Chinese New Year

Chapter 1472 Before and After the New Year (Part 1)

In the twelfth lunar month, the Ministry of War, the Privy Council, and the various guards dispatched their envoys to send out 1,200 soldiers from the Left Dragon Tiger Guard, 900 from the Right Heavenly Martial Guard, 900 from the Left Divine Martial Guard, and 1,200 from the Right Long Straight Guard, totaling 4,200.

The five battalions of the Yellow Head Army each contributed 500 men, totaling 2,500.

The Silver Spear Right Battalion stationed in Bianliang dispatched 1,200 men.

A thousand guards were dispatched, fully equipped with horse armor and personal armor.

A total of 9,900 infantry and cavalry will march west after the spring planting next year and garrison in Yanqi, Shule, Yutian, Gumo and other places. At that time, the main force of the second batch of troops will have completed their two-year term and can return to base—the first batch has already returned this month.

In terms of troop numbers, the first batch was for actual combat, numbering as high as 50,000 to 60,000; the second batch was for stabilizing the situation, engaging in only sporadic small-scale battles, hence numbering only 16,000; and the third batch was even less than 10,000, with each batch smaller than the last. Moreover, this batch would have the southern border states provide provisions, ceasing large-scale transport and allowing the people to recuperate.

If there was a shortage of food in the local area, they would go to Dayuan (Ferghana) for food.

The situation around Dayuan is chaotic and the security environment is worrying. This country has traditionally been relatively close to the Central Plains dynasty. Yang Qin sent troops to garrison in Dayuan, saying that he wanted to help Yu Mie’s delegation return to Shule. However, Yu Yuandu was unwilling and hesitated. This year, the heavy snow in the Pamir Mountains came early and the mountains were closed in September!
This action isolated 4,600 infantry and cavalry, including the Left and Right Vanguard Cavalry, the First and Fifth Battalions of the Wansheng Army, and the Imperial Guards, in the west, cutting off all communication. The consequences were dire, and they could only wait until the snow melted next year to deal with the situation.

In the northern frontier, after sending out two batches of 10,000 Luoyan Army and Yicong Army soldiers, in May of next year, 3,000 elite cavalry and 2,000 garrison soldiers from the three prefectures of Shanyu, Beiyi, and Anbei will be transferred, plus 1,000 mixed Hu cavalry from Bingzhou and 1,000 Tuoba Xianbei light cavalry, for a total of 7,000 infantry and cavalry, which will reduce the troop strength by more than 30%.

In order to provide them with supplies and to avoid troubling the Gaochang Kingdom as much as possible, Shao Xun also ordered the four Xianbei tribes of Yuwen, Murong, Duan, and Tuoba, as well as the mixed Hu tribes of Liangzhou, to select 5,000 elderly, weak, women, and children to migrate westward with cattle, sheep, horses, and camels, and to choose a place behind the mountains to graze their livestock.

As for the return date of these 5,000 people, it has not yet been determined, as more people may be sent later. In any case, grassland tribes live by following the water and grass, and don't have strong ties to their homeland; where they graze their livestock doesn't matter.

Of course, some people suspected that Shao Xun wanted to trick the five thousand people and the cattle, sheep, horses and camels they were carrying away, but they had no evidence.

As the messengers were dispatched, proclamations were also posted everywhere to inform the world.

The people of Luoyang seemed to have no reaction to what they saw and heard.

The fighting in the west has little to do with them, so why worry so much? If anyone suffers, it's the people of Guanzhong or even Sichuan, what does it have to do with them? They didn't even use food from Guandong; at most, they just provided a batch of weapons and soldiers.

So just live your life as usual, the New Year is almost here, don't overthink it.

But there are always exceptions, such as the Imperial College student Peng Chi.

He had already passed the two imperial examinations and was appointed as a Doctor of the Goushi County School, where he taught and nurtured students. However, after much effort, he finally got the opportunity to go to the Western Regions to take up a post: he would travel west after the spring of the following year to serve as a patrol officer (one of two in total) under the jurisdiction of Jinman Town, mainly responsible for inspecting the various military farms, with a rank of eighth grade.

He was both happy and worried about the news.

He was overjoyed that his long-cherished wish had come true, but worried that his wife was pregnant and he could not stay home to take care of her.

Fortunately, Zhang was quite understanding. Today, she accompanied her husband to the market to buy various items for the New Year, smiling throughout the trip. After returning home, despite her physical discomfort, she personally directed the servants to prepare food and drink until Peng Chi couldn't bear to watch any longer and pulled her back to sit down properly.

"Does my husband need a few more attendants?" Madam Zhang asked, frowning, after sitting down.

"So what if we're short?" Peng Chi waved his hand dismissively.

To be fair, even a minor official would need helpers after going to the Western Regions.

The Gaochang Kingdom might have selected minor officials through corvée labor and assigned them to serve him—yes, being a county official was indeed a form of corvée labor, but it had its pros and cons. The bad ones could easily lead to financial ruin, so most people were unwilling to take the job, while those with high illicit income would fight tooth and nail for it, so it couldn't be generalized.

But what if Gaochang doesn't provide him with one?
Furthermore, we wouldn't trust outsiders to use it. When going out on patrol, the distance can easily be hundreds of miles; wouldn't they need guards? Wouldn't they need grooms? Wouldn't they need people to handle miscellaneous tasks?

These people all need to support themselves, as the imperial court would never pay them a salary; they can only maintain themselves through illicit income and tributes from the local people.

The Peng family had no local connections and few servants, their resources were too weak. So he had planned to buy a few servants at the market and recruit a few guards through his father's old connections, which would have been enough. But the first step failed: Rumor had it that Shen Ling, the Minister of Personnel, had sent his clansmen to Luoyang to buy slaves on a large scale. They wanted all slaves, regardless of whether they were Han or non-Han, as long as they were under forty years old. This caused a severe shortage of young and strong slaves on the market, making them very difficult to buy.

Peng Chi roughly guessed the reason; it was prepared for the King of Zhao, but it was truly rare to see two thousand bolts of silk offered up in one go to buy people.

“My lord, if all else fails, I can send someone back to Hanoi and pick a few to come over, men or women. They’ve been servants of our family for generations. We were originally going to take them all to Jiangnan, but leaving some behind won’t be difficult,” Zhang said.

Peng Chi opened his mouth, wanting to say yes, but then felt a little embarrassed.

The servants of a large family may come from various backgrounds, but now it is a huge group. They are usually married within the family and are the private property of the master. Some are soldiers, some are servants, and they do all sorts of jobs. Their status is lower than that of farmhands, but their position and treatment may be higher.

Generally speaking, people don't trust the servants of others. Back then, Zhang Fang took in the servants of Zhi Fu, a wealthy merchant in Chang'an, and ended up having his head chopped off in a muddle.

But Peng Chi had no other choice but to rely on the resources of his wife's family.

Seeing his expression, Zhang knew what to do. She then asked, "The Hanoi region has accumulated a certain number of people and wealth over generations. What do you think, my husband, if we were to go to the Western Regions to trade?"

Peng Chi frowned, subconsciously feeling somewhat displeased.

He knew about the Zhang family of Hanoi; some were wealthy and famous, but they had no official position, power, or status. When the Xiongnu attacked, the Zhang family was able to distribute weapons to their servants, train them into an army, and then use their fortified villages to negotiate with the enemy. In truth, they were similar to many powerful families who joined Cao Cao's camp at the end of the Han Dynasty, such as Li Qian and Li Dian, uncle and nephew, who brought thousands of retainers to the army, and also similar to families like the Zhou family of Yixing, the Qian family of Changcheng, and the Shen family of Wukang in Jiangnan.

The northern regions were thoroughly investigated, with a clear inventory of land cultivated since the establishment of the Sima Jin dynasty. Given that the Zhang clan of Hanoi produced Zhang Chunhua, do you think they seized land after the establishment of the Sima Jin dynasty?

A new emperor brings a new court; now it's Shao Liang's turn, and old relationships don't count anymore.

Peng Chi's displeasure stemmed from his personality.

He worried that this would affect the Peng family and his reputation, because when the Zhang family of Hanoi went to the Western Regions to do business, they would inevitably need the help of their father, Peng Ling, who was serving as the Commandant of the Military Affairs Department of Wuwei, and might also need him to provide convenience in Gaochang.

He genuinely dislikes these things.

He wanted to gain favor with his superiors through his own abilities, and he wanted to win praise from others with his literary talent. He cherished his reputation and did not want to bear any stain that might be used against him.

"Hasn't the Crown Prince started investigating Sizhou yet?" Peng Chi asked.

"We've finished investigating Yuzhou and Yanzhou, and we've started investigating Xuzhou as well. After we finish Xuzhou, the next step will be either Sizhou or Qingzhou," Zhang said. "The clan wants to make up for the deficit in land through the profits from trade, but I don't know if that will work. If you think it's too much trouble, then let's just forget about it. I'll decline any questions from them."

Peng Chi sighed and said, "Never mind, we're all family, why be so formal? After the New Year, I'll go to Wuwei to see my father. He's a rigid and upright man, not so easy to persuade."

Zhang nodded.

Lord Pengling was indeed difficult to talk to, and she vaguely felt that he seemed to have some prejudice against powerful families. Although they had entered into a marriage alliance for various reasons, his deepest thoughts had never changed.

“If you really want to do business in the Western Regions, you can start with a small trial and try your luck in Lingzhou and Wuwei. If it works out, then head further west to Dunhuang and Gaochang,” Peng Chi suggested.

"Why not go directly to Gaochang?" Zhang asked. "Several people I know are planning to send people to Gaochang to do business. Some of them are from Jingzhou. They say that King Zhao is a master at managing commerce, and doing business in his country is definitely the right choice."

"So many people want to go?" Peng Chi was somewhat surprised.

In his memory, this model of trading in the Western Regions involved sitting at home, waiting for the Sogdians to come to the door, negotiating a price with them, and then completing the transaction.

The Sogdians had many routes and visited many cities.

Gaochang, Dunhuang, Wuwei, Shanshan, Lingzhou, Chang'an, Luoyang, Bianliang, Yecheng, and even Pingcheng, Jinyang, Jiangling, Guangling, and Jianye were all their destinations. There was almost no place they dared not go—Persian silver coins have been unearthed in most of these cities in later generations.

Sogdian settlements have sprung up in all directions, and they are everywhere. The number of Sogdians in the Great Liang Dynasty has increased by more than two thousand in the past year, spreading to many cities. In Luoyang, some Sogdians have even bought land to build temples and sacred fire altars. Last month, a wealthy Sogdian merchant died in Luoyang. It is said that his family used Sogdian stonemasons they brought to make his coffin, making it look just like that of the Jie people.

With so many Sogdians coming, are you still going to take the initiative to go out?

He thought the Zhang family of Hanoi was bold enough, but he didn't expect there to be more bold people than he had imagined.

“It is certainly convenient to trade in Luoyang, but the Sogdians take all the profits,” Zhang said. “Some people from the Prince Zhao’s mansion are spreading rumors in the capital that a market is being built on the wasteland there, and many people want to go and see it.”

Peng Chi's heart skipped a beat. The shadow of the Prince of Zhao was everywhere. It seemed that he had sent many people to the capital and put in a lot of effort.

Considering that Jinman Town was also under the jurisdiction of King Zhao, Peng Chi was eager to go to Gaochang to meet this famous king who was quite accomplished in poetry and music.

(End of this chapter)