Chapter 5020 Recruiting troops
In the imperial study room.
Li Chengqian drank tea slowly with his eyelids drooped, and ignored Pei Huaijie, who was standing respectfully in front of him. He did not get close to him because of Liu Ji's personal recommendation.
He was indeed dissatisfied with Pei Huaijie, who had served as the Henan Yin in Luoyang for many years. He had turned the whole land of Henan into a mess. The agricultural output was poor, land annexation was serious, and the people's lives were in dire straits, although it had not yet reached the point where "the people were in dire straits." , but they are almost the same.
Thinking that he was an honorable minister of Zhenguan, he was allowed to return to Chang'an.
But after returning to Chang'an, his performance was still unsatisfactory, so he was involved in the "Military Reform Commission". As a result, not much inside information was found. Even the collusion and alliance between Fang Jun and Li Ji could not be discovered in advance. Like Zheng Rentai, the corpse is useless and useless.
Thinking of Zheng Rentai, Li Chengqian was so angry that his liver ached...
Liu Jie looked at his face and frowned slightly, but now that the matter had come to this, he could only bite the bullet and said: "The Taiwei returned to the political affairs hall. Immediately, evil winds were everywhere and people's thoughts were moved. Instead of taking the interests of the empire as their own responsibility, his colleagues became more In order to focus on his own interests, if things go on like this, the harm will be far-reaching! Pei Pushe is very worried about this, but he only hopes to serve as his majesty’s vanguard and devote himself to the interests of the empire!”
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and said calmly: "How can I serve as a vanguard, and how can I dedicate myself to it?"
Pei Huaijie said: "Cui Dunli, the Minister of War, has always followed the advice of the Taiwei. He will always agree with the Taiwei's opinions, regardless of whether it harms the interests of the empire. Ma Zhou, the minister, and Dai Zhou, the minister of Dali Temple, also have their own biases. These three people are colluding, and they only see in their eyes." There is no personal gain for your majesty! I am a humble minister but I am willing to do my best for your majesty’s majesty!”
In this regard, Li Chengqian did not comment, looked at Liu Ji, and asked: "So, among the seven prime ministers of Zhengshitang, Taiwei has already occupied seven of them, and the major affairs of the court are controlled by one person?"
Liu Jie's face turned red and his ears were red. He lowered his head and said: "I am incompetent and I have failed your Majesty's trust."
This is not only a case of Fang Jun blocking the sky and evading the imperial power, but also a sign that Liu Jie is useless...
Li Chengqian sighed. He naturally knew Liu Ji's intention of bringing Pei Huaijie to the audience. Although he looked down upon the minister's right servant She who returned to Beijing in embarrassment from Luoyang, he still had to give back. He comforted him: "Pei Aiqing is in the political affairs hall. Assist Zhongshu Ling in handling official affairs, putting the interests of the empire first and do not slack off.”
Pei Huaijie was slightly excited: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best and die for you!"
Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Zhengshitang is not a dragon's den or a tiger's den. Where does 'die before one's own' come from? As long as you work conscientiously, I will keep it in mind."
Previously, Pei Huaijie suddenly rebelled and stabbed Liu Ji in the back. Li Chengqian did not like him very much. It is common for people in the court to switch sides due to interests. This kind of person cannot be wrong, but he has no moral integrity, so what? Can you be entrusted with important tasks?
Yesterday I stabbed Liu Ji in the back for profit, today I stabbed Fang Jun in the back for profit, and tomorrow I will definitely backstab him as the emperor for profit.
How does he regard these "second ministers"?
Zuo Zuo was just giving Liu Ji some face so that he would not be suppressed by Fang Jun in the political hall.
In fact, he never believed that Liu Ji was better than Fang Jun in terms of his ability to handle general affairs. As long as Fang Jun and Li Zhengcheng parted ways, the military would no longer be monolithic and the imperial power would no longer be ignored, he would prefer to let Fang Jun control the entire political affairs hall. Assist him in handling government affairs.
The mountain of documents almost exhausted all his energy...
Pei Huaijie was very excited: "I will obey the emperor's order!"
Although His Majesty has given Liu Ji the status of "civilian leader" and is eager to control his political affairs, serving Liu Ji and serving His Majesty are naturally completely different.
Li Chengqian nodded, thought for a while, and said: "In recent times, the 'Etiquette of the Ministry of Rites' has been a top priority. Aiqing may wish to help Zhongshu Ling Duoduo worry about this matter and work with the Ministry of Rites to ensure the smooth progress of the 'Examination of the Ministry of Rites'. There must be no accidents.”
Pei Huaijie became more and more excited and bowed in response: "Here!"
In the current imperial court, the imperial examination is a top priority, and whoever can participate in it means that his political status will be improved. At the same time, the aristocratic families in the world also attach great importance to the imperial examination. Whoever can become one of the "examiners" will naturally be praised and relied on by the aristocratic families, and their reputation and status will rise with each passing day.
*****
The Ministry of War Yamen.
At the "committee" meeting, a group of military giants arrived one after another to congratulate Fang Jun. Pei Huaijie asked with a smile: "I don't know when we will have a banquet for relatives and friends? The gifts have been prepared. I must go and ask for a glass of wine." .”
Fang Jun waved his hand with a smile and said: "As the 'Etiquette Examination' is approaching, Chang'an City is overcrowded and the public security is bad, so there is no need to make any big plans. Then just choose a date to invite friends to come to the humble house for a gathering. Otherwise, if Every child is born more than once, and it’s hard for you to give small gifts. Doesn’t this make the already poor life even worse?”
Everyone laughed, of course this was a joke, no matter how generous the gift was, I could afford it...
When Li Ji arrived, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became serious and the meeting officially began.
……
Li Ji spoke seriously, pointed to a document issued by the "committee" a few days ago, and asked Fang Jun: "In this document, the Duke of Yue explained various shortcomings of the government's military system. I think it is true, but also I also want to remind Duke Yue that although The imperial military system has various shortcomings, but it has also created several dynasties such as Wei, Zhou, Sui and Tang. The military is so prosperous in the world that it may not be as unbearable as you say. It would be too much to abandon it and completely deny it. Radical.”
Among the current "committee", there is almost polarization on what kind of military system the empire should adopt. Either Li Ji believes that the "Fu Military System" was brilliant for a while and created several dynasties. Its advantages naturally outweigh the disadvantages and should be inherited, even if it is a little. Disadvantages can only be slightly modified; either the "mansion army system" is completely rejected, thinking that it has completely lagged behind the times, and the "recruitment system" is a better answer.
Fang Junzhi's point of view is the latter.
"There are no perfect rules or systems in the world. We can only follow the trend of the times or go against the trend. When the empire was first established, the treasury was empty and the manpower was scarce. The 'fu army system' can greatly reduce the pressure on the treasury. People can work as farmers in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime. It is really a last resort. But its shortcomings have never been concealed. The root of the 'Fubing System' lies in the 'Equal Land System'. As land annexation becomes more and more frequent, the land that can be rewarded becomes increasingly scarce. Even measuring acres is a drop in the bucket and cannot be sustained at all. "< br>
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and continued: "What's particularly important is that now the empire has a vast territory. When soldiers go to the frontier to guard the border, it often takes several months to travel. If there is a war, they often face confrontation for several months and fight for several months... This means that the minimum time for each soldier in the army is more than ten months. He is a soldier in wartime and works in farming during peacetime. , this is the system of the soldiers, but being in the army for such a long time will inevitably delay the farming season. There is no time to plant in the spring, and there will be no harvest in the autumn. The soldiers have to bear their own weapons, armor, and weapons. War horses, if things go on like this and the cultivated land is abandoned, who will be willing to join the army and defend the border? ”
The advantages and disadvantages of the "fu army system" are equally obvious.
Seeing everyone pondering, Fang Jun continued: "The most important point is that the 'mansion military system' causes the soldiers to accept the control of the local government, and the central government has low control over them. It is extremely easy to lead to the consequences of 'weak branches and strong branches'. In addition, the previous local control The hidden dangers of 'warlords' in intercepting wealth are extremely huge."
This is an important reason why the "mansion army system" was eventually replaced by the "recruitment system".
As the country's situation stabilizes and its wealth grows by leaps and bounds, it is common for local governments to seize money and food. With money, food, and soldiers, local power continues to expand. Once there is a crisis in the central government, local governments will take the opportunity to gain power, and the situation will be like the "Anshi Rebellion" will be formed immediately.
No regime can be as stable as ever. There may not be the "Anshi Rebellion", but there will definitely be other chaos.
When the center loses control of the army, "Jiedushi" will inevitably emerge, and the huge empire will immediately fall into pieces...
Li Ji frowned: "What you said is true, but is the 'recruitment system' all its advantages? Apart from other things, the consumption of the national treasury alone is an unbearable burden. The empire has a vast territory, including Anxi, Hanhai, Anxi, and Anxi. Wait for the Protectorate's Mansion in the east, and then add the side There are many important towns on the border, and there are millions of soldiers guarding them. If the "recruitment system" is adopted, the armor, military rations, horses, and ordnance will all come from the national treasury, and military pay will be issued...the military expenditures consumed are simply appalling. "
What is the greatest advantage of the "Fubing System"?
save money.
When going to the battlefield, the soldiers prepare their own weapons, horses, and armor. The court only needs to provide food. In this way, the money and food required to recruit an army is reduced to the lowest level, and hundreds of thousands of troops can be easily recruited.
But once it becomes a "professional army", everything it needs must be supplied by the court, and the logistical pressure increases sharply.
There is no need to fight, just regular border defense, and the annual military expenditure will be an astronomical figure. Once there are one or two wars on the border, the money and food consumed will be endless...
Fang Junqi said: "The reforms we are discussing here are only related to the military system. We are discussing how to return the general power to the center and how to improve the combat effectiveness of the army. As for whether too much money and food are spent, that is a matter for the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs or the Minister of War. What does our responsibility have to do with us? Moreover, with the current national strength, it may not be able to bear the consumption of a million troops.”
Li Ji was a little dissatisfied: "What the Duke of Yue said is wrong. If the military reform we have discussed is completely impossible to implement, even if it is excellent and perfect, what is the use?" Old God Li Jing was drinking on the side. Tea, turned a deaf ear to this argument and stayed out of it. The rest of the people couldn't get a word in the argument between the two. Only Fang Jun and Li Ji spoke in the entire hall, while the rest remained silent and didn't say a word...