Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

As Jia Jing finished mentioning military law, the tense nerves of the officers and soldiers present relaxed considerably.

Hearing Jia Jing order the camp to close and train the troops, they were somewhat confused, but still responded in agreement:

"Your humble servants will obey the General's orders!"

"Alright! Dismiss the guests! Everyone, leave!" Jia Jing waved his hand.

In an instant, the officers and soldiers retreated in an orderly manner, having survived the ordeal. Only a dozen or so battalion commanders remained in the barracks, along with Xie Jing, who had been stripped of his battalion commander position.

Jia Jing took a document from the general's desk, thought for a moment, and handed it to Ma Guocheng, saying:

"Guocheng, although I have punished some people today, if we want to truly establish military law and discipline among the 180,000 troops of the 12th Regiment, we still need to rely on systems to enforce them!"

"This is the draft of the Military Law Department's regulations. From today onwards, the 12th Regiment will establish a Military Law Department, with you serving as its Director."

"You are in charge of all military discipline, military law, military discipline enforcement, and disciplinary investigations within the camp."

"You have the authority to arrest and interrogate anyone below the rank of battalion commander; if a battalion commander violates the law or regulations, report to me for a decision. I grant you this authority, so you must thoroughly establish the rules and regulations for this army!"

Ma Guocheng took the document but did not respond immediately. He stood for a while before hesitatingly speaking:

"General, I am a rough man... I am alright at marching and fighting. But as for managing military law... I am afraid I am not doing a good enough job."

Jia Jing looked up at him and said in a deep voice:

"Cheer up! What's there to worry about? I don't need you to be considerate; what I need is your impartiality and your willingness to offend people."

"You just need to stick to one principle, which is that no matter who breaks the rules, arrest them, investigate them, kill them, and deal with them as appropriate."

"You must be ruthless and show no mercy. Do what you're told, and if anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it for you."

When a regiment is first established, the person in charge of military law must be of high status, have a strong character, and not be from the founding line. Ma Guocheng is a suitable candidate for this position!

Ma Guocheng clasped his hands in a fist salute, looking at Jia Jing with reverence, and said, "This subordinate understands and will obey the General's orders!"

Jia Jing nodded, then looked at Zhuque and said:

"Ma Guocheng is in charge of military law, which is the rule of the camp. Rules are used when people make mistakes, but I want them to not want to make mistakes in the first place."

"Military law only controls the hands and feet, not the mind. Even if the hands and feet are controlled, if the mind is crooked, it will still easily lead to trouble."

"From today onwards, I will establish an Education Department in the Twelfth Regiment, with Zhuque as the Director-General, and appoint educational officers in each battalion."

"We specialize in three things: teaching soldiers why they fight, emphasizing the importance of military law, and understanding the commander's mind. Only when soldiers have a clear understanding of these things will they be able to wield their weapons with steadiness."

"As the saying goes, 'With unity of purpose, even Mount Tai can be moved.' The responsibility of the training department is to ensure that all soldiers in the battalion think and act in unison!"

"This is a task that requires patience and meticulous work; it can't be rushed! However, as long as it's done well, the spirit of the 12th Regiment Battalion will be established!"

As Jia Jing spoke, he handed a scroll to Zhuque and continued:

"This is the draft of the Education Department's regulations! In the coming days, you should focus on implementing three specific tasks."

"First, daily training sessions. Each battalion will have an instructor who is directly under your command and not subject to the battalion commander's control."

"Each day, before morning exercises and after evening exercises, give a 15-minute pep talk on loyalty, military discipline, and serving the country. Keep it short and concise, straightforward, and easy for the soldiers to understand."

"Second, set examples. Select outstanding soldiers of loyalty and bravery every month, and publicize their deeds to the whole battalion to encourage a positive atmosphere within the battalion."

"Third, the family letter system. Every month, the teaching department will write, receive and send letters to the soldiers' families to understand their family situations, have more heart-to-heart talks and help solve problems, so that the soldiers know that they have a family and a country behind them."

Zhuque stepped forward, picked up the scroll, and bowed, saying:

"I understand what the General means. This is the same as the military song that the General created before, which is to subtly cultivate the soldiers' fighting spirit and loyalty, and to unite the morale of the army."

"General, please rest assured. I will have the instructors of each battalion till the soil, like planting crops, row by row, loosening the soil and letting the roots take hold. Next spring, something will naturally grow in the hearts of all the soldiers in the battalion."

Zhuque was Jia Jing's longest-serving confidant, so he naturally understood his meaning and the desired effect.

In fact, even in this day and age, the military has carried out ideological education work similar to that mentioned by Jia Jing in the teaching department.

For example, Yue Fei paid great attention to cultivating his soldiers' fighting belief of "loyalty and righteousness first" when governing his army, and Qi Jiguang paid attention to cultivating his soldiers' "courage" when governing his army. These are both models of ideological education.

Jia Jing said:

"The phrase 'uniting the army's morale' is well used! Why was Yue Fei's army able to 'freeze to death rather than dismantle houses, starve to death rather than loot'?"

"The soldiers' awareness and cohesion in the face of danger stem from Yue Fei's daily cultivation and shaping of the army's morale and spirit!"

"An army with true conviction, even with inadequate logistics, can maintain order and persevere in the fight through its spirit of 'sharing weal and woe' and 'protecting the country and its people'!"

"If strict military discipline is a rigid constraint on soldiers, then the ideological guidance of the training department is a soft form of recognition."

"Only by balancing the strength and flexibility within the army can we truly forge an army with both strict discipline and unwavering conviction, creating a truly formidable force, and ensuring that the 12th Regiment Battalion remains steadfast and invincible in any changing situation or battle!"

In short, from the military law department to the training department, from selecting soldiers and appointing generals to rigorous training, from sufficient provisions and pay to the reform of military equipment,

This time, Jia Jing was determined to forge the 12th Regiment into a truly elite force that was disciplined, tactically flexible, and resolute, capable of adapting to any battlefield environment.

This was not only to deal with the numerous crises that were about to befall various parts of the Han Dynasty, but also to serve as a pilot project for the subsequent military system reform and military reorganization throughout the world.

Afterwards, Jia Jing explained the various arrangements for military affairs within the camp to the generals and then dismissed them.

In an instant, the once bustling central army barracks were now empty except for Jia Jing, Zhu Que, and... Xie Jing.

Jia Jing frowned as he looked at Xie Jing, who was still refusing to leave, and asked:

"General Xie, is there anything else?"

Although Xie Jing was relieved of his duties within the 12th Regiment, he still held the title of Baron, so it wouldn't be wrong to call him a general!

Xie Jing wore a humble, ingratiating smile. What could he possibly want? Of course, it was to pull strings with his relatives and see if he could use his connections to get back into the Shenwei Battalion as a battalion commander.

With a fawning smile on his face, he began to speak:

"Jing-ge'er, your aunt said..."

"What 'Jing-ge'? In the military, we use titles!" Jia Jing interrupted Xie Jing, who seemed rather clueless.

Xie Jing's face stiffened, then he forced a smile and said:

"Yes, yes, yes! General, you see we are all close relatives. I am getting old and my health is not good. I really can't bear the hardships of the lower-ranking soldiers."

"For the sake of your aunt and your grandmother, could I perhaps get my battalion commander position...? Don't worry, I'll definitely follow your lead from now on!"

Jia Jing listened expressionlessly, thinking to himself, "Birds of a feather flock together," and then said coldly:

"It seems you didn't listen to a word I said! Since you're unwell, I won't make things difficult for you. Go home and rest. Men, strip this scoundrel of his armor, confiscate his seal, and throw him out of the camp!"

Jia Jing had no intention of wasting a single word on such a muddle-headed person!

……

While Jia Jing was reorganizing the Twelve Battalions, turmoil began to stir in the capital city due to Zhang Tingyu's various actions...