When he first arrived in this world, Wang Xiaolie thought things were very simple. Why the Song Dynasty failed and what shortcomings it had are clearly stated in the history books of previous lives. Even if the medicine is prescribed, it will work as soon as you try it?
When you have an army and a territory, and do things step by step, you realize that this is not the case.
Such a complicated matter can be explained clearly in one sentence, and you think you are a great god preaching the scriptures. In fact, why the Song Dynasty has been weak in external military affairs since Song Taizong cannot be explained clearly in one sentence, or even in a few sentences. Instead, it should be discussed in a long way, and all aspects should not be omitted. Finally, we summarized what is the most important reason, what are the secondary reasons, and what other reasons have an impact on this. These reasons are so intertwined that it is difficult to sort them out.
Similarly, why did China begin to fall behind in the Qing Dynasty and be wantonly invaded by the West in the late Qing Dynasty? It cannot be explained clearly in one sentence, but there are various reasons. These reasons are intertwined and influence each other, and the problem is far from being solved by simple reforms.
It is not unusual to say that the military weakness of the Song Dynasty was due to the emphasis on culture over military affairs, and it is not unusual to say that the backwardness of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China was due to China's cultural reasons. People in this world have all kinds of strange ideas, and they have to think about everything in order to promote human progress. But it is unusual for this kind of thinking to become mainstream. This shows that there is something wrong with Chinese civilization in this era and it is starting to get confused.
Such a major issue cannot be solved by one person due to limited energy and resources. Instead, the state should come forward, organize a large number of manpower, invest a lot of resources, and conduct detailed research. Once this issue is clarified, it will point the way forward.
The wind blows from the Han River, bringing a cool feeling. There are large reeds near the sandbar, and various birds are flying inside, singing beautiful songs. Several rows of egrets were flying over the sandbank, extremely dissatisfied with Wang Xiaolie and Wang Yan for disturbing their home.
Wang Xiaolie said: "When I was in Kaifeng Mansion a few years ago, I didn't know anything about leading troops. Thanks to Zhenfu for helping me. The kindness of that day has always been engraved in my heart. Today we are all generals leading troops, which is different from that time. .”
Wang Yan said: "Yes, I never thought at that time that you would become a hero in a few years."
Wang Xiaolie said: "These are all trivial matters. The most important thing is that we people must figure out how to train strong soldiers and defeat the Jurchens who invaded the south. I just say that the Jurchens can endure hardships and fight hard, and we Song people are greedy for peace and happiness. It’s not enough. To put it in a harsh way, it will not do any good to fool yourself like this, it can only disturb people’s hearts. We must face the reality, what is wrong with us? If we don’t understand this, it will be very difficult later.”
Wang Yan said: "In the opinion of Yijieshuai, what is the reason?"
Wang Xiaolie smiled bitterly: "Brother, I started from King Qin's rebel army, which is different from the Forbidden Army. The only army with much contact is your Eight-Character Army. But the Eight-Character Army is also a rebel army from the Taihang Mountains, and it is different from the ordinary Forbidden Army. How can I explain clearly with little contact? What problems the Forbidden Army has, I couldn't figure it out for a while. So my army is completely new and completely different from the Forbidden Army."
Wang Yan nodded: "Yes, none of us are from the Forbidden Army. It is really difficult to explain this clearly. However, your army is now extremely well-trained, which is really enviable. How did you train? Let me tell you."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Four simple words, inner sage and outer king. Inner sage is the internal management of the army. The class system has been abolished in the army, and the commander of the army no longer has the final say. A headquarters has been set up , several generals have their own division of labor, and they also have leadership responsibilities for the army. Whether they are officials or soldiers in the army, they all contribute to the country, and we cannot treat them badly. Not only do they eat and drink well, but they are also taught and educated , guide their thoughts, let them know who they are fighting for and what they are fighting for. Know what they have to do in the army, what kind of rules they have to abide by, what powers they have, and what responsibilities they have. Know what they have to do in wartime. What should be done according to the rules. Before fighting, not only the generals at all levels must know what the purpose of the battle is, what the difficulties are, and what the goals are. Every soldier must understand and clearly know his responsibilities and obligations."
Wang Yan was stunned for a moment. He said: "How many officers are needed to do this? How can we manage it?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "There are many more officers in our army than in ordinary armies. Not only the officers, but also the soldiers must be literate. The army has a special literacy class. When recruits are recruited and trained, there is one class every day. Learn to read and write all the time. In each army, there are still various study classes. Basically, after five years in the army, you will be able to read and write."
Wang Yandao: "When Emperor Zhenzong was the emperor, he specifically ordered the generals not to be literate. If you do the opposite, is it really useful?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "At least it is useful now. If the situation changes one day in the future, it may not be useful. If it is useless, it is useless, just find another method. As long as the meaning is still there, things will not be done wrong. . All in all, military discipline must be strict. But strict military discipline is not achieved by harsh punishments, but by educating officers and soldiers so that they can take the initiative to demand themselves. The so-called inner sage is to educate the army so that officers and soldiers do not just know how to enforce laws. They are puppets of orders, but have initiative. The task of the army is not to simply issue an order, but to make the soldiers fully understand and resolutely execute it from top to bottom. The most critical thing is to make the soldiers understand the order; It’s about being able to proactively execute orders.”
Wang Yan was dumbfounded. I have been leading troops for many years, and this is the first time I have heard this statement. Wang Xiaolie said it was simple, but it was never easy to do it. This not only involves the management of the military, but also local administrative management.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I have been in Xiangyang for less than three years. Although the idea is good, it is not easy to implement. Until now, I am still not satisfied with it in many aspects. But we have the best people, their understanding and cooperation , far beyond my imagination. Now every time when recruiting soldiers, as long as there is a male in the family who reaches the age, the people will take the initiative to send him to the military camp. When he is recruited into the army, his family will treat guests to a banquet, as if it is a great happy event. "
Wang Yan shook his head, not knowing what to say. When he took office in Jinzhou, he only brought 800 old subordinates with him. In the past three years, it has grown to 3,000 people. Wang Yan spent a lot of time raising these three thousand people. All the money was spent to equalize the wealth of the three states, but when the times were bad, some in the army were still hungry. It is hard to imagine how Wang Xiaolie could raise an army of 100,000 and still have the support of the people.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Many things in the world are actually not that difficult. As long as you keep your feet on the ground, insist on seeking truth from facts, and do it step by step, things can always be done well. Many times when things go wrong, they just forget to be down-to-earth. , seek truth from facts, and always keep your eyes open. The internal affairs of the army are well managed. When the commander directs the war, as long as he follows military rules and uses his intelligence and wisdom, the war will be much easier to fight. Only with the inner sage can he win externally. . He is always victorious externally and is called the external king."
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie was filled with emotion. In your previous life, when you were in school or at work, when you often learned knowledge, the teacher would tell you that this is an objective law. Once you have mastered the objective laws, nothing in the world can hinder you.
In fact, how can there be so many objective laws in the world? Most of the time, objective laws come into play because you are just repeating someone else's work. Others' experiences are expressed in the form of objective laws, that's all.
Natural science, which is most concerned with objective laws, think about it, are there any laws that cannot be violated? Scientists all know that previous knowledge is used to overturn it, and overthrowing old knowledge is scientific progress. On the contrary, the humanities have inexplicably set up many objective laws.
