Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 573: Reading "Jiu Gao"

"... King Wen taught the boys to be upright and have good things: there is no Yi wine; in the country of Yuesu, drinking is only for sacrificial purposes, and virtuous generals will not be drunk. However, my people, the boy, only loves local things, and his heart is full. Listen carefully to the Yi precepts of Zu Kao , the smaller the virtue, the greater the virtue..."

With the handling of the rebellion basically over, the last few ceremonies are being held in the palace.

The Queen Mother sat on the main seat, posing and dancing, and the ministers who attended the banquet that night were all standing in the hall. Guo Kang, wearing the helmet of a thousand captain, was reciting the "Jiu Gao" to everyone.

After reading it, he stepped back. The Queen Mother said loudly: "It's not that I don't let you drink. Celebration banquets are normal. But if you all get together and get drunk, what should you do if something happens? I'm lucky this time and it didn't make a big fuss. It will be hard to say if we encounter a difficult enemy next time.”

"We have to have a plan to ensure that there are reliable people on duty at all times, and we can't restrict each other, and we can't leave opportunities for people who are waiting and watching. You should study it carefully and find out how to arrange it best. No matter what, it can't be like this time again. Drinking got things wrong.”

Everyone agreed, saying that they would follow the teachings of the sages and not drink too much in the future. This brief ceremony ended quickly.

Afterwards, Guo Kang prepared to leave. However, when he reached the door, Tuohuan stopped him and asked him to go to the military camp with him.

Along the way, Tuohuan seemed very happy.

"The female officials around grandma all think that you looked very handsome when you were reciting imperial edicts to a group of high-ranking officials and dignitaries just now." He said to Guo Kang cheerfully: "I see, there are little girls who want to miss you these days. It’s spring—but don’t tell my sister.”

On the side of the Purple Horde Khanate, the golden sword has a special meaning. It is said that the prophecy of "Mao Jin Dao" appeared as early as when Wang Mang ruled, believing that the Liu family would be revived. After the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty, during the long-term division and war, such prophecies emerged one after another. Whether it is ambitious officials or revolting people, they all like to use this as a call to action.

When someone handed him a saber, he didn't react much, and was wrapped up by Theodora in a daze to accept it. After returning, Guo Ponu was indeed furious. He wanted to make trouble for Theodora every day and even delayed the training of soldiers. Guo Kang had no choice but to hide as much as possible.

After Dou Jiande was killed, his old troops gathered together and prepared to resist, so they decided to use the Liu family's banner. At first, they found Dou Jiande's general Liu Ya. Liu Ya was unwilling to accept it and was killed by everyone. Then they found another old general Liu Heita. Liu Heitai accepted the proposal and was elected leader.

"Why am I talking about this?" Guo Kang quickly said he didn't know. "And it's just a study. There's nothing to make a fuss about."

"In this way..." Guo Kang actually still didn't quite understand, but he didn't know what to say.

At that time, the Buddhist classic "Fo Shuo Shen Ri Jing" was very popular. The scriptures say that thousands of years after Buddha's nirvana, he was worried that Buddhism in the world would be cut off, so he sent Moonlight Boy to the Qin Kingdom to be a holy king and spread Taoism. When Shi Hu was in power, Hou Ziguang, a native of Guanzhong, gathered a crowd to rebel, calling himself the Buddha Prince. He came from the Qin Kingdom and wanted to go to Qin to claim the throne.

The people at that time may have some unrealistic illusions about the Qin Kingdom. They felt that everyone was Qin and could probably help each other. However, the situation in various regions is actually similar. At this moment, Great Qin itself is being ravaged by barbarians...

But everything has two sides. The rapid spread of Buddhism also provides new theoretical basis for those who want to rebel. Soon, some people learned to use Buddhist scriptures to organize rebellion more efficiently. Moreover, this theory was quickly integrated with local traditions.

Such rumors had an impact on the Hu people. When the Huns Liu Yuan raised his troops, he used this to spread propaganda everywhere. Until the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, when Ji Hu and Liu Li became independent, they also spread the prophecy of the Golden Sword and claimed to revive the Han Dynasty.

"Book of Jin" says that he changed his surname to Li, while "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" says that he called himself Liu. However, judging from the situation at the time, Liu was more likely, and the surname Li seemed to be the Tang Dynasty's own version. Because before and after this person, there were a large number of Samanas claiming to be named Liu who rebelled. Obviously, they were the ones who stitched together the "savior" of Buddhism and the local revival of the Liu family.

Until the Sui and Tang Dynasties, such rumors often appeared. In the late Sui Dynasty, although there were many taboos about Li's prophecies, the Golden Sword Prophecy was still popular. At that time, there was also a nursery rhyme that said, "A pool of water under a poplar tree will flow if it is cut, but it will drain if it is not cut." This is almost a straightforward statement.

Although Hou Ziguang was quickly suppressed by Shi Hu's troops, rebellions under the banner of Buddhism continued one after another, and the legend of this "Great Qin Kingdom" was repeatedly played out. Until the Northern Wei Dynasty, there was a man named Liu Jinghui, who was supported by everyone as the Moonlight Boy to rebel. The location is not limited to the Qin area in Guanzhong, but has spread to the Hebei area. During this period, there were similar rumors in Youzhou and Jizhou.

Moreover, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the prophecies of the Mao Jin Dao were also combined with Buddhism.

"Maybe I think you are young, promising and very attractive." Tuo Huan said, "I guess grandma called you to read today because she wanted you to show off. Take this opportunity to show off your love before traveling. Let everyone see the outfit and the sword."

Buddhism was originally a "Hu religion" and its status was not very high. It was first officially promoted during the Hou Zhao Dynasty. Perhaps because he was also a barbarian from Central Asia, the Shizhao regime favored Buddhism, and Buddhist teachings were also conducive to allowing the people to anesthetize themselves in troubled times.

The influence of the Golden Sword Prophecy has already touched the top of the dynasty. After the Southern Qi Dynasty replaced Liu Song, Xiao Daocheng once used a gold-decorated knife to eat melon. The minister immediately advised him that the theory of golden swords was widely spread inside and outside the court, and this taboo should not be touched. Xiao Daocheng was very worried and finally decided to replace all the gold-handled utensils in the palace.

Judging from the results, this slogan is indeed effective. Liu Heitao's tribe has always been small in number, but their morale is astonishingly high. The Tang army of more than 2,000 people could not defeat his hundreds of men. After the incident got serious, Li Yuan immediately sent people to suppress it, but he was worried that Li Shimin had done too much, so he deliberately refused to let him go and mobilized nearby general Li Shentong and others to meet the enemy.

The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were numerous and powerful, and the military formation stretched for more than ten miles. Liu Heita's men were small. In order to prevent being outflanked, he tried to widen the front as much as possible, but even reduced the depth to a single line, and faced the battle with his back against the river embankment. At the beginning of the war, the Tang army took advantage of the favorable wind direction and began to attack, but was unable to break through this crazy formation. After a stalemate for a period of time, the wind reversed and blew against the Tang army. Liu Heitao's troops took the opportunity to counterattack. The Tang army was defeated, Li Shentong fled, and two-thirds of his soldiers and weapons were lost.

Throughout history, there have been few battles so outrageous. The famous "thin red line" in later generations was actually the hype of the times, and neither side started fighting. This kind of real confrontation is too rare. After the Tang Dynasty, the Golden Sword Prophecy gradually became less famous than before, but everyone still has memories of it. When the Purple Horde Khanate was established, it was claimed that the Mao belongs to wood and the sword belongs to iron. The ancestors of the Khan House took the name "Temujin" with a similar pronunciation in Mongolian, which also means "Maojin Knife". They came from the land of Qin and wanted to proclaim themselves kings of the Qin Kingdom, comply with the ancient prophecies, and revitalize the kingship in the world.

However, Chinese people understand these things, but Europeans do not. The level of illiteracy here is appalling. Most people have no idea what the local history was two generations ago, let alone something so remote. Therefore, for a long time, it did not have much influence, that is, it was passed down as a tradition internally.

Guo Kang didn't know what they were thinking at the time, but since they had formed a habit, that was it.

This knife, like other dress accessories, was only needed to be carried during important ceremonies, but Theodora insisted that he wear it every day, as if he had to show it off to the whole city. However, Guo Kang is really not someone who likes to show off, and she doesn't want to be so showy when she doesn't care.

Now, the imperial court has begun to organize the army. Guo Kang was appointed as a captain because of his outstanding performance in the previous rebellion. This is how he got the clothes he wears today. However, Guo Kang himself also felt that this was too much.

The commander of thousands in the legion is already considered a senior position, corresponding to the local chapter leader. His position is much higher than that of his other partners, and even his adoptive father and uncles have a higher starting point.

The names of the officers of the Purple Horde Khanate are also imitating the establishment of the ancient Roman era to increase their legitimacy. Many military positions and even false positions were used.

In the classical era, the commander of a legion was a nominal position held by senators and governors for a long time. The actual command was carried out by the deputy general of the legion and six generals. Under them, there are various military officials who perform specific functions and various centurions. However, this system is too old. For a long time, the military system and official titles have often changed, and the name is not worthy of the name, and even the establishment is upside down. And after 1204, when Eastern Rome was like that, there was probably no need for these things...

In fact, the real organization of the Purple Horde Khanate was based on Li Weigong's art of war, and was gradually modified based on local conditions and the experience of several generations. For example, their legion commander and six generals correspond to the commanders of the central army, the left and right Yu Hou armies, and the left and right armies under the seven-army system of the Tang Dynasty. In fact, they have changed their Roman names...

Of course, there is no shame in this. There is only the first in a war, so everyone will always develop in the same direction. Excellent systems will always be used. This is also where the art of war is different from some other knowledges.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wars have become more and more intense, and the demand for military art has also grown. However, before the Han Dynasty, there was no systematic compilation of military works. In the early Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu sent Han Xin to personally take charge of collecting various military books, summarizing them, and forming a complete system for the first time, which has been used ever since. By the time of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang was good at training troops, and the military system he used was adopted by the Jin Dynasty. Since then, various forces have imitated it, until the Tang Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Jing made improvements based on Zhuge Liang's art of war. This system had influence until the Yuan Dynasty.

The next classic system was compiled by Qi Jiguang in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. This system was used until modern times before it was replaced by Western military art.

It can be said that every classic military book is the result of geniuses seen for hundreds of years in history based on the work of their predecessors. It would be a waste not to refer to it.

Of course, the military strength of the Purple Horde Khanate was far less abundant than that of the Tang Dynasty. The size of the legions is also inconsistent. For larger legions, each general can be strengthened to two thousand-man teams, and the actual number can reach more than two thousand. In the war of annihilation that year against Hungary, the legion led by Basil III personally had 15,000 soldiers. Together with the Serbian cavalry who came to help, the total strength reached 20,000.

However, limited to the population of both sides, a war on the European side is basically not of such a large scale. In most legions, the generals and commanders also serve as commanders. The number of legions was also much smaller.

Therefore, Guo Kangcai felt that his official position had been promoted too quickly, and he was worried that it would destroy the default habits of everyone in the past and make others unacceptable. However, Tuo Huan and Theodora said that this was not his first battle-his first battle was not in Egypt, but in Dadu. This position was officially awarded after examining his record and performance. It meant that he had won a key battle and was promoted. It would naturally be higher than when his parents first fought. Everyone else knows about it, so there's nothing to worry about.

With this said, Guo Kang could only agree. However, after leaving the palace, he still put away the flashy helmet and saber, thinking that he wouldn't need them later.

Along the way, people in the city were busy. It seems that order has completely returned to normal. However, there was still a large group of people gathering together on a street, regardless of gender, old or young, howling loudly.

"What is this for?" Guo Kang asked curiously.

"They should be people who were exiled." Tuohuan looked at it and replied: "We have exiled more than a thousand families to Novgorod this time. My father was kind and allowed them to leave after the New Year. Now It’s time to go.”

"It's indeed quite a lot." Guo Kang thought for a while and said.

"What he found out almost pissed him off." Tuohuan shook his head: "Can you believe it? Over the years, the Night Watch Chapter has had hundreds of people on the roster, receiving benefits every day, and even You can also share the achievements of your teammates and get the chance to be promoted, but if you look closely, you have never been outside Dadu in your life. "

"This time, dozens of people were killed just for taking bribes and colluding with the rebels, trying to sit back and watch the success or failure. The Ministry of Punishment believes that those who bribed and pretended to receive military honors should be executed according to military law and their families exiled; those who evaded the expedition , beat thirty-seven soldiers and distribute them to the Ross area, so there are a lot of people to be exiled, and there will be more after this group."

"It should have been like this a long time ago. Our control was too lax before, and things like this could happen right under our noses." Guo Kang said helplessly.

"Yeah, I don't know if there is any other good way..." Tuo Huan also nodded.

(End of this chapter)