Chapter 310: The Phylum and the Ministry of War (1)

Because it is still in the planning stage, there is no need to coordinate with the Ministry of Revenue to formulate a plan immediately. The Ministry of Revenue is likely busy enough to be spinning in circles right now and simply cannot spare the manpower to manage this matter for the Ministry of War, and Baifeng does not want to force an extra burden upon them.

Regarding the tax issue alone, the Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister are already at their wits' end. Their teams have not yet been assembled; from selecting personnel to creating reports and submitting them to the Ministry of Personnel, and then transferring them to the Department of State Affairs, this requires several days. The main issue is that the Ministry of Personnel itself lacks sufficient manpower, and they must investigate each of these reported individuals one by one to see if they are qualified. Moreover, among the nine departments, except for a few that Baifeng wants to appoint directly, the others must all be vetted by them. They can only check them in the order the lists are submitted, and no matter how anxious those departments are, they must all wait in line.

As for the Ministry of War, it is not just a matter of recruiting soldiers, but also the primary issue of discipline. Previously, it could be said that Baifeng's troops had almost no clear legal provisions, and the management of the troops was even looser. Now that Baifeng has established the Ministry of Justice, the laws must be perfected, and laws targeting officials and the military must also be perfected.

Regarding the military, the issue is mainly one of discipline. Baifeng listed some clauses based on his own understanding, which were created by taking the discipline of later generations as a foundation and adding the characteristics of this era; it can be said that they are adapted to the times. As for the confusion of Xiong and Chi, Baifeng is unwilling to explain too much, because Baifeng must first give the people of the Ministry of War a separate military training, and only after they are well-trained will he go to train the soldiers.

The content of the training includes obeying discipline. What Xiong and the others mainly do not understand are things mentioned in Baifeng's clauses such as "neat interior, tidy military appearance." There are notes afterward: neat interior means that clothes, quilts, and the like must have designated places and folding shapes; as for military appearance, walking posture, formations, and so on must all be strict. Xiong and the others do not understand what this has to do with war, but Baifeng intends to use this point to first teach them what discipline and obedience are.

Military uniforms will be unified in the future. Baifeng has already handed the designed combat uniforms to the people of the Ministry of Works to produce. What will be produced first are basic average sizes, though some large and small sizes will also be made. Everything pursues practicality; comfort and the like cannot be considered in this era, as it is not even certain whether the soldiers of other tribes can wear enough warm clothing in Winter.

For the uniform color of the clothing, green and brown camouflage is relatively easy to produce because it is easy for them to dye it unevenly. By using a tie-dye method to randomly dye two colors onto a piece of cloth, it becomes camouflage. This is considering that in their jungle terrain, this color of camouflage is the most suitable.

The bedding is the same; the thickness and color cannot be consistent, but the size must be the same. Other daily necessities are also all customized. Fortunately, there are enough Artisans in the Ministry of Works, and each item can be handed over to different workshops to be produced.

It is possible that by the time the military selection is finished and the preliminary training is completed, their equipment may not yet be fully assembled, but one cannot drag things out until everything is ready before training the soldiers, as this is also unfavorable for the stability of the nation's morale.

The speed of the Ministry of Works is fast enough. No matter how the vetting of the official candidates he submitted is going, it cannot affect their construction progress, because even if those people cannot become officials, they are still important Workers. Even if they become officials, it is impossible for them to sit in an office all the time; they will still go to the construction site as required.

The construction of the military camp has already begun. On the day Baifeng finished speaking, he had already withdrawn a portion of the people from the New City road construction site to level the ground for the military camp. Cement from the Cement Factory and sand and stone also began to be transported in cart by cart.

The ordinary citizens have not yet received definite news, because those who could spread the news are now so busy they cannot stop; they have no time at all to go home and chat with their wives and children, and going home just means sleeping.

Everyone feels that the tribe seems to be doing something big again. Previously, their focus was on the New City, but they did not expect that the Main City District would now also undergo major construction. Some people feel that perhaps the King is going to abandon the construction of the New City; some are happy, and some are worried.

The Hospital is also laying its foundation. The Hospital is relatively easy to build, so the site was not set too large; it is just building a large row of houses. However, Baifeng's idea is to build them all into two-story buildings in a large row. The people of the Ministry of Works can only level the foundation first, as the main construction work is still in the process of drawing construction blueprints.

After everything related to the military was finished, the people on Baifeng's list arrived one after another. Because they saw the King and two high-ranking officials sitting together talking, they were all sensible enough not to enter, but waited outside instead.

It was not until the guard had counted everyone on the list and confirmed they were all present that he reported inside.

Only then did Baifeng let everyone enter. There were over sixty people on the list in total; these are the future staff members of Baifeng's Phylum and the Ministry of War. As for how to specifically distribute them, Baifeng needs to determine this through training.

Those with sharp minds will go to the Phylum, because they need to be quick-witted and sensible. Those whose minds are average, who are stubborn, and who are meticulous in their work will naturally go to the Ministry of War to be soldiers; each has their own place to go.

Baifeng returned to his desk and called in the guard who wanted to go out and watch the door. He then coughed twice, feeling his throat was too hoarse, so he drank another mouthful of medicinal liquid, and then slowly said: "You people here are basically those who followed me from the very beginning. I know every one of your names, and most of them were even named by me. Regardless of your character or conduct, I trust you all. As for why I punished you before and disbanded the army, you also know the reason. No matter what, you have no reason to be angry."

"Now, perhaps most of you have not received the news, so I will speak briefly. After the founding of the nation, the original departments have all been disbanded and reorganized. The Military Department has been split into the Ministry of War and the Phylum. There is no difference in status between the two; it is just that this Phylum serves me more, while the Ministry of War serves the nation. Both are the same, both are officials, and the nation manages your livelihood and pays your wages."

"You people are the ones I have selected, prepared to fill these two departments. But which department you specifically enter, and whether you can enter at all, still requires a period of observation. How will I observe you? I will use about ten days to conduct training and lectures for you. Those who pass will stay, and then according to your areas of expertise and your own intentions, positions will be assigned. Those who do not pass will either go farm or become a common Soldier to hone themselves; after all, I have given you the opportunity."

"Let me state first that these ten days will be very difficult to endure. Those who feel they cannot do it, withdraw now. Those who feel they have no problem, if you have other questions now, ask quickly. After asking, go back and pack your things; we start training tomorrow morning."