Early that morning, government notices were posted in many places in Liucheng. Under each notice was a Han and a Khitan. They would take turns reciting the contents of the proclamation they had memorized aloud in Chinese and Khitan.
Chinese and Khitan are basically the mainstream languages outside the Guan Dynasty today. No matter which ethnic group you belong to, everyone can understand it to some extent. The Han people say it first, and then the Khitan people say it again, and they recite it loudly over and over again, which annoys the neighbors.
Amidst the onlookers of neighbors and passers-by, Liucheng looked so lively for the first time since it was occupied by Qianying.
The content of the announcement is very long, but it actually talks about one thing: the recruitment of soldiers from the front camp of the Pingzhou Army. The reason why it is so long is mainly to introduce the benefits of joining the army. According to the announcement, once you pass the test and become a soldier of the front camp,
You will enjoy the following benefits:
Three pieces of resettlement allowance will be paid in one lump sum;
Eat enough meals three times a day and eat meat every day;
Two pairs of clothes and two pairs of leather boots will be distributed a year;
The monthly salary is consistent, and after meritorious service and promotion, the monthly salary will be doubled according to the rank;
Those who join the army do not need to prepare their own weapons, the weapons will be distributed by the front camp;
…
In addition to the benefits listed above, the announcement also gave specific examples, especially Luo Yuanan, the fifth regiment commander of the Jiadu Left Team of the Pingzhou Army Front Camp, to explain his income one by one after six months in the army. Poor Luo Yuanan
In this situation, people were deprived of their right to privacy. I am afraid this is the first property announcement in Chinese history.
This announcement was very tempting, and many people couldn't help but come forward to ask, mainly focusing on the identity issue, that is, who can join the army, for example, can the Khitan people? Can the Xi people? Can the Shiwei people do it?
Regarding this question, the Han and Khitan people who were responsible for explaining the content of the proclamation answered in two languages. No matter what identity or ethnic group, as long as they are willing to join the Pingzhou Army and fight for the Pingzhou Army, they can apply. For people
They further responded in detail to the question. In the reply, they emphasized the identity of the Pingzhou Army as a Tang army, promoted the influence of the Tang Dynasty on the world, and emphasized that the Tang Dynasty was the common master of the world, regardless of Han, Khitan, Xi, Shiwei, or
The people of Mohe are all members of the Tang Dynasty. We were born in the Tang Dynasty, grew up in the Tang Dynasty, protect the Tang Dynasty, and defend the Tang Dynasty. Anyone who goes against the Tang Dynasty, attempts to divide the world, and attempts to harm the people of the Tang Dynasty is a soldier of the Tang Dynasty.
target of attack.
The original reason for the formation of such an explanation and concept was to expand the source base of soldiers and consolidate the status of the Pingzhou Army Front Camp in Liucheng and even Yingzhou. After all, Yingzhou has been occupied by various ethnic groups outside the Pass for many years. The distribution of the population
Although Han people are still the majority, various ethnic groups, including Zahu, have reached a relatively high proportion. In Feng Dao's Dingkou census, Han people in Liucheng accounted for more than 50%, and other ethnic groups accounted for more than 40%. If it is simply
Using Han as the source of conscription is not only detrimental to the governance of local civil affairs, but also directly affects the amount of conscription.
For this reason, raising the banner of the Tang Dynasty became the flexible policy of Li Chengzhong and Feng Dao. Although the Tang Dynasty has been ruined, its hundreds of years of heritage are still there, and it still occupies the rightful name in the hearts of the barbarians outside the pass. This concept
The proposal not only solves the problem of soldiers, but also solves the problem of combat objects, and also solves the problem of why and for whom to fight.
Behind this concept, what even Li Chengzhong and Feng Dao did not realize was that there was a deeper meaning hidden in it, that is, the prototype of the modern national concept.
The ancient country was a country with a theocratic nature. The land within the four seas was not the king's land, and the shores of the land were not the king's ministers. The existence of the army was to protect the emperor, the representative of the theocratic power. But the modern country is the country of the people. The country
The army belongs to the people and exists to protect the people.
In the conscription policy proposed by Li Chengzhong and Feng Dao, although the original intention was to expand the source of troops, the effect was to label all ethnic groups as "people of the Tang Dynasty" and protect the "people of the Tang Dynasty" from being harmed.
, became the Pingzhou Army-currently represents the combat purpose of the Tang Army.
This policy is quite hegemonic, and its hegemony lies in the fact that whether you admit it or not, we all identify you as a "people of the Tang Dynasty." But although it is hegemonic, it is reasonable and well-founded in this era.
Because no matter which tribe they belong to, they have all accepted the canonization of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Even the Khitans, despite your constant harassment and plundering of borders, more than fifty years ago, your tribal alliance Khan Qushu accepted the title of Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
The canonization of "General Yunhui" in the Tang Dynasty.
Don't you admit it? Well, please return the "Seal of Fengguo Khitan" that was given to you back then. Without this token, let's see how you elect a new alliance khan at the next Chai Ce Conference!
Under the interpretation of this policy and concept, only a little education is needed for the recruits, well, it is actually "brainwashing". While the source of soldiers is solved, the problem of combat motivation can be solved ideologically: You are a Khitan
?Well, in fact, according to the current title, you are a citizen of the Tang Dynasty. The enemy opposite is also a Khitan? You can't kill your own clan? Well, actually, your view is completely wrong. The enemy opposite is also a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, but they want to split the country.
Tang, they also want to ride on the heads of other people of the Tang Dynasty and dominate. Such people are the scum and scourge of our people of the Tang Dynasty. They don’t work and produce well, don’t live a good life, and they want to rob us all day long.
Can you tolerate such bad elements? No? Then pick up swords and guns and fight them!
How about saying that theory is a huge support and driving force for practice? Amidst the foaming at the mouth of the narrator of the message, the audience who had undergone preliminary ideological enlightenment finally understood what kind of army is occupying Liucheng now, so the listeners roared
There were a large number of applicants, many of whom were passionate men with world-wide hopes to save the common people. Many more people were eager to get the piece of pie described in the announcement - the huge benefits after joining the army.
The south gate of Liucheng, which had been closed for many days, finally opened, and people came to the temporary camp outside the south gate to sign up. After some simple tests, many people were admitted to the Pingzhou Army as they wished, and received their first resettlement allowance, as well as military training.
Some people returned to their homes in frustration and began to practice hurriedly on test subjects such as lifting stone locks and jogging. The conscription will last for seven days, and there is still no time.
Gao Mingbo comes from Yanjun. He is an authentic Mohe person, and he is a descendant of the Gao family, the great lord of the Bohai Kingdom. The Bohai Kingdom admires the style of the Tang Dynasty, and all cultures follow the Tang system. Gao Mingbo accepted the formality of the Tang Dynasty when he was born.
Education is also full of admiration for the culture of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. But like many tragic and desolate stories, Gao Mingbo belongs to a branch of the Gao family and is still a commoner, so he was sent to Yan County by his family to take care of him when he became an adult.
A silk clothing store.
This dealt a huge blow to Gao Mingbo's heart. Since he was a child, he had fantasized about being a martial artist and selling goods to the emperor's family. Now that he has become a businessman, his dream has died.
Later, Yanjun was occupied by the Khitans. Gao Mingbo relied on his cleverness to avoid the massacre by the Khitans, and then wandered in the countryside outside Yanjun for more than two months, living a life of begging without a meal.
If the traces of history had not changed, Gao Mingbo might have ended his life, starved to death, or been killed by rebels.
But Li Chengzhong's wings fanned across western Liaoning, and the breeze also blew on Gao Mingbo. Gao Mingbo heard that Liucheng had been captured by the Tang army, and he admired the Tang Dynasty, so he came all the way to Liucheng, and happened to see the large building in the south of the city.
Battalion recruitment scene.
The scholars of this era were not weak scholars with no strength. Gao Mingbo received a formal Tang-style education. He not only read and read, but was also good at riding and shooting.
This era was not like the later Song Dynasty or Ming Dynasty. Soldiering was still a respected profession, so Gao Mingbo participated in the recruitment.
With a few tricks on hand, Gao Mingbo successfully passed the test. However, because he had not had enough to eat for two months, his results were not ideal and he could only barely pass. So with the wave of the recruiting officer, he came to the register.
at.
"Name?"
"My surname is Gao, my given name is Mingbo, and my courtesy name is Zhongqing."
"Huh? It seems that you have studied in school?"
"Yes, I went to private school for ten years."
"Where is the home? Who else is there?"
"I live in Yan County, and my old parents are both here." When Gao Mingbo talked about this issue, he concealed an important piece of information. Although his parents and family were still alive, they lived in Yalu Prefecture, Xijing, Bohai Country. The reason for concealing something was
He was not confident in his identity as a Mohe, and he was afraid that Tang Dynasty would discriminate against him because of his identity. He had not entered the city before applying, and could not enter the city, so he did not see the recruitment notice, and he was afraid that the Tang army would not let him join the army.
Fortunately, the officer didn't ask him about his tribal identity at all. After registration, he waved him to go to the munitions office to collect the resettlement fee. Before leaving, the officer also warned him: "If you study like this, you may be able to do it in the future."
There are other uses for it. Let’s complete the recruit training first and I’ll talk to you then.”
So Gao Mingbo got his wish and joined the Tang Army, the Pingzhou Army, and became a recruit.
In just three days, the temporary military tents outside the South Gate Camp were filled with new recruits. Zhang Laojiang had to select a few more disciples from his busy schedule to preside over the expansion of the military camp. Waiting until the seventh day
The admission period ended, but there were still many young men from all ethnic groups outside Liucheng who came to apply, and some even came from Yan County. So the application period had to be extended for another three days.
In ten days, the Pingzhou Army's front camp recruited a total of 1,500 new soldiers. This was already a selection of the best. If they were open to recruiting, I'm afraid they could recruit all 5,000.
At the beginning of recruiting new soldiers, Li Chengzhong's plan was only to recruit 500 people, because he was currently only the commander of the front battalion, and the number of people under his command was only 500. However, there were too many recruits, many of whom were young and strong men with good quality, so it was in vain to let them go.
It's a pity that Li Chengzhong simply charged more. Anyway, he and Zhou Zhiyu have a "long-lasting relationship" and now they occupy half of Yingzhou, so it makes sense to charge more.
With the mature experience of training in Bailang Mountain, Li Chengzhong saved a lot of trouble in the training of these new recruits. He established a team with Dutou Jiangmiao as the chief instructor, Xie Li as the deputy chief instructor, and fifty former battalion soldiers as the
The teaching team, which has trained instructors, began a month-long training for new recruits.
The training plan is more standardized and orderly than that of Bailangshan. The first item is the cultural course. Within three days, you must read the "Former Battalion Soldiers' Traffic Regulations" and master it within five days. After five days, you will be able to
There was an assessment, and the recruits had to answer the instructor's questions correctly one by one. So, the Liucheng military camp began to chant neatly.
When the recruitment of new recruits was over, Li Chengzhong breathed a sigh of relief. Although there was still a lot of work ahead, with this batch of recruits in hand, he felt confident no matter what he did. So he focused on the formation of soldiers in the forward battalion.
Problem. How to integrate the soldiers in the front camp, how to deploy officers, which officers need to be promoted, and which soldiers need to be promoted. These problems are all very troublesome.
Just when Li Chengzhong was thinking about this problem, Wang Dalang came back from Pingzhou, and along with it was a letter from Zhou Zhiyu. The letter praised Li Chengzhong generously. These are what the title should mean, but it did not talk about how
As for the reward, I just asked him to return to Pingzhou as soon as possible.
Li Chengzhong said with a bitter face: "Everything in Liucheng is not completely stable now, so we really can't leave."
Wang Dalang looked a little mysterious. He looked at the people around him and whispered: "It's better to go to Xuanjie. I heard the military envoy and seemed to want to take Xuanjie back to Youzhou."
Li Chengzhong was stunned: "What are you going back to Youzhou for?"
Wang Dalang said: "It should be to meet the commander-in-chief. This time, the Jiedu Mansion issued a convening order, and all the military generals from various states must rush back to Youzhou for a military meeting. The soldiers and horses seem to want to use our victory this time to meet the commander-in-chief.
Focus on the benefits, the entire Pingzhou Army is involved, and everyone is eagerly waiting for the announcement in Pingzhou."