Water Margin people

After pacifying the old farmers, Sun Lei brought his men to the port, boarded the ship again and headed for Liangshan.

"Your Majesty, in this way, the number of people joining the army will not be a problem!"

Xiao Jiasui smiled and said that the liberation of productivity has freed human workers from production, allowing them to do more things, such as researching technology, expanding plunder, and exploring the unknown.

"So, you don't have to worry about having too many soldiers!"

Sun Lei said with a smile.

"In addition, a retirement mechanism needs to be worked out. Soldiers cannot stay in the army their whole lives. This is unfair to them. They should have their own lives."

Sun Lei looked at everyone and spoke again.

"Brother, what does this mean!"

Lu Zhishen looked at Sun Lei in confusion.

"You should have felt the problem of the military system when you were in the Western Army. Once you join the army, you will be a soldier for life. No normal person can stand staying in the barracks for the rest of your life."

Sun Lei looked at Lu Zhishen and said.

"That's right, especially at the border, where there are few people and heavy tasks, and we have to fight from time to time..."

Lu Zhishen talked on and on. He knew the hardships in the army best. His ancestors had all been in the army, but he was the only one left in his generation.

Lu Zhishen knew very well that his experience was relatively good. After all, his family had been officers of the Western Army for generations. If his family was in this situation, how miserable would those ordinary soldiers be.

"So, soldiers can't stay in the army forever, especially soldiers, they have the hardest time."

Sun Lei nodded and said that this matter also needed to be brought up as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that the soldiers should be discharged from the army?"

Wen Huanzhang reacted and realized that in fact, there had been soldiers retiring in every dynasty. It was impossible for most people to stay in the army when they reached a certain age, but the emperor seemed to want to do it much earlier.

"After about five to ten years, you can selectively arrange for discharge, and those who are particularly outstanding can have their discharge delayed."

Sun Lei expressed his thoughts.

"Five to ten years?"

There was some surprise on everyone's face, this was much earlier than they thought. For a normal soldier, five to ten years is still the prime of his life, both in terms of experience and physical fitness.

"If you join the army at the age of 18, you will be 23 after one five-year term. If you are not suitable for the military, you can go home and do other things while you are still young. Two ten-year terms will make you 28 years old, almost thirty years old. It is a good time to go home and start a family and career after retiring."

Sun Lei looked at everyone and said that soldiers' lives are divided into many parts, among which family and career are the most important. The country can give generous money and certain positions to ensure material life, but family life depends on oneself.

Sun Lei's words made everyone nod their heads continuously. They didn't take all these into consideration. They only thought that soldiers under 30 were in their prime years, but they didn't consider the feelings of the soldiers' families. If they really dragged on until they were 30 or 40, the country would also be in trouble.

"Your Majesty, we were inconsiderate and failed to see the bigger picture."

Xiao Jiasui bowed and said that he felt the burden on his shoulders was heavier. The emperor was wise and considered things comprehensively and thoroughly, which made him feel more pressured.

The same thing went for the other officials; no one had ever considered these things, and they naturally ignored them.

"Military affairs, whether it's military or national affairs, I'm ambitious and want everything, but I also know to do what I can. I hope you can think about these things more. If you can't think of them, you can experience them yourself."

Sun Lei looked at the officials. These people were a little slow in their pace, so he had to remind them. If they couldn't understand, they should go and experience it instead of staying in the government office all day.

"I understand."

A group of officials saluted.

After returning to Liangshan, the officials continued to work in the side hall, while Sun Lei drank with a group of generals at the Broken Gold Pavilion halfway up the mountain.

"Brother, your retirement mechanism is great. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. But have you ever thought about what will happen if the soldiers don't want to?"

Lu Zhishen took a sip of wine and then asked, although life in the army is hard, soldiers also have feelings. The reason why many people stay in the army for their whole lives is because they don't want to leave.

"You have to leave even if you don't want to. The army may change but the soldiers may stay. If no one wants to leave, what will happen to the next person? As long as you are the Privy Councilor, there will be no second one!"

Sun Lei looked at Lu Zhishen and said, there is only one Privy Councilor, and the positions in the army are also limited. If everyone takes up the position and refuses to leave, what will happen to the newcomers?
"I don't want to be some privy councilor!"

Lu Zhishen said nonchalantly that he didn't want to be the Privy Councilor, let alone the Grand Pillar of the State. However, if he retired, it seemed that no one would take over, so the position couldn't be left vacant.

"I'm just giving you an example, why do you want to run away?"

Sun Lei looked at Lu Zhishen speechlessly.

"I'm just saying this. Not everyone is like me. I'm just afraid that your forcing the soldiers to retire will discourage them."

Lu Zhishen waved his hand and said that just because he didn’t care, it didn’t mean others didn’t care.

"You'll get used to it. After ten years in the army, you'll definitely be reluctant to leave, but if you wait for them to go home for a few days, they'll be reluctant to leave! You can go and see the soldiers who have returned this time. They all still miss home."

Sun Lei said indifferently that people are like this, they are afraid of change, but they can easily accept change.

"As long as you are prepared."

Lu Zhishen said.

"His Majesty."

Just as everyone was drinking, Chai Jin came over.

"Here, have a drink!"

Sun Lei smiled and pointed at the wine being heated in the clay stove in front of him.

"Your Majesty, thank you very much. Please take a look at this!"

Chai Jin handed a memorial to Sun Lei, then picked up a glass of warm wine and started drinking.

"What is this?"

Everyone looked at Chai Jin curiously. Chai Jin has been very busy recently and they were rarely seen.

"Merchants are all vying for the right to go to sea. In addition, foreign merchants also want more market share."

Chai Jin said with a headache that he had been constantly receiving various businessmen and chambers of commerce recently and was quite annoyed. He thought that what he loved most in the past was making friends and drinking. Now it seemed that he was really idle at that time. Wasn't it uncomfortable to lie at home every day?

"These people are really not afraid of death. They still dare to come after I've dealt with them several times!"

Hua Rong smiled and said that after the establishment of Qi State, many merchants were dealt with. Last year, the grain merchants in Jiangnan were ruined.

"If there's enough profit, they'll give up their heads!"

Chai Jin shook his head and said that the madness of the merchants was no less than that of other people.

"The shipping regulations have not been revised yet, so all these will have to be postponed. If they want to go out to sea first, they will have to give up 70% of their profits. That's what they do in Guangzhou."

"In addition, there are also requirements for boats going out to sea. These small fishing boats can just go around in the rivers. Wouldn't they turn upside down if they go out to sea?"

Sun Lei put down the memorial in his hand and said, "The sea is about to be officially opened. Those merchants have gone crazy. They dare to go out to sea with just a few boats. They may not care about their lives, but I cannot care about the impact. (End of this chapter)