Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Zichuan actually has such a refined taste.” Just as Chen Xi finished reading and was about to slip back to sleep, a voice with a hint of laughter came from beyond the wall.

”Lord Xuande.” Chen Xi opened the door and smiled at Liu Bei, saying, ”Doesn’t Lord Xuande also indulge in the elegance of a night stroll by candlelight?” He then made a gesture of invitation and followed the servant to welcome Liu Bei and Li Youu, as well as Xuu Chu into the main hall.

”I hadn’t really thought about that, but for the sake of Xuzhou, I had no choice but to come.” Liu Bei casually took a seat and laughingly said. Taking over Xuzhou had indeed been a leap forward for his influence, but by accepting Xuzhou, he also had to shoulder its responsibilities.

”Does Lord Xuande intend to clean up the Xuzhou aristocratic family, yet fears that Xuzhou would descend into chaos as a result, which is why you make promises in public to overlook past offenses?” Chen Xi sighed, thinking that sometimes being too rigid could lead to brittleness.

”Indeed, the roots of the Xuzhou aristocratic family run deep. Although Lord Tao executed many, it also resulted in an irreconcilable feud. If I continue as Lord Tao did, even if I win, Xuzhou might be thrown into turmoil by the desperate counterattacks of the aristocratic families. That’s not what I wish for. But it’s also not ideal to let the Xuzhou aristocratic family continue to entrench themselves in Xuzhou, which would waste Lord Tao’s painstaking efforts,” Liu Bei sighed and then gestured to Li Youu.

”Zichuan, the military structure of Xuzhou is also different from our Mount Tai Army. If we directly incorporate the Xuzhou soldiers or disband all the troops for reorganization in the name of fairness, their combat power will suffer a considerable decline without a period of transition.” Li Youu spoke calmly. He could deal with these matters, but it was somewhat inappropriate, which is why he had come with Liu Bei to ask Chen Xi after informing him of his methods.

”Let’s set aside the military structure of the Xuzhou soldiers for now. What does Lord Xuande think of the organization of the Danyang troops?” Chen Xi pondered over the military structures and then remembered the Danyang troops, who had resolved the chaos to the greatest extent among the various legions.

”I can’t say it’s an excellent military structure. Although it has many advantages, the mere fact that they fight independently speaks volumes. Even though as elites, they seem coordinated in individual combat, if this structure were to be generalized to regular legions, it would undoubtedly be a problem, greatly impacting combat power,” Liu Bei said earnestly, clearly having given the military structure of the Danyang troops some thought.

”Lord Xuande has misunderstood. The military structure of the Danyang troops is entirely because they were recruited from the same communities. As a commander from one of these communities, my first task is to ensure the achievements of my own community’s troops. Likewise, since they are from the same community, I’m fully aware of each person’s capabilities,” Chen Xi shook his head. The formation method of the Danyang troops clearly had strong regional characteristics.

”The advantage of regionalism is unity, but the downside is strife,” Li Youu frowned slightly, aware that this issue had been insoluble throughout history.

”Disband them and reorganize, constructing an absolute control structure like that of the Xiliang soldiers!” Li Youu, without hesitation, brought up his own original masterpiece.

”No,” Chen Xi immediately rejected the suggestion. Li Youu’s pyramid structure was indeed first-rate in terms of stability and integrity, but the problem was that this pyramid would destroy the drive of the lower ranks. As for Li Youu, what he needed was the submission of the Qiang cavalry.

The Qiang people would always remain Qiang, and the Xiliang soldiers were innately Xiliang soldiers. For the Qiang people subdued by the Xiliang soldiers, following the strong was natural. The strong feasting on meat, leaving them a sip of soup, was the strong’s benevolence. For people like Li Youu and Dong Zhuo, who needed to keep the purity of their armies, it was indeed very suitable. But if you did that in the Central Plains...

It was clear that Liu Bei had no idea what the absolute control structure of Xiliang was; to be precise, he had never even heard of it, so he looked curiously at Li Youu and Chen Xi.

”Ahem, the absolute control structure works like this,” Li Youu explained somewhat awkwardly, ”it starts with selecting three to five high-ranking officers from the top level, who each then choose three to five of their own deputies. After that, the deputies select middle-ranking officers, and it goes down the chain. In the event of war, if low-ranking officers fall in battle, they are immediately replaced by nearby officers on the same level, and after the battle, new officers are appointed by those a level higher.” Li Youu had initially not considered the Qiang People in this structure, reasoning that only Xiliang Soldiers could lead the Qiang People, who would serve as auxiliary troops.

”That’s a good method,” Liu Bei said after understanding the benefits of this military system. However, why did Chen Xi completely disagree?

”Xiliang Soldiers can do this because every single one of them is a low-ranking officer, each leading several Qiang Cavalry. If a Xiliang Soldier dies, appointing a replacement is not a big issue. But in the Central Plains, where everyone is Han, direct appointments can cause discord between ranks, and selections need to be made from the lower ranks. So, to establish a military structure like the Xiliang Soldiers’, even the lower ranks must be involved,” Chen Xi explained helplessly, indicating that the Xiliang method was only suitable for Xiliang Soldiers.

”I see,” Liu Bei nodded, showing he understood. The greatest trouble in the army was indeed discord among ranks, and such a method would definitely not work in the Central Plains.

”The existence of low-ranking officers is essential,” Chen Xi said helplessly, ”The flexibility of the Danyang Troops and their combat power after the loss of a great general are indeed remarkable. From this perspective, the presence of low-ranking officers is necessary.”

”Corporals, Decurions, Bozhang, and the like must be defined clearly with ranks one, two, three, and four, so there’s someone ready to take over if a superior officer falls. Additionally, we should double the number of officers and reserve officers in the ranks; when necessary, reserve officers can be mobilized instantly to form new legions for defense,” Chen Xi suggested with a furrowed brow, an essence of the brute force troop deployment method....

Li Youu and Liu Bei exchanged glances. This method was indeed quite ingenious; if all officers were in place, the Tuntian Soldiers could be mobilized immediately, serving as a defensive force. This strategy was feasible, as it enabled the quick formation of complete legions at any time.

”How about this? Select the low-ranking officers directly from the existing troops, whether through martial contests or other means. As long as they win, they’re fit to be low-ranking officers. After all, what we need at this level is not intellect but blood Qi and courage, and as long as they can command respect, that’s enough. As for middle-ranking officers, let the existing middle ranks recommend potential low-ranking officers for training,” Li Youu suggested after pondering.

”That could work,” Liu Bei nodded in agreement.

”With such an approach, gaining acceptance from the troops wouldn’t be a problem,” Chen Xi nodded, ”I suggest we establish an officer hierarchy similar to that of the Danyang Troops.”

”Let’s hear it,” Liu Bei said, appearing eager to hear Chen Xi’s ideas.

”We’ll disband the current units and reorganize them, but for now, Soldiers of Mount Tai will not be mixed in, focusing only on selecting low-ranking officers. As for Xuzhou Soldiers, we’ll remove all who don’t meet the standards and reorganize them in the same way. For middle and low-ranking officers, we’ll draw from the Mount Tai Army who have demonstrated valor in battle, promote them by half a rank to a full rank, and integrate them into Xuzhou Soldiers. Military authority must not falter from the top down,” Chen Xi stated calmly, ensuring that, in this way, the Xuzhou Soldiers would be under control.

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