Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 88 Pension and Elite Troops Plan

In fact, in the later Three Kingdoms period, all forces had realized the importance of the policy of "favorable care" for their soldiers.

Take the Wei State as an example. Whenever a soldier died on the battlefield, the government would give his family burial expenses and a pension.

If a soldier has no children during his lifetime, the government will find a person of suitable age from his relatives or clan to adopt to continue the family line for the soldier's family.

If no one is found to adopt the child, a temple will be built for the deceased soldiers based on their merits, for everyone to worship them.

These policies seem to give ordinary soldiers maximum comfort and respect.

But the problem is that from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period, there were continuous wars and countless casualties.

These seemingly generous pension policies are undoubtedly very difficult to implement.

The main problem is that it costs too much.

After all, in this era when even the living have to starve, how much real compensation and respect can the dead get?

Although the starting point of those in power is good, if these regulations cannot be taken from the bamboo slips and effectively implemented, then at best they will be just empty words.

Cao Yan knew very well that to build an invincible army, what was most needed was cohesion, a sense of honor and a sense of mission.

In order for soldiers to acquire these valuable qualities, the first condition is these most basic guarantees, which must be implemented in place.

You can't even fill your stomach, and you're talking to me about ideals? That's bullshit.

However, since Cao Yan dared to propose this matter, he was naturally confident that he could put it into practice.

Someone once said: Money is the easiest thing to get in this world.

Before traveling through time, Cao Yan scoffed at this, but after traveling through time, he agreed with it very much.

All problems ultimately come down to one word - poverty!

As long as this key point is solved, most problems can be easily solved.

Cao Cao then continued, "The imperial court once stipulated that if a soldier died in battle, the local government would be required to provide a coffin and burial clothes, costing approximately three thousand coins. As Han officials, we naturally must adhere to this imperial policy."

However, in reality, the Han Dynasty did not have clear regulations on pensions for soldiers. It all depended on the personal likes and dislikes of local officials, and even their mood.

These policies were implemented quite well during the political period of the Han Dynasty.

But later, years of war led to the decline of people's livelihood, a sharp drop in national tax revenue, and corruption among officials became prevalent... At that time, let alone pensions, even the coffin money of the fallen soldiers was embezzled.

Therefore, Cao Yan decided to include pensions and funeral expenses in the new policy, and explicitly stipulate that they must be given out in real money!
According to the new regulations, the money required to provide compensation for each soldier who died in battle should be no less than 5,000 coins.

In a society where the price of grain is about 40 coins per stone of millet, 5,000 coins might be equivalent to the annual income of an ordinary citizen.

In the eyes of later generations, using a year's income to buy a soldier's life must have been very cheap.

But now is a time of chaos, an era where human life is as worthless as grass.

Many people join the army just to have a bite to eat. As for military pay and pensions, they dare not even hope for them.

Cao Cao explained his series of compensation arrangements for the fallen soldiers, as well as the military pay and reward system for the existing soldiers. At this moment, everyone below was silent.

Even the usually stern and serious Mao Jie couldn't help but sigh at this moment: "If this policy can be fully implemented, even I can't help but want to join the army..."

A burst of good-natured laughter suddenly broke out in the conference room.

Indeed, after these policies were implemented, the treatment of ordinary soldiers even surpassed that of some low-ranking officials. When everyone was silent, Cao Yan suddenly stood up and asked, "Gentlemen, have you ever thought about those soldiers from the lowest ranks? Do they know what they are fighting for?"

"What are you fighting for?"

"To defend our country?"

"To support the Han Dynasty?"

"To achieve great achievements and become a marquis immediately?"

Everyone expressed their thoughts.

Cao Yan, however, revealed an inexplicable smile and asked, "Do you believe what you said?"

Everyone suddenly stopped talking in embarrassment.

These things are indeed too far away for the common people at the bottom of society.

In the end, it was Xi Zhicai, who came from a humble background and had experienced poverty, who spoke the truth: "The reason why the people were willing to join the army was just to have a bite to eat and a way to survive!"

Cao Yan nodded and said, "Zhicai is absolutely right!"

After a pause, he continued, "An army composed of people fighting solely for survival can only fight when they have an advantage. Once the situation falls into a significant disadvantage, the entire army will quickly devolve into defeat. After all, they joined the army to seek a way to survive. Why would they risk their lives in vain in a disadvantageous situation?"

Cao Yan's words made everyone present fall into deep thought again.

What he said is actually the current situation of most of the princes' armies; it is also the real reason why many armies are defeated without having time to resist after encountering ambushes.

Just as Cao Yan said, everyone is just trying to make a living, why should they risk their lives?

Xun Yu pondered silently for a long time before finally speaking out, "This is probably why elite troops have been so rare since ancient times, and it's also a problem that has troubled many famous generals. I didn't expect that you, Zi'an, would explain it so thoroughly today."

Cao Yan smiled and continued, "Elite soldiers are called elite soldiers because they fight bravely and never retreat. To achieve this, they need strong beliefs, identification, and loyalty!"

To gain the true loyalty of the soldiers, the court had to spend a considerable amount of money to arm and win them over, which is why elite troops were scarce and difficult to deploy on a large scale."

"I understand..." Xi Zhicai spoke at this time, summarizing what Cao Yan said. "In the final analysis, it comes down to one word: money!"

"..."

Everyone was speechless for a moment.

Although this conclusion seems somewhat cliché, it precisely points out one of the core issues.

"But if we just use money to win him over, I'm afraid we won't be able to win his heart." Guo Jia interrupted.

"Yes, money is important, but it's not everything," Cao Yan replied.

At this time, everyone realized that since Cao Cao and Cao Yan were able to find and raise the key points of these problems, they must have also found the corresponding solutions.

Someone stepped forward and asked Cao Cao, "My lord, you summoned us here specifically for this purpose. I believe you already have a plan in mind."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, expressing his opinion to everyone, and then said: "Feng Xiao is right, it is impossible to completely win people's hearts by relying solely on money.

To create truly elite soldiers, you need to instill in them a sense of belonging, honor, and mission! Money, on the other hand, is more of a foundational guarantee.”

"Belonging, glory, mission..."

(End of this chapter)