"I have seen this kind of people in my hometown city. But now, it has nothing to do with paganism." Joanna thought for a while and said.
"But it is still related to crime." Guo Kang pointed out: "Moreover, we have had related experiences in the past, which left a lot of psychological shadow."
"In ancient times, Seris people did not like tattoos and regarded them as punishment for prisoners. However, during the Tang and Song Dynasties, people became less and less concerned about it. Many people in the market began to have tattoos, which became a custom. By the Song Dynasty, , this trend has reached its peak. Not only the citizens like it, but also generals and even the royal family have tattoos."
"But on the other hand, starting from the late Tang Dynasty, the habit of tattooing soldiers' faces was formed to prevent them from fleeing. This kind of behavior was a great insult even in an era when many people liked tattoos."
"During the Northern Song Dynasty, rural militiamen were an important part of the armed forces of the Northern Song Dynasty. For example, in the northwest, militiamen were often organized to supplement the front line. Because they were defending the countryside, the militiamen could sometimes exert high combat effectiveness."
"Unlike the regular army, the militiamen did not need to have their faces tattooed, which was something they valued very much. But later, the government deceived them and forcibly tattooed a group of militiamen who were organized to prepare for war. This incident caused a large number of militiamen to flee. , and in the end there was no way to control it.”
"Is this matter important?" Joanna was a little confused: "Why would the government rather take such a big risk and force tattoos? Is there any benefit to them?"
"How would I know? I'm not an official." Guo Kang didn't understand himself, so he had to avoid the question.
"In short, from these things, we can see the attitude of people at that time."
"Moreover, the most important thing is not only the social customs at the time, but their actual performance." He added: "The quality of these tattooed soldiers in the Song Dynasty was very worrying, and the people looked down on them, calling them 'thieves with the army. '."
"In the Southern Song Dynasty, General Zhang Jun also organized an army. Many of them were simply rogues. These soldiers had large tattoos on their arms and legs. They did not train or fight on weekdays, but just wore clothes every day. The short clothes swaggered across the market, or they were running businesses and building mansions for Zhang Jun himself. However, although they looked scary, this army had little combat effectiveness. This is where the allusion of 'flowering fists and embroidered legs' came from."
"After such tossing, future generations have a psychological shadow, and it has gradually declined since the Yuan Dynasty. When the Ming Dynasty was just founded, Zhu Hongwu Hehan issued an order to ban a number of activities, including tattoos, football, etc. This trend It just disappeared.”
"I'm afraid it's hard for us outsiders to understand such a huge psychological shadow." Joanna sighed with emotion, and then asked doubtfully: "What's going on with football? Why is football banned too?"
"It was also during the Song Dynasty that the cultural meaning of football also changed. The sport of joining the army became a symbol of scoundrels in the market." Guo Kang said: "You can see this typical culture in literary works Symbol - if there is a character who plays football every day, there is a high probability that he is not a serious character."
"It is said that when he and Zhang Shicheng were fighting, Zhang Shicheng's younger brother led a group of prostitutes and played football in the military camp. This scene... obviously left a deep impression on both sides of the war. So later, he simply linked this to Forbidden.”
"So that's it." Joanna nodded: "Then I still have a question. Do you think it is the act of tattooing that causes soldiers to be discriminated against, or is it because the soldiers' low status makes tattoos spread and even become a trend? of?"
"There is a clear record of this. The status of soldiers was reduced earlier." Guo Kang said: "This trend existed in the early Tang Dynasty."
"General Liu Rengui led the army to attack Baekje and Japan. He found that the soldiers stationed there were all old and weak, and even their clothes were thin. They had no fighting spirit, and just wanted to finish it and go home every day. Liu Rengui felt strange and visited Soldier, investigate."
"The soldiers said that this is because the government's policy has changed, so people's hearts have also changed. During the Zhenguan and Yonghui years, the officers and soldiers who died in battle were provided with pensions and condolences, but it was canceled five years after Xianqing. The attack on Baekje , the meritorious service of attacking Pyongyang is no longer recognized by the imperial court, and the rewards originally promised are not even distributed.”
"Not only were the benefits suddenly reduced, but the supplies were also greatly reduced. The supplies for the past five years were only distributed for one year, and the soldiers were miserable for this."
"During the Han Dynasty, four counties had been established in the local area and treated as local operations. This shows that the local area has such material conditions. Therefore, Liu Rengui originally hoped to 'flatten the Liaohai Sea, promulgate the country's Zhengshuo, and make the Yi customs obey' . But the condition of the army was so bad that it could no longer be maintained and had to give up."
"This incident is a famous symbol, and it is the beginning of a great decline in the status of soldiers. After that, the capable, strong, or wealthy people among the people all refused to apply. When officials couldn't recruit enough people, they forcibly recruited old, weak and disabled soldiers. Send them to the front line to recharge. Of course, the combat effectiveness of the army will also decline accordingly."
"It doesn't seem complicated at all..." Joanna seemed to understand directly.
"Yes, Seris has a special feature. Their civilian organization ability and combat effectiveness are already very high, and because of the tradition of civilization, the potential for increased combat effectiveness is also great. So most of the time, the government is willing to pay How much money is spent can help the army exert more combat effectiveness," Guo Kang said.
"Basically, as long as the army is paid enough, it will be enough to conquer the world. If the court can increase more investment and conduct more professional training, it will be completely different from other armies. Such examples have been seen in all dynasties. "
"This is actually a rare feature." He scratched his head: "After all, in most civilizations, you can't fight even if you give enough money, and you may even become a special gift to the opponent..."
"In addition, most of the soldiers who went on the expedition at that time were recruits. In the Seris tradition, these people who were recruited separately by spending money are the most elite. They are more skilled in fighting, willing to serve for a long time, and regard participating in the war as a A profession. Compared with ordinary soldiers who bring their own weapons and supplies to join the army, they are generally more willing to fight and have higher quality."
"The combat effectiveness of these people has nothing to do with things like land annexation and family changes. The quality of the recruited soldiers has declined rapidly, and they have even changed from elites to strong men. In fact, there are not so many influencing factors. It is simply that the court does not give money. Bullying veterans. In this case, of course there is no fighting ability."
"In this way, a vicious circle is formed. Soldiers are treated poorly, and decent people are unwilling to join the army, resulting in a decline in the army's combat effectiveness; the army's combat effectiveness is reduced, and its performance is poor, making the people and even the government more distrustful of the army, further discriminating against them; the army and soldiers suffer Discrimination makes capable people even less willing to participate, or even avoid it, further affecting combat effectiveness...If this cycle continues, there will be a situation where, as you said, low status and discrimination will promote each other. .”
"This cycle develops very quickly. More than thirty years later, in the first year of Long Live Tongtian, the Wuzhou army was defeated by the Khitan. In order to replenish soldiers, they began to recruit people from prisoners as soldiers. Since then, although some It was a period of improvement, but the decline in the status of soldiers has become irreversible, and the 'thieves to prepare the army' has begun."
"But in this case, the beginning of the whole thing seems very strange." Joanna wondered: "What happened in the fifth year of Xianqing?"
"Well, there is just a person who can't fight, but is good at dealing with veterans, and he has officially come to power." Guo Kang shrugged: "But this is another story about the psychological shadow of the Seris people..."
"That's not the case, right? Why do you want to reduce the treatment of soldiers first? Doesn't this person know that the army is the most important?" Joanna said in surprise: "I thought the rulers of Siris, at least Smarter than our city councilor here."
"How would I know? I'm not an official." Guo Kang didn't know how to answer, so he had to avoid it again.
(End of chapter)
