Looking at Li Zhang who was a little confused, Xu Ping said to him: "You have to remember that one thing happened again and again over the past hundreds of years. It is definitely not because of the problems of a few people, but because the system collapsed. I will take the test again. From the middle and late Tang Dynasty, what is the biggest difference between the military system and previous dynasties?"

Li Zhang blurted out: "The army in the palace is difficult to sustain, so recruit troops to replace them."

Xu Ping shook his head: "This is only seeing the surface, not the fundamental. Recruiting soldiers did not fall from the sky. It has existed in ancient times, but it was not used for normalcy and was used in crisis. It is said that the regime of renters and men collapsed, and the government soldiers could not continue, and the court had to replace them to recruit soldiers. If this is said, no matter how bad the finances of the middle Tang court were, could it be worse than the late Han Dynasty? At that time, the recruitment of soldiers was the same. As for the court that did not control household registration, the middle Tang Dynasty would not be as powerful as the late Han Dynasty.

The hidden house is even more powerful. After all, since the fourth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of Tang was called the Hu Yi and the Hu people were gradually replaced by the soldiers. During the Tianbao period, the Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous, so there was no shortage of money and food. However, the towns that governed heavy troops were all Hu soldiers and generals. When Yuyang was in chaos, the world was soaring and could no longer be dealt with. It was nothing to use recruitment instead of recruitment, but the Hu people's military system instead of Han people's military system has discovered the fundamental force of the Central Plains."

Speaking of this, Xu Ping sighed: "From that time, the soldiers in the Central Plains could no longer control the barbarians. Systems are important. Recruiting soldiers, brave and cowardly, are just a function word. From the Tang Dynasty to recruit Hu people into the Central Plains, the Hu wind was prevalent north of the Yellow River for a hundred years, and the Han people were transformed into Hu. Therefore, although the soldiers in the late Tang and Five Dynasties used the Hu military system, they were just in line with the political system under their rule. They could not see that the military power was not strong. The establishment of this dynasty and the Hu wind gradually disappeared, and the military system could no longer be supported."

Li Zhang was speechless when he heard this. It was obvious that the Hu Feng in the Imperial Army was serious. In fact, many families who have been soldiers for generations were originally from the Hu people of the Chinese people, mostly from Shatu and Sogdian tribes. These people were sinicized. In the eyes of the Khitan tribes further north, they were already real Han people. However, some customs and cultures were preserved strongly, especially combined with the Imperial Army's unique military system, and finally integrated into the culture of the Central Plains people, giving birth to a strange martial arts culture.

Before the Tang and Song dynasties, even those who led troops to fight rarely took pride in being vulgar, and would not be proud of being illiterate. However, after the Tang and Song dynasties, they took military men as illiterate and vulgar. Before the Tang and Song dynasties, the army before the Tang and Song dynasties relied on strict systems and military disciplines to ensure combat effectiveness and loyalty, but later emphasized personal bravery and scoffed at the system and constraints. This was not the tradition of the Central Plains dynasty, but the traditional concept of the northern ethnic minorities.

This influence was extremely far-reaching and lasted until a thousand years later and even became the belief of some people. When it comes to the army of the Song Dynasty that cannot be fought, the two often used reasons are "respecting culture and suppressing military" and "generals do not know soldiers, soldiers do not know generals", which are actually the conclusions drawn from this understanding. Whether it is "respecting culture and suppressing military" or "generals do not know soldiers, soldiers do not know generals", before this tradition prevails in military understanding, including after breaking this understanding, it is not a problem, but only in the Song Dynasty. With Xu Ping's materialism and dialectics, there is only one problem in the interpretation system.

This military tradition has lasted for thousands of years. In the Central Plains Empire, only before the system was established or when the system collapsed, would there be troops that dared to fight and good at fighting. Once the politics stabilized, the combat power of the army disappeared.

It's like a place where people live together is attacked by wild beasts and suffer great losses. In order to prevent being bitten again, the choice made is not to create spears, bows, dig traps, trenches, but to walk out of the village, open their mouths, raise their hands, compare their minions and fierceness with ferocious beasts, and fight with wild beasts. After all, people are humans, how can they surpass wild beasts? If this continues, they can only throw everyone into the beast's sharp mouth. The correct choice should be to organize people, fight with human wisdom and collective strength. Catch the beasts, tame them into domestic animals, or kill them to eat meat.

The Xianbei attacked and learned from the Xianbei, Mongolia attacked and learned from Mongolia, Jurchens attacked and learned from the Jurchens. Even when the Japanese fascists attacked and learned from the fascists, they refused to look down at the land under their feet, and refused to look at those people with the same face as themselves, and refused to breathe and share the same fate with the people on this land. Why are you undefeated and why are you not destroyed? Dragging the country and nation into the abyss is of course a sinner of history.

After being stunned for a long time, Li Zhang stammered: "What my brother said today is really scary. If it was heard by the warriors of the three imperial guards, I don't know how to arrange it."

"What's the point of making arrangements? Some of them might be proud of it. As for others, they should be able to take it lightly. After all, this is not their personal fault. The mistake can only be wrong with the current military system. Unfortunately, it's useless to say anything now. Only by fighting with the Northwest can blood educate people. It's a pity for those soldiers."

Li Zhang said: "If my brother says that the current military system is wrong, what kind of military system is right?"

"We Han people have developed this home from ancient sages and the people who have worked hard and overcome all obstacles. Men farmed and women weaved, respected the elderly and loved the young, protected the countryside, and walked step by step to today. If we can have today, how could we not have bravery and be naturally cowardly? The military system must conform to the habits of our Han people, know loyalty and righteousness, know integrity and shame, have discipline, and be united, so that we can defeat all invading enemies. The current military system of the imperial guards only talks about serving as a soldier and eating food, not loyalty and righteousness, and everything depends on the command of the military officers. The good will not reward, and the evil will not punish, and there will be no discipline. Such a military system corresponds to the Hu tribe who lives on the grassland and chasing water and grass, and do not know what the country and tribesmen are. To change the military system, of course, we must start from this fundamentally."

Seeing Li Zhang shook his head and said that he was not clear, Xu Ping said again: "The knife is useful to hold it in his hand and slash at the enemy, rather than inserting it on himself, allowing himself to bleed and scare others. Now, we have taken the Hu military system to control our own army and maintain such soldiers, which is equivalent to a sharp blade hanging upside down and inserted into ourselves. The first thing for the Han army is to know loyalty and righteousness. The word loyalty and righteousness is not enough to be completed. I call it political talk. Politics means knowing who you are and why you fight. Taking the knife is to defend your country and protect your nation. The second is

It is necessary to be organized. The commander of the army is not organized. Instead, each should set up special officials to make matters responsible and not deceive the superiors and subordinates. If the commander of the army acts recklessly and betrays the organization, even if he is a soldier, he can still kill his head. The third is to have discipline. If you are politically conscious, you should know what can be done and what cannot be done. To clarify and promulgate these, it is discipline. From top to bottom, you must do things under the permission of discipline. Be politically conscious, ensure the loyalty of the army, strict organization and strict discipline, and ensure the combat effectiveness of the army. This is the case for the military system to be changed."

Li Zhang opened his mouth and had no idea what Xu Ping was talking about. These were obviously too strange to him.

Xu Ping sighed: "You don't understand anything now. When one day you really go to the battlefield to fight, you will be able to realize it. Some people say that the Han people have no blood, how can they lose their blood? The Han people have never been ischemia. Unfortunately, these bloody Han people want them to fight like wild animals. How can they adapt? Some people say that the Han people must have animal nature and confuse blood and animal nature. Now the military system of the imperial guards still lack animal nature? They are like wild beasts in the jungle. When they see a stronger than themselves, they turn their heads and run away. When they see someone weaker than themselves, they eat their flesh and sleep with their bones. There is a folk proverb: 'Bandits are like combs, and soldiers are like combs'. Isn't this what they mean? After pacifying Shu, they stir up chaos in the people. Isn't this kind of thing less? The country's army can be more brutal than the enemy. What else do you have to expect in such an army? It's okay to fight a small battle, it's really worrying."

Confusing blood and animal nature and being complacent is not unique to this era. Since the Five Dynasties, there have been many military generals who demonstrated their courage by eating people and drinking blood. In the early Song Dynasty, there are still legacy. Respecting culture and suppressing martial arts is inseparable from such a background. Normal regimes will not allow their army to do this to their people. In fact, respecting culture and suppressing martial arts is aimed at the military man in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. It is incorrect to the country from other dynasties. It is a policy under a special background. Without such a policy, the state power will not be stable. Unfortunately, this tradition continues. The more timid the foreign enemy, the more fierce the army is to be against its own people, and there will be "water, drought, locust soup" in a thousand years.

The most capable army in the Song Dynasty was nothing more than the "Yue Family Army". It was born when the country collapsed and the military system disappeared. This army had never had any animal nature. They "don't demolish houses and starved to death and would not plunder". It was because of the animal nature that they had the blood to defend their country. Soldiers must have blood, but they were never allowed to have any animal nature. Their passion is for the country and the people, not to show courage. Animal nature is the enemy of a normal army.

Xu Ping drank a glass of wine, put down the glass, looked at the sky in the distance, and stopped talking.

He must go to the northwest with wars coming. He went to the northwest not to repay Zhao Zhen’s kindness for his understanding, nor to make achievements, but to this land and the people on this land. His official position was already great enough and his future was bright enough. Without those martial arts, he could still be the prime minister and reach the top of his ministers.

Those who are not what Xu Ping wants. When people reach a certain level, they must pursue and take some responsibilities. They live a prosperous life smoothly in this world, with wives, concubines, children and daughters. What does Xu Ping need to do for this world?
Chapter completed!