Cavalry Guards Were Bought from Military Noble Families

The infantry's structure has been streamlined, and the framework of our three-hundred-thousand-strong army is finally in place. However, a heavy stone still weighs on my mind.

Inside the central military tent, the atmosphere had initially eased a bit after the military restructuring reaffirmed command rights. But the moment Wang Hao spoke these words, the air froze once again.

Wang Hao sat in the commander's seat, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping the agarwood table. Tap, tap, tap. To the ears of the dozens of top nobles and military generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty inside the tent, this sound was like the beating of a death drum.

His bottomless eyes swept quietly over every face present. Great Zhou lacks horses, and we lack elite cavalry even more. No matter how elite the infantry is, two legs can never outrun four. I intend to take the remaining tens of thousands of troops and form four pure Imperial Guard Cavalry Divisions, with twelve thousand men in each division, comprising four cavalry regiments of two thousand five hundred men each and one garrison cavalry regiment of two thousand men. I have the framework figured out, but where will we find the soldiers who are proficient in horseback archery?

A deathly silence filled the tent. You could hear a pin drop.

The generals stared at their noses and guarded their hearts, deliberately suppressing even their breathing to the absolute limit. Warhorses could still be bought with silver at the border trade markets; but martial artists who were proficient in horsemanship, able to draw a bow and shoot arrows on horseback, or even form formations to charge, were all fed by years of money, grain, and sweat! In the thousand years since the founding of Great Zhou, the cavalry in the regular army had long rotted to the core. Where would they find ready-made soldiers?

Looking at the people below playing deaf and dumb, Wang Hao did not get angry. He leaned forward slightly, revealing his true intentions. I know that in order to charge into enemy lines, all of your estates have been raising quite a few private soldiers and family retainers proficient in horseback archery over the years, haven't you?

Thump!

The Duke of Zhenguo's heart skipped a beat. He jerked his head up, a flash of horror in his eyes. The rest of the marquises, earls, and generals underwent a drastic change in expression; some even began to tremble uncontrollably, their hands shaking as they held their teacups.

Military generals of Great Zhou raising private soldiers was a tacitly understood hidden rule among all civil and military officials! At their level of nobility, whose family didn't keep hundreds or thousands of elite death-sworn warriors? These people ate the master's food, took the master's money, and only recognized the family head, not the Emperor! This was also the capital these military nobles relied on to survive on the battlefield and even dare to challenge the civil official faction!

What was the Emperor trying to do? He was trying to dig out their very lifeblood!

Sitting on the left, Marquis Anping was a man with a fiery temper. He shifted his buttocks on the chair a couple of times, gritting his teeth as he wanted to stand up and say something.

What? Does Marquis Anping have something to say? Wang Hao's gaze was like lightning, locking onto him instantly.

Stung by that gaze, Marquis Anping felt his scalp go numb. He swallowed hard and braced himself to say, Your Majesty, we do indeed have some estate guards in our homes, but that is all for guarding against petty thieves and protecting the safety of our families. Besides, the numbers are so small, how could they possibly make up four cavalry divisions?

Yes, Your Majesty. Those rough fellows in my household are only good for street brawls; they absolutely wouldn't dare to go into battle and kill enemies. Another earl quickly chimed in, cold sweat already seeping from his forehead.

Wang Hao sneered and waved his hand, directly interrupting their excuses. Enough! Stop crying poor and complaining to me! Exactly how many trump cards you hold is written crystal clear in the secret reports of the Brocade Guard! I won't beat around the bush with you. I know your concerns. You fear that if you hand over your private soldiers, your families will be left without fangs and claws, at the mercy of others, right?

The crowd lowered their heads, no one daring to answer, but their internal resistance had reached its peak. He wanted military power, and they had just handed it over; now he even wanted to raid their private reserves. Was this young Emperor truly trying to force them into rebellion?

From now on, your safety in the army will be directly protected by the garrison regiments of the Imperial Guard divisions. As for the young and old at home, I will consider allowing you to recruit a certain number of guards according to the ranks of nobles and officials! Your safety will be guaranteed. Wang Hao's voice suddenly rose. Most importantly, I am not taking them from you for nothing! So that my beloved subjects do not suffer a loss, I have decided to buy them!

Buy?

As soon as this word came out, the entire tent of military generals and nobles froze collectively. One by one, they stared wide-eyed at the young Emperor on the dragon throne, as if they had just heard some Arabian Nights fantasy.

Throughout all dynasties and generations, when an emperor confiscated the private troops of generals, which one didn't rely on an imperial edict to force compliance? Defying the edict meant treason, leading straight to the execution of the entire family. Who had ever heard of an emperor spending money to buy his subjects' private soldiers?

The Duke of Zhenguo took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Having grasped onto something, he asked tentatively, What are the terms of this purchase Your Majesty speaks of?

Wang Hao leaned back against his chair, his eyes revealing the shrewdness of a merchant. For every qualified elite cavalryman handed over, as long as their identity is verified and they pass the assessment, I will pay one hundred and fifty taels of silver to buy them out! Settled in cash! Not a single copper coin will be owed!

Hiss...

The sound of collective gasping instantly echoed throughout the large tent.

One hundred and fifty taels of silver?!

The nobles who had just been calculating in their minds how to resist suddenly had the abacuses in their heads rattling loudly. With the current prices in the Great Xia Dynasty, the annual living expenses for an ordinary family of three were no more than ten taels of silver. To raise a private cavalryman, covering food, lodging, and horses, would cost them thirty taels a year at the absolute most! One hundred and fifty taels was equivalent to dumping five years of capital, principal and interest included, right into their laps all at once!

This was a massive profit! An absolute windfall!

But this was not the end. Watching their violently shifting expressions, Wang Hao dropped another bombshell. Not only that! I will also take in the families, the young, and the old of these private soldiers! Their settlement, daily food, and living expenses will henceforth be entirely covered by the royal privy purse, having absolutely nothing to do with you anymore!

Silence.

A deathly silence.

The Duke of Zhenguo's pupils contracted violently, his wizened hands gripping the armrests of his grand chair tightly. He was frantically weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The Emperor's attitude was obvious: courtesy first, then force. Sixteen newly formed infantry divisions were stationed right outside the tent, and the blades of the Brocade Guard had just seen blood. If they did not hand them over, it would be defying an imperial decree; at best, they would be stripped of the military power they had just been allocated, and at worst, their homes would be raided and their families exterminated. But if they did hand them over, not only would it eliminate the Emperor's suspicion, but they would also instantly receive an astronomical sum of cash!

What was even more brilliant was the move to take in the families! The most expensive part of raising private soldiers was not the soldiers themselves, but feeding their large families and covering disability pensions. By taking away the families, the Emperor was completely stripping away their financial burden!

They would get the money, dump the burden, and earn a good reputation for being loyal and devoted. As for what to do when the private soldiers were gone? With this massive sum of money in hand, couldn't they just recruit more?

Only a fool would refuse this deal!

Having figured this out, the Duke of Zhenguo no longer hesitated. He abruptly stood up and knelt in the center of the tent like a collapsing mountain of gold and pillar of jade, shouting tearfully, Your Majesty is infinitely wise! This subject has received immense grace from the state and should naturally be willing to spill my brains and blood! I am willing to offer all eight hundred elite private cavalrymen from my estate, along with their families, to Your Majesty! I only beg for Your Majesty's approval!

Eight hundred men, that was one hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver in cash!

Old fox!

The other generals cursed inwardly, but they instantly realized what was happening. The Emperor was currently short on manpower. Whoever handed over their men first would hold the most weight in His Majesty's heart!

Your Majesty! This subject is willing to offer five hundred private soldiers from my estate! My loyalty to the Great Zhou is clear for the heavens and the sun to see! Marquis Anping, who had looked utterly reluctant just moments ago, dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, shouting louder than anyone else.

Five hundred men meant seventy-five thousand taels of silver in hand!

This subject is willing to offer six hundred!

This subject offers three hundred and fifty!

Besides three hundred cavalrymen, this subject's household also has twenty stable hands. With a little training, they can also take the field. I offer them all!

...

In a mere half-shichen.

Right here in the central command tent, which reeked of the stench of copper and greed, the manpower shortage for the four Imperial Cavalry Guards—totaling forty-eight thousand cavalrymen—was miraculously and completely filled by scraping together the private forces of the various nobles and military officials!

Looking at the generals below who were scrambling over each other to call out their numbers, a trace of extreme mockery flashed deep in Wang Hao's eyes.

Foolish nobles. Did you really think that after taking this silver, you would ever be able to recruit good soldiers again? After today, I will let every martial artist in the world know that serving as my soldier is the most honorable and promising path in this world!

But on the surface, he remained completely impassive, even revealing a gratified smile. Good! You beloved subjects are truly the pillars of the state! Men, have the Brocade Guards take the silver notes and follow the generals back to their estates to collect the men immediately!