Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 50: Strict Military Discipline
Liu Bei refused and said, "Thank you for your kindness, King Qi. The army does not keep concubines. As the commander-in-chief, I must set an example."

The ability to control a strong army depends mainly on authority and the enforcement of laws.

Sun Tzu's Art of War pointed out early on that the key to successful military management lies in ensuring that laws and regulations are enforced, soldiers are well-trained, and rewards and punishments are clear.

Although he couldn't do the same as Wu Qi and help the soldiers suck out the poison from their sores, at least he could share the joys and sorrows with them and not act idiosyncratically in the barracks, so that the soldiers would be willing to fight for him.

This point must not be underestimated. Often at critical moments when the two armies are fighting for their lives, they will have some support for the main general and their psychological endurance will be higher.

In a battlefield where arrows are raining down, victory can be achieved by just holding out a little longer than the enemy.

Accepting concubines is a small matter, but destroying the atmosphere maintained by Liu Bei is the real big deal.

Moreover, those soldiers in the army who were not married had already found homeless women among those they rescued after the war, and they would match them in age.

As they were too poor to marry, the county officials were ordered to allocate money from the treasury to help them. As for those who still wanted to take concubines, it depended on whether they could make meritorious contributions and receive rewards.

"Xuan De, this..."

King Liu Li of Qi was somewhat surprised. Isn't it normal to keep maids and concubines in the army? !

But they are just an army organized by a group of common people, and they will just be farmers after they are disbanded. Why should they set an example?

Aren't they everywhere in the states of the Han Dynasty? You can grab a lot of them, so why do this?

Liu Li was obviously still at the stage where common people tilled the fields during the busy farming season and performed military service or corvee labor during wartime.

I don’t know that a large portion of the soldiers under Liu Bei’s command were recruited soldiers who were no longer needed to farm.

He only did two things well in his life: training in his spare time and killing people in war.

Even with the whole state's resources, Liu Bei could only support more than 7,000 people.

It’s not that we don’t want to expand the military, it’s that we really can’t afford it.

Auxiliary soldiers can be raised freely, but combat soldiers cannot do that at all.

Whether it is weapons, training, meat, fields, etc., the input costs are very expensive.

Xun Yu was also surprised when he first saw them, and asked, "Do you want to raise soldiers?"

In the historical records that the gentry could refer to, there was only the Wei Wuzu, which was first created by Wu Qi of the Wei State during the Warring States Period.

The cost of investment is comparable to that of the soldiers under Liu Bei's command.

It took the entire nation of Wei to support tens of thousands of people, and they were unable to replenish them later.

Although they had an army of 70,000, no one in the world could match them. As a result, their troops became fewer and fewer, and finally they were all wiped out. The Wei State also suddenly fell from its dominant position.

Xunzi commented that the Wei state could not last long because the cost of selection and training was too high, and because both the soldiers who died in battle and the newly selected soldiers were rewarded with good farmland.

How much land does the State of Wei have to give? Not enough for the nobles to share.

Xun Yu knew this, so he advised: "Xuan De, although raising soldiers can be a temporary advantage, it won't last long. This is not the right way to raise soldiers! There is limited fertile land, and how much can be rewarded?"

The most important thing is to distribute the land to the soldiers. How do the gentry and wealthy families feel about that?

Each soldier occupied one hundred acres, and a thousand soldiers occupied a thousand acres. It might not seem like much at first glance, but those who made military achievements were rewarded, and soldiers were encouraged to recruit refugees to farm on their behalf.

In Qingzhou, soldiers can be seen everywhere in various counties. Households are connected together, with military officials connected among them, as well as farm students in the countryside and wanderers in the market.

Xun Yu was sometimes confused and didn't know what the envoy wanted to do.

Liu Bei said, "The quality of soldiers is more important than their quantity. I can defeat the enemy with a small force and defeat the weak with my superior force. This is how I rely on it. Besides, I have auxiliary soldiers, and I have no plans to expand the number of military posts at the moment."

Xun Yu put aside his objections and estimated how much better this tactic could be than that of other princes...

Even Xun Yu was surprised, not to mention Qi Wang Liu Li who usually stayed at home. However, he did not want to pay attention to things that had nothing to do with him.

Soon he changed the subject and asked, "Xuan De, the court is controlled by the traitors from Liang Province, who are controlling the government and the emperor. Taxes and grain are difficult to deliver, but I heard that the salaries of the kings have been reduced. I wonder why?"

After hearing this, Liu Bei understood everything.

He explained: "Although the court cannot collect taxes and grain, the people's livelihood in Qingzhou is in decline, and many places need money. Not only will my salary be reduced by half, but the salaries of officials in counties and towns will also be reduced by one-sixth."

"When the state has more money, the money that should be repaid will be repaid."

Liu Li suddenly realized, nodded and smiled: "It's okay, it's okay. Since the state's treasury is short of money, it's okay to take some land and salary. I am also a member of the Liu clan. How can I stand idly by when the world is in danger?"

"Xuan De, you can use it for the time being. I still have some money to live on, so it won't be a problem."

Liu Li smiled and waved his hands.

My heart is bleeding, but it can only drip at this moment.

When the imperial court was powerless, how could the powerless princes possibly defeat the governor who held power over a state through military exploits?

After being rejected by Liu Bei after repeated invitations, King Liu Li of Qi had to return to the palace on his own.

Liu Bei stood at Yingkou, watching his magnificent carriage and a large group of attendants and maids going further and further away, and could not help but shake his head slightly.

The princes of the Eastern Han Dynasty had been supported by the imperial court for many years, and their spirits had become corrupted.

Luoyang was burned down and Chang'an was attacked wantonly.

The authority of the imperial court has disappeared. Once the layer of authority is torn off, the naked body will not be able to protect this vast country.

However, the princes did not realize what it meant that if the skin is gone, the hair will fall off and they still guarded their money and paid attention to the pomp and circumstance of their travels.

Don’t you know that without the protection of the court, no matter how much money you have, you are just helping others to guard it?

What is the use of pursuing temporary pleasure?

Is it too late to beg for mercy when the knife is at your neck?

Guan Hai walked into the tent on the muddy ground, cursing under his breath, "Damn it, it's raining! It feels uncomfortable everywhere."

When he saw Liu Bei standing in Yingkou, his expression immediately became restrained.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Guan Hai greets the envoy."

Liu Bei looked back and asked, "Captain Guan, have you inspected the weapons, armor, and arrows in your garrison?"

"This kind of weather is most corrosive. Don't be hasty and break your weapons on the battlefield, which could cost you your life."

Guan Hai did not dare to refute, and smiled while touching his cap and scarf, "Don't worry, sir. I have seen everything. After all, I have fought on the battlefield for many years, so how can I treat military affairs as a joke?"

Last year, Liu Bei recruited Guan Hai into the Xiandeng Camp as a garrison commander commanding a hundred men. He promoted him as an exception because of his bravery and experience in commanding others.

Otherwise, you have to start from the ranks as a soldier. No one in Liu Bei's army can become a military marquis, military secretary, or colonel.

If you want to be promoted, you must first kill the enemy and make merit on the battlefield, or cut off the flag, kill the general, and climb to the top of the city first.

Ran, who joined Liu Bei's army earlier than Guan Hai, is currently only the Sima of a military unit in Chaiying.

When Liu Bei was in Gaotang at the beginning, he was the chief of a hundred soldiers and went around suppressing bandits to raise county soldiers. Naturally, he understood that the first come first served rule also applies in the military camp.

No matter how capable one is, one must first find an opportunity to prove it. Suddenly promoting one will cause discord among the soldiers and generals.

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(End of this chapter)