The Wei family had produced many talented individuals during the Wei and Jin dynasties, such as Wei Guan, one of the Three Excellencies of Western Jin, and Lady Wei Shuo, who taught Wang Xizhi calligraphy.

If Wei Zhongdao possessed some of their abilities, he might not be unworthy of Zhao Yan’s interests.

Zhao Ji is currently working here as a scribe.

If there is really any fate with Wei Zhongdao, they can deceive him after both of them grow up, so there is no need to make any decisions at this time.

No rush!

The elder son of the Wei family in front of her, who decisively came to her to borrow troops, is clearly talented to be able to judge so much information based on what he knows.

As he said, the foundation of the Wei family in Hedong is not enough to support themselves in troubled times, and the military power of the prefecture is not something they can rely on.

They must choose external assistance.

This assistance could be Cao Cao, with Wei Ji serving under Cao Cao as a sign of loyalty to the Wei family.

So why can’t this assistance be Qiao Yan?

As she has already begun to expand beyond Leping, such assistance would naturally be beneficial.

However, coming up and saying things like “come with me” sounds somewhat aggressive, which clearly isn’t appropriate for speaking to aristocratic forces outside of Bingzhou.

Wei Ji didn’t know that Qiao Yan had so many thoughts in her mind at a glance.

He just heard Qiao Yan say immediately, “First, we can mobilize a thousand troops this time. The food for this thousand troops’ march must be provided by the Wei family.”

“Of course,” Wei Ji replied without hesitation.

If you want others to help, you must feed them properly.

Based on his analysis of the inevitability of the Hedong Bandits plundering, the duration of this march may not even exceed ten days.

This expense is affordable for the Wei family.

“Secondly, if I capture the Hedong, I will definitely implement education and control as I did with the Black Mountain earlier, to prevent any unjust actions.

However, there are few people on the border of Leping who can take on the role of teaching. I heard that the Wei family’s scholarly reputation is outstanding, so I’d like the Wei family to lend me two people.”

“That’s not difficult.”

As the eldest legitimate son of the Wei family, Wei Ji has the right to make this decision.

“That’s all. Tomorrow, I will send someone to lead the troops. The elder son of the Wei family can stay overnight in the camp or return to the Wei family first.”

Wei Ji couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

That’s all?

He was prepared for Qiao Yan to make big demands, but he didn’t expect her conditions to be so simple.

But she is a county marquis and a commander of an army.

She would never joke about such matters.

Clearly, these are the conditions she has finally settled on.

Wei Ji immediately thanked her again and replied, “I will find a place to stay in the camp. Thank you, Marquis Qiao, for your assistance,” Wei Ji said.

---

What’s there to thank for? Qiao Yan thought to herself, planning to discuss matters more thoroughly later.

But for now, she gracefully saw Wei Ji off, ensuring their guest felt well-received.

Once Wei Ji left, Qiao Yan refocused on contemplating the system of rewards and punishments for the upcoming military expedition.

Initially, she could have hesitated longer.

However, having agreed to Wei Ji’s request for troops, her troops under command would certainly engage the bandits in battle in Hedong.

Considering this, it was best to outline a framework for the reward system before this campaign.

Although the soldiers who followed her respected her greatly due to her governance in Leping over the past two years, fame was something that could not be recklessly consumed when faced with life and death in combat.

A few skirmishes were manageable, even under relatively safe conditions, but a true campaign from Bingzhou into Hedong, ostensibly defending wealth on behalf of local aristocrats, could not rely solely on prestige.

Qiao Yan jotted down “Merit-Based System” on paper.

In the Han Dynasty, military merit systems, like most laws, inherited the Qin Dynasty’s practices, specifically the “Rank Awarded for Heads” system introduced during the reforms of Shang Yang.

However, the Qin Dynasty’s system was rigorous; for instance, officers above a certain rank had to earn their merits with subordinates, rather than indulging in personal killings.

They were prohibited from slaying civilians to claim credit and had to present complete proof from the scalp to the throat to prevent fraud.

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the original rules, such as the three-day public display of severed heads, had become difficult to enforce.

Thus, when Dong Zhuo passed through Yangcheng in Yingchuan, he decapitated all males participating in the February social festival, hung their heads from his chariot, and returned, claiming it was an operation to eliminate bandits.

This was known as killing for credit.

Nevertheless, despite its flaws, the Merit-Based System was inevitable.

Since Qiao Yan currently lacked the power to deviate from the Han Dynasty’s system and held only the title of Marquis without real authority, she couldn’t bestow promotions, reassignments, or titles.

Therefore, continuing with the Merit-Based System, linking specific material rewards to achievements, was unavoidable.

This was the most suitable system for the current societal situation, as it wasn’t appropriate to make provocative changes at this stage.

However, she did not intend to blindly follow the original system.

She picked up her pen and wrote a few more words.

【Replace heads with captives, arrange troops in front and rear, assist in displaying achievements, establish a supervisory team.】

Replacing heads with captives, this was not difficult to understand.

If achievements were only measured by heads, for instance, following the system of the Ming Dynasty where a head was valued at thirty liang of silver, given the scarcity of resources and money for soldiers in modern times, they would certainly do such a thing—

As long as Qiao Yan dared to set a price for heads, they would dare to kill the enemy without leaving a single one alive.

But not only did she lack military achievements, she also lacked manpower.

If she really followed this rule, after a battle she would definitely see very few captives alive, only a pile of heads.

This would definitely not benefit her in developing the population under her rule.

Another advantage of replacing heads with captives is that in the current environment where people fight for whoever gives them a meal, individuals defecting to the enemy is not difficult to achieve on the battlefield.

Without much ideological indoctrination, these captives can pick up weapons and assist their own side in combat, which is much more efficient than cutting off heads on the battlefield.

Just think about the hardness of the neck bones, and you’ll know how difficult it is to cut off a head during a sudden battle.

This is also why Qiao Yan wrote down the phrase “arrange troops in front and rear”.

This idea has a historical reference, namely Ming Dynasty’s famous anti-Japanese general Qi Jiguang.

After the Hongxi and Xuande periods, the military merit standards of the Ming Dynasty changed from the original system of military merit performance to one based on heads.

Both systems had their drawbacks.

In a situation where a head is valued at thirty liang(silver), the soldiers holding long weapons in the most dangerous positions, also the ones completing enemy kills, would receive twenty silver, while the soldiers from the rear providing cover and assisting in beheading would receive the remaining ten silver.

This ensures that there will be no disorderly formations during the advance due to the scramble for heads.

Qiao Yan planned to gradually form formations in this manner.

Of course, this is not an immediate process, especially since there are currently no qualified soldiers with long weapons in her ranks.

But this is not a problem; setting the framework for the system is the right move.

Complementing this “arrange troops in front and rear” is the fourth point Qiao Yan wrote, “establish a supervisory team.”

Of course, when implementing this, whether to reference Qi Jiguang’s use of “achievement symbols” worn by close soldiers to assist in beheading, completing the unit’s records, or simply using a written record of the supervisory team, can be gradually explored in subsequent real battles.

The last point, “assist in displaying achievements,” is another supplementary explanation of the system of first achievements.

In the confrontation between the two sides, besides killing enemy foot soldiers, there are also a few particularly special cases, such as killing generals, capturing flags, and leading the charge, among others.

At that time, these special merits will be categorized and added based on the system of first achievements.

Qiao Yan calculated in her heart, evaluated how much reward should be given for this battle, and then called Zhao Yun, Zhang Yang, Chu Yan, and others over.

Upon hearing that Qiao Yan did not give up on providing full rewards due to the advantage caused by this strategy, and even considered setting a standard for the future, everyone’s eyes lit up involuntarily.

No one dislikes a generous superior, and food rewards are undoubtedly a way to win people’s hearts.

This also benefits those who command troops.

Zhao Yun thought for a moment and asked again, “If Lord Junhou says so, I wonder how much grain per person head is recorded?”

Before they came in, Qiao Yan had already figured out this issue, so there was no need for hesitation at this moment.

She decisively replied, “Thirty stones.”

Xu Fu, who was beside her, quickly calculated and knew that this was indeed an appropriate amount, so he praised, “This number is wonderful.”

With Qiao Yan’s deep understanding of the situation in Le Ping’s warehouse, she no longer needed to seek consent from advisors for this reward system.

So she simply wrote a letter and sent a message from the nearby county of Zhou Ping to Le Ping, informing Cheng Li that he should set aside the grain to be used as rewards.

Then, in this promised guards and even earlier, she had summoned all the soldiers to line up outside the military camp.

With Chu Yan’s previous leadership of the guerrilla teams now combined, there were a total of three thousand soldiers standing before her.

Including the prisoners captured from the attack on the Hedong bandits, the force amounted to nearly five thousand.

Qiao Yan found a slightly elevated hill and stood there, looking down below.

It felt as if she was conducting morning exercises at a high school.

Or rather, a larger version of it.

No, it didn’t have to be like this.

She suppressed these strange thoughts and addressed the soldiers from Le Ping in front of her.

Compared to the crowd that had gathered in front of the county office earlier, she didn’t have a horn in hand now, but fortunately, there were soldiers designated for relaying messages within the ranks, enough to ensure that even those at the back could hear her clearly.

But this also meant that whatever she said when she spoke had to be concise and forceful enough to avoid any misunderstandings.

“In the battle against the Hedong bandits, a total of fifteen hundred enemies were killed and two thousand captured.”

This was their military merit!

Stir up their emotions first!

Although she intentionally let some people escape, this achievement was definitely commendable in today’s context.

But that wasn’t the point Qiao Yan wanted to make.

She continued, “This merit belongs not to me, but to all of you.”

“I intend to use this battle as an example for the future. For every enemy killed or captured, there will be a reward of thirty stones of grain. Detailed regulations on merits will be announced later.”

“Our side deployed three thousand soldiers in this battle. Due to unclear regulations before, the merits of this battle will not be detailed. However, every participant in this battle will receive thirty-five stones(1stone = 14pounts) of grain upon returning to Le Ping.”

Thirty-five stones!

Due to her deliberate pauses and the shouts of the relay soldiers, the voice announcing the reward of “thirty-five stones” spread like a wave rippling backward.

Qiao Yan stood on the high ground, able to see the expressions of those below clearly, and she could clearly see their joy and surprise upon hearing about this reward.

In the three years of her management in Le Ping, she had never uttered a promise she didn’t fulfill, ensuring no one doubted the truthfulness of her words.

Thirty-five stones! This was equivalent to half of the labor of a strong man in Han Dynasty, considering the average yield of three stones per mu of land.

He relied on half of the harvest he could obtain from farming.

But farming also had to pay taxes, so thirty-five stones(1stone=14pounds) were completely thirty-five stones!

So for this good citizenship of Leping, For this considerable combat reward, even if they were the first to engage in battle for Qiao Yan, What harm was there?!

The compensation given to those who died in this battle later, which was also considered appropriate in their opinion, was enough to calm their excited emotions.

Before they had time to calm their emotions, they heard Qiao Yan say, “The previous three battles did not exhaust their merits. Today, we need a thousand people to go to Hedong to intercept the Hedong bandits.”

“The method of rewarding merits is the same, but the danger is even greater.”

“I don’t know which of you present dares to fight this battle!”

A thousand? For these people, they could even consider the Hedong bandits a food they can’t afford not to participate.