Chapter 289: Three Months as the Deadline

For the reorganization of the army, how to reorganize it, and what the establishment should be, were of course extremely important. Especially the formal establishment of the Palace Command, which almost determined the future situation of the two commands standing side by side, while at the same time positioning the Bureau of Military Affairs alongside to hold the power of dispatch and oversight—this was Liu Chengyou's ultimate intent in this military reorganization.

Of course, for the imperial army commanders and officers, what they cared more about was their own gains and losses in this process. Such a large-scale reorganization naturally represented enormous changes and adjustments in military posts. The personnel arrangements for this reorganization were the most important matter at hand.

After Wang Jun reported the current situation of the various imperial army units in the Eastern Capital and explained the reorganization plans for each army, Sun Li, Ma Quanyi, and the other commanding generals had their doubts resolved by him as well. For a time, within the Bureau of Military Affairs, Wang Jun became the protagonist.

After he finished his account, when the attention of both civil and military officials turned to him as Emperor, Liu Chengyou finally opened his golden mouth: "The reorganization plan pleases me greatly."

His tone paused, he swept his gaze around, his eyes showing a sharp light, and said sternly: "Let me emphasize once more—the matter of military reorganization must be carried out without question. There is absolutely no room for dissent, and no delay or hesitation is permitted. You are all generals and commanders of the army. For the sake of the state and the rivers and mountains, for the sake of the morale of the soldiers, you must be bold in taking responsibility, comprehend His Majesty's intent, and reassure the hearts of the men! I share this commitment with you all!"

"Yes!" Regardless of what thoughts they held in their hearts, facing Liu Chengyou's admonishment, they all actively expressed their assent.

"Still the same words—the matter of military reorganization must proceed according to regulations, steadily advancing. The soldiers who are eliminated must be properly consoled and appropriately settled!" Liu Chengyou's tone grew heavier: "Three months! I want the reorganization plan preliminarily completed within three months!"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty—three months is more than enough!" It was Wang Jun again who stepped forward, speaking with great confidence.

Liu Chengyou casually noted Guo Wei's expression, but could see nothing unusual—he simply let Wang Jun fully represent the Bureau of Military Affairs' opinion.

Calmly nodding, Liu Chengyou then said with a solemn expression: "As for the commanders of the Palace Command, I intend to establish one Chief Commander of the Palace Command, one Deputy Chief Commander, and one Chief Inspector, with ranks equal to those of the Imperial Guard commanders. Let Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry Shang Qing serve as Commander of the Palace Command, and Deputy Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Li Hongxin serve as Deputy Chief Commander of the Palace Command, responsible for the formation of the Palace Command!"

Transferring the current first and second in command of the Imperial Guard Command to the Palace Command—that was Liu Chengyou's "appeasement" of the faction of commanders led by Shang Hongqian.

Hearing the arrangement, the two men had two different reactions, two different expressions. Li Hongxin was stunned and bewildered. According to his expectations, between the Palace Command and the Imperial Guard Command, he should have become the head of one of the two offices, and his chances were excellent. He never imagined Liu Chengyou would make such an arrangement. Li Hongxin would likely find it hard to understand that in the military, he would forever remain number two.

Shang Hongqian, after a moment of surprise, showed a delighted expression on his face. After all, according to the plan, once the newly established Palace armies were trained and formed, they would gather the elite of the imperial army and select the finest warriors of the realm—that would become the most powerful force of the Great Han.

"Your subject will exhaust all his efforts to repay Your Majesty!" Seeing the benefits, Shang Hongqian for the first time displayed such enthusiasm.

In response to his reaction, Liu Chengyou wore a calm and indifferent expression. He was not at all worried about "temporarily entrusting" the Palace Command to this man's hands—one only needed to look at the composition of the Palace Command's formation to understand why.

The Inner Palace Guard, though not large in numbers, had Li Chongju as its Chief Commander—and he was a former personal guard of Liu Chengyou. The army newly formed after the founding of the Great Han had previously been the first great army of the Imperial Guard, but after the western campaign, its mid and senior-level officers had been purged, and two senior generals, Zhou Hui and Wu Qianyu, had also been transferred out. Now it was basically completely brought under Liu Chengyou's control. As for the Longqi Army, that went without saying—it was the force Liu Chengyou had built his rise upon, trustworthy at any time.

If Shang Hongqian truly possessed sufficient political wisdom, he would realize that being transferred out of the Imperial Guard actually severed him from his "foundation"—the position of Palace Commander was not so easy to hold.

And with the Imperial Guard Commander transferred away, it was more convenient for Liu Chengyou to reform and adjust the Imperial Guard. Although Liu Chengyou wished to gather the elite of the imperial army to forge the Palace Army, that did not mean he intended to abolish the Imperial Guard—he wanted the two armies to check and balance each other. The Imperial Guard in his vision would still maintain a massive force, counting the tens of thousands of imperial troops stationed outside the capital, and after eliminating the old and weak, its combat power would be honed and strengthened through training.

As for these deeper considerations, judging by Shang Hongqian's appearance, he clearly had not realized them.

Withdrawing his gaze, Liu Chengyou continued: "As for the Imperial Guard Command, let Bai Wenke, Commissioner of the Northern Court of the Palace Secretariat, serve as Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard, and let Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Command Li Hongjian be transferred to serve as Deputy Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" His maternal uncle Li Hongjian rose to respond, also showing slight delight.

The appointment of Li Hongjian was a reward for his service in the western campaign to suppress the rebellion, although this maternal uncle, from beginning to end, had not displayed any particularly outstanding merit.

"The remaining military post adjustments and arrangements shall be led by the Bureau of Military Affairs, discussed and decided jointly with the two commands, then reported upward!" Liu Chengyou made his final, and most important, arrangement, sweeping his bright gaze over the assembled crowd: "For this military reorganization, Minister Guo shall oversee the overall coordination!"

"Yes!"

At this order, Wang Jun's expression could not help but change slightly. He had been the one doing all the preparatory work for the earlier regulations—yet the one "taking command" was not him. How could he be content? But his dissatisfaction could only briefly show on his face.

Hearing Liu Chengyou's arrangement, the civil and military officials below mostly had no objections. Guo Wei's face showed a thoughtful expression—far from being excited by the important appointment, his countenance instead grew grave.

This time, Liu Chengyou's rectification of the imperial army was on a scale far larger than Guo Rong's military reorganization in the official histories. It required someone of great prestige to oversee and execute. Counting both inside and outside, only a handful of people were qualified to take charge of this matter.

Shi Hongzhao, Guo Wei—the rest need not be mentioned...

As for worrying that Guo Wei might take the opportunity to expand his influence in the imperial army, form cliques, and gather power—Liu Chengyou would take precautions, but not to an excessive degree.

First, Liu Chengyou placed greater emphasis on the role the Bureau of Military Affairs should play in this reorganization—what Guo Wei represented was the authority of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Second, this great reorganization, besides strengthening the combat power of the imperial army, was originally intended to weaken the power of the Imperial Guard commanders and instead strengthen his own control and influence over the imperial army as Emperor.

After the imperial court conference, Liu Chengyou's rectification of the imperial army formally commenced. The various armies of the Eastern Capital imperial forces underwent changes one after another.

For the formation of the Palace armies, Liu Chengyou truly tore down the very walls of the Imperial Guard Command. With the Inner Palace Guard, Xiaodi, and Longqi armies as the foundation, large numbers of brave and capable officers and soldiers from other armies were all assigned to the Palace Command. Among the young officers, men like Gao Huaide, Li Chongjin, Zhao Kuangyin, and Zhang Yongde were all included. During the western campaign to suppress the rebellion at Hezhong, the promotions and demotions of officers based on merit and fault were all reflected in this reorganization.

As for the remaining Imperial Guard armies, Liu Chengyou allocated a batch of reliable soldiers from the Longqi and Xiaodi armies to fill out the formation of the newly organized Husheng, Fengguo, Xingjie, and Wujie armies, and took the opportunity to promote a number of mid and low-level officers who lacked seniority.

Involving the reorganization of over a hundred thousand men was naturally a massive and complex project, but once set in motion, it was like a carriage on the imperial highway—it would not stop until it reached its destination.

Throughout this process, Liu Chengyou naturally attended to matters personally, and every few days he would personally inspect the various old and new armies, reassuring the troops and displaying his presence.

Of course, unavoidable were the soldiers whose posts were demoted or who were eliminated—their interests were harmed, and they would not easily let the matter rest. Thanks to Liu Chengyou's tight surveillance over the military, any who gathered to cause trouble were captured and swiftly suppressed.

Having long anticipated this, Liu Chengyou arranged three main destinations for the old and weak who were eliminated. First, as auxiliary troops of the imperial army—this was the proper arrangement, with half the pay; second, as patrol soldiers for the prefectures and counties of the capital region; third, they were placed in the localities, permitted to return home, serving as village and township officials.

At the same time, targeting the officers and soldiers of the imperial army, Liu Chengyou newly issued a policy of granting land for military merit...

With multiple measures taken simultaneously, under the tight control of Liu Chengyou, Guo Wei, and the other generals and ministers, the military reform of the Great Han's imperial army advanced in an orderly fashion just as Liu Chengyou had expected—though not without twists and turns, it was overall stable.

For this reason, during this period, Liu Chengyou completely refrained from stirring up trouble in any other area, all to create a stable environment for the military reorganization.

Even the funeral rites of Gaozu Liu Zhiyuan were delayed.

In early October, Yang Bin reported that the "Rui Mausoleum" had finally been completed—and Liu Zhiyuan's remains still lay in the ice chamber within the palace.