and Wu, which greatly strengthened the Han's control over the grassroots, it's likely that the grain tax for that year would not have been collected.

Of course, as compensation, from this autumn harvest to next autumn harvest, for those people who were forcibly taxed for a year, only 30% of the tax will be levied each year for the next two years.

That's equivalent to paying 2.6 times the tax in three years.

Even so, the Han Dynasty still faced a food shortage.

Even after a series of victories, there must be a proper explanation for the rewards given to the meritorious soldiers and the compensation for the dead and wounded.

One of Fei Yi's purposes in coming here was to discuss with the emperor in person where the money and grain for the rewards and relief, as well as the money and grain for appeasing the people of Wuzi and Yiling, should come from.

Outside Yiling City, Fei Yi did not immediately enter the city to pay his respects, but instead first inspected the dock and the surrounding military camps and civilian lands.

The military market trade was normal and orderly. The soldiers and the Zong people used the captured goods and grain to exchange with the imperial court for armor, weapons and cloth in the designated area of ​​the military market.

On the nearby Cuju field, cheers erupted as a group of soldiers celebrated a brilliant goal, while some daring local wealthy children watched and played nearby.

At the city gate, people were constantly coming and going.

Some commoners, carrying simple farming tools and grain seeds just distributed by the government, were led by clerks to register their names.

Several mid-level officers, along with hundreds of auxiliary soldiers and laborers, cleared away the various ruins and obstacles along the moat, reinforcing the city's defenses.

"Chief Secretary Fei, it's been a long time." A steady and familiar voice sounded from behind. Fei Yi immediately turned around and saw that Chen Dao had arrived at some point and was looking at him with a smile.

"General Chen, you've worked hard." Fei Yi quickly returned the greeting. "The victory at Yiling was made possible by General Chen and General Chariot and Cavalry."

"Not at all, Yiling was captured in a single day. It was because His Majesty was well-governed, the people were willing to fight to the death, and the soldiers were willing to risk their lives." Chen Dao put away his smile and led Fei Yi into the city.

"There are many matters to attend to in the city, and we are waiting for the Chief Secretary to come and discuss them. Zhu Ran fled in haste, and most of the grain stored in the city's treasury was preserved. Roughly estimated, it is about fifty or sixty thousand shi."

"His Majesty is benevolent and has ordered that a portion of the funds be allocated to relieve the disaster victims and that grain and seeds be distributed."

He paused, then said:

"However, our great Han Dynasty has fought many wars, and the expenses for rewards and relief have been enormous."

"Whether we hold out at Yiling or advance on Jiangling, we cannot continue without food."

"His Majesty intends to allocate more grain from the treasury to provide relief to the people of Yiling, but the country is in many troubles and everything is difficult... Alas."

Fei Yi nodded silently, pondering in his heart.

(End of this chapter)