The composition of the Tang army in this era was actually relatively complicated. Among the originally known as one hundred thousand troops, some soldiers of the Sixteenth Guards and their subordinate soldiers served as the backbone and framework of the Chinese army; then the unity and defense troops from Yanbian prefectures and counties were mobilized. The warriors from the feudal lords near the city formed the main body of the army.
Therefore, such a complex composition and order of qualifications is a test for the generals' ability to coordinate and command; the gap between the upper limit and the lower limit shown on the battlefield is also very obvious; often, the fewer and better the troops, the higher the exchange ratio. The higher the level, the more complex and complex the result will be limited.
For the Tang Dynasty, the Battle of Danros that left military fans in the dark was just a border conflict; under the command of Gao Xianzhi, there were a large number of servants from the Western Regions, as well as vassal tug cavalry and other city-states. The vassal fell; so it took a few years to make up for the losses.
The only major loss was the hundreds of craftsmen who were captured with the army. Because Gao Xianzhi had the idea of occupying and operating Danros for a long time, he ended up taking advantage of the Black-clothed Dashi/Abbasid Dynasty and allowing them to obtain knowledge upgrades. The key prerequisite for replacement is papermaking.
However, in the harsh geographical environment of the plateau, the soldiers of the Tang army who set off from afar would have no way to survive even if they fell behind or became separated. Not to mention the previous snow blindness and diarrhea. Improper handling of colds alone can become a potential risk of pulmonary edema, which is enough to become an invisible killer of the retreating Tang army.
Therefore, in the end, Xue Rengui was not held accountable to the end, but was only dismissed from his post as Bai Shen, and even took up the post of chief marching officer of Jiling Road the next year. In other words, the greater responsibility for the defeat lies more with the court who made the decision to send troops to Tuyuhun without sufficient investigation and preparation;
Speaking of which, the "Edict to Raise Warriors" came out of nowhere, and it was very effective when it was first promulgated; young talents from all over the world heard about it and applied for it one after another. In the early Tang Dynasty, when the enterprising spirit had not faded, many seeds of famous generals and talents emerged from it; for example, Lou Shide...
Lou Shide was born in Yuanwu, Zhengzhou (now Yuanyang, Henan). He passed the Jinshi examination at the age of 20 and was appointed as the county captain of Jiangdu (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu). At the age of 45, he moved to supervise the censor. After hearing the news, he applied for the army wearing a red robe that represented a military attache. Emperor Gaozong was very happy and appointed him as Chaosan doctor to accompany the army on the expedition.
In the future, he will become a general and prime minister with military merit, and together with Di Renjie, he will become a generation of capable ministers in the Wu Zhou Dynasty. If this were placed in later generations, the Da Bian Dynasty, which claimed to share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, only the roll call outside Donghua Gate was a good man, and the Da Bian Dynasty had the highest winning rate in foreign wars, would be an unimaginable shame and self-degradation.
The emergence of the "Edict to Raise Warriors" also brought about another consequence besides the recruitment system; it was the beginning of the practice of selecting the best men from all over the world to join the army in all future wars; it eventually became a stable system, that is, A martial arts exercise initiated in the Wu Zhou Dynasty and continued into modern times.
Of course, there will be nothing wrong with the Wu Zhou Dynasty this time; because a few days ago, Prince Li Hong expressed his gratitude to the Eastern Capital in the name of the Eastern Palace and sent a very detailed and rich "Economic Strategy of Beibian Tubo". "Zhu Shi Shu"; and also attached a simple mountain and river topographic map that has been drawn.
Then, as expected, he received the commendation and praise of the Second Saint; therefore, not only did he allow Prince Li Hong to participate in the expedition with part of the East Palace Guards, and recommended a group of generals and commanders; in this "Edict to Raise Warriors", Franchised to set up martial arts performance venues in Luoyang and Chang'an.
The important task of presiding over Chang'an's martial arts performance and selecting talented warriors naturally fell on the name of Li Hong, the prince of the supervising country; although the actual operations were actually carried out by the prime minister of the supervising Dynasty and the envoy from Dongdu, as long as he had this In name, there are so many things that the East Palace can do.
Therefore, this time, simply taking advantage of the craze and public opinion brought about by the "Edict on Raising Warriors", Prince Li Hong wrote a letter proposing that the court continue the practice of martial arts and select talented and capable men in the army to enrich the needs of the military. , and came up with a set of methods for selection and examination for future generations.
Just like adding fuel to the fire, adding fuel to the fire, adding a lot of fuel to this trend. Therefore, in the following days, outside Jiafu Gate, where the East Palace is located, there was an almost endless stream of scholars and athletes who requested an audience and submitted letters to express their aspirations.
To this end, Prince Zhan Shifu made a special trip to build a temporary shed along the city wall outside Jiade Gate to provide tea soup and steamed cakes for these aspiring people to protect them from the wind, sun, and rain. Then, based on the suggestions provided by Jiang Tian, several reception desks were set up inside the door.
Although only a few of them could get an interview or a special reply from Prince Li Hong, the vast majority of people gathered outside the door were still set up at the reception desk inside Jiafu Gate to record their names. Origin; then, copied to Madam Zheng's inner academy.
It was thought that it would be convenient for Jiang Tian to slowly pan for gold from the Zhongsha Sea and filter out some talents who might be put to great use in the future, or key figures who had appeared in historical events; and record their names in a separate book, even if they could not be directly hired or recommended. Someone will be specially sent to write a reply letter.
Even giving some gifts as gifts, thinking that to maintain a certain degree of contact, there is no guarantee that there will be opportunities to come in handy in the future. All submissions and posts to the East Palace are also accepted without hesitation, and then cross-reviewed by members of the Chongwen Library/Editorial Bureau.
In the end, some candidates who are insightful, knowledgeable in practice, ambitious, or eloquent are selected; then they send someone to visit them and agree on a date for interviews; even if they cannot be directly recommended to the military, It can also serve as a talent reserve in a sense.
Despite this, there are still a steady stream of talented people who have received news. They come from all over the Guannai Road, from Hexi, Longyou, Shannan, Jianchuan and other places, and rush to Chang'an day and night. Just to seize this time, it may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is a grand event for the imperial court to select warriors from all over the world.
Therefore, the streets of Chang'an were overcrowded for a while, and various frequent conflicts, accidents, and public security problems also made the Jingzhao Mansion, which had just been reorganized, somewhat overwhelmed. Driven by this pressure that was visible to the naked eye from the palace gate, the court in Liudu quickly reached a consensus.
So the Prince of the Jianguo was the central presiding officer, and the prime ministers Zhang Wenguan and Xiao Dezhao were the assistant ministers; the envoy from the Eastern Capital and the right minister of the Ministry of War, Cen Changqian, was the guardian; in the Tufang in the south of Chang'an City, a selection ceremony that could be called the prototype of the military examination was held. General Assembly. Basically adopt the mature model inherited by later generations.
All men who are young and above, as long as their limbs are complete and free of diseases, regardless of their origins, can participate in the most basic primary election; that is, along the south of Chang'an City, between Mingde Gate and Qixia Gate On the inner avenue of the wall, he ran back and forth to eliminate the weak.
Of course, the entry threshold is also very low, no matter how much time you use or what method you use; as long as you can complete the entire course, you will be considered qualified. Then, based on physical performance, they go to other venues to test their skills such as lifting the door bolt, lifting the weight, stacking the target (shooting the target), and riding skills;
Of course, as long as one of them can be met, and a little targeted training is enough, it will be enough to become a soldier that meets the requirements. Originally, when things got to this point, the needs were basically met. However, at the suggestion and insistence of Prince Li Hong, additional examinations and selections were added for outstanding performers.
That is to say, in accordance with the general elite standards in the army, these newly selected men will be tested one by one on their rifle shooting, flat shooting, horse shooting and carbine skills; from them, we will further select those who are majestic in appearance and capable of wearing strong armor and charging into battle. A forward; or a general skilled in martial arts and tactics.
When things have developed to this point, it is no longer a matter for Cen Changqian, who is the right minister of the Ministry of War and the recruitment envoy of Xijing, to specialize and make decisions on his own. Almost as soon as the large-scale selection of soldiers was in full swing in the Nantufang of Chang'an City, the ball was also kicked to Dongdu with the deputy signature of the prime minister.
Of course, Prince Li Hong was also prepared for the aftermath of this slight overstep and disguised temptation. Even if the court in the Eastern Capital fails to approve his request for further selection of scholars, he still has the ability to place all of them within their duties within the scope of their duties.
At least, with the title of Prince Li Hong's supervising the country, he can supervise dozens of military offices in and around Gyeonggi Province at the same time. He can even grant hundreds of generals' titles at once, or arrange and sponsor a group of generals in service to join the imperial court. The army also has no technical problems at all.
But if it works like this, it will more or less force the Dongdu Chaotang to test pressure. However, the reaction of the Dongdu court was faster than everyone expected; only on the third day after the selection of scholars in Chang'an, an official edict issued a formal commendation for "Jinglue Beibian Tubo Affairs".
Then he praised the crown prince Li Hong for his example of never forgetting to devote himself to the country. He also gave special rewards such as gold, silk, carriages, horses, ceremonial clothes and other items to show encouragement. It was not mentioned until the end of the edict that Prince Li Hong was specially awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Army. One hundred certificates will be issued, and selected candidates will be recommended and supplemented accordingly.
It was a disguised acquiescence to Prince Li Hong's plan to recruit warriors in Xijing; but it was also a disguised way of tying his political reputation and reputation to this Western Expedition. If this western expedition fails, it will also be a big blow and setback to his gradually forming popularity and momentum.
If someone wants to use this to cause trouble, they can take advantage of the situation to clear up the involvement and directly or indirectly weaken the wings of the East Palace. Perhaps, this is the unpredictable monarch's heart in the Eastern Capital. To some extent, killing this young prince who has been too active in recent years is a disguised blow to kill two birds with one stone, right?
For Prince Li Hong, this is also the inevitable price and consequence he must face if he wants to change his destiny against the odds. But it also gave him a public status to participate in it, and even take more actions and make a difference, such as indirectly intervening in the selection and deployment of some generals.
