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Chapter 392 Army 2

"...I have few talents and little knowledge. I am afraid of living up to the divine grace with such an important task." Hearing the emperor call his name, Li Ruzhang was a little unable to react for a while.

He knew what the Army was without any explanation from outsiders. It was at least on an equal footing with the Navy. It was much higher level and more important than the Commander of the Marine Guards. This showed the Emperor's trust.

But the more this happened, the more unsure he became. Yuan Keli established a navy and almost became a public enemy in the court. No one said anything openly, but secretly, many people hoped that he would die soon. It’s hard to say whether I have the ability and courage to face the same situation.

"It won't be too difficult at the beginning. We have already made a plan. You just need to execute it 100%. But even if I don't tell you, you should know that the army is not as good as the navy. The enemies we will face in the future are not only foreigners, but also foreigners. There is internal trouble.

Now I want to hear your true thoughts, whether you have the courage to be an enemy of the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. You must think carefully before speaking. If you have it, you have it, and if you don't have it, you don't have it. There is no shame in telling the truth now, but you may lose your life if you tell lies. "

Since everyone knows what the position of Army Governor is, Hong Tao certainly won't pretend not to know. Forget it if you want to encourage and motivate. Spreading blood can make people impulsive but it won't last long. This job definitely cannot be accomplished overnight by impulsiveness.

"... If your Majesty thinks that I can do it, then I will do as your Majesty says. As for other things, I am your Majesty's minister and have nothing to do with others!" Taking a deep breath, Li Ruzhang adjusted his robe and black gauze hat and solemnly The person who did this made a bow.

In a short period of time, Li Ruzhang had already figured out that his situation was not much better than Yuan Keli's, and his escape route had been cut off as early as the palace rebellion in the fifth year of Jingyang. The best choice now is to hug the emperor's thigh tightly. Betrayal and being a wallflower will only make yourself and the Li family finish faster.

"Governor Li, congratulations!" Yuan Keli also lost no time in sending congratulations.

"Governor Yuan, please don't hurt your younger brother like this." Li Ruzhang was not too complacent because he suddenly became the Army Governor, and still treated Yuan Keli as a subordinate.

"Don't be pretentious yet. Governor Li's name cannot be called yet, and there will be no Army Yamen and military seals." But before the two of them could finish their polite greetings, they were interrupted by a very inappropriate voice.

The content is even more confusing to Monk Zhang Er. The name is not justified, so where should the army recruit troops? There are a few serious people who will join this kind of army that is inferior to even the king of the mountain. No matter how much they are paid, it will be useless. Who knows whether they are an army or a rebel.

"The courtiers will not easily agree that I have another army in my hands, so I simply won't bother them. The workers in the factory are the source of soldiers. You are responsible for organizing and training them. But don't call it an army yet, call the factory team. "

When it comes to how to take advantage of loopholes in ancient times to cover up mountains and seas, Hong Tao still has a lot of experience. After all, he has practiced it for several lifetimes, and practice makes perfect. Of course, this is not his invention, but the accumulation and reference from generations.

"If your Majesty wants to use the name of a volunteer soldier, he still needs the permission of the court. I don't know why I should recruit him?" After listening to the emperor's explanation, Li Ruzhang seemed to understand a little, but he didn't seem to understand.

He is familiar with this move. The factory protection team is nothing but volunteers. The Li family's Liaodong cavalry nominally received money and food from the court, but in fact it had nothing to do with the Ministry of War or the Fifth Army Governor's Office. They were completely private soldiers.

Not only the Li family, but also many big families, especially military families close to the border, would hire private soldiers under various names. The smaller ones can only look after homes and homes, while the larger ones can prevent bandits and stabilize the place.

If you want to ask whether the imperial court allows private troops to support the army, how can I say? It was definitely not allowed before the middle of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming army only had garrison stations, from which elites were selected to form border troops and Beijing camps, which were regarded as standing armies. The Tumubao Incident destroyed most of the elite troops of the imperial court. The guard station would be unable to select available soldiers for a while, so it had to recruit from the private sector, thus opening up the opportunity for private soldiers.

By the time of the Jiajing Dynasty, when Japanese pirates were rampant, the guard system was in bad shape, and their combat effectiveness was not as good as that of bandits. In order to eliminate Japanese pirates, the imperial court had no choice but to encourage local gentry to organize private soldiers. For example, Qi Jiguang's Qi Family Army was 100% private soldiers.

However, recruiting private soldiers is not just for anyone. There must be a good reason first, such as local civil unrest, banditry, border troubles, etc. It can only be implemented after obtaining permission from the court, and the number will be limited.

After the problem is resolved, the imperial court may leave some private soldiers to join the border army and be considered as regular soldiers, while the rest will be disbanded. The Li family's Liaodong cavalry will be included in the group.

The emperor's method of training the army in the name of the factory protection team could solve the problem of the source of soldiers, but he could not find a reasonable excuse. Since Liaodong Town was abandoned, both the Mongolian and Jurchen threats have been reduced a lot. They can be dealt with by relying on border troops, and there is no need to recruit private soldiers from the private sector.

And these factories are all near the capital, so it is impossible to talk about serious banditry, and it is even more nonsense to talk about a small number of people causing chaos. We can't just play around with the banditry and instigate large groups of bandits to cause chaos near the capital, as we did in the past under the pretext of combating pirates.

"It is easy for so many young people to gather together to cause riots. Raw materials, products and equipment need to be guarded against theft and robbery, and it is difficult for the local government alone to protect them. From the outside, the factory protection team is not a volunteer army, it is just to protect normal production and property safety. , the activity area is also limited to the factory and related locations.

However, the training content of the factory protection team must be the same as that of the Marine Guards, with the addition of cavalry content. The number is tentatively set at two guards, and the muskets and artillery are still provided by the Royal Gunpowder Factory and Haihe Machinery Factory. "

The reason was of course ready-made, but instead of applying to the imperial court to recruit private soldiers, they used the factory to provide cover, did not say hello to the imperial court at all, and pretended to be a factory protection team, but actually trained according to the standards of the Marine Guards.

"...Is that all?" Li Ruzhang seemed to understand again, and seemed to be even more confused.

As long as the money, food, and firearms keep up, it is not difficult to train an army of 10,000. With the experience of the Marine Guards, you don't have to step forward yourself. You can do it by sending a few staff officers. There is no need to focus on drumming and make it so complicated.

"Of course it won't be so easy, and it's not as difficult as you think. This is the army training manual written by me. Take it and follow it first. Keep what is appropriate and tell me what is inappropriate. Change what should be changed and delete what should be deleted. .

What I want you to do is not only train soldiers, but also build the framework of the army. It's just that this matter cannot be known to outsiders too early. It's best for you not to show up in public and let your subordinates do the training.

You can select 20 capable men from the Marine Guards, and I will dispatch 20 people from the Sea Gate Division to help. In half a year, we will sail to Liaodong in batches to participate in actual combat, and in one year, we will have a fighting force. Can we do this? "

Hong Tao had already made plans on how to establish the army. He planned to follow the example of Germany after World War I and train most of the limited army into middle- and low-level officers. When needed, he would add enough soldiers and equipment, and he would be ready immediately. Have certain combat effectiveness.

(End of this chapter)