Xiao Xuan then recalled the experience of these days, and at the same time recalled some situations during military training in the military camp and said: "It is necessary to let the army have combat effectiveness, and it is necessary to form combat effectiveness at the fastest speed. It is also indispensable to have strict requirements all the time and even to make people live in military discipline thoroughly. In addition to eating, sleeping, training, and chores, even if there is entertainment and leisure, adjusting the atmosphere and relieving pressure, soldiers should collectively carry out under the command of officers, and should not have time for laissez-faire. All training should also be supervised by the officers. In eating, sleeping and even sundries, it is necessary to develop regular, fast, and tense details all the time. For example, you should eat quickly without delay, and limit the time for a stick of incense. Eating and sleeping cannot be spoken, the quilts and beds must be folded quite flatly, the military appearance and clothes must be neat, and the assembly must be rapid. As long as it's not a downpour or a strong wind that makes it hard to stand up. No matter how hot or cold it is, keep exercising... ”

These modern armies are not capable of being done by any field unit in any era, and the requirement that only a small number of main forces can guarantee the full training of field troops may sound like nothing, but it can make Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, and others who have military experience in ancient times sound simply astonishing. Back then, Qi Shaobao's "Actual Record of Military Training" made people feel that it seemed to be completely detached from the actual conditions in many situations. Although the "Actual Record of Military Training" stipulates many things in detail, it is not so strict.

After thinking about it for a long time, Huang Degong, who had been in the army longer than Zhou Yuji and had more experience, still didn't have much scruples and sighed first: "This kind of requirement for the army has never been heard of in the eastern Liaodong border army. This kind of demand, which is contrary to human feelings, may be able to be made up if it were a month or two for a year and a half. If it is a young man and there is strict discipline, it is not impossible to have a few years. However, even if you are a teenager in the army, you will eventually grow up in the battalion. I don't believe that the vast majority of people can accept this kind of life for five or even ten years in a row, and maybe a few can. But most people can't even be selective. Such strict requirements must not be sustained for a long time... ”

For this point, Xiao Xuan carefully thought about the modern military system, and he already had his own understanding in his heart, so he smiled and said: "I can say something rebellious: there has been no immortal dynasty since ancient times. Hehe, of course, there are no immortals. The truth between heaven and earth, flowing water without decay, reproduction and renewal can be eternal. I think that except for a very small number of very good talents, most people will become old fritters after more than three years in a position, and they will have a negative attitude towards their careers if they know a lot of 'unspoken rules'. Therefore, since the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the imperial court has implemented the system of liuguan. The same is true of the military, of course. I know that the kind of barracks life that is so strict that it requires everything to live in is inevitable for the vast majority of people for more than five years, and it is almost impossible to maintain it for ten years. However, with rigorous training, I believe that within a year, at least two years, they will become excellent soldiers by the age of fifteen or sixteen, and in just a few years of military service, as long as they can kill enough enemies and bear enough war losses. Our army can replenish and rotate one-fifth of the soldiers every year, and the army of Jiannu or the enemy, only counting the young and strong soldiers, can only replenish and rotate one-fifteenth of the entire army every year. If the combat strength of the army is not far apart, our army's ability to withstand attrition operations is equivalent to that of three enemies, and 10,000 people in two battalions can be equivalent to 30,000 elite soldiers and 15,000 to 20,000 armor. If the military strength I personally control has this level, then many major things can be decided. For I am a monarch and not a general after all ... ”

Hearing Xiao Xuan say this, not only Huang Degong, but also Zhou Yuji and even Lu Jiude, Liu Yuanbin, and Sun Yingyuan also seemed to have some understanding...

In response to some of Huang Degong and others' previous questions, Xiao Xuan continued: "Of course, such strict requirements are balanced in this capital and are still in the early stage of the army, so there may be no problem with young people. However, if the proportion of officers is not enough, and the proportion of people in charge of people is not enough, there will still be the temptation of mutiny, confrontation and contradictions. Everything should be considered from the worst perspective. At first, the leader of the ten-man squad above the army felt that there must be a separation from the status of a soldier, which was equivalent to the status and power of a chief officer. Officers and even non-commissioned officers, who account for at least one-fifth of the army and above, should establish closer ties with each other. This is the only way to ensure a more rigorous management of the team. If something happens to a team, such as a squad or both. If there are enough non-commissioned officers and officers in the vicinity to dare to come and support, and the soldiers will be under more pressure to control them, the risk of potential disturbances will be eliminated. This should be the most important point, and it is also the key to the method of restraint. In the past, the reason why ordinary armies could not implement military discipline according to the strictest standards was that they only relied on the generals' personal soldiers and the only officers in a hundred to manage the barracks, and there was no one to supervise and guide the ordinary training of soldiers. ”

In this way, for Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong and others who have a certain amount of experience in the border army at this time in the barracks, especially when the discipline is not so strict, of course, it can be regarded as thunderous, and the gaze of Xiao Xuan seems to be a little different from before.

Xiao Xuan then added: "I heard that in some countries that have established their kingdoms by force in the more western regions of the Western Regions, they also choose teenagers around the age of thirteen or fourteen to start practicing martial arts, and it can't be too early. If you practice martial arts too early, especially when your strength and muscles have not yet begun to develop, you will also get twice the result with half the effort, and there will be a large number of people in the team who are unbearable. Of course, the age of fourteen or fifteen is not the ideal age for training and rapid formation of combat effectiveness, but it is impossible for the lower strata in rural or urban areas to leave the swaddling clothes of their teachers at the age of 18 to have social consciousness like the students of the academy. The combat effectiveness of our army is more dependent on firearms, hand-to-hand combat, or bows and arrows aimed at the right direction. There is still not much demand for strong bows and crossbows, and if there is a demand, I should also have a way to let the children use the crossbows when the training cost is not too large, so not being strong enough is not too fatal weakness... ”

In addition, Xiao Xuan also talked about the surprise of taking turns to speak in the camp and installing a group of ten people in the camp these days, which made Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Sun Yingyuan and others, who had a military career, feel refreshed.