Chapter 335 Sheng Changbai Gets Married and Is Appointed as the Commander of the Five Major Camps

Reform can promote the ideological progress of a nation.

During this so-called era of reform, many thinkers, politicians, reformers, military strategists, etc. emerged.

When later generations talk about this period, they habitually refer to it as the era of "talent blowout".

It is also habitually called, after the era of various schools of thought, another splendid era of great struggle.

This era was jointly created by Wei Yuan and Wang Anshi.

In order to marry a daughter, the Hai family was very extravagant, and Shili Hongzhuang and so on could only be regarded as the basics.

This allowed the world to see the strength of the Hai family.

Three days later, Sheng Changbai took Hai Chaoyun back home.

Haizhong and Haizhou, their father and son, had a long talk with him.

Hai Chaoyun was responsible for pouring tea and water for the three of them.

As a woman, she shouldn't have listened to what the three of them were talking about.

However, as a bride who will be in charge of the family in the future, she can listen to some things. After listening, she will gain knowledge and be better able to be Sheng Changbai's good wife.

"Bai'er, your position as Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was given to you by Taifu Wei. Do you know why Taifu Wei did this?"

Haizhong asked.

This Mr. Hai once held the title of Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Rites, and was even expected to participate in political affairs. Unfortunately, the new emperor did not like the old ministers.

Hearing that it was related to Wei Yuan, Sheng Changbai and his wife both looked pale.

First, it was the 'relative' relationship between Sheng Changbai and Wei Yuan, and second, it was the good relationship between Hai Chaoyun and Zhang Guifen.

Sheng Changbai asked: "Should the son-in-law be related to the Taifu?"

Haizhong shook his head and said: "That's not the point. The point is that everyone is optimistic about you and thinks that you can be the prime minister in twenty or thirty years."

Sheng Changbai was shocked and said quickly: "My son-in-law is stupid, I can't even think about the position of Prime Minister."

Haizhou glared at him, "You really haven't thought about it?"

Sheng Changbai nodded.

I originally thought that the Hai family would say that they had no ambition.

Unexpectedly, Haizhou suddenly laughed and said, "Father, you and your son were worried that Changbai would be arrogant and complacent. Now it seems that Changbai is down-to-earth."

Haizhong Fuxu praised: "That's right, Bai'er, you must remember that as an official, your first priority is to be down-to-earth. You must have your family and country in your heart, and you must think about the people. If you do this, you can truly Invincible in official circles.”

This is completely contrary to some worldly theories, but Sheng Changbai regards it as the Bible.

"Taifu Wei and Master Wang are both your seniors. They will take care of you in the officialdom. There is no need to worry about your future."

"As the saying goes, too much is too little, and what I am worried about now is that your uncle, the current Tutor Wei, is more powerful than the current prime minister, which is extremely rare in all dynasties."

"It's not an exaggeration to say that your uncle is a powerful official now. If your uncle is loyal, then our Great Zhou Dynasty can at least prosper for several more decades without any worries. If one day, your uncle changes, how should you deal with it?"

Haizhong narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked.

Haizhou's heart skipped a beat and he quickly said: "Father."

Before he finished speaking, Haizhong shook his head and said:

"That's all, I'm old, and what I just said was nonsense, and Bai'er doesn't need to respond, but you have to think about it, people don't deceive themselves."

When leaving Haijia, Sheng Changbai had been worried and unhappy.

Hai Chaoyun stroked his palm and said caringly: "But because of what my father said, you were upset?"

Sheng Changbai was about to respond when he saw that the carriage had already arrived at the Longjin Bridge near Zhuquemen Street. This reminded Sheng Changbai of his conversation with Wei Yuan many years ago.

【You said that my life is like walking on thin ice.】

Thinking of this, Sheng Changbai said out of nowhere, "Do you think my uncle has finally reached the other side?"

Hai Chaoyun subconsciously said 'hmm' and asked in confusion: "What's the other side?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said nothing more.

——

In mid-July of the first year of Kaiwu, Zhao Xi issued an order to the world to reduce the number of troops by 500,000.

This is the largest troop reduction plan involving the largest number of people since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty.

As for how to arrange the laid-off soldiers, it has become a current problem.

Wei Yuan suggested that those who have land should go home to farm and reduce taxes, and those who have no land should arrange land.

However, there is only so much arable land, so where can we find more land for them?

Foreign aggression? It is obviously not suitable for the current development policy.

Therefore, Wei Yuan gave another opinion that shocked Wang Anshi and others,

"Kill a group of landlords and lords, seize their land, and redistribute it to the soldiers who chose to serve as soldiers because their families had no land."

This move was strongly opposed by Wang Anshi and others.

"The cornerstone of a country's prosperity lies in the rule of law. Those outsiders you mentioned have not violated national laws. To seize and distribute their land is to shake the foundation of the rule of law. Once public dissatisfaction arises, can the Taifu bear this responsibility?"

"The reason why those non-members own a large amount of land is mostly from local people. If you rob the land, but do not give it to those who were robbed, but give it to the old soldiers, it will easily unbalance the people's hearts."

"This is a way to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. Those members are also our people in Da Zhou. As long as they are reasonable and legal, we should not take advantage of them by force."

"."

Wei Yuan said: "The officials have issued a decree to reduce the number of troops. What do you think of the officers and soldiers who have been laid off? How will they live after they leave the army?"

Fan Chunren frowned and said, "But we can't tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall."

Wei Yuan looked at Zhao Xi, bowed and said, "The officials have a compromise."

The latter raised his eyebrows and said, "Master Wei, please tell me quickly."

Wei Yuan said: "First, if the imperial court pays for the resettlement and asks the old soldiers to move south to Shu Road to open up wasteland, they can be exempted from taxes for two generations."

"Second, expand the scope of maritime transportation, build large ships, select strong-limbed men from veterans, expand maritime transportation, and encourage them to go to sea for business."

"Third, link some of the veterans, including the garrison soldiers, with the local government and let the local government support them."

"Fourth, businessmen value fame and fortune. Those who have a large amount of land can be named righteous merchants through the imperial court and let them donate money and land. Those who are sincere and pay high prices can do business with the imperial merchants, and they can also Make a fuss about shipping.”

"Fifth, give priority to the veterans and go to various merchants to do business to earn wages to supplement the family income. If those merchants are unwilling to use it, the imperial court will issue an explicit decree saying that the veterans who have retired from the army are all good-natured. The soldiers who have made great contributions to the country will, in time, be trusted by the world when they hear the word ‘old soldier’.”

"."

He gave ten suggestions in one go.

If a multi-pronged approach is taken, there will naturally be no need to worry about the placement of veterans.

Zhao Xi nodded repeatedly and said: "What the Master Wei said is absolutely true, just follow what the Master Wei said."

Wei Yuan said: "In the officialdom, the reduction of troops cannot be 500,000 immediately, but must be carried out gradually. I believe that within a period of three months, 300,000 will be laid off first, and then 200,000 will be laid off before the end of the year." The troops are over."

If in normal times the Zhou Dynasty reduced its army by half a million, then the Liao and Xia countries would definitely invade and plunder.

But now, the war has just ended, and Liao and Xia are unable to fight anymore, giving Zhou a breathing space to reform.

——

After discussing the details of the troop reduction, Wei Yuan invited Xu Changzhi and Qin Zhen to his home.

Now, the three of them are the well-deserved military leaders of Great Zhou.

Xu Changzhi was born as a concubine. Although he had the status of a disciple of Wu Xun, in the final analysis, he was born in Daizhou.

Both Daizhou and Founding Wuxun were happy to see Xu Changzhi ascend to power because they believed that he could play a balancing role between the two major forces in the military.

Qin Zhen is the eldest son of a serious Wu Xun. His words and deeds represent the government of Fuguo, and he can also represent the established Wu Xun forces to a certain extent.

Qin Zhen's ascension can also be said to be a concession made by Wei Yuan to compromise the founding martial arts.

Now that the three of them are gathering together, there must be something big going on.

As the mistress of the Champion House, when she saw Wei Yuan inviting them to the study, she quickly made a decision. No one was allowed to approach within thirty steps of the study in the backyard.

And she was sitting in the yard of the study, waiting for them to discuss certain things and come to a conclusion.

At this time, in the study room.

Qin Zhen and Xu Changzhi both looked at Wei Yuan.

All three were speechless.

I don’t know how much time passed.

Wei Yuan then raised his head and spoke slowly: "I believe you all understand the situation of the military reform, right?"

Xu Changzhi pretended to be silent.

Qin Zhen was the first to speak: "Brother Wei is presiding over the military reform. Brother Yu has no objection at all. Brother Wei can do whatever he wants. Brother Yu fully supports it."

Military reform will inevitably affect the interests of the founding heroes.

After all, they have been deployed in the army since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty.

It is said that more than half of the sons of the Upper Fourth Army currently stationed in the capital can be related to the founding warriors.

Qin Zhen said that, obviously making a huge concession.

The result of this concession was also a compromise made by the veteran Wu Xun to the upstarts in Daizhou.

Zhang Fu played a crucial role in it.

Wei Yuan said: "Brother Qin Xian, don't worry. This military reform will not touch the Forbidden Army stationed in the capital."

Hearing this, Qin Zhen was relieved but also puzzled.

Since it is not related to disarmament, why did you invite yourself to come?

The next moment, Wei Yuan's voice came to my ears again,

"After the military reform, five major battalions will be established. I told the late Emperor this idea when he was still there."

"After the five battalions are established, they need commanders to guard them. What I'm thinking of is to select three people from the upstarts, two from the founding military honors, and create a new official position to take charge of the garrison in the country. The title is 'Garrison'." The guards are all in command."

"The position of commander of the garrison is also given to the founding military honors. I wonder what Brother Qin Xian thinks?"

To put it bluntly, the top-level general structure after the military reform is divided equally between the founding military heroes and the upstarts from Daizhou.

From the perspective of actual interests, the founding martial arts actually suffered a loss.

After all, the so-called position of commander of the national garrison does not contain much power and is subject to restrictions by local officials.

But the military reform was originally initiated by Wei Yuan. He represented the interests of Daizhou, so he naturally had to consider the new rich.

Qin Zhendao: "Since Commander Wei has said so, he must have already chosen someone, right?"

Wei Yuan nodded, glanced at Xu Changzhi, and said:

"I have three candidates here. The southern camp will be led by Guo Hao and Hu Yanzhong will be the deputy commander. The northern camp will be led by Xiao Yuming and assisted by Liang Da. The western camp will be led by Zhong E and assisted by Peng Sun."

South, west and north, these three camps are the three camps chosen by Wei Yuan.

It stands to reason that among the five major camps, the Gyeonggi camp is the so-called central camp, which has the highest power and the most valuable expression of power.

But why didn't Wei Yuan choose to join the central camp?

The reason is very simple. After the military reform, what Wei Yuan has to do is to expand the Danglu Army.

By then, the Danglu Army will be independent from the five major battalions.

The expanded military strength is temporarily set at 100,000, which is already a large number.

With these 100,000 rogue troops stationed in the capital, Wei Yuan had the capital to save his life.

When Qin Zhen heard this, he thought it was a good thing to give up the qualification of commander of the central camp to the founding warriors!

However, choosing who will take the role requires careful discussion.

"Brother Wei, I haven't decided yet on the commander-in-chief of the garrison, central camp, and eastern camp. I need to discuss it with a few elders."

Qin Zhen said.

Although he was promoted to the position by the founding warriors, at best, he was just a spokesperson and had no decision-making power.

Wei Yuan said: "The appointment of the commander-in-chief of the fifth battalion is a top secret for us. Do you know that?"

Qin Zhen and Xu Changzhi said one after another:

"Brother Wei, please rest assured that no one with ulterior motives will know about this matter."

"."

After Qin Zhen left, Xu Changzhi made excuses not to leave.

Later, he asked Wei Yuan in confusion:

"During the National War, Guo Hao made no contribution. Now that he has changed his position and made him the commander of the first battalion, there may be many mistakes."

Wei Yuan said: "I did not allow him to participate in the national war. I really don't want those naval seedlings in the south to fight on the ground with the Liao army who are good at field warfare."

Xu Changzhi said: "Guo Hao has no merit. Has Commander Wei figured out how to convince the public?"

Wei Yuan said: "Even if he is not convinced, it is probably because of our brothers from Daizhou who are not convinced. Let me just say this. Besides, Guo Hao is our brother, so it is still necessary. We cannot deny it just because he did not participate in the national war." Because of his talent, Liang Da was still his lieutenant at first."

Xu Changzhi said: "But this Guo Hao broke your rules in the south before. Will he obey you?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said: "If I can lift him up to that position, I can step him down again. If he is not sensible, I will teach him to be sensible."

Xu Changzhi nodded slightly, "The North and South Camps are all from Daizhou. It's okay. But I'm not too familiar with Zhong'e, the western camp, and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with our Daizhou."

Wei Yuan explained earnestly: "Just because Zhong'e is not from Daizhou, we cannot suppress him. His military talent is not inferior to Yu Ming's and others."

"Besides, not all the new rich come from Daizhou. Brothers Zhonge and others are also our people. Although Daizhou can continuously provide talents, in the final analysis, our vision cannot be limited to Daizhou. place."

The main task of the Western Camp is to fight against Xixia.

From this point of view, except for Zhong E in command, Wei Yuan did not trust the others, including those selected from the Eight Tigers of Daizhou.

Wei Yuan once thought that as a general, as long as he could lead good troops and fight good battles, that would be enough.

But it wasn't until his status became higher and higher that he gradually realized that this was not the case.

After occupying a high position, you need to balance multiple forces.

They need to support their own Daizhou Group and appease the veteran nobles, because they also have a certain say in the military. After all, they have been operating in the military since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After balancing the new nobles and the old nobles, we still need to balance the border armies in various places.

Otherwise, even the slightest carelessness can lead to a mutiny in the army.

As an emperor, Zhao Xi has never considered these deeper and darker reasons.

All along, it was Wei Yuan and Wang Anshi who wiped his butt.