In the second year of Taiwu, on August 13th, it was raining lightly in the morning.
A cavalry regiment of several thousand people advanced slowly along the mountain road from Baitan Valley to Pinggang.
On this mountain road that is inaccessible and devoid of birds and animals, four thousand cavalry troops were wearing raincoats, the horses behind were strapped with armor, the flags were rolled up, and there were no umbrellas to protect them. They marched quietly for several miles.
At this time, after shaking off the rainwater on his bamboo hat, Jushou couldn't help but look at the hillsides on both sides full of red leaves, and couldn't help but say:
"I thought it would be bitterly cold outside the Great Wall, but I didn't expect there to be such scenic beauty. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, after the world is peaceful, a separate courtyard could be built here to escape the summer heat?"
Hearing what Jushu said, Tian Chou, the new staff member next to him, couldn't help but said:
"Below the door, there is a Rehe River nearby. Even in winter, it is as warm as spring. Therefore, this is not only a place to escape the summer heat, but also a first-class winter place in the Yanshan area."
Jushou was suddenly stunned, and then he pointed out something:
"Yes, it turns out that during the Pre-Han Dynasty, county offices were established in this area, and the surrounding areas were included in the Wanghua. However, in this dynasty, no one can go beyond the Great Wall. It's a pity."
Zhang Chong had been listening, and when he saw that Jushou had something to say, he spoke to him:
"Does Mr. Ju have any opinions?"
Jushou lowered his head to show respect, then shook his head:
"I can't say that I have any opinions. I just have some understanding after seeing too much. I am from Hebei. Although I am located in the inner county, I am not like the border counties that often suffer from the Beirong. However, the children from my hometown often go north to Beibian.
.So I have something to say about the gains and losses of Baitan County."
Zhang Chong was riding on his horse. It was drizzling and the autumn leaves were stained. He felt relaxed and happy listening to Ju Shou's narration.
I just listened to Jushu and said with sadness:
"Although this dynasty and the former Han Dynasty have the same surname, in my opinion, they are two dynasties, just like yin and yang. The former Han Dynasty was more male and heroic, while this dynasty is more yin and female. Just like this incident in the north, it can be seen."
Jushou looked at Tian Chou and asked:
"Zitai, you are from Youbeiping Wujing, and you are an out-and-out descendant of the border area. As far as you are concerned, how do you evaluate the Han Dynasty's Beibian?"
Tian Chou was a newcomer, and now he was with Zhang Chong, so he regarded every expression as a test of ability. So after thinking about it deeply, he said seriously:
"This dynasty prepares its borders, focuses on defense rather than heavy offensive, and seeks to preserve the country without disturbing other barbarians."
Jushou clapped his hands and agreed:
"Yes, Zitai is indeed one of the few scholars in the border areas. He has some insights into these matters. This sentence clearly explains the foreign policy of the Han Dynasty."
Tian Chou did not pay attention to the contempt for the border people in Ju Shuo's words, but instead asked for advice more humbly.
Because what Jushu said is the truth, that is, the general trend is like this. I would rather be a warrior than read a book. Those who read like Tian Chou have become an outlier.
Jushou turned to Zhang Chong and said:
"Your Majesty, let's not talk about this white sandalwood. There are also places like Liucheng that have been abandoned. I traveled to Hebei in the past and did a lot of work on the changes in the county governance in northern Xinjiang. In Shanggu and Yuyang in Youzhou,
In the border counties of Youbeiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong, Xuantu, and Lelang, it can be said that the entire defense line is shrinking into the fortress."
Then Jushou gave them two fingers to count:
"Among them, Shanggu County has abolished the six counties of Quanshang, Yiyu, Qiju, Ru, Nuqi and Pan. Yuyang has abolished the three counties of Yaoyang, Baitan and Huayan. As for Youbeiping, there were sixteen counties in the former Han Dynasty. Now
Twelve counties were abolished. Western Liaoning also had four fewer counties than before. It can be said that compared with the northern defense of the Han Dynasty, this dynasty abandoned twenty-five counties to the south. How much land is this?"
Zhang Chong was neither from this dynasty nor from Hebei. He knew about the general situation, but he really didn't know the stories about Hebei.
When he heard Ju Shou's words, he realized that this dynasty had abandoned so much county land outside the Great Wall.
Then, Jushou continued:
"These county lands are actually the same thing. What's more important is that when the Han Dynasty was operating outside the Great Wall, the places they chose to garrison were not randomly selected. They were all beautiful places outside the Great Wall. Just like the Bai Tan we passed yesterday.
It is said to be a battleground for military strategists, and it is the fortress of the Yanshan Mountains. Originally, the Han Dynasty had these strongholds outside the fortress. With the mountain and river situation, it was enough to deter the barbarians. However, after these places were abandoned, the defense of the entire northern Xinjiang was only
We can rely on these border walls. But it is too easy to break through the border walls, so since this dynasty, there have been constant troubles from the north, which have caused great suffering to the people of Hebei."
Zhang Chong probably understood what Ju Shou meant.
That is to say, what the Former Han Dynasty advocated in the northern frontier was to actively prepare the border and set up counties and counties in dangerous places outside the fortress. If the barbarians rebelled, they would send troops to attack them.
The advantage of this kind of active defense is obvious, that is, it can stabilize the nomads with very few elite troops deployed outside the wall.
After arriving in this dynasty, it seemed that in order to survive and retreat to the outside of the wall, more manpower was spent guarding the long border wall, but the final effect was not good. This is passive defense, with loopholes everywhere.
Jushou, as the first-class wise man in the North, naturally did not stop at this level of his views. He then said something else, which made Tian Chou on the side understand why he was a disciple.
Just listen to what Ju said:
"Practically speaking, people at that time often thought that the difference between this dynasty and the previous dynasty was due to the difference in national power, but in essence, it was about how the Yan and Yan princes in the court saw the border counties and the hinterland.
"
Then Jushou explained the connotation of this sentence in detail.
It turns out that in the Pre-Han Dynasty, the entire frontier management could be divided into Kaitu Liejunes in the Emperor Wu period, and Anbian and Fuyuan in the Zhao, Xuan, and Yuan dynasties.
Emperor Wu can be said to be the most unconventional emperor of the dynasty. During his fifty years in office, the entire frontier policy began to undergo major changes. From the time of the rise of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu was embarrassed by the siege of Pingcheng, and Emperor Taizong was humiliated. After Emperor Wu, everything changed.
He endured the retreat and began to focus on the border areas.
In the past, the Han emperors in the Central Plains generally focused their governance on the empire. As long as the empire was stable internally, even one or two external disturbances would not cause any harm.
But there happened to be Emperor Wu who insisted on opening up the border, and began to focus the entire empire on the border areas that had never been paid attention to in the past, officially establishing the border areas that were originally regarded as useless as important external border defense values.
After that, they accumulated millet and transported it to the border areas, immigrated to the border areas, and prepared the army. That period was also the period of great expansion of the Han family outside the Great Wall, and most of the counties outside the Great Wall were established at that time.
But after Emperor Wu, especially after he became Emperor, the entire frontier policy underwent tremendous changes. The proactive policies in the past were criticized as opening gaps and destroying the unity of all ethnic groups in the frontier. Then in this dynasty, there was even a large-scale abandonment of Liangzhou.
Strategies to maintain peace.
This kind of policy of cowardly seeking survival has been implemented to this day, causing the people of Liangyou Land to suffer deeply, and increasingly accumulating hatred towards the Han Dynasty.
Because although this dynasty said that it was to protect the territory and the people, it defended rather than attacked. But in fact, this greatly encouraged the plundering of the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Southern Barbarians.
After Liu Hong came to power, the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Liang could be said to have been invaded forever.
And when these side scenes came to the court in Kyoto, those ministers who were preaching in great detail were either getting married or passing the market.
It can be said that the hearts of Hebei scholars like Jushou were greatly chilled. Because at this time, the Han Dynasty was no longer able to protect the interests of Hebei people.
What also worried Jushu and the others was that the dynasty frequently used the policy of using barbarians to control barbarians in border affairs. Although this reduced the cost of the court, it allowed the barbarians to grow.
The Wuhuan people, who originally had only a tribal status, have grown into a complete military organization now, which is an example.
They thought very well, thinking that the barbarians attacked each other and killed tens of thousands of people, but the Chinese could enjoy great success without losing the Han soldiers, and the people did not know their hard work.
Is there anything more cost-effective than this?
Little did he know that fate had already secretly marked everything with weights.
Without Zhang Chong's intervention, all this would eventually break out.
Zhang Chong, who had long been aware of history, sighed sincerely after listening to Ju Shou's words:
"If you seek peace through struggle, you will survive in peace; if you seek peace through compromise, you will perish in peace. This statement does not deceive me!"
Just as Ju Shou and Tian Chou were chewing on this passage, they heard Zhang Chong seriously ask Ju Shou for advice:
"As Jugong sees it, how should we govern this northern border area?"
Now Ju Shou became more excited. He said so much. On the one hand, he once again affirmed his support for the king's policy of conquering Liao and wanted the king to take active defense. On the other hand, wasn't it just for this sentence?
Therefore, Jushou explained in detail the border defense strategy that he and Tian Feng, several subordinates of the Hebei sect, and the six ministries proposed.
In Jushou's view, there were problems with Emperor Wu's policy of opening borders in the former Han Dynasty and his subsequent appeasement.
Such a large-scale border opening by Emperor Wu consumes too much national power. It can only be done in times of prosperity and cannot become the norm. And the appeasement of the Han Dynasty in this dynasty is even more unreasonable. It can be said that it is just as the king said just now.
, seeking survival is impossible.
So what?
Jushou then presented to Zhang Chong the achievements of their Hebei faction in preparing the border.
It can be summed up in one sentence, that is, "stay with the four barbarians".
In Jushu’s own words:
"In ancient times, the emperor guarded the four barbarians."
Zhang Chong's understanding in his own words was that the four barbarians should form a vassal screen and form a situation of guarding the emperor at the center. The Xia and the four barbarians would jointly form a harmonious and unified world order.
Among them, Northern Xinjiang was the focus of defense against the Xianbei people and an important area for implementing this policy.
Of course, this judgment is not only related to the interests of Jushu and the others as they are from Hebei, but also based on views derived from history.
In their view, those who can threaten the Central Plains Dynasty in the future must be the nomads from the northern grasslands. Although they do not know how vast this grassland is and connects Europe and Asia, they only rely on historical experience to know that the nomads in the north will be destroyed.
Not finished.
In the past, the Huns were here. After the Huns, there were the Xianbei people, and after the Xianbei people, other ethnic groups will inevitably appear. These grasslands are like a bottomless pit. No matter how the Central Plains dynasty responds, new enemies will appear.
Therefore, according to Jushu's intention, it is to take the strategy of going deep into the grassland regularly and implementing the strategy of reducing the number of people.
The Taishan Army did not use Emperor Wu's massive campaign of sending hundreds of thousands of troops, nor did it use the appeasement of this dynasty, but took the middle road. It only had to allow the border towns to go deep into the grasslands every year and implement the strategy of reducing the number of troops.
By actively participating in the affairs of the tribes in the northern grasslands, they control and suppress these tribes.
Moreover, according to Jushou's opinion, a large number of people and livestock can be obtained by going deep beyond the Great Wall.
The population can be used for domestic construction, and the livestock can be used for farming.
In short, it reaches the Hanhai Sea in the east, the Zhangye River in the west, and the Yanran Mountain in the north. It is more than five thousand miles from east to west and three thousand miles from north to south, which can be searched by the Taishan Army.
In addition to this tactic of actively going deep into the grasslands and plundering regularly, Jushu also suggested setting up a stronghold outside the fortress instead of passively using the border wall as a defense.
Moreover, in order to integrate with the previous reduction and plundering policy, these strongholds must be established as military towns.
In Jushou's plan for Zhang Chong, roughly six or seven such military towns were set up in the long border from Shanggu to Youbeiping to ensure the security of northern Xinjiang.
Later, when the Taishan Army takes over Bingzhou and moves further west, it can also follow this method to establish military towns outside the fortress. According to Jushou's calculation, a total of twenty will be established.
These military towns are arranged in the plains or hills north of Yinshan Mountain to control the traffic arteries from Mobei to the south. It can be said that once this policy is implemented, Hebei will no longer hear the voice of border police.
Zhang Chong had been listening to this process. When he heard this, he was stunned for a moment:
"A military town is set up north of Yinshan Mountain? What about south of Yinshan Mountain?"
Then Jushou explained.
In his plan, the Taishan Army would take the initiative to attack and seize the pastures south of Yinshan Mountain, and then guard it here to prevent the autumn troops. For example, the armies of Youji could station troops in Monan every autumn and winter, and then in
Returned to Sene in the spring of the following year.
This is Jushu's proactive defense.
The whole system consists of the military town system to the north of Yinshan Mountain, the anti-autumn army to the south of Yinshan Mountain, and the final border wall, forming a triple military defense.
But after hearing this, Zhang Chong shook his head:
"Jugong, your strategy sounds good, but it is actually difficult to implement. Not to mention whether the Youji armies can stay in the cold grasslands in autumn and winter, your strategy of reducing Ding will bring endless troubles."
Just kidding, Zhang Chongfu didn't react when he heard this strategy of reducing the number of people. Later, the more he heard it, the more familiar it became. Isn't this what the Jin people did to the Mongols later? Wouldn't they force someone to be a fierce man from the sky later?
Zhang Chong, who came from later generations, understood that when you cannot destroy someone else, frequent wars will only make the hatred between the two sides deeper and deeper.
Countless real cases in history and reality told him that changes in strength and weakness are only temporary. Although strong external military pressure may win a temporary victory, it will eventually temper and temper those who are still alive.
And when the time comes, the original conquerors will face more organized resisters with hatred.
Therefore, Zhang Chong does not quite agree with Ju Shou's view.
Just when Jushou was about to explain further, the flying rider in front was flying along the road and passed:
"We've passed the valley ahead, and we're still forty miles away from Ping Gang."
After hearing this, Zhang Chong decisively ordered:
"Order the front troops to march ten miles in armor, and the rear troops to march ten miles in armor. Each division will take turns."
The flying cavalry beside Zhang Chong received the order: "Here!"