After three rounds of drinking, everyone slowly relaxed and spoke with less restraint.
Guan Shigu said: "We have seen your army in the past few days. To be honest, there are many differences. Some we can understand, some we cannot understand. Especially what your army has been saying, the army is organized. The comparison is about overall combat effectiveness, not individual prowess. What is organized? Why doesn’t the military talk about individual prowess? After thinking about it, I can’t figure out why.”
Liu Qi said: "If it weren't for the battle at Dantou Village and you only used 3,000 men to wipe out the Jin army, we would just treat it as a joke."
Jiang Min thought for a while and said: "If you really want to talk about the organizational capabilities of the army, it will be very complicated and cannot be explained clearly. In short, the army's command, logistics, morale, etc. are all part of it. But speaking of it this way, it is not clear. It’s not comprehensive anymore. When I was teaching in the military academy, no matter how clear the teacher was, the students still didn’t know it and felt they couldn’t understand it. When I lead soldiers myself in the future, I will slowly deepen my understanding. After leading soldiers for a while, I will understand.”
Wu Jie and Liu Qi looked at each other and nodded secretly.
They are all generals who lead their own troops, and of course they have their own understanding. It’s just that I’ve never said it like this before, and I don’t know what it’s about, so I feel confused. These days in Wang Xiao's hunting army, visiting, communicating, and learning, I gradually feel it.
Is there any use for personal bravery? Of course it works. A strong general is equivalent to several opponents, and the benefits are visible to the naked eye. However, for an army of thousands or even tens of thousands of people, how useful is one person's bravery?
Personal bravery is not as good as the individual training in Wang Xiao's hunting army. Standard combat movements, uniformity, and sophisticated equipment will exert greater combat effectiveness. Is this personal bravery? It seems so, but it's more than that.
Maybe this is organizational power? At least it should be part of the organizational strength.
Several people discussed it for a while and shook their heads.
Jiang Min and the others didn't say much. There’s not much to say. The concept of organizational power is too far out of this world. Even if Wang Xiaolie made it clear, he still went through several armies and kept iterating until Jiang Min was barely satisfied. How can you explain it to someone who has never been in contact with it?
Liu Qi said: "I feel that the Taiwei's army is completely different from our army. The things we think are important, the Taiwei thinks are not important. The things we think are not important, the Taiwei attaches great importance to. But the Taiwei has won consecutive battles. , which makes people very confused.”
Wu Jie and Guan Shigu nodded, feeling a little depressed.
Wang Xiaolie won consecutive games without losing a single match, which is frustrating. I don't have any excuses to give myself.
Realizing that the military's combat effectiveness mainly comes from its organizational capabilities is a leap in military understanding. This progress cannot be overstated. From then on, military affairs became a science, rather than just relying on experience and genius.
This is the same as the national army during the Anti-Japanese War. There are many upper-level generals, including middle-level generals, who are loyal to the country. However, their efforts seemed tragic and helpless in front of the Japanese army. Even when World War II was about to end, the whole world was counterattacking Fasci, and the national army and Henan, Hunan and Guangxi were defeated. People often talk about the tragic history of Sichuan troops coming out to resist Japan, but few people analyze how many of Sichuan's strong men went to the anti-Japanese battlefield and how many died on the road.
This systematic and institutional backwardness is the root cause of military backwardness. The soldiers and generals of the Song Dynasty were not weaker than the soldiers and generals of the Jin Dynasty. The weapons of the Song Dynasty were not weaker than those of the Jin Army. The logistics of the Song Dynasty did not lag behind that of the Jin Dynasty. However, the organization of the Song Dynasty army lagged far behind that of the Jin army.
The advancement of the Jin army was not institutional, but simply due to the fact that the Jin Dynasty's army happened to behave like this. When the Song Dynasty army completed its integration, it was not weaker than the Jin Dynasty army, and even defeated it in battle.
When studying military issues, it is wrong to only study a few famous generals. It is necessary to examine the organization and system of the army. At this time, most of the Song Army, except for a very small number of troops, did not have the advantage over the Jin Army.
Wu Jie, Liu Qi, and Guan Shigu could only tell that Wang Xiaolie's army was different from their own. They still don't understand why there are these differences and what effect these differences have on the combat effectiveness of the army.
After drinking for a while, Guan Shigu said: "People often say that fighting means fighting for money and food. It is difficult for a hero to be a hero without money. But I see that in your army, the soldiers' pay is not high, and the rewards are not generous. How can they Are you willing to sacrifice your life?"
Jiang Min said: "Of course they are working hard for the country, not for a few dollars. Besides, although the salary is not generous, it is quite a lot."
The military salary of the Song Dynasty was generally five hundred coins per month for the imperial army, and two stones and five measures of food per month. Of course, military salaries vary among armies now, and prices have risen by an unknown amount, so there is no unified standard. The salary of a sergeant in Wang Xiao's hunting army is 500 coins, and 800 coins per year or more until he retires. The effectiveness ranges from three to ten, divided into five levels. Food is provided in the military canteen, and there is no monthly ration.
Although it was said that the soldiers were serving in the army, Wang Xiaolie did not deduct his salary, and it was increased. It’s just that the monthly rations were not distributed and were instead used as military canteens. For soldiers, since their family members do not join the army, all their food, clothing, and housing are in the army, and their actual income has increased.
Compared with the armies of Wu Jie, Liu Qi and Guan Shigu, only the rewards for killing enemies are smaller, but fair.
Wu Jie said: "I heard that Lieutenant Wang has achieved some meritorious deeds. If the soldiers really kill the enemy and make meritorious service, they will be rewarded. However, the soldiers only fight for money. Are these useful? Not to mention, many people are not looking for them at all. No more family members."
Jiang Min said: "If you really can't find your family members, naturally the military will make arrangements on your behalf so that the sacrifices will not be missed. It's hard to say whether it will be useful or not. We have just implemented it now. We will naturally know after a long time."
Guan Shigu shook his head slightly, obviously disapproving of this approach.
Money is the most affordable thing for soldiers to eat food. How can soldiers be willing to go out without money?
Zhang Jun looked at several people and clearly disagreed. Said: "The reason why Xuanfu did this is that the soldiers fought not only for the reward, but also because they had a heart to serve the country. Now there are countless rebels in the mountains in the north. Not to mention the rewards, these people even have no food to eat. What are they for?"
Wu Jie and others were stunned, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
Zhang Jundao: "The reason why there are meritorious services and meritorious officials is because Xuanfu believes that their meritorious service is not enough to reward them with money, but also needs other things. Therefore, even if it is just a soldier who has really made meritorious service to the country, he will enjoy sacrifices after his death." For example, in the battle of Dantou Village, there was a soldier Mengdu who killed many enemies and was awarded the honor of protecting the army. After his body returned to his hometown, the magistrate personally buried him and set up a temple to offer sacrifices at all times. People who have a sense of honor and disgrace naturally know what to do. That kind of people."
Liu Qi nodded silently, knowing what Zhang Jun meant.
However, other armies cannot learn this method, at least not in the short term. The systems within the military are different, especially the atmosphere. More importantly, local officials may not be cooperative. Zhizhou is attending a funeral, who cares about you?
To learn from Wang Xiaolie's army, we need to completely change the military system and the corresponding political system. Instead of just a little bit, a little bit here, a little bit there. It is impossible for the Song Dynasty's army not to undergo a complete overhaul.
(I have been busy in the past two days, so the updates are unstable. Sorry. I will make up for it if possible in a few days.)
(End of chapter)
