NCCnovel Chapter 426 Checks and Balances
Chapter 426 Checks and Balances
Time flies, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye. Compared to before the town was established, Qiongzhou Prefecture has undergone considerable changes.
Three waves of immigrants arrived in Lingao, totaling nearly 40,000 people. More than half of them were young and strong. After all, those who survived the famine were mostly young and strong. Unlike the local natives and Li people, these immigrants from Shandong were more hardworking than the Han people of Qiongzhou, and their sense of obedience was much stronger than that of the Li people. Under the organization of Qionghai Town, the immigrants reclaimed tens of thousands of acres of fertile land. The first batch of reclaimed land was already ready for harvest. The period when they had to rely on the grain reserves of Qionghai Town and the grain allocated from other prefectures and counties was finally over. The immigrants gradually began to be self-sufficient and were even able to support the military grain reserves of Qionghai Town.
On the one hand, grain production and consumption have initially reached a balance and entered a virtuous cycle; on the other hand, the able-bodied men who were forcibly included in the military settlement system gradually adapted to the "farming as training" method, and batches of soldiers received the most basic military training and were ready to be incorporated into the regular army. The time was ripe for the expansion of the Qionghai Town Army.
Expanding the army was a major event. In the twelfth month of the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, before the New Year, the first large-scale meeting after Qiongzhou Camp was upgraded to Qionghai Town was held in the Nanyuan Council Hall, and the first issue to be discussed was the expansion of the army.
Liu Ye addressed the crowd, saying, "The able-bodied men among the immigrants are excellent sources of soldiers. After the selection and training during the garrison period, the first batch of new recruits available for inclusion in the regular army number nearly ten thousand. I have decided to temporarily expand the Qionghai Army and Navy into two regiments, and further expand them as needed for the war and the replenishment of soldiers. Shi Ying will be the commander of the first regiment, and Xu Yifan will be the commander of the second regiment. Each regiment will be fully staffed with five thousand men."
Everyone was overjoyed and felt a sense of pride. In the blink of an eye, the Qionghai Army had expanded from a mere two thousand infantrymen to ten thousand, and would continue to expand in the future, truly becoming a force capable of influencing the course of history. As for the selection of the army's commanders, it was no surprise. Shi Ying was the most loyal of his own faction, and Xu Yifan was a successful example of a former officer who had transitioned into a more prestigious role. Both had proven their abilities in battles large and small, making their appointment as commanders second only to the emperor entirely expected.
Liu Ye continued, “The army has expanded and the troop strength has increased, but we cannot allow our strength to decline. I have decided to turn the previous temporary officer training classes into permanent military academies, which will be dedicated to training junior and mid-level officers. They will be divided into an army branch and a navy branch. The former will continue to be located at the Ma’ao military camp, while the latter will be located at Bofu. I will personally serve as the principal of the military academy, with Shi Ying and Gao Jie serving as vice principals, respectively in charge of the army branch and the navy branch.”
Everyone looked at Shi Ying and Gao Jie with envy. Liu Ye wouldn't have much time to oversee the military academy, so Shi Ying and Gao Jie became the de facto "decision-makers" of the academy. Just as scholars had mentors for the imperial examinations, and high-ranking officials presided over each examination, those who passed were their protégés—this was a form of political resource. Now, with the establishment of a military academy, becoming its principal would grant them similar connections and resources. With officers at all levels in the army becoming their protégés, their influence within the military would be immense.
Yan Guang was somewhat worried. Wouldn't this make the two of them too influential in the army? Especially Shi Ying, who was already a confidant of the general. If he also served as the vice principal of the military academy, his students would be spread throughout the battalions and companies. If such influence led him to have any wicked thoughts, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, his worries were somewhat unnecessary. Even the ancients knew about the separation of powers and checks and balances, so how could Liu Ye, who had served as the CEO of a company, not know this? Although Shi Ying's loyalty was beyond question, a reasonable system is always more reliable than human nature.
He cleared his throat and continued, "In a large forest, you'll find all sorts of birds; with a large army, it's inevitable that there will be both good and bad members. The Qiongzhou Camp's previous successive victories, besides firearms, were mainly due to its strict military discipline. To ensure discipline and combat effectiveness after the expansion of the army, a Military Law Department will be established to specifically maintain military discipline, punish those who violate it, and also to review and report military merits. The Director of the Military Law Department will be concurrently held by Xu Yifan, the commander of the Second Regiment, but a deputy director will also be appointed to be responsible for daily management."
Everyone understood: Shi Ying served as the vice principal of the military academy while holding the same military command, and Xu Yifan served as the director of the military law department in the same capacity. This was a clear check and balance!
Yan Guang carefully considered the situation. One future protégé was spread throughout the entire army, wielding immense influence; the other was responsible for assessing military merits and punishing violations of military discipline, possessing considerable power. This would create checks and balances, preventing either from becoming too powerful. Moreover, this natural antagonism would prevent the two sides from forming cliques. For those in power, subordinates forming small factions was never a good thing. He admired his lord immensely. This man had risen from the ranks of smuggled salt dealers, yet he understood more cunning and political maneuvering than many high-ranking officials who had spent half their lives in the bureaucracy. He seemed to be a prodigy, destined to ascend to that supreme position. Of course, he didn't know that no one is born with such knowledge. This lord was not a salt merchant, but a business tycoon from a later era.
While Liu Ye was pondering his lord's personnel arrangements, the topic shifted to Yan Guang himself. Liu Ye looked at Yan Guang and said, "Military campaigns rely not only on the soldiers' valiant fighting on the front lines but also on the strategic planning from the rear. I have decided to upgrade this temporary staff meeting to the Military Advisory Office, with Mr. Yan serving as chief of staff, responsible for assisting me in analyzing the military situation, formulating battle plans, and deploying troops."
The crowd gasped in astonishment. It was yet another high-profile personnel appointment. What was this Military Advisory Office? It sounded impressive, even though I didn't know much about it.
Suppressing his excitement, Yan Guang cautiously asked, "General, do the responsibilities of the Military Affairs Staff Office and the two regimental commanders, Shi and Xu, overlap, and how are they divided?"
"There is no overlap. You are responsible for the overall situation, and they are responsible for the front-line combat command. In other words, you point the way, and they fight there! Of course, major military arrangements must be personally approved by me."
Yan Guang was overjoyed. Wasn't this the realm he had pursued all his life? To strategize within the command tent and annihilate the enemy a thousand miles away.
Liu Ye seemed to have made ample preparations, and without pausing, he issued another appointment: "The logistics support of an army is the foundation for winning a war. After the expansion of the army, the previous small-scale and efficient logistics supply method for hundreds or thousands of people is no longer suitable. However, we cannot rely on looting to ensure our military supplies like the Tartars. We must establish a strong logistics support mechanism. I have decided to establish a Quartermaster Bureau in the army to be responsible for the production and demand allocation of weapons, ammunition, and equipment, as well as wartime supply support. Mr. Sun will be in charge."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Yan Guang and Sun Yuanhua. This was another form of mutual checks and balances. One of the two strategists was in charge of command, and the other was in charge of military supplies. Neither of them could overpower the other.