My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 350: Standing Field Army

At this point in the discussion, a conclusion has actually been reached.

——From a long-term perspective, the Xiongnu Chanyu Court will definitely try to take back Hetao!
But before coming out in full force to plunder Hetao, the Huns first had to deal with their internal problems.

Or, the military officials used iron-blooded suppression to deal with ambitious people including Yizhixie - or at least suppressed them.

Otherwise, Junchen would be blamed for the "loss of Hetao" and his throne would be taken away by an ambitious member of the royal family of the Luandi clan, and the Xiongnu would have a new Chanyu.

In short, only after an explanation is given for the "loss of Hetao" and the Xiongnu people are united again, will they be able to launch a counterattack against the Hetao region under the unified command of the Chanyu Court.

If this is the case, then the Han’s response in the Hetao region is obvious.

——Last year, most of the hundreds of thousands of troops that were sent to the Hetao battlefield due to the Hetao-Mayi Campaign, as well as several times more civilian laborers who transported grain and reserves, can be withdrawn.

These hundreds of thousands of people - especially the hundreds of thousands of combat troops - were all from good families in Guanzhong, except for the two Sui camps tailor-made by Liu Rong for the Hetao Battle.

The officers were composed of the Northern Army soldiers as the backbone, and the good families in Guanzhong who were temporarily recruited before the war as soldiers. This was a "wartime organization" with strong Han characteristics.

The Han Dynasty had built many wartime organizations like this.

For example, in the sixth year of Emperor Taizu Gaohuangdi's reign, during the decisive battle between the Han and the Xiongnu in Pingcheng, Emperor Taizu Liu Bang, who underestimated the enemy and acted rashly, was trapped in the siege of Baideng. He was accompanied by the three captains of the Northern Army, a total of 6,000 soldiers as the backbone, and 20,000 elite vanguards.

In the 14th year of Emperor Taizong's reign, the old Chanyu of the Xiongnu launched a large-scale border attack, fighting all the way from Beidi to Xiaoguan. His vanguard cavalry even appeared in the area of ​​Ganquan Mountain. Emperor Taizong hastily recruited the three Chang'an Guard Camps: Xiliu, Bashang, and Jimen, as well as the troops from Juzhu and Beidi who pushed the Xiongnu back out of the border wall. They were all organized in this way during wartime.

This kind of organization has a very obvious feature.

——Under the basic principle of army construction of Emperor Taizu Liu Bang, "untrained soldiers cannot be recruited", the Han Dynasty had superb soldier quality, which ensured that these young and strong men from good families who were temporarily recruited from the people always had combat effectiveness above the qualified level.

In wartime, only one Northern Army soldier is needed to serve as the garrison commander to ensure that fifty good family men from Guanzhong who have never been to the battlefield and have never seen blood have considerable combat effectiveness.

After the war, this temporary expansion of the makeshift organization can often be disbanded very smoothly - the good family boys take off their military uniforms, return home and pick up their hoes again, and become honest and strong farmers again.

For the central government, the advantages and disadvantages of such a temporary organization are very obvious.

The advantage is of course that it can save the cost of maintaining the army to the maximum extent - they can be called upon at any time and sent away at any time. When it comes to war, there will be hundreds of thousands of troops at any time, and their combat effectiveness is quite good!

When there is no war, there is no need to use hundreds of millions of shi of grain every year to support such a large army.

But as the saying goes: You can't have your cake and eat it too.

If you are unwilling to bear the huge cost of maintaining the army, you certainly cannot guarantee that the combat effectiveness of the army can reach the level of professional soldiers.

——For a new soldier who has undergone winter training for several years, and then spent one year in Chang'an and one year in frontier garrison, it would be no problem for him to draw a bow and arrow and march in formation;
But when the time comes for both sides to draw blood, let alone staying calm like professional soldiers - even cold-blooded, for these recruits to not panic and not be distracted, it means they have "unlimited futures".

The Han emperors of all generations obviously had a clear understanding of this situation.

For example, after the Han-Xiongnu Pingcheng Campaign, Emperor Taizu Liu Bang decided to form a fully full-time standing field army that would never be disbanded or dismissed in principle.

Just like the armies of the North and the South, there is no need to be temporarily recruited after the outbreak of war, but to maintain a standing organization, be controlled and supported by the central court, and be a professional army that is only responsible for training and combat!

Taking into account the central government's financial situation at the time, the number of this standing field army was controlled by Emperor Taizu Gao at 16,000 people - a total of eight colonels of various arms.

This was the first standing field army in the history of the Han Dynasty, and its name was Feihu.

Since its establishment, Feihu soldiers have been steadfast in Feihu Stream at the junction of Yan and Zhao, ready to act as firefighters at the border wall of the Han Dynasty at any time.

Years of combat experience have allowed this unit to develop its own unique military spirit, or "symbol".

——Since Ling Mian was first appointed as the commander of the Feihu Army, all the generals and commanders in the Feihu Army have loved to build Jingguan!

Wherever the Feihu Army passed, as long as there were foreign races, they would leave behind a memorial temple, large or small, that would surely make people feel terrified, after the Feihu Army left.

With the support of the Feihu Army, the border wall of the Han Dynasty has been in existence since the country's founding. Although there have been constant wars of varying sizes, there have never been any major loopholes.

It was not until the 14th year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign that the Huns launched a sudden attack from the north, from the northwest corner of the Han territory. The Feihu Army, far to the northeast of the Han territory, was out of reach. Only then did the Han Dynasty welcome the second, third, and later standing field armies.

It just so happened that this opportunity came along.

When the border was in crisis, the Huns once threatened Guanzhong and even Chang'an. In order to ensure the safety of Chang'an, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen set up three camps around Chang'an in one go to protect the capital!
After the war, Emperor Taizong, who subconsciously wanted to disband these "temporary organizations" according to convention, finally realized something.

——In that battle, the Han Dynasty had no power to fight back, and the Xiongnu were able to march straight in from the border to the capital Chang'an as if there was no one there;
The most fundamental reason was that the Feihu Army, the only standing field army of the Han Dynasty, was unable to provide timely support to Beidi County where a loophole appeared in the border wall defense line due to distance factors.

If the Han Dynasty had a second standing field army stationed in the northwest in addition to the Feihu Army in the northeast, even if the Xiongnu were gods, it would be impossible for them to march to Xiaoguan so smoothly and even let the vanguard troops burn down Ganquan Palace.

Although the war is over, the war needs to be reviewed and the problems need to be summarized;

All the conclusions drawn point to an urgent need.

——The Han family urgently needs to have a second, or even a third or fourth Flying Fox Army!
It is not that we should set up several standing field armies at Feihu Pass between Yan and Zhao.
Instead, the Han Dynasty needed more standing field armies - more permanent troops composed of full-time professional soldiers.

Therefore, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen made the final decision: after the outbreak of the war, the three camps temporarily set up to guard Chang'an: Xiuli Camp, Bashang Army, and Jimen Army, would be indefinitely suspended.

In other words, these three temporary organizations were euphemistically transformed into the second, third, and fourth standing field armies of the Han Dynasty after the Feihu Army.

The reason why it was 'indefinitely suspended and disbanded' rather than 'reorganized into a standing field army' - the reason why it was so euphemistic was because these three troops had a very crucial difference from the Feihu Army.

The first captain of the Feihu Army was Ling Mian.

This man was appointed by Emperor Taizu Gao, and while serving as the Feihu Commander, he won the Feihu Army the transcendent status of "default concurrent rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry".

The current Feihu Army, whether in terms of marching formations or the entire military exercise mode - even the extremely personal abnormal hobby of building Jingguan, all have very distinct "Lingmian characteristics". But no one in the Feihu Army would ever say: The Feihu Army is the army of Ling Duwei and Ling Chariot Cavalry;
No one has ever thought that Ling Mian's descendants are more qualified to serve as Feihu Duwei and more qualified to "inherit" the Feihu Army.

——Since the day it was founded, the Feihu Army has set the tone of "selecting talents based on merit"!

As long as you join the Feihu Army, it doesn’t matter who you are, what your identity is, or what your family background is.

The only thing that can win you respect and status is your strength.

To be precise, it is force.

Take Ling Mian, the first captain of the Feihu Army, for example: during the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, an era when there were many brilliant generals, famous ministers and brave generals, Ling Mian was able to become the first field army commander of the Han Dynasty. This was not due to his achievements in "following the dragon in the palace" or his prominent background.

The only things about Ling Mian that made Liu Bang satisfied and trusted him were his strict and almost cold-blooded military management methods, his excellent strategic vision, and his absolute loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

After Ling Mian formed the Flying Fox Army, he set up a ranking list internally.

The scope of the rankings on the list is a little more complex;
——Bow and crossbow troops, including fixed posture fixed target, fixed posture moving target, sprint stop shooting and other projects.

The material officer corps has events such as weight-bearing and wrestling.

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The sword and shield have chopping strength, sensitivity, etc.

Cavalry units have speed, endurance, and archery.

Each of the above has a ranking;
All Feihu troops must participate in it, and there will be quarterly and annual assessments.

Ling Mian personally set the rules: All sergeants in the Feihu Army must rank in the top 3,200 - or the top one-fifth - in at least three events.

Similarly: the squad leader must be ranked in the top 1,600 in three individual events, and the village head must be ranked in the top 320.

When it comes to Qu Hou, the centurion, the level of strictness suddenly rises to a higher level.

Those who serve as Qu Hou in the Feihu Army must rank among the top 160 in three events at the same time, and are only allowed to rank out of the top 320 in two events at most!
The person who serves as the team leader must be ranked in the top 32 in four events at the same time, and is only allowed to fall out of the top 64 in at most one other event.

The eight schools under the Feihu Army, the eight captains need to rank in the top eight in at least five events!

Moreover, the athletes must rank in the top sixteen among all other events, and no event is allowed to fall out of the top sixteen.

The most important thing is: these rankings are not "one-time test that determines your whole life", but are dynamic assessments.

——There are four quarterly assessments every year within the Feihu Army, and every soldier in the Feihu Army will be assessed and ranked based on each project.

Anyone from the sergeant and above to the captain himself who fails to meet the standards required of the position will be demoted immediately!

And it’s not a demotion by one level in the popular sense to serve as a warning to others - rather, you will be demoted to the level that corresponds to the standard at which you have been demoted!
He was originally a captain in charge of 2,000 men, and was ranked second in command of the Feihu Army along with seven other brothers. His status was second only to Ling Mian himself. Once he failed an assessment, he would be directly demoted to a sergeant or even a soldier. It was not unheard of for him to do so!
In addition, soldiers have an opportunity to actively request an assessment every year.

For example, if you are a pawn and have been practicing hard for a period of time, and feel that you have made great progress in several areas and have a good chance of reaching the standard of sergeant, then you can apply for an individual assessment.

Or, you are an officer, and your physical condition was not good in the last assessment, and you accidentally failed to meet the requirements and were demoted. Once you have adjusted your health, you can apply for the assessment in order to be "reinstated."

As for what you said: What are the assessment criteria for Ling Mian, the Feihu Commander?

Let’s not talk about others—from the establishment of the Feihu Army until Ling Mianwu’s death, it took a total of seventeen years;

There were tens of millions of people in the Han Dynasty, and tens of thousands of soldiers in the Feihu Army - no one else had ever dared to covet the first place in any event on the Feihu Army's internal list!
Ling Mian set an example and told everyone in the Feihu Army and even the whole world with his own actions: Feihu Duwei is the strongest man in the Feihu Army!
If you can't do that, you don't deserve to be the general of this powerful army!

Such strict standards also caused some confusion at one point.

——Except for Ling Mian, there is no other pervert in the world who can be so 'all-round' in the perverted nest of the Feihu Army and achieve the perverted achievement of a hexagonal all-round warrior.

Therefore, after Ling Mian's death, the Feihu Duwei Army, which had not waited for three years for a qualified Duwei, finally decided under the decision of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen to change the assessment requirements for the Feihu Duwei from having to be first in every item to having to be in the top three in every item.

It may sound ridiculous;
From the perspective of soldiers charging into battle and generals strategizing, this kind of assessment requirement seems unscientific.

But this is the Flying Fox Army.

You can be parachuted in, and can be sent to the Feihu Army as a captain by a royal decree from the court.

But if you cannot meet the assessment requirements, even if the whole world recognizes you as the Feihu Commander, no one in the Feihu Army will recognize you.

This was the Han Dynasty's first fully full-time, professional, and elite standing field army.

He was deeply influenced by the first general, Ling Mian, but he was never out of the control of the central government in Chang'an, especially the Emperor Liu Han.

Even Ling Mian's biological son could not receive preferential treatment based on his bloodline;
——Fifteen years have passed since he joined the Feihu Army, and the only son left by Ling Mian is still jumping back and forth between sergeant and squad leader, and has never been close to the core decision-making level of the Feihu Army.

What about Xiuliying?
Overlord Army?
The Thorny Gate Army?
Needless to say, the Xiuli Camp dared to say to Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, "General Zhou has ordered that no one is allowed to ride in vehicles in the camp," and said such anti-Tiangang words, as if they had become the Zhou family's private soldiers!

In other words, the Xiuli Camp had high combat effectiveness, and Emperor Taizong was generous enough to tolerate a reckless man like Zhou Yafu.

If it were Liu Rong - there is no need to "change", the current Liu Rong would have long been unable to tolerate the Xiuli Camp, which "only knows General Zhou but does not know the Emperor of Han".

Although the situation of Bashang Army and Jimen Army was better, it was not much better.

Due to the influence of the two first-generation generals, these two nominally standing field armies were affected by too many individuals and forces, and they could not be called the army of the Han Dynasty at all.

(End of this chapter)