Chapter 43: The Hero (6)
Shanzhou, Longyou Military Governorate.
At this moment, Guo Shu Han, the military governor of Longyou and the commander-in-chief of the Battle of Hehuang, was extremely worried. He paced back and forth anxiously in the hall. The troops from Shuofang, Hexi, and Anxi had all been dispatched to Longyou and were now stationed in camps outside Shanzhou City.
A total of 150,000 soldiers were stationed in the Hehuang combat zone. Though they seemed formidable, only Guo Shu Han knew the hardships they faced. Longyou was originally equipped with just over 70,000 soldiers, and provisions were allocated according to this number by the Ministry of Revenue. With an additional 70,000 soldiers, there were also 70,000 more mouths to feed. Although Longyou had vast lands suitable for cultivating military farmland, it was far from enough for such a large army. Before provisions could be delivered, the troops had already arrived. Since April, the imperial court had been sending grain and military supplies to Longyou. Yet even so, there was still a huge gap in the soldiers’ rations. Including the 200,000 dan of grain allocated last month, the total stored grain in the army was only 250,000 dan. The army consumed 3,000 dan of grain per day. If the court did not send more supplies, they would run out of food by July! (Note 1) At the thought of running out of food, Guo Shu Han felt cold sweat stream down his back. Having led troops for many years, he knew well how crucial provisions were for soldiers—adequate supplies kept morale high, while shortages led to disunity. If soldiers couldn’t eat enough, who would fight bravely for them? If handled improperly, it could even lead to mutiny.
Thinking of this, Guo Shu Han felt a headache coming on. He tapped his forehead lightly, sat down on a Hu bed, closed his eyes, and tried to come up with a solution.
“Commander, commander! There’s a special envoy from Chang’an at the gate!”
Gao Shi cleared his throat and stepped into the inner room.
Guo Shu Han immediately opened his eyes and sat up straight. “A special envoy? Is it an imperial envoy?”
Gao Shi shook his head. “It’s not an imperial envoy. Judging from his robes, he seems to be a civil official of a certain rank.”
Guo Shu Han sighed in relief. As long as it wasn’t an eunuch, it was fine. He, Guo Shu Han, feared nothing in the world except dealing with eunuchs. These people often had physical defects and dark, extreme minds, always finding fault with others. Aside from a few exceptions, most eunuchs had low educational levels, let alone any knowledge of military affairs. Yet they still liked to interfere in military matters. Take Gao Xianzhi, the military governor of Anxi, for example. If not for the supervisor Bian Lingcheng’s insistence on advancing quickly to fight the forces of the Small Buleh, this gem of the Pamir Mountains would already be part of the Tang Dynasty’s territory map. (Note 2) “Please have the special envoy wait in the outer hall. I’ll change my clothes and come meet him right away.”
Guo Shu Han sighed. What was meant to happen would happen anyway.
“I’m sorry for the wait, esteemed envoy. My apologies!”
As soon as he entered the hall, Ge Shuhan stepped forward quickly, grabbed Song Hun’s arm firmly, and sighed with emotion. Song Hun smiled without annoyance and said, “It doesn’t matter if we wait a bit longer. After all, General Ge Shuhan is extremely busy with military affairs. But I am here by imperial order. If I fail to fulfill this duty, I will never be able to atone for it.” Ge Shuhan was very displeased with Song Hun’s way of insulting him, but he dared not show it in the slightest. He laughed heartily and said, “Even if I neglect someone else, how could I dare neglect an imperial envoy? The emperor has shown me kindness, and all I can do is take back Dafei Chuan and Jiuqu to repay His Majesty!” Song Hun took out a roll of yellow silk from his sleeve, unrolled it, and said solemnly, “Ge Shuhan, the governor of Longyou, receive the imperial edict!” Ge Shuhan was stunned for a moment before quickly kneeling down and saying, “Your servant Ge Shuhan receives the edict.” “Recently, the Tubo people have relied on their remote location to repeatedly disrupt the border regions, committing atrocities and acting in a rebellious manner. Therefore, soldiers have been ordered to launch a punitive campaign—without actual battle, they shall be utterly destroyed. Their leaders will flee and bring about their own destruction, bringing peace to the borders. As the emperor who rules over the world, my goal is to maintain harmony with all people and accept their requests for peace. Yet the Tubo people, with their wolfish ambitions, show no gratitude and instead harbor rebellious thoughts. The people among them are filled with resentment toward both humans and animals. Thus, a just cause has been established to eradicate them completely. The barbarians in the western regions stir up conflict and act as they please. I worry deeply for the people, regardless of ethnicity, and thus pay close attention to the west. If not rescued swiftly, suffering may continue. Ge Shuhan and others, as governors of Longyou, possess both literary and military talents and are trusted within and outside the realm. They will surely be able to spread order beyond the borders and pacify distant lands. Assess the situation carefully, implement strategies for pacification, send envoys to give clear instructions. If anyone disobeys the imperial orders and dares to rebel, dispatch elite troops to suppress them thoroughly, using all means of authority to fulfill my wishes.” Hearing this, Ge Shuhan broke into cold sweat. He had recently submitted a secret request to the emperor for more military provisions, but this edict made no mention of supplies at all. The emperor also ordered him to eradicate the Tubo people immediately, clearly unwilling to delay any longer. Ge Shuhan sighed inwardly and kowtowed, saying, “Your servant Ge Shuhan will strictly follow His Majesty’s wishes.” After speaking, he stood up, took the edict with both hands, and respectfully handed it to Gao Shi standing nearby. “General Ge Shuhan is truly formidable—even when receiving an imperial edict, he doesn’t bother setting up an altar.” Song Hun, feeling neglected, naturally paid close attention to every detail. Ge Shuhan smiled and said, “What are you saying, envoy? Things happened suddenly, and I hadn’t prepared yet when you began reading the edict. Enough talk—tonight, I will host a feast to welcome you!”
The words in the imperial edict were nothing but clichéd phrases with no practical value, while it was the words of the special envoy who Ge Shuhan wanted to hear. So, whatever it took, he had to try his best to please this Song envoy before him.
“May I ask if Your Majesty has any secret orders to convey?”
As the saying goes, one does not strike those who smile. Seeing Ge Shuhan’s humble attitude, Song Hun cleared his throat and said, “Your Majesty has asked me to convey this message to you: the region of Longyou is allowed to raise its own military provisions. You must capture Shibao City by July, otherwise Wang Zhongsì will meet the same fate as you!”
Ge Shuhan’s body trembled violently; the last glimmer of hope in his heart was also shattered. What did it mean to allow Longyou to raise its own military provisions? If he could still collect even a single hu of rice, would he still have to shamelessly keep pressing the Ministry of Revenue to allocate grain? (Note 3) “Sir Envoy, couldn’t the court allocate at least 100,000 shi of grain? Even 50,000 shi would help in an emergency.”
“General Ge Shuhan, it’s not that I’m being pretentious, but I can’t help but speak up on behalf of the Emperor.”
Song Hun bowed in the direction of Chang’an and said, “The grain reserves in the imperial granaries are running low. The price of one dou of rice in the capital has risen to 150 wen. The court is already stretching its resources to support the battlefield in Longyou. Please, General Ge Shuhan, stop delaying the war!”
Note 1: In the Tang Dynasty, one shi was approximately equal to 106 market pounds. Roughly calculated as 100 pounds per shi, 300,000 pounds per day for 150,000 soldiers equaled 3,000 dan. The rations for 150,000 soldiers for one and a half months amounted to 150,000 shi. Of course, there were also the needs of cavalry horses. Horses mainly relied on grain, supplemented by a small amount of forage. Each horse required as much grain as 10 soldiers. Under these calculations, it was indeed difficult to provide 250,000 shi of grain for one and a half months.
Note 2: Located in northwestern Kashmir, the capital Nieduocheng (present-day Gilgit) was one of the two major states in the Pamir region during the Tang Dynasty. It was originally a vassal state of the Tang and served as a key route for the Tibetans to reach the Four Garrison Cities in Anxi.
Note 3: Hu was a common term used before the Tang Dynasty to refer to shi. In ancient times, ten sheng equalled one dou, and ten dou equalled 100 sheng, which was equivalent to one hu. One hu was equal to one shi. According to “New Book of Tang: Records of Food and Goods II,” “At that time, 25 million strings of coins were collected annually, along with 4 million hu of rice.”
With only 4 million shi of rice available nationwide, allocating 200,000 shi to Ge Shuhan was indeed a substantial amount.