178 – New Tactics (3)
Strict discipline is necessary to create a strong army.
Because strict and fair discipline must be established so that soldiers work hard to avoid punishment during training and risk their lives in war.
The person who knew this principle well was Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the legend of the Japanese invasions of Korea, and people who study war history even say this.
‘In Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s military camp, there may be more people who died from breaking rules than from battles.’
However, the current imperial army’s discipline is somewhat ambiguous, so there is a need to correct it in the right direction.
“From now on, in our division, unit commanders of each unit will be prohibited from personally imposing disciplinary action on soldiers above a certain level, except in emergency situations.”
Hearing those words, the officers looked at me with puzzled expressions.
According to what officers including myself learned at the Academy and Staff College, one of the duties of an officer is to correct soldiers who misbehave.
This is because a wide range of disciplinary action was allowed.
The discipline includes things such as very simple push-ups, sitting and standing, removing military badges and turning around the parade ground, lifting a cane, whipping, and pay reductions.
So far, we have achieved good results by using this authority to the fullest to increase the morale and training of soldiers.
To be honest, it’s not very useful other than giving soldiers some quick tricks like push-ups to wake them up.
“Lieutenant General, I have a question. So how do you manage soldiers during training?”
“In order to concentrate the soldiers’ minds, physical exercises such as push-ups are allowed. In addition, when soldiers cause minor problems while on base, they are verbally scolded or even slightly scolded.”
“Then what do you plan to do in other cases, Lieutenant General?”
To conclude, I intend to increase the average level of punishment, not lower it.
However, it is officially based on standards that can be understood from high-ranking officers above to privates below.
“Good question, Lieutenant. From now on, all soldiers’ punishments for the weakest and worst will be carried out according to strict rules, and all of this will be carried out in front of the soldiers. This is so that the soldier who made a mistake will be punished and feel ashamed at the same time so that he will never do something like that again. “This is so that other soldiers can see it and be wary.”
This method served as a driving force for Gustav II, known as Sweden’s Lion of the North, to transform the weak Swedish army into a strong army.
Because, although not as much as noble officers, soldiers also live in their own sense of honor and pride as long as they are soldiers.
Even though the military law is strict, if the contents and punishment that can be understood through common sense are applied, the soldiers will realize their mistakes and reflect on them, or even if they do not, they will be restrained by other soldiers around them.
In addition, since unnecessary punishments are eliminated, many absurdities are eliminated.
“Therefore, if it is determined that any soldier above the squad leader should be punished, except for the weak, as of the present time, he/she shall report to each company commander along with a brief reason. Then, if there is a soldier subject to disciplinary action, on Saturday morning, the company commander punishes him in front of everyone as written in the rules, based on what he received from the NCOs and officers under him.”
However, if a culture of punishment is introduced in such an overt form, there may be cases in the Korean military where commanders say ‘go’ for their own performance evaluations, as is often seen in the news.
Based on common sense, if there is a bad soldier in your unit and you cover it up and report that there are no problems, you are likely to be evaluated as managing the unit well.
In addition, if there are many soldiers causing problems, there may be disadvantages in personnel evaluations even if it is not the commander’s fault.
Or, on the other hand, there could be someone who claims that they are doing a good job of controlling things, but then accuses them of excessive punishment or even really trivial things.
“All punishments go up to the commander of the higher unit. In cases where the disciplinary action is over 30, the reason for the disciplinary decision and its details will be reported to the regiment commander, and for those under 30, caned, the battalion commander will be reported and reviewed. In addition, the number of disciplinary actions taken by the former commander and the basis thereof will be kept as a personnel evaluation and reviewed before personnel action. At this time, if appropriate punishment and disciplinary action is given, even if the number of such punishments is somewhat high, it will be considered as an effort to manage the unit and will be advantageous for promotion. In the opposite case, there is a disadvantage.”
If you do this, most people will think this way even if they receive a somewhat harsh punishment.
‘Ah, I got it because I did something that deserved punishment.’
“For your information, all military regulations will be applied and enforced equally to all officers, including me, and any disciplinary action less than caning will not be recorded in the personnel evaluation until three times, including for officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers. However, if you are disciplined for the same crime more than three times, no matter how minor it may be, we will hand it over to the military court and consider personnel measures such as dismissal.”
Officers often receive less punishment than soldiers due to their noble status and prestige.
So it will be rare to receive completely equal punishment.
However, like the anecdote in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Cao Cao was passing through a barley field, he made a show of cutting off his own neck because his horse stepped on the barley, and then cut off his head, and the discipline of the army was corrected.
If officers know that they are subject to the same laws as they are, even if the level of punishment is slightly lower, soldiers will also trust the law more.
If you are disciplined more than three times, even if it is a trivial matter, the military court will openly punish you, so both soldiers and officers will really try to strictly adhere to it.
“There is no training today. Instead, commanders at each level must disseminate the rules I have created to their soldiers within today and make them familiar with them. In addition, I will administer the disciplinary action held this Saturday to set an example.”
***
Saturday morning, 7th Guards Division parade ground.
“The lieutenant general said he would be punished according to the rules written here, but will the same standards apply to officers?”
“Sergeant, you may not know other people, but is Lieutenant General Yeager the kind of person who would talk nonsense? So, wouldn’t our platoon leader be in an uproar if he got caught for violating the rules?”
“Well, that’s why you tried to go to the bathroom during training like usual the other day, but you held on until the end. “If you leave during training to use the restroom, you will be caned regardless of the reason.”
Originally, this is a disciplinary action that should be carried out at the unit of each company, so there is no need for so many people to gather at once.
To show that it would be carried out like this, all division troops, over 8,000 men, were gathered together.
Furthermore, as an army that lacks things to talk about, there are many people who whisper about disciplinary action being taken.
“Then, disciplinary action will begin from now on. “First, Captain Klein von Stein, forward.”
With those words, Captain Klein quietly came forward, receiving everyone’s attention, and everyone’s eyes were focused on him.
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For a nobleman who values honor, this alone would be sufficient punishment, but the law is strict.
“Captain Stein, you broke the rule of not drinking more than two beers during lunch or dinner while on duty. “Am I right?”
“Yes, that’s right. “I had about three drinks like I normally do.”
“It’s a shame there was no mock battle training that day. If there had been a mock battle, the soldiers could have been injured because of your drinking. “It’s already been stated in the rules, so there will be no room for excuses.”
Hearing this, he quietly lowered his head.
Originally, there is a tradition in the Imperial Army that, unless it is a very urgent situation, they will be tolerated as long as they do not drink enough beer for lunch.
Because in Korea, beer is like cola.
However, if you drink a lot and get drunk, the problem becomes more serious, so I defined it as one 500ml glass.
“Whether you are a commander, non-commissioned officer, or soldier, excessive drinking during working hours is against the rules. Therefore, starting today, we will be going around the parade ground dressed in full military gear for a week. “If you want to protest, do it now.”
“Nothing, Lieutenant General.”
“After today’s trial, all you have to do is put on your armor under the supervision of the military police, then pack your military gear and go.”
If you are fully dressed in armor, you will be carrying around 50 to 60 kg of weight on your whole body, so there is no such thing as hardship.
Because everyone around you can see you, it will be really embarrassing for your noble face.
In this format, I handed down disciplinary action to a total of 14 soldiers today.
And, as I intended, the fighting will and morale of the soldiers and officers increased significantly.
Time passed like that, and the day for the unit founding ceremony arrived.
The Guard Division needed a member of the royal family to symbolize the division, and I naturally asked His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to grace the occasion.