bookcurios Chapter 106: Reforms come, and the kings are in chaos!
Chapter 106: Reforms come, and the kings are in chaos!
On this day, countless people in the capital witnessed the grand occasion.
They saw with their own eyes that the powerful and influential people who had once oppressed them were fighting each other like wild dogs, and in order to survive, they would even swing their knives at their companions.
They realized that the powerful and wealthy were not indestructible. They also had two arms and two legs. If a knife was stabbed into the stomach or cut on the neck, they would die just like them.
They also realized that they could be high and mighty, tease the powerful and insult those people at will.
Is this good show arranged by Shen Changgong really just to take revenge on the powerful and to win the hearts of the people?
of course not.
With this one incident, he completely destroyed the invincible image that the powerful and wealthy had established in the hearts of the people for thousands of years.
It completely dismantled the deep-rooted class stratification and let the people know that the powerful and wealthy are not to be feared.
The people watched as the imperial guards hung the heads of the powerful and influential people on the gate and the courtyard wall, and they spat at them.
They left the Imperial Guards' training ground and saw a notice posted by the government on their way home.
The notice said that the military system was reformed and that soldiers would no longer be paid the same salary as before during wars. Instead, the original salary would remain unchanged. Military merit would be distributed according to the number of heads beheaded, either by individual, team or legion. Military merit could be rewarded with money or a title, one of the two options. Those with more merits could be promoted to higher military positions.
It also shows that as the commander-in-chief of the central army, Lanling King Shen Changgong will severely punish anyone who embezzles military merits and forms cliques!
After seeing this news, all the people were excited.
The military system has been reformed more than once or twice. Which new emperor would not carry out some reforms when he took office?
But no matter how it changes, in the end those who are oppressed are still the lower-level soldiers, who are forced to do hard labor, abused and bullied. Those who are disobedient or offend others are used as cannon fodder. Some of them are even sent to the most dangerous places if you don't give gifts.
Who doesn’t have some relatives or friends who are serving in the army? How could they not know?
No matter how many changes are made, the substance remains the same. Important positions are all controlled by the powerful, and ordinary people will never have a chance to stand out.
Are you good at fighting? What's the point of being able to fight? To get ahead, you need power and connections!
But now it’s different. Lanling Daqingtian has come, the Daqingtian who kills the powerful and speaks for the people has come!
And it was such a big move right from the start, reforming the military system and promoting titles based on military merit. Anyone who could kill the enemy and chop off the enemy's head could become a lord and a powerful person.
Even if you don't have time to chop off the head, you will still be awarded team merit and legion merit.
If Shen Qingtian had not made the decision, even if the emperor had given such an order, the people would not have been too active, because those people would still be in control of the army.
But the one in charge of the army now is Shen Qingtian, who hates evil as much as he can. Anyone who dares to covet other people's military achievements will be dragged to the parade ground and executed by slow slicing!
For a moment, the people in the entire capital and its surrounding areas were all in an uproar.
Even as it got dark, there was still a steady stream of people signing up at the gate of the military camp outside the city, which shows how much this reform was loved by the people and the army.
It greatly aroused the enthusiasm of the people.
The King of the South led his troops back to Zhennan Pass on the same day. Next, it was time to reduce the power of the vassal states, wipe out the kings, and take over the army. That was when the Zhennan Army's cavalry would be needed.
A few days later, the news from the capital finally spread to the surrounding areas, and many people who were willing to join the army flocked to the capital.
The staff vacancies originally caused by the powerful people drawing salaries without working were all filled, and even a special recruit regiment was set up to train new soldiers.
The surrounding princes also received the news.
When these princes heard that the Enfeoffment Order was being implemented and that Shen Changgong had executed all the dignitaries, seized power, and reformed the military system, they all felt that a disaster was about to happen.
Putting aside other things, just the Enfeoffment Order alone is enough to cost the lives of these kings.
What did the princes rely on to hold great power, act tyrannically, become local emperors in their fiefdoms, and even dare to disobey the orders of the imperial court?
Isn’t it just the land and soldiers that matter?
Now that the Enfeoffment Order has been issued, your court does not want any fiefdoms or troops from us, but the sons and brothers of those princes are all ready to make a move.
The illegitimate sons and brothers, who originally had no desire for the throne and fiefdom, now all began to have evil thoughts.
Some of them spent all their wealth, recruited private soldiers, and prepared to do something big.
Some began to contact the captains and centurions of the princes' armies, treating them to meals and giving them gifts to win their hearts. They made secret plans, intending to take their troops and split up directly, forcing the princes to distribute land to them.
Some of these things were done covertly, while others were discovered.
Those who were discovered were all punished by the princes, either expelled from their homes or killed in secret.
Some of those who managed to escape were filled with grief and anger, and rushed directly to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor.
Some of them originally had no intention of rebelling, but when they saw how the prince treated them, they became disappointed and began to secretly train their own troops, even if it was just for self-defense.
In some serious cases, it even directly led to armed fights!
The princes were overwhelmed and had too many troubles to deal with at home. They cursed Shen Changgong, whom they had never met, every day and wished to kill his entire family.
Most of the vassal kings of Dayan were in the interior, and only a few were guarding the border.
Dayan is located in the northeast, with the sea to the east and the bitter cold of the ice field to the north. The border is mainly to guard against the Kun Kingdom in the south and the grassland barbarian tribes in the west.
There are 30,000 soldiers and horses guarding against the various tribes in the western grasslands, namely King Min, King Feng and King Qing. These three kings guard the three passes respectively to guard against the barbarians in the west, but they rarely fight.
The barbarians are divided into tribes of various sizes. There is no strong leader to stand up and unify the tribes. Each tribe has a population of several thousand or a few hundred. They are unable to take care of themselves and attack each other. How could they have the mind to invade Dayan?
We have to fight. Wouldn't it be easier to fight the flat Kun Kingdom than the Yan Kingdom which is full of mountains and passes?
At this time, these three kings were all in a state of panic because of the people below them.
The shadow guards sent by Shen Changgong also began to infiltrate their army. With the emperor's order, they were looking for people who were suitable to lead the troops and incite them to rebel. They were ready to deal a fatal blow to these princes, and then let them take charge of the troops to defend the grassland.
The two princes who were in charge of guarding against the Kun Kingdom in the south were mainly two princes, who were stationed at the two gates. One was Ma Ling, the Prince of the South, at Zhennan Pass in the south, and the other was Yan Zhen, the Prince of Ning, at Yao Pass in the southwest.
This Yan Zhen is a very powerful person.
At this time, he was also very annoyed because his greatness came from his ability to give birth to a son.
He had thirty-five sons.