As the Emperor sat on his throne, listening to his sons deliberate, he noticed that the Fourth Prince was the only one who hadn’t spoken yet. He prompted him to share his thoughts.
“I dare not speak recklessly regarding frontline affairs, as I have never been to the front myself. However, hearing my brothers speak, it is clear the situation is exceedingly dire, and it is indeed time to open the promotion channels.
“But how should we open them? Once opened, how do we arrange deployments for these commoner generals? How do we resolve the deeply ingrained conflicts between them and the military clans? Furthermore, with so many new generals, how do we restructure and organize our armed forces? These are all critical issues.
“I am not intimately familiar with military affairs, but during my recent inspection of the arsenals and munitions factories, I discovered that their management is utterly chaotic. There is absolutely no wartime mechanism in place.
“For instance, while inspecting a factory in the northeast, I noticed several individuals clearly gathering intelligence, yet the garrison guards turned a blind eye.
“Moreover, not a single factory has a contingency plan for an Allied advance. Nothing. I asked one of the factory directors if they would sabotage the facility if the enemy approached. He told me they wouldn’t dare, fearing that High Command would hold them accountable!” the Fourth Prince reported directly to the Emperor.
“Old Four, we are discussing the promotion of generals, not arsenal management!” the Crown Prince interjected, reprimanding his brother.
“I am aware, but I believe they are interconnected. Opening the channels is simple enough. The real challenge lies in how our army operates afterward. Your Majesty, I would like to recommend someone,” the Fourth Prince said, addressing his father again.
“Recommend someone? Who? And for what position?” the Emperor asked.
“Your Majesty, I recommend a man named Hu Hao. I do not know him personally, but I’ve heard much about him from field-grade officers recuperating here in the capital, and I noticed his name in the combat reports submitted by Commander Jiang Kai.
“This man is an exceptionally capable commander. I believe he should be promoted to Combat Zone Commander and given control of an entire combat zone’s forces! I am confident he would lead them to victory!” the Fourth Prince declared.
“Absolutely not. The rank of Combat Zone Commander is far too high. I know of this Hu Hao; he is a student of mine. He is only 23 years old and recently graduated from the Royal Command Academy. While his combat record is impressive, he is far too young and lacks the seniority to command respect. I believe the highest he should be promoted is Corps Commander. Let him temper himself for a few years before we consider making him a Combat Zone Commander!” the Crown Prince instantly objected.
“Oh? Hu Hao. Yes, I know of him as well. We will discuss this matter shortly,” the Emperor nodded, silencing the Princes.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince nodded.
Meanwhile, Tang Long was inwardly horrified. The Fourth Prince had recommended Hu Hao for Combat Zone Commander—that meant promoting him to full General! Jiang Kai was already a Combat Zone Commander, and Hu Hao was clearly one of his men. If this happened, Jiang Kai’s faction would control the forces of two entire combat zones. That would put Tang Long, the Grand Marshal, at a severe disadvantage in their power struggle.
“I agree to open the promotion channels. I proposed this previously, but you all opposed it. Since you are the ones suggesting it now, then let them be opened. However, once promoted, how should these new generals be deployed? Do they remain with their current units, or do they form new ones? This is indeed a problem.
“Furthermore, the Allied forces possess massive infantry reserves, while we are clearly lacking in that regard. Although I ordered Commander Jiang Kai’s Southwestern Combat Zone to expand its forces, he has only added slightly less than 300,000 troops. That is far from enough. To expand our army significantly, we need a vast number of officers. Where will these officers come from? You must provide me with a concrete plan!” the Emperor demanded.
“We have considered this, Your Majesty. We propose that the newly promoted generals take over command of the frontline units. Meanwhile, the scions of our military clans will be withdrawn to the rear to train new recruits. Once those units are fully trained, they can be deployed back to the front lines,” Grand Marshal Tang Long proposed.
“And what are the opinions of the rest of you?” the Emperor asked, not immediately reacting, but instead turning to the other senior generals.
“We share the Grand Marshal’s view. Since the common soldiers refuse to submit to our clan scions, let those soldiers fight under the commanders they prefer. Our clan scions can focus on training new forces, allowing them to grow and mature alongside their troops. Once training is complete, they can lead those forces into battle!” General of the Left Ma Zhenling added his support.
“I also agree with the Grand Marshal’s proposal!” Vanguard General He Jingzhong stood up and stated.
“Mm. Are there any dissenting opinions?” the Emperor asked the room.
“I have a dissenting opinion. I believe the newly promoted generals should be the ones tasked with forming new units. If we promote them to lead existing frontline units and withdraw the clan scions to the rear to build new ones, what will those newly promoted generals think? Will they assume they are simply being used as cannon fodder so the clan scions can escape the fighting?
“I do not believe the clan scions should be withdrawn from the front lines. They must continue to lead their troops in battle. The newly promoted generals should be tasked with immediately forming reserve units. This will be much faster—a single month of training would suffice. Then they can be deployed to the front!” the Fourth Prince argued forcefully.
“How could that possibly work? If the clan scions remain on the front, won’t the soldiers continue to mutiny and assassinate them? Our defensive lines would still be in imminent danger!” the Grand Marshal immediately objected.
“They are already in danger; it cannot possibly get any worse. Furthermore, I believe that opening the promotion channels will alleviate much of the resentment among the ranks. They won’t harbor such intense hostility toward the clan scions if they see a path for their own advancement.
“Conversely, withdrawing the clan scions to protect them while thrusting the commoner generals into the meat grinder will only inflame tensions further. Grand Marshal, have you considered what will happen if the commoner generals refuse your orders? If you implement your plan, I guarantee those newly promoted generals will absolutely defy your command!” the Fourth Prince countered sharply.
“No, the risk is too great! The military clans have already sacrificed enough!” Tang Long insisted.
“And the common people haven’t sacrificed enough? Our soldiers haven’t sacrificed enough? The clan scions at least enjoyed a life of privilege before this. But what about the common soldiers? They suffer catastrophic casualties precisely because our clan scions do not know how to command! Who answers for that?!” the Fourth Prince shouted at the Grand Marshal.
“Old Four, you are wrong. Our frontline defeats are not solely due to the clan scions; there are many other contributing factors!” the Crown Prince quickly interjected, seeing the Fourth Prince relentlessly attacking the Grand Marshal.
“I am unaware of any other factors. Our Empire has weapons, wealth, and manpower in abundance. Yet we still cannot win, and we have lost over half our territory. Why hasn’t anyone stepped forward to take responsibility for this?!” the Fourth Prince fired back at the Crown Prince.
“Enough! Cease this bickering!” the Emperor commanded from his throne.
The senior generals of High Command were taken aback by the Fourth Prince’s aggression. His words were clearly targeted directly at the Grand Marshal. They were equally surprised by the Emperor’s reaction; he had silenced the argument before the Grand Marshal even had a chance to defend himself properly.
“Since there are differing opinions, this matter requires thorough discussion!” the Emperor stated.
“I leave the final decision entirely to Your Majesty!” Tang Long suddenly said, bowing deeply.
This surprised the generals even more. Why was the Grand Marshal suddenly acting so submissive? ‘Leaving it to His Majesty’ meant the Emperor had the final say. Was the Grand Marshal really going to abandon this crucial point?
To them, it seemed impossible that the Grand Marshal would voluntarily relinquish this power. It concerned the very survival of the military clan scions. If the Grand Marshal failed to protect them, who would ever swear allegiance to him again?
“Since you leave the decision to me, I shall give it. I have heard both your arguments, and both have merit. Therefore, we shall compromise. Half the clan scions will remain on the front lines to hold our positions, and the other half will be withdrawn to the rear to train new troops, along with half the newly promoted commoner generals. How does that sound? A fair compromise!” the Emperor smiled warmly.
“What?!” Tang Long’s head snapped up in shock.
“Does the Grand Marshal have a different opinion?” the Emperor’s gaze hardened as he stared at him.
“No… however, selecting who stays and who goes will be extremely difficult!” Tang Long stammered.
The Emperor’s ‘compromise’ essentially placed Tang Long on a roasting spit. While Tang Long had political enemies—Jiang Kai being a prime example—he didn’t dare order all of Jiang Kai’s relatives to the front lines while withdrawing all of his own. If he did, he wouldn’t remain Grand Marshal for long; the other generals would mutiny instantly.
“Difficult? What is difficult about it? Every clan contributes half its scions to the front, and half to the rear. Is that not fair?” the Emperor asked smoothly.
“Yes, but…!” Tang Long tried to argue, but the Emperor cut him off.
“There are no ‘buts.’ If we followed your proposal entirely, the commoner generals would refuse your orders, rendering you incapable of commanding the army. If we followed Old Four’s proposal entirely, our defensive lines would remain unstable. Therefore, fairness is the only solution!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Tang Long realized with sinking dread that changing the Emperor’s mind was now impossible.
“There is one more matter to discuss. I intend to establish five Group Armies. Each Group Army will consist of five corps, and each corps will consist of five divisions. One Group Army will total 330,000 men. Do you have any recommendations for the commanders of these new Group Armies?” the Emperor asked the room.
(End of Chapter)