“Your Majesty, General Jia is waiting outside.”
Inside the imperial study, the emperor, surrounded by a few officials, was attending to state affairs. Upon hearing the eunuch’s words, he immediately rose from his seat.
“Invite him in quickly!”
The emperor knew deep down that his current position was greatly owed to the young man outside the door.
Jia Yu, still exuding a faint odor of sweat and grime from his journey, entered the imperial study without changing his clothes or bathing.
The emperor’s officials behind him sized up the tall young man who had just walked in.
“This humble subject, Jia Yu, pays his respects to Your Majesty.”
Jia Yu clasped his hands and bowed in greeting.
“My dear friend, please rise!” The emperor strode forward and clasped Jia Yu’s hands. “Your battle was a brilliant victory, allowing me to continue holding this throne.”
“Xia Shou Zhong, bring a stool for General Jia.”
Xia Shou Zhong hastily brought a chair from the side.
The emperor insisted on having Jia Yu sit down before returning to his own seat.
This scene sparked envy and jealousy among many in the imperial study.
“My dear friend, on your way here, someone should have briefed you on the situation with the Imperial Guard, right?”
The emperor went straight to the point: “The Imperial Guard, after the Xuanfu campaign and the two battles against the Mongols, is significantly weakened.”
“We urgently need to replenish our troops and rebuild the three armies of the Imperial Guard. Otherwise, the capital will remain vulnerable.”
“My dear friend, do you have any strategies?”
The emperor’s words were flowery, but his meaning was clear: how to strengthen the Imperial Guard.
Jia Yu thought for a moment: “Your Majesty, we cannot rebuild the Imperial Guard in the same way as before, by recruiting from commoners or drawing troops from the Nine Frontiers.”
“Recruiting new soldiers would require a considerable amount of time for training. This would delay the Imperial Guard's recovery, taking at least two years. We cannot draw troops from the Nine Frontiers either. After the defeat at Xuanfu, our Great Zhou’s invincibility has been shattered, and surrounding forces are undoubtedly eager to take a bite out of our territory.”
“If we pull their elite forces, it will leave the right flank defenseless.”
“The best solution currently is to incorporate the troops from the Jiangnan Army into the Imperial Guard. I recall that there are also the Anti-Japanese troops, and their numbers are not small.”
“We can transfer half of the Anti-Japanese troops to bolster the Imperial Guard.”
“These two armies are well-trained, lacking only courage and fighting spirit.”
“Place them under my command, and I can assure Your Majesty that within half a year, they will be ready to engage the Mongol army head-on.”
He would use these soldiers to supplement the Imperial Guard, then use the soldiers he trained to become core personnel, and then train these soldiers using these core personnel.
As long as they weren't completely incompetent, they would have a significant improvement in combat effectiveness under the leadership of core personnel.
Moreover, in battle, as long as the leaders of these soldiers are spirited and charge into the fray, the ordinary soldiers would inevitably be inspired.
This was his confidence.
The 45-year-old emperor looked at the young man before him, full of youthful vigor.
Historically, at this age, the only one who could have possibly held Jia Yu back was the young general of the Western Han dynasty.
But the emperor did not believe that the young man before him was inferior to that young general.
“Very well.” The emperor quickly agreed after a moment of contemplation. “We will incorporate the Jiangnan Army and the Anti-Japanese troops into the Imperial Guard as you suggest.”
“My dear friend, do you have any other requests? Feel free to speak your mind.”
The emperor looked at Jia Yu with piercing eyes.
Jia Yu, considering the expenses of feeding and clothing so many people, along with the training materials, felt his mind about to explode.
The emperor was asking him for requests.
Jia Yu thought for a moment and turned to Xia Shou Zhong: “Your Majesty, I have no problem with combat, but managing so many people is not my forte.”
“How about this: I'll take full responsibility for training and fighting, while you assign someone to assist me with logistics.”
The officials behind the emperor were stunned at Jia Yu’s words.
Why was the Imperial Guard Commander so powerful?
Wasn't it because he controlled all the military forces in the surrounding areas of the capital, which included the control of military supplies, promotions, and transfers of personnel at all levels within the army?
Jia Yu had voluntarily relinquished this crucial right, which was extremely important.
Logistics were critical.
As the saying goes, “An army marches on its stomach.”
If there's no food, the troops won't follow you.
“Xia Zongguan was very efficient in handling the Jiangnan Army. I think he’d be perfect to help me manage logistics. What do you think?”
Jia Yu wasn’t worried about food supplies. The system mall had a mountain of food stacked high. If anyone tried to hold him hostage using food in the future, they would be biting off more than they could chew.
The emperor was momentarily stunned, and his trust and affection for Jia Yu grew significantly.
Jia Yu was voluntarily handing over a powerful handle to him.
“Xia Shou Zhong, I can’t spare him.” The emperor contemplated, and it seemed he didn't have anyone suitable.
But soon, a name popped into his head.
Only that person was currently far away in the Jiangnan region.
Before becoming emperor, he often kept in touch with some officials in the court.
He held one individual in high regard, whose talent and ability had even earned the respect of the Retired Emperor, leading to his being sent to the Jiangnan region.
He heard that this person was struggling in Jiangnan, losing his wife and children one after another.
The emperor knew the underlying reason without needing to think.
Jiangnan was not the Jiangnan it was during the early days of the founding of the dynasty.
This talented individual was also a scion of a martial family, but he had later become a top scholar through his own efforts.
This would be a perfect fit.
The emperor smiled and said, “I’ll let Liu Hong assist you for a while. Once the court is more stable, I will find someone else for you.”
Jia Yu grinned widely, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“You rascal.” The emperor shook his head helplessly. “Stay in the palace for a few days and keep me company.”
....