My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 391 The Right Jinwu Guards are all the prince's men
A decree from the prince was issued.

These former military officers of the Right Jinwu Guard no longer had any temper at all.

Li Chengqian redivided the official organization of the Jinwu Guard, and this expansion made too many people feel outrageous.

The position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard still belongs to Prince Jin. After all, even if Li Chengqian adds one more person, he doesn't know who to add. It's just a title.

However, two generals of the Right Jinwu Guard were directly added.

The new General of the Jinwu Guard, Right King of Han Li Yuanchang, and the former Commander of the Royal Guard Li Anyan.

Li Anyan had been transferred out of the palace a long time ago. Because of the previous incident, it was naturally impossible for him to gain Li Shimin's trust again.

During the time when Li Chengqian went to Liaodong, Li Anyan had a very uncomfortable life and was ostracized, but the situation of the prince's old subordinates was similar.

Fortunately, the prince returned to Chang'an, and everyone became active again.

In fact, Li Chengqian was not qualified to be conferred the position of Jinwu General, which was equivalent to an oblique appointment without the regulations of the Secretariat.

Theoretically speaking, such an appointment would have no effect within the Jinwu Guard, but since the crown prince had conferred the title, everyone had no choice but to accept it.

Not only did Li Chengqian increase the original two Jinwu Generals to four, he also expanded the number of Jinwu Guard Lieutenant Generals to fifty-four in one go.

This corresponds to the fifty-four wards in Wannian County.

Each Zhonglang general was in charge of a block.

The current number of the Right Jinwu Guards, together with the Liaodong soldiers, has reached 50,000.

For most officials in the government and the opposition, this is simply outrageous.

However, the immediate benefit brought about by this is the overall improvement of public security in Wannian County.

In the past, there were not enough Right Jinwu guards, so the control over the various prefectures was naturally much less, and in most cases the problems were left to the village heads themselves.

It’s completely different now, because the number of people has increased massively, and with the title of Right Jinwu Guard, we always have to do something.

In addition to daily drills, street patrols were increased on a large scale.

Therefore, in Wannian County of Chang'an, patrolling Jinwu Guards can be seen at any time on the roads of every block.

And not just during the day, but at night as well.

This completely left the bandits with no way out.

As soon as you go out, you will see the Jinwu Guards. As soon as you turn a corner, you will see the Jinwu Guards again. Whenever there is any movement, the Jinwu Guards from all the streets will come.

How can I steal this?
Not to mention stealing, any quarrel or disturbance, if the noise is loud enough, would attract the Jinwu Guards to come and inquire about the situation.

With this being the case, how can public security be bad?

In the meeting room of the Right Jinwu Guard General's Mansion, the ticking sound of the copper clock was particularly harsh.

More than ten Lieutenant Generals, with their armor still on, knocked their swords on their waists against the Hu stools, making crackling sounds.

Lu Tong stared at the pile of military pay books on his desk and frowned slightly.

These Lieutenants Generals were originally from the Jinwu Guards, and some of them were newly promoted. The prince nominated fifty-four Lieutenants Generals, and naturally gave Lu Tong a few places.

"General Lu, please say something!"

The person who spoke was Niu Jinda, the Lieutenant General of Guangdefang. He was a colonel last year, but this year he was promoted to Lieutenant General. It can be said that he was very happy. He was also one of Lu Tong's confidants.

"I have three younger brothers waiting to get married in my hometown, so I have to delay paying my salary this month."

A few days ago, Niu Jinda was extremely excited when he was promoted to General of the Central Army. He hosted a banquet for his colleagues, and the little money in his pocket was instantly depleted. He had been counting on this month's salary, but after several days, there was no movement.

You must know that in the past the imperial court salaries were never in arrears.

"It's more than just procrastination!"

Wang Xiongdan, the Lieutenant Colonel of Yanshoufang, slammed the table so hard that the oil in the teacup sloshed out of the edge. "This morning, someone from the Ministry of Revenue said that from now on, the food and wages of the Jinwu Guard will be directly managed by the Crown Prince, and the national treasury will not be responsible! How can this be justified? We are appointed officials of the imperial court!"

This is the problem. The salaries of the Jinwu Guards are naturally paid from the national treasury.

But now that the entire Jinwu Guard has become under the command of the prince, Li Shimin naturally would not ask the national treasury to provide money and food for the prince to raise troops. What's the difference between that and aiding the enemy?

Zhonglang Jiang Wang Chengye snorted coldly: "I have inquired about it. The Liaodong soldiers under the crown prince are paid as usual. Their organization is different from ours, and they are paid two more strings of cash than us."

"We are like stepmothers. If His Majesty doesn't give us anything, the prince won't even look at us."

For Wang Chengye, whether the Right Jinwu Guard is under the control of His Majesty or the Crown Prince, his position has not changed, but the salary has now become a problem.

Moreover, the Crown Prince changed the system and expanded the number of Generals of the Central Army to 54. In fact, his power as the General of the Central Army was also divided. Naturally, he sounded very dissatisfied.

Originally he followed the Prince of Jin, but now with the Liaodong soldiers coming in, he can only follow Lu Tong for warmth.

After all, we were all colleagues before and belonged to the original Right Jinwu Guard.

Many of the Liaodong soldiers couldn't even speak Chinese clearly. In his eyes, they were no different from barbarians.

"Everyone raise their heads."

Lu Tong's voice was like a loud bell, shaking the dust on the beams to the ground.

"The Crown Prince summoned me last night and told me personally that the brothers of the Right Jinwu Guard must not lose heart."

Niu Jinda raised his head suddenly, hope burning in his eyes, "General, what about the salary?"

Lu Tong pulled out a roll of rice paper from his sleeve and said, "The Crown Prince knows that you are all very angry. At midnight last night, the red seal of the Eastern Palace Duzhi Division was still on my military report. The new salary will arrive within two days."

Wang Chengye sneered and tapped his badge with his fingertips: "General, do you think we are children? The Liaodong soldiers' salaries are paid on time, but ours are delayed for ten days. Why?"

Lu Tong snorted coldly: "General Wang, what can you compare with the prince's personal soldiers?"

"You should be grateful that the prince did not take away your official position."

"If you don't like it, feel free to resign and leave. This general will not stop you."

The atmosphere in the hall became serious.

Several generals headed by Wang Chengye looked at each other.

They had followed Prince Jin earlier.

I can't pee in the same pot with Lu Tong.

But since the salary would not be given up, they had no choice but to come together to seek an explanation. After all, their brothers below depended on the salary for their livelihood.

Without money and food, who will follow you?

Wang Chengye's Adam's apple rolled, but he didn't know how to respond.

The others were also silent.

This is the rank of General of the Central Army, a middle- to senior-level military officer, an official position below the fourth rank.

His rank is comparable to that of the Governor of Zhongzhou, but because he is directly under the Central Imperial Guards, his actual status is more important.

The salary was mainly composed of three parts: an annual salary of 280 dan of rice, a monthly salary of 2,400 wen, and 700 acres of official land.

Not to mention other gray income.

Especially now, the Crown Prince has expanded the number of his troops to fifty-four Lieutenant-Generals. It seems that the power is divided, but in fact each Lieutenant-General is in charge of a district and is in charge of the affairs within the district. Their actual power is higher, or in other words, they have more benefits.

Only a fool would resign. Not to mention ordinary people, even for most aristocratic families, the official positions below the fourth rank are the ceiling. Going up, only the emperor's confidants can take up the post.

The Prince of Jin is your Majesty's legitimate son, but he can only hold the title of General of the Right Jinwu Guard, not to mention that your Majesty has so many illegitimate sons.

There was only a General of the Jinwu Guard between the General of the Central Army and the General of the Right Jinwu Guard.

The most important thing is that now the prince has the final say over the entire Right Jinwu Guard.

When Lu Tong reported this to the Crown Prince, he was a little unhappy and dismissed them from their posts. Who could they turn to for justice?

Seeing that it was almost done, Lu Tong also knew that he would give a sweet date after giving a good blow.

The prince has ordered not to let the Right Jinwu Guard cause any trouble.

Each of these Generals of the Central Army had either accumulated meritorious service or inherited the throne through family connections.

They shed blood and sweat for the Tang Dynasty's conquests.

The reason why Li Chengqian did not cut the Right Jinwu Guard and retained their official positions was that he did not want to disappoint the meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty.

At least it shows an attitude that even if Li Chengqian ascends the throne, he will remember the old ministers who have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty.

After all, the fight between the Crown Prince and His Majesty is a private matter within the royal family and should not involve former heroes.

Such an attitude can also reassure many soldiers.

Following Your Majesty, if the prince wins, he will not be liquidated.

When the Crown Prince rebelled, Your Majesty did not say anything about settling accounts with the Crown Prince's former subordinates.

These all express the same meaning.

This is to control the internal struggle of the royal family within a small scope. In the end, no matter who wins between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, we are all still soldiers of the Tang Dynasty and are not allowed to question them.

For Li Shimin and Li Chengqian, they would also need these elite soldiers to govern the world in the future.

"The prince said that this time the salary will be treated equally for both old and new recruits, with a 20% increase. But there is one thing."

Lu Tong's eyes swept across Wang Chengye like a knife: "If you dare to discuss 'favoring one over the other' in private again, I will not recognize you with this knife!"

Hearing this, everyone was immediately delighted.

Adding two levels of salary every month is equivalent to four hundred and eighty coins. It may not seem like much, but when accumulated over time, it becomes a lot of money.

Wang Chengye's face turned pale. He knew that if this continued, they would have no choice but to follow the prince.

However, the story is not over yet.

Lu Tong looked around at everyone and said slowly, "The Crown Prince has ordered that from today onwards, the construction of the Jinwu Guard Canteen will begin simultaneously in all fifty-four districts of Wannian County."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence in the conference room at first, and then a buzz of discussion broke out.

Niu Jinda couldn't help but say, "General, building a canteen is no small matter. How can we gather bricks, stones, wood, and craftsmen in such a short time? Moreover, we have to buy food ingredients and arrange kitchen staff after the construction is completed, which will cost a lot of money."

Lu Tong raised his hand to interrupt: "The prince has already made arrangements."

"The Ministry of Finance of the Eastern Palace has allocated special funds, and the Ministry of Works will also dispatch skilled craftsmen to assist. Within three days, construction sites in various districts will begin."

Wang Xiong couldn't help but say, "There are more than a thousand soldiers in one ward. How big a canteen would it be to accommodate a thousand people?"

Lu Tong said, "Each canteen can provide food for a thousand people. Meals are served at 3 o'clock every day, including meat and vegetables. Not only that, the prince also specifically ordered that stables and hay sheds be built next to the canteen to make it easier for the brothers to take care of the horses when they return from patrolling the streets."

Wang Chengye frowned and said, "General, it's not that I'm worried, but I wonder how much the food in the cafeteria costs?"

In his opinion, this was probably the prince's way of making money.

We raised everyone’s salary by two levels, and earned that much back from the canteen, or even more.

According to the prince's rules, probably all the Jinwu Guards have to pay this money.

He was very familiar with this method of making money. After all, many of his subordinates accepted money under various pretexts.

Lu Tong glanced at Wang Chengye, but felt in his heart that Wang Chengye had become an eyesore at this moment.

Without his words, no one would be able to feel the prince's kindness.

But he just snorted coldly and said, "The prince said that this is to show sympathy for the hard work of the Jinwu Guards, so the meals in the cafeteria are provided free of charge to the Jinwu Guards."

"Not only are three meals provided free of charge every day, but we also provide extra meals on the first and fifteenth days of each month, including wine and meat!"

"But there is one rule: do not waste food. Anyone who wastes food will be punished by military law."

"Each canteen is managed by the Prince's Household Order Temple. The dishes are divided into three levels. Ordinary soldiers have one meat dish and one vegetable dish. Soldiers above the rank of sergeant can have a stew. The Lieutenant General can cook his own special meal."

Niu Jinda's eyes widened, and he rubbed his ears fiercely with his rough hands: "Did I hear it wrong? Free? How can there be such a good thing!"

Lu Tong said calmly: "If you don't want to eat, then this general can report to the prince and allow you to eat without entering the cafeteria."

Niu Jinda said quickly: "No, no, what I just said was nonsense, General, please don't tell the prince."

These words immediately made everyone laugh out loud, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that Lu Tong was joking.

After a slight hesitation, Niu Jinda asked, "I wonder what food is in the cafeteria."

You know, there are 50,000 Right Jinwu Guards now. The prince not only pays their salaries, but also provides them with free meals. How good is that?

Niu Jinda was not asking this to himself, after all, the General of the Central Army could cook for himself and the food must be good. Instead, he was asking to his brothers below.

Lu Tong smiled and said, "In the morning, we have Hu pancakes, cheese, and pickles. At noon, we have both meat and vegetables, and plenty of white rice. In the evening, we also have hot noodle soup and pancakes. We will never let the brothers patrol the night with an empty stomach!"

These words immediately made the atmosphere lively.

For the lower-level soldiers of the Zhonglang General rank, food is a big problem.

If the prince provided it for free, it would be easier for them to lead the team.

But having said that, everyone can't help but feel a little worried.

The Crown Prince still has 30,000 Shenwu troops in the Daming Palace, which means 80,000 soldiers are needed.

Where does the money and food come from to support it? Is this just empty promises?
But at this time, naturally no one broke it.

"I will definitely not let you down, Your Highness!"

All the Zhonglang Jiangs clasped their fists in unison, and their voices echoed throughout the conference room.

At this moment, both the former subordinates and those who still had doubts in their hearts had burning flames in their eyes.

After all, in this world, being able to have a free meal can move people more than any promise.

But for Li Chengqian, maintaining 80,000 soldiers and horses was not a big deal.

After plundering the entire Liaodong nobility, their wealth had piled up into mountains of gold and silver. Moreover, Li Chengqian had already vigorously built seagoing ships and opened up the Maritime Silk Road.

Eighty thousand soldiers and horses converted into money would only be a few million dollars per month, which is no problem.

Come to think of it, you eat the prince's food, but you don't owe him your loyalty?

The main reason why Li Chengqian wanted to build a canteen was to bypass the officer level and let the lower-level soldiers truly feel his favor.

(End of this chapter)