Chapter 4474 Concentration of Power
Since the royal family of Li and Tang Dynasties usurped the former Sui Dynasty from the Guanlong clan, how could they not know how cruelly the clan corrupted the army? Stationing the armies of the Sixteenth Guards in various parts of the world can indeed deter all parties and stabilize the political situation, but it will also give local clans an opportunity to infiltrate and erode the army.
Once these armies are controlled by aristocratic families from all over the country and do not respect the court's orders, the old story of "Eighteen Route Princes Betraying Hu Lao" in the late Han Dynasty will even occur. Weak branches and strong branches will lead to the decline of the country...
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said calmly: "Prince, don't worry. After the Sixteenth Guards Army is stationed in various places, the generals will be rotated regularly to avoid the bad habits of the army only knowing the commander and not knowing the court's rules."
There was silence in Wude Hall for a while, and Li Xiaogong was also a little shocked. He opened his mouth, but in the end he said nothing.
Rotation of generals?
How dare you!
Military power comes from the support of the army. This is not something that only military officers can achieve. It requires a long period of time to install cronies and win over people's hearts. Anyone who can reach the status of a military commander is considered an outstanding figure. Such people spend countless efforts to temper. The troops that came out acted like a master and obeyed orders, and then you gave them a rotation?
Who can be willing?
The army of sixteen guards, sixteen generals, even if they are reincarnated every year, it will take sixteen years... Who can completely control the army from now on?
How can military power be demonstrated if one cannot be in charge of the army?
Without military power, how could those generals give up?
This directly overturns all the rules and takes back all the military power that originally belonged to the general to the emperor...
Can it be implemented?
Li Xiaogong didn't know it, but if it was implemented smoothly, it would mean an unprecedented concentration of imperial power, and it would be able to truly realize "no one dares to disobey the emperor's orders."
Li Ji on the side expressed concern: "Not to mention whether such an approach will make the generals of the Sixteenth Guards panic. Just such a rotation of the generals of the Sixteenth Guards will inevitably lead to the situation where the generals do not know the soldiers and the soldiers do not know the generals, seriously weakening the army. Combat strength, affecting military unity.”
Fang Jun disagreed: "When all the middle and upper-level officers in the army come from the 'Martial Arts Hall', have received the most systematic education, and have deep-rooted loyalty and patriotism, these worries will no longer exist."
The army is the most special existence. If a country cannot fully control the army, it will perish sooner or later. The only way to make the army completely loyal to the country and the monarch is for all officers in the army to undergo systematic patriotism education. , making them determined to dedicate themselves to the country and put national interests above everything else at any time and anywhere.
Of course, achieving such a goal in this era will require decades of hard work. During this period, not only will huge investments be made in the construction of military academies, but we will also have to fight against senior military officials who are unwilling to give up military power.
There is a long way to go.
Li Chengqian made the final decision: "No reform can be accomplished overnight, but from now on, this policy will become the key to the reform of the army. The imperial court will implement it consistently. All of you, dear friends, should do your best to cooperate with me."
"Here!"
Several military ministers responded in unison.
Today, with Fang Jun's strong support and the aristocratic family in an extremely weak state, the emperor's authority has reached its peak, even worse than during the Zhenguan period. After all, although Emperor Taizong was civilized, military, and heroic, , but the power of the aristocratic family makes it difficult to achieve ambitions and hinders everything.
And Li Chengqian, through two huge risks that nearly escaped death, obtained the concentration of imperial power that Emperor Taizong had not obtained...
As long as Fang Jun supports any policy, no one can stop it, including Li Ji, the "first person in the DPRK".
In fact, everyone knew that Li Chengqian was mediocre in talent, and all reform measures must have been carried out by Fang Jun. In other words, Fang Jun realized his changes to the empire through Li Chengqian, the emperor.
Is this a good thing?
Of course not. Li Chengqian's role is a bit embarrassing, almost equivalent to a "puppet". As long as Fang Jun is willing, he seems to be able to control the government at any time and complete the evolution of a "powerful minister".
Is it a bad thing?
It doesn't seem to count. Everyone present is a knowledgeable person who knows where the potential crisis of the empire lies. If Fang Jun follows Fang Jun's series of reforms and advances slowly, the empire will only become stronger and stronger.
The unparalleled concentration of imperial power displayed today is all an illusion. In time, when various reforms are on track, imperial politics will inevitably return to the "political hall system" and "collectively restrict imperial power."
Reform requires strong force to push forward and break through the resistance of vested interests. This is unanimously recognized by the ministers, and no one can stop it.
The "Zhengshitang system" divides the imperial power into countless parts and leaves it to the ministers to govern the country through the Zhengshitang. This is also what the ministers hope for.
Since the most difficult thing is already being pushed forward by Fang Jun, why not just go with the flow and see the result?
If successful, everyone's power will not be diminished.
If it fails, all the responsibilities can be put on Fang Jun alone...
Advance to attack, retreat to defend.
Therefore, when Fang Jun submitted the matter of establishing the Zuo Jinwu Guards and recommended the candidates for the generals of the Zuo Jinwu Guards, no one had any objections.
Everyone knows that this is not only His Majesty's praise for Fang Jun's military exploits during the rebellion, but also His Majesty's move to trust Fang Jun to take charge of the security of the capital.
But Li Xiaogong couldn't help but said: "The name 'Jinwu Guard' must have come from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's 'Zhi Jinwu'. After hearing the Duke of Yue's introduction to his powers and responsibilities, he did not hesitate to give in... It's just that the capital is forbidden." , is it appropriate to give such transcendent power to an army?”
According to the scope of duties of the Jinwu Guards after Fang Jun was established, they included patrolling the capital, forbidding thieves, arresting criminals, trying prison cases, garrisoning the capital, and temporary expeditions, patrolling the capital, beacon guards, water, fire, and roads all fell under his responsibilities... ...The power was so great that almost the entire city of Chang'an was under its jurisdiction, and tens of thousands of people traveled through the capital without any control.
I think back then, even Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, the leader of the ZTE, once said with envy, "Official officials should be treated as Zhi Jinwu, and wives should be treated as Yin Lihua." This shows the overwhelming power of "Zhi Jinwu".
The "Jinwu Guards" formed and led by Fang Jun controlled the capital. Although they were able to maintain the stability of the imperial power, at the same time, they put the entire capital under their control. Their overwhelming power would inevitably touch the interests of others and lead to internal power struggles, which may not necessarily be the case. That's a good thing...
Li Chengqian cannot argue with this point: "Emperor Taizong marched eastward and diverted countless money and food from Guanzhong. Afterwards, he rebelled twice in succession. The various places in Guanzhong were even more turbulent and chaotic, and disobedient people emerged one after another. Jingzhao Mansion, Baiqisi, Left and Right Wu The overlapping powers and responsibilities of the guards and other officials and the chaotic management have led to petty speculation and endangerment of the country. Now it is necessary to unify the powers and responsibilities of the Jinwu Guards. "
The Jinwu Guard controlled both inside and outside Chang'an, which was indeed a great threat to the imperial power. However, as long as the Jinwu Guard was controlled by Fang Jun, Li Chengqian could rest easy and not consider the safety of the imperial power at all.
On the contrary, during the previous two rebellions of Guanlong and King Jin, not only the central operation of the imperial court was stagnant, but the entire defense, public security, anti-theft, etc. of Chang'an completely collapsed. The rebels not only attacked the city with great fanfare, but also They even instigated rebellion, assassinated, and disrupted people inside and outside the city, causing the huge city of Chang'an to be panicked and undefended. If Li Jing had not been stationed outside Chunming Gate to intimidate all city gates, Chang'an City would have fallen long ago.
Inside the Taiji Palace, Baiqisi and imperial guards are in charge of the residence guard, while outside the Taiji Palace, all the left and right Jinwu guards are in charge. With clear rights and responsibilities and clear duties, they will surely be able to better manage and defend Chang'an.
After all, when the reforms on land and taxation are slowly advanced, he, the emperor, is very likely to become a "foolish emperor" and "tyrant" criticized by people all over the world. If the entire Chang'an city cannot be arranged like an iron barrel, it will not be possible. One day, he will be assassinated by collusion between the family members inside and outside...
Only by handing over the defense of Chang'an City to Fang Jun could he, the emperor, rest in peace. He could not trust anyone else.
Everyone could only remain silent, but they could not help but sigh in their hearts. The power and responsibility of the Jinwu Guard were overwhelming. At the same time, Fang Jun, who was in charge of the Jinwu Guard, had overwhelming authority.
If Fang Jun had not refused to manage government affairs, I am afraid that the first "powerful official" in the Tang Dynasty would have appeared...
However, Fang Jun had a general understanding of the general situation, knew how to advance and retreat, and had a deep sense of awe. He took the initiative to avoid government affairs and only controlled military power, leaving some leeway.
*****
At noon, meals were prepared in the imperial dining room. The emperor and several military ministers had a brief meal in the duty room of the "Military Department". The meeting lasted until the evening, when it was temporarily concluded. The two consecutive mutinies of Guan Long and King Jin showed that there are huge problems in the current military system and reform is really necessary. However, in the face of the bold moves of the emperor and Fang Jun, Li Ji, Li Jing, and Li Xiaogong were cautious. attitude, expressing opposition from time to time, but because Xue Wanche followed Fang Jun closely throughout the process, he agreed to everything Fang Jun proposed, which resulted in many proposals being passed one after another.
This made Li Ji, Li Jing, and Li Xiaogong very depressed...
They have no intention of maintaining the vested interests in the past, but seeing the political affairs hall being muddied by Xue Wanche, an unprincipled man, they are naturally dissatisfied.
Even if the number of military and aircraft ministers is reduced by one, it's better than leaving Xue Wanche, an unlearned fool, messing around here, right?
The five-person Military Aircraft Department Fang Jun and Xue Wanche each have one vote, plus His Majesty's two votes, and they can always pass each policy smoothly under the rule of "the minority obeys the majority"...
Li Ji and others finally saw the power demonstrated by the concentration of imperial power. In a simple word, it is "the supreme emperor in the Ninth Five-Year Plan, with the Constitution of Heaven in his mouth." The emperor's will will be implemented without any hindrance, and everyone in the empire will do it. One body.
Of course, the premise is that the emperor is wise and powerful, not arrogant and arbitrary, and will not be bewitched or coerced by powerful ministers... (End of this chapter)