The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Feng Fengshi was a military strategist during the Western Han Dynasty. His courtesy name was Ziming. He was born into a military family and was a native of Shangdang.

At the end of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, he was selected as a Lang from a good family and entered the palace to guard it.

During the reign of Emperor Zhao, he was appointed as the chief of Wu'an for his merits, but was later dismissed from office.

When former general Han Zeng heard of Fengshi's talent, he petitioned Emperor Xuan of Han to appoint Feng Fengshi as the military commander.

Afterwards, Emperor Xuan of Han granted Feng Fengshi the title of Marquis of Wei and sent him on a diplomatic mission to Dayuan.

At that time, the Shache noble group colluded with neighboring countries to jointly attack the Shache King who insisted on maintaining friendly relations with the Han Dynasty, and killed the Han envoy Xi Chongguo.

At this time, the Huns sent troops to attack Cheshi again, but because Cheshi held their ground, they could not take it and so they withdrew.

Shache sent envoys to declare that the northern countries had belonged to the Xiongnu and formed an alliance with the Xiongnu to rebel against the Han Dynasty.

Feng Fengshi believed that the Han army was far away from here. If they did not immediately try to crush the Shache rebellion, the rebellion would become stronger and more difficult to control, which would endanger the entire Western Regions.

So he decided not to wait for the court to report, and sent a letter to the neighboring countries to mobilize all their troops. A total of 15,000 soldiers were recruited from the north and south.
Feng Fengshi took command of the army and attacked Shache, capturing the city in one fell swoop, putting down the entire rebellion and consolidating the Western Han Empire's rule over the Western Regions.

More than 10,000 surrendered Hu people from Shangjun defected, and Feng Fengshi was ordered to lead troops in pursuit, thus stabilizing the situation on the border.

Emperor Tang, the commander of the Qiang Guard, was fond of drinking and cruel, which angered the Qiang people and led to a rebellion.

"Feng Fengshi, courtesy name Ziming, was from Lu County, Shangdang, and later moved to Duling."

"Feng Fengshi's ancestor Feng Ting was the governor of Shangdang County in the Kingdom of Han during the late Warring States Period."

"In the 46th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the State of Qin attacked Shangdang and blocked the passage through the Taihang Mountains,"

"Han couldn't defend it, so Feng Ting offered Shangdang City to Zhao and defended it."

"The State of Zhao appointed Feng Ting as Lord of Huayang, and he and General Zhao Kuo of Zhao fought against the State of Qin together."

"In the 48th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Feng Ting died in the Battle of Changping."

"From then on, the Feng clan dispersed to various places, some stayed in Lu County, and some in Zhao."

"Those in Zhao became officials and generals, and their sons became prime ministers in Dai."

"After Qin conquered the six states, Feng Ting's descendants Feng Wuze, Feng Quji and Feng Jie all became generals and ministers of Qin."

"After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, Feng Fengshi's grandfather Feng Tang was famous in the court and the country during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han. He was the son of the prime minister of Dai State."

"In the last years of Emperor Wu of Han, Feng Fengshi was selected as a palace official because he was from a good family."

"During the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, he was appointed as the mayor of Wu'an County according to the size of his merits and his rank."

"When he was dismissed from office, he was already in his thirties. He studied the Spring and Autumn Annals, delved into its profound meanings, read the Art of War, and understood its contents and examples. Former general Han Zeng reported to the emperor and appointed him as the military commander."

"During the Benshi period, he joined the army to attack the Xiongnu. After the war, he served as a palace attendant."

"Before this, the Western Han Dynasty sent envoys to the Western Regions several times, but most of them failed to fulfill their missions, some were corrupt, and some were harassed and insulted by foreign countries."

"In the first year of Yuankang, the Wusun Kingdom was very powerful and had made great contributions in attacking the Xiongnu. At the same time, the Western Regions had just made peace with the Western Han Dynasty."

"The Western Han Dynasty was preparing to treat them well and wanted to take the opportunity to appease these countries, so it selected people who could be sent as envoys to foreign countries."

"Former general Han Zeng recommended Feng Fengshi to escort guests from Dayuan and other countries back to their country as an envoy in the capacity of Wei Hou."

"When we arrived at Yixiu City, the commander Song said that the people of Shache, together with some other countries, attacked and killed Wannian, the Shache king appointed by the Western Han Dynasty, and also killed Xi Chongguo, the envoy of the Western Han Dynasty."

"At this time, the Xiongnu sent troops to attack Cheshi City again, but they returned because they failed to capture it."

"Shache sent envoys to claim that the northern states had been annexed by the Xiongnu, and then attacked and plundered the southern states, and swore a blood alliance with them to betray the Western Han Dynasty."

"All traffic from Shanshan to the west is cut off. Protector General Zheng Ji and Lieutenant Sima Yi are trapped between the northern countries."

"Feng Fengshi and his deputy Yan Chang discussed it and believed that if they did not attack quickly, Shache would become increasingly powerful, and the situation would be difficult to control, which would definitely endanger the entire Western Region."

"So the envoys informed the kings and mobilized their armies. A total of 15,000 people from the north and south attacked the Kingdom of Shache and captured its cities."

"The King of Shache committed suicide, and his head was sent to Chang'an."

"All the kingdoms were pacified, and Feng Fengshi's reputation shook the Western Regions."

"Feng Fengshi withdrew his troops and returned to his country, reporting the situation to the court."

"Feng Fengshi traveled west to Dayuan. When Dayuan heard that he had killed the King of Shache, they respected him more than other envoys."

"We got the famous horse Xianglong from Dayuan and returned to Chang'an."

"Emperor Xuan of Han was very pleased and ordered a discussion on rewarding Feng Fengshi."

"Shaofu Xiao Wangzhi alone believes that Feng Fengshi was ordered to go on a diplomatic mission with a mission, but he arbitrarily pretended to be ordered by the emperor and violated the emperor's will by conscripting troops from various countries. Although he has merits, he cannot be used as a role model for future generations."

"If Feng Fengshi were to be rewarded, it would open the door for future envoys to follow Feng Fengshi's example, rush to mobilize their armies, seek merit and reward thousands of miles away, and cause trouble for the country among the barbarians."

"This precedent should not be set, Feng Fengshi should not be rewarded."

Su Shi: Emperor Xuan of Han thought that Xiao Wangzhi's suggestion was good, and appointed Feng Fengshi as Guanglu Dafu and Shuiheng Duwei.

In the first year of Huanglong, Emperor Yuan of Han ascended the throne and Feng Fengshi was appointed Prefect of the Guards.

More than 10,000 Hu people who surrendered to the Western Han Dynasty from Shangjun County defected and left.

At the beginning, in the last years of Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty, King Yiqiuruo, a Hu people in a vassal state of Xihe County, also led thousands of people to rebel. Feng Fengshi immediately led the army with envoys to pursue them.

When the Right General and Minister of the State Chang Hui died, Feng Fengshi succeeded him as the Right General and Minister of the State and conferred titles on all the officials.

A few years later, he became Guanglu Xun.

In July of the second year of the Yongguang reign, a branch of the Qiang Shanjie tribe in Longxi rebelled. Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty issued an edict to summon Prime Minister Wei Xuancheng, Imperial Censor Zheng Hong, Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry Wang Jie, Left General Xu Jia, and Right General Feng Fengshi to the court to discuss countermeasures.

At that time, the harvests had been poor for several years, and grain in Kyoto was sold for more than 200 coins per stone, while in border counties and prefectures it was sold for 400 coins per stone, and in Kanto it was sold for 500 coins per stone.

There was famine everywhere and the imperial court was worried about it, but then the Qiang tribe rebelled.

Wei Xuancheng and others were silent and no one spoke.

Emperor Yuan of Han asked about the number of troops needed, and Feng Fengshi replied that I heard that those who are good at using troops will not use them twice or transport food three times, so the army should not fight for a long time and the crusade in accordance with the will of heaven should be fought quickly.

In the past, the army often suffered losses without assessing the enemy's situation;
Transporting food multiple times would take a long time and cost a lot, and would lower the morale of the troops.

There are now about 30,000 rebel soldiers. According to military tactics, we should double the number to 60,000.

The Qiang and Rong were only an army using bows and spears, and their weapons were not very sharp. They could mobilize 40,000 people and it would be enough to deal with them in one month. The prime minister, the censor, and the two generals all believed that it was harvest time and that they should not send more troops.

Ten thousand men stationed there for defense is almost enough.

The country was suffering from famine, the soldiers and horses were weak and few in number, the equipment used for war had been abandoned and not repaired for a long time, and the various barbarian tribes all looked down on the officials on the border, so the Qiang tribe was the first to attack.

Now we have 10,000 men deployed to guard several locations. The enemy soldiers will certainly not be afraid when they see that our army is small in number. If we fight, the army will suffer losses and lose morale; if we defend, we will be unable to rescue the people.

If this happens, the weak situation will be exposed, and the Qiang will take the opportunity to attack. The various ethnic minorities will respond together and incite each other to revolt.

I'm afraid the Han Dynasty would have to conscript more than 40,000 soldiers, and this is not something that can be solved with money.

Therefore, sending out fewer troops will result in a protracted war, and the benefits and disadvantages will be a thousand times greater than resolving the issue quickly with one battle.

Feng Fengshi persisted in his efforts but failed to obtain more troops. Another imperial decree was issued to increase the number of troops by 2,000.

Feng Fengshi was immediately dispatched with 12,000 soldiers and horses, under the pretext of leading the troops to cultivate land.

Ren Li, the Minister of State, and Han Chang, the Commandant of the Imperial Guard, were sent as deputies to Longxi County and stationed their troops in three locations respectively.

Ren Li, the governor of a vassal state, was appointed as the commander of the Right Army and stationed his troops at Baishi.
Han Chang, the commander of the imperial guards, led the vanguard and stationed his troops at Lintao.

Feng Fengshi was in charge of the central army and stationed his troops on the westernmost mountain in Shouyang County.

"When the vanguard arrived at Jiangtongban, they first sent a lieutenant to fight the Qiang people for advantageous terrain, and then sent another lieutenant to Guangyang Valley to rescue the people."

"The Qiang bandits were numerous and the officers and soldiers were defeated. Two captains were killed."

"Feng Fengshi reported the terrain and the number of troops needed to Emperor Yuan of Han, and requested an additional 36,000 troops to resolve the war."

"According to the letter, Emperor Yuan of Han sent more than 60,000 soldiers and appointed Taichang Yiyang Hou Ren Qianqiu as General Fenwu to reinforce Feng Fengshi."

"Feng Fengshi said in his memorial that he hoped to obtain a large number of soldiers without trooping the generals. He then requested the expenses for the transportation."

"Emperor Yuan of Han used his imperial seal to comfort Feng Fengshi, but he also rebuked him, saying that the emperor was visiting the right general who was leading troops outside the battlefield, and that he was very tired from fighting outside the battlefield."

"The Qiang bandits invaded the border and killed officials and civilians, which was very against the will of heaven, so I sent the general to lead the army to destroy them according to the will of heaven."

"With the outstanding qualities of a general, he should be able to lead an elite force to defeat the evil bandits and win every battle."

"Now they have a reputation of not daring to fight in battle. This is really embarrassing for the Han Dynasty."

"Is it because you were not familiar with military affairs before?"

"Or is it because the grace is not universal and the military discipline is unclear?"

"You wrote in your letter that the Qiang bandits relied on the deep mountains and many small roads, so we had to divide our forces into many places to occupy the key places."

"Then we must mobilize the garrison soldiers to solve the problem. The military deployment has been decided. Judging from the situation, we can't deploy a general. I understand."

"Before, because the general lacked soldiers for defense, he dispatched nearby cavalry to rush there day and night, not for attack."

"We are now recruiting the Yueqi from Sanfu, Hedong, Hongnong, Jishe, Qifei, Guzhe, Yulin Orphans, Husulei and Gouzhong, and are dispatching them immediately."

"War is a dangerous thing. There will definitely be success or failure. I am afraid that the strategy has not been agreed upon in advance and the understanding of the enemy situation is not prudent, so I sent General Fenwu again."

"The Art of War says that when a general goes to war, he must have subordinate generals to show off his military prowess and to assist him in making plans. What doubts do you have, General?"

"Take good care of the soldiers, win their hearts, and never regret your decision. Capturing the enemy must be thorough. This is the general's responsibility."

"As for the transportation costs, there are special officials to take care of them. General, don't worry."

"Wait until General Fenwu's troops arrive, and then attack the Qiang bandits together."

"In October of the same year, the troops gathered in Longxi County. In November, they attacked together."

"The Qiang bandits were badly defeated, thousands of them were beheaded, and the rest fled across the border."

"While the war was still undecided, the Western Han Dynasty recruited another 10,000 soldiers and appointed Han Anguo, the governor of Dingxiang, as the General of Jianwei."

"We haven't set out yet. I heard that the Qiang bandits were defeated. Emperor Yuan of Han said that the Qiang bandits were punished for being defeated and fled across the border. Those soldiers who stopped fighting should leave more of them to farm and guard the key points."

"In February of the third year of Yongguang, Feng Fengshi returned to the capital and was appointed General of the Left, while his position as Guanglu Xun remained unchanged."

"Afterwards, he was awarded a title for his meritorious service. Emperor Yuan of Han issued an edict saying that the Qiang bandits were cruel and cunning, killing officials and civilians, attacking the government office in Longxi County, burning post stations, and cutting off roads and bridges, which was a great violation of the Way of Heaven."

"In the past, General Feng Fengshi, the Left General, led an army to fight against the enemy, beheaded more than 8,000 people, captured tens of thousands of cattle, horses and sheep."

"Grant Feng Fengshi the title of Marquis of Guannei, a fief of 500 households, and 60 kilograms of gold."

"More than thirty lieutenants and captains have all been rewarded."

"More than a year later, Feng Fengshi died of illness."

"Feng Fengshi served as a military officer for about ten years. He was a veteran who killed enemies and defended the country. His achievements were second only to Zhao Chongguo."

"Two years after Feng Fengshi's death, Gan Yanshou, the Protector General of the Western Regions, was granted the title of Marquis for killing Zhizhi Chanyu."

"At that time, Prime Minister Kuang Heng also used the excuse that Gan Yanshou had forged the imperial edict to cause trouble, and based on Xiao Wangzhi's example, he believed that he should not be granted the title of marquis."

Wang Anshi: However, everyone praised Gan Yanshou's contributions, and Emperor Yuan of Han followed everyone's advice and made him a marquis.

At that time, Du Qin submitted a memorial, tracing back to praise Feng Fengshi's previous merits and saying that the King of Shache had killed the Han envoys and formed an alliance with other countries to betray the Han Dynasty.

General Feng Fengshi of the Left, in his capacity as Marquis of Wei, dispatched troops to exterminate the King of Shache according to convenient conditions, stabilized the city with strategies, and his achievements spread to the border areas.

The commentators believed that Feng Fengshi had a mission as an envoy. According to the meaning of "Spring and Autumn Annals", ministers should not act arbitrarily. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, he was guilty of perverting the rules, so he could not be granted a title of nobility.

Now the Xiongnu Chanyu Zhizhi killed the Han envoy and fled to the Kangju Kingdom. The Protector General Gan Yanshou mobilized more than 40,000 soldiers in the city and those who were stationed in the fields to kill him and made him a marquis.

My humble opinion is that if we compare the crimes committed by Zhizhi Chanyu, then it is lighter than Shache; if we compare the military strength, then Shache has more than Zhizhi; and if we use the army, then Feng Fengshi has less.
In terms of the degree of victory, Feng Fengshi made great contributions to the peace of the border, while considering the elements of failure, Gan Yanshou brought great disaster to the country.

They were guilty of the same crime of disobeying orders and causing trouble, but Gan Yanshou ceded land and was granted a title of nobility, while Feng Fengshi did not remember the reward.

I have heard that if the same merits are rewarded differently, it will make the hard-working ministers doubt, and if the same crimes are punished differently, the people will be confused.

Doubt leads to inconstancy, confusion leads to not knowing what to do;
Constant change leads to unclear systems and directions, and confusion leads to people not knowing how to act.

Feng Fengshi resolved dangers, fought bravely, and completed his mission with extraordinary achievements. His reputation and achievements were remarkable, and he was a role model for all generations of envoys. However, he was suppressed and not praised.
This is not the intention of a wise monarch to eliminate doubts and encourage integrity. I hope to leave it to the relevant departments for discussion.

Emperor Yuan of Han believed that this was a matter from the time of the previous emperor, so he no longer accepted his opinion. (End of this chapter)