After Zhu Li returned from Beikou, he immediately settled Li Xinai.
He first set up the position of Ink Minister, a minor official of the ninth rank, and appointed it to Li Xinai. Then he immediately summoned Wang Yueyao and asked her to help build an ink workshop.
As for the raw materials used by Li Xinai to make ink and the sales of the ink after it is made, all are handled by Wang Yueyao.
In addition, a courtyard was granted to the Li father and son in Chongwenfang so that they could live there with peace of mind.
In the words of later generations, Zhu Li planned to establish Weimo into a state-owned enterprise and provide a stable source of income for the Shuozhou Governor's Office. With this income, no matter where it was used, it would be of great benefit to Heshuo.
Three days later, Dou Yujun came with his whole family. Zhu Li immediately fulfilled his promise and appointed him as Doctor of the Five Classics, in charge of all educational matters in Shuozhou and thus relieving the pressure on Guo Chongtao.
Zhu Li certainly would not show favoritism to Dou Yujun, who was extremely filial and kind. He also gave him a courtyard in Chongwenfang to accommodate his family.
After doing all this, Zhu Li went to visit Mr. Shen of Jixia Academy again. Unfortunately, Mr. Shen closed the door to visitors and Zhu Li did not see him. This made Zhu Li even more curious about Mr. Shen.
Before he could calm down, Guo Qizuo, Guo Chongtao, Wang Yueyao and others swarmed over and started discussing the new policy with him.
In the small courtyard, Zhu Li was sitting directly north of the stone table; Guo Qizuo, who was dressed in a white robe and a turban and looked very dashing, was sitting on the left; Guo Chongtao, who was dressed in a blue shirt and a futou and looked elegant and romantic, was sitting on the right; Wang Yueyao, who was dressed in a moon-white gown and looked extremely handsome and beautiful, was sitting opposite Zhu Li.
Her current position is still Zhu Li's clerk. After Zhu Li came back, he did not promote her. For Wang Yueyao, it doesn't matter whether she is promoted or not. The most important thing is that she can stay with Zhu Li forever.
"Sir, do you know why the Tang Dynasty was so powerful in the early days?" Guo Qizuo looked at Zhu Li and asked seriously.
Zhu Li frowned slightly when he heard this. Coming from later generations, he of course knew how powerful the Tang Dynasty was. The term "Golden Tang" was not called that for nothing. To explain why the Tang Dynasty was so powerful involved many aspects and it could not be explained in just a few words.
Seeing Zhu Li frowning, Wang Yueyao's beautiful eyes moved. She seemed to know why Guo Qizuo asked this. She also understood what Guo Qizuo wanted to draw out by throwing out this as an inducement.
She stood up, paced with her arms and legs crossed, and said calmly, "The reason why the prosperous Tang Dynasty was so powerful is inseparable from its strong military force."
"Among the twenty-four sages in the Lingyan Pavilion, almost all of them can fight on horseback and govern on foot; since the Tang Dynasty, the two sides have been at war for years, and martial arts have become a trend among the people, and knights are everywhere."
"When Empress Wu was in power, she even set up a military examination, requiring even scholars to be proficient in the art of archery and horse riding. The Celestial Empire has millions of lions at random, and this is not an exaggeration. How can it not be strong?"
Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao nodded slightly after hearing this. Guo Qizuo said, "My lady, what you said is very true, but do you know why the Tang Dynasty has declined to this point?"
It must be said that the two women Zhu Li met were both smart and intelligent. Wang Yueyao was as smart and intelligent as Yuchi Jin. When she heard this, her eyes turned and she responded, "As the saying goes, success and failure are all due to Xiao He. Hundreds of years of martial arts have become a trend.
The people are noble because of their military power. When the imperial court loses its due restraint, the extreme of military power is to break the law. "
"With eunuchs in power and cliques rampant, coupled with the local military governors who call the shots and instigate plots, the people of the Tang Dynasty, who are known for their brutality, cannot bear the oppression and rise up in anger. It is only natural." Wang Yueyao spoke eloquently, only expressing her views on martial arts, but the two great talents nodded frequently.
The two Guos have always advocated the separation of civil and military affairs, and Wang Yueyao knew this. Today they brought Zhu Li in to discuss the new policy, and Guo Qizuo wanted to suggest a certain policy to Zhu Li.
Guo Qizuo asked about the reason for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty in order to tell Zhu Li the importance of the army, but he then asked about the reason for the decline of the Tang Dynasty in order to point out that although the army is important, it must be controlled, otherwise, it will eventually lead to the collapse of the world.
Having guessed what the two gentlemen were thinking, Wang Yueyao naturally responded according to their words. These two were Zhu Li's trusted advisers, and Wang Yueyao also wanted to leave a good impression in their hearts.
"The Three Sovereigns did nothing, and the world was well governed. The Five Emperors taught, and the military arose from this. It was called "the great punishment of using armor and weapons, and deploying them on the plains." Hence, there was the battle of Bu-sui and the battle of Ban-quan. If the system is properly controlled, there will be peace and order; if it is not properly controlled, there will be chaos and danger."
"Looking at the Tang Dynasty, the Jiedushi holds military power and political power in their hands. The military and politics are integrated, like a country within a country. People's ambitions are endless and their desires are hard to satisfy. If this goes on, how can the world not be in chaos?" Guo Qizuo looked at Zhu Li with burning eyes and said earnestly.
Guo Chongtao heard this and agreed, "What you said is very true, sir. Sun Tzu said, 'Law is the system of music, officialdom, and the main use.' Music is the system of troops, flags, and drums; officialdom is the use of all officials."
"To command them with civil power and to unify them with military power is the way to success. Only by using both civil and military power, supporting each other and checking each other, can the world be strong, orderly and peaceful. If you want to control Hebei, and if you want to make the country strong and powerful without making any mistakes, the best choice is to separate the military and political affairs." Having said this, Guo Chongtao bowed and earnestly advised Zhu Li.
Zhu Li nodded and said, "I understand what you three mean. Now the military and political officials of Heshuo have already proved the feasibility to me with facts. Let's do this from now on."
"The one who makes plans is the general, who is in charge of the generals and then leads the troops. The one who is familiar with the details is the prime minister, who is in charge of all the officials and is committed to benefiting the people, educating the people, and pampering the people. The general needs money and food to support the troops, and the prime minister also needs strong troops to maintain order. The two assist and check each other, and the civil and military officials each perform their duties. This is indeed a good policy for long-term stability." Zhu Li evaluated seriously.
In the late Tang Dynasty, military men were rampant, which led to the chaos of the Five Dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, the lessons of the past were learned and the literati were allowed to control the military. It must be said that the Song Dynasty was a very wealthy dynasty, but its military was also notoriously weak.
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Song Dynasty was a weaker dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, only the people of the Central Plains bullied the ethnic minorities in the grasslands. In the Song Dynasty, it was indeed only the ethnic minorities that bullied the people of the Central Plains. This is the contrast.
It is precisely based on this point that Zhu Li feels that the approach of the Song Dynasty is not advisable, and that Guo Qizuo's approach is the safe way to achieve long-term stability.
His promise and affirmation made Guo Qizuo, Guo Chongtao and Wang Yueyao all breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Zhu Li said
Then he continued, "The Tang Dynasty's military system must also be changed. The military system based on the distribution of land among the people has very obvious advantages, but also very obvious disadvantages."
"I plan to change the military system to a conscription system. All men in Heshuo who are 18 years old or older must join the army for a period of five years. However, these people are only our reserve forces. After training, they can also be used to engage in farming, road construction, water conservancy and other matters to reduce the burden on the people. In addition, we must have our own professional combat troops. These people can be retained by selecting the best from the current guards, or selected from the subsequent reserve forces."
"In this way, after several years of development, almost every adult male in our Heshuo people will have military experience, which has greatly improved their overall quality. If there are large-scale casualties and emergency replenishment is needed, these people only need a little training to be put into battle. If it is a relatively peaceful year, it will not hinder them from making money to support their families and farming and sowing." Every profession has its specialties, and the same is true for the army. The combat effectiveness of a professional army is much stronger than that of a hastily assembled guards who are both farmers and soldiers.
This can be seen from the comparison between the guards and palace guards of each Jiedushi. Since the guards are the Jiedushi's personal guards, they usually spend their time on garrison duty and training. Their combat effectiveness is obviously much stronger than that of the palace guards. The palace guards, who are both farmers and soldiers, may be able to fight a favorable battle, but obviously not if the situation is unfavorable.
His proposal was also supported by the other three people. The three of them understood that quality is more important than quantity.
The few people discussed the details for another six or seven days. With the help of the ideas Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao already had in mind and the experience of Zhu Li from later generations, the new policy was finalized in a very short time.
In August of the third year of Zhonghe, the new policy of Shuozhou was issued.
The new policy first determined the establishment of the Heshuo Headquarters, with Zhu Li as the commander-in-chief of Heshuo and the highest administrative chief.
The Marshal's Office is under the command of all the generals. The military pay, pensions, food, fodder, equipment, etc. of all the guards and cavalry in Heshuo are directly allocated by the Marshal's Office, and all the guards and cavalry must be loyal to the Marshal's Office.
The generals stationed in various places have no right to interfere in the administration of state affairs by the governors of prefectures and counties; the governors of prefectures and counties have no right to interfere in the administration of the army by the generals stationed in various places.
Local town commanders and county chiefs all have a term of office, which is rotated every four years. Those who perform well in military management and administration can receive commendations from the commander's office. As for what the commendations are, it depends on the circumstances.
The military service system was abolished and replaced by the conscription system.
All adult men in Heshuo who are 18 years old or above must serve in the military for a period of five years. During the service, those who perform well will be directly incorporated into the regular army and enjoy lifelong support from the Marshal's Office. When the Marshal's Office needs them, they must obey without slacking.
In addition, Zhu Li also established honors.
There are eighteen levels in total. New recruits can be promoted to private, guards, sergeant, staff sergeant, third class lord, second class lord, first class lord, third class viscount, second class viscount, first class viscount, third class earl, second class earl, first class earl, third class marquis, second class marquis, first class marquis, duke, and king according to certain merits.
Both civil and military officials can be granted corresponding titles based on their merits. Many privileges of Heshuo can only be enjoyed by those who have reached a certain rank. For example, when riding in a carriage, only a lord can use an ox-drawn cart, a viscount can use a single-horse-drawn carriage, and only earls and above can use a parallel carriage, etc.