Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

But ultimately, he still lacked experience in commanding troops.

It would be best not to let Jiang Zhao command those 200,000-plus troops.

Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens.

Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment, then gave up.

He had already considered what Marquis Zhongjing had said.

The Duke of England stepped forward: "This old minister believes it is worth a try."

He was one of the first to know about the memorial and had already expressed his opinion.

Soon after, several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet also expressed their opinions, none of them intending to obstruct the process.

As a civil official with a traditional background, Jiang Zhao's leadership over frontier affairs is a good thing for civil officials.

Compared to military generals commanding troops, Jiang Zhao is definitely better off in charge of border affairs.

Scattered throughout, important figures from both the civil and military sides expressed their opinions.

Zhao Zhen nodded in satisfaction.

From the moment he submitted the "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians," he already had the intention to mobilize troops on the frontier.

In any case, stability should be the priority, as both Tibet and Western Xia were experiencing internal strife.

If it really works out, his achievements will be recorded in history books!

"By order of Transport Commissioner Jiang Zhao, and General Yi Wen of Shaanxi Circuit, he may independently recruit soldiers and establish camps to defend the border."

The driver of the Shaanxi Road Strategy Office is responsible for writing, which is one of the core duties in the military.

The simpler the language and the fewer the restrictions, the greater the support.

There are precedents for self-recruiting soldiers; Fan Wenzheng once specifically recruited nearly 20,000 militiamen from a prefecture.

Zhao Zhen's meaning was clearly that he wanted to observe the situation for a while.

Let Jiang Zhao recruit soldiers on his own to test his command skills and see if the contents of the memorial can be put to use.

If it proves effective, it could even expand the territory. Once an imperial edict is issued, the soldiers stationed in Shaanxi will naturally obey Jiang Zhao's command.

If the results are not satisfactory, then the soldiers from Shaanxi will be there to cover for them, and the border region will not descend into chaos.

Behind those few words lay the implied support of food supplies.

Even if the permanent soldiers stationed in Shaanxi cannot be mobilized, it is not a problem at all for Shaanxi to specially recruit tens of thousands of soldiers.

The amount of grain and fodder reported will determine the amount of supplies provided.

If you ask why, perhaps this is the advantage of having a civil official lead troops.

Originally, civil officials who commanded troops were given relatively preferential treatment.

Not to mention, that person was Jiang Zhao?

The emperor's word sealed the outcome.

This not only relieved some people's concerns but also achieved the desired decision-making effect.

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"

……

Polo Club.

The young men, who were not exactly wealthy and powerful, were quite surprised to learn that Jiang Zhao had written a letter specifically requesting Gu Tingye's assistance on the frontier.

What kind of treatment is this?

"No, why should I?" one of the spoiled young men asked, puzzled.

We've known each other since childhood, and we're all good-for-nothings.

Why did Gu Tingye suddenly become so assertive?

Besides, what can Gu Tingye do to help?

"Because I know Jiang Zichuan!"

Gu Tingye laughed heartily, tossed aside his golf club, and strode out.

……

Chapter 84: The Founding of the Army!

Transport company.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang gathered together.

The oldest of the six was only around thirty years old, full of enthusiasm and eager to make a name for themselves; they were typical young and ambitious individuals.

At the head of the table, Jiang Zhao held a cup of honey water, took a sip, and looked up at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao.

"How is the formation of the new army going?"

A memorial entitled "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians" was submitted, and the emperor's decree was issued.

As Han Zhang's disciple and trusted by the emperor, Jiang Zhao held the position of driver and scribe in Shaanxi Road. The decision-making power of the new army naturally fell into Jiang Zhao's hands.

He almost always decided who would hold what position, and the decision was then reported to the Ministry of Personnel.

Of the five people—Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang—except for Jiang Zhiqi, whose role was to oversee the operation of the Transport Bureau, the others all held military positions to varying degrees.

Of course, the ranks of these positions cannot be too far apart; at most, they would be at the sixth or seventh rank.

Even so, it meant that Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang had become the leaders of the new army.

The leaders of the new army were not difficult to decide, but whether they were truly deserving of the title depended on the outcome of the army's formation.

If the new army is well-organized, then the positions will be truly deserved.

The new army was poorly organized, and the positions were a joke, meaning they were not worthy of the titles.

Jiang Zhao entrusted the task of forming a new army to Gu Tingye and Wang Shao.

Both of them were excellent at commanding troops.

Wang Shao possessed the qualities of a historical general, a typical scholar-general. After nine years in office, he began to lead troops with his political experience, reaching a level of over 30,000 men.

Gu Tingye is a son of a military family. Although his reputation is not good, he has learned all the skills of a military family. He is a typical example of orderly inheritance. With proper tempering and accumulation, he can take on the responsibility of a commander.

The remaining Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang were mainly responsible for transporting grain and building military camps.

Jiang Zhiqi, on the other hand, tried to take control of the operation of the Transport Department and stabilize the basic situation.

Jiang Zhao has gradually delegated authority and elevated his perspective to a broader view, taking into account all aspects.

As the leader, his job is to take care of the overall situation and assume the role of "commander".

Clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and overall consideration, are the principles of governance for those in positions of authority.

It sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult to do.

Gu Tingye stepped forward and said solemnly, "So far, we have recruited 13,000 people."

"Thirteen thousand people."

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then said, "Around 20,000 should be enough to stop."

On the one hand, the provisions for 20,000 new troops were roughly within the scope that the imperial court could easily afford.

It should be noted that the provisions and armor for 20,000 people are no small matter.

As the Shaanxi Transport Commissioner, it was not a problem for Jiang Zhao to use his authority appropriately to allocate some grain and fodder to supply the new army.

However, this is just a drop in the bucket, barely enough to support 20,000 people for an occasional extra meal.

The bulk of the grain and provisions still had to be supported by the imperial court.

Since we have the support of the imperial court, we must consider the court's decisions from a broader perspective.

Consuming too much food is not a good thing either.

Secondly, 20,000 men is exactly the limit for a few people to command troops.

If tens of thousands more were to arrive, it would be considered a large-scale military operation, requiring a "commander-in-chief" to lead it.

Leaving aside whether the imperial court would feel comfortable letting a young generation with no leadership experience take charge of the operation of a large army, the objective fact is that none of them have the ability to lead a large army.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang were the five people in charge. Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang were both logistics talents, mainly in charge of grain and fodder allocation and wealth accumulation.

Of the remaining three, Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, and Wang Shao, Jiang Zhao had read a lot and tried his hand at military strategy. He had also occasionally learned about leading large armies from his teacher, Han Zhang.

But no matter how much you study, it's all just theoretical knowledge.

His only advantage might be his experience in governance.

During his year in charge of the Transport Commission, he did specifically lead the local troops to transport grain and fodder.

Commanding troops with his experience in governance, he had over three thousand men escorting provisions. Apart from being slightly tired, he didn't feel much pressure.

Roughly speaking, he only had the ability to maintain the operation of a military camp with more than 10,000 soldiers.

Both Gu Tingye and Wang Shao were talented military commanders, but they were only good at theoretical discussions.

When Wang Shao first entered officialdom, he led an army of over 30,000 men. However, by then, Wang Shao had at least nine years of experience in governance. His ability to lead troops based on his governance experience was certainly not on the same level as when he first entered officialdom.

Gu Tingye has no experience in command yet, he has only learned some military skills.

These two, roughly estimated, are only worth around five or six thousand.

Recruiting too many soldiers may not be a good thing.

As long as it's suitable!

With 20,000 soldiers, 5,000 in charge of logistics, and the remaining 15,000 fighting, the three commanders would be able to lead them all, making the task considerably easier.

In addition, recruiting too many soldiers hastily can also affect agricultural production.

Twenty thousand!

Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhao took a sip of the honey water and pointed at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao: "Zhonghuai, Zichun. Once the new army is formed, the two of you will begin training the troops."

"Yes." The two nodded in unison.

"Dividing the 20,000 soldiers into two armies would roughly make eight divisions. We've specially prepared some soldiers with slightly weaker physiques to form two divisions, under the command of Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang, responsible for provisions and supplies. From the very beginning, these soldiers will be familiar with the process of transporting provisions. These soldiers are specifically responsible for transporting provisions and logistical support."

The Great Zhou Dynasty organized its troops into teams of fifty men each, two teams of one hundred men each into a "du" (都), five "du" together into a "zhihui" (指挥), five "zhihui" together into a "jun" (军), and ten "jun" together into a "xiang" (厢).

The newly formed army numbered 20,000, and Jiang Zhao naturally became the commander of the Xiangdu.

“Yes.” Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang nodded quickly.

"As for the remaining six armies, you two can start training. There's no need to worry about supplies." Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Besides the supplies provided by the court, I can allocate some to ensure that the soldiers have extra meals a few times every ten days."

The border troops relied on the imperial court for food supplies, as well as on supplies from Shaanxi Province.

The newly established Xiangjun (garrison troops) were also frontier troops, and procedurally, they could also enjoy the provisions dispatched by the Transport Commissioner.

As the head of the transport department, Jiang Zhao manipulated things a bit, reporting more grain consumption than actually needed. The extra grain that appeared out of nowhere could then be used to feed the new army.

Sometimes, happiness still depends on comparison.

Only through comparison can we better convince the public.

"In addition, remember to be a strict military commander, establish authority, be fair in rewards and punishments, and maintain strict military discipline."

"Strict military discipline, rewards for merit and punishment, and ample provisions." Jiang Zhao looked out and said, "With such measures, how can we not train an elite force?"

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao nodded in agreement.

"The morale of soldiers is paramount in battle."

Jiang Zhao said in a deep voice: "The new army has no experience in fighting. To boost morale, we must start by enhancing cohesion."

"When training troops, if there is any free time, we will find some teachers to teach the soldiers to recognize some simple characters."

Seeing that Wang Shao and Gu Tingye were somewhat puzzled, Jiang Zhao explained, "Pull out some white paper and write some slogans on it."

"Diligently hone your combat skills to safeguard the borders and ensure peace."

"When orders come, go forth; when on the battlefield, fight; and when you fight, you will surely win."