Chapter 1574: The Weight of Eight Hundred Thousand Troops

A gentle summer breeze blew; as the three fell silent one after another, the waterside pavilion quieted down, with only the faint lapping of the gently undulating Jinming Pool below their feet.

Seeing Emperor Liu raise his cup to his lips again, brows furrowed in a pensive, sorrow-drowning expression, Liu Yang couldn't help but grasp the hand holding the cup and urge with concern: "Father, you should drink less of this bitter wine—your imperial health matters most!"

"It's nothing!" Emperor Liu replied softly. He was really just going through the motions, taking only a shallow sip when the cup reached his lips, but feeling Liu Yang's firm grip, he still set the cup down.

Seeing this, Li Jilong clasped his hands and said with a note of shame: "It is your servant who has narrow vision and shallow insight, failing to understand the court's difficulties!"

"This is not your fault. In Shanyang and Monan, all you can see is naturally that one corner of the world, and what you said hits the mark of current affairs. From the standpoint of a frontier general like yourself, there is no fault. The court's difficulties are for me, Liu Yang, and those ministers to worry over!" Toward his own son-in-law, Emperor Liu's attitude remained genial; sensing his shame, he even offered words of comfort.

"However!" Emperor Liu turned his head to look at the pool surface beyond the pavilion, the soft ripples shimmering in his deep gaze, and said flatly: "Since we've come this far in the conversation, we might as well explore it a bit. You are a frontier general, more familiar with the conditions of the soldiers at the border. In your view, is there any proper method that could both ease the state's finances and ensure the security of our territories?"

This question was clearly a difficult one for Li Jilong. Even he and the chancellors of the Great Han, after so many rounds of discussion, had yet to produce a truly feasible plan—how could Li Jilong possibly solve it? Asking him was merely a way to keep the conversation going on this topic.

Li Jilong indeed furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then, somewhat unexpectedly, said to Emperor Liu and Liu Yang: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, your servant has an idea. Whether it is feasible, I beg your review!"

Emperor Liu immediately grew somewhat interested, and Liu Yang also looked at Li Jilong.

"Speak your mind freely, with no reservations!" Emperor Liu said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Jilong bowed cautiously, then said: "Your Majesty, the current composition of the Great Han's northern frontier army consists of several parts. Taking Shanyang as an example: the thirty thousand cavalry and infantry under the Commander-in-Chief, the garrison troops of the various passes and fortresses, the imperial army rotated in on a fixed schedule, and the troops under the Shanyang Chief Command. Besides the court's regular troops, there are also several thousand tribal soldiers conscripted from various peoples, as well as some local militiamen, who, in addition to periodic training, also bear auxiliary garrison duties.

Among the various frontier defense forces, the ones that consume the most court funds and grain are unquestionably the court's regular troops. Therefore, your servant thinks: if we could increase the role of local militiamen in frontier defense, then we could somewhat reduce the number of regular troops stationed there!"

Hearing Li Jilong say this, Emperor Liu's brow twitched involuntarily—clearly stirred by Li Jilong's words. His gaze quickly regained clarity, and a look of contemplation emerged. Beside him, Liu Yang also appeared more serious.

The persistently high military expenditure of the Great Han was certainly due in part to the vastness of its territory requiring massed troops for defense, but tracing it to its root, the cause lay in the mercenary recruitment system.

Both within and outside the court—whether the palace guards, the imperial army, or the local prefectural troops and frontier garrison forces—all were recruited with court funds. The long-implemented rotation system merely rotated troops among these various forces, to balance them and strengthen the court's control over the military.

These troops were all full-time professional soldiers, divorced from production. They did not farm, did not raise silkworms, and lived solely by eating military rations, drawing military pay, and selling their lives to the court.

In times of war, the court needed massive armies—to pacify internal rebellions, repel external aggression, and unify the realm. No matter the cost, it had to grit its teeth and endure.

But now, large-scale warfare had essentially come to an end for the Great Han. In peacetime, maintaining a massive army at exorbitant cost seemed wasteful and unprofitable.

The Great Han's regular troops were not merely a matter of recruiting people and being done with it. The quality requirements for soldiers were high, training burdens heavy, equipment excellent, and treatment had never been low. As a result, the court's expenditure on maintaining troops was even greater.

Now, the frontier defense forces of the Great Han alone numbered three to four hundred thousand. If one also counted the palace guards, the imperial army protecting the capital and its environs and guarding numerous important passes, the Chief Command troops stationed in the interior prefectures, and the naval forces that had already exceeded seventy thousand, the Great Han's total military strength had surpassed eight hundred thousand.

These eight hundred thousand standing troops were eight hundred thousand mouths that did not produce, did not till the fields, and merely awaited feeding by the court. And these men were all in the prime of their youth—in civilian society, they would be the most valuable labor force. For a population of just over fifty million in the Great Han, given the current productivity and social conditions, this was truly no small number.

Under such circumstances, it was no wonder that within the court—whether the Hall of State Affairs or the Finance Commission—they tirelessly petitioned Emperor Liu to reduce the army and lower military expenditures. This was by no means merely an attempt to suppress the military or the generals, but a genuine recognition of the danger of maintaining such a massive army year after year.

The annual cost of the military kept rising with no sign of being curbed, while the court's fiscal revenue was not unlimited. Even after a new round of fiscal and tax reforms, it had only barely made up for the original deficit.

Minister of Revenue Chen Yilun had told Emperor Liu last year that if things continued this way, he did not know when the state's finances would collapse. His attitude was earnest, the consequences he described were severe, and of course, it had aroused Emperor Liu's concern and attention.

Among all the various forces, only the navy was cheaper to maintain: first, because it received less attention; second, because its numbers were small; and third, because with maritime trade flourishing as it was, the navy had taken a share of the profits, which could offset some of the costs of maintaining the fleet.

The land forces, however, lacked such uniquely favorable conditions. Some military farms had been established in various regions, but they were small in scale and lacked farming labor—a drop in the bucket compared to the vast cavalry and infantry system.

Therefore, when Li Jilong proposed increasing the frontier defense responsibilities of local militiamen while reducing the burden on the court's regular troops, the terms "conscription system" and "compulsory military service" immediately surfaced in Emperor Liu's mind.

Noticing the expressions on Emperor Liu and his son's faces, Li Jilong continued: "The borderlands are not like the interior of the Central Plains. Conditions there are harsher, and the people who survive there are more fierce and hardy. They are more enthusiastic in training in martial arts and weapons, and they are fully capable of becoming a powerful aid to the court in consolidating the frontiers! At the same time, using them costs far less in funds and grain than the court's regular troops. They are also defending their own homes, fields, and pastures in place..."

"Mm!" Emperor Liu responded softly, without directly expressing any stance, but in that single syllable and tone, many ineffable implications were conveyed.

Seeing this, Liu Yang's spirits immediately lifted, and he looked at Emperor Liu: "Father, what Bantu has said is not without merit as a good policy—it seems worth attempting!"

"This would be taking a knife to the military system of the Great Han!" Emperor Liu said with furrowed brows and a heavy voice.

. wap.