Han officials

Chapter 94: Diversion of Troubles [33]

The next day, by the Sancha River.

All I saw was a plain with reeds stretching to the sky, which looked like a sea and was a spectacular sight.

However, Taishi Ci's face looked as ugly as if he had eaten feces.

Because only those who have experienced it know that all this poetry and painting is an illusion.

For example, the seemingly hazy fog is actually countless mosquitoes and horseflies gathered together and flying all over the sky. Once you get close, you will find that the sound is as loud as thunder. If you are not careful, it is common for mules and horses to be sucked blood to death.

As for the water surface that looks like the sea, it is the biggest trap, because no one knows where the lake is and where the swamp is.

To be precise, the Liaoze Lake, which is more than 200 miles from east to west and nearly 200 miles from north to south, is a hodgepodge.

There are rivers, lakes, swamps, sandy lands and grasslands in between.

Shallow waters cannot accommodate vehicles or horses, and deep waters cannot accommodate boats or ships.

The complexity of the terrain can be called a natural barrier... No, Liaoze is a natural barrier!
To put it bluntly, the existence of Liaoze is the best line of defense in Liaodong!

When Taishi Ci thought about having to frequently cross the Liaoze Lake in the next few years, he couldn't help but miss the Xianbei tribes.

There is no way. Although the Twenty-Eight Cities of Hubei are a bit desolate, they can at least be called the grasslands of the eastern part of Shanghai.

If he had known this earlier, he would have stayed in Xianbei to hunt, and would have avoided coming to the Liaodong vassal state to feed mosquitoes.

But now that he's here, he can only accept his fate!
Fortunately, Xian Xianduling had made sufficient preparations to please his immediate superior. In addition to the usual supplies, he also sent several experienced guides to lead the way.

So Taishi Ci quickly took precautions according to the guide's instructions. He wrapped all the men and horses with linen curtains, and then headed towards Liaoze without any hesitation.

But even though he used wormwood smoke to drive away mosquitoes when he rested, Taishi Ci was still tortured to the point of ecstasy and suffered terribly.

No matter how brave Taishi Ci was on the battlefield, he was helpless against tiny creatures like mosquitoes and flies.

It was not until three days later that Taishi Ci and his party arrived at Wuliu County, exhausted. After taking a good bath and resting for a day, they changed into clean clothes and rushed to Changli County.

Changli County, formerly also known as Changliao County.

This county is the most populous county under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong vassal state, with a population of more than 5,300.

After all, the six counties of the Liaodong vassal state combined have a population of only over 20,000.

Of course, this is only the number of Han people under the rule of the Liaodong vassal state.

If we include the Wuhuan people who were nomadic within the Liaodong vassal state, the population would probably have multiplied several times.

You should know that before Zhang Chun colluded with the Wuhuan people to rebel, the Liaodong Wuhuan in the Liaodong vassal state had grown to the scale of "more than a thousand tribes", and their leader Su Puyan even called himself "King Qiao".

The Wuhuan leader Wuyan of Youbeiping commanded over 800 tribes and proclaimed himself King of Hanlu. The Wuhuan leader Nanlou of Shanggu commanded over 9,000 tribes, and the Wuhuan leader Qiuliju of Liaoxi commanded over 5,000 tribes, all of whom proclaimed themselves kings.

It was precisely thanks to these tens of thousands of Youzhou Wuhuan cavalry that Zhang Chun was able to repeatedly kill prefects of prefectures and counties and plunder Qing and Ji provinces.

To some extent, Zhang Chun can be regarded as a representative of the Wuhuan people in Youzhou.

Just like the rebel army in Liang Province had already started a rebellion but still wanted to push Bian Zhang and Han Yue to be their leaders, the Wuhuan in Youzhou did not want to block their retreat directly.

Therefore, the various Wuhuan tribes in Youzhou jointly recommended Zhang Chun as their leader, but they were actually looking for someone to take the blame.

It’s a pity that Zhang Chun didn’t have the same superb skills as Han Sui, so he couldn’t turn the tables.

But even so, the rebellion in Youzhou has become a very dangerous phenomenon.

This shows that the deterrent power of the Han Dynasty on the grassland has gradually declined, and the Hu tribe in the north is ready to make a move.

……

The next day, outside Changli County.

Taishi Ci led more than a hundred cavalrymen through the city but did not enter. Instead, he headed towards a wooden stronghold in the east.

A moment later, Taishi Ci was seen sitting in the general's tent with a complicated expression.

"Are these the only people left in Fuli Camp?"

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged scholar with a scar on his face bowed and said, "Captain, all the brothers in the battalion are here."

He is obviously a big and strong man, but at this moment he couldn't help but have red eyes.

This man was Yan Lang, an official in the Fuli Camp. He was a 100-stone official with a bronze seal and a yellow ribbon. He was just an ordinary military officer.

But at this moment, he was the highest-ranking military officer in the entire Fuli Camp.

Because almost all the Fuli Camp were killed, only dozens of logistics personnel survived.

It is said that Fuliying is different from the counties in Liaodong. It is a permanent garrison set up by the court in the border areas.

Because it was stationed near Changli County, it was named Fuliying.

In the winter of the first year of Jianguang (121), a garrison of soldiers was first established to defend against the Xianbei and to contain the Wuhuan. The emperor directly dispatched and appointed the generals, forming a standing army under the direct control of Luoyang. The soldiers were mainly conscripted soldiers, prisoners, and refugees who had migrated to the border areas.

However, during the reign of Emperor Huan, the Fuli Camp no longer had a school lieutenant, and the Liaodong vassal state commander was in charge. After all, as the Wuhuan in Liaodong grew stronger, the Liaodong vassal state commander had no more tricks up his sleeve and would become a mere formality.

In fact, setting up "camps" in border counties was not unique to Liaodong.

For example, on the 124th day of September in the third year of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty ( AD), the imperial court issued an edict ordering that prisoners sentenced to death or below in all counties and prefectures be given a one-level reduction in sentence and be allowed to go to Dunhuang, Longxi and Du Liaoying.

In the policy of reducing sentences for prisoners and settling them in border areas, the institution that accepts prisoners in border areas is the "military camp."

Standing armies such as the Liyang Camp, Huya Camp, Yong Camp, Wuhuan Camp, Yuyang Camp, Dunhuang Camp, Duliao Camp, and Fuli Camp were equivalent to the minions of the court stationed all over the world.

Since these battalion soldiers are similar to the Northern Army and only need to practice martial arts, their combat effectiveness is often stronger than that of the county soldiers.

However, the original concept of the court was good, but now most of it has changed.

The Wuhuan Camp had long been in name only, and the Yuyang Camp had even rebelled along with Zhang Chun.

After all, after being stationed in a local area for many years, it is difficult not to be influenced by local forces.

As for the Fuli Camp, their situation was even worse. Zhang Chun had planned this for a long time and was well aware of the court's weaknesses. Therefore, at the beginning of the uprising, he ordered more than 10,000 Wuhuan cavalry to attack the Fuli Camp and eliminate this court minion of Youzhou.

As for the raid on Liaodong and the killing of the Liaodong governor and others, it was just a bit of looting by the Wuhuan people.

After understanding the reason, Taishi Ci didn't know what to say for a moment.

However, considering that Yan Lang was an old man from the Fuli Camp and his father had lived in the Liaodong vassal state, Taishi Ci hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Since this is the case, I will recommend you to the court as the Chief Secretary of the Liaodong vassal state. Never forget this great vengeance!"

However, what Taishi Ci did not expect was that Yan Lang actually shook his head and refused.

The man bowed deeply with a sorrowful look on his face and said, "I am a mediocre person and I dare not take on such a great responsibility."

Yan Lang was not afraid of death, but was afraid that he would not be able to take revenge because of his incompetence.

Therefore, without waiting for Taishi Ci to ask, he said with a firm look, "I know someone who can definitely help the captain!"

Hearing this, Taishi Ci became a little curious.

He refused the position of Chief Secretary of Liaodong vassal state and preferred to give it to someone else. It seems that this person is indeed extraordinary.

Taishi Ci immediately asked curiously, "Who is it?"

"The hero of Liaodong—Yan Rou!"

Yan Lang introduced the matter seriously, "This man was captured by both the Wuhuan and Xianbei when he was young. He therefore acquired great riding and archery skills, and his bravery earned him the respect of both the Wuhuan and Xianbei. Therefore, although he later took the opportunity to escape, the Wuhuan tribes never pursued him, but instead treated him with the same respect."

In fact, Yan Rou was similar to Dong Zhuo when he was young, both of whom were famous for their bravery.

Dong Zhuo had a good relationship with the Qiang leaders in Liang Province, and Yan Rou also had acquaintances among the Wuhuan and Xianbei.

Over time, Yan Rou became the leader of the knights in this area and sheltered many Han people.

Of course, given the overall situation, he couldn't do anything about a major event like the Wuhuan Rebellion.

However, after hearing Yan Lang's introduction, Taishi Ci's expression immediately became serious.

Because Yan Rou can really be of great use in the current chaos.

Thinking of this, Taishi Ci immediately sat down at his desk and started writing a letter.

There was no other way. With his current power, it would be easy for him to recommend Yan Lang, since he was a military officer of a vassal state after all.

But if he wanted to make an exception and recruit a hero from a border county like Yan Rou, then he would not be able to do it.

Don't think that being an official is easy just because Emperor Liu Hong appointed Zhang Yan, the Black Mountain bandit chieftain, as the General of the Central Army to Suppress Rebellions.

In fact, there is no connection. It is harder than climbing to heaven for a commoner to become an official.

However, as he was writing, Taishi Ci suddenly had another idea and asked Wei Zhe to transfer a battalion of troops to fill the vacancy in the Fuli Camp.

There's nothing he can do about it, because he has a good brother.

Thinking of this, Taishi Ci, who was originally having a headache, suddenly felt much more relaxed...

[Sorry, the fever has subsided, but I feel a little weak. I will write three chapters today.]

　PS: I also discovered something very interesting.

　　It turns out that not only Baidu Encyclopedia has errors, but historical materials do as well.

　　The Book of the Later Han, Volume 23, Chapter 5 on Prefectures and States states:
　　The vassal state of Liaodong governed six cities, 3,260 li northeast of Luoyang, and included six counties: Changliao...Bintu...Tuhe...Wuliu...Xiangdu...Fang...

　　The result is the same record:
　　Liaodong Commandery, 3,600 li northeast of Luoyang, consisted of eleven cities, 64,158 households, and 81,714 people.

　　There are: Xiangping, Xinchang, Wuliu...

　　O(∩_∩)O Haha~ Another Wulv County has popped up. It seems that even historical materials need to be viewed dialectically and cannot be believed blindly.

　　The "Atlas of Chinese History" edited by Professor Tan Qixiang, regarding the map of Liaodong counties, obviously adopted the latter record and was misled by the "Book of the Later Han". No wonder I always felt something was wrong when comparing them.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)