Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 347 The Fanaticism of the Barbarian Converts: The Foundation for the Yuan Dynasty's Conquest of South Asia!

With Wei Aliang taking the lead, the countdown to the destruction of Huichuan began.

Guo Yong'an made a decisive decision, leaving only half a thousand-household commander to guard the central army, while the remaining one and a half thousand-household commanders were all sent to reinforce the east city wall.

Two quarters of an hour later, the east gate of the city was opened wide, and Guo Yong'an ordered the remaining 20,000 young and strong men from Xuzhou to join the battle, engaging in a brutal street fight with the Dali army.

A day and a night later, the entire Huichuan fell into the hands of the Yuan army.

The Yuan army also suffered considerable losses in this battle, and Guo Yong'an decided to rest for seven days and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.

The Eight Banners army rested and reorganized inside the city.

The barbarian army of Xuzhou was stationed outside the city.

"Hello, Commander Wei!"

"Commander Wei looks radiant and even more energetic than before!"

"Who doesn't admire Commander Wei's courage in leading the charge? His future is limitless!"

"I wonder if Commander Wei is married yet? I have a younger sister who is only eighteen this year. She is not only as beautiful as a flower, but she can also speak Chinese."

"What are you dreaming about? Commander Wei is almost thirty, how could he not be married? Commander Wei, listen to me, a real man should have three wives and four concubines. I have a daughter, only sixteen this year, who admires the heroes of the Eight Banners the most!"

……

When Wei Aliang, dressed in the official robes of a centurion of the Eight Banners, led two personal guards into a barbarian camp, the barbarians of Xuzhou swarmed around him, constantly flattering him, and some even tried to sell their unmarried female relatives.

The local barbarians in this camp all knew Wei Aliang.

At that time, Guo Yong'an recruited soldiers from the Xuzhou barbarians. Because the Zhuang people were more skilled at fighting in the mountains and forests, this task was mainly assigned to the Zhuang soldiers in the Eight Banners army.

After the recruitment of soldiers for the Xuzhou barbarians was completed, many of the servants were placed there as military supervisors for the Xuzhou barbarians.

Wei Aliang was one of the servants who were planted there to monitor a barbarian tribe of more than two hundred people in Xuzhou.

Wei Aliang had no problem communicating with these Xuzhou barbarians in their language.

The barbarians of Xuzhou were highly Sinicized; they cultivated fields in the mountains and forests, and even privately traded farmland in the barbarian territory with the Han people of Xuzhou.

Their main source of income was selling Dali horses and Dali copper to Xuzhou, acting as middlemen, just like the Ziqi Kingdom.

Therefore, many people understand Chinese.

However, it was only when the general offensive against Huichuan was launched that Wei Aliang was transferred back to his unit.

Of course, Wei Aliang has now been promoted and no longer needs to come back to supervise the barbarians of Xuzhou; this task is now being carried out by other servants.

He has other purposes for coming to this camp now.

"Trial Centurion! Don't call me that. I'm just a trial centurion right now, it doesn't count. Whether I can become a formal centurion depends on the official order from the Ministry of War."

Wei Aliang kept explaining, but he couldn't hide his smugness.

By now, the Eight Banners system had undergone several improvements and was quite mature. It took thirteen promotions to rise from a common soldier to a commander of a thousand.

Future prospects are the standard for measuring achievements.

For example, if they were trapped in an isolated city for more than a month, those below the rank of 1,000 households would receive a half-day bonus regardless of whether they participated in combat. Then, various promotions and rewards would be given based on their merits.

For example, beheading three enemies in one battle is half the future.

A decapitation of six ranks is a promising career path, potentially leading to promotion to head of ten households.

It takes three promotions to rise from a head of ten households to a head of a hundred households.

It takes nine promotions to rise from a centurion to a thousand-household head.

As for the promotion of a thousand-household commander, a military merit evaluation is required, which mainly depends on the performance of the thousand-household commander in completing tasks. It is a different calculation method.

The merit of being the first to scale the walls in the attack on Huichuan City has earned a reward of three future generations.

Wei Aliang not only led the charge but also beheaded nine people, earning a total of four and a half promotions. He rose from an ordinary Eight Banner soldier to a centurion. Coincidentally, a centurion was killed in action during the attack on Huichuan City, and Aliang took his place.

However, the formal appointment of a centurion requires approval from the Ministry of War. Wei Aliang's current official position is that of a probationary centurion.

But he now enjoys the same treatment as a centurion.

Under the Eight Banners military system, there was little difference between a headman of ten households and an ordinary soldier. The headman's income was roughly twice that of an ordinary soldier, and he could only be considered a high-ranking soldier.

However, a centurion was considered a mid-level officer in the Eight Banners Army, and his treatment suddenly increased to five times that of an ordinary soldier!
It's like in later generations, someone who used to earn 6,000 a month suddenly gets their salary increased to 30,000. What does that mean?
Furthermore, with the fall of Huichuan City, Wei Aliang received spoils worth 120 taels of silver, gaining both promotion and wealth. Wei Aliang felt as if he were walking on air.

The Xuzhou barbarians, of course, knew that Wei Aliang was being modest, and they all said it was only a matter of time. Moreover, with Wei Baihu's bravery, he would surely continue to rise in rank in the future, perhaps even becoming a commander of a thousand or ten thousand households. Even if he didn't rise in rank, he could still accumulate some merit, be granted a baronial title, and pass it on to his descendants, which would undoubtedly make many others envious.

These barbarians from Xuzhou were extremely envious of Wei Aliang.

In fact, when A Liang first came to their tribe of over two hundred men as a military supervisor, countless Xuzhou barbarians drooled with envy when they learned that A Liang was treated like an ordinary Eight Banner soldier.

The logic is quite simple: the income of ordinary people in the Song Dynasty was about twice that of the barbarians in Xuzhou. Meanwhile, the pay of ordinary soldiers in the Eight Banners was three times that of ordinary Song Dynasty citizens. In other words, it was six times that of ordinary barbarians in Xuzhou! And this doesn't even include the spoils of war.

Now that Wei Aliang has been promoted to centurion, his usual income is thirty times that of an ordinary barbarian!
Not to mention the distribution of spoils.

These barbarians suffered heavy casualties and low morale during the initial attack on Xuzhou. However, Xuzhou was one of the core regions of the Dali Kingdom, and the generous spoils received after its fall quickly made them forget their past grievances, only envying the Eight Banners army for their much larger share of the spoils.
The thought that Eight Banner officers could obtain noble titles and their descendants could become nobles with stable incomes made their eyes gleam with envy.

Of course, some barbarians did not join in praising Wei Aliang.

Why?

Yes, Wei Aliang was brave enough to be the first to scale Huichuan City.

But aren't they brave?

If they had the same iron armor and sharp weapons as Wei Aliang, and could focus on training without having to worry about the rear during wartime due to the Eight Banners system, they might very well be the ones promoted to the position of centurion of the Eight Banners!

Furthermore, they are barbarians from Xuzhou, but Wei Aliang is a servant, who is also considered a barbarian! How is Wei Aliang any more noble than them?

Some of the Xuzhou barbarians even regretted their decision, as they had belonged to the Tang Dynasty during that period. Later, when the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms were established, the Xuzhou barbarians maintained their independence.

Why didn't they take the opportunity to surrender when Zhao Shuo conquered the State of Song?

It must be said that the Yuan army was truly ruthless to their enemies, but incredibly kind to their own people. It was too late; the difference was vast. One should surrender to the Yuan as early as possible!
However, these people quickly cheered up again.

As the voices subsided, Wei Aliang said, “I came here mainly to select a few people to join the Eight Banners Army. As you know, the Eight Banners Army suffered some losses in this attack on Huichuan. For example, my centurion not only lost his commander, but also three soldiers. Therefore, I received orders from above to select three people to join my centurion.”

After a pause, Wei Aliang looked at the faces of these Xuzhou barbarians and said, "Now, those who have cut off three heads since joining my army and want to join the Eight Banners Army, please volunteer and stand in front of me."

"I!"

"I!"

"Commander Wei, choose me! I've chopped off four heads before!"

"If Commander Wei chooses me, I'll cut off five heads!"

……

These barbarian troops were the main force when attacking Dongchuan Prefecture in Dali, and quite a few of them made great contributions.

However, there were no vacancies in the Eight Banners Army at the time, so they had no opportunity to join it.

Now that the opportunity has come, how could they possibly miss it? Immediately, nine barbarian soldiers from Xuzhou stepped forward.

Based on his previous understanding of these people, Wei Aliang selected three individuals.

He had to choose the bravest Xuzhou barbarians, after all, the martial prowess of these soldiers was related to his future achievements and even his life on the battlefield.

The Xuzhou barbarians who were not selected looked dejected, so Wei Aliang painted a rosy picture for them, telling them that there was still hope for the future.

Those who were chosen strutted around with their chests puffed out and beamed with pride.

From then on, they were different from those clansmen, becoming Eight Banner warriors, with their income increasing sharply and their future bright!

I have no regrets about being born into the Yuan Dynasty; I only regret not being a Chinese sooner!
Four days later, Zhao Zhuo and Meng Gong led the main force of their army to join forces with Guo Yong'an's vanguard at Huichuan City.

Next, Zhao Zhuo has two choices.

The first option is to continue south and attack Weichu Prefecture. Once Weichu Prefecture is captured, we can join forces with the Luo Dian Kingdom, the Luo Shi Shui Kingdom, and the Zi Qi Kingdom to launch a pincer attack on Shan Chan (Kunming), the second largest city of Dali, and we might even be able to wait for the Annamite army to join us.

The second option was to stop advancing south and instead leave a large portion of the army to defend Huichuan. Then, they could march west to attack Tongya Prefecture.

Tongshi Prefecture was actually the Governor's Office of Yaozhou.

In the fourth year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty built a city in Yao'an County, Yunnan Province, in order to strengthen its rule over the Xicuan region through military means.

During the Yonghui era, due to Zhao Xiaozu's pacification of the Baishui barbarians, the administrative divisions were adjusted, and Yaozhou Prefecture became the southwestern military and political center of Jiannan Circuit. This prefecture oversaw the administration of five tributary prefectures, including Bang, Wang, and Lan.

Later, the Nanzhao Kingdom seized this prefecture from the Tang Dynasty and continued to call it Yaozhou Prefecture. After the establishment of the Dali Kingdom, as it squeezed the living space of the barbarians to the north, the military status of this place declined, and it was renamed Tongshi Prefecture.

After discussing it, Zhao Zhuo and Meng Gong decided to send troops to Tongshi Prefecture.

It's a very simple reason: the Luo Dian Kingdom, the Zi Qi Kingdom, and the Luo Clan Ghost Kingdom seriously threaten Shan Chan, the eastern capital of Dali.

Weichu Prefecture is located just west of Shanshan. It would be good enough if it could protect itself; it shouldn't pose much of a threat to the army.

With the fall of Tongshi Prefecture, Zhao Zhuo's army was now only one Tianshui Prefecture away from the capital of Dali.

To catch the thief, first catch the king; let's take the capital of Dali first.

In addition, judging by the time, the Tibetan army should be not far from Dali City.

……

……

Meanwhile, in Toya Prefecture, inside the castle lord's office.

"Amitabha! Lord, please heed my advice, this Tongshi Prefecture is truly not fit to be defended!"

A monk in his forties looked earnestly at Takayoshi, the prefect of Toshiya Prefecture.

This monk was named Bai Changshan, a descendant of Bai Minzhong, the younger cousin of the great Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi.

In the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song (645 AD), Bai Heyuan, a descendant of Bai Minzhong, joined Nong Zhigao's rebellion. After Nong Zhigao's defeat, Bai Heyuan and others fled to Dali with him.

Bai Changshan was the eighth-generation descendant of Bai Heyuan. He became Gao Qing's attendant because of his medical knowledge. He also married a woman from a prominent family in Dali, and was considered a person of importance in Tongshi Prefecture of Dali.

As for why he, a monk, could get married?
In the Dali Kingdom, depending on their sect, some monks were allowed to marry. Not only could they marry, but they could also hold official positions. Furthermore, when Dali held imperial examinations, only monks or Taoist priests could participate.

As the saying goes, "When the Duan family ruled the country, they also held imperial examinations to select officials, and those selected were all monks and Taoists who studied Confucianism." "Monks and Taoists had wives and children, but they often studied Confucianism. When the Duan family ruled the country, they set up imperial examinations to select officials, and they all selected these kinds of people."

The criteria for selecting officials in Dali were that they be monks or Taoist priests, and well-versed in Confucianism and Legalism. Pure Confucian scholars were not even qualified to participate in the imperial examinations.

Now that the Yuan army is coming in with great momentum, Bai Changshan is completely panicked and hastily tries to persuade Gao Qing to surrender to the Yuan Dynasty.

He said, “Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Celestial Empire has dispatched an army of over 400,000 to attack Dali. Now, the central army of 150,000 has already captured Huichuan City, and all the soldiers, civilians and people in the city have been slaughtered.”

"How does the defense of Tongshi Prefecture compare to that of Huichuan? Huichuan couldn't even withstand a single thunderous blow from the heavenly army. Our Tongshi Prefecture has few soldiers and generals, and the people are filled with fear. If we stubbornly resist, once the city falls, we may all perish, repeating the tragedy of Huichuan! Even if you don't think of yourself, you should think of your family and the people of the city, right? Do you still want to avenge your brother now?"

Gao Qing is the older brother of Gao Tong, the garrison commander of Huichuan.

When Huichuan fell, Gao Tong naturally died in battle there.

"What revenge? You're lucky to be alive!"

Gao Qing sighed heavily before continuing, "How could I not know what the Master said? It's just... it's just that my Gao family has offended the Great Yuan to the death! You should know that my cousin, Gao Taixiang, the Prime Minister of Dali, he... he humiliated and killed the Great Yuan's envoy! With such a blood feud, how could the Great Yuan let me off easily?"

"Your Highness is overthinking this!"

Bai Changshan hurriedly stepped forward, his voice low but exceptionally clear, "The killing of the Yuan envoy was the decision of Prime Minister Gao Taixiang alone. What does it have to do with you? As long as you, the Prefect, understand the greater good and voluntarily surrender the city, you will be a meritorious official who abandons darkness for light! Not only will you be without fault, but you will also be meritorious!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qing's eyes flickered, seemingly tempted, but then a deeper worry surfaced: "Even if this matter can be resolved, there is still one more thing... Alas, I have already... I have already cut off the ears of all the Han Chinese people in the city, following the strict orders of the court. How can the Yuan army let this go so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Changshan's eyes twitched slightly, but he still advised, "This matter is indeed thorny, but it is not a dead end! If we surrender now, we can still argue that we are 'forced by the king's orders and have no choice.' If we wait until the city falls, then there will be no room for maneuver. This humble monk is willing to go to the Yuan army camp in person to plead for the prefect!"

“I will explain to the Yuan commander that the lord has long regretted his past mistakes and is willing to surrender the city to atone for them, and will do his utmost to compensate the Han people within. This is a desperate measure to save the lord; this is your only chance!”

Gao Qing stared blankly at Bai Changshan, pondered for a long time, then bowed deeply and said, "In that case, I will trouble the Master to take this risk."

(End of this chapter)