Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 666 The Difficulty of Reorganizing the Troops (Part 2)
"Xin Wulang, I've called you here because of a troublesome matter."

That night, Liu Huai spoke solemnly to Xin Qiji, who had just arrived.

Xin Qiji felt a slight tremor in his heart.

The last time Liu Huai showed such an expression was when the Tianping Army was dividing up the garrisons, and Liu Huai came to ask Xin Qiji for help in resolving the issue.

What kind of trouble are they going to cause this time?
I just arrived in Jinan from Dongping Prefecture, and I haven't even been to the new house yet, and there's already trouble again?
Xin Qiji thought this to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face. He reached out and took the document from Liu Huai, and found that it was a list of names.

Among them were not only generals of the Taiping Army, but also members of the Jingnan Army and the Zhongyi Army, and even a relatively large number of Liu Huai's own troops.

The words "List of Military Personnel Transferred" were written in large characters at the top of the list, which gave Xin Qiji a bad feeling.

"Brother, what is this...?"

Liu Huai waved his hand and took out another piece of paper: "No rush, there's also this list, let's take a look together."

The second sheet of paper was titled "List of Promoted Personnel" in large characters.

As Xin Qiji looked at the names, some of them were people he knew well, such as his cousin Xin Yuanying and his general Pan Huaihua, both of whom were brave and reliable commanders.

This left Xin Qiji even more confused.

Could this be a move to expand the military?
That shouldn't be the case. We already have a large army in Shandong. If we expand further, unless we immediately invade the rich and prosperous areas at the heart of the Song-Jin rule, we won't even have enough food, let alone rewards.

With Shandong's manpower and land resources, could it possibly support an army of 100,000?
But if it weren't for the expansion of the military...

Xin Qiji looked at the first list, his brows furrowed.

"Is this... a way to lay them off?"

Liu Huai shook his head: "Fifth Brother, you're overthinking it. Many of these are meritorious officials. How can they be dismissed so easily? It's just that some of them are no longer capable of leading troops in open field battles. Rather than letting them die on the battlefield later, it's better to send them to the prefecture as military officers or similar positions."

Xin Qiji suddenly realized that when he looked at the first list again, he understood the situation.

For example, one of the Taiping Army generals was his cousin, Xin Wenyuan.

His greatest skill lies in coordinating military affairs; he's far less adept at actual combat.

The reason he was able to serve as a commander of a thousand men in the Taiping Army was mainly because Geng Jing needed to balance the various forces in the army and appease Xin Qiji.

For those whose ambitions lie elsewhere, Xin Qiji's intervention might be successful, though some of them would face some trouble.

For example, Zhang Anguo.

This guy was a very high-ranking general in the Taiping Army, and his fighting skills were also quite good. But the key problem was that he had too much of a江湖气 (jianghu qi, a kind of chivalrous,江湖-like air) about him.

Zhang Anguo was a typical military man of the Song Dynasty, excelling in both greed and ruthlessness. If that were the case, it wouldn't be so bad, since in feudal times, joining the army was for a paycheck, and expecting everyone to be a model youth was simply unrealistic.

However, this guy had another flaw: he had a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and outlaws) and bandits. The soldiers under his command would easily become influenced by the bandit-like style of valuing personal relationships over military law.

Admittedly, military leaders like Zhang Anguo have a certain charisma. Once someone is recognized as a brother, they have wings to shelter them from the wind and rain, share both good and bad times, and have a strong sense of loyalty.

In theory, as long as Zhang Anguo dares to charge, his brothers in the army will dare to follow him and fight, thus ensuring combat effectiveness.

Just like Li Yunlong in "Bright Sword", although many people criticize him for having a warlord style, it does not stop many people from liking him. If such a person existed in reality, they would be willing to go through fire and water for him.

The key is that Li Yunlong can cooperate with Zhao Gang's work, but Zhang Anguo can't even tolerate the military clerks and judges. Although he wouldn't commit the heinous act of murder and hiding a body, he has isolated the leading general judges, making it difficult to carry out the work.

This guy completely wants to establish a one-man rule in the army and turn it into his private army.

Can an army that has become like bandits conquer the world?
Liu Huai was naturally furious about this. He still patiently wrote letters to advise Zhang Anguo, but Zhang Anguo swore an oath in the letters and continued to do as he pleased, even finding fault to whip the military judge.

This is just being shameless.

However, Liu Huai still could not easily punish Zhang Anguo.

Not to mention his status as a veteran of the Taiping Army, just based on his merit of chopping off Shi Zhanxie's head, Liu Huai had to be lenient with him.

Otherwise, if someone who has made such a great contribution can be easily dealt with, who would be willing to fight to the death?

As for ignoring it, that's impossible. The military clerks and judges are all appointed by the military governor's office. If everyone follows suit and beats or drives them away, then who really calls the shots in the Han army? Liu Huai or the various military leaders?
"Brother, are you planning to promote these people in name only, but demote them in reality?" Xin Qiji stared at the list for a long time before finally saying, "Or are you going to discard them altogether?"

Liu Huai nodded, then shook his head: "This can be considered a form of reward. The hardships of war deserve official titles and wealth, but we absolutely cannot let them occupy important positions anymore."

"Wulang, do you know that I have already spoken openly with Prime Minister Yu of Song?"

Xin Qiji nodded slowly.

"The situation in the upcoming struggle is becoming increasingly severe. I must prepare for the Song and Jin states to join forces. At that time, the Han army, with the Loyal Army and the Jingnan Army as its backbone, will be our only reliance. Those who cannot fight tough battles will be appointed as local officials."

Xin Qiji sighed deeply: "My dear brother, in chaotic times, military power is the most important, because it is the time to redefine wealth and status and distinguish between the rich and the poor. Today you are a subordinate general, and as long as you dare to risk your life, you may be able to be ennobled and made a duke tomorrow. But if you are assigned to a local post, and there is no good opportunity, you can only follow the seniority system step by step, and your life will be over."

"Brother, you're not just trying to seize someone's military power, you're cutting off their livelihood... People will hold a grudge."

Liu Huai also expressed his helplessness: "But if they block the way from above, those who are capable and have military merits will never be able to rise. If those in power become mediocre, these capable people will also perish, wouldn't that be even more heartbreaking?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Qiji could only shake his head repeatedly: "Brother, do you want me to persuade Zhang Anguo and the others?"

"No."

"Oh?"

Liu Huai said sincerely, "When the Shandong West Road Garrison was established, Wu Lang already bore some grievances for me. How can I let Wu Lang continue to bear the responsibility now? However, since you are my deputy, I must have spoken with you."

Xin Qiji nodded slowly, looked at the list in his hand again, and after a long while said, "I have no objection to this list. When we convene the Grand Military Council tomorrow, I will take the lead in agreeing to it."

Liu Huai breathed a sigh of relief: "With Wu Lang's support, then the matter is settled."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xin Qiji took his leave.

However, after returning to his own house, Xin Qiji did not go to sleep immediately. Instead, he summoned three of his most capable cousins ​​who lived with him.

It was Xin Wenyuan, Xin Yuanying, and Xin Jingwei.

"Fifth Brother, is there something you need?"

Xin Wenyuan saw Xin Qiji sitting upright and asked him something with a strange sense of nervousness.

Xin Qiji glanced at his three cousins, pointed at Xin Wenyuan and said, "At the military council tomorrow, no matter what the Commander-in-Chief says, you are not allowed to utter a single word in rebuttal."

Xin Wenyuan was stunned, then jumped up: "What...what have I done? Commander-in-Chief actually...actually wants to kill me?"

"Sit down!" Xin Qiji was speechless for a moment, then scolded in a low voice, "Who said I was going to kill you?"

Xin Wenyuan was stunned for a moment before slumping back into his seat.

Seeing that the other two also looked uneasy, Xin Qiji sighed and could only tell them the truth: "Liu Dalang wants to remove you from your military post and transfer you to a civil administration or local military officer position."

"As for the two of you," Xin Qiji then looked at Xin Yuanying and Xin Jingwei, "you will each receive a reward and your ranks will be promoted."

Xin Wenyuan was stunned for a moment, then slumped into his chair as if exhausted. After a long while, he finally said, "Brother, is such a small matter really necessary to discuss beforehand? I just thought... I thought I was going to die..."

Xin Qiji looked at Xin Wenyuan for a long time before slowly saying, "Don't you think this is Liu Dalang trying to suppress you?"

Xin Wenyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead: "What kind of suppression is this? Don't you know whether I'm the kind of person who's good at fighting or not? It's actually a good thing that some of us brothers can focus on literary matters. After we conquer the world, it's the people who should be in charge of governing it."

"Moreover, my life and that of Big Iron Spear were saved by the Commander-in-Chief himself. Now that he is my subordinate, others may hold grudges against the Commander-in-Chief, but the two of us absolutely cannot."

Xin Qiji suddenly remembered that it was something that happened nearly two years ago. At that time, Geng Jing sent several people south to contact the Song Dynasty, but in the end they were captured by the Jin invaders as conscripts.

Li Tieqiang and Xin Wenyuan happened to meet Liu Huai in the military camp and together they launched a rebellion, which led to a series of life-and-death entanglements.

Upon hearing that he was to be promoted, Xin Yuanying felt reassured: "Brother, everyone has their own ambitions. Just because A Yuan has no grievances doesn't mean others don't. There's a good chance something bad will happen at tomorrow's military meeting."

Xin Jingwei scoffed and said, "How could anything happen? The soldiers below have just been assigned land and entered the garrison, and they are still grateful for the kindness of the Commander-in-Chief. Even if the generals above are furious, what can they do if they can't muster the troops? Are they going to run away to the Jin or Song kingdoms on horseback?"

Xin Qiji could only nod slowly in agreement.

(End of this chapter)