Chapter Twenty-Three: Proactively Adapting
“Your Majesty, why organize it this way?” Li Linfu wondered inwardly if this Military Affairs Institute was perhaps the emperor’s device to sideline him, since everyone else involved was the emperor’s confidant.
“Because our current conscription system is inefficient—too complicated for effective command, lacking flexibility, and hindering combat strength.”
“But what are these firearm troops?” he asked.
“You’ll know in due course. Once the reorganization is complete, the Imperial Guard will number six hundred ninety thousand men. That’s insufficient; we must expand to between eight and nine hundred thousand, comprising infantry, cavalry, firearm troops, and marines—forty-five thousand infantry, twenty-five thousand cavalry, sixty thousand firearm troops, and one hundred thousand marines.”
At this, Gao Bu Yi paused to swallow and continued, “One hundred thousand marines. We’ll establish a Grand Marshal of the Marines, with Geshu Han appointed. The marshal’s headquarters will be in Yangzhou; besides Yangzhou, we’ll build three naval bases in Lingnan, Ryukyu, and Bohai Prefecture along the coast. Yangzhou will garrison twenty-five thousand, Lingnan twenty-five thousand, Ryukyu thirty thousand, Bohai twenty thousand. No mistakes are allowed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“We shall abolish the ten regional military governors and establish five battle zones, dividing the fourteen circuits of the nation as follows: Longyou Circuit will be the Western Battle Zone, with Gao Xian as Grand Marshal and Feng Changqing as deputy, headquartered in Yizhou. Jianan, Lingnan, and Qianzhong Circuits will form the Southern Battle Zone, with Huangfu Weiming as Grand Marshal, Guo Ziyi as deputy, based in Shu. Jiangnan East, Huainan, Hebei, and Hedong Circuits will be the Eastern Battle Zone, with Wang Sizhong as Grand Marshal and Li Guangbi as deputy, headquartered in Youzhou. Guannei, Shan’nan East, Shan’nan West, Jiangnan West Circuits, plus Jingzhao and Henan Prefectures, will form the Central Battle Zone, with Chen Xuan as Grand Marshal and Fu Meng Lingcha as deputy, based in Chang’an. Hebei Circuit will be the Northern Battle Zone, with An Lushan as Grand Marshal and Shi Siming as deputy, headquartered in Chongzhou. These five Grand Marshals will first establish their headquarters under the direction of the Military Affairs Institute, then gradually allocate troops by branch; completion within five years is acceptable.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Just now we established the Grand Marshal of the Marines. Now, let us appoint four more: Grand Marshals of Infantry, Cavalry, Firearm Troops, and Garrison Troops. The palace guards will be the Imperial Garrison Army, with one Grand Marshal equal in rank to the branch Grand Marshals—secondary second rank, with Deputy Minister as full second rank. Each battle zone’s Grand Marshal will be full second rank, with Minister of War as secondary first rank.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“A Grand Marshal is responsible for commanding all troops in their jurisdiction, defending the country and engaging in warfare. Without imperial command, they must not mobilize between one thousand and five thousand troops independently, depending on circumstances. A branch Grand Marshal handles nationwide training and recruitment for their troop type, but cannot mobilize any soldiers; except for the Grand Marshal of the Marines, who may mobilize all marines by command. Both battle zone and branch Grand Marshals obey the orders of the Military Affairs Institute, which answers directly to the emperor. Orders from the Institute require signatures from all members and either the emperor’s handwritten signature or a gold seal to be effective.”
“May I ask, Your Majesty, what about the Ministry of War?”
“The Ministry of War is responsible for establishing military supply bases nationwide, coordinating supply distribution for the entire army, handling foreign receptions, and managing veterans. It remains one of the six ministries. Note that the Military Affairs Institute is equal in status to the Secretariat and answers directly to the emperor.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
From the day the Military Affairs Institute is established, the Secretariat will no longer interfere in military matters, focusing solely on internal affairs and foreign relations. Garrison Grand Marshals and their troops, except for quelling rebellions, must not disturb localities or interfere in civil administration. Local officials must not meddle in military affairs; military areas are forbidden zones, and unauthorized entry is a grave offense. However, localities will establish Military Affairs Offices under dual leadership of the Ministry of War and local authorities, to handle liaison and coordination between military and civil sectors.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Henceforth, the highest administrative official in each circuit will be the Inspector, in each prefecture the Prefect, and in each county the Magistrate. Above the Inspector are the Six Ministries, then the Secretariat, and at the top is the emperor.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Good, this is a major affair. As I have outlined it, consider what else might need improvement.”
“Your Majesty, dividing the nation into five battle zones and five troop branches will allow for more effective mobilization, but the commanders of each zone oversee vast territories, making communication and orders difficult to transmit,” Li Shizhi remarked.
See, this is a true expert; no wonder he’s led troops—he spotted the core issue immediately.
Gao Bu Yi nodded with a smile, “Your point is well taken. Let me speak on the five-year plan’s public works. Right now, there are no fewer than forty thousand displaced people across the country. I intend to launch major construction projects, building roads linking each battle zone. Of course, the Western and Northern zones are too distant and will be excluded for now. The interior zones must have roads built, but we won’t emulate the harsh methods of Qin; all laborers will be provided food and paid wages, and construction timelines will not be rushed—normal progress is sufficient.”
“How will the funds be sourced?”
“The Ministry of Revenue will contribute part, and the Imperial Treasury the rest.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, with the Inspector now a permanent post, what is its rank?”
“Full third rank; Prefect is lowered by one to full fourth rank.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, how will recruitment and rotation be managed?”
“We’ll adopt a system of regular and reserve forces. New recruits may retire after four years; those selected to remain become regular troops, who may serve until forty-five. Whether regular or reserve, all receive a military stipend and retirement allowance—the longer their service, the greater the benefit.”
“As for rotation, the Military Affairs Institute will draft proposals for my approval.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
...
Because of all this, Gao Bu Yi spent ten days in the Secretariat finalizing every detail. Then Li Linfu, Pei An, and the others divided responsibilities and acted swiftly, issuing decrees across the nation. Since these reforms mainly affected government and military structures, their impact on the common people was minimal.
Yet such sweeping changes provoked considerable dissatisfaction among local officials—some petitioned, others complied in appearance but acted slowly. Compared to local bureaucrats, the military responded quickly. In less than two months, the top-level institutions for each battle zone and troop branch were fully established and began expanding downward.
After all this, it was already mid-June. The Prefect of Chang’an reported to the Secretariat that since May and June, drought had persisted, and crops showed signs of premature yellowing—disaster was imminent. If another ten days passed without rain, grain yields would decline dramatically; if locusts struck, the consequences would be dire.
Gao Bu Yi was deeply concerned. He ordered officials from Hongnong Temple to personally leave the city and investigate, mapping the affected areas. He also instructed the steward to hand over grain reserves to Chang’an Prefecture for relief.
To mitigate potential disaster, Gao Bu Yi simultaneously ordered the gathering of displaced people from Guanzhong to immediately begin construction of the road from Luoyang to Chang’an. Although the steam engine was not yet available, petroleum had been continuously brought to Chang’an by foreign merchants for the past three months, and the steward’s oil distiller had been successfully manufactured. Now, production could reach a thousand pounds of asphalt daily—given the current level of road-building tools, supply was not an issue.