Chapter 80: Even a Young Tiger Cub Already Bears the Hunger to Devour Cattle

"If you can issue the pay, that's all fine; my family is about to be unable to lift the pot!"

"As long as you give money, I'm ready to go onto the battlefield and fight the Khitans with reckless bravery!"

"Will the arrears from the first two months really be paid too? Then wouldn't I receive three months' salary at once!"

"If the military pay could be increased a bit, that would be even better!"

"I swear to follow Lord Hou to death…"

According to the Da Han Empire's pay standards, a garrison unit like Bashang Daying can receive roughly one shi of grain as monthly pay per person, with no silver.

Of course, in practice the grain pay is converted into silver or other items.

Because disasters have been continuous these two years, grain prices have been on a rising trend.

According to this year's prices in Da Han Shenjing, one shi of grain is roughly equivalent to 1.5 liang of silver.

Thus, a regular soldier of Bashang Daying should, in theory, receive 1.5 liang of silver each month.

However, ordinary soldiers of the Daying obviously cannot receive the full pay,

each time the court allocates grain pay, most of it is siphoned off by officials of the Ministry of War and the Daying's honored veterans of the pacification campaign, who embezzle it.

When conditions are good, soldiers receiving three or four dou of rice is considered decent; when bad, they may not receive any pay at all.

When these soldiers cannot even support their own families, how can anyone expect them to go into battle and fight for the country with their lives on the line!

Therefore, it is normal for such an army to lack combat effectiveness.

Jia Jing wants to restore Bashang Daying's combat power; besides necessary training and fine weapons, the most important thing is to ensure they receive full grain pay.

In this era, as long as there is money to be taken, there are plenty of people willing to risk everything for it.

As Jia Jing told Jing Sheng Di and others, as long as money and grain are sufficient, the Han Army is no worse than the Qing Army.

Jia Jing calmly swept his gaze over the assembled troops again; now the soldiers' looks toward him contained not only awe but also support and reverent admiration.

Jia Jing nodded and spoke again:

"Not only full pay, I also guarantee two hearty meals a day in the camp, and outstanding trainees will even get meat to eat."

"Furthermore, my rule over the army is summed up in four characters: the strong become king! The strong rise, the weak fall."

"The lower ranks—section leaders, squad leaders, company commanders, and colonels—will all be reselected based on your training and combat performance."

"As long as you train earnestly, win battles, and earn military merit, this Lord can guarantee you a bright future."

"Of course, for those lazy, slippery soldiers who violate military discipline, this Lord will not be lenient; Lord Linchuan and his men are examples!"

"Whatever should be given to you, this Lord will provide; whether you seize the opportunity depends on your own actions!"

The soldiers on the training ground roared their approval at this point!

Especially some talented but unrecognized, or suppressed by Lord Linchuan and others, military officials, whose faces brightened and who cheered exuberantly.

Full pay and full meals, without having their achievements stolen, is a life they never even dared to dream of before.

In the audience, Ma Guocheng was also moved, silently thinking: "Truly a youthful marquis, a few words have gathered most of the army's morale."

Even if some lower‑rank officers are dissatisfied with the reselection system, they cannot stir up any trouble in the face of the larger situation!

After Jia Jing and the others finished their enthusiastic cheers, they spoke again in a solemn tone:

"The good news is over; now for something not so pleasant!"

"This Lord has always put military law first, because a strong army must have strict discipline."

"The previously lax atmosphere has vanished from our Bashang Daying forever! Afterwards, this Lord will establish new military laws and training content."

"Honestly, the military law will be very harsh, the training very strict, survival of the fittest; the cowardly and weak can quickly leave the Daying, because under this Lord's command we never keep cowards, weaklings, or useless soldiers!"

"I once heard that the Da Han Empire's army's nine border troops are the most elite! Jingying and Bashang Daying are all showpieces, good looking but useless!"

"But this Lord intends to forge Bashang Daying into a force even more elite than the border troops! That starts with strict military law!"

"Now I will explain the military laws I enforce, so do not claim they were not warned!"

Jia Jing's expression turned solemn, he glanced over the crowd and slowly began:

"Disloyal, treasonous, those who defect to the enemy—execution!"

"Spreading rumors privately, disobeying orders—execution!"

"Fearing the enemy and refusing to advance, fleeing the battlefield—execution!"

"Leaking military secrets, falsifying reports—execution!"

"Stealing military funds, usurping others' merits—execution!"

"Rallying crowds to cause trouble, destabilizing morale—execution!"

"Killing the good to claim credit, committing rape and plunder—execution!"

"Regardless of his identity, whose path he follows, whose power he relies on, anyone who violates my military law will be executed without mercy!"

These are the seven mandatory execution orders Jia Jing formulated on the Liaodong battlefield, combining later military regulations.

It is unlike the Da Han Empire's 'Seventeen Prohibitions, Fifty‑four Executions', which is overly detailed; although comprehensive, its practicality is low.

Many soldiers cannot even recognize characters, so expecting them to memorize and understand so many laws is unrealistic,

just as the later 'Three Disciplines and Eight Notices' are simple and easy to implement, allowing effective enforcement.

These seven laws are simple to remember, yet encompass all important matters, making them highly practical.

Jia Jing intends for all his troops to be able to recite them fully, and will conduct frequent spot checks.

Jia Jing's cold, harsh words made the wind on the training ground seem to carry a murderous chill.

Each utterance of 'execution' struck like a massive hammer into the soldiers' hearts, tightening everyone's expression.

No one present thought Jia Jing's seven execution commands were jokes, after all the Military Governor even killed Lord Linchuan,

if they dared to defy orders, how could they not be killed!

Of course, many military officials understand internally that a strong army requires strict military law!

Especially on the battlefield, if one cannot strictly obey orders and follow the banner's direction without hesitation, even the best army will only suffer defeat!

……

Imperial city.

Qian Qing Gong.

At this time, news about Bashang Daying had already reached Jing Sheng Di.

After hearing Xia Shouzhong's memorial, Jing Sheng Di's expression changed slightly.

He didn't expect Jia Jing to act so decisively; on the first day he went to Bashang Daying, he directly took action against Linchuan Hou and others.

Originally he thought that Jia Jing would, no matter what, enter the camp first, understand the situation, gather evidence, plant people, make full preparations, and then act unexpectedly.

He even expected Jia Jing to give him a heads-up so he could mobilize the Jingying guards, to prevent Bashang Daying from erupting in mutiny, which would be hard to suppress.

He never expected that Jia Jing would not only act directly, but also kill Linchuan Hou inside the camp!

Linchuan Hou is not an incompetent fool like Zhao Guogong; although Linchuan Hou has become corrupt over these years,

but originally he was made a marquis based on military merit, a brave and stalwart figure; otherwise he wouldn't have become a second-rank marquis, nor would Jing Sheng Di have been wary of him for so many years.

Moreover, Bashang Daying consists entirely of the Jingnan Wuxun lineage; for Jia Jing to act without hesitation among tens of thousands of troops, this courage and decisiveness is beyond what ordinary people can achieve!

"A young tiger, though small, already has the spirit to devour an ox!" Jing Sheng Di secretly sighed to himself.