Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 84: The Founding of the Army!

Transport company.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang gathered together.

The oldest of the six was only around thirty years old, full of enthusiasm and eager to make a name for themselves; they were typical young and ambitious individuals.

At the head of the table, Jiang Zhao held a cup of honey water, took a sip, and looked up at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao.

"How is the formation of the new army going?"

A memorial entitled "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians" was submitted, and the emperor's decree was issued.

As Han Zhang's disciple and trusted by the emperor, Jiang Zhao held the position of driver and scribe in Shaanxi Road. The decision-making power of the new army naturally fell into Jiang Zhao's hands.

He almost always decided who would hold what position, and the decision was then reported to the Ministry of Personnel.

Of the five people—Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang—except for Jiang Zhiqi, whose role was to oversee the operation of the Transport Bureau, the others all held military positions to varying degrees.

Of course, the ranks of these positions cannot be too far apart; at most, they would be at the sixth or seventh rank.

Even so, it meant that Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang had become the leaders of the new army.

The leaders of the new army were not difficult to decide, but whether they were truly deserving of the title depended on the outcome of the army's formation.

If the new army is well-organized, then the positions will be truly deserved.

The new army was poorly organized, and the positions were a joke, meaning they were not worthy of the titles.

Jiang Zhao entrusted the task of forming a new army to Gu Tingye and Wang Shao.

Both of them were excellent at commanding troops.

Wang Shao possessed the qualities of a historical general, a typical scholar-general. After nine years in office, he began to lead troops with his political experience, reaching a level of over 30,000 men.

Gu Tingye is a son of a military family. Although his reputation is not good, he has learned all the skills of a military family. He is a typical example of orderly inheritance. With proper tempering and accumulation, he can take on the responsibility of a commander.

The remaining Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang were mainly responsible for transporting grain and building military camps.

Jiang Zhiqi, on the other hand, tried to take control of the operation of the Transport Department and stabilize the basic situation.

Jiang Zhao has gradually delegated authority and elevated his perspective to a broader view, taking into account all aspects.

As the leader, his job is to take care of the overall situation and assume the role of "commander".

Clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and overall consideration, are the principles of governance for those in positions of authority.

It sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult to do.

Gu Tingye stepped forward and said solemnly, "So far, we have recruited 13,000 people."

"Thirteen thousand people."

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then said, "Around 20,000 should be enough to stop."

On the one hand, the provisions for 20,000 new troops were roughly within the scope that the imperial court could easily afford.

It should be noted that the provisions and armor for 20,000 people are no small matter.

As the Shaanxi Transport Commissioner, it was not a problem for Jiang Zhao to use his authority appropriately to allocate some grain and fodder to supply the new army.

However, this is just a drop in the bucket, barely enough to support 20,000 people for an occasional extra meal.

The bulk of the grain and provisions still had to be supported by the imperial court.

Since we have the support of the imperial court, we must consider the court's decisions from a broader perspective.

Consuming too much food is not a good thing either.

Secondly, 20,000 men is exactly the limit for a few people to command troops.

If tens of thousands more were to arrive, it would be considered a large-scale military operation, requiring a "commander-in-chief" to lead it.

Leaving aside whether the imperial court would feel comfortable letting a young generation with no leadership experience take charge of the operation of a large army, the objective fact is that none of them have the ability to lead a large army.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang were the five people in charge. Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang were both logistics talents, mainly in charge of grain and fodder allocation and wealth accumulation.

Of the remaining three, Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, and Wang Shao, Jiang Zhao had read a lot and tried his hand at military strategy. He had also occasionally learned about leading large armies from his teacher, Han Zhang.

But no matter how much you study, it's all just theoretical knowledge.

His only advantage might be his experience in governance.

During his year in charge of the Transport Commission, he did specifically lead the local troops to transport grain and fodder.

Commanding troops with his experience in governance, he had over three thousand men escorting provisions. Apart from being slightly tired, he didn't feel much pressure.

Roughly speaking, he only had the ability to maintain the operation of a military camp with more than 10,000 soldiers.

Both Gu Tingye and Wang Shao were talented military commanders, but they were only good at theoretical discussions.

When Wang Shao first entered officialdom, he led an army of over 30,000 men. However, by then, Wang Shao had at least nine years of experience in governance. His ability to lead troops based on his governance experience was certainly not on the same level as when he first entered officialdom.

Gu Tingye has no experience in command yet, he has only learned some military skills.

These two men, roughly estimated, number around five or six thousand. Recruiting too many soldiers may not be a good thing.

As long as it's suitable!
With 20,000 soldiers, 5,000 in charge of logistics, and the remaining 15,000 fighting, the three commanders would be able to lead them all, making the task considerably easier.

In addition, recruiting too many soldiers hastily can also affect agricultural production.

Twenty thousand!

Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhao took a sip of the honey water and pointed at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao: "Zhonghuai, Zichun. Once the new army is formed, the two of you will begin training the troops."

"Yes." The two nodded in unison.

"Dividing the 20,000 soldiers into two armies would roughly make eight divisions. We've specially prepared some soldiers with slightly weaker physiques to form two divisions, under the command of Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang, responsible for provisions and supplies. From the very beginning, these soldiers will be familiar with the process of transporting provisions. These soldiers are specifically responsible for transporting provisions and logistical support."

The Great Zhou Dynasty organized its troops into teams of fifty men each, two teams of one hundred men each into a "du" (都), five "du" together into a "zhihui" (指挥), five "zhihui" together into a "jun" (军), and ten "jun" together into a "xiang" (厢).

The newly formed army numbered 20,000, and Jiang Zhao naturally became the commander of the Xiangdu.

“Yes.” Shen Kuo and Xue Xiang nodded quickly.

"As for the remaining six armies, you two can start training. There's no need to worry about supplies." Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Besides the supplies provided by the court, I can allocate some to ensure that the soldiers have extra meals a few times every ten days."

The border troops relied on the imperial court for food supplies, as well as on supplies from Shaanxi Province.

The newly established Xiangjun (garrison troops) were also frontier troops, and procedurally, they could also enjoy the provisions dispatched by the Transport Commissioner.

As the head of the transport department, Jiang Zhao manipulated things a bit, reporting more grain consumption than actually needed. The extra grain that appeared out of nowhere could then be used to feed the new army.

Sometimes, happiness still depends on comparison.

Only through comparison can we better convince the public.

"In addition, remember to be a strict military commander, establish authority, be fair in rewards and punishments, and maintain strict military discipline."

"Strict military discipline, rewards for merit and punishment, and ample provisions." Jiang Zhao looked out and said, "With such measures, how can we not train an elite force?"

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao nodded in agreement.

"The morale of soldiers is paramount in battle."

Jiang Zhao said in a deep voice: "The new army has no experience in fighting. To boost morale, we must start by enhancing cohesion."

"When training troops, if there is any free time, we will find some teachers to teach the soldiers to recognize some simple characters."

Seeing that Wang Shao and Gu Tingye were somewhat puzzled, Jiang Zhao explained, "Pull out some white paper and write some slogans on it."

"Diligently hone your combat skills to safeguard the borders and ensure peace."

"When orders come, go forth; when on the battlefield, fight; and when you fight, you will surely win."

"Serving in the military, achieving merit and accomplishments."

"To pacify the frontier and achieve meritorious service, one will be ennobled."

"For this type of statement, just choose some appropriate ones."

"Once you've learned most of the characters, you should practice every day and read the slogans together. Internalize them and put them into practice."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

They are all educated people, so they naturally understand the power of being influenced by what they hear and see.

Even a fool can turn reading a sentence into an instinct by reading it repeatedly for several months.

Once you truly achieve the effect of firmly remembering something, your subconscious decisions will lean towards what you already know.

This is human instinct!

"Yes."

Jiang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

“Practice!”

"It will take at least six months of training before they have the combat power to fight."

With the formation of the new army, everything had to be taught anew.

The wielding of weapons, the marching of ranks, and the coordination of battle formations all require time and practice to become effective.

Generally speaking, a new army needs six months of training to be effective in combat.

Shaanxi is located on the border, and the men there are all worldly-wise and have a lot of courage. They can master the skills in a few months and become proficient in half a year.

Only by training soldiers well can we seize the opportunity to make our move and begin to establish our achievements.

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao nodded quickly.

(End of this chapter)