Chapter 3: One Paper

“The Xia bandits use commerce as warfare; we must use commerce to counter their warfare.”

“If all commercial taxes from the River Zhong region were funneled into the public treasury, and all usable horses from the barbarian tribes were brought under state monopoly, then even if the Xia army’s armor and weapons were sharp, without trade to exchange for grain, rice, and iron tools, they would be like rootless thistledown—drifting and scattering on their own.”

“In ancient times, Chao Cuo said that defending the frontier and fortifying the borders required populating them; Jia Yi argued that the strength of the Xiongnu lay first in the five enticements. Now, in my private view, the strategy to counter Xia consists of three points.”

At this moment, Lu Beigu had fully entered a state of ‘thought flowing like a spring’—not only did he not notice the person standing behind him, even if a crowd had been there, he would have remained utterly unaware.

Before his eyes, there was only that sheet of paper, and the thoughts he had poured onto it.

Unconsciously, Li Pan had been standing behind Lu Beigu for a long time.

The county school’s registrar and master of instruction had also come to stand nearby, and merely glancing sideways at what was written, they could not help but be stunned and puzzled.

—When had Lu Beigu’s policy essay reached such a level?

Yet, though the opening of this policy essay was astonishing, in the end, after analyzing the situation and presenting insights, what mattered was whether the proposed solutions were sound.

After all, no matter how high the tone, if the substance was hollow, it was merely a hollow spectacle.

And when the chief instructor of Hejiang County School finally came close and carefully chewed over these passages several times, he could not help but study this soaked, drenched scholar from head to toe.

To be honest, this policy essay struck straight at the heart of the matter—not only did it offer original insight, but its analysis was profoundly reasonable, utterly unlike something written by a boy of barely fifteen!

“Among the younger generation of scholars, perhaps only that prodigy from Meishan could have written such an essay?”

After silently pondering, the chief instructor continued reading.

“First: cut the sinews and veins through commerce.”

“Sang Hongyang’s Pingzhun system monopolized all economic power; Liu Yan’s transport strategy controlled the lifelines of the regional warlords.”

“They rely on camels and horses as their bloodline; I will block their vital organs. They depend on green salt as their lifeline; I will sever their throat.”

“Now we must ban green salt from crossing borders, prohibit iron tools from leaving our territory, and establish a dedicated Tea-Horse Commission in Qin Fenglu to monopolize all trade with Qingtang and the Tibetan tribes. When their treasuries are emptied and their clans turn against each other, even a hundred thousand armored soldiers will be nothing but starving hawks and hungry tigers.”

Seeing this, Li Pan’s gaze sharpened.

The economic lifelines of Western Xia were one: the Tangut horses, and two: green salt!

Tangut horses were not only tall but also possessed endurance and explosive power, surpassing even the steppe horses heavily used by the Khitans.

Coupled with control over the Hetao Plain and the Hexi Corridor—two of the finest horse-breeding regions in the world—the quality and quantity of Western Xia’s warhorses were unmatched anywhere on earth.

Green salt was the core of Western Xia’s economy; the saying “Yuanhao’s several prefectures relied entirely on green salt for revenue” was no exaggeration.

If one could truly suppress Western Xia’s Tangut horses and green salt, and find viable substitutes, it would indeed cripple their economy and force them into complete submission to the Great Song.

There was precedent for this.

During the first Song-Xia war, Western Xia won three major battles on the battlefield; Li Yuanhao even boasted, “I shall personally reach the Wei River and seize Chang’an.” Yet in the end, he was forced to seek peace, because his domestic economy had nearly collapsed.

But implementing such a strategy was extremely complex. While Tibetan horses could serve as a viable substitute for warhorses, the salt issue stemmed largely from systemic flaws within the Song economy itself—so much so that it could be said to affect everything at once.

Li Pan did not know whether Lu Beigu was simply unaware of the salt problem, or whether he had omitted it due to the essay’s limited length.

But regardless, the proposal to establish a Tea-Horse Commission in Qin Fenglu to trade with Qingtang Tibetans was indeed feasible.

In fact, this economic policy was precisely the market regulation system later implemented by Wang Shao during the famed “Xīhé Opening of the Frontier” decades later—irrespective of the hidden dangers of the “Xīhé Opening,” bypassing Western Xia to open trade routes to the River Zhong region was indeed a strategy that could cripple Western Xia.

As Lu Beigu’s brush continued to write across the paper, Li Pan set aside his thoughts and kept reading.

“Second: fortify the borders to establish a foundation.”

“The strength of the Xia bandits lies in their ability to gather and disperse like the wind; our dynasty’s weakness lies in dividing our troops to guard key points.”

“Now that we have already built connected fortresses across the northwestern prefectures, dug moats and trenches, and arranged the garrisons to support each other, we should also recruit local men as archers, grant them idle land, exempt them from taxes and corvée, train them in battle formations, conduct target practice every five days, hold combined drills every thirty days, and evaluate them annually.”

“During wartime, reward them with silk and military honors based on the number of enemy heads taken. With sons guarding their homes and warriors protecting their hometowns, it is like bees and ants defending their nest—even a mole digging a hole will be met with a swarm of stings.”

“Once trained, we can gradually withdraw elite border troops to specialize in cavalry archery and shock tactics. When the Xia bandits strike suddenly, the fortresses will stand like iron chains across the river, holding fast to key passes and defiles; our cavalry will emerge like the Tai’e sword from its sheath, striking with thunderous force wherever the enemy horsemen are vulnerable.”

Lu Beigu’s brush moved like a blade, carving characters into the paper with strokes that pierced through to the other side.

Unconsciously, Li Pan’s calloused hands clenched tight within his official robe.

—This boy had articulated with such precision the very vision Zhong Shiheng had failed to realize at Qingjian City!

Moreover, even though he did not explicitly state why local archers should be recruited, Li Pan could see the economic logic behind it: granting land to locals drastically reduced the cost of maintaining each soldier compared to dispatching troops from afar.

By mixing local militia with Song troops, the state could maintain sufficient garrison strength without increasing expenditures, while simultaneously freeing up field forces—and even redirecting the saved funds to forge a truly elite field army.

Of course, this also touched upon the issue most deeply concerning the court’s high officials.

Namely: whether the creation of a permanent standing garrison and a large-scale elite field army would slip out of imperial control and once again trigger the scourge of regional warlordism.

Still, as always, the truth remained: the strategy this boy proposed to counter Xia was entirely feasible!

“Third: sow discord in their heartland.”

“In ancient times, Zhang Yi broke the six states’ alliance; Chen Ping sowed discord between Fan Zeng and Xiang Yu. Today, though the Xia ruler claims imperial authority, the Yeli and Mocang clans harbor divergent ambitions; the GuSha Uyghurs and the Hehuang Gusi Luo have long-standing grievances. We should send skilled envoys to stir up their rivalries, following the example of Changsun Sheng. We may also emulate the Han’s enfeoffment of the Right Dayzhu Prince, promising hereditary rule over their ancestral lands to the chieftains of Hengshan, and luring the great families beyond the river to submit to the Central Plains.”

“The Tang established the Anxi Protectorate not merely through the strength of swords, but through control of trade routes; the Han opened the Western Regions’ thirty-six states not merely through the might of chariots, but through the strategy of commerce.”

“With these three strategies, even if they cling to the defenses of Helan Mountain, they will become trapped beasts; even if they rely on the riches of Hetao, they will become fish stranded in a dried-up rut.”

As he finished the final stroke, Lu Beigu laid down his brush and only then realized his wrist ached painfully.

When he looked up, he was stunned by the scene before him—

Prefect Li Pan had somehow stood before his desk, surrounded by the chief instructor, registrar, and other county school officials, all staring fixedly at the policy essay on his desk.

“Brilliant! A truly outstanding ‘Strategy to Counter Xia’!”

The cry echoed like a northwestern gale sweeping through the hall, startling every student into raising their heads.

——————

① River Zhong refers to the Syr Darya and Amu Darya basins in Central Asia, a vital hub of the ancient Eurasian Silk Road.

② The five enticements were Jia Yi’s five measures to appease and soften the Xiongnu, later generalized as any strategy to win over foreign tribes.

③ Sang Hongyang’s Pingzhun system involved establishing officials in the capital to manage the nationwide transport of goods, selling when prices were high and buying when low, aiming to stabilize prices and prevent merchants from hoarding.

④ Liu Yan’s transport strategy used specialized ships for different river currents and established regional storage centers to enable rapid redistribution of critical supplies.

⑤ Changsun Sheng successfully fractured the Göktürks through distant alliances and close intrigue, splitting them into Eastern and Western Khaganates.

⑥ In the second year of Shenjue, the Right Dayzhu Prince Xianxiandan quarreled with the Chanyu Woyanqudi; the Han enfeoffed him as Marquis of Guide, and he led tens of thousands of followers to surrender to Han.

⑦ A shortened form of ‘fish stranded in a dried-up rut,’ referring to a fish trapped in a dry cart track.

(End of chapter)