Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 239 From this day forward, all generals in the army are disciples of the Emperor!
After everyone had dispersed, Lu Zhi slowly emerged from behind the painted screen with dragon patterns in the hall, bowed to the Crown Prince, sighed deeply, and said, "Your Highness, isn't this step a bit too big?"

Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.

It's no wonder that Lu Zhi made such a comment on Liu Bian's institutional reforms for the central army. The direct consequence of these reforms was that, for at least a year, the central army was unable to regain its former fighting capacity and was almost paralyzed.

In other words, it's basically useless!
How can a war be fought if the general doesn't know his soldiers and the soldiers don't know their general?

Liu Bian made sweeping adjustments to the officer system of the central army. Most of the core subordinate officers, such as colonels and military commanders, who were originally under the command of various generals, were transferred and reorganized. Even the clerks who were responsible for logistics and document management were not spared.

Taking the Swift Cavalry Battalion under General Lü Bu as an example, the Chief Clerk of the Swift Cavalry, Zuo Ling, was a fellow townsman and friend of Jia Xu, while the Chief Clerk of the Swift Cavalry was Yan Pu, a native of Ba County, Yizhou, who was a talent discovered by Huangfu Song during the suppression of the rebellion.

Of the three captains of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion, Cheng Lian was a former subordinate, while the other two were Xiahou Yuan and Yan Liang.

Of the six military commanders, only Cao Xing was a former subordinate. The other five were Zang Ba, a bandit from Mount Tai who had surrendered; Huang Gai, the former military commander of the garrison; Gao Lan, the former Tiger General; Lü Chang, the former commander of the Left Cavalry of the Imperial Guard; and Zang Hong, the son of Zang Min, the governor of Taiyuan.

In addition to these mid- to high-ranking officers, the soldiers selected from the battles of Liangzhou and Bingzhou in the central army also need to be integrated and familiarized with the troops, subdue arrogant and fierce generals, ensure that orders are carried out effectively, and ensure that subordinates obey orders without question. Finally, they need to be retrained in battle formation coordination.

Such a large-scale personnel reorganization was almost a devastating blow to this central army, to the point that the generals did not know the habits of the soldiers, and the soldiers did not know the generals' orders.

Do not believe?

The cowardly Imperial Guards are the best example of what not to do!

Otherwise, do you really think that these general positions with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain are so easy to obtain?

However, in Lu Zhi's plan, military reform was a huge and complex systemic project that needed to follow the principle of gradual progress, step by step improving the system and integrating personnel, rather than being like it is now.

However, Liu Bian and Lu Zhi held drastically different views on the issue of reforming the central army.

“Master Lu, a short pain is worse than a long one; a stubborn illness requires strong medicine.”

Admittedly, Liu Bian was well aware of the risks involved, but the Imperial Guards, though seemingly glorious in the past, were actually corrupt inside; they were all show and no substance.

Take Sun Jian's garrison as an example. His generals were mostly former subordinates, relatives and friends, such as Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, Zu Mao, as well as his younger brother Sun Jing and his brother-in-law Xu Zhen. Doesn't this military system seem quite familiar?
Isn't this exactly the same as the Jiangdong Qu style of a certain war god of Hefei in later generations?

The only difference was that the Imperial Guard soldiers mostly came from good families in the Sanhe region, but in the long run, this difference could not actually prevent the corruption of the Imperial Guard system, and it was not unforeseeable that the Imperial Guard would eventually become the private army of the generals.

However, Liu Bian felt he had to bear the main responsibility for this chaos.

In the past, it was only to allow Lü Bu, Sun Jian and others to place their old subordinates and friends into their ranks in order to make it easier for them to quickly take control of their troops and to build cohesion and combat effectiveness.

While it solved the immediate problem, it also sowed the seeds of future troubles.

However, that was a choice Liu Bian had to make at the time in order to deal with the imminent Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Qiang Rebellion in Liangzhou. At least for him at that time, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

At that time, Liu Bian was even prepared to overthrow the powerful families and was ready to fight for the world again. How could he care about these hidden problems?
However, the difference between him and a certain war god of Hefei is that he is not obsessed with this efficient way of making the army combat-ready in a short time, but chooses to cut the Gordian knot and eliminate the problems.

With the situation relatively stable now, and the court unlikely to launch any large-scale military operations within the next five years, it presents an opportune time to reform the central army system.

If you're sick, you need to get treatment. If it's a stubborn illness, you need strong medicine. Nowadays, the Han people can withstand the side effects of a strong medicine.

During these five years, it is imperative to immediately implement regularization and institutional reforms of the military. The accompanying growing pains are inevitable.

At least Lü Bu, Sun Jian, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun were all personally promoted by him from humble beginnings, and their loyalty was beyond question. If they could not control the new army and form a fighting force, they would not be worthy of such a high position. They would be better off relinquishing their positions as soon as possible, taking their titles home to enjoy the warmth of their wives and children.

Lu Zhi couldn't help but smile bitterly. He could understand the Crown Prince's thoughts and could see that such a swift and decisive approach was actually more appropriate than a gradual one. However, he did not have the same decisiveness as the Crown Prince.

This may be why good ministers are common, but wise rulers are rare; planning and decision-making are ultimately two very different things.

Well, anyway, he, Huangfu Song, and Dong Zhuo, these three Central Protector Generals, will cover for His Highness the Crown Prince.

Under the new Central Army system, officers and soldiers at all levels of the Central Army are supervised by the Central Guard Army.

The Central Protectorate General was ranked at the level of two thousand shi, equivalent to the Nine Ministers. In addition to the power of supervision, he was also responsible for the promotion of military officers, but he did not have actual command authority.

According to the new system, the Central Guard Army has a quota of five personnel.

However, there are only three permanent Central Protector Generals. The other two vacant positions are temporarily filled when the Central Army needs to be mobilized in the event of war. The Central Protector General is temporarily appointed to control the Central Army, and another loyal senior minister is appointed as the Central Protector General to supervise the army and advance with the army to control the Commander-in-Chief.

Of course, Liu Bian's confidence in boldly implementing the reform of the Central Army was partly due to the support of the three Central Protectors: Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Dong Zhuo, but it was not his biggest advantage.

Liu Bian's real reliance was the inconspicuous three thousand guards of the Crown Prince's residence!
The guards of the Crown Prince's Palace were never trained as elite guards, but rather as officers!

The guards of the Crown Prince's residence were all scholars, and at the very least, they were from respectable families and were literate!
They could freely study the military books and classics in the Crown Prince's palace. Liu Bian would also frequently invite scholars from the Hongdu Gate Academy to teach them military strategy. Sometimes, he would also invite military experts such as Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Pang to analyze classic historical battles for the guards of the Crown Prince's palace, and conduct regular assessments.

Although they have only undergone a year and a half of training, they have already grown into outstanding junior and middle-ranking officer candidates.

Once these three thousand men are integrated into the 20,000-strong Martial Guard Battalion, even those with slightly less talent can be competent as squad leaders, assisting Dian Wei and Xu Chu in quickly taking control of the 20,000-strong Martial Guard Battalion.

As for the ten captains in the Wuwei Camp, most of them were relatives of the empress, sons of meritorious officials, or retainers from the Crown Prince's office.

As the garrison force of the imperial palace, the Wuwei Battalion does not need particularly brave and skilled captains. It only needs captains who are absolutely loyal to it, guarantee the soldiers' treatment, and strictly enforce military orders. The Wuwei Battalion will then be able to form a formidable and terrifying fighting force!

The training of these three thousand guards of the Crown Prince's residence also allowed a certain idea of ​​Liu Bian to gradually take root.

To ensure the Han emperor's control over this central army, the foundation lies in the loyalty of the middle and lower-ranking officers; he needs to continue the officer training program!

Liu Bian planned to establish a military academy after ascending the throne, recruiting students from all respectable families, with himself serving as the academy's chief instructor.

At that time, those who wish to serve as garrison commanders or above, commanding a hundred men, will need to undergo at least one year of systematic military training at the academy before they can assume the post!
From then on, all generals in the army were disciples of the emperor!
In feudal times, he did not expect generals to be loyal to the nation and the country; they only needed to be loyal to him, the monarch!

I am the state!

-

PS: As usual, the list of captains, military commanders, chief clerks, and registrars of the five battalions of the central army, which is more than 800 words long, has been published as a separate free chapter by the author. I don't want to make money through dishonest means.

(End of this chapter)