Liu Dalin picked up the tea bowl, pushed the tea leaves to one side with the bowl lid, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and at the same time calm down his emotions, and then said: "Everyone in the world thinks that the Fubo Army is invincible in battles and can conquer all attacks. Because the firearms are so sharp, one shot can destroy dozens of miles, which is really a blind eye..."
"Could it be that Meng Liang has a different opinion?"
"It's true," Liu Dalin said as if he had returned to the afternoon when Australians had their first big funeral many years ago. Wu Ya, the prime minister of Lingao County, put on plain clothes and turban and blended in with the people onlookers to find out what happened. When he came back, he vividly recounted the scene to him.
"...There are no gongs and drums of the troupe, no Taoist priests performing Luotian Jiao, and no women crying and wailing. The soldiers of the honor guard marched in neat goose steps and lined up with guns. As soon as the trumpet sounded, two drummers led the way, and the military drums Knock slowly, two tall black horses that have never been seen before slowly drive past, pulling a black four-wheeled artillery cart, with a simple plain wood coffin placed on the cart. The horse's hooves beat on the stone road, and the slow drum beat The sound was unprecedented. Nothing could express mourning and sorrow more than all of this. The atmosphere was so intense that Wu Ya almost suffocated.
"Following an order, seven soldiers raised their guns and fired into the air at the same time, three times in a row. The crisp sound of gunshots circled the hillside. There was silence all around. In the silence, the sad trumpet sounded again, 24 syllables. It was played slowly, and everyone present was moved to tears.
"The coffin was covered with earth, and the elder Wen Desi read the eulogy in person..."
After telling this story, Liu Dalin still sighed: "No one could have imagined that this grand funeral was actually prepared for an unknown person."
"Is it really just a soldier who died?" The same year at the scene all asked the same question. They had never heard this story from anyone who "knew Kun", and it was really unbelievable.
"Later, I specially sent someone to check, and the name engraved on the tombstone was Li Shisan." Liu Dalin said.
"At first, it was just a piece of gold and horse bones to win people's hearts." Someone sneered, "I don't believe it. Every time someone in the Kun army died in battle, there was such a funeral?"
"If you say they are exactly the same, that's not the case." Liu Dalin said frankly, "But when soldiers are buried, there must be a full set of ceremonies. Soldiers and students scatter flowers and lay flowers in the four seasons. This is the case every year, and the same is true in every season. Let me ask the warriors of this dynasty, not to mention Cangtou A soldier is from an official to a commander-in-chief and a general. Will he be so respected by the court after his death?"
Everyone was silent. The imperial court did not value warriors. Those who died in battle were only compensated as usual, and their honors and honors after death were quite meager. As for the annual memorial service, we can only rely on family and friends.
"If you are born and raised, if you die, you will be buried. Soldiers can fight. This is what it should be." Liu Dalin said, "Students think that the most wonderful thing about Australia's military system is the soldier committee."
"Soldier committee?" Everyone was a little unable to keep up with the new words that kept coming out of Liu Dalin's mouth.
Liu Dalin explained: "The system established by the Senate is that everyone is equal. There are soldier committees at each level in the Fubo Army, and the committee members are composed of several people elected by all soldiers. All food, clothing, housing and transportation that involve the interests of soldiers are subject to supervision and inquiry If an officer commits corruption and harms the rights and interests of soldiers or mistreats soldiers, the Soldiers Committee has the right to appeal to the superior officer or even the military headquarters. Once confirmed, the officer will be severely punished."
Due to the atmosphere of the late Ming Dynasty, most scholar-officials would study a little bit of military literature. Whether it was Sun Wu, Bai Qi, Han Xin, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, or Zhuge Kongming, since ancient times, those who used soldiers were like gods, and their military orders were like mountains. It is rare for soldiers and soldiers to work together. As for "the following commits the crime of the superior", it is even more treasonous. As the saying goes, "The people sue the officials, and if they are not guilty, they are guilty."
Zhao Xunru couldn't help but asked: "What Meng Liang said is really unbelievable. Soldiers usually complain frequently, and the commander has no authority. If this is the case, it will be difficult to implement military orders. How can we defeat the enemy in war?"
He Wuzou said: "Hou Shengmiao is here. Meng Liang's intention is that when arranging troops and charging into battle, the soldiers must still obey the orders of the officers. If they violate the battle orders and fear the enemy and fight cowardly, they will still be unable to escape the military law."
Liu Dalin nodded and said: "Guangdong and Guangxi are bordering important areas, military and political affairs are slack, and there is a shortage of troops, especially in Guangzhou. But it is not just Guangzhou, it is the same all over the world. Why? The ancients cultivated and maintained the land in the fields, but the officers of the guards inside and outside knew nothing. To enrich oneself. They may take monthly money, or engage in private business, or deduct their monthly rations due to academic requirements, or reduce their cloth and wadding for military operations. The soldiers have to live in poverty, there is no medicine for illness, there is no coffin for death, there is no coffin to drink and hate, and there is no It is possible to accuse. Chaozhou's farmland is the most fertile. Most of it is hidden by the guards, and it is occupied by the powerful people. The superintendent of the farm asks for a small amount of money, and many of them invade fishing. Is it true that the sergeants are not hungry to wait for it? Zhengde Since then, military positions have been rampant and have been underestimated by the world. The internal departments and external supervisors and governors have suppressed each other. The five military offices are like warts, and the generals are like pawns. After Li Boxiang (Li Sunchen) ascended to Hanyuan, he immediately transferred I am a civilian, but I cannot talk about my military status. Brother Long You should know that what I say is true."
In fact, when Zhu Yuanzhang separated military households, he did not regard military households as lowly status as he did in the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Except for the burden of military service and the management of the guard station, military households were no different from civilian households. There are no special discriminatory policies. Many officials in the Ming Dynasty came from military households, the most famous of which was Zhang Juzheng.
However, under the long-term operation of the military household system, due to heavy oppression and heavy burdens, a large number of people fled into hiding. The court either lured criminals to join the army or forced civilian households to naturalize. Gradually, the social status of military households deteriorated, and the people did not want to Those who marry and associate with them, who are said to be good people, are often no different from untouchables.
He Wuzuo's expression changed slightly when he heard this. Li Sunchen was from his hometown. After he became the Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, he built a wall on Dajun Mountain, the former public burial place of military households, and decorated its entrance with the name "Shang Shu's Ancestor Villa" to show that he was different from other military households. Only during the Qingming Festival every year when the tomb is closed During this period, descendants of various surnames of military households were allowed to enter and worship. It was precisely because of the low status of military households that the Li family could not wait to erase the traces of their origins.
What's even more terrible is that He Wuzuo also came from a military household. Everyone present understood that Liu Dalin did not mention Li Sunchen in person, which saved face for He Wuzuo, his brother of the same year.
"It's true." He Wuzuo wiped his forehead and replied.
Liu Dalin continued: "Officers and soldiers in the Fubo Army are equal. Officers are not allowed to humiliate soldiers, otherwise they will be reported by the Soldiers' Committee. Military marriages are protected by law. If a libertine seduces a soldier's wife, the Senate will also severely punish him. Soldiers are paid two yuan a month, no After being handed over by the commander, the salary is paid in person without any deductions. All meals are provided by the army. Two sets of summer and winter military uniforms are issued every year. Special military doctors in the army treat diseases for free. They all have the ability to rejuvenate. Live well. , fell ill and died in Cuigang. Sun Tzu said: Who has the right to rule? Who is the general capable? Who can gain the heaven and the earth? Who can carry out the laws? Which of the soldiers is strong? How well the soldiers are trained? Who knows the rewards and punishments? This is how I know victory. It’s a shame.”
How could this group of scholar-bureaucrats not know that the Ming Dynasty’s guard system had been completely destroyed and had to turn to recruitment, but there was no mature system for enlisting and retiring soldiers. What's more, the social status of soldiers is low and they live a life of licking blood. It is common for the Ming Dynasty army to be in arrears of pay. Soldiers are unwilling to work hard and sometimes flee. Some simply join another army after receiving their pay. Repeat payment. As the saying goes, "Good iron cannot be nailed, and good men cannot be soldiers." A good man will never become a big soldier. It has become normal for criminals, poor people, scoundrels, bandits, and refugees to be drafted into the army, and soldiers and bandits are not distinguished.
However, Chen Zizhuang had to admit that the "national conditions of the Ming Dynasty" were completely different from those of the Kun thieves. Even if he knew that the Australian military system had its advantages, he could not imitate it no matter what.
He immediately said: "Although there are kings in the Song Dynasty in Australia, they are called virtual kings. What is virtual is not real. The power belongs to the Senate. Isn't it Cao Cao who used the emperor to order the princes? The Australian people's so-called law of equality for everyone has not been seen in three thousand years. The drastic changes in society are nothing less than the collapse of rituals and music in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Are fathers and sons equal? Filial piety is the foundation of virtue, and it is the source of education. The body's hair and skin are received by parents, and they dare not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety. Stand up and practice the Tao. , to become famous in later generations, to show off parents, and the end of filial piety. Filial piety to a husband begins with serving relatives, ends with serving the king, and finally establishes oneself. The five punishments belong to three thousand, but there is no crime greater than being unfilial. Those who want the king are supreme, and those who are not saints No way, those who are not filial have no relatives. This is the way to great chaos!"
Yao Tian also agreed with Chen Zizhuang's opinion and said: "I heard that the people in Lingao are very rebellious and do not know their clan affiliation. If they are resentful and unable to win, they will fight each other with sticks. How can they respect their elders? Their people , do not know the etiquette and justice, although they were born as compatriots, they are in love with Hu Yue, although they live in the same room, and they are not seen by passers-by, and even consider the slightest benefit and abandon the most kindness, how do they know the righteousness of brothers? These are all bad customs and deep human relations. Harmful. The Australians claim to be of Song Dynasty, and they 'defeat Xianggong' to carry out the reform, shouting, 'There is no fear of changes in the sky, no law for the ancestors, and no sympathy for the words of people. A minister who changed his mind in vain and beautiful Xining. Later generations thought that the death of the Song Dynasty was due to the fault of villains. Who are villains? Ding Wei, Cai Bian, Zhang Dun, Wang Anshi and others. The ancestors are mine. The source of origin is determined at the beginning of life and is not easy to change. To respect the ancestors, one must strictly abide by the instructions of the ancestors. Establish ancestral sons and clarify the lineage so that everyone knows where they come from. Set up family fields, set up righteous villages, and widows and widowers in the family. The poor and weak all have someone to rely on, so they have to accept the clan. This is the clan tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. The Australians are doing evil now and want to destroy my clan, disperse my people, and turn barbarians into summer. Their intentions should be punished!"
Although the words were high-sounding, they all had an open mind. The reason why Australians regard the clan as a thorn in their side is because they cannot allow others to sleep soundly under the bed. What the Australians want to establish is a system like Qin Shi Huang's where decrees go directly to the grassroots and do not allow huge local forces to exist under the rule.
Since ancient times, the core of imperial learning has been external Confucianism and internal law. What Australians do is actually nothing unusual for scholars. However, although Qin finally unified the six countries, it also left behind the historical lesson of "the death of the second generation". On the surface, the Han Dynasty "exclusively respected Confucianism" but in fact "external Confucianism and internal law", which was essentially a revision of the politics of the Qin Dynasty.
