Marching and fighting used to rely on experience, but in the future we will rely on knowledge. Illiterate and unable to understand even basic commands, I am not suitable to be an officer. To be honest, even if you are illiterate, you are not qualified to serve in the army. However, in this era, it is impossible to make everyone literate.
After drinking two glasses of wine, Wang Xiaolie said: "The reason for the rectification is because we expanded the army too fast and there were not enough qualified officers. There are two main purposes of the rectification. One is to eliminate unqualified officers, and the other is to train the officers. To improve. Therefore, we must select the best and eliminate the worst, and gather middle- and lower-level officers to learn. This learning process cannot be completed in three months, and will be carried out for a long time in the future. The military must make plans, and a team will Whatever they learn, what they learn, and what the battalion commander learns must be listed in categories. During the breaks between battles, let them take time to study intensively. The promotion of an officer depends not only on military merit, but also on what he has learned. How about it? Only those who study well and have military merit can be promoted. If some people are born to be brave in combat and have many military merits, but are not good at learning, they will only sink into poverty."
Shao Ling said: "I heard that the Western Army fought a lot in the past. Some elite troops, even the soldiers who were martial arts masters or above, were called martial arts teams. Those who were not suitable to be officers and had many military merits were martial arts warriors who were not officials. "
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "You can't compare like this. In the future, we will set up a separate system of rewards and punishments for military merit, separate from promotion. In the future, officers will be required to be literate and know how to fight. I'm afraid there will be many such people."
Several people said nothing. Although what Wang Xiaolie said made sense, it was not in line with the habits at this time. If you can't get promoted and make a fortune, how can you persuade your soldiers to sacrifice their lives? It is said that joining the army to protect one's family and country, how many people can really understand it this way?
Wang Xiaolie said: "The military merit system is not just about stipulating a few levels and how much reward will be given. It is about determining what kind of treatment you will receive and what kind of status you will have after receiving military merit. There is no dispute about this matter. Let's take our time. .”
Li Xing sat there, respectful and silent.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Tongzhi Li has been in Xinye for a while. How do you feel about it?"
Li Xingdao: "In the past few years of fighting against the Jin Army, no other army has won consecutive battles as observed. For the general, everything here is novel and very different from what I knew before. There is a school in Xinye, I will go first study."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. After thinking for a while, he added: "Now that the army is short of generals, you have to lead troops. Let's put up a show of strength first, and then slowly replenish the troops. In the process, how about you organize the army and learn at the same time?"
Li Xing crossed his hands and said, "But I will give orders based on observation!"
Wang Xiaolie drank a glass of wine. Putting down his wine glass, he looked at the crowd and said: "Besides rectification, there is another major event when I come to Xinye this time. It is what Counselor Chen said earlier, the establishment of headquarters at all levels. Why is it called a headquarters? Because in the army, military orders are the most important. It is important. Therefore, at the necessary level, a separate department should be established to take charge of military orders."
Shao Ling looked at the others and said with a smile: "Observe, the army has its own rules on how to issue military orders. Since the pre-Qin period, the imperial court has used tiger talismans to command the army. Until now, there are also tiger talismans in the court and in the army. Order."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "The military order you mentioned is only to ensure that the superiors' intentions are conveyed to the subordinates, and the subordinates are not allowed to act without authorization. The military orders I am talking about are to ensure the normal operation and training of the army, as well as wartime actions. It is not a one-time event. thing."
Several generals felt a little confused after hearing this. A few days ago, Chen Yuyi said that Wang Xiaolie was going to set up a headquarters. Several people discussed it privately and couldn't figure out what Wang Xiaolie meant. Today, Wang Xiaolie came to explain it in person, but he still didn’t understand.
Wang Xiaolie said: "War is a very complicated matter that cannot be decided or directed by one person. Therefore, the commander-in-chief has staff officers, counselor officers, in charge of machine writing, writing machine writing, and administrative officers, etc. Staff. Coupled with the envoys who accompany the army, it can be regarded as an incomplete headquarters. Now it seems that war is more complicated than in previous dynasties. Military orders in the army are by no means imagined by commanders and ministers out of thin air. . Instead, there must be specialized personnel to conduct professional analysis and draw up a plan, and then the commander-in-chief will make the decision. This organization that assists the commander-in-chief in making decisions is what I call the headquarters."
Several people nodded, seeming to understand. Wang Xiaolie said that today's war is more complicated, but everyone doesn't think so. Today's war is still the same as before. The military commander leads the army and fights with the enemy in formation. What's the difference?
Looking at everyone's expressions, Wang Xiaolie felt helpless. It's hard to make these people understand just by talking. Many things just require you to act on your own initiative. Once others are familiar with it, they will naturally accept it.
The establishment of the headquarters emerged as the scale of the war became larger and larger, and war command became more and more complex. The situation in the Song Dynasty was exactly the opposite of this trend. Except for the commander-in-chief who was equipped with some staff, the middle and lower-level generals only had some clerks to handle documents, and they did not even have staff. Even in the eyes of the emperor and some officials, generals did not even need to be literate, as long as they followed orders bravely.
The rudimentary command system caused huge losses to the Song Dynasty, and even lost the ability to fight for a long time. Wang Xiaolie established the headquarters not without reason, but as the army increased, he felt that the original command system was no longer applicable.
Wang Xiaolie said: "The preliminary idea is that the Zhenfu Department will have a headquarters. Of course, compared with the army below, the Zhenfu Department will also have other institutions in addition to the headquarters. For example, the collection of grain and grass, and the mobilization of war , the management of retired officers, and the manufacturing of key ordnance, these are not needed by the military. I think a general headquarters must have several institutions. First, the staff department, as the actual execution agency of the headquarters, directly assists the commander in his work. . And then there are other auxiliary agencies. Such as training, reconnaissance, communications, logistics, etc. "
Shao Ling said: "Is the so-called staff department the staff of Shuai Si?"
Wang Xiaolie nodded and said: "Somewhat similar, but different. What are the responsibilities of the staff department need to be improved by everyone."
The staff of the Song Dynasty were located in Shuaisi. Such as the Department of Economic Affairs, the Department of Appeasement, the Department of Zhizhi, the Department of Xuanfu, etc., the lower armies do not have staff. Moreover, the staff establishment is very small, and they can basically only handle limited duties such as processing official documents and making suggestions to the coach. When commanding a war, such a command structure is obviously not enough. During battles, the Song Dynasty was often defeated, which was not unrelated to this simple command structure.
Wang Xiaolie said: "In the future, the army command will no longer be solely responsible for the commander of troops. A large part of the functions will be completed by the headquarters. The commander of troops is naturally the highest commander, and military orders need to be issued by the commander of troops. Army Special departments are responsible for daily management, as well as training and combat operations. Preliminary thinking, the headquarters should be set up to the general level."
Niu Gao asked: "Why set it to the general?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Because the generals of this dynasty are able to fight independently when they are established. They are larger in number, and they usually have cavalry and their own reconnaissance troops. Going down further, such as battalions, generally do not fight independently. "
Everyone nodded, somewhat understanding what Wang Xiaolie meant.
In the establishment of the Song Dynasty's army, two levels were particularly important. Before the Shenzong Dynasty, it was a battalion, or a command. After the Shenzong Dynasty, it was generals. The imperial court's management of the army was based on these two units. A battalion of five hundred people cannot actually fight alone. After the war with Xixia began, Fan Zhongyan took the initiative and gathered several battalions into one general. In the Shenzong Dynasty, the Art of War was officially implemented and the basic level was changed.
The number of troops commanded by a general ranges from one thousand to three thousand. Of course, the actual situation is different. There are less than 1,000 people and there are more than 10,000 people. It is rare. Based on his own actual experience, Wang Xiaolie compared his past life memories and felt that there were similarities between this level and the regiment level in his previous life. Not only are the numbers similar, but they can also perform campaign missions individually.
In the army of the previous life, the headquarters was located at the regiment level. Therefore, Wang Xiaolie felt that he should also be set at the general level.
