Three Kingdoms, Myth

"For the sake of maintaining prosperity and security, to prevent the aging of our military forces, and to avoid the tragedy of fathers and sons fighting on the battlefield together..." Lu Su opened the plan document, and the first sentence he read was this grand, idealistic statement. This was typical of Chen Xi, who liked to start with something that placed him on the highest moral ground. That way, even if he lost the battle, he would still be seen as a champion of the people.

"So, are we talking about downsizing the army?" Lu Su asked, bewildered after reading through the document. Downsizing the army at this time seemed like a bad idea.

"Downsizing?" Chen Xi shot Lu Su a disdainful look. "Which eye of yours saw me say anything about downsizing?"

"Both my left and right eyes," Lu Su responded, unfazed by Chen Xi's provocation.

"Zijing, what Zichuan means is to hide the troops among the people, to solve the worries of retired soldiers without increasing costs significantly, and to secretly expand our forces. Also, to station enough soldiers in each city for security. But Zichuan, if you do this, some elite soldiers might lose their combat effectiveness after being discharged," Jia Xu pointed out, immediately seeing through the essence of Chen Xi's plan.

"Don't worry, I'll group those over thirty-two years old, who are uninjured, and have participated in over ten battles, and station them in specific cities for patrol duty. After fighting for so long, they deserve to enjoy life. And haven't you noticed that Fenggao has become a bit chaotic with all the merchants? We need elite troops to keep things under control," Chen Xi explained with a smile, determined to reduce the service period to fifteen years.

"In that case, it won't affect combat effectiveness. And if you assign a capable commander, the unit will be more like a hidden elite force than a retirement squad," Liu Ye mused, rubbing his chin, feeling something was off about this city management and patrol unit idea.

"Let me explain the whole plan. That document was just to fool others," Chen Xi said, casually taking the plan back from Lu Su and putting it away.

"We're all ears," Lu Su said with a smile, and the others nodded in agreement. Even Man Chong, who had been busy with legal matters, paused to listen.

"First, this military service system is inhumane. We can't have fifteen-year-old kids in the army anymore. From now on, no one under eighteen. Lu Su, get me a sign that says any beggar under fifteen who is caught will be handed over to the government for education. Teach them life skills for three years until they turn sixteen. Those who haven't completed three years will be released. As for the girls, send them to Manxiang Pavilion," Chen Xi began, voicing his deep frustration.

Honestly, whenever Chen Xi saw fourteen-year-old boys in the army, he felt like shouting, "Do you have any humanity left?" He wanted to kick them out, but they insisted that only the army could feed them. At least on the battlefield, they could eat their fill, and if they died, they'd die with a full stomach. That made Chen Xi quietly resolve to gather all the young beggars in Qingzhou and Taishan for reeducation.

He planned to raise them until they turned sixteen. After that, they could do whatever they wanted. But before that, the boys would go to school, and the girls would learn life skills, from needlework to business, to music and poetry. Anything but begging. After three years of education, at sixteen, they should be able to fend for themselves.

When Chen Xi finished speaking, everyone looked at him with strange expressions. The idea of rounding up boys for government education seemed reasonable, though costly. But sending girls to Manxiang Pavilion?

"You guys are thinking too much. How many places here can teach girls life skills? Cai Wenji? Who else? Besides that place, where else can they learn?" Chen Xi shot the group a disdainful look, knowing they'd all been there before.

"This plan could work. Boys can be taught martial arts, literature, or technical skills, while girls can learn household management. The cost isn't too high if Taishan covers it. But extending this to the common people might be too expensive," Lu Su considered, eventually agreeing with Chen Xi's proposal.

"Those we catch won't have to pay, but they will have to repay the cost later. As for the common people, they can choose not to pay upfront but will still need to repay the cost eventually. Just don't let us lose money. We've captured enough scholars in Yuzhou to make this profitable," Chen Xi said offhandedly, making sure Lu Su wouldn't have to think too hard about it.

"This method is good. It gives them a chance, and when prosperity returns, we'll easily recover the costs," Liu Ye agreed.

"Service time is too long. Even sixty-year-old men are still in the army. Do they still have any combat effectiveness?" Chen Xi returned to the main topic. "Anyone over thirty-two who hasn't reached the rank of company commander, or thirty-five who hasn't become a battalion commander, should be discharged and reassigned to local units. Pay them based on their combat experience and rank!"

"That works. Keeping the lower ranks between eighteen and thirty-two when they're at their most capable makes sense," Jia Xu nodded. He believed that as long as soldiers were well-fed, even forty-year-olds could still fight well.

"Wounded soldiers, in addition to receiving pensions, should be promoted by one rank and integrated into the local militia. They won't participate in farming but will manage and train the militia, passing on their battlefield experience. In times of need, they'll be directly incorporated into the army," Chen Xi continued, determined to address the worries of the Taishan soldiers.

"Our militia is far larger than the regular army, so promoting them isn't a problem. This could work," Liu Ye calculated, realizing that the ratio of militia to regular soldiers made this feasible.

"Over time, the wounded and retired soldiers will teach at various academies. Only those with military achievements will be granted noble titles. Tell them that if they want to earn glory, they must first learn their craft. True men earn their honor on the battlefield!" Chen Xi had made up his mind to instill in the academy students the belief that defending the nation and dying on the battlefield was an honor and that the scars they bore were badges of glory.

Although the martial spirit of the Han Dynasty was already strong, Chen Xi believed it needed to be even stronger! If the world turned against them, they would destroy the world. The path of kings and tyrants was always lonely—they didn't need friends. If anyone opposed them, they would crush them. The ruler would hold the highest military power, and civil officials would have to earn their ranks through military merit. Only military achievements would earn titles!

This way, every high-ranking civil official would have firsthand experience of the battlefield and understand its harsh realities. The goal wasn't to have civil officials fight on the front lines but to ensure that those who rose to high positions had experienced the horrors of war. After a few months of sharing the hardships of battle, seeing their comrades fall one by one, and focusing solely on defeating the enemy, they would understand when to interfere and when to let the military handle things.