Both sides of the Kunming River have become huge construction sites.
The original craftsmen used local materials and, with the assistance of slaves from various ethnic groups, rammed earth to build the city walls.
The new city is located on the east side of the old city and is built adjacent to it.
Due to limitations of objective conditions, the scale of this new prairie city, named "Supreme Khan" City, will not be too large. The circumference of the city is only about seven or eight miles, which is equivalent to the size of a county in Henan.
But on the grassland, this is still a majestic city with very high standards.
At the foot of Udetun Mountain, the stone tablet was buried.
To be precise, this should be a stone pillar, because there are characters engraved on all sides: Chinese, Uighur, and Turkic, indicating the indisputable rule of the Supreme Khan over this land.
"Beiya, the Lifanyuan system needs to be restructured. The existing system can no longer effectively govern such a large territory." In the old city of Heichengzi, Shao Shude called over Yang Yao, the director of the Lifanyuan, and two privy councilors from the Beiya Privy Council.
Deputy envoys Zhao Kuangning and Xu Hao discussed matters.
Yang Yao is the third chief official of Lifan Yuan after Ye Lijingchen and Li Yanling. He was transferred from the position of Privy Envoy of Beiya for more than a year.
"How do you want to change it, Your Majesty?" Yang Yao asked.
"Both the local and central systems must be reformed." Shao Shude said: "The Lifan Yuan is the central hub. The existing structure is too rough and there are too few officials. At least a system imitating the six departments of Zhongshu must be built to collect taxes, provide disaster relief, punish punishment, etc.
Because it is a de facto enfeoffment system, it does not need to be as detailed as Zhongshu, but the basic structure must be there."
"The names of the official positions can be combined with Han and grassland to make it easier for them to understand. There are seven prime ministers in the political affairs hall, and there can also be a few more chief officials in the Lifan Yuan, whether it is a minister or a Yue, it doesn't matter. Among the leaders of the grassland tribes
Those with prestige and ability can be transferred to the Lifan Yuan, and the Privy Council of Beiya is equivalent to Yue, serving as ministers, and serving as privy envoys. Do not discriminate against them and integrate them into the system as much as possible."
"As for the local area, yesterday I entrusted a lot of Yili Jin (the official position of tribal chiefs in the Turkic and Uyghur era) to go out according to the book. Think about it again, do you need to set up a general manager?"
On the one hand, Shao Shude carefully recalled the system of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties in later generations, and also considered how to localize it in response to the current actual situation. After all, the situation was different, and the alliance flag system of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties could not be copied, but had to be modified.
In Mobei during the Qing Dynasty, after the alliance in Dolonnoor, the Qing government granted Tuxietu Khan, Chechen Khan, and Zhasak Khan command over various ministries.
This is realistic, because the grassland is vast and in a state of enfeoffment and autonomy. If it is divided too finely and there is no leader, it will easily be swept away by foreign enemies and annexed in one fell swoop.
In the post-Turkic era, the territory was far inferior to that of the previous era, and was divided into left and right compartments.
During the Uighur period, Yehu (equivalent to the governor) was set up to manage various places.
In the Mongolian era, there were similar official positions.
The positions of high-level officials in this area have to be set up, but they have to be set up very carefully, because Shao Shude's rule over the grassland is still very fragile. But then again, the Huns, Turks, and Uighurs' rule over the grassland is not very good either.
, this place is naturally prone to division. If there is something that the Great Khan of the authentic grassland has not done, don’t think too much about it.
It is better to pay close attention to the demands of various ministries and ask them to abide by political ethics. Political ethics is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it is real. For example, the monarch protects his vassals, and the vassals are loyal to the monarch. This is a kind of politics.
ethics.
As long as we are human beings and have certain civilization and laws, there will be such things as political ethics.
The Central Plains once advocated that the man with strong soldiers and horses would be the emperor, which was a lack of political ethics.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, aristocratic families and monarchs governed the world together, which was actually a kind of political ethics.
Confucianism, which has lasted for most of its history, has been largely about political ethics.
The grasslands have the political ethics of the grasslands, the Southern Barbarians have the political ethics of the Southern Barbarians, and the Central Plains have the political ethics of the Central Plains. They are all rooted in their culture and traditions. To understand them in depth, we cannot generalize them.
"I will discuss this matter with my colleagues," Yang Yao responded.
"There's no need to be anxious." Shao Shude said: "The system can never be perfected overnight. What's more, this is the first time we have ruled the grassland so deeply. Everything has to be explored. Take your time. If there are problems with the system, it can still be done in the future.
Change. With me here, you can still hold it back."
"Your Majesty is truly connected to the world." Yang Yao sighed.
"There is no need to say more. No matter how much the world is tied to you, it is useless for you to hide in the palace." Shao Shude waved his hand and said: "Just like these grassland heroes, if I don't come here personally, I will
It is impossible to truly rule them. If they are exhausted, they can only rule with restraints like the former Tang Dynasty."
However, there are actually three levels of Jisi rule. If you want to have deep control, don't be lazy.
Li Shimin was in Chang'an, and was jointly named "Khan of Heaven" by various ministries. He had never been to the grasslands, and relied on military deterrence. He was granted official status over the grassland ministries, but his control was stronger than that of other dynasties, and he could recruit troops to fight.
But Shao Shude was more ambitious. He wanted to establish a system on the grassland, treat it as his own territory, and further deepen his control to the extent of the former Tang Dynasty.
To put it figuratively speaking, he canonized a bunch of Yili Jin yesterday, which is equivalent to vassal towns.
The relationship between the imperial court and the vassal towns was not unfamiliar at all to Daxia officials. It could even be said to be too familiar. This was an "experience" that many officials in the unified dynasty lacked.
There are many experiences and methods in this that can be pondered over and then used.
For example, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, all the vassals and towns in the world were brought into compliance and the so-called "Yuanhe Zhongxing" was achieved.
What is the sign of honesty?
One, two taxes and three thirds, part of the taxes of the feudal town should be paid to the central government. In view of the poverty of the grassland, the amount of taxes to pay can be discussed again, but it must be there. This is a matter of principle.
Second, troops should be sent to help the court fight wars. For example, in national foreign military operations such as autumn prevention and winter prevention, suppressing rebels, etc., the Tang court would give material rewards to feudal towns that actively sent troops.
Third, for official positions within the feudal town, the court sometimes appoints and removes them, and they must be implemented.
Fourth, if the officials of the feudal town perform well, they can become officials in the court and maintain upward and downward mobility.
5. The imperial court sometimes split up vassal towns. For example, Ziqing Town was divided into three.
Sixth, there are other matters such as imperial examinations and prison sentences, which are all trivial matters and not as important as the previous ones.
If the relationship between the Great Xia court and the tribes on the grassland could reach the level between the Tang court and the feudal towns during the Yuanhe period, it would be the first time in history and a historic breakthrough.
The relationship between the Manchus and the grasslands in later generations was actually similar to the relationship between the Tang court and the vassal towns, except that they were in the Su Dynasty period and had stronger control.
"Your Majesty, in this western expedition, will you take the northern route or the southern route?" Yang Yao asked.
Shao Shude hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "Originally, I wanted to take the southern route and visit the Hexi states along the way. But after meeting the alliance, I thought about it and felt that the authority could not be delegated to others. I still had to personally lead the tribes to leave Jin and strengthen it.
A moment of prestige. What does Yang Qing think?"
"Your Majesty, your Majesty has the title of Khan, and you should not give up your power to others." Yang Yao said, "There is no harm in the Hexi prefectures passing by to take a look during their training."
"Good!" Shao Shude said happily: "Then it's settled."
****
On May 18th, the 14th year of Jianji's reign, after the alliance was completed, the newly appointed ministers took the new canonization edicts, submitted their official posts, flags, seals, and various rewards, and hurriedly left Heichengzi and returned to their respective homes.
.
The Western Expedition does not require all tribes to send troops. The main force is the Forbidden Army cavalry and various tribes in the Yinshan, Hexi, and Qibei areas. It does not require many people. Each tribe can send a few hundred elites.
Thirty Tatar surnames, seventeen tribes in Hexi, plus tribes from Yinshan, Daibei, and Hetao, as well as the Jurchen tribes who wanted to stay, sent a total of 40,000 troops.
In addition, 2,000 soldiers from Liaodong Daofu who had arrived in Lingzhou rushed north to join 2,000 soldiers from Feng and Shengfu.
The armies of the two towns in Yinshan selected two thousand soldiers and horses to accompany them.
The soldiers from North Kanbei Province also selected 2,000 people to accompany them.
It's not that they are missing 8,000 men, it's mainly that it's not a good thing for the army not to fight for a long time. The Western Expedition can give them training and lead others when they come back, so that the army will not deteriorate so quickly.
Finally, there are more than 10,000 auxiliary troops accompanying the army, mainly bodyguards. This is prepared for the army's cavalry, Yin Anzhi. They have no auxiliary troops and need someone to provide logistical services.
As a result, the number of troops on the North Route will reach 112,000.
It was not a big army on the grassland. After all, Abao could not move and dispatched "three hundred thousand" and "four hundred thousand" troops to march westward. But if you consider the quality of the soldiers, it was very impressive.
On May 20th, Shao Shude was still waiting for the ministries to send cattle, sheep, horses and camels.
Taking the northern route to the grassland for the westward expedition, it is naturally impossible to transport food over long distances. We can only use the pure grassland people's route, grazing and marching at the same time.
For the cattle and sheep sent by the various ministries, the imperial court would use grain to replenish them. In fact, it was a bit of a disadvantage, because the livestock was a means of production, not food, so some additional cloth would be given as a reward - that's it. If you still feel that you are at a disadvantage, then
It just doesn't make sense.
While waiting, he summoned the generals to study the marching route.
"My intention is to go straight to Beiting." Shao Shude drew a big circle on the map and said: "In the territory of Gaochang Uighurs, Beiting's rule is not particularly stable, and sometimes it even changes hands and is lost. Cong
The Western Uighurs, Gaochang Uighurs, Geluolu people, etc. are fighting here endlessly, and the people's savings are greatly depleted. The people probably don't have a good attitude towards them. If Wang Shi appears there, it will not be too difficult to attack, it will be easier.
Succeed and gain the first foothold."
This route sounds sad.
After the Anshi Rebellion, Hexi fell to Tibet, and Anxi and Beiting were cut off. Local officials could only communicate with Chang'an through the grasslands controlled by the Uighurs, and this was the route they took.
Merchants on the Silk Road also followed this route.
Earlier, monks such as Gena Juduo and Bao Siam came to the Central Plains via the Turkic grasslands, and they still took this route.
The entire journey is about three thousand miles. The first one or two thousand miles is boundless prairie, with almost no cities, forts and other landmark buildings. It is hopelessly monotonous.
Only when you leave the western boundary of the original Uighur Khanate and enter the western boundary of Tang'an can you see obvious human civilization buildings.
"Your Majesty, let's go like this. The last general is willing to be the vanguard." Zhu Jin, the commander of the Fengguo Army, jumped out and said.
Fuck! Yang Liang, the envoy of the Feilong Army, cursed secretly, then stood up and said: "Your Majesty, since the Uighurs were defeated last year and fled back, they have given up and will no longer look back. Now the alliance is over
If we advance westward as soon as possible in a few days, the thieves will definitely be unprepared and I will take advantage of them."
What Yang Liang meant was to send troops as soon as possible, before the Uighurs could react. By the time they received the news and mobilized their troops, most of the troops on the northern route were already close to their border.
"I second the proposal." The cavalry envoy Oritsugu Yu said: "But we need to contact the southern army. Although the Khotan side has already reached an agreement, if they move slowly, they will not be able to attract the attention of the thieves."
"It doesn't matter whether we come to Khotan or not." Wang Chonghao, the Flying Bear Army envoy, said angrily: "Even without Zang Dubao's southern army, our journey alone is enough to wipe out the Uighurs."
"Bayegu, why don't you speak?" Shao Shude looked at Yili Jin, one of the thirty Tatar surnames of the Bayegu family, and asked.
"Great Khan, I agree with you all. It doesn't matter whether our army of more than 100,000 people marches directly into Bo Beiting or attacks Yinzhou first."
"Ye Li Da Chong, what's your opinion?" Shao Shude asked again.
"Great Khan, I... I second my proposal." The wild beast responded directly without any idea.
"Then it's settled!" Shao Shude slapped the table and said: "March forward and march straight to Beiting! All the troops left Jinwei and went back immediately to gather troops and horses to follow my army."
"Yes!" Everyone responded with a roar, and their mood suddenly became heated.