Chapter 67: Qiang

  Jiedushi belonged to the military commander of this kind of difference dispatch system, the predecessor was Dudu, Daidu, Datuhu, Xingjunzongguan and other titles. Originally, it was a permanent military commander who led the local troops to garrison a region and was responsible for the corresponding military strategy. However, due to the needs of war and the expansion of authority, it gradually evolved into a provincial-level general with no title but actual power.

  However, at this time, the Jiedushi was still purely a military commander, and for troops outside his direct command, the so-called "Jie" only had the right to give military orders, but not the right to manage the daily affairs of the army. In other words, the Jiedushi could order a certain army to attack or defend against a specific target, but in other aspects such as personnel, transfer, armament, logistics and miscellaneous matters, they were all managed by the imperial court's Ministry of War.

  An Lushan was certainly a major exception, with a rough exterior but deep cunning, extremely skilled in battle and military strategy, and also adept at currying favor with his superiors. In the end, he personally held all three of the northern circuit's governorships, with the title of Duke of East Ping, as well as holding dozens of other positions including Minister of Works and Commissioner of Imperial Pastures. His power and influence were unmatched throughout the land, allowing him to openly exploit his various offices to cultivate loyal followers and gather elite troops for his own use.

  But in the court, only that dead ghost Prime Minister Yang Guozhong was left to counterbalance him. However, An Lushan himself extremely despised Yang Guozhong, and Yang Guozhong had a grudge against him, also saying that his power was too great, must be a national disaster, every matter must oppose him. An Lushan's multi-position concentration of power actually set an example for the later generations' warlordism.

  Even so, under the imperial system, even if one had power like An Lushan, with a reputation of 500 generals and 2,000 lang jiang (a high-ranking military officer), before rebelling, they would still have to go through the process of recommending and reporting to the imperial court for approval, and then placing their trusted followers in key positions, only then daring to take action.

  The current Sword South Jiedushi deputy envoy Cui Yuan is not an ordinary person either. At the age of 40, he is in his prime, with a robust and refreshing appearance, combining the strong physique of a military background with the temperament of being well-versed in official affairs. Although he is a military man, he has the air of a civil official, sporting a small mustache and goatee, without the usual roughness and bravery of a warrior, but rather with the demeanor of a Confucian general. His literary skills are also excellent, and when he was first summoned to see the old emperor, his responses to questions about military affairs and strategies were all very proper and left a good impression.

  He was also a true Confucian scholar and one of the few orthodox military officers who were promoted by Yang Guozhong. It is said that he was poor and lonely in his youth, but had high aspirations and liked to study military strategy. During the Kaiyuan period, he was appointed as a candidate for the special examination (a temporary imperial examination), and passed the first place in the military strategy examination. He was granted the title of "Canjun" (a military officer) in the capital city of Chang'an, and was repeatedly praised by the then-mayor of Chang'an, Xiao Heng. When Yang Guozhong was appointed as the governor of Jianmen, he invited him to be his left assistant, and he made significant contributions. He was a person who could both do things and get along with others. After the An Lushan Rebellion, he was promoted to be the governor of the remaining territory and vice-envoy. He cleaned up the mess left by the previous defeats, governed Jianmen for many years, stabilized the border defense, and even surpassed Yang Guozhong, who had a strong desire for power and wealth, as the prime minister and concurrently served as the governor of Jianmen. However, in recent years, all matters related to Jianmen have been delegated to him.

  Moreover, before escaping, Yang Guozhong had repeatedly assured the Emperor that "I have concurrently held the position of Sword South Jiedushi, and I had ordered Vice Envoy Cui Tu to train troops and store grain to prepare for unexpected events. Now it is like a distant water cannot help a nearby fire, but with Your Majesty temporarily taking refuge in Western Shu, there will be nothing to fear. Then we can gather the various regional commanders, press in on the enemy from all sides, and guarantee that we can turn disaster into safety."

  However, this was also a seasoned veteran of the imperial court, who had mastered the art of changing his expression like a chameleon, as famously said in later generations. "The Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Sword South Military Region, Cui Yuan, is my trusted aide, I have no worries."

  It was this "You handle things, I'm at ease" Vice Grand Marshal of the Sword South Circuit who, after hearing that Yang's party had been overthrown and there were changes in Hanzhong, immediately changed his face and "led the way in righteousness", capturing and detaining the remnants of Yang Guozhong's faction who had been preparing a retreat route in Sword South, including Xianyu Song and Zhang Youjing, and presenting their names to the imperial court for punishment.

  He didn't come earlier, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. The King of Hanzhong had arrived with his imperial carriage and was using the excuse of preventing Yang's rebel party from causing trouble to impose martial law in the Ximen area, blocking all news and delaying everything for a long time. Even the envoys sent by the emperor were once blocked at the Ximen Pass and had to take a detour with the main army. Therefore, although these two men who shared the same rank as officials would chat and laugh together, they always gave people the feeling that there was something more beneath the surface. In short, their tactics were very deep.

  For this unknown and sudden rise to fame, I am as enthusiastic as a general serving in the same temple, without showing any other colors. Although he is a high-ranking official with a higher rank than me, he is also very polite and has agreed to all my requests.

  Including the officials under the deputy envoy of this prefecture, such as Gongmu officials, Jiedushi Yaqian, left and right Xiangma, infantry messengers, various military messengers, Duzhi, and Yaqianjiang, they did not dare to be slow or neglectful in providing all that was needed.

  So, the Northern Army's Zhonglang (I myself concurrently hold this position) and below, three divisions, five armies, and over twenty camps, except for those who stayed behind to guard, such as Xinjin Longwu Army's Zhonglang Jiang Weitao and various long historians, secretaries, and record-keepers, now lead the new Right Langjiang Wei Boyu, new Left Langjiang Gao Dafu, riding department lieutenant general Jie Siliang, granary official Shang Junchang, military official Lu Shaoyi, armor official Lu Yankai, law official Yan Xun, achievement official Liu Miao, substitute official Xue Jingxian, and the five armies' lieutenant generals Wen Tianli, Yu Hong, Fan Zuo, and others. They came to the Chengdu Military's large camp to arbitrarily select people, and these days they led them like a swarm of locusts sweeping away the Jiedushi Army. The following were under their command: the front, rear, left, right, and central five armies' military affairs office, the strange army team, the jumping and dodging camps, and the left and right wing Yu Hou soldiers, etc. Every time they came and went in a mighty and majestic group, one could see the bitter faces of the officers on duty guarding the camp.

  Except for the team leader and the squad leader, all soldiers below do not need to report, they can go wherever they want, and the impact is not that great. After all, entering the imperial guard means different treatment and status, but I have very strict requirements. Just the requirement of having more than 10 years of military experience and participating in more than five battles eliminated most of them. Those subordinates also had their own styles, so it took a lot of effort to gather about a thousand people. Adding those subordinates who selected their own people according to the quota, there were only over a thousand, half of whom would support the guerrilla army. I didn't choose those with high military ranks, but rather low-level soldiers, also considering ease of control.

  It's been a while since the Battle of Luoyang, and they've been training in various ways, feeling depressed for over half a month, and without an opponent, during their leisure time, those low-ranking soldiers had learned from the local Hanzhong military, some people couldn't help but find those Xinan military comrades again, exchanging some "special" feelings as soldiers.

  Of course, as long as no one loses their life, those military generals would actually be delighted to see it happen as a means of selecting and testing each other's strength. There are even rumors that some unscrupulous officers manipulate underground gambling dens, exploiting soldiers' property and wealth. Needless to say, there are also the consequences of swollen faces and bruised noses every other day, the surge in medical expenses for injuries, and reports of damaged property within the military camps.

  Fortunately, the superior did not harm anyone's life or involve others, and the law enforcement officers were also on high alert. As a result, this undercurrent was limited to remote areas and small-scale, self-controlled exchanges.

  Today is the reason for the arrival of the new army.

  Because the Sword South Jiedushi moved his troops at the same time, he also issued a royal edict to support the king. As a result, along with the continuous gathering of the various border states and military towns under the jurisdiction of the Sword South Road, the army sent to support the king has turned Xichang into a large military camp. Currently, except for the most remote Yunnan and Kunming two towns, all have received orders to send troops, and the latest ones are also on their way. Therefore, our range of options has also expanded greatly.

  In charge of liaison and dispatch, introducing us to various camp numbers and affiliations, and connecting with other camps.

  It is actually selecting people in the name of inspecting various troops.

  The troops arriving in Hanzhong are the two thousand soldiers from the Tibetan Plateau, who have been stationed on the Tang-Tibet border for many years. Although they are not numerous, they are very strong and brave.

  When I inspected the troops, I saw from afar that among the flags and banners, the sheep head flag and the yellow sheep flag with various shapes were particularly eye-catching. Suddenly, I thought of an ancient ethnic minority known for its worship of the sheep totem - the Qiang people, so I called the chief clerk in charge of liaison and scheduling.

  "Is this Qiang people?"

  "Return, sir, this is indeed the mountain Qiang of Panzhou."

  "Mountain Qiang?"

  "The so-called Mountain Qiang..."

  The so-called Shan Qiang refers to the Pingcheng Qiang who lived in the plains and lowlands, "following water and grass for grazing and hunting", as opposed to the highland uplift zone buffer mountainous areas "depending on the mountains, building stone rooms, farming and hunting for a living" Qiang department. For example, among the troops stationed in Qing and Tang, such as the Zhenwu Army and the Longcheng Army, there were Wu Tou Qiang and Baihe Qiang belonging to Pingcheng (original) Qiang, which were excellent cavalry. These all belonged to the inner attached Tang Dynasty under Han influence of the Eastern Qiang.

  There are also Dongnuo of Tang's vassal, Bailan, Xishan Ba Guo, Baitu Qiang, Fuguo and other so-called outer domain Qiang, also known as Western Qiang.

  Wei, the secretary in charge, had a rich experience and was quite talkative. He saw joy in his superior and spoke of some Qiang ethnic customs.

  As expected, they were the Qiang troops from Panzhou's Red Spear Camp. The soldiers were tall and robust with a distinctive ancient copper color that came from years of high-altitude sunlight. Their helmets revealed an unusual hairstyle - small braids tied into knots. "This is the Red Spear Qiang," said the clerk, "a tribe within the mountainous regions of Panzhou, skilled at climbing and exceling in rugged terrain, making them exceptional mountain soldiers."

  It is said that these mountain Qiang troops, compared to the dense and well-defended Goguryeo camp of the same excellent mountain troops of the Great Tang, are more skilled in short battles and sudden attacks. I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart, isn't this the most traditional mountain infantry?

  "So it seems that the Qiang army of our dynasty is still not small" I thought to myself.

  The Qiang ethnic group is one of the oldest in China, with a history of coexistence with the Han ethnic group that dates back to the era of the Yellow Emperor. Despite being assimilated, they have managed to preserve their unique cultural identity and are considered one of the ancestors of the Tibetan and Yi peoples.

  "It is true that during the Han dynasty, Ma Chao pacified the Qiang and incorporated their tribes into the army, which has been a long time ago."

  Ma Yuan, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was the first of the 28 generals of Guangwu Zhongxing. The idiom "Ma Ge Guan Shi" originated from him.

  "In my dynasty, the areas of Song, Mao, Wen, Li, Heishui, Maerkang and others were set up with the prefectures of Song, Mao, Dang, Xi, Jing, Tuo, Gong, Bao, Wei, Qian, Ba, Yi, Zhen and some dependent states, mostly with local Qiang people as governors."

  He glanced at me behind his back, and said in a low voice, "Even if it's like Ma Jun's general, Xie Daren, who also belongs to the Qiang clan of his ancestors. The surname Xie comes from the Northern Dynasty, one of the big surnames of the Huilan Qiang people, the Xielüshi surname, which was changed to Xie due to the change in pronunciation." I looked at Xie Siyi and listened to this speech calmly without denying it.

  He summoned the leading Duwei over, wearing a suit of iron armor with a star-shaped helmet, and his hairstyle was also that of a Qiang person.

  "Songzhou Military Governor Wen Chuan Cheng San Zhen Guo Wei Duwei Pan Ke Shi, to see the military commander." He spoke Mandarin very well.

  This Mid-Autumn Festival was depressing, the school notified that the cat's English exam didn't pass, and got only 59 points, just barely failing, need to retake. The administrator of the starting point contacted the cat about VIP again, in order to get some retaking fees, the cat is considering whether or not to join the VIP.