NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9 - Answer (V)
The military register listed every citizen who earned a living through skill at arms. These were not only the troops and the officers, but also watchmen, bodyguards, martial arts instructors, and every other variety of employed warrior.
For those enlisted as full time soldiers, in Chang'an, there existed a separation between military authority and martial ability. Thus, unlike in almost every other kingdom, an officer need not be more physically powerful than his subordinate. But nevertheless, both were noted in every entry.
For the upcoming war, individual martial ability became the most important quality of all. It was well understood even among laymen that in this era, gaps in individual prowess could be rendered insurmountable even by overwhelming numbers.
"We should determine the minimum rank of martial ability eligible to be deployed to the front line." Wu Rong proposed. "Those below this rank will be used in a support capacity only. Any other approach will lead to senseless death and a drop in morale."
But as the ministers began to discuss her proposal, it quickly became evident that many were very reluctant not to mobilize the entirety of their forces. Soon, instead of arguing about the threshold, they began to debate if such a limitation was warranted at all.
"Any life laid down in defense of the country cannot be considered a senseless loss," quickly became a popular sentiment in the court.
Wu Rong, exasperated, subtly smirked to herself. She could see which way the wind was blowing.
"I propose the cutoff point to be the upper grade of the fourth rank." Wu Rong steered the conversation back on track, trying to nip dissent in the bud.
"How many people would that be?" One of the officials asked.
It had taken some time to tally up the number.
"Ninety seven." A clerk declared. Of the nine ranks and the tens of thousands of people spread among them, the upper four made up less than a hundred.
The courtroom erupted with outrage. Contrary to the others, Wu Rong did not appear very surprised by the number.
"Your highness, this is unreasonable! The number is just too low! We bid you to reconsider!"
"Actually," Wu Rong began, "When we perform the military inspections, in all likelihood we will find that the number is considerably lower, maybe even as low as eighty. But even in the worst case scenario, I believe it will suffice. Because we shall be supplementing this number with civilian martial artists."
One of the officials stepped forward and bowed before arguing his case. "We are all well aware that some years ago, your highness has implemented a mandatory training regimen with the aim of cultivating martial talent among the general populace. But would involving these people not contradict your desire to minimize unnecessary casualties? These people are not career soldiers. I must be blunt - most of them treat their duties as mere formality and are hardly capable of martial arts at all. They are not used to the rigors of a real battlefield, are not capable of enduring the stress of real combat. Their morale will not hold. And as these people flee, panic will spread among the ranks like wildfire. A chain rout is inevitable, and even our drilled soldiers will be swept away by the tide. I plead your highness to reconsider, and to mobilize more of the nine military ranks, starting from the seventh, lower grade, so that our numbers may at least exceed ten thousand."
Another man suddenly stepped forward, his beard long and white. He addressed the previous speaker. "In your memorial, sir Fan, you have put in question the martial ability of the people, and thus the merit of the her highness' program. Since my department is in charge of overseeing this project, you have indirectly questioned my own merit, so I cannot let your remarks go. The civilian population has been graded according to the same system of nine ranks as the military branch. If we were to assume a minimum threshold of fourth rank, upper grade, the number of viable candidates would be close to a thousand people from the civilian branch alone."
That declaration drew gasps from the other officials.
"That's outrageous! How could that be, sir An? These people train once a week! How could there be so many, to outnumber our own elite to such an extent? Your records must be erroneous!"
Sir An explained, "In truth, the economic benefits instated by her highness have turned out to be such an effective incentive that many go out of their way to practice far more than the mandated minimum. As you know, the benefits increase with one's rank and grade, higher effort brings better rewards. And because the civilian population outnumbers the military so considerably, and because the nature of martial talent is so unpredictable and volatile, there are many who were able to draw out outstanding latent abilities using nothing more than self-discipline and the help of our local martial arts instructors."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"You mean to say that there are also those of rank two and above?"
"No." Sir An shook his head. "Unlike our military forces, there are none among the civilians above the third rank, and even of those there are very few. Needless to say, sir Cao remains the sole bearer of the first rank in our entire city."
Cao Lai's figure, ever-present behind the Jade Princess, drew the eyes of the officials.
"Thank you, sir An." Wu Rong smiled ever so slightly. "Your office will be in charge of recruiting the civilian population. If you require additional manpower, or any other kind of assistance, the other offices are obligated to help you in any way that they can. When the militia has been assembled, they must be drilled in basic formations according to the military manuals. Additionally, I have sent envoys to our neighbors. If they're gracious enough to provide us with their support, their men will also need to be drilled according to military strategy."
She sternly looked over the rows of officials.
"This is a battle for survival. Most of you here are not gifted with a talent for martial arts, but you will never find anyone in this court who would shame you for that. Here you are valued for your intelligence, integrity, your service to the people. And yet Huang Huoyu recognizes no merit beyond the martial. Under her new regime, none of you would get to keep your positions. And perhaps not even your lives. This is a wanton killer without a lick of virtue. And only together can we defeat her."
The officials shouted their affirmations.
Wu Rong then assigned each minister an individual task.
The court session began at the crack of dawn, and was not concluded until long after the sun had set.
As the ministers were finally allowed to withdraw, Head Investigator Li remained for a private conversation.
"Lady Wu, the Bureau does not ordinarily provide such services, but considering the circumstances, I would be willing to make an exception. If you have need of my Senior Investigators, not as eyes, but as swords, then it could be arranged."
Wu Rong sighed. "You need to consider the potential repercussions. What future would the Investigative Bureau have if you were to lose your neutrality in the eyes of the public? How would you ply your trade then? You lot might as well disband."
"And what future would there be for us if this Huang Huoyu succeeds?"
"I understand your concerns, but we can't just throw everything away for short term gains. We're not fighting just to win; we're fighting for a better future for us all."
"Very well. Then as we agreed, we will continue providing you with information on her movements."
The Head Investigator bowed and took his leave.
When the hall had finally cleared out, Wu Rong allowed her shoulders to slump.
But after just a few moments of respite, she thought up of one last order to give.
"Cao Lai, I will need you to personally participate in the inspection of the troops. The system of ranks and grades is by no means perfect. It's nothing more than a comparison between individual warriors. Simply put, it's just too subjective. It was supposed to be a temporary system until we could devise something better, but there's no time for that now. And since it boils down to individual judgments, as our strongest warrior, your opinion holds the most weight."
"Consider it done." Cao Lai replied.
"And one last thing... I would like you to impart the imperial method onto the recruits."
The bodyguard suddenly hesitated.
"Are you sure about that? These techniques have always been the imperial family's most closely guarded secret."
"I suspect the emperors of old kept them a secret in order to consolidate their power. But that doesn't matter anymore, does it? Hasn't mattered for centuries. People have discovered their own paths to power. It certainly pains me to harm the prestige of the Tang name like this, but... I can't allow mere tradition to eradicate it entirely."
"It's your decision to make." Cao Lai concluded, resting his halberd on his shoulder. "But I've got to say, though these techniques are better than most, they aren't easy to master. They'll certainly benefit, but there might not be enough time for the teachings to truly set. What I'm saying is, you need to temper your expectations, your highness."
"Emperor Taizong defeated her father with them. At the very least, it would be auspicious for those techniques to be brought forth against his descendant once more. And it might tempt an unaffiliated martial artist or two to join our cause."
Cao Lai chuckled. "Right you are... your highness."
And with that, things were set into motion.
...