I am Da Song

Chapter 70
There is a huge difference between officers and soldiers.

In the Song Dynasty, although military officials were not as good as civil officials, they were also the dignified ruling class.

A commoner said that he was going to be an official, and he said that he was going to be a soldier.The impression left on the neighbors is definitely not the same.

This system has a great incentive for the army, the morale of the whole army and the fighting spirit of the soldiers.

As the commander of the Shenwu Right Army, Yue Fei of course highly appreciates this.Only a little bit worried, he asked Zhao Huan: "Officials, adding so many military officials at one time, will it form redundant officials and make the national treasury unable to make ends meet?"

Zhao Huan said solemnly: "I have thought about the pressure on military expenditure. At present, only more than a hundred military officials of the Shenwu Youjun have been added, so it should not have much impact."

"In addition to adding these hundred military officials, I have recently been streamlining the ranks of civil servants and eliminating redundant officials. Dozens of high-ranking officials, including Shang Shu Zuo Cheng, have been abolished by me, and the saved expenses are enough to pay the salaries of military officials."

"The most important point is that the Shenwu Youjun implements a compulsory conscription system. Compared with the conscription system, the cost of the conscription system can save [-]%."

Eighty percent of the Song Dynasty's taxes in previous years were used to pay military expenses, that is, to support the million-dollar forbidden army that existed on paper, and the even larger Xiang army.

However, with the disaster of Jingkang, the Jin army besieged Tokyo. Although the Song Dynasty suffered heavy losses, it also ushered in a brilliant turning point.

Of the millions of forbidden troops, only the [-] people in Tokyo remained.The burden of redundant soldiers will be exhausted in one day.

In a few days, these 6000 people received their rewards and left, and only the Shenwu Youjun formed by conscription was left to support the defense of Tokyo.

Under Zhao Huan's planning, the Great Song Dynasty smoothly transitioned from the conscription system to the conscription system.

The military expenditure, which used to account for [-]% of the fiscal budget, can be saved and more meaningful things can be done.

Forming a corps of officers who are proficient in the art of war, brave and good at fighting is obviously one of the most meaningful things at the moment.

At the national strategic level, this system undoubtedly has very high feasibility.But in the actual implementation, Zhao Huan was more confused about the selection of military officers, and asked Yue Fei: "How do you think these more than a hundred military officials should be selected and appointed?"

Yue Fei said cautiously: "Why don't you choose a capable person from the Forbidden Army?"

Zhao Huan immediately resolutely refused, saying: "Absolutely not. I hope that this Forbidden Army can take on a new look, and must not be contaminated with the bad habits of the Forbidden Army."

Yue Fei also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, this proposal was something he had to make as a courtier.In any case, the appointment of generals in the army cannot come from him alone, otherwise, wouldn't the army become his own voice?
But it doesn't mean that Yue Fei really hopes that the generals of the Forbidden Army will harm the ethos of this new army.After all, the virtues of the Forbidden Army are obvious to all in Song Dynasty.

The attitude of the officials gave Yue Fei great confidence that this new army would not be affected by the bad habits of the Forbidden Army, so he could reorganize and train according to his own ideas.

So Yue Fei finally put forward his inner thoughts and said: "I heard that those who govern the army are nothing more than the three words of public, bright, and diligent. If the injustice is not clear, the soldiers of the three armies will not be satisfied; if they are not diligent, the military discipline and camp affairs will be slack. "

"So I think that if you want to appoint a group of military officials, it is better to be fair and enlightened, promulgate a unified law, and choose them from the entire army."

"Martial arts?" Zhao Huan was thoughtful.

Speaking of this word, both Yue Fei and Zhao Huan sighed.

It is not that the Great Song Dynasty did not have martial arts, but under the atmosphere of the Great Song Dynasty that emphasized literature over martial arts, and generals were controlled from the middle, martial arts were useless. In the Song Dynasty, none of the famous officials and generals came from Wu Jinshi.

Ideals sometimes have to bow to reality.

Yue Fei said: "In the Great Song Dynasty, we used literature to control military affairs. If we use military elections to select officials, these military officials will inevitably be humiliated by civilian officials again. I suggest that the selection of military officials should be based on literary examinations. Examine "Zuo Shi Chunqiu" to select loyal men , Examine the "Seven Books of the Martial Arts" to select outstanding generals."

This is undoubtedly a compromise with reality. "Zuoshi Chunqiu", also known as "Zuo Zhuan", is a Confucian classic.Annotating it is the highest standard for entering the Confucian Temple.

As of the Ming Dynasty, among the thousands of history in the Central Plains, the only person who entered the Confucian Temple and the Martial Temple at the same time, Du Yu, a famous general in the Western Jin Dynasty, was because he had annotated "Zuo Zhuan", and it was very popular in later generations.

However, Zhao Huan was not very resistant to this compromise.

Because although Zhao Huan has a lot of opinions on Confucianism, he really appreciates "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu".

The status of this book in the history of literature and historiography of the Central Plains can be said to be second to none.

Moreover, his ideas are hard to be resisted by any ambitious Central Plains people.

His core ideas are "advocating hegemony and fighting", "loyalty and patriotism", and "people-oriented".

In particular, "advocating hegemony and fighting" is the focus of it. "Zuo's Spring and Autumn" not only discusses and expresses directly, but also spends a lot of ink and colors to describe and record one after another magnificent war allusions with attractive words.

Of course, "Zuo's Spring and Autumn" not only has impassioned national wars, but also countless beauties that people yearn for.It is roughly equivalent to the perfect combination of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Legend of the New White Snake".

So Guan Yu especially likes to read "Spring and Autumn", and of course Yue Fei also likes it.

There is nothing to shy away from. The intertwining of gold and iron horses, beauties, family and country righteousness, and heroic integrity is his most charming charm.

If the military generals are familiar with "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu", then the training templates are all weakened versions of Guan Yu and Yue Fei.

More than a hundred generals, whose loyalty, courage, and integrity will significantly improve the military spirit and bearing of the Shenwu Youjun.

And it's not easy for civil servants to jump out to insult and criticize.

Can't the other party despise him instead of being promoted because he is proficient in Confucian classics?Didn't that scold all the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats?
Zhao Huan galloped in his heart, advocating hegemony and war.When this trend of thought really spreads in every corner of the Song Dynasty society, the weak ethos of the Song Dynasty's monarchs and ministers will be completely eliminated.

Whether it is advocating hegemony or war, or loyalty and patriotism, it is worth promoting. Zhao Huan did not object, and he acquiesced in Yue Fei's idea.

Continue to ask: "Is it just about the difficulty of the "Seven Books of Martial Arts"? Can the generals understand it?"

Yue Fei was full of confidence, and said: "There are many martial arts schools among the people, all of which teach the "Seven Books of the Martial Classics". I believe that if you want to serve the country, you will read it every day."

Hearing this, Zhao Huan showed a smile, the folk martial arts in the Song Dynasty are really abundant, and there is even a special martial arts teaching the art of war.

The best teacher is interest. To cultivate a famous general, at least he must be interested in military affairs himself.

After sorting it out from the beginning to the end, Zhao Huan felt that this suggestion was quite feasible, so he said: "The enemy is now, everything should be urgent. Let's deploy according to Qing's plan."

(End of this chapter)