Facing Li Shimin's questioning, Li You said: "Father, this matter, the sons and daughters should first go to the prisoner of war camp to conduct an investigation, consider the solution, and then report to you." ”

Li Shimin was very satisfied with Li You's serious attitude, and then let him leave.

Looking at the back of Li You's departure, Li Shimin was suddenly in a daze.

Li Jing said: "Your Majesty, the minister doesn't know why, no matter what His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest does, the minister has great confidence in him. ”

Li Daozong said: "Yes, Your Majesty, the minister also thinks so. ”

When Li Shimin heard them say this, he nodded thoughtfully, and then shook his head slightly. It could be seen that his mood was very complicated.

Accompanied by Li Daozong, Li You came to a nearby prisoner of war camp. As soon as he entered the prisoner of war camp, he couldn't help frowning.

The POW camp was built on a gentle slope in the valley, and the rows of cells inside were improvised from felled logs, with rough gaps between them, large and small.

The prisoners of war in the cells were so full that they were almost next to each other. The early spring in Goguryeo was still very cold, and the prisoners of war shivered in such humble houses.

Li You and others checked the food and hygiene, and they were all quite bad. All of this can also be understood, the roads in Liaodong and Goguryeo were in poor condition, and the transportation of food and other materials was relatively difficult, so the Tang army was naturally unwilling to consume too much on the prisoners of war.

Li You said to the commander of the prisoner of war camp who accompanied them on the inspection: "How is the attrition of the prisoners? ”

The commander of the prisoner of war camp, a tall lieutenant with a black face, said: "There were a lot of deaths, some of them were wounded, and their mortality rate was higher, and some of them were already weaker, and they also died a lot."

The camp was originally designed to hold 5,000 people, but the number of prisoners of war continued to grow, and the temporary expansion could not keep up, and now it has held 12,000 people, and about 20 people die every day. ”

Seeing that Li You had been frowning, the commander of the prisoner of war camp thought that he was dissatisfied with the situation here. So he arched his hand and said: "If there is any dereliction of duty by the minister, please ask His Highness to punish him." ”

Li Youshu raised his brows and said, "It's not your problem, you've done a good job." ”

Next, Li You learned in detail about the situation in the prisoner of war camp. He asked very detailed questions, many of which were not noticed by the commander of the prisoner of war camp.

The commander of the prisoner of war camp admired the exploits of the prince in front of him for the Tang Dynasty, and after a short contact, although he did not feel that there was any magic about this prince, he saw the meticulousness of people's observation of the problem, and suddenly felt the gap in his own work.

He said with some shame: "Your Highness, the minister has neglected the original household registration and family status of the prisoners of war, as well as the health conditions, and the minister will definitely improve it immediately." ”

Li You said: "I have already said, you are not to blame for these things, you have done your best." In this case, among the officers held in the prisoner of war camps, find some middle- and lower-ranking officers whose homes are within 200 miles of the vicinity and who are willing to join the Tang Army, and I will invite them to dinner. ”

The commander of the POW camp asked: "How many people are needed?" “

Li You said: "20 people, choose those who have high prestige in the eyes of the soldiers, and prepare a lunch, which should be hearty, with wine and meat. ”

"I'll do it." The commander of the prisoner of war camp arched his hand and retreated.

As for the method that Li You will take, Li Daozong has already discussed with him. He asked a little puzzled: "Your Highness, why don't you find some high-ranking officers, wouldn't it be easier for them to manage prisoners of war?" ”

Li You said: "To give them some sweetness, there is no room for senior officers to rise, and their motivation will not be so great." Select some middle- and lower-ranking officers, and in this reorganization, raise their posts, and their enthusiasm will be higher. ”

Yi You's goal was not only to be able to take these prisoners of war, but also to build a new type of Goguryeo army.

At noon, the commander of the prisoner of war battalion came over, and he reported to Yu: "Your Highness, the junior officers of Goguryeo that you want have already come. ”

Li You said: "You eat with them, I went, they will feel restrained, and they will not be able to eat this meal." When eating, drink alcohol to control and don't drink too much. When we're done talking, I'll invite them to drink again in the evening. After eating, you will inform me again. ”

"Yes, Your Highness." The commander of the prisoner of war battalion took the order and left.

After lunch, Li You and Li Daozong met with the prisoners of war.

"Stand up, I've seen His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest, and I've seen the King of Dongping County." Led by the commander of the prisoner of war camp, the Goguryeo prisoners of war saluted Li You and Li Daozong together.

"Excuse me, sit down." Li Daozong said.

He was the supreme officer in charge of prisoners of war, and he first introduced Yi You to the Goguryeo prisoners of war. He said: "This is the Prince of the Tang Dynasty, His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest. ”

Under the leadership of the commander of the prisoner of war camp, everyone saluted Li You again.

Li You saw that the prisoners of war in front of him were yellow and thin, and it seemed that they had been malnourished for a long time, and the full meal they had just eaten added a trace of blood to their faces.

Li You didn't need to translate, he said directly in the Goguryeo language: "Don't worry, the Goguryeo Dynasty will soon fall, and in the future, all the subjects under the rule of the original Goguryeo Dynasty will become the new Tang people." So from now on, we will be a family. ”

When the Goguryeo officers were first selected, they were nervous. After a hearty lunch, their mood had begun to calm down.

Now, Li You clearly showed them the Tang Dynasty's arrangements for their future way out, and everyone's hearts have settled down.

Facing the amiable Prince of the Tang Dynasty, who was familiar with the Goguryeo language, everyone had a sense of closeness.

Li You said: "First of all, let's get to know each other. ”

Li You pointed to the first person on the left hand sitting in front of him, and asked kindly: "What is your name, the situation in the Goguryeo army, who else is in the family, in short, introduce your own situation and let everyone know." ”

At this time, a tall and square-faced man about 30 years old, he stood up and said: "Back to the prince's words, the villain's name is Jin Zhehan, 29 years old this year, and he originally served as a ...... in the army."

Next, the Goguryeo officers introduced their situation in turn.

After chatting with everyone for a few words, Li You said: "

Ladies and gentlemen, in the future, you will join the Tang Army and become a part of the glorious Tang Army. The officers and men of this prisoner of war camp will be organized according to the composition of the Don Army, and you will become the main officers of the newly formed Don Army if you wish.

At present, there are a total of 12,000 people in this prisoner of war camp, and 10,000 people will be selected from them to form the Tang Army of the four armies. You can discuss it. ”

The Goguryeo officers discussed for a while, and everyone was very satisfied with the uneasiness of inserting the Tang army among the Goguryeo people, and that all of them would be promoted.

Jin Zhehan asked: "Lord Wang, how is the treatment of the newly compiled Tang Army, and how will it be used?" ”

Li You knew what they were worried about, and he said: "Please rest assured, according to the regulations of the Tang Army, all soldiers will be transferred to serve in other places after enlistment, so you will not be allowed to stay here to fight the Goguryeo." ”

Sure enough, this is what they are worried about, and after Li You finished speaking, everyone was obviously relieved.

Li You said: "Regarding the issue of treatment, your food standards and other equipment in the future will be no different from those of the Tang Army. However, your standard of income is about 40% of that of other Tang troops. ”

Hearing this, the Goguryeo officers fell silent for a while. For this obvious discrimination, everyone is a little dissatisfied in their hearts.

Li You smiled: "Regarding this issue, please understand, after all, you are people who have just come from the hostile camp, and your loyalty to the Tang Dynasty needs to be observed for a certain period of time." As long as you use your actual actions to prove that you have truly become a member of the Tang Army within two years, you will enjoy the same treatment as other Tang Army. ”

Li You's words were not out of the box, what he said was reasonable, and everyone's expressions were much better.

At this time, Li Daozong said: "How were you originally treated in the Goguryeo army? ”

Jin Zhehan said: "If you will know the prince's words, ordinary Goguryeo soldiers will be given 20 quintals of rice and 6 zhang of silk every year, and 200 Goguryeo copper yuan will be issued every month (Goguryeo copper yuan is equivalent to twice the Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty), one set of military uniforms in winter and one set of summer, two pairs of cloth shoes, and a pair of special iron nails for soldiers to climb the mountain. The standard of food in the army is 8 copper yuan per person per day.

The salaries of officers have been increased accordingly...... A pair of gilded copper spikes for special non-slip wearing. ”

Li Daozong said to the commander of the prisoner of war camp: "You come and tell them about the treatment of the soldiers of the Tang Army. ”

"Yes, Your Highness." The commander of the prisoner of war camp arched his hand.

He said to those Goguryeo people with some disdain: "You really haven't seen the world, a soldier of the Tang Army, the monthly salary is two yuan, the winter and summer subsidies are a total of 5 yuan, and the border defense allowance is 8 yuan a year. The 60 acres of official land in the family are exempt from taxation, with a total of 80 yuan per year.

One set of military uniforms per person each year in winter and summer, two pairs of leather shoes in the first year, and one pair per year thereafter, raincoats, rain boots, first aid kits, water bottles......

Officers' Treatment...... The standard of food in the army is 51 yuan per person per day. ”

Speaking of which. The commander of the prisoner of war camp said proudly: "What's wrong with Sicheng? It is the third layer, and it is several times higher than your Goguryeo treatment. What are you not satisfied with? ”

The Goguryeo people saw the equipment of the Tang army when they were fighting, which was far superior to them, and they already knew the wealth of the Tang Dynasty. The value of a Tang knife is more than several times higher than the weapon in their hands.

The Goguryeo officers did not expect that the Tang Army's treatment would be so high. Even if it is the standard of forty percent, it can make them live a well-off life. Now everyone said that it didn't make sense.

Next, Li You asked these officers to elect the composition list of the main officers of the four corps, and then announced the list of official officers of the four corps on the spot. Then let them go back and form their own troops, and report the names of all junior officers for approval.

The officers left happily.

The commander of the prisoner of war battalion asked: "Your Highness, the officers of the troops are all appointed by themselves, and they have all become their cronies, how can the Tang army control their troops?" ”

Li You said: "This is only the first step, uncle, I will send people to the hometowns of these officers and let their dependents sign the joint agreement." Anyone who betrayed the Tang Army during his service was jointly and severally liable for his immediate family members. After the officers signed such an agreement, it was their responsibility to have all the soldiers sign the same agreement.

Not only that, but mutual insurance agreements must also be signed in the military. Each soldier must be guaranteed by ten soldiers, and in the event of betrayal by one of them, all ten soldiers and their commander are jointly and severally liable. ”

All the officers are appointed by themselves, so that they have a strong control over the army. All guarantees are provided by themselves, and they are more binding on each other.

Let the Goguryeo people manage themselves, and the Tang army only manages their main officers, which saves trouble and ensures the internal unity of this army.

Li Daozong said: "This is a good way, otherwise, the Tang army will insert people in, and there will be a lot of artificial contradictions." With this method of joint sitting, coupled with the fact that they were far from home, the possibility of betraying the Tang army was very small. Good way. ”

Li You said: "Uncle Wang, take this place as a pilot and first form the troops of the four armies. The Flying Tigers then conducted training and political education to gradually improve the problems that arose.

When experience matures, all the troops in the POW camps will be reorganized according to this model. ”

Half a month later, the formation of the Goguryeo New Army was completed, and Li You and others reviewed the troops. The Goguryeo New Army, which had changed into the uniforms of the Tang Army, had a new look and high morale.

Subsequently, Li You and Li Daozong reported to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was very satisfied and ordered the reorganization of all Goguryeo prisoners of war.

Li You helped Yi Daozong to reorganize the Goguryeo prisoners of war and stayed in Goguryeo for the time being.

On this day, Liu Renliang sent a telegram saying that Taro Kokutakashi of Kyushu was coming to visit Li You.