Lin Fan was unusually calm at this moment. This matter had already caused a minor disturbance in Hongdu, which ended with the Great General of the Imperial Guard being beaten.
The incident was eventually left unresolved, with no further repercussions.
How could any news be kept hidden in Hongdu? Although the common people didn't pay much attention, this news had already spread among the upper echelons of Hongdu. Many people knew that this day would come.
Clearly, this matter could bypass Lin Fan and be directly issued to the camps of the Imperial Guard and Shuofang Army. It was likely that the palace and the Ministry of War supported this decision.
Lin Fan was also fully aware of these matters, which was why he didn't bother much with Shang Ji, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. In the officialdom, observing one's actions was paramount, and deeds were a hundred times more important than words.
Since Shang Ji had agreed to this matter, Lin Fan knew Shang Ji's stance.
Under the gaze of the assembled officials, Lin Fan slowly stepped forward and said, "Your subject believes that the Left Prime Minister's words are reasonable. The Imperial Guard has indeed neglected military discipline in recent years, and this subject has also discovered similar issues during inspections of the Imperial Guard."
"However, in my opinion, the crux of the Imperial Guard's problem does not lie with the officers and soldiers in the middle and lower ranks. All selections for the Imperial Guard are made from the most elite soldiers from all over the Great Wei. How is it that after training in the Imperial Guard for several years, they have become like this?"
"The root cause is that the current generals of the Imperial Guard are all mediocre, living their days perfunctorily, and have not diligently trained the Imperial Guard, causing their combat effectiveness to decline day by day."
"Therefore, I suggest replacing the current generals with strong commanders to reverse the decline of the Imperial Guard!"
While the Left Prime Minister suggested transferring elites from the Shuofang Army to the Imperial Guard, Lin Fan directly pointed the finger at the generals of the Imperial Guard, requesting their replacement and thus striking at the root.
Lin Fan's intention was clear: where else could one find stronger generals? Were there any generals in the Great Wei more suitable than those of the Shuofang Army? Naturally, he wanted to use this opportunity to extend his influence into the Imperial Guard.
"Regent, those words are not entirely correct."
Han Yanzi, the Minister of Works, stepped forward and said, "The Imperial Guard is the foundation of the nation. The most important quality is unwavering loyalty to the Great Wei. While there are those in the Great Wei who can fight better than the generals of the Imperial Guard, there are few who are more reliable than them."
"Your Majesty, this matter must be carefully considered," Han Yanzi bowed.
"Indeed, Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard should not be easily moved!" Several others stepped forward.
"If the commanders transferred in have ill intentions towards the Great Wei, would that not place the Great Wei in a dangerous position?" some spoke with extreme vehemence.
Originally, Lin Fan did not want to bother with them. After all, changing the generals of the Imperial Guard was a sensitive matter, and given the tense political situation in the Great Wei, bringing it up was not feasible.
The reason Lin Fan said this was merely because the Left Prime Minister was pressing hard, intending to dismantle Lin Fan's Shuofang Army, so he used this to shut everyone up.
Lin Fan also knew very well that the generals of the Imperial Guard would certainly not be replaced by his own generals. After all, he had already made many people wary, and if he were to also take control of the Imperial Guard, it would seem as though he could rebel at any moment.
However, these people were relying on his unwillingness to pursue the matter further, so they all brazenly stepped forward to furiously slander other generals, intentionally or unintentionally implying that the generals of the Shuofang Army were untrustworthy and belonged to certain individuals.
Listening to their words, Lin Fan became a little angry.
This matter was clearly initiated by them, yet they were clinging to this one point and chattering endlessly.
"I would like to ask this official!"
Lin Fan directly addressed a minister whose words were particularly sharp, "Which generals in your opinion are not loyal enough to our Great Wei? It would be best if you named them now."
"If generals are not loyal enough, it's not that they cannot serve in the Imperial Guard; it's that they should not be in the military of our Great Wei at all! You may name them, and I will investigate each one and expel those with ulterior motives from the army!"
Lin Fan's words put the minister who had implicitly referred to the Shuofang Army in an awkward position. He stammered, "This old man merely trusts the loyalty of the Imperial Guard generals. Regent, there is no need to mind."
"Then, in the future, this official must be careful with his words and actions."
Lin Fan said calmly, "If one only listened to your words, one would think that the Great Wei has no useful people other than the generals of the Imperial Guard?"
That person dared not confront Lin Fan directly and slunk back to his ranks.
Lin Fan was too lazy to even glance at him. These were merely insignificant figures who pandered to the powerful. Lin Fan usually wouldn't bother with such people, but these people had gone too far today.
Lin Fan found them displeasing and retaliated directly. It could be considered beneath him, but Lin Fan could not allow these people to continue slandering his generals indirectly.
Lin Fan did not insist on replacing the generals of the Imperial Guard, but the subsequent words of Shang Ji, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, caused Lin Fan to frown.
Shang Ji stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial to present."
"Your subject believes that the military system of our Great Wei, after several centuries, has revealed many flaws. The generals in the army are either negligent in training, corrupt, or embezzle military pay, and most generals lack reverence for the court."
"If this continues, chaos is inevitable. In the past, when the late emperor was on the throne, civil officials were often stationed in the army as supervisors, scribes, and disciplinary officers, so that the army was of one mind and loyal to His Majesty."
"Your subject suggests adding civil officials to each army, establishing supervisory officials, to serve as the court's eyes and ears, and to oversee all armies."
Lin Fan listened to Shang Ji's words and frowned slightly. First of all, Lin Fan was somewhat resistant to the idea of civil officials supervising the military. Normal armies already had positions like scribes.
What Shang Ji proposed, adding supervisory officials, meant that the civil officials in the army would have more command authority than the generals. But when it came to fighting, would civil officials be more skilled than military generals?
Lin Fan did not think so at all. On the contrary, while these supervisors might have a positive impact at first, once arrogant civil officials started issuing misguided orders, it would only alienate the army from the court.
Moreover, given Lin Fan's current situation, his network among the civil officials in the court was far inferior to that of the Left Prime Minister.
If the system of supervisory officials were truly implemented, the deterrent power of the armies under Lin Fan's command would be greatly diminished.
Therefore, Lin Fan would almost certainly oppose this matter.
Lin Fan glanced at Shang Ji, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. It seemed that this Shang, who had his eyes on the position of Minister of War, was going to stand in opposition to him.
After all, within the system of civil officials, the Left Prime Minister had a natural advantage.