The Story of General Zhao Chongguo after the Western Han Dynasty

Zhao Chongguo (52 years before 137 BC) was born in Shangbang (now Qingshui County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province) in the Western Han Dynasty. He was a brave and resourceful strategist, good at riding and shooting, and made outstanding contributions to the reclamation policy at that time. He is calm, brave and far-sighted. When I was a teenager, I studied the art of war as well as the military. In BC 1 19, with the victory of the third large-scale conquest of Xiongnu by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, 700,000 people emigrated to strengthen the northern border defense. In the area from Shuofang in the east to Yongdeng County in the west until today, Union officials were set up to supply cattle and plows to immigrants, and the pasture became an agricultural area. Zhao Chongguo is a year of family migration.

? In 99 BC, he attacked the Xiongnu with Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, and was completely besieged by the Xiongnu. Han soldiers had no food for several days, and the casualties increased. Guo Chong led hundreds of brave men to break through the trap, followed by Li Guangli and soldiers. They were injured in more than 20 places and were finally cleared out. Guangli told the emperor about this situation. The emperor received Guo Chong, personally saw the trauma, sighed as a warrior, worshipped the corps commander, and moved the car to ride the general. When Emperor Zhaodi was Emperor Zhaodi, he moved the corps commander and Shuiheng as a captain. He fought against the Huns again, captured the king of the Western Qi and returned home, and was promoted to a captain and a post-general to protect Qiang. In 74 BC, because of the contribution of the general Huo Guang, he was named the Empress Hou.

In the later period of Liang Wudi, Qiang people living in present-day Qinghai Province often invaded the mainland and occupied the city slightly. Xiongnu also wanted to unite Qiang people to invade the Han Dynasty. Faced with this situation, Emperor Wu proposed to cut off the Xiongnu's right arm, referring to this alliance, but the soldiers sent were also defeated by the Qiang people. At this time, Qiang Jin gradually moved to the north of Huangshui, looking for a place where farmers abandoned farming to graze. At the same time, Qiang tribes also have a tendency to unite, and county officials can't ban it. At this time, the Huns wanted to collude with the Qiang people and expand their intrusion into the Western Han Dynasty. The army sent by the Han Dynasty to Haojiao (east of Datong River in Qinghai Province today) was defeated by the Qiang people and suffered heavy losses. In the first year of Shenjue (6 1 year BC), Zhao Chongguo was in his seventies, and he was still supervising the army in the west, defeating the Qiang people. After coming back, the three parties wrote to the imperial court, analyzed the situation in detail, suggested nip in the bud, and put forward the idea of "reclaiming the sea with soldiers", which was appreciated by Xuan Di. Because he was old, Xuan Di asked him, "Who is the most suitable for sending troops?" He replied happily: "There is no more suitable candidate than the old minister." Ask again: "How many men do you need?" "Seeing is believing. I want to go to Jincheng (near Lanzhou today) immediately to measure the terrain and write a plan. Your majesty, I'll take care of this. "He led less than ten thousand cavalry, set out quickly, skillfully crossed the Yellow River, gain a foothold, ready to fight. On the banks of the Huangshui River, the Qiang people challenged many times, but he couldn't hold on. He just surrendered with prestige and dissolved the plan of the Qiang tribe. At this time, he suggested that the imperial court take the wasteland in Huangzhong (now on both sides of Huangshui River in Qinghai Province) as a long-term solution, and put forward the method of raising grain on the spot, which can "make grain because of fields" and "residents can merge fields without losing agriculture"; "The way to win by sitting"; "12 stools" such as "big expenses save, the corvee pays interest in advance". This played a great supporting role in the frequent wars at that time, reduced the burden on the people, and has always influenced future generations.

After Xuan Di succeeded to the throne, he was named Ying Pinghou for his meritorious service in assisting the imperial court. Zhao Chongguo's most famous strategy in the history of China is to put forward the strategy of "combining the army with agriculture and giving consideration to both agriculture and war", that is, the method of opening up wasteland. This method was adopted by Xuan Di, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, which won the final victory of the Qiang people's war, maintained the stability of the northwest frontier and played a positive role in promoting the development of frontier agriculture. After Zhao Chongguo, the method of reclaiming farmland was widely used in practice by politicians and military strategists in past dynasties, which had a great influence in the history of China.

Zhao Chongguo was originally a cavalry, because he was a good family in Jincheng County, and he was good at riding and shooting. He was replaced by Sergeant Yu Lin and the emperor's bodyguard. Being a man, "Shen Yong has a general idea, but learn the art of war from Sun Tzu and inform the four foreigners."

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Chongguo pretended to be Sima, followed Li Guangli, the commander of the Second Normal University, to attack Xiongnu, and was surrounded by tarquin. The Han army went without food for several days and suffered heavy casualties. Zhao Chongguo and 100 strong men rushed out of the tight encirclement, followed by Li Guangli, and finally escaped. Zhao Chongguo was injured in more than twenty places, and Li Guangli reported the situation to the emperor, who summoned him. Emperor Wu personally looked at his wound and sighed. He was appointed as a captain, and marched towards the riding general with a long history.

? During the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty, the clans in Wudu County made an insurrection. As a general, Zhao Chongguo led the army to quell the chaos and was promoted to corps commander. He led his troops to Shanggu County and was transferred back to the imperial court to take a surname of Shuiheng. In the process of establishing Xuan Di, Zhao Chongguo participated in the decision-making of Huo Guang, so he was named Ying Pinghou. In his early years (73 BC-70 BC), he was General Pu Ban, who led more than 30,000 cavalry and went out to Jiuquan to crusade against Xiongnu. He should have joined forces with Wusun to attack the Huns in Praise, but Wusun arrived early and left, but the Han soldiers didn't arrive. He led his troops out of the fort for more than 1,800 miles and went west to the back hill, killing hundreds of people and plundering more than 7,000 livestock. After returning to Korea, I became a post-general, less official. Xiongnu launched more than 100,000 cavalry to attack the border areas of the Han Dynasty. Xiongnu talked about this situation after Qutang surrendered to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty sent Zhao Chongguo to command 40,000 cavalry in nine counties, including Wuyuan, Shuofang, Yunzhong, Dai Jun, Yanmen, Dingxiang, Beiping, Shanggu and Yuyang. Xiongnu Khan heard the news and led the troops to retreat. Han immediately stopped fighting.

? The doctor of Guanglu, Yi Quanguo, was sent to the Qiang nationality, and the chief of the first zero tribe of the Qiang nationality told him to cross the Huangshui River in the north and raise livestock in places where the Han people did not farm. Yi Quanguo reported this situation to the court. Zhao Chongguo impeached Yi Qu An Guofeng for dereliction of duty. Since then, the Qiang people have crossed the Huangshui River without authorization according to the previous words, and the local county magistrate in the Han Dynasty could not ban it. In the third year of Yuankang (63 BC), the first zero tribe reached an agreement with more than 200 chiefs of the Qiang tribe and invaded the Han Dynasty. Xuan Di knew about it and asked Zhao Chongguo how to deal with it. Zhao Chongguo pointed out that the Qiang people were in trouble. First, Qiang tribes attack each other and are easy to control. But in recent years, they "canceled" * * * anti-Korea; Second, the Qiang people and the Huns had long planned to unite; Third, Qiang people may also "unite with other races", that is, unite with other races. So he put forward the suggestion of "preparing for a rainy day". More than a month later, Hou Qianglang of Xiaoyue tribe sent troops to attack Shanshan and Dunhuang, cutting off the passage between the Han Dynasty and the western regions. Zhao Chongguo estimated that things were not that simple and needed foresight. He made suggestions to the court: first, strengthen military frontier defense; The second is to alienate the Qiang tribe and detect its premeditation.

? Therefore, the two governments of the Han Dynasty (the Prime Minister and the Imperial Adviser) recommended Yi Quanguo as a special envoy to the Qiang people to learn about its movements. Yi Qu stepped forward and summoned more than 30 leaders of Shouling tribe, thinking that they were all guilty of disobedience and disobedience, and all of them were beheaded. The troops were mobilized to suppress the first zero people, killing more than 1000 people. So all the ministries of the Qiang people, as well as Hou Yangyu who returned to Guiyi, were very afraid. They left their land, plundered other small tribes, committed the Han frontier fortress, attacked the city and plundered the land, killed the chief, Yi Quanguo, and led 3,000 cavalry to defend the Qiang people as captains. They were attacked by Qiang people and suffered heavy losses. He led the troops back to Lingzhou and reported to the emperor. It was the spring of the first year of the knighthood (6 1 BC).

? At this time, Zhao Chongguo was over seventy years old, and Xuan Di thought he was old. He sent Bingji, an ancient counselor, to ask who could be a general. Zhao Chongguo confidently replied: "No one is more important than the old minister." Emperor Xuan Di sent someone to ask, "How can a general capture Qiang and how many people does it take?" Zhao Chongguo replied, "Seeing is believing. The soldiers are unpredictable, and I am willing to rush to Jincheng and count it on the map. " This means that you can't daydream away from the battlefield, but go to the front line to observe and then make countermeasures. He asked Xuan Di to give him this task, so don't worry. Xuan Di smiled and agreed. Zhao Chongguo arrived in Jincheng, assembled ten thousand cavalry, and planned to cross the Yellow River. Afraid of being stopped by Qiang people, he sent three teams to ride horses at night to cross the river first, and then set up camp after crossing the river. At dawn, it was all over. Therefore, the large forces are transitioning in turn. Hundreds of Qiang cavalry arrived and appeared near the Han army. Zhao Chongguo said, "Our horses are new and tired, so we can't drive them away. It's all hard to control, I'm afraid it's inducements. Killing is a period of annihilation, and small profits are not enough. " Command the Han army not to attack. Knowing that there were no Qiang soldiers, they sent cavalry to Wang Si Canyon to keep watch. At night, he led the Han army to Luodu Mountain, called the captains of various detachments and said to them, "I know Qiang and Lu can't be soldiers. With thousands of people guarding Duxia, how can soldiers enter! " Zhao Chongguo used his troops, "always taking scouts from afar as his service, and everything he did must be prepared for war, and he should stop at the camp wall, be especially cautious, love his foot soldiers, and think before you move". He came to Dewey House in the west of Jincheng. "Every sergeant and scholar wants to use it." Qiang came to challenge many times, but Zhao Chongguo ordered him to hold his ground and not to send troops. The captured prisoner confessed that all the leaders of the Qiang people complained to each other and said, "You don't have to say anything. General Zhao, who is eighty or ninety years old, was sent today. Make good use of it. If you want to fight and die today, you can get evil! " This shows that the Qiang people are afraid that Zhao Chongguo will fight, so there are internal contradictions.

You Cao, the son of a corps commander, led a team to Lingzhou. Qiang soldiers cut off the route of providing foodstuff for the Han army and told the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The emperor ordered Eight Commanders, Qiu Xiaoqi and Jincheng County to jointly search for Qiang soldiers in the mountains to get through the route for providing foodstuff.

? At first, the leader of Qiang tribe sent his younger brother Diaoku to report the rebellion of Xianling tribe to a captain, and it became anti-Han in a few days. Some Diaoku people mixed with Qianling people, so a captain left Diaoku people as hostages. Zhao Chongguo told the man that he was innocent, so he went back and told the tribal leader, "When soldiers punish guilty people, they understand that they should leave themselves, don't take them away, and destroy them. The son of heaven sued the Qiang people, and offenders could be arrested and punished. One person who commits beheading a great man will be rewarded with 400,000 yuan, 150,000 yuan for a middle man, 20,000 yuan for a lower man, 3,000 yuan for men, women and children, and all the money he seized from his wife. " It means that the Han army came to punish the guilty people in the Qiang nationality, so it was treated differently. You should not collude with each other, but make meritorious deeds and make amends. Zhao Chongguo wanted to rely on his prestige, surrender tribes and prisoners, disintegrate the plan of Qiang people's alliance, and break it when it was lax.

At this time, Xuan Di has dispatched 60,000 people. Xin Wuxian, the satrap of Jiuquan, made a suggestion: the county soldiers are stationed in Nanshan, and the north is empty and cannot last long. Now the enemy soldiers invade day and night, the land is bitter, and the horses of the Han army can't spend the winter. There are more than 10,000 cavalry stationed in Wuwei, Zhangye and Jiuquan, and most of them are exhausted. We can increase the horse's feed, divide the troops into Zhangye and Jiuquan on the basis of 30 days' diet in early July, and attack the tribes in fresh water. Qiang people live on animal products and are now scattered. Although the Han army attacked by troops, it could not be wiped out. As long as they rob their wives with their livestock products, they will retreat and attack again in winter, and the army will attack frequently, and the Qiang people will be discouraged.

? Xuan Di handed Xin Wuxian's recital to Zhao Chongguo, and ordered him to discuss with people who knew Qiang affairs below a captain. Zhao Chongguo thought that Xin Wuxian's strategy was inappropriate, and wrote to Dong, the chief historian, in the same year. Xin Wuxian deliberately led tens of thousands of cavalry to go into battle lightly, and split into two ways, leaving Zhangye and returning to thousands of miles. It's really difficult to chase a camel with 30 days' grain, two meters or so, four measures of rice, eight tons of wheat and clothes. After the Qiang people try to reach their destination, they must advance and retreat according to this situation, chase after water plants and enter the mountains. When the Han army went deep, the Qiang people immediately occupied the dangerous places before and after the Han army and cut off the route for providing foodstuff, which was bound to hurt the danger and was laughed at by Yi Di, which could not be redeemed for thousands of years. Xin Wuxian thought that he could seize Qiang people's livestock and wives, but it was just empty talk, not a good policy. Besides, Wuwei county and Zhangye Rile county are blocked by the north, and there are aquatic plants in the valley. We estimate that the Huns and Qiang people must have planned a large-scale invasion, hoping to block Zhangye and Jiuquan to cut off the traffic between the Han Dynasty and the western regions, so the county soldiers there were particularly uncontrollable. It is estimated that the 01 tribe is a rebellion, and other tribes are forced to coerce. Therefore, Zhao Chongguo and others suggested that if you want to donate, you should hide it, but don't stamp it. You should punish zero first to shake it, you should repent and turn over a new leaf, and turn your back on kindness. Because it has been pardoned, it is necessary to choose those who are good officials and know their customs to follow and compile. This is the strategy of the whole division to ensure the victory of the border crossing.

This means that the Qiang ministries should treat the mastermind and the coerced person differently according to their different situations, severely punish the mastermind, forgive the coerced person, and choose good officials who understand the customs of the Qiang people to comfort the Qiang people. This is the perfect solution. Xuan Di sent his letter to the ministers for discussion. Officials and commentators all think that the 100 th tribe is powerful and it is difficult to deal with it with the help of the power of the tribe. It is impossible to capture the first zero without breaking the tribe first. This view is completely contrary to Zhao Chongguo's policy.

? He appointed Xu Yanshou as the general of the crossbow, Xin Wuxian as the general of Qiang, and made an imperial decree for the satrap of Jiuquan. At the same time, he sent a book to Zhao Chongguo, accusing him of fighting slowly, regardless of the hard work of soldiers and the expenditure of the country; Tell him that the court has acted according to Xin Wuxian's policy; He was ordered to "lead soldiers from the side road to the west, although they did not make a trip, so that the soldiers from the east to the north gathered in one place, distracting their hearts and leaving their party." Although they cannot be annihilated, they should be disintegrated. " He also said that heaven is smooth and the troops will win.

Zhao Chongguo was criticized by the emperor, but he didn't give up his point of view. He thinks the general has gone out with the army. Although he is under the imperial edict, as long as he can protect the country, he must act cheaply. So the letter admitted the fault on the surface, but actually further stated the advantages and disadvantages of using troops, saying: the invaders were first of all the Qiang people, not the Qiang people. "Now set zero first, fight first, release the guilty, punish the innocent, and it will be two evils. This is really not your majesty's plan. " Zero Qiang is the mastermind first. I'm afraid that if the Han army comes, Qiang will break his word. If the Han army "strikes Qiang first, helps it first" and "keeps its promise and joins its party", it will inevitably cost a lot of money and take a long time. Finally, he said: "If the minister's plan is to punish first and then zero, then he will take it and leave the soldiers alone." If he enters the army immediately, he will "honestly, he can't see any benefits." Xuan Di quickly adopted Zhao Chongguo's strategy.

? Zhao Chongguo led the troops to the location of the DiYiLing qiang. In the same place for a long time, Xian Lingqiang's thoughts were lax. Suddenly saw the arrival of the Han army, abandoned the car and trench, and planned to cross the Huangshui River. Zhao Chongguo slowly expelled him. Some people say that it is better to chase after the profit. Zhao Chongguo said, "This villain can't be forced. If you are slow, you will ignore it, and if you are urgent, you will die. " Sure enough, hundreds of Qiang people drowned, surrendered and beheaded more than 500 people, and obtained more than 100 thousand horses, cattle and sheep and more than 4 thousand vehicles. When the Han army went to the Qiang area, it was ordered not to burn down houses and damage agriculture and animal husbandry. Qiang knew the news and said happily, "Korea won't hit me." Their leader forgot to send someone to say, "I wish I could go back to my old place." Zhao Chongguo reported this information, but has not yet received a reply. I forgot to come in person. Zhao Chongguo served the food and told him to go back and tell the public. Officers below the guard regiment are controversial about this matter, and some say that they should not be released because of this anti-Lu. Zhao Chongguo said: "You gentlemen want to be self-employed, but you are not loyal to the public." It shows that you are all considering from your own convenience, not being loyal to the national plan. Before his words were finished, the reply arrived, and his life forgot to make up for it. Later, Qiang calmed down and did not disturb the soldiers.

Zhao Chongguo was ill, and Xuan Di sent him a book saying: I heard that you were ill, and your illness became more and more serious with your age. I'm worried if I die. Now, I order General Xin Wuxian, who broke the Qiang, to be your deputy in your post. Using this time, the soldiers are full of energy. It is scheduled to attack Qiang first in December. If you are seriously ill, just stay put, and only let the broken Qiang general Xin Wuxian and the strong crossbow general Xu Yanshou lead the troops. By this time, the Qiang people had surrendered more than ten thousand people. Zhao Chongguo estimated that they must have wavered and planned to arrange cavalry to open up land for them. Before the book was delivered, I received an imperial edict ordering the invasion. Zhao Jian, the corps commander, was afraid and sent someone to persuade Zhao Chongguo that if he was ordered to send troops, Pojun would humiliate the country and the general could keep it. It's all right now. You're sick. What's the point? "If you don't like it, send embroidered clothes to the general. If the general can't protect himself, how can the country be safe? " Zhao Chongguo sighed and said, Why are you so disloyal? If the court adopted my suggestion, how could the Qiang people suffer from it? In the past, I recommended Xin Wuxian, and the Prime Minister and Shi Yu recommended Yi Quanguo, so that the Qiang people's affairs fell through. The grain in Jincheng and Huangzhong is eight yuan per load, so I persuaded Shou Chang, the middle-range Geng of Si Nong, to pay two million yuan to welcome the grain, and the Qiang people dared not touch it. Geng Zhongcheng only applied for/kloc-0,000,000 welcome guests, but only got 400,000. Yiquanguo went again and consumed half the valley. Without these two strategies, the Qiang people dare to rebel. "This soldier for a long time, four yi shake, phase system. Although the wise can't be good, if they are strong, they will worry about evil! I will stick to it. " It means you can only try to stick to it, not make a move. If the "four barbarians" suddenly rise, it's not just Qiang. So I played The Book of Reclamation. Zhao Chongguo put forward two suggestions in the Book of Land Reclamation: First, the soldiers and horses I brought with me consumed a huge amount of food, grass and salt, which was "difficult to understand for a long time, and the corvee kept on", and other changes may occur. Qiang suffered from "the plan is easy to break, but the soldiers are difficult to break", so I think it is "inconvenient to strike". Second, in the area from Lin Qiang to Xu Hao, stop cavalry, recruit people, "build rural pavilions, dig ditches" and open up wasteland. Only a few cavalry guards the wasteland, "saving food and saving money."

? Xuan Di said, "If we stop the cavalry and take over the land, when will Lu punish them?" When will it be decided, soldier? "Ask to state the reason again. Zhao Chongguo complained that Qiang people, like Han people, have the heart of "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, loving relatives and fearing death". If the cavalry is stopped and the venue is set, "the right time and the right place are in harmony", victory is in sight. The Qiang people were shocked, with more than 10 thousand people coming and going, and 70 people told each other after listening to the propaganda. This is the truth of solving Qiang's suffering. At the same time, it also puts forward the "twelve conveniences" of staying in the field: nine schools of infantry, 10 thousand officials, and staying at the station to make military preparations, because the field leads to the valley, Wade goes hand in hand, and so does one. Because of the rejection of Qiang and Lu, it is forbidden to return to the fat and spare, and the poverty is broken, which makes Qiang and Lu gradually rebel. Secondly, it is also. Residents have to close their fields without losing their agriculture. The army got food in January, and Shi Tian was one year old. The cavalry was stopped to save a lot of money. In spring, a soldier from the province followed Gu Cao from Hehuang to Lin Qiang to show that Lu Qiang and Yang Wei have been handed down from generation to generation and achieved great success. With the wood cut down in leisure time, the postal kiosk was repaired and filled into Jincheng and Liuye. The soldiers went out and got away with it, but they didn't go out, which made the rebels flee to the cold land, away from the frost and dew, and sat on the road to victory. There are eight casualties in the pursuit without obstacles. It doesn't hurt internal strength, and it doesn't make the outside world gain power. Don't worry about disturbing Henan's big opening and small opening to make it change. Harnessing Huang Yong Zhonglu Bridge can bring fresh water to harness the western regions, and it has a reputation of thousands of miles. I have been a teacher since the pillow mat, and I am also eleven. Save a lot of money and prepare the corvee for rest to avoid danger. He thought that "staying in the wasteland will gain twelve benefits, but sending troops will lose twelve benefits", so he asked the court to adopt its strategy.

In Xuan Di's reply, it is mentioned that land reclamation may not solve the Qiang people's troubles, and it may be combined with the first zero to ask Zhao Chongguo to seriously consider it and report it again. Zhao Chongguo also reported that there were not many elite soldiers left in Qianlingqiang, "people who lost their land and traveled far away were scattered and hungry", and Kaihe and other tribes deserted. The Han army settled the field, prepared for war, and waited for work. "There is no cost inside, and there is defense outside," so victory is in sight. "And the Huns must be prepared, and Wu Huan must be worried." It is quite inconvenient to transfer the troublesome expenses to one party for a long time.

Every time Zhao Chongguo's report was sent to the court, the emperor gave it to the officials for discussion. At first, there were "thirteen", "five in the middle, and eight in the last" in favor of Zhao Chongguo policy, which shows that more and more people are in favor of it. Premier Wei Xiang said, "I am a fool, and I am not interested in military affairs. Later generals (referring to Zhao Chongguo) planned military strategies, and they often said that I would use them if I wanted. " This expressed the trust of ministers in Zhao Chongguo at that time. Xuan Di then replied to Zhao Chongguo, affirming his plan. However, because Xin Wuxian and Xu Yanshou repeatedly suggested attacking, and worried that Zhao Chongguo might be invaded, Xuan Di adopted a compromise approach, "two things follow its plan" and ordered Xin Wuxian, Xu Yanshou and Zhao Yin to attack for small profits; And Zhao Chongguo does not send troops, "surrenders get 5,000 people", which also benefits. And imperial edicts, leaving only Zhao Chongguo in charge of wasteland.

In May of the second year of Emperor Jue (60 BC), Zhao Chongguo estimated that the Qiang people suffered more casualties and surrendered, and their strength was weakened, so he asked to stop the garrison. With the permission of the Emperor, Lv Zhen returned to North Korea.

? Hao Xing, a good friend, greeted Zhao Chongguo and said: The appearance of generals in the imperial court should be attributed to two generals, Xin Wuxian and Xu Yanshou. "So, the general's plan did not fail." Zhao Chongguo said, "I am old, and my title is extremely high. I don't think a short cut can fool the Lord! Military intelligence is a national event, and it should be the post-law. I don't think I will make it clear to your majesty that I am a soldier's interest. If I die, who will say it again? " He returned his original intention. Xuan Di affirmed his plan to make Xin Wuxian the satrap of Jiuquan and Zhao Chongguo the post-general Wei.