The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 196 Breaking the Situation

Man Chong told Chen Er that he would not tell the whole truth that he had not considered the issue of roads and transportation since coming to the south, but had been focused on dealing with the problems of officials. Now that Chen Er had brought up the issue, he naturally wanted to take advantage of it.

“Labor is indeed a problem. The amount of road construction work across the state is considerable, and this is indeed an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.”

When Man Chong brought up the issue of conscripting men, Chen Er thought for a moment and said, "Isn't Yuan Rang's Sixth Organization Regiment still in training? Let them take on some of the road construction tasks as a form of physical training. Then, reserve militia from various counties can be appropriately drawn upon. At the same time, you can also plan the entire road and divide it into different areas so that villagers along the way can build the roadbed after the busy farming season."

Chen Er put down his teacup, stood up, and said to Man Chong, "Bo Ning, send a message to the Yuyang Executive Yuan in my name by carrier pigeon, and tell them to immediately send a group of experienced road builders and cement workers south to assist the Southern Organization District in building roads."

The transportation issues in the two southern states are crucial to the mobilization of large organizations and the transport of supplies once the war breaks out. Nowadays, organizing troops for war relies increasingly on logistics, and only convenient transportation can better support large-scale operations. Moreover, smooth roads facilitate trade and travel.

"Now that we've finished discussing politics, let's talk about organizing the teams." After finishing the road construction issue, Chen Er suddenly changed his tone and said to Xiahou Dun, "The organization of the Sixth Organization Regiment will proceed as previously agreed, but once the new recruits arrive, they must be reorganized and shuffled to prevent them from forming cliques. I don't want any factionalism or localism to exist in the organization teams of the district I'm managing."

"Understood, sir," Xiahou Dun replied as he stepped forward.

Chen Er then addressed the crowd, saying, "I have another idea, and I'd like to take this opportunity to share it with you all."

"My lord, please speak."

“Currently, the jurisdiction of the district I am in charge of is getting larger and larger, and the old conscription model is no longer suitable. I have decided that within three years, the conscription teams in the district I am in charge of should implement the policy of recruiting soldiers from other places,” Chen Er said.

Upon hearing Chen Er's words, Xiahou Dun, Zhao Yun, and the others were somewhat confused. What did it mean to serve as a soldier in a different place?

Chen Er gestured to the two not to rush and to let him explain slowly: "As you all know, the empire has inherited county and prefecture soldiers, with the border organization system as the main one. Although this recruitment model can quickly recruit a large number of soldiers."

"However, the strong sense of solidarity among different regions is not conducive to the unity of the organization. So I was thinking that we might carry out some reforms. In the future, all the new recruits in the districts I manage will be randomly assigned. New recruits from one region will be randomly assigned to different units."

"My lord, is this the defense organization you told me about before?" Zhao Yun suddenly asked.

“Yes, I want to build an organization that belongs to the entire country, not a private organization of a certain person or a certain group,” Chen Er said.

In fact, these were some of the unspoken rules or bad habits within the organization, which Chen Er was aware of. However, the district he had previously managed faced frequent battles, and the organization had been constantly expanding. Although Chen Er knew about these things, there was nothing he could do to change them, since it was a matter that would affect the whole situation.

Upon hearing Chen Er's words, Xiahou Dun and the others fell into deep thought. They were well aware of the bad habits within the organization and the benefits of Chen Er's suggestion. However, they also knew how great the obstacles to such reforms would be. But since Chen Er had already brought it up, he must have already thought of a solution. So everyone looked at Chen Er.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? I only have a general idea right now, and I haven't thought of the specifics yet."

Seeing everyone looking at me, Chen Er felt a little embarrassed. He said to the three of them, "What we need to do now is to change the location of the six organizations after Yuan Rang's sixth organization is established. Simply put, the main soldiers of the sixth organization come from Yangzhou, so the location of the sixth organization must be outside Yangzhou. This is the first step."

Chen Er picked up the teacup on his right, took a sip, and then continued to the three of them: "As for the second step, the leaders of the major organizations must be rotated every two years, except during wartime."

"Rotation of group leaders?"

“Yes, rotation, including rotation at the level of organization commander.” Chen Er said to Zhao Yun, “The camp remains but the soldiers come and go. That’s my idea. We need to prevent a general from controlling a unit for a long time, as this can easily lead to the formation of a clique.”

Chen Er's direct remarks to Zhao Yun, Xiahou Dun, and others were undoubtedly intended to give them a warning. Since the Tiger Legion was formed, his generals had always commanded only one unit, which was not a good thing. He had to break this situation as soon as possible before things became completely stable.

Chen Er said to the three of them, "This rotation system is not only implemented in the organization team, but it is also necessary for the principal officials above the county level to implement such a rotation system. However, I do not yet have a definite idea on how to formulate the rotation system for local officials."

Upon hearing Chen Er's words, Xiahou Dun didn't have any other thoughts in mind. He just felt that he had only just formed the Sixth Organization Group and hadn't yet led it to achieve any great deeds.

Seeing Xiahou Dun's expression, Chen Er naturally understood what Xiahou Dun was thinking. He said to Xiahou Dun, "Yuan will not include your Sixth Organization in the rotation plan for the time being. Besides, this is just my idea. It will take several years before it can be implemented. At least until there is basically no war in the world."

"Thank you for your understanding, elder brother." Xiahou Dun rose and bowed to Chen Er in gratitude.

"Alright, let's stop here for today." Chen Er said to the three of them. He was a little tired after traveling for so many days. He said to Man Chong and Xiahou Dun, "Bo Ning and Yuan Rang, you two don't need to worry about me tomorrow. Just handle your own official business. Zilong and I can just take a stroll around Shouchun tomorrow."

"Yes, my lord," Man Chong and Xiahou Dun replied as they rose, then the two took their leave from Chen Er.

After Man Chong and Xiahou Dun left, Chen Er said to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, you should go and rest too. Tomorrow we'll go for a stroll in Shouchun City."

"Yes, my lord, this humble general takes his leave," Zhao Yun said, bowing.