Chapter 49 Tian Ze's Lesson After inspecting the military camp with Cheng Yu, Tian Ze always felt that something seemed to be missing in the army. "Zhongde, how is the ideological education of these soldiers progressing?" Tian Ze asked. Cheng Yu responded: "My Lord, we carry out ideological education every day, with 'fighting for the Lord, fighting for the people' as the core idea, to establish the military spirit. Through the presentation of facts and discussions, the soldiers will truly understand who they are fighting for." "And through swearing oaths, shouting slogans, and combining long-distance marches, standing at attention and other training, the soldiers' will is tempered. There are special instructors at all levels of the army who are responsible for literacy and ideological mobilization, so the soldiers' will is relatively firm." "Since most of these soldiers are refugees, the lord has saved their lives, and the generals are both strict and kind, caring for the soldiers like their own children. In addition, the military discipline is strict, the treatment is generous, and the organizational structure goes deep into the grassroots. Therefore, the loyalty and obedience of the soldiers are extremely high." Tian Ze nodded slightly. Political power comes from the barrel of a gun, and the army is the cornerstone of rule. Tian Ze attached great importance to this. He has always made every effort to meet military expenditures, and on the basis of improving and perfecting the original soldier management and treatment system of the Han Dynasty, he has tried his best to take into account all aspects of the soldiers. The families of these soldiers not only receive preferential treatment and care in all aspects of daily life and are exempted from some land taxes, but also enjoy preferential treatment in the education of their descendants and in their political and military careers. If soldiers died heroically, their families would not only receive a large pension, but their children would also receive continued care from the government until they reached adulthood. Tian Ze set up a military service office specifically for the soldiers, which was responsible for handling a series of matters including retirement benefits, daily care, and regular visits.
Martyrs' Shrines were built in various counties and villages, and sacrificial ceremonies were held every year. The deeds of some of the heroic soldiers and troops were recorded and compiled into dramas and ballads for widespread dissemination. Nowadays in Liaodong, soldiers and their families have a very high status, and all counties and villages will seek their opinions when dealing with certain matters. The martial spirit was prevalent, the people were eager to join the army, and the soldiers' will and conviction were extremely firm. Tian Ze knew that most of the soldiers in the army were determined to die for him, and Cheng Yu did an excellent job in this regard. However, he still felt that there was still a big gap in some aspects compared with the invincible and invincible army of later generations. Unable to find the problem at the moment, he simply started from the result and asked Cheng Yu: "Zhongde, these soldiers will have no problem fighting head-on. But if they are defeated or suffer heavy casualties, and are in adversity or even desperate situations, can they still fight to the death and exert effective combat effectiveness?" Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu frowned. "My lord, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but this is impossible. Even if the soldiers are determined to die, they will still feel fear and helplessness when facing a desperate situation. At most, they can fight to the death. It is probably unrealistic to expect them to maintain a certain level of combat effectiveness." Possessing the talent of "tenacity", he has a deep understanding of human will. Daring to die does not mean not fearing death. They dare to die for a worthy cause, but in times of despair, they will still waver and fear. Soldiers in this state will not only have their own combat effectiveness greatly reduced, but also without mutual cooperation, they will become a group of guerrillas, and the combat effectiveness of the entire army will drop drastically. "I know it's impossible, but we can get infinitely close." Tian Ze said. The importance of fighting will is beyond doubt. The victory of millet and rifles in later generations was largely attributed to the fighting will of the soldiers. In today's cold weapon era, the importance of will is even more prominent. The difference in will and the level of morale almost play a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. When mentioning this, Tian Ze couldn't help but think of a handsome young man from the surrounding area. "Zhongde, go gather Yunchang and the others over, and I'll tell you a few more stories." Cheng Yu heard this, and a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes: "Okay, I'll send someone to contact them right away." Having listened to Tian Ze's storytelling many times before, he knew the value of these stories very well. A story was a wonderful battle, and the so-called stories were actually military strategies.
Seeing Cheng Yu’s slightly excited look, Tian Ze smiled slightly. Although he was not good at military strategy, he had a wide range of knowledge! The Battle of Jieqiao, the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Hefei, the Battle of Hanzhong, the Battle of Yiling, the Battle of Feishui, the Four Crossings of Chishui, etc. Thanks to his interest in his previous life, he knew a lot about these battles, and was not limited to the superficial knowledge that "the Battle of Guandu relied on a surprise attack on food supplies, and the Battle of Yiling relied on a fire." Although he only knew the course of the battle but not its deeper meaning, Cheng Yu, Guan Yu and others were people who were well versed in military tactics. After he finished telling the story of the battle, they would naturally add details and think about the military tactics behind it. After each intense research and discussion, everyone feels that they have gained a lot. In the Military Academy, all the generals gathered together, each holding a pen and paper, ready to "listen to the lecture". Tian Ze sorted out his thoughts a bit and said, "This time we will not tell a story about big strategies and tactics, but explore the most basic issue of mobilizing and organizing soldiers. Think about the problem from the perspective of a garrison, a team, or even a squad or a squad." Then, Tian Ze began to tell the story. When it comes to fighting will, Tian Ze first thought of the iron-like army of later generations, followed by the troops of Yue Fei and Qi Jiguang. "…During the Battle of Shangganling, the casualty rate of one of the villages was as high as 600%. The organization had long been disbanded, and batches of soldiers who were replenished were killed one after another. But even so, the organization was still there, the organizational ability was not lost, and the battle persisted to the end…" Tian Ze spoke slowly, from Yue Fei's resistance against the Jin army to the Battle of Shangganling and earthquake and flood prevention. Cheng Yu and others listened attentively, sometimes with puzzled expressions, sometimes with sudden enlightenment and joy, and never stopped writing. When Tian Ze finally finished speaking, everyone suddenly realized that it was already dark. The food outside the door had been warm for a long time, and the soldiers hurriedly brought it in. While eating, everyone sorted out their thoughts and gains, and discussed with each other from time to time. Although Tian Ze omitted many names of people and places and made some adjustments to the content according to the current era, the story is indeed true and sounds very real. To the extent that Cheng Yu and the others firmly believed that the troops with iron will described by Tian Ze were real, and they unconsciously yearned for them. Generals such as Guan Yu silently compared the troops they led with them, and couldn't help feeling ashamed. I thought I had done a good job, and except for Gao Shun and Qu Yi, everyone's level was almost the same. But compared with the troops Tian Ze talked about, it was far behind. After a sleepless night, everyone started intense research and discussion after sorting out their own experiences. Tian Ze also did not rest, checking for omissions and filling in the gaps, and occasionally sharing some ideas and stories when inspiration came. In this way, everyone continued discussing until noon of the next day before they stopped. Cheng Yu took a thick stack of experience and reported the final research results to everyone. "Pre-battle preparations: unify thoughts, conduct detailed inspections, and thoroughly mobilize soldiers to fight. Ensure that soldiers are clear about the battle mission, the significance of the battle, and the difficulties they may face, so that they are fully prepared mentally..." "During the battle, the grassroots backbones of the army should set an example and stand at the front at critical moments. They should pay attention to the status of the soldiers in a timely manner, spread the news of the victory of friendly troops, publicize the care of their superiors and provide incentives in a timely manner..." "If the situation is stalemate or desperate during the war, we must rebuild the organization as soon as possible, ensure the improvement of management and logistics support, do a good job of combat review, re-define the mission and significance of the battle, and formulate a combat plan." "Recall the heroic achievements and glorious history of the army, commend the soldiers who have sacrificed heroically and performed well, promise to make contributions in battle, and increase combat incentives. Give priority to protecting the seriously wounded, organize and carry out oath-taking activities, and put forward slogans at the right time to give soldiers confidence..." "After the war, we will publicly award honors, reward meritorious service, promote soldiers, and assess the collective and individual contributions of the third level..." Cheng Yu stated the conclusions of the generals in detail and explained the details clearly to ensure that ordinary people could understand them. "Zhongde, after the meeting, write down these contents and add them to the military training manuals issued to the generals before. The generals will teach them and require that they must be implemented at the garrison level, and some contents must be implemented at the squadron level." Tian Ze said.
(End of this chapter)
