Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

"Brother, if you want to raise elite troops, you really have to follow this standard."

Hearing Zhou Wenqu's words, Zhang Da was very puzzled. What was going on with the Qing soldiers? Zhang Da really couldn't believe that the Qing soldiers outside the Great Wall could be treated so well!

Helpless, Zhang Daqiang endured his discomfort and continued watching.

"The cavalry's monthly ration is one shi and five dou, and their monthly pay is one liang and five qian of silver."

"Armaments, armor, horse harnesses, and maintenance cost an average of eight taels of silver per person per year."

And that doesn't even include the horse! It's probably worth more than that!

"A firearms handler receives a monthly ration of one shi and two dou, and a monthly salary of one liang and two qian..."

After tallying up all the expenses for maintaining those soldiers, Zhang Da had only one thought:

If all else fails, I'll just resort to sheer numbers.

If they raise them like this, let alone Zhang Da owning four counties and one prefecture, he wouldn't be able to support half of Jiangnan!

No... perhaps we could try a different approach, keeping only a select few elite troops to receive such generous rewards, while ensuring the rest of the army just barely survives...

Zhang Dasuan, having reached this point, looked up at Zhou Wenqu and then conveyed his meaning to him. Zhou Wenqu, seemingly startled by the complex military expenditure, quickly agreed.

"In that case, when forming that elite force, I certainly won't use any random defeated soldiers or vagrants who will drain my resources. I only want good men! Those who have families and livelihoods, are of good character, have no bad habits or criminal records, are physically strong, can endure hardship, and are willing to defend their hometown!"

To be fair, Zhang Da's request wasn't unreasonable, and it truly justified their generous treatment.

"With such soldiers, they can be loyal, reliable, and well-trained, each one capable of taking on ten men, far superior to a hundred thousand rabble."

Zhou Wenqu nodded

"My lord's insight is brilliant."

Zhang Da recalculated; since he wouldn't have to spend all his money, he could still afford it.

So we calculated it again.

The entire prefecture's granaries held 49,000 shi of grain, with an annual collection of 24,600 shi of new grain, totaling 73,600 shi. Adding to this the annual revenue of 20,200 taels of silver and the 17,400 taels of confiscated gold and silver, the total came to 37,000 taels of silver. After deducting necessary expenses such as officials' salaries, post stations, relief supplies, repairs, and workshops...

Based on the elite force ratio, a practical combat formation of seven infantry, two cavalry, and one firearms was adopted, with compromises and calculations...

Zhang Da paused, and finally, the numbers appeared on the paper.

3,800 people

Great. With the addition of other troops, gathering 20,000 men shouldn't be a big problem.

Zhang Da raised his eyes, pointed to the number, and said decisively.

"Wenqu, remember this well. My standing army in central Hunan has a quota of 3,800. These 3,800 men are the foundation of central Hunan, so you must select the right men for me!"

Zhou Wenqu was startled and bowed in agreement.

"Your Excellency understands! Immediately compile the registers and organize the troops according to this quota, and then show the registers to the lord."

Zhang Da was still worried and repeatedly gave him instructions:

"Remember this well: recruit only from good families, train the strongest, discipline first, martial arts second, tactics third, and morale fourth!"

"Here you go!"

Zhou Wenqu took the book and left to carry it out immediately.

Thus began the process of recruiting, selecting, training, procuring provisions, and preparing weapons—a myriad of tasks...

Zhang Dali, standing in the hall, still felt it wasn't enough.

If we do that... the territory will be larger, and the number of soldiers will be greater, but there will be a severe shortage of capable generals!

In the past, Zhang Wen, Sun Liu, Li Er, Wang Tui, and others were sufficient to guard Shaoyang County;

Now, with four counties and one prefecture under its jurisdiction, 3,800 elite troops, and 10,000 additional troops, specialists are needed for city defense, mountain and forest warfare, logistics, and intelligence scouting.

The few generals under his command are brave, but they lack knowledge of military strategy, are not skilled in battle formations, and are not trained in command. In the long run, this will inevitably lead to disaster.

Alas, the limitations of the peasant class have arrived.

"Bring Sun Min to me."

Shortly after, Sun Min strode inside.

"My lord, what brings you here?"

"Sun Min," Zhang Da cut to the chase, "My territory has expanded, and I have more soldiers, but I have far too few generals. Now I have 3,800 elite troops, and I need centurions, captains, platoon leaders, and lieutenants to manage them. Without those who understand training troops, military discipline, tactics, and command, how can I win this battle?"

It's obvious that Sun Min isn't the kind of person Zhang Da described as someone who understands military training...

Seeing that he still didn't understand why he had called him over, Zhang Da explained.

"You are good at judging people; I'm assigning you a very important task! You must do your best to accomplish it for me."

Having said that, Sun Min naturally knelt on one knee.

"My lord commands, and I will gladly die for you!"

"I want to build a military academy to train junior and middle-ranking officers and cultivate trusted key personnel."

Zhang Da's tone was calm, yet his words were startling.

Seek promotion and wealth elsewhere; those who fear death should not enter this gate.

"You shall immediately take twenty reliable personal guards and go to the mountains and villages of the four counties and one prefecture to openly recruit and strictly select only three types of people: those from good families who are intelligent and brave, know a few words, and are willing to learn military strategy."

Retired veterans and veterans of the old army who have combat experience, no bad habits, and do not disturb the people;

Local militia leaders, hunters' captains, and boat captains—those with leadership skills and the ability to command respect.

Sun Min listened carefully to Zhang Da's request.

"Each county will initially select 20 people, and the entire prefecture will select 120 people in total. We will rather have fewer than fewer qualified candidates. You will personally interview them and question them one by one. Those who do not meet the requirements will be eliminated on the spot, and no one will be left behind."

After Zhang Da finished speaking, he was still a little worried that Sun Min might not handle the matter well, so he simply said...

"I will personally preside over this military academy training, teaching military discipline, tactics, camping, scouting, siege warfare, city defense, mountain warfare, and night warfare. Those who complete the training will be directly appointed as centurions or sergeants, leading troops and squads. These 120 people will form the backbone of my Hunan army and will be the foundation for future expansion into a force of 10,000."

Sun Min, standing to the side, was thrilled to hear Zhang Da's grand ambitions and kowtowed deeply.

"Your humble servant obeys! I will certainly bring back one hundred and twenty excellent men! I would never dare to be a mediocre soldier and disgrace my lord's mission!"

"Go," Zhang waved his hand. "This matter concerns the lifeline of the army; there can be no carelessness whatsoever."

Sun Min accepted the order and left with light steps.

After finishing all that, Zhang Da still stood in the hall, his brows slightly furrowed.

Now that he has made arrangements for military and political affairs, military power, and generals, he still feels uneasy.

Although the imperial edict granted him full authority, most of the officials in the four counties were newly appointed by him, and the powerful and wicked gentry had been purged. However, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily, and it is hard to guarantee that no one will outwardly comply but inwardly defy, embezzle, pervert the law, secretly collude with foreign enemies, or deceive their superiors and subordinates...

There are those in the army who embezzle salaries and withhold rations; there are those in the local areas who hide farmland and mistreat the people; there are bandits, government troops, and Qing spies infiltrating the intelligence service—these malignant tumors, if not removed early, will surely become major threats.

Power must be firmly held in one's own hands!

Zhang Da hesitated for a moment, then gave the order again.

"The legend goes that Wang Tui and Li Dan..."

A moment later, two guards commanders entered.

Zhang Daping stepped aside, leaving only three people in the hall, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"I hereby appoint the two of you to form a department called the Investigation Bureau."

Zhang Da lowered his voice to a whisper, “Externally, I am in charge of military intelligence gathering and the movements of bandits throughout the territory; internally, I oversee officials, generals, and local powerful figures. Anyone who violates the law, breaks the rules, or is disloyal or unjust can be reported directly to me, and I will make a personal decision.”

Hearing Zhang Da's words, Wang Tui and Li Dan exchanged a glance, finally understanding why Zhang Da had abandoned Zuo You.

Isn't this just a copy of the Imperial Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots of the imperial court?