Steel Dynasty - Chapter 666

[Chapter 665 The fetters of monarchy]

The strong wind on the grassland kept blowing, and the slightest chill heralded that the next cold winter was coming.

Niu Ben naturally knew what Lu Fei and other generals were thinking, and he came here just to solve the matter.

As a veteran of the Great Chongqing Kingdom, he knew very well that soldiers would violate various laws during war, and this situation would have a very bad impact on the captured city.

In the battle reports sent to him this year, there was an increasing trend of soldiers bullying local girls from good families.

He originally had an indifferent attitude towards this matter, because in his opinion, the absence of large-scale rape and robbery scenes in the army was enough to prove that it was a well-disciplined army, and the mistakes committed by a few soldiers were irrelevant. .

But when the battle report was sent to Xiao Ming, Xiao Ming was very worried about it, so he got Lao Jun’s order.

This time, he came here partly to supervise the war, but also for the purpose of laboring the troops.

After defeating the Three Kings Alliance, Lu Fei and his generals led their soldiers to fight continuously. The battles in one city after another were extremely difficult.

Now that Juyongguan is captured, the war in Liang is finally over, but the war is far from over. Chang’an City is still in the hands of King Zhao, and there are still many battles to come.

Moreover, the State of Liang itself borders the State of Zhao. If the State of Liang is destroyed, the King of Zhao will definitely prevent them from continuing to advance westward.

For this kind of long-term war, soldiers who face life and death at all times can easily lose control and violate military discipline.

At first he seemed to understand something about Lao Jun, but after Xiao Ming explained it, he suddenly understood.

According to Xiao Ming, soldiers need more than just a little monthly pay. They need honor and national recognition for their desperate efforts to kill the enemy.

This labor force seems to be a dispensable thing, but when it is actually implemented, it will bring unexpected effects to the army, and it can even appease the dissatisfaction of soldiers due to their boring life.

Simply put, it is to let the soldiers know that the country has not forgotten them when they were fighting on the front line, and that it also fully recognizes their contribution to the country.

Thinking of this, Niu Ben had a smile in his eyes. He had never heard of this theory, but it had to be said that Xiao Ming’s words spoke to his heart.

After this war, not only did the labor union become one of the regular events held by the army, but more decrees were issued regarding the status of soldiers.

Although Xiao Ming was scolded by Xiao Ming in court for delaying the war, he was very happy during this trip.

Because he could see that Xiao Ming intended to improve the status of the army, which was unprecedented in the Chongqing Kingdom. The previous emperors all valued civil service over military affairs.

Repeated defeats in the war against the barbarians and such political orders that dissatisfied the army have always made the military generals dissatisfied. This is also one of the reasons why the generals are unwilling to sacrifice their lives.

Lu Fei was scolded, but he still smiled playfully. He said to Niu Ben: “General, I am really grateful for your concern for the soldiers, but the emperor will not know about it.”

“This is the emperor’s order. “Niu Ben didn’t hide it, “If you want to be grateful, just thank the emperor.”

“Your Majesty!” Lu Fei’s eyes widened, he said in disbelief: “The emperor has always been strict with the army, how can he explain this matter this time?”

“Huh, the emperor is indeed very strict in running the army, but the emperor has also been talking about you, saying that you are fighting hard in the field, the soldiers have sacrificed a lot, and are facing death at any time. He said that he cannot go to the battlefield in person and can only find ways to relieve the boredom of the soldiers. .” Niu Ben repeated Xiao Ming’s words.

When Niu Ben heard this, his heart felt hot and his eyes were red. In the past few days, they had fought all the way from Qingzhou to Yunzhou, and from Yunzhou to Qingzhou. They felt that they were only fighting, and they became numb every day, like a scarecrow.

Niu Ben’s words suddenly made them feel that no matter how much hardship they endured, it was worth it.

“Okay, let’s do it quickly, while the war is temporarily suspended.” Lu Fei’s expression made Niu Ben increasingly agree with what Xiao Ming said.

Just this simple order moved a man like Lu Fei so much.

“Yes, general!” Niu Ben chuckled and ran away immediately.

Ye Qingyun and other generals were also overjoyed. The days of marching and fighting were very boring. If the military chief had not strictly controlled the discipline of the army, they would have really wanted to let the soldiers loot.

But now this good thing suddenly stopped them from thinking about it.

While they were talking, the barbarian cavalry and slave soldiers outside Juyong Pass suddenly turned around and retreated deeper into the grassland.

All this made the generals breathe a sigh of relief. The barbarians were not planning to attack the city now.

“General, the barbarians have retreated. Zheng Chengwen probably knows that he cannot capture Juyong Pass,” Ye Qingyun said.

Niu Ben nodded and said: “That’s good. It would be troublesome if the barbarians invaded in large numbers at this time, so we took advantage of the opportunity of the war between the barbarians and the Japanese country to capture Chang’an in one fell swoop and destroy King Zhao.”

Luo Hong and Luo Luo Xin looked at each other, Chang’an was their hometown that they dreamed of, and they were most eager to attack the general in Chang’an, because they still had some relatives in Chang’an city.

After reminding the generals about the upcoming battle, Niu Ben ordered the generals guarding the city not to relax, and then he and the generals descended the city wall.

…

Qingzhou.

The excitement brought by the steam locomotive lasted only three days. On the morning of the fourth day, he was irritated by the officials.

What angered him this time was the issue about the status of the military.

“Your Majesty, are there not many cases where generals in the past dynasties have become powerful and rebelled against the imperial court with their own troops? In the eyes of Xianguan, the status of the army is much higher than before. Qingzhou has also established a Hall of Heroes for the soldiers who died in battle. At this time Why increase the rights of soldiers?”

In the political hall, Fiji said loudly.

“I second the proposal.” Pang Yukun also stood up at this time. This time Xiao Ming’s decree made even the civil officials a little dissatisfied.

“I second the proposal!”

“I second the proposal!”

“…”

After Fiji and Pang Yukun, civil servants stood up one after another, including Yu Ming, Chao Jun and other officials.

Looking at the officials who stood up one by one, Xiao Ming frowned. It was really rare for Pang Yukun and Fiji to pee in the same pot this time.

This shows how far the country of Chongqing values civility over military affairs. These officials finally couldn’t sit still when they saw Xiao Ming constantly improving the status of soldiers.

“Are you forcing me?”

Xiao Ming frowned. During this period, he was determined to let these officials use their talents to assist him in managing the country of Chongqing, which was in dire need. Therefore, in order not to dampen their enthusiasm, he Some irrelevant suggestions were also adopted.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized a problem. Since ancient times, there has been a natural conflict between the monarchy and the bureaucracy, because strengthening the imperial power will inevitably damage the interests of the bureaucracy.

During this period, he behaved too much, and these officials seemed to have the illusion that he was another Xiao Wenxuan.

(End of chapter)