Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

After the new emperor ascended the throne, the new army of the Daqian Dynasty was established.

The army that originally belonged to the Ministry of War in the Daqian Dynasty was incorporated into Ximentang.

of course,

Not all soldiers are eligible to join Simon's Hall.

The Imperial Guards, in the past, did not stand in their way when facing Prince Ning, Li Mu.

but,

All of this has nothing to do with the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, but rather with the high command of the Imperial Guard.

After Ximen Tang incorporated the Imperial Guards, all the soldiers came to the drill ground of the military camp in the capital.

in fact,

After Ximen Tang occupied the capital, Hong Chaoge, the leader of the Imperial Guards, knew that the situation was hopeless and was also worried about being purged.

He led 100,000 imperial guards out of the capital to western Sichuan to seek refuge with Li Zicheng, the King of Shu.

Therefore,
Of the imperial guards in the capital, not many were able to remain.

Only about 30,000 soldiers wanted to join the Ximen Hall; the rest had left the military and no longer wanted to serve.

Fortunately, Ximentang has extensive experience in expanding its military.

All former Imperial Guard soldiers who wish to join the Ximen Hall were initially placed in military camps.

Next,
Every soldier needs to be re-registered. The registration staff will ask them about their ancestral home, name, former official rank, martial arts skills, special talents, and so on.

Cheng Huayuan was a commander of a thousand men in the Imperial Guard, with the official rank of Assistant General.

His martial arts skills are considered very high among the Imperial Guards; he has already broken through to the Great Perfection of Iron Bone Dark Force.

Accompanying him were several deputy brigade commanders, assistant brigade commanders, captains, and so on.

in fact,

Cheng Huayuan was not old, not even forty years old.

His martial arts talent was exceptionally high; he was originally just an ordinary commander in the Imperial Guard.

However, when Prince Ning, Li Mu's army entered the capital...

The commander in charge of guarding the capital city offered no resistance and eventually followed Hong Chaoge in withdrawing from the capital city to western Sichuan.

Therefore,
Cheng Huayuan was temporarily appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief and served as the commander, thus becoming the highest-ranking commander of the Imperial Guards remaining in the capital.

to be frank,
Almost all the commanders of Ximentang's elite troops are quite young.

People like Yan Kuangtu, Zhang Changfeng, and General Xiong Chao are already considered to be the oldest.

therefore,

One of the most distinctive features of the Ximen Hall is that it has never followed a seniority system.

To advance to a higher position, one must have military merits.

The officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard were reassigned based on their age, martial arts skills, and other qualifications.

All previous official positions were revoked.

Although Cheng Huayuan was the acting commander-in-chief, after surrendering to Ximentang, he was treated the same as other junior commanders.

His soldiers were completely disorganized, and some of the more skilled fighters were appointed as captains.

Cheng Huayuan, the former commander of a thousand households, unexpectedly received the same living conditions as other ordinary soldiers.

They did not receive any special treatment in terms of accommodation; they lived in the same place as ordinary soldiers.

He ate with the soldiers and was not given any special treatment.

Several deputy generals and captains were very dissatisfied with joining the Ximen Hall.

They were full of complaints, believing it was unfair.

Previously, in the Imperial Guard, they had worked very hard to be promoted to officers.

Whether it's food or lodging, there's a clear class difference between them and ordinary soldiers.

But now, he receives the same treatment as all ordinary soldiers.

Therefore,
Many of the officers who defected from the Imperial Guard felt somewhat resentful.

but,

The Imperial Guard has been disbanded and a new army has been formed.

Therefore, the officers at the lower levels can only grumble a few words at most, but they can't change anything.

Cheng Huayuan sighed helplessly upon hearing the complaints of his junior officers.

Before this, he was just an ordinary commander of a thousand men, not a true high-ranking military officer.

Even if he has some grievances, what can he do about it?
Things are different now. In the entire Great Qian Dynasty, military power is now controlled by Ximen Tang.

Upon arriving at the military training ground in the capital, logistics personnel quickly distributed military uniforms to everyone.

All the uniforms of the Imperial Guard were discarded.

Ximentang has its own standardized military uniforms; the marines all use camouflage uniforms.

The officers' uniforms were slightly different in style, but mainly dark green.

In any case, it was completely different from the uniform of the Imperial Guard in the past.

Next,
The staff in charge of distributing military uniforms from Ximentang collected all the armor, swords, and muskets from all the junior officers of the Imperial Guard.

Upon witnessing this scene, Cheng Huayuan quickly asked the staff.

Why take away the armor and swords? Does Ximen Tang not intend to incorporate the Imperial Guards into his army?

Is the purpose of this to get rid of all the lower-ranking officers?
The logistics personnel of Ximen Hall explained the situation to Cheng Huayuan and other junior officers.

Because these soldiers and officers of the Imperial Guard, although they had been incorporated into Ximen Tang's army.

but,

They are not yet officially part of the Ximentang army.

Anyone who wants to become an elite soldier in the West Gate must undergo rigorous testing and two months of discipline and military posture training.

Only by passing the test can one become a qualified soldier of the Ximen Hall.

To know,
The elite soldiers of Ximentang were not only equipped with muskets, but also with bulletproof vests, helmets, leather boots, tactical belts, sabers and other cutting-edge individual equipment.

but,

These recruited Imperial Guard soldiers had no idea about any of this.

Seeing that they were being treated differently, they all refused to stand up for it.

Cheng Huayuan also felt discriminated against, so he quickly stopped the logistics staff of Ximentang and asked:
“Sir, we are all soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty. Although Ximentang used to be the private army of the Shandong Governor’s Office, the situation is completely different now.”

"We are all soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty, so why are we being treated differently?"

"Is it because we are soldiers of the Imperial Guard and not soldiers of Ximen Hall?"

Not only Cheng Huayuan was dissatisfied, but everyone around him was also dissatisfied.

The logistics personnel seemed to have been prepared in advance.

He glanced at the disgruntled Imperial Guards around him and said calmly:

"The military regulations of Ximen Hall are completely different from those of the previous military regulations of the Daqian Army."

"We are a battle-hardened army, the most elite force of the Great Qian Dynasty, and have never been defeated."

"You don't even bother to ask around. Whether it's the Western Allied Forces, the Japanese, or even the rebel army of Prince Li Ben of Han, they were all routed by our Ximen Tang's army."

“Our Ximen Hall’s elite troops are all hand-picked soldiers; there are no cowards, and no weaklings.”

"Most importantly, we do not allow nepotism."

"If he doesn't meet Ximen Tang's requirements in the assessment, even if he is the Minister of War's biological son, he can forget about entering Ximen Tang's army!"

His tone revealed his immense pride. Indeed,

All the soldiers in the West Gate, and even the logistics personnel, have every right to be proud.

The First Army of the Great Qian Dynasty!
This isn't something Simon Tang declared himself to be; he's the undisputed strongest.

Prince Ning, Li Mu, led an army of 500,000 men, but Ximentang defeated them so much that they dared not approach the capital.

The Japanese army of 300,000 men was stationed in Tangshan, but unexpectedly, they eventually withdrew from beyond the Great Wall in disgrace, not daring to make any further provocations.

Therefore,
Anyone who joins the Simon Church will be honored.

Next,
The logistics staff began to explain the Ximen Hall's assessment standards to the Imperial Guards soldiers.

Any soldier who joins the Ximen Hall is initially referred to as a reserve.

Only by undergoing and passing the assessment can one be considered a qualified soldier of the Ximen Hall.

Qualified soldiers of Ximentang were not eligible to go into battle and could not earn military merit.

Only after undergoing three months of basic training, adapting to discipline, military posture, and so on, and passing the assessment, can one receive formal training in the Ximentang army.

The same applies to the selection of artillerymen, machine gunners, special forces, and even the navy.

The intensive training period is six months.

Simultaneously,

Every month, assessments and screenings must be conducted.

To advance to a more elite branch of the military, acquire more advanced weapons, and earn more military merits, one must put in more effort than others.

of course,

Any soldier who has undergone six months of intensive training is qualified to go to war and earn military merit through combat.

There is only one path to promotion for Ximentang—military merit!
There is no room for nepotism, and there is a direct complaint channel to "King Qian." No fraudulent practices are allowed within the organization.

Upon hearing this, one of the Imperial Guard soldiers couldn't help but gasp in astonishment:
"Damn it, is it really this complicated to become a qualified soldier in Ximen Hall?"

"You made me think I was going to become an official. Isn't being a soldier just about risking your life?"

"Are the requirements for risking one's life this high now? Forget it, I think I'll just retire and go back to my hometown."

"During my years in the army, I didn't earn any money, and I almost lost my life."

“These officials, once a war breaks out, they send us to be cannon fodder, to charge into battle and die.”

"They themselves hide in the back, ready to run away at the first sign of trouble."

“I’m going back to my hometown. I heard that Tianjin and Shandong are hiring workers recently. I don’t want to continue being a soldier. It’s not interesting.”

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, many of the Imperial Guards around him felt the same way.

People join the army hoping to live a better life, have enough to eat, and earn some money to get married.

After hearing this, Cheng Huayuan felt very depressed and uncomfortable.

Although the Imperial Guard sounds prestigious, they also cannot be paid.

The military pay issued by the Ministry of War of the imperial court was subject to layers of embezzlement, and very little of it ended up in the hands of the soldiers.

For the past few months, the Imperial Guard has not received its pay.

Therefore,
When everyone heard that the conditions for joining the Ximen Hall were so harsh, they felt that joining the army was meaningless.

The logistics staff member from Ximentang smiled and said:
"How can you compare the former Imperial Guards with Ximentang's new army?"

“Our soldiers in Ximentang have never had their pay delayed, and they are always paid in full without any deductions.”

"As long as they are official soldiers of Ximentang, they receive at least one silver dollar per month. No one has ever dared to withhold or deduct their pay."

"Once it is discovered that military pay has been embezzled, the person who embezzles it will be executed without mercy. Of course, even if someone wanted to embezzle military pay, no one could do it."

"Because all military pay is handled by a specialized department, which is not part of the military system."

"At the same time, every soldier who performs meritorious service can earn military merit and be promoted."

"In addition, all soldiers who are enthroned will receive a reward of five acres of land and be exempt from taxes for three years upon retirement."

He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Where else in the Imperial Guard do you get such good treatment?"

"If you become an officer, your benefits will increase many times over. You may not understand why the soldiers of Ximentang love fighting so much."

"Because only by fighting can we gain a lot of military merits, and only then can everyone have a better life."

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You can choose for yourselves. Simon Tang never forces anyone."

Ximentang's military pay has always been very high, with the minimum monthly pay starting at one silver dollar.

Although it was all money earned by risking their lives, relatively speaking, the soldiers of Ximentang felt that their lives had a lot of potential.

Since Chen Jie transported 30 million silver dollars to the Ministry of Revenue, various systems for military pay have been established.

All along,
The Great Qian Dynasty valued civil officials over military ones, with civil officials dominating the court, resulting in the military having very little say.

Chen Jie wanted to change this situation and create a balance between the military and the civilian government.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Jie also seemed to have fallen into the predicament of the 'art of balance'.

Because Ximentang currently only has a force of over 300,000, if it wants to expand its army to 1.5 million, it must improve the soldiers' sense of honor and cohesion.

Income and benefits are a very important indicator.

Only by meeting the most basic needs of soldiers can we encourage them to voluntarily and enthusiastically join the army.

These words made many soldiers of the Imperial Guard widen their eyes.

They were tempted!
After all, a month's military pay is more than one silver dollar, which is a huge sum of money for an ordinary soldier.

not to mention,
If you distinguish yourself in battle, you will receive even greater rewards.

The soldiers of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty, including the Imperial Guards, received less than half of what Ximen Hall earned in a month, and often could not even be paid.

Furthermore, in terms of purchasing power, the expansion of transportation between the south and the north by the canal transport alliances greatly reduced transportation costs, making prices much cheaper than before.

The purchasing power of a single silver dollar was considerable for the Great Qian Dynasty.

Most importantly, there are five acres of land.

The reward of five acres of land after being discharged from the Ximentang Army was more important than anything else.

then,

Many Imperial Guard soldiers excitedly said:

"I want to stay in Ximen Hall, participate in the assessment, and become an elite soldier of Ximen Hall."

When is the selection process for the Ximen Hall? What are the tests, and how can one pass them to become a formal Ximen Hall soldier?

The logistics staff member smiled and said:

"For a martial arts practitioner, the requirements are actually very low; it's nothing more than various assessments of physical fitness."

"You can go to the recruitment office in Ximen Hall and take a good look at the details."

"There are clear assessment criteria and standards. Recently, there are many reserve soldiers in Ximentang, so the assessment requirements are likely to be raised."

"If you really want to join the Simon Hall and become a qualified soldier, you'd better be prepared so you don't miss the opportunity."

"Each person has only two chances to register. If they fail, they will be eliminated and will not be able to participate again."

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. The choice is yours!"

finished,

The logistics personnel collected the armor, swords, and old-fashioned muskets that had been taken from the Imperial Guard soldiers.

As he left the military training ground, he warned everyone once again.

Martial law has been declared in the capital. Do not leave the military camp easily during this period.

If anyone is found to have left the military camp and committed crimes in the capital, they will be executed on the spot if discovered by a patrol. (End of Chapter)