Chapter 219: Recruiting Troops Is a Quick Thrill, Military Expenses a Crematorium

Guan Chongsi is a battalion commander under the Longyou Military Governor, leading a company of the An Ren Army with a few dozen men. This force is stationed northwest of Shanzhou City along the Changning River (Beichuan River), and the military outpost is called "Datong City".

It is the frontmost point of the Longyou defensive line in the northwest, closest to Tubo, intended to stop Tubo forces from moving south along the Changning River to attack Shanzhou.

This time Guan Chongsi was commissioned by the An Ren Army's military envoy Ge Shuhan to go to Chang'an to seek support; any support will do, as long as it can provide the winter clothes that have been overdue for two years.

Unfortunately, he is not heading from Longyou to Chang'an; on the contrary, Guan Chongsi has already made a round trip in Chang'an, returned empty‑handed without obtaining funds, and must go back the same way to Longyou!

Of course, Guan Chongsi is not the first Longyou commander to handle this, nor will he be the last. When frontier commanders from Longyou go to Chang'an to request provisions, it is not because they are lowly, but because circumstances force them to do so.

The Longyou front line borders the Tubo frontier; besides the barren mountains and treacherous waters, the roads are rugged, commerce is almost nonexistent, and merchants stop at Lanzhou, never venturing further west, so they cannot reach the Longyou Military Governor's garrison at all.

The few arable lands locally have all been turned into military farms to guarantee grain supplies, leaving nothing else to consider. Thus the frontline's spring and winter garments rely entirely on provisions from Chang'an; the region cannot produce them itself.

Why wasn't this a problem before?

Because previously there was the militia system! The state conscripted militia, calling them "volunteer soldiers" but they were really "conscripts"; if you were called up you had to go, and they only provided a meal. As for pay, the state didn't even ask the soldiers' families for taxes, let alone give them money.

Thus the Tang army, invincible during the Tian Kehan era, began to suffer repeated defeats after the Wu Zhou, with few victories; besides a shortage of commanders, the collapse of the militia system was also a key factor. Ji Ge refined the frontier militia by converting them into "Long March Youth", making military service one of the lower classes' avenues.

Later the Tang forces grew from weak to strong, and the tactically skilled Long March Youth proved indeed more effective than militia who were indifferent to frontier duty.

But the laws of nature tell us that becoming stronger requires a price.

There is no greatness in the world that comes without a cost!

That price is the Tang Empire's military budget, which rose from two million strings per year to over ten million, and kept climbing each year! Even a powerful Tang finds such massive expenditure hard to bear.

Therefore, in recent years since the peace treaty with Tubo ended hostilities, the border troops under the Longyou Military Governor have begun to experience "benefit downgrade".

Rewards, of course, are nonexistent; the army hasn't fought, so where would military merit come from? Without merit, there can be no rewards.

Each year they're supposed to issue spring and winter garments—no problem; spring clothes are issued first, while winter clothes are delayed for later fulfillment.

As for when the supplement will happen, it's uncertain; anyway… the officials involved think surviving their term is enough, and any trouble will be handled by their successor. Are you, Qiu Ba, unhappy? Fine, you can retire and go farm at home!

The An Ren Army sits on the very front line abutting the Tubo border; further west lies Tubo's stronghold! Conditions are the harshest, benefits the worst—no individual could endure it!

Thus Ge Shuhan sent his trusted aide Guan Chongsi to Chang'an to test the waters. In fact, Ge Shuhan is quite emotionally intelligent; he knows that using official channels would never fully cover the Longyou region's pay shortfall.

The court always has ways to delay, and can postpone payment until Ge Shuhan steps down as the An Ren Army's envoy, yet the arrears persist! Therefore, since regular channels are unavailable, only some high officials at the central court can devise partial solutions.

In other words, first settle the An Ren Army's pay, and as for other Longyou units, they're not under Ge Shuhan's jurisdiction; letting Guan Chongsi raise the issue would already be doing his utmost.

However, while Ge Shuhan's idea was sound, he didn't anticipate that no one in the court would buy it! The An Ren Army has ten thousand troops and 350 warhorses; its organization isn't tiny, but it's nowhere near the elite, court‑directed Chishui Army.

The Chishui Army fields 33,000 men and 13,000 warhorses, even privately maintaining extra mounts, making it almost entirely cavalry or mounted infantry! The An Ren Army's manpower is acceptable; the shortage of horses is simply due to poverty.

Because of poverty, its strategic position is low, relegated to the grim task of plugging the front line. High‑strategic‑position units can't be poor; the two are mutually reflective.

Even today, senior officials at the central court have not realized the benefits of covertly colluding with frontier commanders!

Rebelling? The timing isn't ripe; it's still the High Tang, and people won't side with rebels.

Flattering Ji Ge? It seems the frontier troops aren't useful anyway; better to offer a few girls.

Want to help frontier officer Qiu Ba earn battle merit? Currently Tang and Tubo are in a cease‑fire, with swords but no battlefield.

Thus, central officials colluding with frontier commanders gain no obvious benefit, aside from Ji Ge's suspicion of their scheming.

Guan Chongsi made a circuit in Chang'an, visiting the offices of Prime Ministers Li Linfu, Li Shizhi and others, only to be shut out; those officials seemed to know his background and wouldn't even let him in.

Guan Chongsi then went to the Ministry of War to request pay, but was told the matter must be handled by the Longyou Supply Officer; that officer had already informed Ge Shuhan that the court had not allocated funds, so he too had no money.

Without money in hand, he cannot issue silk to the troops; this is obvious.

Both sides seem to have a point, both lack funds, and they keep passing the buck.

Guan Chongsi can only stare helplessly; what else can he say? Even if he killed the Ministry of War officials or the Longyou Supply Officer, no pay would materialize!

Seething with anger in Chang'an, Guan Chongsi, on his way back to Longyou, heard a slew of aggravating stories while eating at Fen Shui Station, and was about to explode with rage.

Now a young man as massive as a black bear sits opposite him, and Guan Chongsi points angrily at an empty seat in the distance, saying: "Where did that hairy kid come from? Get over there and cool off, don't delay Ye Ye's drinking!"

Guan Chongsi said that because he saw Fang Chongyong's towering build; if a scrawny person had taken that seat, he would have already slapped him.

Qiu Bas enjoy swift vengeance and grudges, caring little for propriety or honor! Strangers who lack foresight can't blame them for being ruthless.

"You can think it over and say it again later; I'll give you that chance."

Fang Chongyong handed his waist‑worn "Inspector General" badge to Guan Chongsi, and also pushed the unique, gold‑crafted half‑fish talisman in front of him.

"What a crappy thing."

A slightly drunk Guan Chongsi casually picked up the talisman, which he knew intimately; its design matched the An Ren Army's fish talisman, differing only in material. Upon inspection, the smooth back bore the five large characters "Yinqiang Xiaojie Army".

Beside it were the three smaller characters "Xingqing Palace".

He was so startled that his drunkenness snapped away halfway.

The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army is a designation he hadn't heard, but who wouldn't know what Xingqing Palace in Chang'an is?

Guan Chongsi then lifted the equally familiar badge, and a bead of cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead.

"Inspector General!"

Guan Chongsi, a trusted aide of Ge Shuhan, isn't a low‑rank grunt who knows only a few characters. He knows well that a fish talisman holder's title of Inspector General is merely nominal, surely accompanied by a substantial real post.

Linking the unknown designation "Yinqiang Xiaojie Army" with the garrison at Xingqing Palace makes the answer obvious.

The person before him is a commander of the imperial guard close to the emperor, with a very prominent background!

"Uh…"

Guan Chongsi was momentarily at a loss for words; he had just drunkenly blurted that the Tubo were coming and the An Ren Army should flee—did the other party hear him, or pretend not to?

"Haven't decided yet? Brother, you've had a bit too much to drink."

Fang Chongyong, smiling, pulled a commission notice from his sleeve and handed it to Guan Chongsi.

"Hexi and Longyou Military Supervisor?"

Guan Chongsi widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, his hand trembling as he held the commission notice.

"Alas! I'm damned, damned! I've collided with a superior; this wine truly caused trouble! I'm damned!"

Without thinking, Guan Chongsi immediately began to slap himself hard.

Fang Chongyong simply waited as Guan Chongsi slapped himself five or six times, then gently raised his hand and said, "That's enough, now speak the matter at hand."

After speaking, he collected the golden fish talisman, waist badge, and official notice that were before Guan Chongsi, and stared at the other party with blazing eyes.

Though Fang Chongyong said not a single rebuke, his official authority was fully displayed, making Guan Chongsi dare not look him straight in the eye.

"Alas, the border troops suffer!"

Guan Chongsi let out a light sigh and said.

"I served as prefect of Shazhou for four years and even led troops into battle, so you needn't waste words—just be straightforward."

Fang Chongyong said calmly, indicating that Guan Chongsi should skip the emotional prelude and get straight to the point.

"The Anren army's winter garments are two years in arrears, and the fabric for spring clothing is also insufficient.

Among the armies under the Longyou Military Governor, only the Lintao army has fully issued its supplies; the others are all in arrears."

"I was this time commissioned by Ge Shuhan, envoy of the Ge Shu army, to go to Chang'an to seek a way."

Guan Chongsi lowered his voice and said.

Such actions by Ge Shuhan fall into a gray area of imperial law; if no one reports it, they quietly operate beneath the surface.

Nowadays many border commanders in the Great Tang have similar intentions, but speaking it out in public would lead to immediate social death.

"The Longyou border troops are a gathering of the realm's elite—how could they be in arrears for winter garments?"

Fang Chongyong asked in disbelief.

"General Fang, what you mention dates back four or five years; at that time the Longyou Military Governor's forces indeed had abundant troops and supplies.

However, since the Tang and Tubo ceased hostilities, Longyou's armaments have slackened, and arrears in spring and winter clothing are no longer unusual; the Mo Men army almost ran out of grain last winter.

No campaigns mean no rewards to collect. Now many Longyou armies are short of personnel; the exact reasons need not be mentioned."

Guan Chongsi let out a light sigh and said.

In fact, the Ministry of War's registers show the Tang army's ranks are complete, with no "personnel shortage." So what does Guan Chongsi mean by "shortage"?

That naturally refers to drawing empty stipends: the Ministry's records list a person, and each year there is a "verification" confirming that individual is in the army.

In reality, all the person's data are fabricated; as a "combat entity" they do not exist—perhaps merely a tenant in the Longyou region, in short, not in the army.

The money meant for maintaining troops ends up in the pockets of the unit's commander and deputy.

This is a top‑down "industry chain": the Ministry has its people, the Military Governor knows the situation, and whether he takes the funds or not he remains silent; the commanders of each army feign ignorance while understanding fully, and everyone gets a share.

In feudal times, if a nation's border troops saw no wars for many years, drawing empty stipends would become natural. Clearly, the recruitment system is more exploitable for such abuse than the militia system.

After all, militia soldiers have household registrations that can be verified—sending someone to the local county can confirm authenticity. Recruited soldiers, however, come from a wide pool; many are individuals who eat their fill while their families go hungry, of unknown origin, and many are even wanted criminals from various regions!

Drawing stipends from recruited soldiers is far more convenient.

If the court does not scrutinize closely, the registers alone make it hard to spot anything amiss.

Besides, the Tubo have not attacked, so what does drawing empty stipends matter? Before a scandal erupts, Ji Ge will never know how serious the border towns' problems are!

In Fang Chongyong's view, the collapse speed of the recruitment system is indeed overly rapid.

What Fang Chongyong does not know is that the full‑chain smuggling trade in Hexi, to some extent, has allowed the armies under the Hexi Military Governor to partially escape the court's supply control.

Of course there are downsides: it caused Ji Ge and the court to underestimate the amount of money needed by many border towns lacking self‑sustaining capacity.

The directly affected forces are the armies under the Longyou Military Governor.

Du Xiwang's current approach is to ensure that Longyou's primary force, the Lintao army, has no shortage of grain, no shortage of military pay, and no shortage of personnel; to guarantee that the armies under his command do not lack a single meal, and to try to provide silk each year as military stipends.

That's all that can be done.

"Tomorrow at dawn, meet us in the courtyard of Fen Shui Post. The Anren army's pay issue is on me. Remember, you must come tomorrow; I won't wait after the appointed time."

Fang Chongyong did not wait for Guan Chongsi's reply, and headed straight toward the side rooms provided by the post station.

As he passed the table, he saw Pei Xiu staring intently at him, and with a puzzled expression asked, "You've eaten most of the meal; do you intend to spend the night in the dining hall?"

"What were you just talking about, it seemed like…"

Pei Xiu was momentarily at a loss for words. The burly man had been extremely fierce moments ago; why did Fang Chongyong, after only sitting briefly, become as docile as a lamb?

From a distance, Pei Xiu did not hear what Fang Chongyong said to Guan Chongsi; she only saw Guan Chongsi's expression later become unusually respectful, as if he were a different person.

"With your intellect, it's hard for me to explain; perhaps you should eat more of that brain‑boosting gold, maybe there's still hope."

Fang Chongyong let out a sigh, spread his hands and said he had nothing to disclose. Could he possibly tell Pei Xiu about the Longyou armies drawing empty stipends and the court's arrears on military pay?

What would that even mean!

"Eh?"

While Pei Xiu was stunned, Fang Chongyong had already walked away. He Qichang and the others also packed up the food on the table, wrapped it up, and followed Fang Chongyong.

"That kills me!"

Pei Xiu realized her intellect had been trampled, stamped her foot in anger, and left the dining hall following the group.

(End of chapter)