Sun Jian smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I am now the General of Valiant Might and the Marquis of Hanting. According to the laws of the Great Gan Dynasty, I can recruit a certain number of soldiers. If I remember correctly, based on my current position and rank, I should be able to recruit a thousand soldiers."
At this point, Sun Jian turned to look at Gu Zijian.
"Zi Jian, you will take the lead in this matter, and lead Gu Hu and a few centurions to complete it."
Gu Zijian instantly understood Sun Jian's implication and immediately imitated Gu Hu's manner, bowing apologetically to Sun Jian: "Zijian obeys!"
Seeing Gu Zijian suddenly become very serious, Sun Jian smiled helplessly.
The reason Sun Jian had Gu Zijian lead the recruitment of these new thousand soldiers was actually quite simple.
That was to gather the scattered soldiers of the Gu family army from the early days.
After the Gu family was exiled, many of their close associates and disciples in the Left Guard Army were removed from the military and became ordinary civilians.
Like the Sui Dynasty in the history before Sun Quan's time travel, the Da Gan court implemented the Fubing system, where officials of the seventh rank and above had the right to recruit a certain number of Fubing to protect their government offices and residences.
Sun Jian's military rank is currently second-grade, and his official rank is third-grade.
According to the requirements of the Fubing system, Sun Jian could recruit one thousand armored soldiers.
One thousand armored soldiers was also the highest limit of the Fubing system.
Of course, the Fubing system does not mean that you can arbitrarily privately recruit soldiers. If the whole country did this, wouldn't it be chaos?
Wouldn't that turn the place into a fragmented world of warlords?
The imperial court's military system also had extremely strict requirements, procedures, and formalities. From application to imperial approval, and then to quarterly reviews by officials of the Ministry of Revenue, no step could be omitted.
Most importantly, after being recruited, the soldiers would be incorporated into the unified command of the local military.
In Hongnong Prefecture, there was one prefect and eleven county magistrates. The Fubing system stipulated that only officials of the seventh rank or above could recruit Fubing soldiers.
The county magistrate was a seventh-rank official, which meant that within the vast area of Hongnong Prefecture, there were fewer than twenty people with the authority to recruit soldiers.
A county magistrate of the seventh rank could only command a maximum of three hundred soldiers.
Let's not even talk about what these three hundred people can do...
If you recruit these three hundred soldiers, you will be responsible for their expenses and provisions.
Even then, it requires strict procedures and formalities, and only after approval can the county magistrates recruit.
Moreover, these three hundred soldiers recruited can only guard their own gates. If they are used to seek personal gain, that would be a serious crime!
Moreover, these pitiful three hundred soldiers were still subject to the command and dispatch of the prefect, and were also subject to the joint control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
If this kind of thing is not handled properly, it will be defined as treason. Therefore, during the campaign, not many lower-level officials actually recruited soldiers. It was more common for officials above the rank of prefect.
Sun Jian had already analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the Fubing system for Emperor Ganwu when they first met.
The advantages of the Fubing system are obvious.
Just like the current stalemate in the war, which is taking place in the northeastern part of Jizhou, the northwestern part of Liangzhou, and the southeastern part of Sizhou.
The Jingzhou region goes without saying, as it is no longer part of Daqian's territory.
In the northwest of Liangzhou, there is a rebellion by foreign tribes; in the northeast of Jizhou, there is a war with the Great Zhou; and in the southeast of Sizhou, there is a war with the Great Song.
The military system implemented in these areas was incredibly effective!
Firstly, the soldiers recruited by officials of the seventh rank or above were provided with their own provisions, pay, and weapons.
Of course, let's take Magistrate Wang as an example.
If you can't afford to support three hundred people, then recruiting one hundred is not out of the question. They're only referring to the three hundred maximum number of officials of the seventh rank.
The soldiers of the Fubing (府兵) did not require the imperial court to pay their rations, but they were indeed the backbone of the country.
A prefecture typically has at least eight or nine counties, and each county contains more than a dozen counties. When all these military units are gathered together, the number becomes enormous.
If the state were to be at war, these local soldiers would be the backbone of the force besides the state troops.
It can not only defend against foreign enemies and protect the territory, but also wage guerrilla warfare to protect the people and officials.
It doesn't require any expenditure from the imperial court; it's practically killing two birds with one stone.
When others recruit soldiers, they may consider the expenses, but for Sun Jian, who is richer than a country, these are just a drop in the ocean, and even a tiny fraction of that drop.
A thousand armored soldiers was merely the upper limit stipulated by the Daqianfu military system, not Sun Jian's upper limit.
The soldiers in the Kyoto and Chang'an areas were all under the jurisdiction and control of the Kyoto Prefect, who was Xiong Juzheng.
Sun Jian only needs to give this old man a heads-up; as for him wanting to control Sun Jian, he probably wouldn't dare even if he wanted to.
If nothing unexpected happens, given Sun Jian's current power and status, if he submits the relevant application and procedures for the Fubing system today, it should be approved tomorrow or the day after.
Sun Jian could simply write a letter to Xiong Juzheng at that time, so although the official documents had not yet been submitted, Gu Zijian and Gu Hu could already start recruiting in advance.
Anyway, this is a done deal, it'll be done in a day or two.
Sun Jian will still entrust the newly recruited thousand soldiers to Gu Hu's command. After all, these new soldiers are basically all from the Gu family, his father-in-law's former trusted subordinates, so there is no need to worry too much about their loyalty or the quality of the soldiers.
In this way, the current problem of manpower shortage has been fundamentally solved.
That leaves only the matter of Crown Prince Li Gancheng's wedding in three days and his trip to the palace tomorrow to treat Emperor Ganwu's illness.
————
Old Jiang, Old Cao, Gu Hu, Gu Zijian and others all went to do things according to Sun Jian's instructions.
Only Zhou Wan'er and Chu Qingcheng remained with Sun Jian.
Back in his study in the inner courtyard, Sun Jian felt a headache coming on whenever he thought about who was in charge of the wedding and how to treat the emperor.
Seeing that Sun Jian seemed preoccupied, Zhou Wan'er and Chu Qingcheng quickly and considerately massaged his shoulders and legs.
"Husband...haven't everything been arranged? You look so worried, is there something else troubling you?"
While massaging Sun Jian's legs, Chu Qingcheng asked him softly.
"Yes, my husband, we rarely see you like this."
Zhou Wan'er also spoke up from the side.
Sun Jian sighed and told the two women about the upcoming wedding of Crown Prince Li Gancheng, but he did not mention the matter of treating Emperor Ganwu's illness the next day.
Emperor Ganwu's critical condition was a top secret; even his own son, the Crown Prince Li Gancheng, didn't know. Naturally, Sun Jian wouldn't tell his two wives so casually.
It's not that Sun Jian didn't trust them, but rather that the less he knew about such things, the better; the less he knew, the safer he was.
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