I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Lu Yuan felt immensely gratified to see their loyalty to him.

Lu Yuan walked up to Qi Yue and pulled her up from the ground.

"Alright, you are all my people. As my legitimate son, it is my responsibility to take good care of you."

"I also promised Vice Commander Qin that I would make things better for you!"

"Even returning to the battlefield to retrain their troops."

Qi Yue wiped away her tears, looking serious.

"Please give your orders, Your Highness. I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Your first task is to deliver the silver notes back to the camp."

Lu Yuan handed the roster back to her, "Have Qin Cang give everyone two days off."

"Let's have a good meal and buy everyone some new clothes."

"On the third day, all personnel assembled at the training ground."

"I will personally lead you in training!"

"Your subordinate obeys."

The four female soldiers left immediately after receiving the order.

Lu Yuan stood at the door of the study, watching them walk out of the courtyard gate, the smile on his face gone.

The three women, Su Yuling, are now living in the mansion.

After he enters the Eastern Palace, the number of women in his household will increase.

It would be inappropriate for ordinary male soldiers to guard the inner courtyard.

The Phoenix Battalion is skilled in martial arts and is a direct descendant of the late Empress, making them suitable to serve as the inner guards of the Eastern Palace.

But simply protecting women is not enough.

The Shen family has controlled the Zhenbei Army for many years, and the main generals and middle-level officers of each battalion are basically from the Shen family.

Although Su Tan had a high reputation, he had not personally led troops for many years.

Replacing the commander based solely on an imperial edict would lead to unrest in the twelve battalions of the northern border if Shen Chongshan disobeys the order.

If the Shen family is to relinquish their military power, an army capable of suppressing them is necessary.

This makes them hesitant to act rashly.

Lu Yuan turned around to face the military map.

The Zhenbei Army is a thousand miles away from the capital, and it is impossible to mobilize a large army within three days.

The only troops that can be mobilized are the Imperial Guards and the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince's Six Guards were nominally numbered 3,600.

However, the position of crown prince remained vacant for twenty years, with most of the staff being borrowed by the Imperial Guard, and the rest only responsible for ceremonial duties and guard duties.

In terms of combat strength, they are hard to compare with the city guards patrolling the streets of the capital.

Lu Yuan took out a piece of paper and wrote three words on it.

"A new military system!"

Ten people form a group, five groups form a battalion, and five battalions form a guard.

The captains, battalion commanders, and guard commanders were all selected from the grassroots level.

Each of the following must be assessed separately: martial arts competitions, marching with heavy loads, archery, and battalion formation coordination.

Those who perform well in performance reviews can be promoted and receive a raise.

Those who falsify performance records or withhold military rations will be dismissed from their posts.

He then wrote down the rotation system next to it.

The commanders of each battalion rotated their garrisons every two years, and their rations and pay were directly distributed by the imperial court. Commanders were not allowed to set up their own private accounts.

The army has inspectors, and ordinary soldiers can also report cases of deduction of military pay and fraudulent claims of military merits, bypassing their superiors.

The Shen family's control over the Twelve Battalions was not solely due to Shen Chongshan.

The generals below were willing to serve the Shen family because they could get official positions and money by following the Shen family.

To separate these people, we must make them understand that they will only gain more by following the imperial court.

Lu Yuan wrote another military order for the northern border.

Those who voluntarily relinquish military power will be pardoned for their past transgressions.

Those who are willing to accept the reorganization by the imperial court will have their official positions and military pay temporarily unchanged.

Those who report the hoarding of military equipment or the embezzlement of military rations will be promoted one rank and receive a reward of one hundred taels of silver if the report is verified.

If anyone withholds the imperial edict or prevents the rotation of troops, the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Guards will immediately set off north.

Su Yuling went to the study, picked up the military order, and read it over.

"You want to divide and conquer the Shen family's soldiers?"

"First differentiate, then reorganize."

Lu Yuan pointed out several camps controlled by the Shen family.

"Shen Chongshan truly trusts no more than 20% of the people."

"The remaining 80% depends on who can offer more benefits!"

General Su Yuling placed the items on the table, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Money can make them obey temporarily, but it can't buy their loyalty!"

"Therefore, I must train a new army!"

Lu Yuan drew the location of the military training ground on the outskirts of Beijing on the military map.

"Use the Phoenix Battalion as instructors and select elite soldiers from the Imperial Guard and the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace."

"Train 600 people first."

"After these 600 men are trained, they will be dispersed to various battalions to train other soldiers."

Su Yuling frowned slightly.

"The Phoenix Battalion only has three thousand men; can they really train the Imperial Guards?"

"Their martial arts skills and loyalty are sufficient."

"What's missing is a unified method for training troops."

Lu Yuan handed her another piece of paper.

The document lists training subjects such as posture, formation, physical fitness, coordination, reconnaissance, and first aid.

Su Yuling stared at it for a long time.

"Five hours of training every day?"

"And they still want to march thirty li in full armor?"

"This is just the initial standard."

Lu Yuan took her hand and placed the calligraphy brush between her fingers.

"You grew up in the military."

"If there's anything unreasonable, please correct it for your husband."

Su Yuling pinched his waist.

"Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Try not to take advantage of others."

Lu Yuan chuckled, pulled her down onto a chair, and massaged her shoulders.

"Put some force into it, a little to the left."

"You're hurting me, be gentle..."

"Keep your hands to yourself, where are you touching...?"

The two were busy until evening.

The new military system and training methods finally have a general framework.

However, Su Yuling's brows did not relax at all.

"These training methods and military systems are novel, but I can sense that they will be very useful."

"However, it also faces an insurmountable obstacle."

Lu Yuan asked curiously, "What kind of difficulty?"

"silver!"

Su Yuling voiced her concerns.

"Your training methods, as well as your pay, food, clothing, and other necessities, all require a large amount of money to support them."

"I did a rough calculation, and for a regular army, it would only cost 30,000 taels a year."

"But you'll need at least 300,000 taels."

Su Yuling's words were not an exaggeration at all, after all, soldiers were required to eat meat at every meal and undergo such intense training every day.

Leaving aside the issue of supplies.

If the pay isn't enough, no one will sign up for the selection.

"Don't worry, I'll earn the money."

Lu Yuan thought about the strong liquor and snowflake salt he had offered, which were all magical items that could be quickly converted into cash.

I need to keep an eye on the progress tomorrow.

Meanwhile, inside the Fuyuan Escort Agency.

Zhao Mingzhu has already changed into three different outfits.

Red is too bright, white is too plain, and riding attire doesn't seem appropriate for an appointment.

She finally chose a light blue long dress and sat down in front of the bronze mirror to draw her eyebrows.

If the drawing gets too dark, she wipes it off with a handkerchief.

If the painting is too light, it doesn't feel spirited enough.

When Madam Zhao pushed open the door and came in, there were already four open boxes of rouge on the table.

"Mingzhu, what are you doing?"

Zhao Mingzhu quickly blocked the jewelry on the table.

"It's nothing."

"It's almost dinnertime, and you're still getting ready?"

Madam Zhao walked over and picked up the jade bracelet that the Crown Prince had given her.

"Are you going out?"

"no."

Zhao Mingzhu answered too quickly, and she herself felt guilty.

Madam Zhao put the jade bracelet on her wrist.

"You've been afraid to look at me ever since you were little, whenever you lie."

"So, who did you invite?"

Zhao Mingzhu straightened her skirt and confessed everything, "Your Highness, after investigating the arms case, you still have some questions for me."

He invited me to his residence to admire the moon.

Madam Zhao walked to the window and glanced outside.

"It's a cloudy day today."

"You can't even see a single star."

She turned to her daughter and glared at her. "What kind of moon are you admiring?"