Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 16 The Two Have Never Known (This chapter is free)

Zhao Xingde pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Since that's the case, why doesn't Xia Guo get together the whole country's elite soldiers to destroy this imperial food?"

Chao Buzhi took a sip of tea, and replied: "Yuan Zhi has such a spirit, it's good, but there were very few Chinese in the land in the middle of the river, even if Turkic, Russian, or any other country is wiped out, it will be a sideline." The local ethnic group makes the wedding dress. Hu people believe in gods, or God, or Allah. Even if Xia Guo did not attack those brutal and warlike Hu people, they would kill each other because of the differences in their gods. , the population has not increased but decreased for a hundred years. The way of my China is to respect ghosts and gods and stay away. Xia Guo relied on his military strength to strictly prohibit evil cults in the country, and to protect the Chinese people's reclamation and livelihood. For a hundred years The Han people continued to migrate from Guanzhong and Bashu to settle in the past, and the people themselves lived and multiplied. They intermarried and merged with the nine surnames of the Western Regions under the rule of the Xia Kingdom. It’s no different from China.”

Zhao Xingde imagined the scene of opening up the territory, and couldn't help being a little fascinated, but he was a little puzzled, so he asked: "The land of the Xia Kingdom starts from Hangu Pass in the east, covers the land of Central Ba and Shu, and goes beyond the lush greenery in the west. Ling, governing the river, and controlling the desert in the north, the territory is so vast, I heard that all the armies in the country are stationed in one place for a long time, and most of the supplies are raised on the spot, just like the Tang Dynasty. Yu’s system is very different, and the country has been established for a hundred years, so how can it not be seen that it has become a separate regime and fell apart?” This problem is also something that many officials of the Song Dynasty can’t figure out.

Chao Buzhi glanced at Zhao Xingde, and did not answer his question directly, but slowly said: "If the people's hearts are toward the imperial court, the local food and soldiers are enough to be the pillars of the imperial court. And abolished, it will not help, just open the door and steal. When the Han Dynasty, the hearts of the Han Dynasty did not go away. First, Wang Mang usurped the throne, and heroes from all over the world fought against him, and finally Guangwu Zhongxing. After that, there were hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans. If all the people rise up at the same time, if there are no strong and strong guards in the prefectures and counties, I am afraid that the country will have changed hands. The people's hearts are in the Han Dynasty. With Cao Mengde's ability, he can only occupy the position of prime minister, coercing the emperor to order him not to be a minister. The Tang Dynasty has a history of Anlu Mountain In the "chaos" of Siming, although the Central Plains did not know that the war had been going on for a long time, but the place is full, but there are one or two loyal people who can become the mainstay. At the beginning of the "rebellion", although the prefectures and counties in Hebei were invincible, there were still Yan brothers guarding Changshan and Plains. Later, Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan, and Nan Jiyun guarded Suiyang to prevent the rebels from going south to Jianghuai. Guaranteeing the food and salaries for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion. Even in the late Tang Dynasty, the eunuchs ruled, the imperial court was extremely weak, and the Khitan, Uighur and other Hu tribes invaded the Central Plains several times, but they could not gain a foothold in the Central Plains. Completely collapsed. Speaking of it, there are many towns and towns, and the local abundance is also a major reason. Like this dynasty, all the local food and salaries should be spared. If the house is cleaned, the brothers will be cut off. If you break through the door, this world may change hands."

Li Ruoxue didn't have much interest in these court wars, she listened quietly to the side, seeing Chao Buzhi unscrupulously criticizing the ancestral family law of this dynasty, her drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, thoughtfully.However, Zhao Xingde continued to ask: "Sir, you haven't explained yet why Xia Guo is so laissez-faire, it still hasn't become a disaster for a feudal town."

When he questioned so persistently, Chao Buzhi not only didn't think he was disobedient, but nodded his head and replied: "Actually, according to the old system of the Tang Dynasty, the border commanders all use loyal and famous officials. Tong, those who are well-known and famous are the prime ministers. The generals of the four barbarians are as talented as Ashinasheer, Qibi Heli, and they are all appointed by the ministers. Destroy the system, make An Lushan serve as Jiedushi for many years, and also serve as three towns, how can it become an unmanageable situation like the "chaos" in Anshi."

In the past, Zhao Xingde only knew that the feudal towns in Tang Dynasty were serious disasters, but he didn't know that Tang Dynasty also had a tradition of restricting military envoys, so he nodded.Chao Buzhi took a sip of tea, and continued: "Although the system of the Xia Kingdom allows the region to be enriched, the means of controlling the region are far superior to those of the Tang Dynasty. The State Mansion, the Prime Minister’s Mansion, the Scholars’ Mansion and the General’s Mansion. Among them, Zhu Guo’s Mansion is responsible for enacting laws and regulations, the National Protector’s Mansion makes decisions on military and state affairs, the Prime Minister’s Mansion handles government affairs, the Bachelor’s Mansion advocates literature and academics, and the General’s Mansion is responsible for commanding the army to fight.”

Chao Buzhi spoke very clearly, but Zhao Xingde was still a little unclear, and asked: "What is the relationship between the system of the five mansions and the control of the locality?"

Chao Buzhi smiled and said, "You don't know that the Huguo Mansion, which is in charge of making military and state affairs, is composed of more than [-] captains from the Xia army. The captains spend half of their time in the Huguo Mansion deciding on state affairs. When the school lieutenant was discussing matters in the western capital, the affairs in the army were handled by the centurion entrusted by him. In the middle of Xia Dynasty, the election system was strictly enforced below the school lieutenant, but the generals of each army were appointed by the general's mansion. There are many sergeants The heart belongs to the school lieutenant. Although the generals of each army have the power to command and govern, they are limited to the laws and military orders of the court. If there is a general who plans to cause "chaos", the sergeants will never follow him. The control of the army by the Huguofu It’s not something a few heroes can shake.”

Zhao Xingde let out an "oh", and suddenly realized that although Xia Guo's generals had a high status, they were not elected officers.And the most senior officer, the lieutenant, is also a member of the Huguofu, the highest decision-making body in the Xia Kingdom. The sense of belonging of the lieutenants to the Huguofu far exceeds their loyalty to the general, so it is difficult to get even if someone plots to do something wrong. The captain's approval.

He thought for a while, and then asked: "Everything from the captain to the captain is elected. Aren't you afraid that the top and bottom will fight together, and the soldiers will be lazy, making the army unusable?"

Chao Buzhi said with a smile: "Most of Xia's armies have a five-year service period. After the service period expires, sergeants can retain their titles and return home to work. However, these retired sergeants still participate in the selection of captains in the battalion. Due to the The number is usually about five times that of the serving sergeants, and the school lieutenant is almost elected by these retired sergeants. The vital interests of these retired sergeants are closely related to the strength of their respective battalion leaders. They are like employers, with eyes Watch very closely, and will not tolerate the situation you mentioned. The Imperial Guard only recruits elite soldiers who have served all year round from the ordinary army. There are few retired sergeants, but the Imperial Guard itself has the most opportunities to march and fight, and it has to be used as an imaginary enemy. It is impossible for ordinary legions to conduct drills, and it is even more impossible for soldiers to be lazy."

"Could it be that Xia Guo's court is not afraid that these retired soldiers will hijack the school captain and the Huguo Mansion?" Li Ruoxu asked suddenly, he finally thought of a question, and asked it before Zhao Xingde.

Chao Buzhi smiled but didn't answer, looked at Zhao Xingde, among the three disciples, Li Ruoxue was talented but unfortunately she was a woman, Li Ruoxu was still young, the one he taught the most was Zhao Xingde.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, Zhao Xingde sighed, and said slowly: "According to the Privy Council's court report, the Xia army has about 20 people. Calculated by five times, the number of retired sergeants should be around one million. From the standpoint of the Xia State court, as long as these millions of bravery return to their hearts, the world will be under control, the outside can defend against powerful enemies, the inside can suppress small ones, and the overall situation is as stable as Mount Tai. Therefore, the imperial court will always try its best to meet the demands of the soldiers." Zhao Xingde frowned and thought for a while, and seemed to find a better wording, "I am a scholar-bureaucrat and the emperor ruled the world together, but in the situation of Xia, it seems more appropriate to say that the soldiers and the emperor rule the world together."

"The soldiers and the emperor ruled the world together?" Li Ruoxu had doubts on his face.Chao Buzhi took a deep look at Zhao Xingde, he was noncommittal, sighed, and continued: "In order to prevent the sergeants from overwhelming the ordinary people, the ordinary people in the states and counties of the Xia Kingdom also organized regiments to train the army. "Lian, the tribunes are also dedicated to redress grievances for the shady households. In addition to using the Huguofu to gather the morale of the army, the Zhuguofu Zhuguo, which formulates laws and regulations, is elected every two years by the Xia people who have reached the age of forty. There is only one right to elect the Zhu Kingdom once, and every 10 people nominate one person, and the person who is elected must be over 40 years old. The Zhu Kingdom is a life-long system. Once you become a Zhu Kingdom, your status in the country is extremely respected, and you can come and go. Tiger Wing Army Huwei. Except that I can ask to resign on the grounds of old age and infirmity, I can only remove my status as a Zhu Kingdom with the consent of the Zhu Kingdom itself with a four-fifths majority. The Zhu Kingdom is also in charge of the highest court case and prison Even the emperor cannot overturn the judgments made according to the law." Chao Buzhi kept silent when he said this, and looked at the three disciples under his seat, as if he wanted to test the school.