For many things, it is impossible to find a once-and-for-all solution.
Just like there is no dynasty in this world that lasts forever, as time goes by, no matter how good the system is, it cannot withstand the test of people's hearts.
The same is true for the Chu Empire!
Luo Zhixue knows very well that it is impossible for him to come up with various systems that can be implemented once and for all. This is simply impossible.
Even the service system he has created now seems to allow him to control the entire empire more freely, but to be honest, it is not much different from the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty or the military aircraft department of the Qing Dynasty.
They all rely on the mutual restraint between cabinet ministers to achieve a balance, so that the emperor can stand high.
But this requires the emperor to continue to control the balance between ministers. Without continuous adjustment and balance, it is easy for powerful ministers to appear.
It's just that the ministerial committee system has more restrictions and more worries on cabinet ministers than the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty.
The same is true for controlling military power.
In fact, it is difficult to say that the balance can be completely maintained simply by relying on various systems. Therefore, Luo Zhixue's method of restricting military generals has never been one, but many!
For example, the Guards system.
Luo Zhixue had long ago established the Guards, which was independent of the army and navy, using the Guards as its predecessor, and he also paid special attention to the Guards.
The Guards has its own system, with its own staff, ordnance, military administration, and logistics organizations. Even the officer academy was established last year. And starting last year, Luo Zhixue directly banned the Guards in order to further separate the Guards and the Army. The transfer of officers between the army and the army and the navy.
At the same time, the military expenditures of the Guards are not military expenditures in the traditional sense. The military expenditures in the fiscal budget refer specifically to the military expenditures for the army and navy.
The military expenses of the Guards are paid directly from the royal family's funds.
In terms of funding and personnel, the Guards are not under the jurisdiction of the Army or Navy.
At the same time, as the size of the army continued to increase, Luo Zhixue did not forget to continue to expand the size of the Guards.
During the Northern Expedition, as the First Guards Division and the Second Guards Division went north to join the battle, the Third Guards Army and the Fourth Guards Division also quietly began training in the military camp on the outskirts of Jinling City.
By now, the Third Guards Division and the Fourth Guards Division have formed an army and are stationed in Yingtianfu.
In addition, the Guards also established the Guards Cavalry Division, which was also the first division-level cavalry unit in the Chu Empire. It had two hussars regiments, one dragoon regiment, one lancer regiment, and one cavalry regiment. The artillery regiment is a cavalry and baggage regiment with a total strength of more than 3,000 cavalry and more than 3,000 artillery baggage troops. This is a cavalry unit with independent combat capabilities.
Well, actually Luo Zhixue prefers to call this cavalry division a fast mobile division, otherwise he would not be equipped with a cavalry baggage regiment and a cavalry artillery regiment with a large number of mules and horses.
There are a total of five Guards divisions, with a total strength of more than 70,000. This is a key force that can check and balance the army and navy in normal times, and safeguard the imperial power at critical moments.
As a result, the army, navy, and guards formed the triangular structure of military power in the Chu Empire.
As we all know, the triangle frame is the most stable!
Because there are a lot of Guards divisions, and at the same time, the Pan-Jiangnan area where Gyeonggi is located is unlikely to face any large-scale military threats in the near future, or even in the next few years, so naturally these Guards divisions will not be allowed to stay in Yingtian Mansion doing nothing.
Previously, Luo Zhixue sent the First Guards Division and the Second Guards Division out to fight.
Now, Luo Zhixue is using rotation to send the Third Guards Division and Guards Cavalry Division northward to take over the rotation from the Second Guards Division.
The Second Guards Division will end its two-year overseas campaign and withdraw to the Tianjin area to rest and garrison, acting as a strategic reserve.
In addition, the First Guards Division, which previously went to Shanxi and Shaanxi to fight, has also been transferred back to Yingtianfu for garrison, and at the same time underwent reorganization and equipment change.
Because this First Guards Division is still an old first-class division, and it happened to take this time to reorganize and transform into a new first-class division.
In this way, the First Guards Division and the Fourth Guards Division are still stationed in the Gyeonggi area to ensure the safety of the Gyeonggi area and deter possible changes.
Well, by the way, it also helps the army suppress and defend the Jiangnan area.
In fact, there are not many main army forces in the Pan-Jiangnan area today.
There is the 21st Division in Zhejiang, which is stationed in Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Huzhou.
There is a 22nd Division in Jiangnan Province, which is stationed in Songjiang, Suzhou and Changzhou.
Then...then there were no first-class divisions, only some second-class divisions, such as the 138th Division stationed at Wusong Fortress, the 139th Division stationed at Yangzhou, and the 100th Division stationed at Dangtu. Forty divisions.
Then there are the second-class divisions under the garrison headquarters that are scattered and deployed in various prefectures and counties to suppress civil strife, such as the 101st Division in Jiangnan Province, the 100th Division in Anlu, and the 1st Division in Jiangbei Province. One Hundred and Second Division and so on.
However, the second-class divisions guarding these places are all scattered, and it is too difficult to assemble them.
Under such circumstances, two of the Guards were guarding Yingtian Mansion, which could be regarded as strengthening the military deployment in the pan-Jiangnan region.
Well, in fact, it was precisely because of the existence of the Guards that the Army was able to transfer a large number of main troops from the Jiangnan and Jiangbei regions to fight in various places.
For example, the 26th Division and the 27th Division of the Sixth Army, which had just been successfully organized and trained, were transferred from Jiangbei to the north to prepare for participating in the Northeast War.
The Northeast Campaign is the most important strategic plan of the Chu Empire in the next stage.
It was not just as simple as seizing Liaodong and recovering the Han Dynasty, but also wanted to completely solve the major threats in the Northeast and even the grasslands, so that the Chu Empire could free up its hands to carry out internal economic construction, or expand in other directions.
In order to defend against the Eastern Mongols and Eastern Mongolia under their control, the Great Chu Empire stockpiled hundreds of thousands of troops in the long Great Wall defense line in the north!
From Shanhaiguan in the east to Jizhen, then to Xuanfu and Datong.
Not only Jiliao and Xuanda, but also most of the troops in the Shaanxi-Gansu defense line were actually to resist the Mongols under the control of the Eastern Captives.
During Chengshun's six-year-long captivity to the East, their territory was not just Liaodong... they also controlled the Korean Peninsula, a large area of northeastern Liaoning, and a large area of Eastern Mongolian grassland. Even many tribes in Mongolia were subject to the Eastern invasion. Captive and controlled.
The Eastern Capture is the biggest threat to the Chu Empire in the north. If they are not killed for one day, the Chu Empire will deploy hundreds of thousands of troops in the north and spend a huge amount of money and food to maintain the Great Wall defense line in the north.
"The First Clan"
Although it is not unsustainable in terms of the national strength of the Chu Empire, it only costs tens of millions of military dollars a year, so it can be sustained.
However, if most of the fiscal revenue is invested in military expenditure, there will be no money left to develop the internal economy and people's livelihood.
Without internal development, national strength cannot be improved, and the people's livelihood economy may even be oppressed by long-term heavy pressure on military expenditures. By then, a vicious cycle may even form.
Today, the Chu Empire is able to sustain itself because when it unified the Han provinces within the Pass, it obtained a huge amount of money through large-scale confiscation. However, if huge expenditures continue, all the money will be spent in a few years. By then, the national treasury may be unable to make ends meet.
Naturally, Luo Zhixue would not let this happen.
Therefore, after the Yunnan-Guizhou Campaign ended, Luo Zhixue actually began to mobilize troops and generals to prepare for the subsequent Northeastern Campaign.
The direction of deploying troops and generals is not limited to the Shanhaiguan line. Although it is a key area, Ji Town, Xuanda and the Shaanxi-Gansu area are equally important.
The enemies of the Great Chu Empire were not only the hundreds of thousands of Eastern captives of their own tribe, but also the large number of Mongolians who had defected to the Eastern captives on the vast grasslands.
These Mongols are also a major threat, so when the army moves into the northeast, it is also necessary to ensure the security of the Great Wall defense line, especially in the directions of Jizhen and Xuanda.
Not to mention taking the initiative to fight out, but at least being able to hold on.
As for the Shaanxi-Gansu side, it is easier, because Ximengu did not completely fall to the Eastern captives. Many of them still maintained their independence and would not obey the Eastern captives' orders to fight against the Chu Empire.
Several of the large tribes are quite powerful, and even the Dongji people can't do anything to them.
In fact, many of these Mongols were the former Washi people. The Washi people gradually split and formed several large tribes. Among them, the Jungar tribe was the future Jungar Khanate.
Well, it was the khanate that fought with the Qing Dynasty in the original time and space, and was finally destroyed by the Qing Dynasty. As a result, the vast northwest and grassland areas were once again under the actual control of China.
To put it simply, the current Dongpi people have not yet fully controlled the Mongolian tribes in the western region. Although they are also a threat to the current Chu Empire, the overall threat is far less than that of the Dongpi people.
Following the principle that the enemy of the enemy is a friend, the Da Chu Empire also sent out to contact the tribes of Mongolia, hoping to get them to fight with the Dongji people. Unfortunately, they were not stupid either... and ignored the Da Chu Empire's request. , even the Chu Empire's request to purchase large quantities of war horses and even a large number of stallions through official channels was rejected.
Only a limited number of war horses were agreed to be sold. As for a large number of stallions, they were directly rejected, and only a few horses were given.
But it's easy to talk and stay silent, and it can be considered that a certain commercial exchange agreement has been reached.
After all, both sides have urgent needs... They, the people of the Mongolian grasslands, want iron, tea, cloth, other goods and even guns from the Chu Empire, and the Chu Empire also wants their horses.
But just like the Dachu Empire was unwilling to sell them a large number of flintlock guns and artillery, and was only willing to sell a limited number of matchlocks, they were also unwilling to sell a large number of war horses and stallions, and were only willing to sell a limited number of castrated horses. war horses and very few stallions.
What the Dachu Empire wants are excellent mares and untamed stallions, and there are quite a few of them. No matter how stupid you are, you know that the Dachu Empire wants to breed excellent war horses on its own.
After all, horses that are not excellent breeds have no value in breeding, and they cannot be cultivated in small numbers.
But the Chinese dynasty has always been the enemy of the nomads, and has been so for thousands of years.
Now the Chu Empire is attacking the East, but what about after the East is conquered?
They also have to guard against it!
In the same way, these large tribes of Mongolia are fighting against each other. Once they are unified, they will be a huge threat to the Central Plains Dynasty. This is how the historical battle against the Jungar rebellion came about.
The direct reason is that Zhungeer unified the Mongolian tribes in the desert and posed a major threat to the Central Plains Dynasty, which in turn led to the direct outbreak of war.
Naturally, the Da Chu Empire would not turn a blind eye to this potentially significant possibility, so it was determined not to sell them advanced guns and artillery, and was only willing to sell some matchlock guns.
