Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Now that things have come to this point, how could Liu Shan not know that he had just misunderstood Jiang Wan?

This misunderstanding stemmed from Liu Shan's unease when facing powerful ministers at the beginning of his reign, from his distrust of his ministers brought about by the incidents involving Wei Yan and Yang Yi, and of course, from the lack of effective communication between the emperor and his ministers.

There's no need for such tension and seriousness between a ruler and his subjects.

Liu Shan smiled awkwardly and nodded: "What Lord Jiang said is quite right, and I already know your intentions. Since you think this arrangement is inappropriate, how do you think the army should be arranged?"

The army had been withdrawn to Hanzhong for more than twenty days. Since it was judged that Sima Yi would not attack, and the Han army's campaign was over, the issue of withdrawal was unavoidable.

An army of 100,000 must be deployed strategically and retreat with measured steps.

Prime Minister Zhuge commanded 100,000 troops in Hanzhong. Of course, not all of these 100,000 troops were crammed into the battlefield near Wuzhangyuan. Instead, some were left behind at various passes in Hanzhong, such as Wuxing, Yang'an, Yangping, Chiban, and Huangjin, while others were left behind to transport grain and for reserves. Only 70,000 to 80,000 troops were actually stationed with Prime Minister Zhuge north of Baoxie Road and near Wuzhangyuan.

In terms of composition, the various units within the 100,000-strong army were also divided into different levels.

After the Battle of Yiling, the Shu Han army suffered devastating losses, losing a number of veterans and mid- to low-ranking officers. After Prime Minister Zhuge Liang established his own government, he reorganized the military system, essentially completing the reconstruction of the army before the campaign against Nanzhong and institutionalizing it after arriving in Hanzhong.

The lowest level of organization is the "wu" (伍), which consists of five people and has a wu leader.

Two groups of five form a unit called a "shi," which consists of ten people and is led by a shi leader.

Five groups form a team, each with fifty members, and one captain, who can also be called the captain.

The second team was a garrison, consisting of 100 men, with a garrison commander, who could also be called the garrison commander or the garrison supervisor.

Five villages were divided into five sections, each with five hundred people, and each was led by a section chief.

Two sections form a unit, each commanding a thousand men. The commander can be a Yamen General, a Sima, or a Commander of a Thousand Men.

This is also the origin of the term "部曲" (bùqǔ).

The above-mentioned staffing is the norm, but when it comes to more than a thousand people, the Han, Wei, and Wu kingdoms each have their own distinct systems.

After Prime Minister Zhuge Liang reorganized the military system, units larger than a thousand men were organized into armies, with varying strengths, generally around four thousand men. County troops and garrison troops also varied in strength due to their different origins, with some armies having only one or two thousand men.

For generals with outstanding military achievements, they can lead an army for full-time training in peacetime, and the size of the troops varies.

For example, General Wei Yan, the Grand General Who Conquers the West, could lead two armies of eight thousand men, making him the strongest general among all the generals. General Wu Yi, the Left General, could lead one army of six thousand men, while General Gao Xiang, the Right General, and General Wu Ban, the Rear General, could each lead one army of four thousand men.

The Prime Minister's residence also had its own dedicated army, including larger units such as the Tiger Infantry and Tiger Cavalry Battalions, and smaller units such as the Tujiang, Wuqian, Congsou, Qingqiang, Sanqi, and Wuqi Battalions, totaling nearly 20,000 men. These were under the command of the generals and military advisors directly under the Prime Minister's residence. For example, Jiang Wei often led the Tiger Infantry and Ma Dai often led the Tiger Cavalry Battalion.

The more than 40,000 soldiers mentioned above varied in their elite status and armor ratio, and were the main force upon which Prime Minister Zhuge Liang relied for his repeated Northern Expeditions.

The remaining 50,000 troops consisted of local garrison troops in Hanzhong and troops transferred from various prefectures. In different years, the number of garrison troops and prefecture troops stationed in Hanzhong would fluctuate depending on whether the Prime Minister sent troops or not.

In times of war, the Prime Minister's Office would order the mobilization of troops from various prefectures, numbering either two or three thousand, to gather in Hanzhong from all over the country for preparation for war. These garrison troops and prefectural troops would then be assigned to various generals for command by the Prime Minister's Office according to the different combat tasks assigned to them.

Taking this year's Northern Expedition as an example, Wei Yan's troops did not receive additional reinforcements, while Gao Xiang's troops received an additional 2,000, Wu Yi's troops received an additional 6,000, and Wu Ban's troops received an additional 4,000. The troop strengths commanded by figures such as Deng Zhi, Wang Ping, and Liu Ba also changed.

In short, the court's primary objective over the past eight years has been the Northern Expedition, and the deployment of the army has been an extremely important political task. Only by understanding the situation of the army can we comprehend the political views of the officials and the disagreements among them…

The officials and generals of the Prime Minister's residence in Hanzhong naturally wanted to keep more troops in Hanzhong.

Hanzhong has a vast area suitable for farming, with plenty of land and few people. Wouldn't it be convenient to settle down and cultivate land here?

Jiang Wan and the local officials in Chengdu naturally wanted more troops to withdraw from Hanzhong.

Wasn't the Northern Expedition over this year? There probably won't be another one next year, so why keep so many troops in Hanzhong? The local soldiers should go home, and the regular troops that should be withdrawn can also withdraw to places like Hanshou, Fuxian, Luoxian, and Chengdu, where they can eat locally and avoid the losses and troubles of transporting grain to Hanzhong over long distances.

When Prime Minister Zhuge was alive, such matters did not require discussion. If the Prime Minister thought war was inevitable, more troops would be stationed in Hanzhong that year. If the Prime Minister thought war was not inevitable, then fewer troops would be stationed in Hanzhong that year. Whether it was the Prime Minister's residence in Mianyang or the residence in Chengdu, everything could be done according to the Prime Minister's explicit instructions.

But the Prime Minister is no longer here!

Fei Yi, Wu Yi, and others had reached a consensus in Hanzhong to continue the Northern Expedition. Therefore, they wanted to leave more troops in Hanzhong, and even better, to have all the county troops stationed there for agricultural cultivation. Jiang Wan, like a chief steward, was responsible for many affairs and had many things to consider. He wanted fewer troops in Hanzhong to reduce the burden on other regions.

Just like applying for a budget, Fei Yi and Wu Yi want more, while Jiang Wan wants less. This is the current situation.

Upon hearing Liu Shan's question, Jiang Wan replied in a deep voice, "I have not heard of any Wei troops being transferred from Guanzhong. Hanzhong should be prepared. The garrison troops in Hanzhong number 20,000. I believe that leaving another 30,000 troops in Hanzhong would make a total of 50,000 troops sufficient to defend against the enemy."

"If that is the case, all 30,000 troops conscripted from each prefecture should return to their respective prefectures, and another 20,000 troops should be withdrawn to Fuxian and Chengdu for food."

Upon hearing Jiang Wan's words, Liu Shan fell silent for a moment.

The crux of the matter is whether or not the game will still be played next spring?

If we fight, we leave troops behind. If we don't fight, we don't leave troops behind.

While Liu Shan was in power as prime minister, he simply did not rule personally, but this did not mean that he was unaware of the various systems and decrees of the court.

Fei Yi's position is easy to understand, and Jiang Wan's attitude is also very clear.

Even from Chen Zhi's perspective, who advocated the Northern Expedition, the matter of gathering the Qiang and Hu tribes and attacking Liangzhou could be done next year, the year after, or even wait three years as in the original history, until Sima Yi was transferred away from Guanzhong. There was no absolute standard.

Even if it were necessary to force the county soldiers to stay in Hanzhong to cultivate the land, it wouldn't be entirely impossible; it would just require the county officials to appease them more and consume more grain before next year.

That's how politics is. As long as the general direction is right, doing this or that is fine, but the consequences will be different. This is where the wisdom and experience of those in power are put to the test.

Liu Shan sat upright in his seat, remaining silent. Neither Jiang Wan nor Guo Youzhi urged him to speak. What needed to be said had already been said to him by Chen Zhi and Jiang Wei at the banquet the previous night.

After waiting for a long time, Liu Shan did not speak, but Jiang Wei spoke instead.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"