Xiao Ruxun believed that this kind of activity was very beneficial to the development of the army and the progress of the soldiers. Therefore, he strongly supported it, believing that it should be done at least once a year. While increasing the competitiveness of the army, it could also increase the sense of belonging the army had to the Emperor.
There was no other reason. The Emperor would personally award the prizes to the soldiers who won the competition, personally meet the soldiers, bestow the prizes and glory of victory to the soldiers, and shake hands with them.
This kind of glory was irresistible to every soldier. To be met by the Emperor, personally award the prizes, and even shake hands with the soldiers!
How great a glory was this?
When I was young, I was personally met by His Majesty the Emperor and even shook hands with him!
These words could be boasted to his family for the rest of his life.
The soldiers who won the individual competition were the happiest. They could meet the Emperor alone, see the Emperor standing in front of them, shake hands with them, encourage them, and then give them generous prizes, encouraging them to continue working hard. At that moment, they felt that it was worth it even if they died.
The group competition was also fine. They could meet the Emperor together and receive the prizes together. The Emperor would also do his best to shake hands with everyone to show their closeness. They were also very satisfied and happy.
This was enough to make the eyes of the soldiers who did not receive the glory green with envy.
Xiao Ruxun would treat this kind of activity as the Emperor's duty. He would personally enter the army and meet the outstanding soldiers, increase the Emperor's prestige and popularity in the army, maintain the Emperor's influence on the army, and let the soldiers know that the Emperor knew the Emperor and understood who they were loyal to, thus increasing their loyalty.
He could not let the soldiers only know about the General and not the Emperor. He had to let the soldiers understand and even interact with the Emperor at a close distance, thus creating a strong chemical reaction.
For this reason, Xiao Ruxun did not hesitate to spend a lot of time with the army, interacting with the soldiers, and understanding the lives of the soldiers at the grassroots level. For example, after the competition, he would directly go to the barracks to observe the living environment of the army.
After the establishment of the country, Xiao Ruxun had many regulations for the life of the army, such as building large-scale barracks for the army to live in, improving the food and clothing of the soldiers, and a series of benefits. He did his best to provide better conditions for the army.
For example, Xiao Ruxun stipulated that the army must eat a dry meal every day, eat tofu every three days, and eat meat every five days.
Tofu was known as the meat of plants, and it was one of the few sources of protein for the people of the Central Plains dynasties who had been short of meat since ancient times.
Even so, tofu was not easy to obtain for the common people. After Xiao Ruxun ascended to the throne, he ordered to increase the area planted with beans, increase the output of beans, and provide enough tofu for the army. They could not eat too much, only once every three days. This was to ensure protein intake and strengthen the army's physique.
Of course, he couldn't support tofu either. He still had to eat meat. For this reason, he sent a large number of pigs and chickens to the army. He had the cooks' army units open up pig farms and chicken farms to raise pigs and chickens on a large scale. He also told them to castrate the pigs. Only then would the pigs grow fat and strong.
The army was allowed to raise pigs and chickens to increase their sources of meat and protein. At the same time, while lowering taxes, the government encouraged the people to raise pigs, chickens, and ducks. Those who were willing to raise chickens, ducks, and pigs would be provided by the government for them to raise, breed, and supply to the army.
The villages in the capital region that were willing to do so were given special treatment. The excrement produced by the army would be given to these villages for free so that they could use it as fertilizer for farming.
The excrement of 200,000 people could fertilize a lot of land. For the northern lands that had begun to promote the cultivation of potatoes, this was undoubtedly a blessing.
As for some of the "excrement tyrants" that were spread all over the villages and towns, Xiao Ruxun instructed the local officials to get rid of all of them. The excrement would also be given to the villages for free, and no one was allowed to control it.
Xiao Ruxun hoped to improve the diet of the people of the Central Plains in all aspects. He wanted to increase the intake of meat, protein, and fat so that the people's physique would become healthier.
Eating vegetables was considered healthy in modern times to lose weight, but in this era, it was a helpless act to survive. However, eating vegetables alone would not help one gain weight no matter what.
Xiao Ruxun was very concerned about the army. He personally observed the barracks of the army, their living quarters, and their beds. He also observed how they ate and drank.
He observed what they ate and drank every day. He wanted to know if they followed his instructions to eat at least one dry meal a day, at least one tofu every three days, and at least one meat every five days.
The reaction of the soldiers made him very happy because everyone followed his instructions. They were very serious about the army's supplies, so that they could eat dry rice every noon, roasted tofu every three days, and meat every five days.
Although most of the time, they still ate salted vegetables and salty soup with their meals, and it was common to drink porridge and eat steamed buns, it was already very fortunate for the army to have such treatment.
A considerable number of them were former Ming Army soldiers who had surrendered after Xiao Ruxun's northern expedition. They knew very well what kind of life they had led. They did not have enough to eat, were not warm enough to wear, were often beaten, scolded, and enslaved by their superiors. They did not always get to eat salt, and often felt dizzy and weak. Those days were not for humans at all.
Now, they were more like real soldiers. Every day, they trained in military techniques. Under the leadership of military secretaries, they collectively learned to read and write. They could eat their fill and wear warm clothes. They had tofu and meat to eat. The army could also eat in a variety of ways. Occasionally, they were even provided with fruits. This was simply unimaginable in the past.
For these former Ming soldiers, eating and wearing warm clothes was already a very fortunate thing, not to mention the special treatment they were receiving now. This made them feel a sense of belonging to Xiao Ruxun and the Daqin.
To further increase the sense of belonging in the army, Xiao Ruxun also asked the soldiers to report their place of origin. When they returned to their place of origin, they would find their family members who were still alive. He would remove their military status and reward the family members of the recruits. Then, he would bring back letters to inform them of their family's situation.
For those who had no family members, he could only give them a reward to express his regret.
In this way, the sense of belonging in the army was stronger, and their loyalty was also higher. More importantly, these things were passed on to every soldier at the grass-roots level through the mouths of military secretaries. Every soldier knew that the person doing these things for them was His Majesty the Emperor.
That night, after inspecting the army's life, Xiao Ruxun left the barracks with satisfaction. Before leaving, he even drank and chatted with his old brothers who had built up his family in the past. He also told them that he would soon be sending them to various parts of the country to assist in land reform and road building, so that they could be prepared.
At the same time, Xiao Ruxun also revealed some information about the reform of the military system, so that they could also be prepared.
Everything that Xiao Ruxun did after ascending to the throne could be considered reforms. He removed all the malpractices and replaced them with brand new and effective systems. All of these could be considered reforms.
Xiao Ruxun had corresponding reform plans for the military system, the education system, the political system, the tax system, and even the household registration system.
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