The goal of reaching Beijing was ambitious, but in reality it was just a notice that people didn’t take seriously.
Unifying thoughts is very easy to say in four words, but it is easier to know than to do, and it is inevitable that people's thoughts will be at odds with each other.
No one would stand up and openly oppose Liu Chengzong, but did anyone in this room really believe that they would go to Beijing?
Liu Chengzong himself didn't believe it.
What he wants is this effect, and only this effect.
Except for Cao Yao, no one in the entire army had any initiative in the rebellion.
Cao Yao's situation is also different. He is just a bandit leader who simply wants to occupy the mountain and become the king, and is unwilling to be bound by the existing rural covenants, gentry and court.
There is no awareness, courage, ability and desire to change the dynasty.
If Liu Chengzong really believed in the infinite power of words and could use a few words to turn the postmen and sergeants who fell into the grass just for an extra bowl of rice into revolutionary warriors who actively devoted themselves to the cause of rebellion, then he would be a great man. Fool.
People don't need to agree with his ideas, they just need to know in what direction he will move and have no objections. That is enough at the moment.
These men, who could not even write their names, had already seen Helianbo's tomb and the rushing Yellow River under his leadership, measured the width of northern Shaanxi with their feet, walked through countless sun-cracked fields, and slept in Countless abandoned villages.
Next, you will see more unheard of scenery, gain experiences that are simply unimaginable, experience the most brutal fighting and see the craziest revenge, and see poor people all over the world waiting for a change.
At that time, they will believe, and will believe from the bottom of their hearts, that people rushing from all over the world will eventually enter Beijing.
Maybe they were already on their way into Beijing by then.
With the general direction, the subsequent discussions will be much simpler.
Liu Chengzong said: "So today's discussion mainly talks about three things. First, determine the military law; second, reorganize the soldiers; third, determine the distribution of spoils of war."
There was a lot of chatter in the room, and when the voices subsided a little,
Gao Xian nodded and said: "There is definitely no problem with military law. The people in the camp are either soldiers or post soldiers. Just use the military law of the government and the army. It is okay to prohibit rape, prostitution and robbery. Everyone wants to fight Wangzhuang with you, but reorganizing the soldiers , it’s not necessary, right?”
Speaking of which, this group of people in the Lion Camp is very special. They started by robbing Wangzhuang. Until now, there are not many people in the team who participated in the operation of robbing Wangzhuang, but the legend of robbing Wangzhuang is still circulating among them.
According to legend, the entire mountain cellar was filled with grain, and the three leaders were given thousands of kilograms of grain, which exceeded the imagination of the soldiers at the bottom.
Cao Yao shook his head and said: "The distribution of spoils should be done, but why should we reorganize the soldiers? I have just gotten acquainted with my people, and the military law must be relaxed. Military law does not prohibit rape and robbery, and it cannot be restricted by military law in the army." , How can we restrain thieves? Without soldiers, we are nothing."
This statement was recognized by many military officers.
Wei Qian'er sneered and said, "Hey, if you scatter a bag of millet, you can sleep with whoever you want in the village. If you can eat enough, who has time to think about the half-tank of millet that the common people have."
Cao Yao glared, and Wei Qian'er opened his mouth to curse.
Seeing that this old thief and bad mouth was about to start a quarrel during the discussion, Liu Chengzong stretched out his hand to stop them: "Listen to what I have to say."
It's strange that Liu Chengzong came out to smooth things over at this time. The two of them didn't look like they were glaring at each other. They didn't care about it to save the leader's face.
On the contrary, the two of them looked at each other and turned their heads triumphantly.
It's like... everyone feels that Liu Chengzong is protecting him.
"Military discipline is lax, that's okay. Soldiers like you, but they don't respect you. In today's world, it's easy to recruit soldiers. Maybe the situation changes, and it's not impossible to seduce tens of thousands of hungry people.
At that time, your soldiers will be captains or even sentry commanders. When you become a battalion general, what kind of battalion do you want to take over? The soldiers will learn from you... There is also the issue of rape and robbery. You have to weigh the pros and cons. "
"Do you really think that the people's support and the rebel army are just for fun?" Liu Chengzong stretched out his hands: "There are rich and poor people in the world. There are more poor than rich. If we want to live, there are only three ways."
He cleared his throat: "Either rob the common people, they are plentiful, and we can live well; or we rob the rich officials, they are rich enough, and we can live well; or we can rob both the common people and the rich officials, offending both sides."
Cao Yao shook his head. He felt that Liu Chengzong wanted to be simple.
Everyone has their own moral values, and then he spread his hands and said: "We can all count the official grain stores and inn rich families. There are only a dozen or dozens of them in a county. What should we do if we rob them all without leaving any way for ourselves?" ?”
Liu Chengzong could feel that Cao Yao had good intentions and was worried that the prestige he had finally accumulated would be damaged and his military morale would be weakened.
And it does make sense. Sooner or later, the official warehouses of wealthy families will be robbed.
"I understand what Brother Cao means, but I still decided to establish the military law first. Everything else can be changed, but this one cannot be changed. This is not only a requirement for the sergeants, but also for me."
Liu Chengzong smiled, looked at everyone in the room again, and said: "I know that soldiers are very good if they have food. It is human nature to go to rob homes and homes without food... You also know that I am really good at leading troops in war. I dare not say that I am good at doing more, but I have listened to me on major matters and I have never caused any disadvantage to my brothers."
Cao Yao had no choice but to persist. He nodded and said, "If you want to say that, then I have nothing to say. I will listen to you."
"The Yue family's army froze to death without demolishing their houses, and starved to death without looting. But it was not because they had this rule that they did not demolish the houses or plunder because of this rule. That was because Grandpa Yue tried his best to prevent the Yue family's army from freezing to death and starving to death. This is also What my battalion is going to do...it really forces the brothers to do that. If we don't grab it, we will starve to death today, not to mention that I, Liu Chengzong and the military law, can't stop them."
He smiled and said: "Even the Jade Emperor can't stop it."
Everyone burst into laughter, but Wei Qian'er was particularly serious: "General, if we try our best, we can probably go hungry for two days."
"It's useless to say that. Being hungry for two days is nothing!"
Cao Yao nudged Liu Chengzong with his elbow: "Brothers are waiting, how are we going to distribute the profits?"
When he started, the officers all shouted: "Yes, General, how are the profits of the battle divided?"
"I know you want to hear this, but I have to talk about reorganization first. Now that everyone is eating from the same pot, I will make it clear that the troops must be dispersed."
Liu Chengzong paused and looked at everyone's expressions. Except for a few officers from the border army, the others' reactions were pretty good. He then continued: "Otherwise, the brothers from the border army will not be able to integrate and their combat effectiveness will be affected. Don't worry, captains and above will not be affected. You are still officers."
Gao Xian asked: "How to divide the troops?"
"Each one takes advantage of his or her strengths, including wounded soldiers. Those who can ride, shoot, and have served as Tangqi riders will be given priority in Captain Wei's cavalry; artillerymen will be given priority in Captain Cao's artillery post, and the remaining infantry will be mixed into the left and right posts to wait for the wounded. After recovering from his injuries, the whole battalion regarded the military competition as crowded and awarded the ninth-class soldier medal."
"Military honors, compared with martial arts rewards and punishments? Isn't this feasible?"
Basically, the people in the room had served as soldiers. Although the words Liu Chengzong spoke were made up of soldiers and martial arts, it was easy for them to understand.
Because almost every general of the army has tried to use Qi Jiguang's art of war published by the Ministry of War to restrain them. They compare their martial arts every month and set ninth-level rewards for the top, middle and bottom.
But without exception, no one can operate it successfully even if the instruction manual is placed on their face.
If you don’t even have enough to eat, why should you be rewarded, and why should you be punished?
Even now, people no longer think this is an effective way to compare martial arts and reward and punish soldiers.
"We also use the ninth grade, but we don't use it according to General Qi's. We use it like the martial arts of the general school. Everyone including the wounded is eighth grade. We formulate comparative subjects and standards applicable to the three branches of infantry, cavalry and artillery. It exceeds The standard will be raised by one level, and those who fail to meet the standard will be demoted by one level. Those who have made meritorious service in battle will be promoted by one level, and those who are punished will be demoted by one level. This is a reward and punishment system."
Feng Rong said: "But we don't have military pay, so what rewards and punishments will we get?"
"This is the standard of spoils of war I want to talk about. We have a battalion headquarters, officers, and soldiers. All the profits obtained from the looting operations are turned over. 70% of the money and food is kept in the camp headquarters, and the remaining 30% of the money, food and various war profits are left to the battalion. The subordinates gave 10% to the officers and 20% to the soldiers.”
Liu Chengzong raised his hand and explained: "In the future, when the battalion is fully established, the battalion general and the seven sentry commanders will jointly draft a vote for the money and food of the battalion headquarters. It will be used to purchase supplies and feed the sergeants. It can only be used if at least half of the votes are passed. What do you think? "
The captains were all silent. They knew very well that they had no say in this matter. It mainly depended on the opinions of the three captains.
The three sentry commanders all have the right to make decisions, and they agree with this allocation method. After a little discussion, the battalion commander changed it to two votes, totaling nine votes, and he could use it if he reached five votes.
Later, Liu Chengzong and others discussed the specific share of the distribution of war spoils several times, and finally worked out the quota of soldiers in the total distribution of war spoils according to their military merits.
The ninth level is counted as half, and the lower level is auxiliary soldiers, who are dependent on the fighting soldiers and have no right to distribute the spoils of war.
Eighth level is calculated as the standard amount, one level will be added for one level, and one level will be added for level three and above, and one level will be reduced for participating in a war profit distribution, until it is reduced to eighth level.
The spoils of war that are not easily divisible will be converted into money and grain for rationing by the battalion headquarters, and soldiers in need can exchange the money and grain away from the battalion headquarters.
In this way, it can not only stimulate the enthusiasm of soldiers, but also maintain the overall competitive atmosphere of equal units with more work and more gain because the total amount of war profits is constant.
With this set of things, rewards and punishments can come from it, and military law can indeed play a role in deterrence.
For example, in the military law of the government and the army, beheading at every turn does not apply to the rebels. However, if they make non-principled mistakes, they can be punished by demotion of military honors, or even beaten to the end and directly sent to the auxiliary soldiers.
At this time, Liu Chengzong revealed the true role of military honors in his heart: "Do you remember, that day outside Yanshui Pass, I could see clearly in Guancheng that we were separated, and the officers and soldiers were also dispersed, but the officers and soldiers were also dispersed. It can quickly regroup, and even soldiers who are not affiliated with each other can find different captains to join the army."
Cao Yao's memory of that day was too clear. He clicked his tongue and said, "There is no way. Their soldiers all know the captain. It is not easy for our people to recognize all the four soldiers in Shili."
Being familiar with each other is also a kind of organizational ability, although it is relatively loose.
"This is what I want to say, organization. Captains must make it clear to their sergeants when they go back. This soldier's honor can also be used in chaotic battles and laggard situations. Even if they are all broken up or run away, two soldiers gather together. At the same time, it will be up to the people with high military merit to take the decision to gather the defeated army, unite to break through the encirclement and find most of them to return to the army."
The battle at Yanshui Pass greatly touched Liu Chengzong.
So much so that he eagerly tried every means to strengthen the organizational capabilities of the Mule Battalion.
More than ten captains accepted the order and agreed on these three matters. The remaining people had nothing to do and dispersed to convey the news to their subordinates.
In a blink of an eye, all the captains left, leaving only Cao Yao and the other three.
At this time, Liu Chengzong sighed tiredly and smiled at the three of them: "How is it? Now we can talk about it. What do you think of this change in the team?"
"It's good." Cao Yao said this sincerely: "When we return to Yan'an, the two teams will be reorganized. You are in trouble. In fact, I think it is not bad that way. It is too strenuous for you."
"How to say?"
"I won't tell you that you want to break into Beijing. You should know in your heart that if this group of people wants to go back to Yan'an, let alone go to Beijing, half of them will die no matter what."
Cao Yao said something cruel. He crossed his legs and raised his hand to touch the kang: "Don't you feel bad if the person you trained so hard died?"
"How can I not feel bad? If there is a war, there is nothing we can do. These changes will definitely improve the team's combat effectiveness."
Liu Chengzong said firmly: "If you don't believe me, just look at it later. Although it is difficult to have rules in advance and follow them carefully, it is easier than not having any rules at first and then establishing rules later when you develop a habit."
"But there is a price. The price is that for at least the past ten days, I can't do anything but reorganize the soldiers. The team seems to be useless."
Cao Yao raised his thumb and pointed to the west: "Officers and soldiers from Shaanxi cannot come in large groups, but the court stipulates that more than a hundred people cannot be mobilized. What if someone comes to look for you with ninety people? What's more, people can't have three thousand households. Each led a hundred people across the border?"
He leaned back as he spoke, shook his head and said: "Not to mention, you are really rebelling. There is no such thing as crossing the border when you are rehabilitated. You are just too ambitious and think too far. I think you are thinking about what will happen in three to five years." We think about everything in front of us, but we think about the long term, are we worthy?"
Liu Chengzong silently clasped his fists, raised his hand and patted his head.
Cao Yao didn't understand, so he turned to look at Gao Xian and Feng Rui: "Do you two understand what this means?"
Both of them shook their heads in confusion, and Liu Chengzong said angrily: "Hey, this makes me pat the head of Bo Gu Tong Jin."
A few people smiled, and Gao Xian smiled and said: "Let's not talk about such far-reaching things. Anyway, I think these rules are not bad. The court is going to send troops to suppress it. We have no place to run here. We can fight without reorganizing." However, it is better to reorganize, as long as you survive, you will still have something to think about in the future."
"Let's just talk about those who are close by. What have we been doing recently? Reorganizing soldiers and recuperating the injured. Where are the remaining people?"
Liu Chengzong spread his hands and said: "Let me tell you, in my mind, this adaptation and the military merits have not reached the best conditions. They are far worse than me."
He still remembered that his father used the Officers' Normal Corps as a teacher establishment to occupy positions.
"When they join me together and teach them to read every day, and when half of them can read a thousand words, this adaptation will be truly completed. Before that..."
Liu Chengzong said: "It's better to keep your tail between your legs, try to avoid the officers and soldiers, recuperate from injuries, and let Tangqi monitor the river. The remaining people will serve as scouts around Xi County, looking for suitable big households. After the new departments and captains get familiar with each other, If we seize the right to train troops once, we can return to Yan'an with money, food and glory."
