After confessing to Huan Xianrong in the small lake in the backyard of Huan Mansion, Xu Zongwen returned to the other courtyard. By this time, the game between Xi Jian and Guo Shang had already ended, and the two had packed up the chess game and returned indoors.
"General, are you happy with your beauty?" Seeing Xu Zongwen push the door open, Guo Shang came forward and hung up the crane cloak that Xu Zongwen had taken off.
Xu Zongwen replied quite complacently: "His son is as beautiful as jade!"
The copper plate is orchid, the red fire is green smoke, the indoor copper stove is crackling, and the charcoal fire is burning...
Xi Jian took the stove and said with a smile: "The general is full of energy and blood, but he has never touched the affairs between men and women. Now that he has returned to Jiankang and been granted a marriage by your majesty, he pointed out Huan's daughter to the general. This is not only the general's blessing, but also my blessing." Wait for the blessing of your subordinates.”
If Xu Zongwen married Huan Xianrong and gave birth to a son and a half daughters, Xu Zongwen's title and everything would also have an heir. This would be hope for those who followed Xu Zongwen.
"As the saying goes, running water does not rot, and door hinges do not suffer from beetles. The Eighteenth Battalion of the Forbidden Army is full of old, weak and disabled soldiers. It has long existed in name only. If it is not disbanded and reorganized, the name of the Forbidden Army will not be worthy of its name. It is really unnecessary."
Xi Jian: "General, are you going to disband the Forbidden Army? That's the 18th Battalion of the Forbidden Army, with more than 20,000 people! If they are all disbanded, won't there be big trouble?"
Xu Zongwen waved his hand: "No, the abolition I am talking about does not mean abolition of all, but the abolition of the dross and the essence. Keep the capable sergeants, keep the strategic and capable generals, and ax all those who are older than the age. Restrictions, lack of physical strength, just redundant soldiers who only make money."
"Then recruit strong and brave people to enrich them, and train the Forbidden Army into a truly powerful army. Only in this way can we defend Taicheng, defend the Forbidden Palace, and protect His Majesty."
"Soldiers should be the pillars of the country. If they don't have the strength to defend the country, wouldn't they be raising a bunch of pigs for the country?"
"General, this metaphor is quite vivid!" Guo Shang smiled awkwardly.
Xu Zongwen squinted his eyes and said: "Actually, pigs can be eaten after being fattened and slaughtered. Although they are fishy, they can barely satisfy their hunger. What's the use of keeping these old, weak and disabled soldiers?"
Xi Jian thought deeply. He lowered his eyes and said solemnly: "But one move can affect the whole body. If we take action rashly and carry out drastic abolition, I am afraid it will trigger a mutiny!"
"So this matter cannot be rushed."
A cold light flashed in Guo Shang's eyes: "Does the general mean to proceed step by step and abolish one of the eighteen battalions first?"
"Zi Jin is really smart and he hit the nail on the head!"
Xi Jian raised his head slightly and asked curiously: "I wonder which battalion the general wants to attack?"
Xu Zongwen did not hide anything and replied directly: "Of course it is the Xiaoqi camp. The number of the Xiaoqi battalion is less than five hundred. His Majesty once promoted me to General of Xiaoqi, so the imperial court has not appointed a new General of Xiaoqi. Moreover, His Majesty gave me Our Imperial Military Command is also a Valiant Cavalry Army, so dismantling it is the best choice."
First, we used the guerrilla general Mao Anzhi. This move was called killing the chicken to scare the monkey, and it was obviously very effective.
If the persimmons are too weak, the Xiaoqi battalion without a commander will be disbanded, and a shock will be given to the other battalions so that the other battalions can be mentally prepared and prepare for the subsequent disbandment.
Xu Zongwen and the others were discussing the abolition. Zhang San pushed open the door of the other courtyard and ran over. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted: "Oh no, Commander! The leading military camp has mutinied!"
Hearing this, Xi Jian and Guo Shang were both very surprised. They both stood up and focused their attention on Xu Zongwen, who was still sitting upright.
When he heard that there was a mutiny in the leading army camp, Xu Zongwen's face suddenly dropped, and his whole face suddenly turned dark!
"Don't be impatient, tell me slowly what's going on?" Xu Zongwen looked at Zhang San, and Xi Jian and Guo Shang also locked their eyes on Zhang San, who was breathing heavily.
Zhang San drank the water handed over by Xi Jian and said slowly: "The leading general Kong Anguo left Jiankang and went to Wu County for business. The leading camp captain Chen Lin took the lead in making a fuss about pay. Later, things became more and more troublesome. At night, there was a commotion in the military camp. A mutiny broke out and they rushed to the guard camp. Dozens of people were killed in a fight between the two sides..."
The leading general Kong Anguo came from the Kuaiji Kong family, one of the ten major gentry clans in the south of the Yangtze River. Among the four surnames in Kuaiji, he was a first-class gentry.
"The leading general is not here, but where is the guarding general?"
Xu Zongwen: "Zijin, you don't know something. The former general who protects the army is the current Guozi Jijiu Che Yin, Che Jijiu. After Che Yin left, the Ministry of Secretariat did not come up with a suitable candidate, so the post of general protector was just that. It’s vacant.”
Che Yin, the protagonist of Ying Ying Xue, also came from a noble family. Che Yin's great-grandfather was the prefect of Kuaiji in the Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, and his father was the governor of a county.
With Che Yin's family background, he could directly become an official.
According to the official selection system of the Jin Dynasty, combined with the rural evaluation at the time, Che Yin's starting official rank would be around the fourth rank.
The family background of Sun Kang, the other protagonist of Nao Ying Ying Xue, is not much different. Sun Kang is the grandson of Sun Fang, the Prime Minister of Changsha. He has the same family background and is a member of the gentry clan.
Xu Zongwen suddenly stood up, pointed at Zhang San and said: "Time waits for no one. Zhang San, you should immediately take the sword your Majesty gave me to mobilize the troops of the left guard general Zhang Songzhi to quell the chaos! I will be there soon!"
"No, General!" Zhang San did not dare to slack off on such a major event as the mutiny of the imperial army, and he immediately went to take advantage of the situation.
"General, it's almost time, do you still want to go out so late?" Xi Jian asked when he saw Xu Zongwen putting on his armor.
Although Zhang Songzhi, the general of the left guard, is not bad at all, but something as big as the Forbidden Army mutiny happened in the middle of the night, Zhang Songzhi may not be able to deal with the aftermath, and Xu Zongwen was forced to go out in person!
Xu Zongwen explained: "Mutiny is a major event that breaks the sky. Let Zhang Song handle it alone. He may not have such prestige. If it is not handled properly, I am afraid that I will not be able to avoid the impeachment of Yushitai!"
Xi Jian: "General, please be sure to bring more people. In the chaos of the army, there are dangers everywhere, so we must be on guard!"
Xu Zongwen put his sword on his shoulder and said, "Just let Zhang Si go with me. Why bother to mobilize the army? There were so many open and hidden arrows during the Northern Expedition, and dangers and difficulties were all over the place. A mere mutiny can't scare me!"
"Then I wish you success, general!" Guo Shang smiled and arched his head.
Xu Zongwen nodded slightly, "That's natural!"
Seeing Xu Zongwen's walking figure fading away, Xi Jian walked up to Guo Shang and asked, "Zi Jin, why didn't you stop the general from coming in person?"
"Brother Keeper, you have followed the general for so long. You don't know the general's temper, right? No one can stop what he is determined to do."
"I believe the general can handle this matter well. You and I can just wait to welcome the general tomorrow!"
"That's all we can do now." Xi Jian returned to his room helplessly, waiting was undoubtedly the most heart-wrenching and longest process.
