The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 465 Military Academy
Before the person returned, the achievement had already been accomplished.

For a long time to come, the discussion about Marquis Zhongyong in Shangdu will remain intense.

For the Marquis of Zhongyong, thousands of miles away, it was time to finally say goodbye to Guanzhong.

Three days before leaving.

The Marquis of Zhongyong's residence hosted a grand banquet for his guests.

Those seated at the head of the table included Gan Minglan, General Huozhou, and General Tian Jiu.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Xiong Zhen began to ramble on about some trivial things that had happened since he left.

Finally, we've finished talking about this.

He pointed to the banquet hall and said to Gan Minglan:
"General, after our family moves out, you can't leave this mansion empty. You should move here from Ganluchuan as soon as possible."

The General Who Guards the West will be the highest authority in Kansai from now on, and will be entitled to the best courtyard in the entire Kansai region.

A helpless smile appeared on Gan Minglan's usually cold and stern face:
"My lord, there are only five people in my family, including adults and children. Even if you include all the maids, servants and guards, the total number is no more than one hundred and fifty!"

Your manor has 188 rooms in the front and back courtyards. If I were to move here, even with one room for each person, we wouldn't have enough room!

Xiong Zhen drank several cups of newly brewed Yili Wuliangye liquor in a row, his face flushed, and he felt lightheaded.

"That's easy. Your personal guards will be getting married in two years. Once they're married and have kids, even 188 rooms won't be enough."

Gan Minglan “.”

Compared to Hami City, she prefers Ganluchuan New City, which is nestled against the mountains and beside the river, and whose urban planning is ahead of its time.

Moreover, she designed and built her own courtyard, so living there must be incredibly peaceful and comfortable!
Of course, most importantly, she had arrangements made for this Hami royal palace.

Since the conversation had come to this point, she continued, "My lord, I have an idea that I'd like to share with you."

"General, please speak!"

"In my humble opinion, Kansai now has ordinary schools that teach literacy and literacy, boys' and girls' schools that allow children to learn a trade, and Aoyama Academy that helps them pass the imperial examinations and become officials. But these schools are not enough!"

"What? In Kansai, even girls can go to school now, isn't that enough?"

"That's not enough! What are we? Soldiers! Most people in Kansai are military households! If that's the case, why not build a school specifically for training military dependents?"

Xiong Zhen and the other generals stared wide-eyed:

"Does fighting a war require instruction?"

"That's right! Grab weapons, go to the battlefield, and just get to work!"

"Experience can be accumulated naturally by fighting many battles."

Gan Minglan shook her head and explained the reason to them:
"There is a lot to learn about warfare! In the past one or two thousand years, when weapons such as swords, spears, bows and crossbows have been used, military books such as 'The Art of War', 'Six Secret Teachings', and 'Three Strategies' have appeared."

It is said that sons of military families and descendants of nobles who had the means were required to study military texts thoroughly from a young age. Even if they had no opportunity to practice, they could still speak eloquently about tactics.

For children from ordinary military families, the price to pay for learning combat experience on the battlefield was simply too high.

Moreover, the times are very different now! Blindly believing everything in books is worse than having no books at all. Think about the role of firearms in every major battle of the Kansai army.
Muskets, thunderclaps, and cannons will undoubtedly be the key to victory or defeat on future battlefields.

Therefore, I believe that a major should be established in this military academy to study the improvement and manufacture of these firearms.

To do something well, you must first have the right tools!

As long as we maintain a superior level of firearms skills, and with students practicing with these weapons daily, in time, sharpshooters and artillery masters will be everywhere.”

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhen and the others all gasped in shock.

Tian Jiu was dizzy:

"Military treatises are unusable? I even asked the Marquis to go to Shangdu to find some for my son!"

The Great General of Huozhou nodded vigorously:

"Swords and bows are indeed not as powerful as muskets and cannons! After more than a year of improvements, the time to burst a barrel has been extended by at least two times."

Xiong Zhen pointed out the problems here:

"General, your military academy is constantly developing weapons. Leaving aside the costs and controlled items involved, having students practice accuracy with firearms is a huge financial burden for their parents," General Gan said.

"My plan is to select 3,000 students aged 14 to 18 who are sensitive to their five senses, healthy, and quick-witted in the first year, and to conduct closed-door study for four years."

If the learning results are significant, a second cohort will be recruited four years later.

They are students of a military academy, and naturally they will go to the battlefield after graduation. They are studying to defend their country, so how can we charge them tuition? Their food, clothing, and lodging are all free, and those with excellent academic performance receive scholarships!

Xiong Zhen: "."

Four years of using real guns and aiming precisely—how could the results not be good?!

Even the Imperial Guard's Sharpshooter Battalion doesn't receive this treatment!
When it comes to being incredibly wealthy and powerful, General Gan is the one!
Tian Jiu: "."

My eldest son just turned twelve this year. He's as strong as a calf. I wonder if I can use my relationship with the general to get him into school through some connections!

Fire State General: "."

My sons are all over the age limit, but I have an older nephew who is of marriageable age. He's not cut out for the imperial examinations, but he's obsessed with thunderclaps. He'd be perfect to send to a military academy to work on firearms research and development.

Xiong Zhen pondered for a long time, still having many questions that needed explanation:

"General, these student soldiers with such excellent learning conditions are different from ordinary soldiers. What will they do after graduation?"

"My lord! This is Guanzhong, the northwestern frontier! It borders the Hu people and the Russian kingdom to the west, and the Tatars and other nomadic tribes to the north. Are you worried about not finding a battlefield for them to practice their skills?"

"You, are you thinking of starting a border war?!"

Xiong Zhen was truly panicked. He hadn't even started working for the Ministry of War yet, but he was already feeling unprecedented pressure.

Gan Minglan rarely gave him a smile:
"Look at what you're saying, Lord Marquis! Our Guanzhong Army is known for its strict discipline. We don't bother people unless they bother us! Of course, it's perfectly normal for a little conflict to happen accidentally while we're deep behind enemy lines gathering intelligence!"

Xiong Zhen: "."

A moment of silence was observed for the Hu people and Tatars near Kansai.

General Gan continued:

"These are all small-scale operations, just good for students to sharpen their knives!"

Think about it, everyone. His Majesty is the only overlord who can rule over the Western Regions, Northern You, and Southern Yue.

The rulers of the three kingdoms of the Western Regions, Northern You, and Southern Yue probably also shared this ideal and ambition.

The current peace is merely a buffer period for all parties to develop their livelihoods and economies.

This buffer period could be ten years, or it could be twenty years!
Four years, four years, and then another four years—if the military academy trains three graduating classes, it will have tens of thousands of sharpshooters and artillerymen. What kind of suppression would it provide by sending them to the battlefield against the enemy?

"hiss"

Xiong Zhen and the several generals sitting in the chief seat exclaimed in unison.

The general's analysis is correct.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly perfect alliance between the three kingdoms when they were dividing up the land; they could easily have turned into a war at any moment.

Xiong Zhen slammed his right hand on the table:

"Do it! This military academy must be established! You may renovate this manor as you see fit! After I return to Shangdu, I will give the military academy a good publicity stunt and ask you to get a plaque with His Majesty's handwriting on it."

Tian Jiu quickly stopped him:

"My lord, my lord, please be careful! Don't let those ruthless scoundrels snatch it away and demand that we open this military academy in Shangdu."

Gan Minglan had indeed thought about this question.

She said, "Military academies can't just be opened wherever they want! For daily shooting, demolition, and artillery practice, it's best to choose a remote desert, grassland, or deep mountain. Where in Shangdu do we find such conditions?"

A hearty smile spread across Xiong Zhen's face:

"General Gan, I'll give you three days to write up the plan for building the military academy more thoroughly. I will take it to Shangdu to see His Majesty later."

"The last general takes command!"

"."