The Privy Council was positioned as the Sui Dynasty's highest military institution, equal in rank to the Three Departments. It answered directly to the emperor and was accountable only to him, effectively creating a separation between military and civil administration.
Its offices were naturally located within the imperial city as well. A separate large compound was assigned to the Privy Council, allowing it to report military affairs to the emperor without delay.
Yang Guang had only established the Privy Council's senior officials, such as the Grand Marshal, deputy marshals, the generals of the Sixteen Guards, and a number of other appointed generals. He had not yet set up the subordinate departments or defined the respective duties of those generals.
The meaning was simple: Wang Yan was to work out for himself how to arrange so many people in power. Naturally, he would have to submit a detailed report to Yang Guang afterward and explain the reasoning behind it.
On the day after the grand court assembly, Wang Yan formally assumed office as Grand Marshal of All Forces under Heaven for the Privy Council and, under Yang Guang's instructions, began reforming the Sui Dynasty's military.
Just as Wang Yan had previously told Shi Wansui, he had long since formulated a plan.
He established the Military Strategy Hall under the Privy Council as the Privy Council's central administrative body.
He established the Military Lecture Hall to train officers at every level. It would also recruit scholars from humble backgrounds, provide literacy education within the army, formulate training plans, and so on.
He established the Armaments Hall, responsible for weapons research, centralized management of arsenals, supervision of warship construction, and more.
He established the Transport Hall, responsible for logistics, provisions, centralized deployment of military equipment, and duties equivalent to those of transport troops.