While Ha Xian was hesitating, Tu Da had already noticed the abnormality in the face of his capable subordinate. He calmly raised his head and asked slowly: "If there is any other bad news, please tell me. Could it be that Ha Xian, you Do you think I’m that fragile?”
"Nothing, actually nothing, Marshal, but I heard that some nobles seem to have doubts about our request to increase the standing army establishment. They think that under the current situation, it is not necessary, especially to conquer the east." Ha Xian carefully considered his words, trying not to arouse Tu Da's sensitivity with his harsh words.
Although there was no expression on his face, Tu Da couldn't help but feel his heart sink. Ha Xian's words were very implicit, but Tu Da knew that the dissatisfaction of the nobles was not that simple. There might be something hidden behind it. More stuff. Since the last time he submitted a report recommending strengthening the standing army establishment of the three divisions of Zhengxi, Zhengdong and Zhengnan, Tu Da noticed that His Highness the Chief seemed to have some changes in his eyes, and his suggestions had not been adopted. However, the Chidi people's army expansion pace was even faster, which made Tu Da even more anxious.
He and Besang jointly submitted a letter requesting an increase in order to maintain the military balance after the expansion of the Red Di people. Finally, they got the approval of the chief. The initial mobilization strength of the standing army of only 30,000 people in each ministry was finally allowed to increase to 40,000 people. Although each The number of the tribe was only 10,000, but the fierce quarrels at the noble meeting left today's massacre still fresh in their minds. Some people even openly rebuked themselves for doing this to expand their power. Although they were immediately severely reprimanded by the chief, But Tu Da knew that the seeds of doubt had been sown in the chief's mind earlier. It can be vaguely seen from the fact that His Highness the Chief increased the number of his own direct escorts to 50,000 shortly after the addition of various ministries. You must know that several times before, someone proposed to increase the number of guards, but they never got the consent of His Highness the Chief. But this time, the number was increased by 20,000, and there was no discussion at the regular noble meeting. This can't help but make Tu Da feel secretly. Shocked.
"Oh? Are there any new rumors?" Tu Da tried his best to calm his slightly fluctuating heart, not wanting his subordinates to see his worries.
"Uh, this," Ha Xian really didn't know whether he should tell these shameless rumors. If he said that the commander-in-chief had a disloyal heart, even if he killed Ha Xian, he wouldn't believe it. However, rumors are the most powerful way to guide ordinary people at any time. Human tendencies, especially when faced with the threat of the Chidi people, are even more so. If the commander is not informed clearly, once there is a disturbance, the commander may not know the storm behind it. "Commander, It's just some despicable rumors, but we have to guard against it, Commander-in-Chief, my subordinates heard that someone said that Your Excellency is using the threat of the Chidi people to strengthen the strength of the Western and Eastern expeditions, and intends to suppress General Ule."
Although Ha Xian's words were very vague, he certainly understood the implication of who Tu Da was. Besang was his good friend, and the two had always had a good relationship. They had many things in common in terms of political views. The two controlled The primary mobilization strength of the standing army has reached 80,000 people. This is naturally a threat to those nobles who have always been opposed and suspicious of themselves. They will naturally find ways to frame themselves. Tu Da is worried not about these nobles, but what he is worried about is His Highness the Chief's influence on him. In his opinion, if His Highness the Chief still trusts him, then everything will be nothing but a breeze blowing in his face, but if His Highness has an idea in his mind, I am afraid that his situation will be a bit embarrassing.
"That's enough, don't listen to these gossips. The more you pay attention to them, the more complacent those people will be. There is no need to pay attention to them at all. They will naturally be boring." Tu Da waved his hand to stop Ha Xian who was about to say more, and said decisively: "Chief Your Highness is extremely wise, how could you not understand this? If I, Tu Da, had anything to do with it, I'm afraid I wouldn't be sitting here."
When Ha Xian's figure disappeared outside the door, Tu Da's figure seemed to have suddenly aged a few years. He was a lot tired. He let out a long sigh and nestled back into the soft chair. It is only those who are extremely wise that make people uneasy. Who can really make people feel at ease in these matters
Wu Feng could finally breathe a sigh of relief and take a good rest.
The negotiations with the representatives of the untouchables were very difficult. Their conditions were very simple. They only requested that all untouchables be given equal citizenship. This seemed to be a very low request, but it broke Wu Feng's head. They asked Wu Feng to Once they gained the dominant position in the Central Plains regime, they had to grant equal citizenship rights to the untouchables. This absolutely unrealistic condition made Wu Feng almost give up his original plan, but the attitude of Lei and Zhu was extremely determined, and it seemed that there was no With no room for compromise, Wu Feng couldn't help but feel a little discouraged by his original idea. Fortunately, Su Qin and Wang Liao had in-depth and multi-faceted discussions with Lei and Zhu respectively, and elaborated on the strong relationship between the Northwest and the Central Plains nobles. Even if the Northwest Army, which has not yet had a solid foundation, advances into the Central Plains, if it faces the middle and upper classes of the entire empire, The opposition from the society can only lead to withdrawal from the Central Plains. Even Lei and Zhu can see this clearly. Li Wufeng will never accept this result, nor is it what they are happy to see.
The focus of the dispute between the two sides focused on when to recognize and declare the equal citizenship rights of untouchables. Wu Feng proposed to completely solve this problem within twenty years, but Lei and Zhu could not accept it at all. They demanded that Wu Feng gain control of the Central Plains at the latest It must be achieved within the next three years, and the result of Wufeng's concession was that it would be resolved within ten years. In the end, Wufeng made a huge concession and agreed to resolve the issue of equal citizenship for untouchables within five years after he obtained a decisive advantageous position, and was willing to make a contract to prove it. , but also put forward a requirement, that is, the untouchables must use their sincerity and their achievements for Wu Feng to prove to the people of the world the basis for pardoning them.
After completing the principle issues, Wu Feng left the later work directly to Su Qin and Ling Tianfang. Lei Cangpu immediately agreed to immediately transfer 300 capable water warriors to the Baixiang Lake Northwest Navy Base in batches to officially participate in the Northwest Navy. The formation and training of the navy will be carried out, and more than a thousand sailors will be sent to the northwest one after another to form the Bonan Water Camp together with the 10,000 strong men who are familiar with water skills selected by Wu Feng from the reserve personnel. Wufeng will also integrate his intelligence system resources in the Central Plains to realize the reorganization of his original intelligence agency and Lehu's intelligence network, so that his intelligence network can truly cover every corner of the empire. Of course, this is a long-term task, but This is at least a good start. With the eyes, ears and tentacles of Lehu throughout the middle and lower classes, especially in Qinlou and Chuguan, Wufeng believes that the efficiency of his intelligence network in the Central Plains will undergo a qualitative leap.
After concluding the negotiations on untouchable affairs, Wu Feng unabashedly extended an olive branch to Lei Cangpu, hoping that Lei Cangpu would join him and serve as his navy staff. This moved Lei Cangpu. For a bandit leader with a pariah background like himself, Li Wufeng could be so magnanimous, which made him more optimistic about the northwest. However, out of responsibility for his tribe and the entire Changfeng Society, Lei Cangpu declined Wufeng's solicitation and Xiang Wufeng proposed that from a long-term perspective, Wufeng should also allow Changfeng Club to maintain a certain strength. If possible, Changfeng Club should be further strengthened. When Wufeng sets foot in Jiangnan and East China Sea, Changfeng Club will It is an important assistant to Wu Feng.
Under Wu Feng's attention, the heavy armored cavalry division began to be fully formed after the rebellion in the Western Region was resolved. This is the first heavy armored cavalry division in the entire northwest to be organized into a division, and it was only formed with Wu Feng's great determination. , First of all, the cost of a heavy cavalry division is too high. Each soldier needs three horses on average, and the training requirements are quite complicated. Not only does it require a high level of individual combat power, but it also requires a strong body capable of carrying a load of more than 40 kilograms. Iron leaf armor, and also requires the ability to skillfully and flexibly use iron spears weighing more than sixty kilograms. This physical limitation makes most soldiers unable to do the job, and it is even more necessary for heavy cavalry to fully exert their combat power. Uniform discipline is guaranteed, and absolutely strict disciplinary requirements require long-term training to achieve, let alone overnight. These requirements have prevented Wu Feng from making up his mind to form a division-level heavy cavalry until he formed the fourth group. It was only after Wufeng made the decision to form a large army.
Six brigades of heavy cavalry were drawn from the heavy cavalry regiments of the first and second divisions of the First Northwest Army as the basis for forming the heavy cavalry division. This made Qu Bo and Shalang very dissatisfied. But there is nothing to do. After all, the formation of heavy cavalry divisions is an important step in this military reform, and heavy cavalry is no better than other services. The hastily formed troops are worthless and cannot be used in actual combat. This requires some troops to make Sacrifice to make up for it, but in the entire Northwest Army, only the first and second divisions of the first army have a regiment of heavy cavalry. Wufeng can retain the seeds of two brigades for each of the two divisions. It’s so valuable. The formation of the light cavalry divisions was drawn from each division of the four major legions, and the supplementary personnel Ling Tianfang simply supplemented them directly from Mote's reserves. The engineering force was also quickly established under Wu Feng's close watch. A large number of equipment was quickly produced and equipped with the continuous financial support of the Combat Readiness Administration and given to the newly formed engineering division. Various latest products developed by the Science and Technology Department were also It was first used in the engineering divisions. Technical personnel from the Science and Technology Department even went deep into the engineering divisions to study the use and maintenance methods of these instruments in actual combat with the engineers. This has become the most important task of the Science and Technology Department.