"Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall..."
Cui Yu frowned again when he mentioned the graduates of Jinling Martial Arts Hall.
There were tens of thousands of border troops on both sides of Lizhou. The military power was given to a group of young boys with no military experience, and the scholar-bureaucrats were not allowed to interfere. Although they were only "power generation", they actually controlled the real power in the military.
Isn't this all based on the king's personal preferences?
Cui Yu laughed dumbly. I had just discussed this matter with Hu Mengyu, but I was worried again.
"Dad, if you want me to tell you, leave the killing to Cao Youwen, Yu Jie and the others. Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. There are so many military generals here and firearms, so don't worry!"
Knowing that his father could not let go of the frontier military affairs, Uncle Cui seemed to give his father some relief.
"Dad understands in his heart, and you don't need to persuade me."
Cui Yu smiled slightly, nodded and said to his son:
"Dad is already old. He can't take care of the fighting and killing at the border fortress. Let's leave it to them. You are right. Among the graduates, there are many military lieutenant generals, infantry and cavalrymen. We can all practice, so dad doesn’t have to worry about it.”
My son and Hu Mengyu probably have the same view. They both seem to have more confidence in the graduates of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall than themselves.
"I just don't know. His Majesty asked the Sichuan officers and soldiers to reorganize their training. It seems that he is going to implement the training method of Jinling Lecture Hall in the army. I don't know, will it be acclimatized?"
Cui Yu couldn't help but became worried again.
What he is more worried about now is that almost all the cavalry in Sichuan are concentrated at the Shukou border fortress, and the three thousand cavalry guards of Ma Junsi are heading north again. Could it be said that there is really a war on the border?
"Dad, I have seen the training at the Jinling Martial Arts Hall. The formation was very scary. Dozens of people were like thousands of troops. The firearms training was even more scary, and they were all new things. They must be practiced again. If I Ten years younger, I will also apply for the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, fight on the battlefield, and serve the king."
Thinking of what he saw at the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall, Uncle Cui seemed to be tut-tutting in praise.
"It's not too late for you to go now."
Cui Yu said with a smile.
He was blessed with a son at an old age, and his son was not yet 30 years old, so he could definitely go to the Jinling Lecture Hall.
"Forget it, you still have people to take care of, and you have to do a lot of errands. Besides, I don't like marching and fighting, and the officials in Sichuan are so difficult to deal with. I'd better stay by your side and help you solve your problems."
Uncle Cui shook his head and looked serious.
"Dad, General Yu and the others are here!"
Cui Yuzhi was stunned and was about to speak, but Cui Shusi turned around and greeted him warmly.
These young lucky people were jointly pushed to the forefront of history by the emperor and the times.
"General Yu, General Cao, you are also coming out."
"Xianggong Cui has grown stronger and stronger. He has been in office for forty years. He has been in high moral integrity and is an example of a teacher. He has never touched a single ink. The emperor has placed great trust in him. He has grown strong. I will always admire him."
Yu Jie bowed respectfully.
"My husband is so noble that the world admires him. He should be a role model for our generation."
Cao Youwen bowed and saluted with the same courtesy and humility.
Cui Yu had been in politics for decades. When he reached high status, he did not keep prostitutes, add property, or receive gifts. After being widowed in middle age, she no longer remarries. During his official career, he only had books to accompany him, and not even pavilions or pavilions were built at home. In addition to personal use, the rest of the salary earned during a lifetime is used to support relatives and friends.
Even the bohemian Yu Jie and the calm and courageous Cao Youwen were impressed by his high integrity.
"The two generals are ridiculously complimentary. Speaking of noble aspirations, Fan Zhongqing of the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Branch is law-abiding and has nothing to offer. I am ashamed of myself."
Cui Yu was honest and unabashed.
Fan Zhong went to Sichuan to investigate openly and secretly, and worked tirelessly. I don’t know if the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Branch sign is up?
Yu Jie and Cao Youwen looked at each other and smiled softly.
There was so much publicity in the newspapers that it was difficult for Fan Zhong to become famous.
"Two generals, this trip to the west brought a lot of items with them."
Cui Yu's gaze lingered on the densely packed boats traveling in front and behind.
"Xianggong Cui, let me tell you the truth, except for the 3,000 cavalry, the rest are firearms, and there are also some military training equipment that will be used for training in Lizhou."
Yu Jie pointed to the ships in front and behind and introduced.
The emperor wanted to train troops at Shukou, and Lizhou was the fortress for entering Shu. He set up a camp here. It is said that Cui Yu recommended it.
"In addition to training troops in Shu, Your Majesty will also gradually establish a weapons manufacturing branch and a branch of the Sichuan Martial Arts Hall. Mr. Cui will also be asked to take care of the food and salary for the training of troops in the three passes and five states."
Cao Youwen spoke slowly, pointing directly at the military arrangements after entering Shu.
In addition to the students who graduated from the Jiangwu Hall, the cavalry guarding Ma Junsi, and craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of War, and the Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Branch accompanied them, in addition to establishing the Lizhou Ordnance Manufacturing Branch, an iron factory, and a cement factory in Sichuan etc., to meet the heavy supplies needed for the defense of Shukou.
As for the salaries needed to organize and train the new army, most of it has to be paid by the Sichuan Production and Construction Department. The remaining small part is borne by the Ministry of Household Affairs.
"Three passes and five states are the gateway to Shu. I will do my best!"
Cui Yu nodded and said solemnly.
In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, the national boundaries were delineated during the peace talks between the Song and Jin Dynasties: the east was bounded by the flow of the Huai River, the west was bounded by Dashan Pass, and the northwest border of the Jin State was bordered by the Lizhou Road of Sichuan in the Song Dynasty.
Lizhou Road and Lizhou Road were located in the frontier fortress, and the Song Dynasty was the border guard. Three passes and five states were set up on Lizhou Road and Lizhou Road as the outer barrier of Sichuan and Hanzhong.
The Cao Youwen brothers who were on the same boat with Cui Yu were from Liting County, Tongqing Prefecture, Lizhou West Road, Sanguan Five Prefectures.
The three passes and five states are the gateway to Sichuan, known as the mouth of Shu. They protect the security of Shu and are of great strategic significance. However, in the wars between the Song and Jin Dynasties in the past few years, the three outer passes (Dasan Pass, Huangniu Fort, and Huangjiao Fort) were poisoned by the Jin army and completely destroyed. The Song Dynasty no longer stationed troops at these three passes.
"General Cao, General Yu, I wonder if your Majesty has made it clear how much troops will be trained in Shukou?"
Uncle Cui asked on behalf of his father.
Cui Yu looked at Cao Youwen and the two with expectant eyes.
The new emperor only said that the total number of soldiers training in Shukou was about 100,000, but it did not include Lizhou and Lizhou, but he did not mention it.
"Back to Xianggong Cui, the two of us put together a plan to set up a military training camp in Lizhou, eliminate the old, weak, sick and disabled, select strong men, and recruit new soldiers from the private sector, with a total of 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers. The same is true for the two roads in Lizhou. In this way, each training force is about 30,000. The total number of training soldiers in Shukou is about 100,000."
Yu Jie thought about it and said it.
At the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, there were three major military divisions in Shukou: the Mianzhou Rongsi on Lizhou West Road had 60,000 troops, the Xingyuan Rongsi on Lizhou East Road had nearly 30,000 troops, and the other Jinzhou Rongsi had more than 10,000 troops.
At its peak, there were about 100,000 troops on the border at Shukou, and more than 15,000 horses. They were well-organized and had strong soldiers and horses. It's a pity that after all the wars and hardships, it has long lost its former glory.
"Ten...thousands of people!"
Cui Yu was shocked and in a daze.
The border army is one hundred thousand! The new emperor is ambitious, and although he is a bit hasty in preparing side affairs, everything that should be considered is basically included.
"Xiangong Cui, the 100,000 border troops, plus Sichuan's Chengdu Road, Kuizhou Road and other roads, should be 200,000 elite troops. Cui Xianggong is stationed in Chengdu, I am afraid he will have an army of 50,000."
"Two hundred thousand elites..."
Yu Jie's words made Cui Yu's eyes widen again.
There are a total of 230,000 royal troops from all walks of life in Sichuan, including Shukou. If we eliminate the old, weak, sick and disabled, I'm afraid only half will remain, just enough for the frontier fortress. After all, Sichuan's official army originally comprised nearly 40% of its army.
Calculated in this way, excluding Lizhou Camp and Lizhou Road, it seems that the Zhizhi Division will recruit about 50,000 troops.
"Two generals, those eliminated officers and soldiers..."
Cui Yu stopped his meditation and immediately asked.
When the officers and soldiers are eliminated, they must have enough to eat, otherwise there will be big trouble.
"Xiangong Cui, the old, weak, sick and disabled who have been eliminated should be taken over by the local government of Xingyuan Mansion, or divided into fields for farming. Can they be properly resettled?"
Cao Youwen kicked the ball to Cui Yu.
He is from the Shukou frontier fortress and knows exactly what is going on. Apart from anything else, it should not be a problem to arrange tens of thousands of soldiers to colonize the Hanzhong front line, which has been tortured by the war.
"Before Jiading, there were 370,000 households in Hanzhong, but now there are only 100,000 households, not even half. The fertile fields are deserted, and it should not be difficult to arrange 50,000 to 60,000 troops to garrison them."
Cui Yu suddenly became enlightened and nodded slightly.
The new emperor exempted Lizhou and Lizhou from paying taxes for three years, and he took great pains to organize the northwest border defense.
However, in this way, the defense of Shukou must be guaranteed, otherwise it will be another effort in vain.
"Xiangong Cui, how many war horses and cavalry are there in each road in Sichuan?"
Cao You heard that he was worried and asked directly.
"There are about eight or nine thousand war horses and about seven thousand cavalry. However, we can exchange tea for horses and exchange more war horses from various Tubo tribes."
"Xiangong Cui, we are not very familiar with the border generals at Shukou. I would like to ask Xianggong Cui for some advice."
Yu Jie said with a smile.
Cui Yu had been ruling Shu for several years, and the details of the frontier generals should be more familiar to them than they were.
"As far as I know, Wang Shixin, Ma Zhong, and Ma Yi are brave in battle and can be good generals. Wang Shixin is especially good at cavalry, and Ma Zhong is more important at defending the city. As for Lizhou Rongsi Deputy Commander Cheng Xin and transfer envoy Zhao Yanna , I’m afraid it’s hard for him to hold a big position.”
Cui Yu glanced around and saw that there was no one waiting, so he whispered:
"I feel ashamed to say it. There are many arrogant and capable generals in the frontier army. Even when I was running Sichuan, it was difficult for me to use my hands and fingers. When Zheng Sun took office, I am afraid it will be worse. When the two generals arrived at the frontier fortress, they were in a lot of trouble! "
Cui Yu looked at the two of them, stroking his white beard, with a trace of worry in his eyes.
Shukou is in ruins and the frontier generals are domineering. I wonder if the two young frontier commanders can take office smoothly and rectify the frontier army?
Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. This may be the emperor's original intention of sending two inexperienced martial arts students to go on a rampage and make drastic moves to rectify the border army.
Sure enough, Cao Youwen sneered and said words that made Cui Yu shudder.
"Your Majesty wants to rectify the border troops. It is a state matter. Who dares to make a mistake? If anyone dares to dethrone the official for personal reasons, I will not mind the death of his head."
"General Cao is right. The defense at Shukou is riddled with holes and is useless. Your Majesty sent us there just for side affairs. Whoever dares to disobey orders will be merciless by the law of the country!"
Yu Jie continued what Cao Youwen said, with the same murderous intent.
Cui Yu was shocked and laughed.
"Two generals, Fan Zhong has gone to Sichuan. You might as well get closer to him. It will definitely be of great benefit."
Fan Zhong has been away for such a long time, and the corruption of the border army must have been investigated.
Cao Youwen and Yu Jie looked at each other, their eyes lighting up.
This may be a good way to rectify the border troops.
Cui Yu tightened his cotton robe and walked towards the cabin.
"Two generals, it's very windy here. Let's go back to the cabin and talk. I know everything about the generals of the border army. I can't tell you anything."
National affairs are important and should not be mixed with private thoughts. He has already reported to the new emperor at the Jinling Lecture Hall. As for how the upstarts like Yu Jie and Cao Youwen could overcome obstacles, that was not something he considered.
As an envoy from Sichuan, he has a lot of things waiting for him to do!
