Chapter 417: Military Law Office and Education Office

As Jia Jing finished mentioning military law, the tension among the officers present eased considerably.

Hearing Jia Jing order the camp to close for drills, though some were puzzled, they still replied in unison:

"We subordinates will dutifully obey the Grand General's command!"

"Alright! Dismissed! All of you, fall out!" Jia Jing waved his hand.

For a moment, the officers, feeling like survivors of a calamity, withdrew in an orderly fashion, leaving only a dozen or so regiment commanders in the barracks, plus Xie Ying, who had been stripped of his regiment commander post.

Jia Jing took a document from the commander's desk, thought for a moment, and handed it to Ma Guocheng, saying:

"Guocheng, although I have punished some people today, for the eighteen thousand troops of the Twelve Regiment Camp to truly establish military law and discipline, we still need to rely on institutions to restrain them!"

"This is the Military Law Office charter I drafted; effective today, the Twelve Regiment Camp will establish a Military Law Office, with you as its director."

"All matters of camp discipline, military law, enforcement of regulations, and handling of violations will fall under your jurisdiction."

"For those below the rank of regiment commander, you have the authority to detain first and investigate later; if a regiment commander violates law or discipline, report to me for a final decision, and I grant you this power—you shall, on my behalf, firmly establish this army's rules!"

Ma Guocheng received the document, did not immediately respond, stood for a moment, then hesitated before speaking:

"Grand General, I am a rough man… I can handle marching and fighting, but managing military law… I fear I won't be thorough enough."

Jia Jing lifted his gaze, glanced at him, and said in a low voice:

"Pull yourself together! What's there to worry about? I don't need you to be meticulous; I need you to be impartial and unafraid of offending people."

"You just need to uphold one principle: no matter who breaks the rules, arrest those who should be arrested, try those who should be tried, execute those who should be executed, and handle those who should be handled."

"You must have thunderous methods, show no hesitation, do what needs to be done without reservation; if anything goes wrong, I will back you up."

Since the regiment camp was newly established, the person in charge of military law must have high status and a strong character, and cannot be from the founding lineage—thus Ma Guocheng is quite suitable!

Ma Guocheng clasped his fists, looked at Jia Jing with reverence, and said: "I understand, I will dutifully obey the Grand General's order!"

Jia Jing nodded, then turned his gaze to Zhu Que and said:

"Ma Guocheng oversees military law, managing the camp's regulations. Regulations are used when people make mistakes, but I want them to avoid mistakes from the root."

"Military law only controls actions, not the heart. Even if actions are restrained, if thoughts go astray, trouble will still easily arise."

"Effective today, I will establish an Education Office in the Twelve Regiment Camp, with Zhu Que as its director, and appoint education officers in each regiment."

"Its sole purpose is threefold: teach the soldiers why they fight, make them understand the importance of military law, and help them recognize the commander's intent. Only when the soldiers' hearts are clear will their weapons be steady."

"As the saying goes, 'When hearts are united, even Mount Tai can be moved.' The duty of the Education Office is to make the entire camp's soldiers think as one and exert their strength as one."

"This is a meticulous task that cannot be rushed! But if done well, the soul of the Twelve Regiment Camp will be firmly established."

Jia Jing said while handing a scroll to Zhu Que, then continued:

"This is the Education Office charter I drafted! For now, you should concretely implement these three matters."

"First, daily lectures. Each regiment's education officer reports directly to you, not subject to the regiment commander's restraint."

"Each day, before morning drills and after evening drills, give a fifteen‑minute talk on loyalty, discipline, and serving the nation. Keep it short, straightforward, and easy for the soldiers to absorb."

"Second, set examples. Each month select loyal and courageous model soldiers, publicize their deeds throughout the camp, and foster a positive atmosphere."

"Third, the family letter system. Each month the Education Office will uniformly write and distribute the soldiers' family letters, to understand their home situations, talk more, help solve problems, and let the troops know they have families and a nation behind them."

Zhu Que stepped forward, took up the scroll, and said with clasped hands:

"I understand the Grand General's meaning. This, like the military song he previously created, is meant to subtly cultivate the soldiers' fighting spirit and loyal belief, and to unite the army's heart."

"Please rest assured, Grand General. I will have the education officers of each regiment work like farmers tilling a field—plowing plot by plot, loosening the soil, planting deep roots. Come next spring, something will naturally grow in the hearts of all the soldiers."

Zhu Que, having followed Jia Jing the longest as his trusted confidant, naturally understood his intent and desired effect.

In fact, in this era, the military has not lacked similar ideological education work like the Education Office Jia Jing proposed.

For example, Yue Fei emphasized cultivating his troops' 'loyalty first' fighting spirit, while Qi Jiguang focused on training his soldiers' 'courageous spirit'—both are paradigms of ideological education.

Jia Jing said:

"The phrase 'uniting the army's heart' is well used! Why could Yue Wumu's Yue Family Army achieve 'frozen to death but not dismantling houses, starved to death but not looting'?"

"These soldiers' awareness and cohesion stem from Yue Wumu's daily cultivation and shaping of army spirit and soul!"

"A truly believing army, even if logistics are poor, can maintain order and persist in battle by relying on the spirit of 'sharing hardship together' and 'defending the nation and protecting the people.'"

"If strict military discipline is a rigid constraint on the soldiers, then the Education Office's ideological guidance is a flexible consensus."

"Only by balancing rigidity and flexibility within the army can we truly forge a force with both strict discipline and firm belief, thereby shaping a genuine 'tiger and wolf' army, ensuring the Twelve Regiment Camp remains as steady as a rock amid any turmoil and battle, invincible."

In short, from the Military Law Office to the Education Office, from recruiting and appointing officers to strict training, from adequate provisions to equipment renewal,

Jia Jing this time also resolved to forge the Twelve Regiment Camp into a truly elite force with strict discipline, flexible tactics, and resolute will, capable of adapting to any battlefield environment.

This is not only to cope with the looming crises across the Da Han Empire, but also to serve as a pilot for future nationwide military reform and administrative overhaul.

Afterward, Jia Jing separately briefed the officers on various arrangements for camp military affairs, then dismissed them.

For a moment, the central barracks, which had just been bustling with people, now held only Jia Jing, Zhu Que, and… Xie Ying.

Jia Jing looked at the lingering Xie Ying, furrowed his brow, and asked:

"General Xie, is there anything else you need?"

Although Xie Ying had been stripped of his authority in the Twelve Regiment Camp, he still held the rank of baron, so being called a general is not inappropriate!

Xie Ying's face bore a somewhat servile, ingratiating smile; what he wanted was obviously to use family connections, see if he could slip through the back door, and restore his post as commander of the Shenwei Regiment.

He wore a somewhat fawning smile and said:

"Jing'er, I heard from your aunt…"

"What 'Jing'er'? In the military camp we address by office!" Jia Jing, seeing the clueless Xie Ying, coldly cut off his speech.

Xie Ying's face stiffened, then he forced a smile and said:

"Yes, yes, yes! Grand General, you see we are real relatives; I am older now, my health is poor, and I truly cannot endure the hardships of the lower‑rank soldiers."

"For the sake of your aunt and your elderly mother's face, could I possibly retain my regiment commander post? … Rest assured, I will henceforth follow your lead without question!"

Jia Jing listened expressionlessly, thinking to himself, 'Birds of a feather flock together,' then coldly said:

"It seems you didn't hear a word of what I just said! Since your health is poor, I won't make things difficult for you—go home and rest. Men, strip this scoundrel of his armor, seize his seal, and drive him out of the camp!"

With such a muddle-headed person, Jia Jing really has no thought of wasting words!

……

And just as Jia Jing was reorganizing the twelve regiments, inside Shenjing City, due to Zhang Tingyu's various actions, things also began to stir up……