The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 33: Inspection

Li Ang had learned some about the Shence Army's training system from the documents he had been reading these past few days.

According to the old system left over from the Yuanhe period, the Shence Army, as the imperial guards, had to train for at least three hours every day, with training content ranging from horsemanship and archery to battle formations and physical fitness.

Every ten days there is a review, and Lieutenant Shence must personally inspect the troops, with a large-scale drill every day.

There are monthly training sessions, overseen by the various Shence Generals, to assess the combat capabilities of the various armies and determine rewards and punishments within the military.

In addition, depending on the season, there will be a drill involving tens of thousands of people each season, with the Left and Right Divine Strategy Armies working together to practice battle formations.

Every year in March and September, there are military exercises, with the entire army lined up in formation. These are not only the largest in scale, but generally, the emperor will also personally inspect them.

Of course, these are all idealized scenarios.

Rules are rules, and reality is reality.

Although the Shence Army was a formidable fighting force in various palace coups, to put it bluntly, it was purely a bully within its own ranks.

After Emperor Muzong, due to the growing power of eunuchs, the emperor gradually stopped regarding the Shence Army as his personal guard and instead saw it as a force that threatened imperial power. Most of the time, he focused his energy on how to eliminate the eunuchs.

As a result, the Shence Army was often deliberately reassigned to building palaces and constructing river embankments, and their training gradually fell into disuse.

Of course, even if things are in disarray, picking out a few people is enough to temporarily handle the situation.

Since Li Ang was going to inspect the area, he naturally didn't want to see this kind of empty show.

He waved his hand at Chen Junyi's invitation and instead of heading to the drill ground, he walked towards the warehouse where the officers and soldiers kept their daily training materials.

"Open……"

Upon arriving outside the warehouse, Li Ang gave instructions to the soldiers at the gate.

However, the latter hesitated and did not make any immediate move. Instead, he looked at Chen Junyi on the other side.

Upon seeing this, Liu Hongyi's face immediately darkened, and he said coldly.

"His Majesty has arrived! Open the gate as ordered!"

Chen Junyi quickly said, "Open the door!"

So the two soldiers hurriedly opened the warehouse and led the way.

Li Ang didn't seem to care and quickly followed them inside.

"Your Majesty, these are the bows and arrows, long swords, and spears that the Shence Army uses for daily training. I check them every three days to ensure there are no shortages or wear and tear that could affect training."

Chen Junyi, standing to the side, cautiously spoke up.

Li Ang stepped forward and casually touched a few weapons, only to find that they were mostly covered in dust.

Judging from the thickness of the dust, it's likely that these things haven't been touched in as little as three to five days, or as long as one or two months.

Li Ang glanced at Chen Junyi, then took the handkerchief handed to him by a servant and said with a smile.

"It's been well preserved; it looks almost brand new."

That simple sentence immediately made Chen Junyi lower his head guiltily, not daring to say a word.

Seeing this, Liu Hongyi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it.

"Reporting to everyone, there have been frequent troop movements recently, which has inevitably led to a slackening in training. Please rest assured, this old servant will definitely urge the officers and soldiers under my command to train properly."

Seeing the other party's apologetic expression, Li Ang shook his head and said.

"I didn't say anything, there's no need to be so nervous, just keep watching..."

The Shence Army's military system was very simple: fifty men formed a squad, five hundred men formed a battalion, and one thousand men formed a general. At the general level, there were positions such as chief general, lieutenant general, and deputy general.

Their unit designations were directly named with numbers, with each ten-thousand-strong army unit designated as the first general, the second general, and so on up to the tenth general.

When the emperor came to inspect, the most elite generals naturally came.

Even so, Li Ang still discovered something unusual in the warehouse.

"What is this?"

Looking at the thing in front of him that looked like a soccer ball, Li Ang picked it up and weighed it in his hand before turning around and asking.

Seeing this, Chen Junyi's expression became even more awkward, and he lowered his head and said.

"Your Majesty, this is... Cuju (ancient Chinese football)..."

The appearance of Cuju (ancient Chinese football) in a warehouse storing training weapons, even though it had long been a common occurrence, still made Chen Junyi, the Great General of the Divine Strategy Army, blush a little.

Li Ang glanced at the mountain of footballs piled up in front of him, then carefully examined the one in his hand that was obviously worn out, casually tossed it back, and laughed.

"You generals should treat your subordinates better. Look at these footballs, they're old and broken, they've been kicked to pieces but you still can't bear to replace them. It's really not right. Liu Xingshen, you should arrange to send a few hundred more footballs to the camp to replace these old ones."

The Xuanhui Academy was in charge of various miscellaneous affairs of the inner court, and naturally it also managed the inner treasury.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xingshen quickly stepped forward and said, "This old servant obeys the decree."

But when these words reached the ears of Chen Junyi and the others, they couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

At that moment, Chen Junyi dared not argue any further and immediately knelt on one knee and said.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is all my fault for not managing my subordinates strictly, which has led to them neglecting their training and indulging in games. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Then, Liu Hongyi also knelt down and said.

"As the Lieutenant of the Shence Army, I have failed in my duty to ensure the army's training is inadequate. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

However, Li Ang remained amiable in the face of the two men who knelt down one after another, shaking his head as he spoke.

"Get up, all of you. Why are you kneeling? I've already said that I'm just here to take a look around, not to punish anyone."

Even so, the two men below still dared not get up, but simply kowtowed again.

Seeing this, Li Ang sighed, his expression finally becoming more serious.

"I really didn't mean to blame you. The Shence Army's discipline has been lax in recent years, which is not a problem that happened overnight, nor is it the fault of just one person."

"Moreover, since the reign of Emperor Muzong, the court has frequently dispatched the Shence Army to build palaces and temples and dredge waterways. Later, when the late emperor ascended the throne, he enjoyed hunting and often ordered the Shence Army to play polo for amusement."

"All of these things are beyond your control. While you bear some responsibility for the current state of the Shence Army, you cannot be entirely blamed for it."

"Get up..."

Only after he finished speaking did the two men below dare to raise their heads.

"Yes."

They exchanged a glance, then carefully got up. Liu Hongyi then spoke.

"Rest assured, everyone, this old servant will strictly discipline and intensify training in the future, and will certainly live up to your expectations."

Chen Junyi quickly clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly cooperate with the lieutenant to strictly enforce military discipline and strengthen training."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang nodded, indicating his approval.

But to be honest, he didn't have much hope for the promises made by these two people.

As he just said, the current situation of the Shence Army is not something that can be achieved overnight, nor can it be easily changed by any one person.

Therefore, such declarations of determination are best taken with a grain of salt.

To truly change the current situation, great efforts are absolutely necessary; otherwise, there will be no results.

Given the current situation, neither Liu Hongyi nor Chen Junyi may have the determination and motivation to do so.

Even Emperor Li Ang himself might not be entirely confident in his ability to rectify the discipline of the Shence Army.

Moreover, Li Ang was not lying.

His purpose in coming here was certainly not to enforce military discipline.

After comforting the two men, Li Ang did not linger in the storeroom or wander around the military camp any longer, but instead went to rest in his tent.

Meanwhile, the other officers in the army were already waiting outside.

Li Ang summoned them one by one, and after bestowing rewards and appeasing them, he suddenly asked Liu Hongyi, who was standing to his side.

"The Shence Army numbers in the tens of thousands, all stationed in the capital. Where are their families?"