I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 498 I am willing to spend money to strengthen my troops first, and then grab food from big households!

It is obvious that the combat effectiveness of the recruited soldiers is stronger than that of the regular soldiers, and Zhang Anshi and others naturally know it clearly.

Regardless of whether you are recruiting soldiers or serving as regular soldiers, the money and food you receive in a month is the same, which is extremely meager.

The average soldier's monthly allowance for food is only 900 yuan, and the commander and the corps commander only have just over 1,200 to 300 yuan.

Of the nine hundred coins, half was used to supply corn and salt to the soldiers, and the remaining half was distributed to the soldiers in the form of money.

Deducting a month's expenditure on meat and vegetables, an ordinary soldier can only save two to three hundred yuan a month, and less than three thousand a year.

Losing a strong laborer can get less than 3,000 yuan back.

In Guanzhong, an ordinary hired worker can get a salary of 1,500 yuan a month, which is much higher than the salary of a soldier.

And there is no need to go through life and death. As long as there is a choice, who is willing to join the army?

As a result, there were very few adult men willing to serve as soldiers.

The people who recruited soldiers during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu were almost all desperate people among the people - criminals, bad boys, and sons-in-law...

Even if these people become recruits, they can only rely on temporary fierceness and fierceness, and it is difficult to maintain long-term combat effectiveness.

The complete collapse of the military title system eliminated the possibility of being awarded a title for meritorious service on the battlefield, which completely made joining the army a dead-end option.

Not to mention asking men to serve as recruiters, even those who served as regular soldiers for that year complained a lot. How could they risk their lives?

Under this situation, the Han army's combat effectiveness will only deteriorate.

In the era of cold weapons, it is difficult for weapons to create generational differences, and the willingness of soldiers has become a key factor affecting combat effectiveness.

Therefore, there are two key points to improve the overall combat effectiveness of the Han army.

One is to increase the number of recruited soldiers, and the other is to increase the soldiers' desire to fight.

The method Liu He thought of was also very simple, that is, to benefit from it.

Just like the military merit title system, all soldiers who have made military achievements are given titles and houses. How can soldiers not fight bravely to kill the enemy on the battlefield?

If Liu He wants Han soldiers to sacrifice their lives and make Han men proud of joining the army, then they must be given enough benefits.

For ordinary people, the greatest benefit is to give them money, food and land.

Liu He wants to give both of these, and he can give them both!

"From today on, whether you are recruiting soldiers or regular soldiers, your monthly salary and food must be increased, and it cannot be lower than that of civil servants!"

"According to the original system, the rank of a captain is one thousand shi, and the rank of a prince is 600 shi. There is nothing wrong with this, it is very appropriate."

"However, the other military academies at all levels do not have fixed ranks, so I think they should be given the same rank and salary according to rank."

"Ordinary soldiers' monthly rations are increased to one thousand five hundred dan, the rank of the corps commander is 100 shi, the highest rank is 100 shi, the rank of the camp commander is 200 shi, and the team rate is 200 shi."

"All military pay, money and food must be paid in full on a monthly basis and must not be in arrears."

Under the current adult system, many team leaders and camp commanders are regular soldiers who have only served for one or two years and lack prestige and combat effectiveness.

Now that the wages and rations of ordinary soldiers are increased, and the rank and status of lower-level military academies are recognized, recruiting soldiers is equivalent to having a way out, and the people's enthusiasm for recruiting soldiers will definitely increase.

"Your Majesty, if this happens, I'm afraid we will have to spend hundreds of millions more money a year." Zhang Anshi just did a hasty calculation in his mind and knew that this expense was not small.

"If we can completely eliminate the Xiongnu bandits by recruiting troops, the number of troops used will be reduced in the future, and the number of Han troops guarding the border will also be reduced. Subtracting the two, it is still cost-effective."

"The countries in the Western Region will be able to live and work in peace and contentment, and the number of tribute cattle and sheep will also increase; the trade routes in the Western Region will also be smoother, and I don't know how much the taxes collected will increase?"

"This is the biggest business in the world. You must be willing to invest your capital first before you can see the interest."

Liu He smiled and laid out this "war business experience" in detail, which opened the eyes of Zhang Anshi and others.

Although they thought this statement was a bit weird, they couldn't explain why it was weird, so they had to say that the emperor was far-sighted.

"Your majesty is wise and has a far-sighted view than we do!" Zhang Anshi said, and the others had no objections.

Liu He felt funny in his heart. If he said the words "war to support war", Zhang Anshi and others would be even more stunned.

"Okay, dear friends, follow me and let's take a look at the details of recruiting soldiers."

"No!" After the bachelors responded, they quickly continued to look through the "Arms Conference Requirements" in their hands and found the details of recruiting soldiers.

Recruits should be between fifteen and forty-five years old, with sound limbs and a height of not less than six feet five.

One foot made in the Han Dynasty was equivalent to 0.23 meters in later generations, and six feet five was 1.5 meters, which was the standard body shape for the Han Dynasty.

Recruiting soldiers is not limited to their origins. Not only the people who are registered as households can join the army, but the rest of the people who are not registered as registered households can also join the army.

After being selected, slaves, prisoners, and refugees will not be rejected. After serving in the Han army for five years, they can become common people with registered households.

This means that people without legal status can obtain legal status by joining the army, which is also a big temptation.

"Your Majesty, does this servant need to get the consent of his master to join the army..." Wei Xian saw something fishy and asked.

"The purpose of joining the army is for the sake of the Han Dynasty, so what can a mere family head do to stop it? If a slave has served in the army for five years, Da Sinong will pay for his redemption at the market price."

"Market price? I'm afraid the owner of the house is unwilling..." Wei Xian mumbled.

"No? It's up to them whether they want it or not." Liu He sneered, a murderous look flashing across his face.

Wei Xian immediately shut up. He had already seen the emperor's absolute determination and did not dare to have any more objections.

The recruitment system was implemented, firstly, to strengthen the army, and secondly, to increase the population.

Today's aristocratic families have acquired more and more slaves through land annexation.

These slaves were "hidden people" among the people. They did not need to pay taxes or perform labor services. They caused the Han Dynasty to lose a lot of labor force for no reason.

If they were allowed to develop, they would become a private military tribe divided between aristocratic families, thus threatening the rule of the Han Dynasty.

In the future, Liu He will definitely crack down on the culture of slavery. Allowing slaves to serve as recruiters today is just a small test of his skills.

"Increasing money, food, and moral character for the soldiers will make the people enthusiastically join the army, but it is not enough to make them fight the enemy bravely..."

"Therefore, in order to reward military merit, I want to restore the military merit title system."

After Liu He said these words, the cabinet duty room became quiet - even the sound of turning books could no longer be heard for a while.

Restoring the military title system is of course a good thing, but where does the land that supports the military title system come from?

"Your Majesty, the military title system has not been abolished, but there are no more lands and houses to be awarded in the world. I'm afraid..."

Zhang Anshi, Wei Xian and Liu De looked at each other and hesitated for a moment before continuing: "I'm afraid it can no longer play the same role as before."

"How can such a big man not have land and houses to grant? Aren't they in the names of wealthy families, aristocratic families, princes and kings?"

Liu He did not say these words, but glanced at the faces of Zhang Anshi and others with an "ambiguous" look.

It is not yet time to seize land on a large scale from the hands of wealthy families, aristocratic families, and princes and kings. It will take some time.

According to Da Sinong's records, the total cultivated land in the Western Han Dynasty was about 8 million hectares, or 800,000 acres. A family would need 100 acres to survive. Today, most of these eight million hectares of cultivated land are owned, and 70% to 80% of these are in the hands of wealthy households.

However, there are some exceptions, which are public lands directly under the emperor's name and under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu.

"I have already thought about this land issue. The Han Dynasty still has 800,000 hectares of public land, accounting for one-tenth of the world's land..."

"I decided to use all the public land to restore the military merit and title system."

"Starting today, the new military title system will be officially implemented, and a new word will be added before all titles."

"Anyone who obtains a new military title will be granted land. Those with old titles will only retain their titles and will no longer be granted posthumous lands or houses."

"My dear friends, what do you think?"

Everyone did not expect that the emperor was willing to take out all the public land to restore the new military merit title system.

The first-class military sergeant should be granted one and a half hectares of land, and the fourth-class military sergeant should be granted four hectares of land.

These 800,000 hectares of public land are enough to be shared for a while.

But as a result, the income of the young master may also be reduced by half.

These public lands are now leased out, and most of the land renters are wealthy households and aristocratic families.

Of course, they did not let their nephews farm the land, but sub-leased it to landless farmers, or let their servants farm the land.

If a hectare of land produces one hundred dendrobium millets, there will be several places to go.

Fifteen hu of dendrobium was given to Da Sinong as land rent from the imperial court.

Ten dendrobiums were handed over to the Shaofu as land rent for the emperor.

Twenty-five dendrobiums were given to wealthy households as subcontracted land rent.

It is already very difficult to get half of it into the hands of tenants in the end.

Now, the emperor wants to use public land to restore the military merit and title system.

It was not only the emperor who suffered, but also those wealthy households who relied on their power to sublease public land at low prices.

Zhang Anshi and others present certainly did not profit from subletting public land, but many of their relatives and friends did.

When I heard the emperor's decision today, my "selfishness" naturally emerged, and I couldn't help but worry about the "money future" of these people.

"Your Majesty, this matter is very important. Can you please slow down for a moment..." Bingji asked carefully.

""Mencius has a saying": If you are a people, you will have no permanent property, because you have no perseverance. If you don't have perseverance, you will spend time to ward off evil and do everything for your own sake."

"I think what Yasheng Mencius said is very reasonable. Moreover, this move can help recruit soldiers to fight the enemy bravely. Why not do it?"

Liu He pulled out the "lesser sage" Mencius to support himself, and he was also the "ancestral sage".

Two saints gathered together at once, how could Bingji, a mere "Confucian scholar", refute?

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that the income of the young master will be reduced by more than 30%, and I am afraid that it will not be able to meet the expenses of the young master." Zhang Anshi tried to persuade the emperor from another angle.

"I have just ascended to the throne, respecting heaven and cultivating myself. I can't even sleep on a bed, I can't eat without seeking the five tastes, and I can only take eight sets of regular clothes in four seasons..."

"I avoid living in the thousands of mansions in Weiyang Palace. I think there are still people in the world who have no standing. How dare one person monopolize hundreds of millions of money?"

The emperor's words were so high-sounding that Zhang Anshi felt ashamed for a moment. After looking at each other, everyone could only praise the emperor's kindness in unison.

Liu He nodded, his expression full of compassion.

But deep down in his heart, he settled this account very clearly.

This is actually doing business. The hundreds of thousands of public land paid are the capital invested. After the Han army wins the emperor's heart, he can make money for him.

By that time, wouldn’t it be possible for aristocratic families, wealthy merchants, and even princes and kings to have as much land as they wanted?

Land reform starts with oneself, and then moves on to others.

With the army, anything can be done easily.

"The recruitment system and the new military merit and title system have been finalized, let's talk about the establishment of the Han army."

"promise!"

The establishment of Shuiheng Bank can improve the treatment of Han soldiers and prevent them from feeling cold.

The implementation of the recruitment system can increase the number of soldiers and alleviate the dilemma of insufficient soldiers.

Improving the quality of money, food, and food for lower-level soldiers and military academies can encourage people to join the army enthusiastically.

Restoring the military merit title system can encourage soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield.

If these four measures are implemented, the improvement of the Han army's combat effectiveness will almost be around the corner.

However, the purpose of military reform is not only to improve the combat effectiveness of the Han army, but also to innovate the organization of the Han army to prevent the "military leader" from becoming dominant.

Under the feudal monarchy, the emperor was the highest authority and held all power in the world, including all military power.

But after all, there is only one emperor, and it is impossible for one person to personally command the nearly one million troops of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, it is necessary to transfer part of the military power and let the general train the army for him.

In order to prevent the generals and captains from turning the Han army into his own private army, the emperor had to put a few shackles on them.

The first yoke is to divide military power into two parts, one is the power to mobilize troops, and the other is the power to command troops.

The emperor controlled the mobilization of the army through the tiger talisman system. Without the tiger talisman, all the troops were not allowed to move without authorization, which reduced the possibility of rebellion by generals and schools.

As for the power to command troops, it is given to generals and captains at lower levels, who are responsible for daily command of troops.

In the original Sangong and Jiuqing system, the Taiwei or the Grand Sima only had the power to command troops, but did not have the power to deploy troops.

It seems that there is no possibility that the Taiwei and Da Sima will have sole control of the military - after all, the deployment of the army must be at the discretion of the emperor.

However, all systems have loopholes. The Han army is composed of people, so it must have human weaknesses - emotions.

A captain has commanded a battalion of soldiers and horses for more than ten years, and all the princes and captains in the camp are trusted confidants who have been promoted by =.

Then it is very likely that there will be a situation in the camp where "only the general's orders are heard, but the emperor's edict is not heard."

In the same way, if a person has served as a Grand Sima or Taiwei for a long time, he can arrange his close associates to become Colonels, thereby controlling the entire Han army.

Once the general's prestige reaches a certain level, whether he has the tiger talisman or not is secondary.

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(End of this chapter)