Back at the center, Yang Ji was just an idler; as soon as the court meeting was over, Yang Ji was like a middle school student after school. He couldn't wait to walk out of Qianqiu Palace and hurried home without looking back. When he left Guangyang Gate ( Chengtianmen), when he was about to board the carriage, he heard someone behind him panting and shouting: "Your Majesty, King Wei, please stay."
When Yang Ji heard the sound, he turned around and saw two ministers in the palace bending over, holding their hands on their knees, shouting out of breath: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, come back to the palace with us quickly. The Sage has summoned you." you."
The two petty officials finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Yang Ji stop. They were really helpless towards this great king.
After others dismissed the court, they wished they could stay a little longer or stay for a long time so that they could communicate with their superiors at all levels. However, this one was really good. As soon as he heard the saint's announcement that he was dismissed, he ran away in the blink of an eye. No trace. If they hadn't chased him quickly, they would have had to go to Prince Wei's Mansion to find someone.
Yang Ji confessed to Lao Zhu, turned around and walked towards the two small officials who almost died. When he got close, he asked, "Where is the saint? Anren Hall?"
"Your Majesty, it's not the Anren Hall, but the Baifu Hall!" A petty official gasped and said with cupped hands: "The saint and the prince, the ministers of the council hall, and the twelve generals are all here."
Hearing that the General of the Twelve Guards was also there, and thinking about the anti-corruption of the Japanese and military governments mentioned at the court meeting, Yang Ji knew what was going on, which meant that the matters to be discussed next were related to the military.
In fact, through Yang Guang's appointment of Dugu Shun as the Minister of Punishment, Yang Ji began to suspect that Yang Guang planned to re-enable the Guanlong nobles to fight against the nobles. However, judging from this morning's meeting, Yang Guang's idea of attacking the Guanlong nobles was not clear. It's just that the methods have become more subtle, more sophisticated, and more addictive than before. His purpose of re-appointing Dugu Shun was not out of good intentions. In fact, he wanted to divide and alienate the three major factions of Guan and Long, making the Dugu and Yuan factions jealous and suspicious of each other.
Judging from the current situation, the target of Yang Guang's suppression is undoubtedly the Yuan faction, which has a very tense relationship with the royal family.
All the way to the side hall of Baifu Hall, I saw Yang Zhao, Yang Xiu, Su Wei, Gao Jiong, Pei Ju, Xiao Jue, Changsun Chi, Li Ziquan, Yang Da, Zhou Fashang, Niu Hong, Duan Wenzhen, Yu Wenkai, Yang Xuangan, Yang Gongren, Changsun Sheng, Shi Xiang, Pei Yun, Yuan Shou, Wei Xuan, Li Hun, Lai Huer, Li Zhongwen, Yu Zhongwen, Zhang Jin, Xin Shixiong, Jing Yuanheng, Cui Hongsheng, Zhao Xiaocai, Han Senshou and other important civil and military officials from the central government were all present. , and Yang Ji's uncle Dugu Sheng, his subordinate Yang Yichen, and his old subordinate Yin Shishi were also there.
In addition, there is Yang Qing, the son of Yang Hong, the king of Hejian. Yang Hong passed away at the beginning of the year. Yang Guang posthumously named Yang Hong the King of Xi, and Yang Qing inherited the title of King of Xi. Originally, Yang Qing should be at home to observe filial piety for his father at this time, but since ancient times, there has been a dilemma between loyalty and filial piety. After the military reform ended last year, Yang Ji left the Binzhou Army and went to Liangzhou to deploy the expedition to Tuyuhun. The Binzhou he vacated The general of the army was given to Yang Qing by Yang Guang.
The Northern Patrol was about to begin, and the Binzhou Army was also one of the accompanying armies. As the general of the Binzhou Army, Yang Qing naturally did not dare to be careless. With the consent of Yang Guang and Zongzheng Temple, he asked his younger brother and son to fulfill their filial piety, and he himself Come back and be loyal.
Yang Ji stepped forward to greet Yang Guang, then saluted one by one, and then sat down in front of Su Wei, opposite Yang Zhao.
As Yang Ji expected, Yang Guang called important ministers here to discuss matters, mainly for military purposes.
The foundation of imperial power lies in military power. If military power is lost, the emperor will either become a puppet controlled by ministers or be replaced. The "second generation of emperors" like Yang Guang are completely different from the "third, fourth and fifth generations of emperors" , they not only witnessed their fathers fighting in desperate situations until they were able to enjoy beautiful rivers and mountains, but they also participated deeply in it and followed their fathers step by step to overcome obstacles and break through the siege; therefore, the "second generation of emperors" are often better than those who grew up in a comfortable environment. The descendants of the emperor are countless times wiser, and at the same time they also understand better the importance of military power to the emperor.
After a major rectification of the "700,000" Beijing troops and a thorough investigation by the Northern Military Government, Yang Guang was shocked and troubled by the corruption of the Sui army and the control of the Guanlong nobles over the army.
At this time, seeing Yang Ji, who was running extremely fast, came back, Yang Guang looked around and said, "Everyone is here, I have something to say."
After a pause, Yang Guang looked at Yang Ji and asked him directly: "King Wei, you have rectified the Liangzhou Army very thoroughly and successfully. What do you think of the government soldiers and recruitment of soldiers? In short , which one do you think is better and which one is worse?"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the Guanlong faction generals such as Li Hun, Li Zhongwen, Yu Zhongwen, Zhang Jin, Xin Shixiong, Jing Yuanheng, Zhao Xiaocai, etc. suddenly changed. If the capital soldiers are the leafy tree trunks of the Guanlong nobles growing on the ground, then the more than 700 hussar general mansions spread all over the world are the foundation of the Guanlong nobles. The emperor is asking King Wei now, is it a rectification? After the Beijing soldiers, are you planning to attack the government soldiers?
Officials from other factions became even more nervous after hearing this. They also knew the relationship between the nobles and the military government. If the emperor decides to rectify the soldiers in the palace, it will indeed be a great thing for the interests of their factions. However, the general's palace has 1,500 soldiers, 1,000 soldiers in the middle palace, and 800 soldiers in the lower palace. On average, one Counting thousands of people in the palace, the palace of more than 700 hussar generals has more than 700,000 soldiers. Once the emperor decides to rectify the situation, civil war is very likely to break out in the already very delicate Sui Dynasty.
In an instant, there was silence in the side hall of Baifu Palace. No matter which faction they belonged to, they all looked at Yang Ji with serious expressions and furrowed brows, for fear that this militant and Emperor's Blade would act irresponsibly in order to comply with the Emperor's wishes. The general's soldiers were worthless; if he said this, the emperor's hesitant heart might suddenly become firm.
If this is the case, the trouble will be big.
Yang Ji also knew that the government soldiers were too involved. In addition to the Guanlong nobles, other aristocratic families and dignitaries also had interests entangled with some hussar generals. He did not rush to give Yang Guang a clear answer, but He asked rhetorically: "The saint plans to extend the recruitment system to the entire army?"
Yang Guang sat at the top, saw everyone's expressions in his eyes, and replied with a smile: "I just want to know what I know, so I asked. It does not mean that the government soldiers will be abolished immediately and the recruitment of soldiers will be promoted. Do you have No idea, but it’s okay to say it!”
"From the perspective of being a general for so many years, I believe that the academy military system and the recruitment system have their own advantages and disadvantages. No one has an absolute advantage and no one has an absolute disadvantage." Yang Ji pondered for a while and said in a deep voice: "The advantages of the academy military system It is because the generals of the Hussars serve the people in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime. During the leisure time, they train intensively. Under this system, even all the people can be soldiers at critical moments, which saves the court unimaginable military expenses; Although the soldiers of the Cavalry General's Mansion need to raise their own uniforms, quilts, materials, supplies, bows and arrows, saddles and bridles, weapons and dry food, their whole family does not have to pay taxes or share corvee, and they receive generous rewards and pensions after the war. Therefore, in order to obtain meritorious service and property, the soldiers of the imperial army usually train extremely hard. When they hear that there is a war, all of them have high morale and are happy to hear about the war.
"But its shortcomings are also obvious: First, the government soldiers have been deployed to guard the border for a long time, which has delayed farming to a certain extent and seriously affected the income of military families. The large number of government soldiers do not have to pay taxes, which also affects the The income of the imperial court. Second, most of the time, the government soldiers are ordinary people working in agriculture, and the training time and intensity are not enough, so that their personal combat power and cooperative combat capabilities cannot be guaranteed. Third, the government soldiers are mainly Su Wei, and going to the capital is not the main task. , so when fighting, the main battle troops, border troops, and county soldiers are still mainly recruited. Therefore, the position of the government soldiers in our Sui army is very embarrassing. In some places, there are no government soldiers for several generations. After a battle, it is debatable whether it is necessary to exist. Fourthly, the number of hussar generals in many places has long been insufficient. However, the hussar generals and chariot generals in the military government are lucky enough to be far away from the emperor. , falsely reported the amount, in order to defraud the court of taxes."
What Yang Ji said was an objective and unavoidable fact. Even the generals of the Guanlong Department could not refute it. However, when they heard Yang Ji's analysis was in place, they did not deliberately deny the Fu Bing, nor did they jump out to object impatiently.
Yang Guang couldn't help but nodded, looked at Yang Ji, and asked: "The advantages and disadvantages of the imperial army system have been analyzed very well; then, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the recruitment system?"
Yang Ji said: "The advantage of the recruitment system is that soldiers can serve and train all year round, which improves and ensures combat effectiveness. The disadvantage is that in order to maintain a huge army, military expenditures will also increase significantly. In this way Take Liangzhou as an example. Based on the grain currently produced and the taxes collected in Liangzhou, it can support 60,000 to 70,000 standing soldiers.
This is the limit. If this number is exceeded, Liangzhou's economic system will definitely collapse. "
"Wait a minute!" Yang Guang waved his hand to interrupt Yang Ji, and frowned: "Liangzhou's standing army is at least 150,000 or 60,000 people. How have you maintained it all these years? And what kind of economy and economy does Liangzhou have?" How come the system didn’t collapse? What’s the explanation?”
"The reason why Liangzhou's economic system has not been brought down by the huge army is that, first, the imperial court has long-term support for money, food, weapons and equipment; second, the Liangzhou army has been relying on war to support war and has been plundering the wealth of foreigners over the years. The combination of the two constitutes The salary, military pay, and daily expenses of the soldiers were paid, and the pensions for the injured and injured soldiers also came from these two major sectors. If the Liangzhou Army did not have these two major incomes, Liangzhou's own taxes and income alone would not be able to support so many troops. If it is done forcefully, it will be militancy and self-destruction." Yang Ji looked at Yang Guang and continued: "There were more than 300,000 soldiers from the capital and Xiaoguo army in the Sui Dynasty. If we include the border troops from various states, , county soldiers, the standing force is at least 500,000 or 600,000. If more than 700,000 government soldiers are converted into standing troops, the total force will be about 1.3 million. If the imperial court supports so many soldiers, the Sui treasury will be so large In less than ten years, it was exhausted by the huge army."
"Basic Principles of Marxism" states that the economic base determines the superstructure, and the superstructure reacts on the economic base, and the military system is part of the superstructure. The Sui Dynasty did not have the economic foundation for future generations, and it was simply impossible to promote the recruitment system in the entire army. If If you do this forcefully, you will definitely end up in poverty and self-destruction just like Lao Su who followed the military-first policy.
Therefore, in Yang Ji's view, whether it is the government army system or the recruitment system, there is no better, only more appropriate. For the current Sui Dynasty, the current military policy of parallel government and recruitment systems is the best and most appropriate. the most appropriate military policy.
What's more, with the current military system, the Sui Dynasty has become invincible in the world and has become the world's overlord that is feared by everyone and obeyed from all over the world. The strong military strength and the prosperity of the army are the sum of all the foreign races around the Sui Dynasty. It's also slightly inferior.
In this case, why should we pursue those illusory things foolishly and excessively?
After hearing Yang Ji's words, Yang Guang fell into deep thought.
Fubing emerged in the Northern Wei Dynasty and was founded in Yuwentai in the Western Wei Dynasty. Fubing in the Western Wei Dynasty mainly included Xianbei soldiers, military households in Guanlong area, and soldiers and slaves led by Guanlong Haoyou into the military system; in terms of household registration, Fubing Bing's family has military status and is not registered as a civilian. They are all under the management of the military and the government cannot control them. This forms a military system that is not subject to government management. This is commonly known as military households.
Military households do not have to pay taxes or perform labor service. They train as guards for half a month in peacetime and then go out to fight in wartime. When Yu Wenhu was in power, he expanded the recruitment of government soldiers to the upper-class civilians in the ninth class of civil records, and later expanded it to the lower-class civilian households. Since the government soldiers were exempted from taxes, and slaves were exempted from slavery when joining the army, so The young and strong men of the Northern Zhou Dynasty rebelled one after another, which caused the Northern Zhou Dynasty soldiers to rise in a straight line. By the time of the demise of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty soldiers had more than 500,000 soldiers. Therefore, the establishment of the government military system not only allowed the weak Yuwentai to avoid the fate of "death", but also strengthened the military and national power of the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui dynasties. The Sui Dynasty's demise became inevitable.
But when Yuwentai defected to Yuanxiu, Gao Huan was not only a very powerful hero, but also had military power that overwhelmed Yuwentai. Yuwentai, who was also a hero, did not have enough power to compete with him. When the Xianbei power of the Western Wei Dynasty was defeated by the Eastern Wei After all the resources were exhausted, Yu Wentai had no choice but to use the power of the Han aristocrats. Slowly, the twelve generals of the Eight Pillar Kingdom and the Twenty-Four Open Mansion came into being to respond to the situation. Eventually, the Guanlong aristocratic group was formed to control the situation and the emperor took turns to sit. .
After years of war, the Guanlong nobles have become the biggest winners, firmly occupying 60 to 70% of the world's power, wealth, and military strength. The hussar generals' mansions in various places have become their "private army" passed down from generation to generation.
Therefore, Yang Guang's purpose of rectifying the government troops is to first, based on the concept of good soldiers but not too many, hope to develop the economy by abolishing some hussar generals and liberating more people; second, to weaken or even cut off Guanlong The nobles control the foundation of the world. Once the military power is returned to the center, no matter how much financial and material resources the Guanlong noble families have, they will not be able to control the court, depose the king, and change the dynasty as before. However, even the wise and powerful Yang Jian
It was because of the support of the Guanlong nobles that they were able to establish the Sui Dynasty on behalf of Zhou and dominate the world. Later, in order to eliminate Nanchen and defeat the Turkic Khanate, they had to adopt a policy of retreat and compromise step by step towards the Guanlong nobles. When these two great powers After the strategy was completed, the Guanlong nobles became several times stronger than before.
In addition, Yang Jian was already old and frail at the time, and everything was focused on stability and transition. Therefore, he wanted to take back power but was unable to do so. He had to hand over the historical task of suppressing the Guanlong nobles and weakening the family members to Yang Guang, the "Second Emperor of the Sui Dynasty".
And Yang Guang has now successfully weakened part of the power of the Guanlong nobles through major events such as the Renshou Palace coup, the suppression of Yang Liang's rebellion, and the rectification of the Beijing army. In addition, there are new Beijing soldiers and 100,000 Xiaoguo in the center, and there are four major local forces. With the prince and the top ten governors in charge, he felt that the time was ripe to abolish the government soldiers and replace them with a recruitment system.
However, Yang Ji's words were like a wake-up call, making Yang Guang understand that the idea of recruiting the entire army was not advisable.
For a moment, Baifu Hall fell into silence again.
When Yang Ji saw that Yang Guang was silent and had no intention of speaking, he analyzed that he had actually completed the task. At this moment, he no longer needed to say anything.
Because there will be opportunities for others to make trouble.
Faced with such a great opportunity to weaken the Guanlong nobles, Yang Ji did not believe that Gao Jiong, Su Wei, Pei Ju, Xiao Jue, Li Ziquan and other outstanding figures would let it go.
As for him, haha, it's best to "go away and hide your body and name deeply"!
