A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 3 I Will Control the Armies of the World
Wei Qing's central military headquarters consisted of a small front tent and a large rear tent.

The front tent, where the generals gathered, was only about ten feet long. It was so simple that it could only hold a large table with the tiger tally, imperial edict, and royal sword, as well as a dozen or so chairs for the generals to sit on when they discussed matters.

The rear tent was a full three zhang square, and apart from a military couch that was just big enough to fit one person, neatly stacked bamboo slips took up most of the space.

In addition, there was a huge map of the northern desert, more than ten feet square, which Liu Ju had seen before in the Xuan Shi Hall of his father, the emperor.

For dinner, Wei Qing ate a pot of mutton as usual, without soup noodles, other dishes, or wine.

In the past, Wei Qing often lived hand to mouth, and a simple and rough life gradually became his habit. He never cared about spending long hours on tedious food and drink.

For Yu Weiqing, a meal consisting of a pot of meat or a bowl of soup noodles would be quite satisfying.

As for marching and fighting, all you need are dried meat, dried biscuits, and water bags. In Wei Qing's central command tent, there was no such thing as a special kitchen.

From a minor official to the Grand Marshal, Wei Qing's biggest headache was the frequent official banquets and extravagant social engagements. Whenever there was a banquet, big or small, he would simply eat his fill and then quietly observe the boastful and drunken behavior of all sorts of people.

Over time, his habit became familiar to the imperial relatives, nobles, and soldiers. The nobles, including the emperor, seemed to have a subtle coldness and distance towards him, while the soldiers wholeheartedly supported and respected him, and were happy to obey his strict military orders and harsh training methods.

Liu Ju accepted the raw and flavorful mutton offered by his uncle, and ate it without saying a word.

Neither the uncle nor the nephew spoke, nor did they mention the conversation outside the tent. Inside the tent, only the sound of tearing mutton could be heard, eerie and terrifying.

Throughout history, the imperial court and the court that governs the country have had many overlapping organizational structures. For example, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Commandant of the Guards were originally among the Nine Ministers of the central court, but at the same time they were also the close guards who protected the imperial palace.

For example, the position of Shaofu was mainly to manage the emperor's private property. It was also one of the Nine Ministers. However, there were often more than one Shaofu in the court.

Changxin Shaofu was under the jurisdiction of the Grand Empress Dowager or the Empress Dowager.

The Chang Le Shao Fu (a government office) belonged to the Empress.

The Crown Prince's Junior Household Department was under the Crown Prince's jurisdiction.

In the Han Dynasty, the emperor was not the only one who ruled as regent. The emperor's ministers were called chief ministers, while the ministers of the empress dowager, empress dowager, empress, and crown prince were called palace ministers.

In particular, the positions of Grand Empress Dowager Palace Minister and Empress Dowager Palace Minister are not established unless they are, and once established, their positions are not only above those of the Empress Palace Minister, but also above those of the Chief Minister.

Empress Dowager Dou, who suppressed the current emperor's seven-year reign after Emperor Xiaojing's death, is a recent example.

The palace and the government are all one entity; it is nothing more than this.

Although the emperor consolidated power after Empress Dowager Dou's death, gradually reducing constraints and eliminating many of the "wings" of empress dowagers, empresses, and crown princes, the ancient system remained largely unchanged.

The Empress's Chang Le Shao Fu and Zhong Gong Wei Wei, the Crown Prince's Tai Zi Shao Fu, Tai Zi Zhong Dun, and Tai Zi Wei Shuai, along with their respective finances and military personnel, were retained.

The Imperial Guard Commander, in charge of the Chang Le Palace guards, and even the weapons in the armory, were all under the Empress's command.

The Crown Prince's Central Shield Commander is in charge of the troops patrolling around the Crown Prince's palace. The Crown Prince's Guard Commander and the Crown Prince's personal guards are all under the Crown Prince's command.

According to the previous system, the Crown Prince's Central Shield and the Crown Prince's Guard Commander each commanded 2,000 troops. However, as Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che was not without his own power. Most of the troops commanded by the Empress and the Crown Prince's palace staff were directly appointed by the Chief Minister and the Commandant of the Guards, or in other words, appointed by the Emperor.

The current Chief Minister and Commandant of the Guards is Li Guang, a trusted confidant of the Emperor.

The Crown Prince's Palace, with one central shield and one guard, was a military unit of four thousand men, but only eight hundred of them could be personally selected by Liu Ju.

After finishing his meal, Liu Ju looked at Wei Qing and said softly, "Eight hundred men it is."

Wei Qing also looked at Liu Ju, feeling that his nephew hadn't finished speaking. As the Grand Marshal, he couldn't possibly be unaware of palace affairs. Moreover, undercurrents outside the palace had already begun to stir. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The 80,000-strong Northern Army will all be available for Ju'er to choose from."

……

The Wei River is exceptionally beautiful at dawn. The vast water surface shimmers with golden waves under the fiery red sky. A red sun rises where the water meets the sky, and the landscape becomes a hazy red silhouette. The long, golden-red waves of the vast reeds roll and sway.

The magnificent military camp, consisting of endless tents, chariots, banners, spears, and halberds, forms a huge arc around the water.

On the drill ground, two large banners fluttered in the wind, one bearing the inscription "Grand Marshal of Han" and the other "Crown Prince of Han".

Looking out over the vast camp area where the troops were connected, Liu Ju felt a surge of pride and whispered the order: "Beat the drums."

With the flags raised and the drumsticks struck hard, the surface of the "Black Tiger" drum immediately rippled, and a neat and heavy sound spread in all directions.

The war drums beat.

In the midsummer dawn, infantry and cavalry in red armor surged onto the drill ground like a tide. After three drumbeats, the drill ground had turned into a sea of ​​red. The troops in red armor stood in neat rows under the banner of the Chinese character "Han," ready to charge at any moment.

Standing before the assembled infantry and cavalry, the Han generals Gongsun Ao, Zhao Shiqi, Lu Bode, Zhao Ponu, Li Gan, and others were very puzzled. They had not received any orders or prior notice for the entire army to assemble.

Could it be that the Xiongnu have attacked?

Even more tense were Lieutenant Sima An and the Northern Army Envoy and Protector Ren An.

In the military system of the Han Dynasty, there were two armies in Chang'an: the Northern Army and the Southern Army. The Lieutenant was the General of the Three Auxiliary Regions, in charge of the Northern Army, and was in tandem with the Commandant of the Guards, who guarded the palace and was in charge of the Southern Army.

The Envoy Protectorate was established by the current emperor to oversee the Northern Army.

Normally, the lieutenant and the Northern Army Envoy jointly commanded the military affairs of the Northern Army. Sima An and Ren An were both disciples of Wei Qing before entering officialdom and joining the army. They were his retainers. Later, Wei Qing recommended them in battle, and they became one of the ministers of the state and the head of an army. They got along well.

The general and the supervisor hurriedly emerged from their respective headquarters. When they met, they both saw confusion in each other's eyes. Only when they saw the Grand Marshal and the Crown Prince on the command platform did they breathe a sigh of relief and stand aside.

These two powerful uncle and nephew had no say in what the Grand Marshal did, even if it was just to please the Crown Prince.

Looking at the changes in the military formation, Liu Ju was filled with emotion. So this is what the leaders felt during military exercises and training.
To be able to wield power over the world while awake, and to be able to lie on the lap of a beautiful woman while drunk—these are experiences that cannot be shared with outsiders.

And this was only an army of 80,000.

Uncontrollably, Liu Ju harbored ambitions; before becoming emperor, he wanted to control all the armies in the land!

Looking back at his uncle, the Grand Marshal, Wei Qing nodded slightly and took a half step back. The selection of eight hundred personal guards was entirely up to him.

With 80,000 brave warriors, only 800 guards will be chosen. Wei Qing is not surprised at all what kind of elite troops will be selected, after all, this is the crown prince who has the blood of both the Liu and Wei families flowing through his veins!

　Note 1: The general's residence was called the "Mufu" (or "Mofu"). The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, states: "All market taxes were paid into the Mufu." The Collected Explanations quotes Ru Chun as saying: "Generals had no fixed abode when they went on campaigns, and wherever they went, they governed, hence the term Mufu." The Suoyin quotes Cui Hao as saying: "In ancient times, when a general went on a campaign, he was a commander-in-chief, and when the army returned, he was dismissed. He had no fixed abode, and he used a tent as his residence, hence the term Mufu."

　　After the title of general became standardized, this kind of "military headquarters with tents" became a synonym for the general's office. When a new general was appointed, a new military headquarters would be set up to recruit talents as subordinates. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Ban Gu said: "I have seen that the military headquarters have been newly opened and new talents have been widely recruited."

　　The system of establishing a general's headquarters and adding officials and retainers began in the Western Han Dynasty. The general's headquarters mainly served as an advisor on military affairs, with the Grand General having the most staff, followed by the General of the Flying Cavalry, the General of the Chariots and Cavalry, the General of the Chariots and Cavalry, and the General of the Guards.

　　In addition, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the number of staff in the general's office gradually increased, sometimes even doubling the number in the duke's office.

　　Note 4: During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the legal heirs of the emperor and feudal lords could be called the crown prince or the heir apparent.

　　During the Han Dynasty, the heirs of the emperor and the princes were all called "crown princes," but only the crown prince was called "crown prince."

　　During Wang Mang's reign, the title of crown prince of a vassal king was changed to "heir apparent," marking the first time that the eldest son of a vassal king was explicitly designated as heir apparent.

　　During the Eastern Han Dynasty and later, the heirs of feudal lords were called "Shizi" (世子), and "Taizi" (太子) became the exclusive title for the heir to the throne.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)