xymnovel Chapter 113: Debate
Chapter 113: Debate
In Yanying Hall.
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Li Deyu finally voiced his objection.
There was no other way. Linghu Chu had clearly already begun laying the groundwork for who would preside over the matter. If he didn't bring it up soon, given that the other party clearly had the majority of votes in the hall, the decision would likely be made in a muddled and confused manner.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw a sly smile appear in Linghu Chu's eyes, and Li Deyu immediately felt that something was wrong.
Before he could continue speaking, Linghu Chu said, "Your Majesty, I had also considered Prime Minister Li's concerns before. Later, Military Governor Niu Sengru shared an idea with me, which I found feasible. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow Military Governor Niu to elaborate."
"But..." A voice soon came from the throne.
So Niu Sengru stood up, and for the first time since returning to Beijing, he and his nemesis Li Deyu met again.
"Lord Li should know that the purpose of checking the military register is to enforce military discipline, and the enforcement of military discipline is to improve the combat effectiveness of the Shence Army. As the imperial guards who protect the capital, the Shence Army bears a heavy responsibility. However, for many years, there has been a lack of internal mobility within the Shence Army, resulting in mediocre soldiers, lazy generals, lax military discipline, and declining combat effectiveness."
"To cure an illness, one must address its root cause. The Shence Army is riddled with problems, and the root cause lies in the system of moving in and out of the army. Therefore, if we want to completely change the Shence Army's profit-driven and complacent atmosphere, we should start from this point."
Having said that, he turned and bowed towards the throne.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the military system of the Shence Army should be re-evaluated, and the rotation system of the Autumn Defense Army should be adopted. The officers and soldiers of the Shence Army in the northwest of the capital should be rotated regularly with the Shence Army stationed in the capital, with a five-year period."
"Furthermore, the Shence Military Command shall inspect the soldiers in the capital every year. Those who are old, weak, lazy, or violate military discipline shall be transferred to be stationed in the northwest of the capital. Elite soldiers in the Shence Army may also be transferred to the capital for garrison duty."
"In this way, the soldiers in the army will be eager to train, discipline will be restored, and the fighting strength can return to its peak."
These words immediately sparked a murmur of discussion in the hall.
If Linghu Chu's words were somewhat within their expectations, then Niu Sengru's proposed strategy was truly like a thunderclap from a clear sky, completely exploding in everyone's ears.
The reason is quite simple: although Linghu Chu's strategy looks radical, it is actually rather conservative. It falls into the category of treating the symptoms rather than the root cause, and its main purpose is to solve the problem of insufficient military funds for the imperial court.
Because it only treats the surface symptoms, its implementation is controllable.
This is similar to Li Deyu's investigation of private lending cases. Who can be investigated, who cannot be investigated, which cases can be investigated strictly, and which cases can be handled leniently—all of these can be controlled.
As long as the overall direction remains unchanged, and the person in charge has enough strategy and courage, the final result will not be as serious as Li Deyu said.
But Niu Sengru's words were different.
This truly touched upon the fundamental structure of the Shence Army.
In detail, this proposal is no less influential than the Shence reforms that Li Deyu wanted to implement.
Li Ang sat on the throne, feeling somewhat surprised.
It should be noted that, based on Niu Sengru's previous experience, his expertise was mainly focused on civil administration and taxation, and he was clearly lacking in military matters.
This can be seen from his misjudgment of the Victorian situation.
Indeed, given the Tang Dynasty's resources at the time, it was not suitable to go to war with Tibet. But let's not forget that Tibet was also in a state of internal turmoil, and both sides were actually a little hesitant about going to war.
It was precisely because of this that Li Deyu thought of taking the opportunity to reclaim Weizhou, but Niu Sengru at the time only considered the situation of the Tang Dynasty, or rather, he lacked the courage to do so, and in the end he could only give up Weizhou.
This decision cannot be said to be entirely wrong, but it did expose Niu Sengru's lack of military foresight.
That's why Li Ang didn't expect that Niu Sengru would actually make a truly effective suggestion this time.
However, he did not rush to speak.
Because if the problems of the Shence Army could be solved so easily, then they wouldn't have troubled the original owner for so many years...
Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before Zheng Qin, who was standing to the side, voiced his objection.
"Your Majesty, since the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the Fubing system in our dynasty has gradually fallen into disuse. Except for a few places where the system of 'fanshang' is still preserved, most places have replaced Fubing with recruitment. Take the Shence Army as an example. Nowadays, most of the Shence Army soldiers are from hereditary families, with fathers and sons succeeding each other. Their families are mostly stationed near the capital with the army."
"If the soldiers are rotated regularly according to the original system, how should their families be settled? If they stay in the capital region, they will be separated from their families for a long time, which may cause dissatisfaction in the army. If they go with the army, such a large and frequent population movement is not easy. Whether it is the capital region or the rotation area, management and control will be a troublesome matter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Deyu, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.
In fact, this is the core reason why the Shence Army cannot be rotated in large numbers at will.
Unlike the Fubing system of the early Tang Dynasty, the current Shence Army is recruited. As a result, they are basically professional soldiers who make a living by being soldiers.
If the old system of rotation for military service were to be followed, significant problems would arise, both in terms of family members and management.
However, the other side was clearly prepared for this, and Linghu Chu quickly responded.
"Your Majesty, this is not difficult. As Zheng Pu just mentioned, most of the Shence Army are now soldiers from hereditary families. In that case, I think we can revise the military system and fix the military registration. The court should prioritize recruiting soldiers from military households. All those registered in the military should retain the land granted by the court, tax exemptions, and other rights."
"In this way, even if they are transferred or rotated to other posts, the families of these Shence Army soldiers will not have to travel around. They can simply stay in their hometowns. Their food, clothing, housing and transportation will still be taken care of by the court. This will not only reassure the soldiers but also motivate them to strive for excellence. It is a win-win situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ang, who was sitting at the head of the table, also brightened up.
Therefore, there is never a shortage of smart people. Linghu Chu and Niu Sengru's method is actually somewhat similar to the military household system during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Of course, given the situation in the Tang Dynasty, it was unrealistic to fully establish a military household system.
For example, the core restriction of the military household system in the Ming and Qing dynasties was that once registered, one could not change their household registration at will. This single rule alone would have been virtually impossible for the Tang dynasty, which still practiced a conscription system.
For example, the biggest advantage of the military household system was self-sufficiency, while the problem of the Tang Dynasty was precisely that there was not enough land for military farming, and it had to rely on the salt tax from Lianghuai to supplement military expenses.
In this situation, the military household system lacked the foundation for large-scale implementation. However, if it were only used on a small scale...
"Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate."
This time, Li Deyu finally couldn't sit still any longer and stepped forward personally.
"The Shence Army is already in a state of decline. If the court were to completely implement a policy of hereditary succession, it would only make the soldiers more complacent."
"Moreover, this system has long existed in the regional military governorships. These guards have passed down their skills from generation to generation, and the military network is interconnected, so that they often rebel against their superiors, murder the military governors, and establish new rulers.
"The Shence Army was originally the imperial guards. Whether it's to reorganize and rotate them or to restore discipline, there are many other ways. There's no need to take this risky step..."