This was the most lively time in the capital before the Shangyuan period. Fanlou, as the largest restaurant in the capital, was also the standard for restaurants in the world. It was very lively at this time. The sound of silk and bamboo, teasing, and cheers from everyone. When drinking here, most of them would call singers and sing a few small songs, which would win everyone's praise. This is human nature, just like in the previous life, when you have enough food and drink, you like to go to the dance hall and have fun together.

Today I want to talk about business affairs. There are only Du Zhongxiao and a few people in the pavilion, and even the servants are not there. Although there is less liveliness, it is a bit more relaxed.

When it comes to the training of the imperial guards, there are many headaches. The Yingtianxiang Army was trained in Suizhou for several years, and the literacy of the lower-level officers was trained in the army. According to the training of the Yingtianxiang Army, the first problem was that there were many officers and they had to read. In this era, there were few people who knew literacy, so they could not do this at all. In the past, they could rely on the teaching of the army to read and read to solve the problem of the lower-level officers, but now it is too late to be short of time.

After drinking a glass of wine, Du Zhongxiao said: "It seems that it is not easy to have a large number of officers in the army. The 300,000 troops on Hebei Road, according to one of the ten people being an officer, and 30,000 officers are required. How can we find so many scholars in a while? Even if we recruit from Jingdong Road, we cannot recruit them in a short while. Three yamen should think of more ways to do this. If we don’t put on the airs of the officers, the training will be useless."

Yang Wenguang shook his head: "Since the establishment of the military academy of Hejian Prefecture, the three yamen have thought of various methods, but now it seems that they cannot be done in a short period of time. It takes three to five years to teach people to read in the military. If the training is completed in a short period of time, the number of officers can only be reduced."

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "How to reduce it? If there are fewer officers, the system in the military cannot be implemented. Isn't it the same as before?"

Yang Wenguang said: "But in a hurry, I really can't recruit the right people, there is no way."

After saying that, Yang Wenguang stopped talking, and the atmosphere was a little dull for a moment. One out of ten people was an officer, that is, the ratio of officers and soldiers was 1 to 1, which was not high. In later generations, the ratio of officers and soldiers in many military units was as low as three to one, two to one, which was much higher than that time.

The most grassroots unit in the army has been a team of five people since ancient times, and the common ten-man team in the Song army. The team is an officer, so it has already been 10 to 1. Relaxed requirements, the team is just a utility, and can only save the number of officers and organize it into various functional institutions. No matter how few officers are, even the officers in the functional institutions cannot guarantee that everyone can read. If the functional institutions are illiterate, can the system be implemented?

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "Since the founding of the country, the army has always recruited people, and has always been mainly along the border three routes and Kaifeng Prefecture. It is really difficult to support 800,000 troops in these places. But without 800,000 troops, how can we fight against the Khitan?"

Han Qi said: "There are actually quite a few officers in the army on Hequ Road. It's good to say that below the battalion, in addition to the commanding officers and several deputy generals, mainly food and grass officers. At the battalion, there are staff officials, food and grass officers, intelligence officials, and all kinds of things. And every time we go up, a large number of officers have to be added. Now, the people taught in various military academies can ensure that there is no shortage of people at all levels of the battalion."

Fu Bi said: "But Hequ Road has won so many victories, and it's this one. Without a large number of officers, what's the difference between it before?"

Zhao Zi said: "Yes, without functional institutions, it is the same as before. When the army encounters a big battle, it is at a loss. The trained imperial guards are stronger than before, and there are a large number of functional institutions, and the commanders of the generals and commanders are all in accordance with the rules."

After thinking about it, Du Zhongxiao said: "Only, today's plan can only try to find ways to solve the difficulties, but the general direction cannot change. If the Khitan orders troops next year, there will be no war until autumn. Only half a year can be used to train military academy as much as possible. Local scholars are difficult to recruit, and it is always easy to be in the army. But in the army, all literate generals and school students will go to the military academy for training. The time does not need to be long. As long as you roughly learn the system and methods of doing things, you can be a grassroots officer first. If it is not suitable, or you are unwilling to continue working in the army, you can be a substitute in a few years. Except for the really unbearable, most of the people who come out of the military academy will first be functional officials of various command departments. If it really doesn't work, it doesn't have to be like the imperial guards on Hequ Road, and they can be set up at all levels above the battalion, so it can be simplified. In short, you must be prepared to fight with the Khitan."

Han Qi thought for a while and said, "Taiwei, I have thought about this carefully. There is really no need to start a war with the Khitan immediately. As long as you wait for three to five years, the imperial guards will be fully prepared, and then everything will be under control."

Du Zhongxiao said: "My husband, how can the things in the world be just right? If we want to wait, the Khitans will not let us do it. Moreover, if the training of the imperial guards is effective, it will inevitably be accompanied by a large number of old officers leaving the army. Without war, I am afraid it will not go so smoothly. The longer the time, the more difficult it will be to deal with this matter. It is better to make a heart, and after passing this threshold, the smooth road will be in the future."

Han Qi nodded and said nothing. Now in the Political Affairs Hall, Wen Yanbo has significant political achievements and weight in his speech in the past two years, and Han Qi's real power is far from comparable. Han Qi is a person who has aspirations, and his reliance is his relationship with Du Zhongxiao. To win the war with the Khitan, Du Zhongxiao's status will inevitably rise and Han Qi will benefit. Moreover, once the war begins, Wen Yanbo can be said that it is not Wen Yanbo in the Political Affairs Hall.

Du Zhongxiao understood that if he won the war with the Khitan under the Privy Council, he might never touch military power again. Unless a special situation occurs, he must go to battle by himself. After three or five years, he would leave the Privy Council, so it would be better to fight now. Du Zhongxiao was not nostalgic about military power, especially when there was no big battle, so he might as well go to the Political Affairs Hall. But now, he is always unwilling to accept not fighting with the Khitan.

Bao Zheng said: "When I was at Hequ Road, the Taiwei was in charge of the army, and no one would have thought that there would be so many victories behind us. Now the imperial guards are in a difficult situation, so there is no need to look forward to it. The fight may not be bad."

Zhao Zi said: "In terms of Hebei Road, it actually only takes more than 300,000 troops. The 800,000 troops are still alive with the Khitan. After this training, according to the Privy Council, 400,000 people with real combat power can fight. The rest of the troops are not necessary."

Du Zhongxiao said: "If Yan Yun is just restored, it is indeed the case. But if the Khitan is defeated and desperately mobilizes the country's troops and fights with our dynasty for life and death, it will be insufficient. The core area of ​​the Khitan is too far from the Central Plains between Shangjing and Zhongjing. If there is not enough troops, it will be difficult to compete with the Khitan. When the Shangjing and Zhongjing are occupied, the Khitan will not be enough."

In that area, the Hulunbuir Prairie is in the north, and the south is in the area where farming and pastoral farming are suitable. The place is larger and richer than Hequ Road, which is a direct threat to the Yanyun area. Although Du Zhongxiao did not know what it was called in later generations, he knew the importance of it. As long as nomadic peoples still occupy it, the Central Plains dynasty would not be able to find peace in the north.

In the north of the Central Plains, from the Western Regions to the northeast, there are two most important places. One is Hequ Road, which is the Hetao region mentioned in later generations. The other is from the Hulunbuir Grassland to Yanshan. Yinshan in the Hetao region extends to Yanshan in the east, which is a natural defense line in the Central Plains. However, if the defense line is stable, you must occupy the rich grassland in the north of the mountain. The key point of Hetao is in the south of Yinshan, and the key point of the Yanshan area is in the north of Yanshan.

It is not enough to restore Yanyun to the Khitan. They still have vast grasslands and a large number of areas that are suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry. Only by occupying the core areas of Zhongjing Road and Shangjing Road can the Khitan's roots be considered to have been completely digging.
Chapter completed!