A storm of rumors forced Ashoka to the edge of the cliff.
Under this atmosphere of public opinion, not only could Ashoka not withdraw his troops from Tubo, but he also had to find a way to defend Tubo. At the very least, he had to reach some kind of agreement with Great Xia to give an explanation to his people.
Otherwise, the storm would not be able to calm down.
The initiators of this storm of rumors were the Peacock King and King Guduo. They had already secretly planned to attack the Ashoka Dynasty once the war with Tubo was over.
In this way, how could the Ashoka Dynasty easily withdraw their troops from Tubo.
Only when the Ashoka Dynasty suffered heavy losses in Tubo would they have a chance to win.
In the process, the secret agents of the Asian Division of the Black Snake Guards also added fuel to the fire. With the joint efforts of the three forces, the rumors quickly fermented in the shortest time possible.
After much consideration, Ashoka gritted his teeth and decided to send another 500,000 troops to Tubo. At the same time, he ordered the garrison in Luoge City to hold on until the reinforcements arrived.
It would be best if they could defend Luoge City. Even if they could not, Ashoka hoped that through the support of the 500,000 troops, most of the troops could smoothly withdraw back to the country.
As long as the army was there, Ashoka had nothing to fear.
At the same time, in order to minimize the expectations of the people, Ashoka ordered the 500,000 troops to disguise themselves and sneak into Tubo with the troops transporting provisions.
Ashoka was worried that once the people knew that the dynasty could not protect Tubo after investing two million troops, it would really damage the prestige of the dynasty, so he kept a low profile.
… …
October 5th, the capital.
Ashoka first implemented a cruel military rule in Tubo, treating the people of Tubo like cattle and sheep, wantonly squeezing them. Then the country was caught in a storm of public opinion. It was difficult to get off the back of a tiger.
Ouyang Shuo could only sigh, the heavens were really helping Great Xia.
With these two points, Jia Xu's' meat grinder plan 'could basically be realized, and because of the' active 'cooperation of the Peacock Dynasty and the Guduo Dynasty, it might even have a miraculous effect.
There was good news from the frontline, and there was progress on the disarmament plan of the imperial court.
The Grand Council, the Privy Council, and the Cabinet of Advisors had jointly formulated the largest disarmament plan in the history of Great Xia. It was also the most thorough military reform plan, and it had basically taken shape.
As long as Ouyang Shuo approved it, it could be started.
The biggest feature of this reduction was that it did not reduce the size of the corps by one level. Instead, it reduced the size of the corps from 70,000 to 50,000, a reduction of 20,000 people.
That was very impressive.
Including the imperial guards, the Great Xia army had a total of 19 army groups, and each army group had five legions under them. In addition to the Yingzhou Military Unit and the South American Military Unit, there were a total of 99 legions.
Every corps would lose 20,000 soldiers, which meant that 1.98 million soldiers would be disbanded at one go. The reduction ratio was as high as 286, more than a quarter.
This meant that one out of every four soldiers would have to retire.
After the disarmament, the Great Xia army would be reduced from 6.93 million soldiers at its peak to 4.95 million.
Of course, reducing the number of soldiers was not as simple as reducing the number of soldiers. In order to realize the transformation of the army from 70,000 to 50,000, the entire structure of the army had to be completely reconstructed.
Before the disarmament, the Great Xia army used ten soldiers as firemen, ten firemen as squads, five teams as battalions, and five battalions as brigades. Five brigades were divisions with 1,000 soldiers directly under them. Five divisions were legions with brigades directly under them.
After the disarmament of the army, the Great Xia army still used ten men as a squad leader. The only difference was that instead of ten soldiers forming a squad, there would be five soldiers forming a squad. There would be a total of 50 soldiers and a squad leader.
There was a scientific basis for such a structure.
A squad leader was a basic officer in the army. It was a little over the limit for him to manage ten firemen at one time. Furthermore, it would easily cause an imbalance in the jurisdiction between a squad leader and a battalion leader, resulting in a top-heavy situation.
In addition, there was a scientific subdivision of the functions at the squad level. According to the tasks, equipment, and organization, the squad was divided into infantry squads (spearmen, saber and shield squads, and heavy swordsmen), cavalry squads, firearms squads, artillery squads, combat aircraft squads, engineers squads, reconnaissance squads, repair squads, supply squads, cooks squads, and medical squads.
In short, at the squad level, it basically covered all the combat units and auxiliary units of the Great Xia army. The degree of completeness was already similar to that of the modern army.
There were two advantages to such a structure.
First, it provided a greater possibility for multiple units to conduct joint operations.
For example, after the military reform, the Great Xia army could realize joint operations between spearmen, cavalry, and musketeers at the battalion level. This made the combat mode more flexible and efficient.
Every unit had its advantages and disadvantages, and joint operations relied on each other's strengths to make up for their weaknesses. The more this joint operations model was developed, the more the combat effectiveness of the army could be improved.
In the past, the entire division or even the entire legion had a single unit. With the continuous emergence of new units, it was obvious that it was becoming increasingly unsuitable for the needs of war and was destined to be eliminated.
Of course, this couldn't be accomplished overnight.
How to combine the units, how to match them, how to command them, how to solve the logistical support, and other practical problems had to be continuously explored by the various army groups through training and actual combat after this round of military reform.
Once the operation was mature, the Great Xia army would reach a new level.
Secondly, by improving the logistical support, it would greatly improve the endurance and flexibility of the army.
Before the military reform, the division was equipped with a direct 1,000-man brigade, and the corps was equipped with a direct brigade. In fact, it was Bai Qi's suggestion to equip them with support troops such as engineers, logistics troops, and medical troops.
Below the division level, there were no independent auxiliary units.
Before this, the Great Xia army was used to fighting with large legions, so there wasn't much of a problem. However, with the evolution of the war situation, the expansion of the territory and battlefield required the brigade and even the battalion level to have a certain degree of independent combat capability.
As such, it was necessary to equip the auxiliary units.
The restructuring of the army during Bai Qi's time was during the first year of Gaia, and it had already been six years since then. Over the past six years, the Great Xia army had undergone earth-shattering changes, and it was time for a new generation of soldiers.
With the current foundation of Great Xia, they had the ability to equip all kinds of auxiliary units. While increasing the flexibility of the army, it also greatly increased the survival rate of the army and reduced the mortality rate.
The organization of squads and above had also undergone a complete restructuring.
A battalion would consist of six to ten teams, with a total of 300-500 people. In addition to the combat team, a battalion would need to be equipped with at least one supply team, and according to the actual situation, it would be equipped with auxiliary units such as cooks, medical soldiers, and scouts.
The battalion establishment was also the basic tactical unit of the Great Xia army.
Similarly, according to the tasks, equipment, and organization, it could be divided into infantry battalions (pike battalion, sword and shield battalion, and heavy sword battalion), cavalry battalion, musketeer battalion, artillery battalion, engineer battalion, scout battalion, and supply battalion.
It was obvious that, apart from the mecha fleet, the maintenance, cooks, and medical soldiers of the auxiliary units would not be based on battalions. Basically, they would be directly allocated to brigades as a unit.
A brigade would consist of three to five battalions and a number of direct subordinate teams, with a total of 2000 people. The direct subordinate teams referred to the six main auxiliary units, namely the engineer team, the scout team, the repair team, the supply team, the kitchen team, and the medical team.
According to the actual situation, they would not be fully equipped.
The brigade establishment was the high-level tactical unit of the Great Xia army. It had a brigade headquarters and was equipped with combat staff officers. According to the tasks, equipment, and organization, it was divided into infantry brigades (pike brigade, sword and shield brigade, and heavy sword brigade), cavalry brigades, musketeer brigade, special operations brigade, engineer brigade, and supply brigade.
Based on the current level of industrialization in Great Xia, it was still impossible to equip an artillery brigade. In addition, reconnaissance was basically limited to the battalion level and would not be promoted to the brigade level. That would be too exaggerated.
A division would consist of four brigades, a number of independent battalions, and a number of direct subordinate teams, with a total of 10000 people.
By the same logic, independent battalions would perform combat services, technical services, and logistical support tasks, including the engineer battalion, the scout battalion, and the supply battalion. Basically, all three battalions would be fully equipped.
The direct subordinate teams were naturally the repair team, the kitchen team, and the medical team.
The division establishment was already the basic tactical unit of the Great Xia army. It could fight independently and independently surround and defend a defensive area. According to the tasks, equipment, and organization, it was divided into the sword and shield division, cavalry division, and musketeer division.
It was not difficult to see that at the division level, pike and heavy sword soldiers would be removed from the historical stage. In front of the musketeers, such an organized infantry division was a live target and was destined to be eliminated. Only the heavily armored sword and shield soldiers could still fight against the musketeers under the premise that the individual ability of the soldiers was greatly improved.
The division headquarters would be given a number and a flag by the army group's Supreme Commander. Some even had their own unique logo.
The division headquarters had a certain amount of authority to manage the army. They were responsible for military training and administration, including the selection and appointment of grass-roots officers and soldiers.
Therefore, the division commander was already worthy of the title of general.
A legion consisted of four divisions, a number of independent brigades, and a number of independent battalions, with a total of 50000 soldiers. The independent brigades at the division level included auxiliary troops such as the engineer brigade and the supply brigade, as well as combat troops such as the pike brigade, the sword and shield brigade, the heavy sword brigade, the cavalry brigade, the musketeer brigade, and the special operations brigade.
As for the specific allocation, it was also adjusted flexibly according to the situation. The overall goal was to achieve coordination between the various types of troops and improve the overall combat effectiveness of the army.
The division establishment was the basic tactical unit of the Great Xia army. It was set up in the military headquarters and could lead the defense of a province. Except during wartime, the five major divisions under the army group would not be stationed together and would be stationed separately.
Generally speaking, the division was a combination of various types of troops.
Although the first generation of fighter jets had already entered the production stage, with the current scale of assembly, it was still not the right time to set up an air force outside of the army. As for the navy, it would only fight together during wartime and would not mix the land and sea forces.
Before the military reform, when Great Xia was involved in a certain battle, they would often transfer a number of divisions from different army groups and organize them together to fight together. This was because of the tactical nature of the division and it could completely fight independently.
The division was the foundation of the strategic battle army and was also the basic unit to calculate the strength of the strategic battle. Its quantity and quality were the main indicators to measure the combat strength of the army.
In short, the scale of a battle depended on the number of divisions that Great Xia had invested in the battle.
Further up was the army group, which was also the highest establishment unit of the army. The five divisions below remained the same and had a headquarters command structure. It was the combat unit that was responsible for the direction of the battle, which was the basic combat unit.
Not only that, the relatively fixed army group also had a headquarters hospital and logistics support center to provide medical and logistical support services for the entire army.
This was the core content of the so-called "largest disarmament plan in the history of Great Xia". Rather than saying that it was a disarmament, it would be better to say that it was a thorough restructuring of the army.
Ouyang Shuo had long said that reducing the number of soldiers wasn't the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal was to improve the combat strength of the army. Du Ruhui, Zhang Liang, and the rest obviously understood Ouyang Shuo's intention.
In addition to the adjustment of the army's establishment, the "Plan" made very detailed plans on how to reduce the number of soldiers to be reduced, which types of troops to be reduced, and how to arrange the resettled soldiers.
In the Great Xia army, the imperial guards, the imperial guards, and the city guards were directly under the command of the army and stood at the highest level. Below them were the seven field armies: Longxiang, Huben, Baotao, Yingxiong, Tanlang, and Fengxiang.
Below them were the North African Army, West African Army, East African Army, Hanoi Army, Heluo Army, Nanjiang Army, Xiangjiang Army, Hedong Army, Beijiang Army, Yingzhou Army, and South American Army. These were the border guards.
Below the border guards were the various provincial guard divisions. Below the Garrison Division was the Reserve Division. From top to bottom, there were a total of five levels that together formed a complete system of the Great Xia army.
The lower the level, the combat strength of the army decreased.
Therefore, in this round of disarmament, it was impossible to arrange for the retirement of the 100,000 imperial guards. That would be a reckless waste of God's resources.
In principle, the soldiers that were reduced from the previous level would be given priority to the next level. In this way, the number of soldiers would be reduced gradually, and finally, all of them would be transferred to the first level of reserves, forming a huge reserve system.
Of course, this wasn't absolute.
The Minister of Military Affairs, Du Ruhui, drew a red line. In this round of disarmament, those who were the only child in the family, those who had served in the military for more than five years, and those who had hidden illnesses would be forced to retire, unless there were special circumstances.
Even those who came from the imperial guards were no exception.
Those who had wives and children at home, those who had misdeeds in the military, and those who were wounded in battle — these three types of personnel would be prioritized for disarmament.
In addition, there was an adjustment to the ratio of the different types of troops.
In view of the rise of firearms, the "Plan" clearly stipulated that after this round of disarmament, the gunmen, artillery, air force, combat puppet operators, and other types of troops would account for 60% of the total army.
In particular, the artillery and air force would be greatly expanded in this round of disarmament.
Archers, pikemen, and even cavalry would be included in the list of priority targets for disarmament. As for crossbowmen, they had long since been replaced by gunmen during the previous adjustment of the army, and they were basically extinct in the army.
Among the cavalry, there was a new secondary type of troops. In addition to the light cavalry, heavy cavalry, war elephant cavalry, and armored beast cavalry, there was also the addition of gunmen cavalry.
While reducing the proportion of infantry troops, the "Plan" also stipulated that the proportion of auxiliary troops should be appropriately increased, especially the proportion of supply, engineering, and medical soldiers.
The "Plan" hoped that in the future, the Great Xia army would have the ability to independently guarantee logistics. It wouldn't be like now, where every time a war was launched, a large number of laborers would be conscripted to be responsible for logistics and transportation.
Of course, the treatment of auxiliary troops was different from that of combat troops, and this would also reduce military expenditure.
In summary, in this round of disarmament, the targets of disarmament would face four fates. The first was to be demoted, such as from the imperial guards to the Dragon Stallion Army. The second was to be transferred, such as from pikemen to musketeers. The third was to be transferred, such as from cavalry to supply troops.
The last was to be transferred to the reserves, receive a retirement allowance, and henceforth leave the military.
One could imagine how huge of a project this would be.
Not only was this project huge, but it would also require an astronomical amount of funds. Just the retirement allowance for 1.98 million soldiers would amount to as much as 20 million gold coins.
In principle, retired soldiers would be given priority to return to their original places of origin to work, and the yamen at all levels had the obligation to arrange decent and suitable jobs for them.
The indirect costs involved would be even more incalculable.
At the same time, the retirement of 1.98 million soldiers would increase the scale of Great Xia's reserve forces to a whole new level. How to effectively manage the reserve forces became a difficult problem.
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