Chương 513: Three Ironclad Rules

Du Ruhui, the Right Vice Minister of the Government Office, began to read the policy document aloud:

"Emperor's Decree of the Great Han Dynasty:" Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Sun Jian, Taishi Ci, and Cai Mao were appointed as commanders of the Eastern Theater Command, leading their respective troops...

The fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of the Shenwu era.

The five men stepped forward at the same time and knelt down on one knee with a thud.

"Your subject, Cheng Pu, obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject Han Dang obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject, Sun Jian, obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject, Taishi Ci, obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject Cai Mao obeys the imperial decree!"

Sun knelt firmly on the ground, his voice booming like a bell.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

From Changsha to Jianye... from prefect to army commander, this journey has not been easy.

Taishi Ci remained calm, but a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Cai Mao knelt on the ground, his heart filled with emotion. Back in Jingzhou, who could have imagined that he would be where he is today?

...

Du Ruhui, the Right Vice Minister of the Government Office, began to read the policy document aloud:

"Emperor's Decree of the Great Han Dynasty:" Yue Fei is hereby appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Theater Command, leading 50, 000 troops to defend Chengdu. All military defense and pacification of the southern regions are entrusted to you...

The fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of the Shenwu era.

Yue Fei stepped forward, bowed, and accepted the imperial decree.

"Your subject Yue Fei obeys the imperial decree!"

He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

After returning from Jiaozhou, he had been waiting for a new appointment, and now he had finally received it.

Southern barbarians, you wait, I, Yue Fei, am back!

Du Ruhui, the Right Vice Minister of the Government Office, began to read the policy document aloud:

"Emperor's Decree of the Great Han Dynasty:" Yu Jin was appointed as the deputy commander of the Southern Theater Command, assisting Yue Fei, the commander of the Southern Theater Command, in handling the daily affairs of the theater command and being responsible for the defense and suppression of rebellions in the southern and central regions.

The fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of the Shenwu era.

Yu Jin stepped forward, his expression solemn: "Your subject Yu Jin obeys the imperial decree!"

He thought to himself: Nanzhong? That place is mountainous and densely forested, with heavy miasma. I need to prepare some medicine.

Du Ruhui, the Right Vice Minister of the Government Office, began to read the policy document aloud:

"Emperor's Decree of the Great Han Dynasty:" Huang Zhong, Xu Huang, Luo Cheng, and Gao Lan were appointed as commanders of the Southern Theater Command, leading their respective troops...

The fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of the Shenwu era.

The four men stepped forward and knelt on one knee with a thud.

"Your subject Huang Zhong obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject Xu Huang obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject Luo Cheng obeys the imperial decree!"

"Your subject Gao Lan obeys the imperial decree!"

When Huang Zhong received the order, he stroked his gray beard.

He was the oldest, but he had more energy than the young people.

The miasma from the south? No problem, my old bones are still strong!

Xu Huang thought to himself...

Luo Cheng remained expressionless, but what he was thinking was...

Gao Lan secretly vowed to himself: He must make a name for himself.

...

After announcing the appointments for all war zones, Liu Ce stood up and slowly walked down the steps.

Dressed in a dragon robe, he walked steadily to the center of the main hall.

The court boots clattered on the gold bricks, each step seeming to pound on the hearts of the civil and military officials.

All the officials held their breath and stared at him.

The air seemed to freeze, and even the smoke from the incense burner seemed to pause for a moment.

Liu Ce surveyed the room, his imposing gaze sweeping over every face, and slowly said:

"Gentlemen, these are the appointments for the five war zones. The Ministry of War will issue the troop organization, unit designations, and equipment configurations for each war zone later."

All generals will leave the capital in one month to take up their respective posts in their respective defense zones. Go back and pack your belongings, say goodbye to your families, and don't even think about delaying; every day you delay will result in a deduction of your salary.

He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious, as if carrying the weight of a thousand pounds:

"The establishment of five war zones today, with troops stationed in four directions, is not for the purpose of decentralizing power, but for the purpose of centralizing power; it is not to allow you officials to hold military power and become self-important, but to allow you officials to better serve the country and seek happiness for the people."

Historically, at the end of every dynasty, it was always due to local warlords holding powerful armies and carving out their own territories that chaos ensued, leading to widespread displacement and suffering.

Upon hearing the phrase "regional separatism," Cheng Yaojin thought to himself: "Of course! Isn't Dong Zhuo a prime example? With such a living example right before our eyes, who would dare to follow his example?"

Liu Ce's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across the faces of every general: "The lessons of history are still fresh in my mind, and I dare not forget them. Therefore, I have established three ironclad rules, inscribed on the stone tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and also etched in the hearts of each and every one of you.

Everyone must strictly abide by them; those who violate them, no matter how great their merits or how high their rank, will be punished for treason, and their entire family will be executed!"

The hall fell silent instantly, as if the air itself had frozen.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet Liu Ce's gaze.

Liu Ce held up one finger, his voice as cold as ice: "First, the separation of military and political affairs will never be changed. All commanders-in-chief and generals of war zones shall not concurrently hold any local official positions or any administrative posts, and shall not interfere in local government affairs."

The army is only responsible for fighting, training, and guarding the borders; administrative affairs are under the jurisdiction of the central and local governments. All provisions, weapons, and supplies are centrally allocated; no war zone may levy taxes, manufacture weapons, or expand its troop strength without authorization.

"To put it simply, you only need to focus on fighting the war; you don't need to worry about anything else. The imperial court will take care of your food and clothing, recruit soldiers and horses, and pay your soldiers. You only need to do one thing—fight the war well."

He held up a second finger: "Secondly, military power rests with the central government, and authorization is granted only on an ad hoc basis. In peacetime, the commander-in-chief of a war zone only has the authority to train troops, manage daily affairs, and enforce military discipline."

They have no authority to mobilize any unit above the battalion level, nor to appoint or dismiss officers above the brigade commander level. All appointments and dismissals of officers are to be handled centrally and submitted to the Emperor for approval.

"In wartime, authorization is divided into three levels: Level 1 authorization, for small-scale conflicts involving fewer than one thousand people, the commander-in-chief of the theater can independently mobilize troops to handle the situation, and report to the central government for record within three days afterward."

Level 2 authorization: For medium-scale wars involving more than 1, 000 but less than 10, 000 troops, the commander-in-chief of the theater must first report to the central government and obtain my approval before being granted Level 2 command authority, which allows him to mobilize all troops in the theater.

"For large-scale wars involving more than 10, 000 troops, authorized at the third level, I will convene an imperial military conference to appoint a Grand General to unify command of all troops nationwide."

"In the event of a sudden large-scale invasion by the enemy, where the military situation is extremely urgent and there is no time to report to the Central Committee, the commander-in-chief of the war zone may first mobilize all troops in the war zone for defensive operations, but must send a fast horse to report to the Central Committee within twelve hours of the deployment. If it is later found that the situation is untrue, or that the commander-in-chief abused his power, he will be punished for treason."

Liu Ce's gaze sharpened as he swept across the faces of each general: "Do you understand? It's written here in black and white what circumstances you can mobilize how many troops. No one can try to pull any tricks."

He held up his third finger: "Third, generals will be rotated, and their families will reside in the capital. All commanders-in-chief and main generals of all war zones will be rotated every three years, and no one may serve in the same war zone for more than six years, except for special appointments by the emperor."

All family members of officers at the brigade commander level and above must relocate to the capital, Luoyang, within three months for unified care and resettlement by the central government. Any officer whose family member refuses to relocate to Luoyang will be immediately dismissed and permanently barred from employment.