I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Zhang Anshi has always adhered to the golden mean, so he said this.

In the past ten years, the Han Dynasty has not used troops against the Huns, so he only supported the use of troops against the Huns a few months ago.

Now that he had achieved a great victory and the Han Dynasty's frontier fortress would have peace for at least several decades, he naturally turned conservative.

"Mr. Zhang is right. Although the cholera has been suppressed, the Han army has also been severely injured and has lost tens of thousands of elite troops. Now it is time to recuperate."

What Bingji said was similar to what Zhang Anshi expressed, and there was a sense of luck in surviving the disaster.

If the Wusun Kingdom had not achieved a great victory, the Huns would have been exhausted and would have taken the opportunity to move south, and the people on the frontier would have been ravaged under the iron heel of the Huns again.

"Wei Chen agrees with Duke Zhang and Duke Bing that the top priority is to mobilize troops from Guanzhong and Guandong to replenish the border fortress to prevent small groups of Xiongnu bandits from offending the border fortress."

"In addition, the Southern Army has suffered a loss of more than 80%, and the Northern Army has suffered a loss of more than 70%. The imperial troops in Chang'an City and the Third Auxiliary are also extremely empty, and they need to be replenished with troops from the prefectures and national troops."

The Prime Minister of Wei who spoke has always been an outlier in the cabinet. On court affairs, he often had conflicting opinions with Zhang Anshi and others.

But this time, the opinions of Prime Minister Wei were surprisingly consistent with those of Zhang Anshi and others, and they all hoped that the big man could switch from offense to defense.

"I don't understand military matters, but after the chaos, people are panicked and they really need to rest and recuperate," Wei Xian said.

"The clan is your majesty's vassal. If your majesty wants to strengthen the imperial army, the clan princes must be willing to donate money and food." Liu De also said quickly.

The academics in the cabinet talked a lot, all of which were "mature and prudent" rhetoric, which can also reflect the level of correctness of the cabinet ministers.

But Liu He remained silent. He did not expect that the cabinet bachelor's mind was filled with the word "guard".

A few months ago, when Huo Guang was about to send troops, they were not as "conservative" as they are now.

It's not their fault. A civil strife made them see the cruelty of the war, and they naturally wanted to stay away from the war.

Sometimes this is the case. The best way to turn militants into pacifists is to let them see the cruelty of war.

Liu He is not a militant, but he knows that there are some wars that cannot be avoided.

Since you can't escape, you have to pick a suitable time to start the fight and take the initiative to start the war and cease the war in your own hands.

"All of you, dear friends, are either veteran generals or veterans..."

"I have only been on the throne for a short time, and I know neither power nor politics, let alone military affairs..."

Liu He's words were very plain, but the expressions of several cabinet bachelors were serious.

The emperor must be humbled now.

Those who thought that the emperor "does not know how to deal with power, do not know how to manage politics, and does not know how to fight in war" have all been killed by the emperor.

Those of them who survived did not dare to think like this at all.

"I also have some opinions, and I would like to share them with you, dear friends."

"Your Majesty, please teach me!" everyone said quickly.

"I believe that the Xiongnu is a thorn in the heart of the Han Dynasty. The enemy and we have been fighting for hundreds of years, but there is no winner..."

"After the cholera, the Han army was indeed damaged, but there were not many casualties. There were still tens of thousands of elite troops, and there was still plenty of food and grass."

"Although the Han army is exhausted, the Xiongnu are even weaker and may have reached a critical point."

"At this juncture, the Huns must not offend the Han border fortress, and there is no other place to use troops in the Han territory."

"Based on both factors, Da Han's manpower and material resources are very sufficient."

"Instead of retreating blindly, our Han army should raise an elite division, march straight in, take advantage of the Huns' fatigue, and complete their victory in one battle!"

When Liu He said this, his meaning was clear enough.

After listening to these cabinet bachelors, they were suddenly a little stunned.

Didn't they expect that the emperor would continue to fight?

Could it be that I heard it wrong?

"I can understand that all of you, dear friends, have doubts in your hearts."

"Then let me make my words clearer. In September this year, I will send 40,000 troops, divided into two groups, to attack the Huns again!"

"Immediately issue an edict to Chang Hui, telling him not to return to Chang'an, and to return to Wusun immediately, so that King Wusun can continue to send troops to respond."

"In addition, Dahonglu traveler Liu Bing has followed the mission to the Western Regions as a deputy envoy, urging all countries in the Western Regions to send troops to respond, otherwise he will be regarded as a traitor!"

Zhang Anshi and others finally understood that the emperor was serious about it.

At that moment, Zhang Anshi and Bingji wanted to warn them, but the emperor stood up from the couch without giving them a chance to speak.

"My decision has been made. You don't need to persuade me anymore. There are still seven months before the day of launching the army. There are still many things to plan. You can just obey the imperial edict."

There was a moment of silence in the cabinet room, and finally no one dared to refute, and they all agreed in unison.

Once the decision is made, the next step is much easier, just planning.

Although Liu He made the decision very "arbitrarily", he also saw that Zhang Anshi and others had concerns.

So I didn’t rush to talk about “how to do it”, but explained “why to do it”.

To sum it up, it’s just one sentence: The Han Dynasty only suffered a temporary setback last year, but the Xiongnu suffered a serious loss of vitality.

This time is the best time to launch the final battle against the Huns.

Under Liu He's peaceful and detailed explanation, Zhang Anshi and others slowly accepted the emperor's reasons.

They could see that the emperor was not overjoyed at success or going militarily, but wanted to solve the Xiongnu's major problem once and for all.

After a long while, Liu He finally explained his reasons from beginning to end, and Zhang Anshi and others had much less doubts in their hearts.

"Now that I have said all my words, do you think there is still some truth to it?" Liu He asked calmly.

Although Zhang Anshi and others were still silent, it was different from the silence just now.

Just now, they were opposing this matter with silence, but now they are thinking about it with silence.

The Emperor was right. Since the Huns and the Han were feuding, we could not take any chances, let alone give the Huns a chance to stand up.

This year is the best opportunity for the Han Dynasty to completely eliminate the Xiongnu.

If he could complete his task in one battle and drive the Huns further north to Mobei, or directly massacre all the Huns... the big man would be able to sit back and relax.

In this process, of course some good men will die on the battlefield, but it will benefit the people of the future generations.

Being able to accomplish such a great feat will leave a name in history.

This was not only tempting to the emperor of the Han Dynasty, but also to the courtiers who were in power.

"After listening to His Majesty's words, the humble minister suddenly became enlightened and believed that this battle is feasible." Zhang Anshi, the cabinet scholar, had been convinced.

"I don't know the military as well as your Majesty, but now I feel that the strategy mentioned by your Majesty is the best policy." Zhao Chongguo also nodded in approval.

"Wei Chen believes that if this battle can be won, the Xiongnu will no longer have a foothold in the Western Regions." Han Zeng was the last to agree.

The generals, generals of the guards, and generals of the hussars no longer objected, and naturally the remaining few people had no objections either.

"This is very good. If the emperor and his ministers are united and work hard, the Han army will be invincible!" Liu He praised the case. “I will do my best,” everyone said in unison.

Zhang Anshi and others sat up a little straighter, preparing to discuss the details of sending troops with the emperor as usual.

Ordering generals, selecting soldiers, adjusting food... these things are very tedious and complicated, and they all need to be discussed in detail one by one.

Fortunately, when we sent out troops last year, we still had a large amount of food, grass, weapons, and war horses stored up, and they were not completely destroyed, which saved a lot of things.

However, what surprised Zhang Anshi and others was that the emperor did not issue an edict directly, but clapped his hands toward the door.

Amid everyone's puzzled looks, Fan Ke, the servant who had been guarding the door, ran out and then ran back.

And in his arms, there was something that made Zhang Anshi and others dizzy - it was another book!

Everyone watched helplessly as Fan Ke put the books in front of them and craned his neck to take a look.

There are four big characters written on the cover - "Armed Forces Meeting Requirements".

At this moment, Zhang Anshi and others finally realized: this was not only an expedition, but also a new policy.

The emperor wanted to take advantage of the expedition to the Xiongnu to reorganize the Han army.

With the first two rounds of proofs of the New Deal, everyone knew that this round of New Deal would definitely cause the Han army to "break their muscles and bones."

But they didn't show much opposition.

I don’t want to, I can’t, and I don’t even want to.

"Unwillingness" is because military power is too sensitive and is an inconvenience that the emperor cannot touch.

Even the bachelors in the cabinet did not dare to comment on this matter easily, otherwise they would easily be jealous of the emperor.

"Can't" is because the prestige of everyone in the Han army is limited and not enough to prevent the emperor from reforming the system.

Even Zhao Chongguo and Han Zeng, who had just made great achievements, did not have the highest prestige.

Moreover, the news of Wusun's great victory will soon spread, and by then, the emperor will be the one who uses his troops like a god.

After Huo Guang's fall, a huge power vacuum was left in the Han army. Only the emperor could fill it, and no one else could step in.

"I don't want to" is naturally because military affairs are very complicated and complicated, and it is not something that "civilian officials" can comment on at will.

Wei Xiang, Wei Xian and Liu De knew almost nothing about military affairs and naturally could not express their opinions.

As a result, Liu He's third round of new policies aimed at the Han army did not encounter any opposition in the cabinet.

"My dear friends, I have said that the purpose of the New Deal is to enrich the people and strengthen the people."

"The strengthening of the Han Dynasty naturally also includes the strengthening of the Han army. Therefore, in the past few months, we must not only prepare the Han army for war, but also reorganize the Han army."

"As for how the Han army is going to be reorganized, it is very clear in the Armed Forces Conference. I will talk about it one by one now."

"promise!"

"Please take a look at the first part first, which is to forcefully promote the recruitment system and make it equal to the conscription system."

Liu He made sure that everyone had turned to the "Recruitment System" section before he started talking slowly.

The current Han army mainly relies on conscription, supplemented by recruitment.

Although in terms of quantity, conscription accounts for more than 80%, while recruitment accounts for only 20%.

But the role this plays is not determined by quantity.

The 20% of the recruited soldiers are either middle- and lower-level officers such as team leaders and camp commanders, or they are key veterans in the army. Their combat capabilities are not comparable to those of regular soldiers who have served for two years.

In the early days of Emperor Xiaowu's reign, the Han army that conquered various places was mainly composed of regular soldiers recruited from the army.

However, as the scale of the Han's external military use became larger and larger, the Han army inevitably experienced a shortage of soldiers.

If you lose a battle, your soldiers will be damaged; if you win a battle, your soldiers will be damaged.

By the middle and late period of Emperor Xiaowu, although famous generals such as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had withered, his ambitions had not changed.

Therefore, Li Guangli, Zhao Polu and others could only be appointed as the leading generals.

Compared with their predecessors, the military talents of Li Guangli and others are really mediocre.

Although many results were achieved, many soldiers and generals were lost, and the victory could only be regarded as a miserable victory.

In the first year of Taichu, Li Guang, the general of the Second Division, led tens of thousands of people to attack Dawan, but suffered a huge defeat. Only one-tenth of the survivors survived, and more than 40,000 people were lost.

In the same year, Zhao Polu, the Marquis of Zhaoye, led his troops to attack the Xiongnu and returned with a great defeat, losing more than 20,000 soldiers.

In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Li Guangli led 30,000 cavalry to attack the Xiongnu, beheading tens of thousands of the enemy, but was ambushed and defeated on the way back, losing more than 20,000 people.

In the third year of Zhenghe, Li Guang led 70,000 troops to attack the Xiongnu, beheading tens of thousands of them, underestimating the enemy's advance and falling into a tight siege. All 70,000 Han troops were destroyed.

……

Before this, although Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others could often achieve great victories, how could there be unharmed generals if there were generals who were always victorious?

There were many similar disastrous defeats. Over the past few decades, nearly a million Han men died on the battlefield to quell the Huns.

And this is only the population of the Han Dynasty that was lost in the direction of the Xiongnu and the Western Regions. Korea, South Vietnam, Xiqiang... Where are the mountains without loyal bones?

Years of wars, years of losses, and dissatisfaction abounded in the Han Dynasty. There were fewer and fewer soldiers available for recruitment...

As a result, recruiting soldiers came into being and their numbers began to increase.

When Li Guangli went to conquer Dawan and the Xiongnu, the Han army was no longer just soldiers from good families.

Because there was a real shortage of troops, Emperor Xiaowu repeatedly issued edicts to conquer evil young men, son-in-laws and criminals.

In short, there are all kinds of things, each with its own origin.

At that time, the proportion of recruits in the Southern Army and Northern Army accounted for almost more than half.

Later, when Emperor Xiaozhao came to the throne, the number of troops used was greatly reduced, allowing a generation to grow up, and the problem of tight military resources was alleviated.

The number of soldiers recruited decreased accordingly.

Nowadays, the Huns are on their last legs and no longer have the strength they once had.

Therefore, the Han army should pay more attention to "quality" rather than "quantity" when going on an expedition.

Compared with recruiting regular soldiers who are large in number but low in combat effectiveness, recruiting soldiers who are small in number but strong in combat effectiveness are more practical.

Instead of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of regular soldiers with low combat effectiveness every time, it is better to mobilize 30,000 to 50,000 recruits with extremely high combat effectiveness.

In this way, the overall combat effectiveness does not decline, but it can reduce the pressure on logistics.

"I think we should increase recruitment and make it equal to military conscription, and we should not neglect it."

"Recruitment is the skeleton of the meridians, and recruitment is the structure of the flesh and blood. The two complement each other to make the Han army stronger." (End of this chapter)