Zhang Shixun had his own set of regulations for the surrendered troops.
Those who surrender their weapons will not be killed and prisoners will be treated well.
If you want to stay, you are welcome.
If you want to leave, I will give you travel expenses.
This prisoner policy was criticized by the National Protection Army from top to bottom, and even Li Moulue was no exception.
"Military Commander, if you let them go, what if they return to the Jin army? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?"
In response to Li Moulue's doubts, Zhang Shixun asked, "If these signed troops return to the Jin army, what do you think the Jin army will do with them?"
"This..." Li Moulue was stunned by the question, "If I were the commander of the Imperial Guards, I probably wouldn't dare to kill all these people."
"Oh! Why don't you dare kill them all? The Jin army is notorious for its brutality."
"There are too many people. If we kill them all, we're afraid it will cause a backlash from the other signatories. The Jin army is small in number and can't do without these signatories."
Zhang Shixun then asked, "If they are not killed, will the Jin army still use these previously released soldiers as they did in the past?"
Li Moulue thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "They will definitely be suspected by the Jin army."
Having said that, Li Moulue seemed to have realized something.
Zhang Shixun patiently explained to him, "Releasing these captured soldiers would do the Jin army no good but a hundred harms. Killing them is unacceptable, using them is inappropriate, and abandoning them will only lead to complaints. Furthermore, there are so many of them that they will drain the Jin army's food and money."
"Also, after the release of the signed soldiers, they had their first experience. When they encounter the National Protection Army again, they will hide if they can, and surrender directly if they can't."
Li Moulue was also a smart man. After listening to Zhang Shixun's explanation, he immediately understood the logic behind it. "Hearing what you said, releasing the prisoners is indeed a brilliant and good strategy."
Zhang Shixun said, "Treat prisoners well doesn't mean simply releasing them after capturing them. In essence, treating prisoners well is a political undertaking—in other words, the core of the policy is to educate them. The conscripted soldiers are a complex bunch, mostly Han Chinese forcibly conscripted from the Liao Kingdom. They are also victims of the Jin army. We must point out the brutality of the Jin army and accuse them of their numerous crimes. At the same time, we must vigorously publicize the benevolence of the National Protection Army... Old Li, from now on, we must seriously build the National Protection Army into an army for the people. To achieve this, we have a long and arduous journey ahead."
Li Moulue listened carefully and nodded continuously.
Soon, the National Protection Army issued a document:
Surrendered soldiers, regardless of whether they are officers or soldiers, shall not be killed and shall be treated with kindness.
Anyone willing to join the National Protection Army will be recruited.
Those who want to go home will be given travel expenses.
All injured officers and soldiers of the army were given medicine and treatment.
Those who surrender with weapons and military supplies will be rewarded handsomely.
There will be a generous reward for killing the Jin army or those who come to surrender.
Those who lead the troops to surrender will be promoted and reused.
When this document was issued, many people in the National Protection Army did not understand it.
In response to these situations, Zhang Shixun specially convened a meeting of commanders of all ranks and patiently explained the benefits of this policy.
Finally, we reached a consensus.
The policy of preferential treatment for prisoners was finally implemented seriously.
The captured soldiers were quickly released, and only a very small number stayed to join the National Protection Army.
Most people chose to leave.
After all, many of the signed soldiers had families in the distant "Liao Kingdom".
The next task is to mobilize the people hiding in the mountains to return home.
Upon hearing the news that the Jin army had been destroyed by the National Protection Army, many people were excited, but they still had concerns about the National Protection Army.
After all, the National Protection Army was not the official army of the imperial court, but bandits from the Taihang Mountains.
Over the years, the people have suffered a lot from the harm caused by bandits.
To this end, Zhang Shixun sent several groups of people into the mountains to explain the policies of the National Protection Army to the people, but the effect was not great, and only a very small number of brave people returned to the village.
After returning to the village, these people witnessed with their own eyes the strict discipline of the National Protection Army.
Later, more and more people heard the news and came back.
I have to come back. Once the food I brought is eaten, I will starve if I don’t come back.
When most of the people had returned, Zhang Shixun distributed the seized food and supplies to them, and visited each household to inquire about their well-being.
Soon, Zhang Tianshi's name spread at the foot of Taihang Mountain and even became a household name.
The image of the National Protection Army as a country with strict military discipline was gradually established.
There are also violations.
Those who break into people's homes, steal things, and even rape women.
Zhang Shixun showed no mercy to soldiers who violated discipline. Those who violated discipline lightly would be beaten with a military stick, while those who violated discipline seriously would be beheaded.
And it all happened in front of the people.
The most influential event was the public execution of Jin Juntu and Suheha Tielong.
In order to maximize the effect, Zhang Shixun convened a public trial.
People from the surrounding villages rushed over after hearing the news.
At the solemn public trial, Li Moulue enumerated the crimes committed by the Jin army in Magedang and its vicinity, one by one, arousing the indignation of the people present.
When Zhang Shixun announced the death sentence for the enemy chiefs Tuhesu and Ha Tielong, the whole audience cheered.
Tuhesu and Hatilong's heads were quickly chopped off and hung high in the open space in front of Magedang Village.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Shixun established grassroots organizations - baojia associations - in each village.
The baojia system was established in the Song Dynasty and was further improved by Wang Anshi.
It is a household registration management system with military management.
Objectively speaking, the baojia system is an effective means of social rule. Its most essential feature is that it takes the family as the basic unit of social organization, which is different from the individual as the unit in the West.
Zhang Shixun used it directly.
Unlike the baojia system under the Song Dynasty court, the baojia system under the National Protection Army emphasized the word "people".
It comes from the people and everything is for the people.
Each village elected a person who was upright and had a certain degree of prestige as the head of the village, and these heads of village were directly responsible to the National Protection Army.
This is just a temporary solution.
Zhang Shixun's plan is to establish a complete grassroots organization when the time is ripe.
This is necessary if you want to achieve great things.
Without mature and complete grassroots organizations, it will be impossible to achieve unity of purpose and mobilize the power of the people.
He Ji and Li Moulue both didn't understand this.
In their minds, the most important thing now is to strengthen the power of the National Protection Army.
The more troops, the better; the larger the territory, the better.
Zhang Shixun didn't have time to explain this to them. Instead, he said to them seriously, "Old He, Old Li, whether you understand it or not, the baojia system must be strictly enforced. There can be no laxity."
The two men obeyed with all their might, and their respect for Zhang Shixun came from the bottom of their hearts.
Facts have proved that everything Zhang Shixun has done seems to be right so far.
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