White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

Gao Xingzhou sighed softly, "The Tang Dynasty has been gone for twenty-seven years..."

The two children were quite puzzled. Their father had said the Tang Dynasty had been extinct for a long time, since the current dynasty's name was Tang Yao. However, they had something more interesting to ask.

"Auntie is ranked third. I wonder who ranks above him?"

Gao Xingzhou did not answer directly, but slowly recounted the origins: "The Luo family split into two branches in the mid-Tang Dynasty, respectively supporting Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian and Emperor Ruizong Li Dan. One branch drifted to Jiangnan and its whereabouts are unknown. The other branch passed down to the Silver Spear Ancestor Tantai Yu, who rode the Iron-Spine Silver-Maned Carefree Horse and wielded the Eight Treasures Buddha Mother Bright Silver Spear, and took An Jingsi as his disciple."

"After An Jingsi emerged from seclusion, he changed his name to Li Cunxiao and became the foremost of the Sixteen Outstanding Talents of the Late Tang Dynasty."

Gao Xingzhou sighed when he heard the name Li Cunxiao.

The saying "No king surpasses Xiang Yu, no general surpasses Li Zicheng" refers to this very man. With a single spear wielding the divine Yu King's spear and a short mace of Bi Yan, he was invincible against all heroes under heaven, yet he ended up unjustly accused and torn apart by five oxen.

Since there is a first, there must be a second.

Gao Xingzhou's gaze was deep as he said, word by word, "The second-ranked person is Liang Guo's general, Iron Spear King Yanzhang, who is also the enemy who killed your grandfather."

The two children were shocked. Had their grandfather been murdered? And what enemy state was Liang?

"The Liang Kingdom has been destroyed for eleven years. You were not even born then, so it is not surprising that you do not know this."

Recalling the turbulent events of the Jin-Liang rivalry, Gao Xingzhou was lost in thought and remained silent for a while.

After waiting a while, the older child couldn't help but ask, "Who is this Wang Yanzhang? How could Grandpa, with his abilities, lose to him?"

Gao Xingzhou finally came to his senses and recounted the past: "Ten years after the Huang Chao Rebellion was quelled, Li Cunxiao was executed by being torn apart by chariots, and Wang Yanzhang began to distinguish himself. It was also in that year that Japan saw the weakness of the court and stopped sending envoys to Tang China." (Note 1)

"Wang Yanzhang was a sailor from the Yellow River. He could walk a hundred paces barefoot through thorns and brambles. He wielded two solid iron spears without tassels, each weighing a hundred catties, which no one else could lift. In battle, he would place one in his saddle and hold the other in his palm. He was invincible and people called him Iron Spear Wang." (Note 2)

The child was secretly alarmed, guessing that the two iron spears in front of the offering table belonged to Wang Yanzhang. They weighed a hundred pounds, which explained why he couldn't wield them.

The standard-issue rifle in the army weighs less than ten pounds, and I, at my age, can wield it with ease, thanks to a life of plenty with meat at every meal since childhood and proper training. This Wang Yanzhang is born with superhuman strength; no wonder my grandfather was no match for him.

Seemingly sensing the child's thoughts, Gao Xingzhou gently shook his head: "Although Wang Yanzhang's iron spear is formidable, your grandfather is actually no weaker than him."

"At the end of the Tang Dynasty, many heroes emerged, and most of them were renowned for their spear skills. Emperor Huang Chao of the Jin Dynasty used a purple-gold rattan spear, while Shi Jingsi, the White-Robed General, used a silver spear with a sharp edge. Ge Congzhou, nicknamed 'Shandong One-Legged Kudzu,' used a tiger-head gold-inlaid spear. Others included Deng Tianwang's iron-clad spear and Zhang Guiba's eight-treasure dragon-coiled spear, among countless others."

"Your grandfather was able to stand out among many famous spears. With his plum blossom silver spear, he was rarely matched in Youyan. He was nicknamed the White Horse Silver Spear General. His skills were extraordinary."

The few sentences were packed with information, even mentioning the name of the Great Qi Emperor Jin Tong, who had wreaked havoc and killed countless people. The two children listened with great interest, their interest piqued.

Gao Xingzhou continued, "Back then, to avenge the ambush at Shangyuan Post Station, Prince Jin led various regional military governors to attack Zhu Wen. Wang Yanzhang led troops to meet the enemy. In the Battle of Jibao Mountain, the day passed in the blink of an eye, and he defeated thirty-six generals in succession. Li Cunxiao was dead, and no one else could suppress him. Prince Jin had no choice but to ask your grandfather for help."

"At that time, your grandfather and his two brothers were under the command of Liu Rengong, the Inspector General of Works and Military Governor of Lulong Army. They were in charge of the troops in Youzhou, and their soldiers were all powerful figures from the north of the mountains. Because they were respected by the people of Yan, Liu Rengong was always wary of them."

An older child interrupted, asking, "Who is this Prince of Jin? To be granted the title of 'Prince,' he must be a member of the Li Tang imperial family?"

Gao Xingzhou showed no respect whatsoever, uttering a name with sarcasm: "Indeed, there was an old saying: 'If you want peace without soldiers and horses, you need nothing but the green-eyed eagle of Yinshan.' Prince Jin is none other than Li Keyong, nicknamed 'One-Eyed Dragon'!"

The two children were greatly alarmed upon hearing this, for everyone in the world knew that this was the taboo name of the founding emperor of this dynasty!

……

To understand the origins of this dynasty, we must go back more than 120 years.

Yuanhe three years.

More than forty years have passed since the An Lushan Rebellion was quelled, but the Tang Dynasty has still not recovered from the terrible trauma.

When Kucha, the last of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, fell, Guo Ziyi's nephew and the Protector-General of Anxi, Guo Xin, went from a handsome young man in his prime to an old man with a full head of white hair. He died a heroic death along with the white-haired veterans who defended the enclave in the Western Regions.

Li Jifu compiled the "Yuanhe National Accounts Book": There are 48 regional military commands in the country, governing 295 prefectures and counties, 1,453 counties, and 2,442,540 households. Among them, the 15 circuits of Fengxiang, Fufang, Binning, Zhenwu, Jingyuan, Yinxia, ​​Lingyan, Hedong, Yiding, Weibo, Zhenji, Fanyang, Cangjing, Huaixi, and Ziqing, totaling 71 prefectures, do not report the population.

The annual tax revenue was collected from eight circuits: Zhejiang East and West, Xuanzhou and Shezhou, Huainan, Jiangxi, Ezhou and Yuezhou, Fujian, and Hunan, encompassing forty-nine prefectures and 1.44 million households. Compared to the households that paid taxes during the Tianbao era, this accounted for one-quarter of the total.

Of the soldiers and civilians in the country, those supplied by the county officials numbered over 830,000. Compared to the soldiers and horses of the Tianbao era, this was one-third more, with two households contributing to one soldier.

The regional military governors held their own armies and were powerful, leaving the imperial treasury empty and the government unable to make ends meet.

It was fate that brought about this seemingly insignificant border incident that year, which actually became the key to influencing the course of history a century later.

On the banks of the Yellow River, Zhu Xiezhiyi's deep blue eyes were stained with a thick layer of blood, which even the turbid, surging river water could not wash away.

Just now, his father, Zhu Xiejinzhong, led the old, weak, and wounded, carrying the royal banner to divert the attention of the Tibetan pursuers and buy time for himself and his people to cross the river. They all died in battle on the west bank of the Yellow River.

The more than 30,000 tents that set out from Ganzhou followed the Wudejian Mountain eastward, along the Tao River, and passed through Shimen, fighting as they went, and engaging in fierce battles without stopping.

In a few words, it's simple: in order to bypass Liangzhou, where the Tubo forces were strong, Zhu Xie Jinzhong did not take the main road of the Hexi Corridor. Instead, he first went south into the mountains, choosing only sparsely populated areas, and then turned north, turning the thousand-mile journey into three times the original distance.

After traversing three thousand miles and engaging in over four hundred battles, two-thirds of the tribesmen were lost, leaving only two thousand able-bodied soldiers and seven hundred cavalry. Of the tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, miscellaneous livestock, and camels that had set out, only a few thousand remained. (Note 3)

However, once you cross the river, you'll be in Lingzhou, the territory of the powerful Shuofang Jiedushi of the Tang Dynasty.

The military governor of Shuofang commanded 64,700 soldiers and 4,300 warhorses. Lingzhou city alone had over 20,000 men and 3,000 warhorses, making it impossible for the Tibetans to cross the river to pursue them.

Even if the Tang people use them as weapons to kill their enemies, the Shatuo people will no longer have to be caught between the Tibetans and the Uyghurs, fearing the possibility of extermination at any time.

Initially, the Tibetans ordered the relocation of the entire Shatuo tribe to the harsh, cold northern plateau beyond the Yellow River. Zhu Xie Jinzhong once said to his son, "If we were to flee to Xiaoguan and return home now, wouldn't that be tantamount to extinction?"

Ultimately, the Shatuo leader resolutely made the decision to break away from Tibetan control and lead his entire clan eastward to return to the Tang Dynasty.

Zhu Xie's choice to remain loyal to the enemy resulted in an extremely heavy price being paid by the entire clan.

However, the world is full of wonders. It was this very decision that, a century later, created a miracle that the Shatuo people could not have imagined even in their most absurd dreams.

Zhu Xie died loyally, and Zhu Xie Zhiyi named his son Chixin (meaning "red heart").

Sixty years later, in the tenth year of the Xiantong era, Zhu Xiechixin was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Taiyuan military camp and the military commissioner of the three Shatuo tribes. He was rewarded for his meritorious service in suppressing the Pang Xun uprising. The court bestowed upon him the surname Li and the name Guochang.

Li Guochang had a son, whom he named Li Keyong.

Li Keyong initially said that he enjoyed military conversation and was skilled in riding and archery from a young age. When he played and galloped with his peers, he was always the best.

At the age of thirteen, he saw two ducks soaring in the sky, shot them and hit them repeatedly, and all the people submitted to him.

At the age of fifteen, he participated in the campaign against Pang Xun, where he charged into battle and outperformed all the other generals, earning him the nickname "Flying Tiger" among the troops.

He once competed in a contest with the Tatars, who pointed to two eagles in the air and asked, "Can you hit the target with one shot?"

Li Keyong immediately drew his bow and fired an arrow, piercing through two eagles in a row, causing the border people to prostrate themselves in worship.

As he grew older, he raised an army to defend the king and fought a series of battles against Huang Chao. He was awarded the title of Loyal and Meritorious Minister in Pacifying the Disaster, and was promoted to Prince of Jin, establishing his own independent regime in Hedong.

Time flies, and ninety-nine years have passed since the Shatuo tribe migrated eastward.

In the fourth year of the Tianyou era, Emperor Ai of Tang, Li Zhu, abdicated in favor of Zhu Wen, the Prince of Liang, marking the end of the Tang Dynasty.

In the same year, the Khitan leader Yelü Abaoji ordered officials to set up an altar, burn firewood to announce to Heaven, and then ascended the throne as emperor.

Zhu Xie Jinzhong certainly never imagined that the Shatuo tribe, which had struggled to survive and numbered only a few thousand households, would be able to enter China, inherit the legal system of the Li Tang dynasty, become emperors, and command the Central Plains.

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Place Name Comparison

Udejian Mountain: now the Khangai Mountains in Mongolia, suspected to be a mistake for Xiqing Mountain in Qinghai Province.

Taoshui: Today's Taohe River

Shimen: The middle section of the Daxia River, south of Linxia County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

Ganzhou: present-day Zhangye City, Gansu Province

Lingzhou: present-day Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

Hewai: present-day Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province