Chapter 675

The loss of military power in the Cao Wei army became increasingly severe.

On one hand, it was due to the withering of clan talents.

On the other hand, it was naturally because the power of the aristocratic families was growing stronger.

Of course.

The Cao camp's guarding against generals of other surnames can only be said to have both advantages and disadvantages.

On one hand, it delayed the aristocratic families' encroachment on military power.

But on the other hand.

It also meant that generals of other surnames, similar to Xu Huang and Zhang He, could never become commanders of large army groups in their entire lives.

In other words.

They could only be generals, not commanders-in-chief.

Unless, under very few special circumstances, they could temporarily enjoy the power of a commander.

For example, Zhang He at the Battle of Jieting, Zhang Liao at the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, and so on. Furthermore.

Once the clan talents withered.

Or if they encountered fools like Cao Shuang and Xia Hou Xuan, everything would become extremely terrible.

In the end, it would benefit the aristocratic class.

However.

Everything mentioned above was only the restriction on generals of other surnames in the Cao camp.

Regarding the treatment of soldiers, in the late Han and Three Kingdoms era, it could definitely rank in the top three.

(PS: This refers to the soldiers of the Cao camp, not the common people under their rule; don't argue, if you argue, you're right.)

First, when soldiers of the Cao camp died, there was indeed a pension.

Although not much, it was definitely there.

Of course, this required being on the official roster.

For example, elite units like the Qingzhou Army, Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, or the Tiger Guards.

Or soldiers who had served in the Cao camp for more than two years.

As for the private soldiers of aristocratic families and the enemy soldiers who had just surrendered, they naturally did not enjoy this treatment.

Furthermore.

The Cao camp provided assignments!

As everyone knows, Cao Cao loved widows.

Actually, it wasn't just Cao Cao; Cao Pi also vaguely had this hobby.

But, talk is talk, and jokes are jokes.

Cao Cao not only led by example himself.

But he also intended to popularize this special hobby to the entire army.

He established a policy of providing wives to unmarried soldiers.

This was not mandatory.

If a soldier wanted to marry someone else, he could refuse the assigned wife.

Although, the ones assigned were all widows.

But this was also a benefit.

As for the sides of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, there was absolutely no such treatment.

Of course, this is absolutely not smearing Liu Bei and Sun Quan.

It is just seeking truth from facts.

Different national conditions lead to different policies; they certainly couldn't be the same.

For example, on Liu Bei's side, Yizhou had so few people that even if he implemented this policy, the effect would certainly not be as good as Cao Cao's.

On Sun Quan's side, it was even more awkward.

Rather than saying Eastern Wu was a regime.

It would be better to say it was an armed force composed of a bunch of aristocratic families and private soldiers, plus the Sun family as the major shareholder.

Yes, the number of private soldiers of Eastern Wu's aristocratic families accounted for more than sixty percent of the total military strength of the country.

Every time Sun Shiwan launched a war externally, he would issue orders to the civil and military officials under his command.

Especially that portion of civil and military officials from aristocratic families, who were the biggest contributors.

For example, the Lu Xun family, contributing ten thousand troops;

For example, the Gu Yong family, contributing five thousand troops;

For example, the Zhang Wen family, contributing three thousand troops;

And so on.

This resulted in the central army controlled by Sun Quan himself not being that large in number relatively speaking.

At the same time, it also created his top-tier means of checks and balances.

In a regime composed in a way similar to a "mountain king model."

If one didn't have the unique skill of "checks and balances."

I'm afraid one wouldn't even know how one died.

Of course.

This led some later generations to believe that Sun Quan intentionally lost the Battle of Hefei to consume the power of the aristocratic families.

emmm, regarding this theory, one can only say that the imagination is truly too severe.

The Battle of Hefei was naturally not to consume the power of the aristocratic families.

After all.

Do you think Sun Quan didn't want to win?

He dreamed of winning!

But... his own level was limited; he didn't have the top-tier abilities of my Brother Ji, nor could he sing, dance, rap, or play basketball, so naturally, he couldn't win.

……

Right now.

Among Ju Shou, Su Puyan, Yan Rou, and Cao Ren, the number of soldiers under Cao Ren who surrendered was the smallest.

But this did not mean Cao Ren had a chance to turn the tables.

Facing Gu Yi's army, which was several times his own.

The Cao army had absolutely no hope of breaking through the encirclement.

And on the battlefield.

The person who was most desperate now was actually not Ju Shou.

But the newly appointed Wuhuan King, Su Puyan!

Originally, the position of Wuhuan King had nothing to do with Su Puyan.

But Ta Dun and Lou Ban, the two people qualified to inherit the Wuhuan throne, had both died.

Su Puyan had indeed become the person closest to the Wuhuan throne.

However.

His prestige was not high.

This destined that the interior of the Wuhuan would not be too loyal to him.

This time, Su Puyan leading fifty thousand troops from the Wuhuan royal court across Youzhou to Jizhou was actually under immense pressure from within the Wuhuan.

These Wuhuan soldiers who followed him south were naturally filled with dissatisfaction in their hearts.

Why could other Wuhuan colleagues stay in the royal court and enjoy themselves?

While they had to work themselves to death to come south and fight such a meaningless battle?

The key is.

They couldn't even win, damn it!

The Wuhuan people were just reckless, but they weren't fools.

Regarding Su Puyan as the Wuhuan King, the emotions of these ordinary Wuhuan soldiers had long been on the verge of erupting.

Seeing that the defeat was irreversible.

These Wuhuan soldiers simply gave up. ===== CHAPTER 676 =====