Volume 1 I Want to Be an Emperor Chapter 18 The Imperial Capital's Military Forces

  The Han Dynasty has been in existence for 400 years since its founding, and during these 400 years, the Han Dynasty has experienced many things, which also led to changes in the military system of the Han Dynasty.

  Of course, it's absolutely not a better change, but rather more chaos and complexity!

  Not mentioning the garrison on the border, just as the capital of the dynasty, there are several branches of troops with different systems.

  The Han Dynasty initially set up two armies in the capital, each with its own responsibilities, which was relatively simple and clear. The southern army was mainly composed of knife-wearing guards, whose main responsibility was to guard the imperial relatives and patrol, and the soldiers were mostly from various places serving as regular soldiers.

  The northern army is guarding the capital, and it can be said that it is the main force of the war. At the same time, the surrounding areas of the capital are also guarded by this branch of soldiers and horses, so both combat power and number of soldiers are relatively large.

  At the same time, in order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the Northern Army and prevent it from becoming a private army for someone, soldiers came from all over the country and were replaced at any time. In extraordinary times, the emperor had the right to directly dispatch his trusted heavy ministers to control this army.

  This can be considered the initial form of the Han Dynasty's central army. If that were the case, Liu Xuan would not need to think so much about controlling the capital's soldiers and horses, he could just go straight to the Northern Army.

  During the time of Emperor Wu of Han, there were changes and additions made to both the Northern Army and the Southern Army.

  The Southern Army added the Period Gate Army - also known as the later Hu Bao Army, Yu Lin Army - initially called Jian Zhangying Riding and Yu Lin Gu Er three regular army formations, and the status of all three armies was extremely high.

  Among them, the Gate of Periods and Feathered Forest have the responsibilities of guarding the palace, attending the emperor, and sending troops. They are considered to be the highest level among the many soldiers in the capital, and they are also very strict in selecting soldiers, mostly from the northern soldiers who are good at fighting.

  The Youlin orphan was more special, this branch of the army was a bit like the later military academy, mostly composed of the orphans of meritorious soldiers who died in battle, and then underwent systematic training and training, and were dispatched to other troops after coming of age.

  At the same time, the Southern Army's original organization still existed, with guards still having the duty of guarding the palace and inspecting the imperial city, and soldiers were still drawn from regular troops in various places for rotation.

  The changes in the Northern Army were even greater. The Northern Army was originally disbanded once, and later during Emperor Wu's reign, its establishment was restored and expanded to include eight northern military academies, becoming the main combat force of the Han Dynasty's central army.

  At this time, the central army of the Han Dynasty was already complicated and chaotic, with even overlapping powers. However, due to personal interests of those in control of military power and the emperor's desire to control military power, not only did they fail to streamline the troops, but instead further pushed the central army towards greater chaos.

  After the establishment of the eight northern garrisons, the Zhongwei troops were also set up to maintain peace and order in the capital city. When the emperor went on an inspection tour, they also had the duty of escorting him.

  Later, city gates were set up and troops were stationed, and the position of City Gate Colonel was added according to the number of city gates, mostly led by imperial relatives and close officials.

  During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eight northern military camps were changed to five northern military camps, and the garrison troops at the city gates were changed to guard against the city gates. However, in essence, there was no change at all. There were many soldiers, and they were extremely chaotic. When General-in-Chief He Jin was in power, these several routes of soldiers and horses were basically controlled by He Jin himself, who held all the power, and as a result, the capital did not appear to be in any chaos.

  But now...

  He Jin had controlled the five northern military schools, the city gate guards and the most important troops of the Tiger Elite and Feathered Forest Imperial Guards. Although Zhang Rang and others had control over a portion of the imperial guard - in fact this so-called imperial guard was just a portion of the Tiger Elite soldiers - they did not truly have control over any branch of the military, otherwise Emperor Ling would not have been forced to establish the Western Garden Army to counter He Jin.

  Now Dong Zhuo led his troops into the capital, the first thing was to grasp the city gate guards and the five northern schools in his own hands. Among them, he used his trusted followers to win over the middle-ranking officers. Once successful, Luoyang would basically fall under Dong Zhuo's control.

  Although Liu Xuan knew that before he could achieve his own goals, he should let Dong Zhuo do these things, but it was not good to do nothing and let Dong Zhuo completely control the initiative. He still needed to make some response.

  The most suitable one at present is the Huabing Army closest to the emperor.

  The Hu Bao army returned to the command of the Hu Bao Zhong Lang Jiang, who is now Yuan Shu. Although Yuan Shu later made many mistakes, at this time he was still a very powerful and talented young man.

  Liu Xuan was thinking about how to snatch military power from Yuan Shu's hands.

  After some thought, this might be too low-key. Yuan Shu had not yet become muddle-headed at that time, and the Yuan family was also extremely influential in the court. Trying to force it would only offend Taifu Yuan Wei.

  At this time, Liu Xuan and Cao Cao were sitting in a palace, with no one else around. Cao Pi personally guarded the door, and if someone came, he would make some noise to remind the two people inside.

  "Dong Zhongying has already entered the capital, and it won't be long before he takes control of the situation in Beijing. By then, it will be difficult to make any moves! Taking advantage of his current unavailability, we must take control of a branch of the army. Does Meng De have any suggestions?"

  Since the Emperor returned to the palace, all officials finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were still many troubles to be solved, it was not the time for discussion now, so they dispersed and went home to rest, waiting for tomorrow's court meeting to discuss matters.

  Of course, no one would really go back to rest today. He Jin's sudden death was too big a deal. All officials in the capital, big or small, were busy on this day, especially the few bigwigs in the court, who had to make predictions about the changes in the court situation while trying their best to gain benefits for themselves.

  So although everyone says they are going home to rest, once they have walked a distance, some close relatives will quietly gather in one place and then find a secluded spot to discuss important matters.

  At this point, the capital also suddenly fell into a strange calm, and only Dong Zhuo, who had just entered the capital, came and went in a hurry - but he had an army that could be ordered at will, and these officials couldn't do anything about it even if they didn't like it.

  The only ones who can counter it are Yuan Shao, who controls the Xiyuan Army, and Yuan Shu, who holds the Huben Army.

  However, both of them were involved in the matter of leading troops to storm the palace, and it's not suitable for them to jump out and cause more trouble now. As their elder, Taifu Yuan Wei will not let them cause more trouble either, so as to avoid bringing great disaster to the Yuan family. Therefore, when the officials dispersed, he directly had the two of them taken back to his own mansion to discuss matters.

  He Jin and He Miao both died, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu hid and didn't care about the matter. Dong Zhuo became more and more unscrupulous. In just over half a day, he had already controlled most of the five northern armies. Although he couldn't use them at will, at least no one could use this army to trouble him again. This gave Dong Zhuo great confidence.

  "The northern army has the most soldiers and horses. As long as this army is immobilized, no one in the capital can oppose me!"

  The city gate guards were easier to control, and the lieutenant was not considered a good fighter, nor was he treated well on a daily basis. Under Dong Zhuo's soft and hard tactics, he quickly took control of them - more importantly, these troops suddenly lost their biggest backer and were eager to find a new person to rely on, in order to stabilize their position in the capital.

  Although no one reported these things, with Cao Cao's intelligence, he guessed roughly by inference. When Liu Xuan asked him, he thought for a moment and said: "The Hu Ben army cannot move, and the Hu Ben army is under the control of the highway. At present, the Yuan family is not an enemy of your highness, there is no need to establish enemies for nothing, on the contrary, it is more suitable to win them over and become a helpful force!"

  Liu Xuan immediately understood that the Yuan family didn't have too much conflict with him, and earlier when Yuan Shao was clearly in the wrong, Liu Xuan hadn't seized on the issue and instead just scolded a few times before giving him an opportunity to step down. Therefore, the Yuan family also didn't hold too much hostility towards Liu Xuan.

  In addition, Dong Zhuo is about to take control of the capital, and although the Yuan family has a very high reputation, under Dong Zhuo's oppression, they will also feel uncomfortable. At that time, it will even force the Yuan family to turn to our side to some extent.

  "It's true, this Hu Biao army can't move and doesn't need to be touched!"

  The Tiger Guards cannot be touched, and those who can intervene have no soldiers or horses. The most reliable one is the Feathered Forest Army.

  "Feather Forest?"

  Cao Cao thought for a moment, and finally his eyes flashed with inspiration: "Not only the Imperial Guards, but also the long-abandoned Feathered Forest Orphan can be grasped in hand at the same time!"

  The Weilin Orphan was established during the time of Emperor Wu, and for a long time afterwards it was a training base for low- to mid-level military officers, an important source of soldiers for the central army of the Han dynasty.

  However, over the past decade or so, despite frequent wars and turmoil, the imperial court's policies have been in disarray, and this branch of the military has long been neglected. Now, with just a few clever moves, it can be grasped firmly in hand. Although there may not be any immediate benefits, one must always look to the future.

  "This plan of Meng De is quite good, and the position of Lang Zhonglang in the Imperial Guard is not held by anyone important at this time, which can help Meng De to get it!" After thinking for a moment, he really couldn't remember who was currently holding the position of Lang Zhonglang in the Imperial Guard, guessing that it was either vacant or held by someone with no power.

  In any case, losing his official position is unavoidable in these chaotic days - a more important point is that the Imperial Guards also participated in this imperial city riot, so the Yuan family cannot move. Who knows which guy from who-knows-where can still make moves? Even if he really has a powerful backer, compared to the Yuan family, it's nothing.

  The royal family needs to regain some face, and they must sacrifice someone. After weighing the options, getting rid of a nobody is better than getting rid of Yuan Shu. As soon as this position becomes available, I will have the power to put Cao Cao in that position.

  In that case, the position is easy to get, but the Feathered Forest Army is not comparable to the Feathered Orphan. Cao Cao may be able to manipulate this position, but it's unlikely he can control the Feathered Forest Army.

  "After all, such a large army cannot be controlled by one person, but Liu Xuan didn't worry about this at all. He directly said: 'Does Meng De know what kind of talent is good at fighting? If he knows, invite him to the capital and help Meng De control the Imperial Guard!'"

  Cao Cao listened and knew that the position of Lang Zhonglang in the Imperial Guard was already set for himself by Liu Xuan, and this statement clearly acknowledged his cultivation of his own power. As long as things were successful, even if Liu Xuan's great plan failed, Cao Cao would not be overthrown from that position.

  "There are several talented brothers among the Manchu people, who can be summoned by writing a letter to assist Your Highness in accomplishing things!"

  These days I've been having a cold and fever, always feeling dizzy and sleepy, which delayed the update... but there won't be less than 2 updates.