Why Zhao Chongguo is highly regarded in "The Legend of a Hundred Generals", and even the length is far above Wei Huo, Zhang Jiashi's estimation is that it has a very close relationship with his "Pingqiang Policy".

The summary of "Pingqiang Policy" is roughly as follows:

The ministers did not send troops to stay in the fields, and it was cheaper to do 12 things. Nine schools of infantry, 10,000 soldiers, stay in Tun to be armed, because of the field to the valley, Weide parallel, one also. And because of the row of Qiang, the order can not return to the fertile land, the poor and the people, in order to become the Qiang captives gradually, two also. The inhabitants have to work together with the fields, without losing agriculture, and the three are also. The food of the military horse in January, the degree of the branch Tianshi is one year old, and the cavalry is dismissed to save a lot of money, four also. To the spring province of the first soldier, follow the river Huangcao Valley to Linqiang, in order to see the Qiang, raise the might, pass on the tool of the folding, five also. In his spare time, he managed the post booth and filled it into Jincheng, six also. The soldiers went out, took advantage of the danger, and did not come out, so that the captives on the opposite side ran in the cold land, away from the suffering of frost and dew, disease, and disease, and sat on the way to victory, seven also. The death is blocked from chasing the harm of the dead and wounded, eight also. The inside does not damage the weight of might, and the outside does not allow the captives to take advantage of the momentum, nine also. The death of Henan Dakai and Xiaokai made it worry, ten also. The narrow middle road bridge of the Huang River, so that you can go to the fresh water, in order to control the Western Regions, the letter is thousands of miles, and the teacher passes from the pillow seat, eleven also. The big expense is both provincial, and the conscription is relieved, so as to avoid danger, and the twelve are also. Stay in Tuntian to get 12 pence, and send troops to lose 12 benefits. Under the ministers of the country, the teeth of the canine and horses are declining, and they do not know the long book, but the ministers of the Ming Zhao are selected by the ministers.

What can be seen from the above content is that Zhao Chongguo, as an experienced veteran, and he is not an unrealistic person, he is guarding the frontier at the age of seventy, so he can see his practical insights in this regard.

However, in this respect, what Zhang Jiashi does not understand is how meaningful the "Pingqiang Policy" is relative to the Southern Song Dynasty in which the author lived.

Even during the Southern Song Dynasty, there were some areas where ethnic minorities lived, but the problems brought by these ethnic minorities to the local rule of the Southern Song Dynasty were far less than those of other Han dynasties.

It is unreasonable to include the Jin or even the Mongols in this category, because even in many cases, the Qiang border troubles were more of a minor problem for the Han Empire than a painful threat of annihilation as the Jin and Mongols posed relative to the Southern Song court.

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And the famous general in "The Legend of a Hundred Generals" who has a certain amount of credit to the Qiang people is not only Zhao Chongguo, but also a general who has not actually commanded medium and large battles (more than 50,000 people) - Feng Fengshi.

The age of Feng Fengshi and Zhao Chongguo should not be too different, in the period from Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, Feng Fengshi was also regarded as one of the generals in the army.

Prior to this, the Western Han Dynasty had sent envoys to the Western Regions several times, most of whom were insulted and incompetent, some were corrupt, and some were insulted by foreign countries. In the first year of Yuankang, the Wusun Kingdom was very powerful at that time, and it had the merit of attacking the Xiongnu, and at the same time, the Western Regions had just reconciled with the Western Han Dynasty.

The Western Han Dynasty was preparing to treat them well, and wanted to take the opportunity to appease these countries, so they selected people who could send envoys to foreign countries. Former general Han Zeng recommended Feng Fengshi to escort the guests of Dawan and other countries back to China as an envoy as a guard. When he arrived at Yilu City, the commander Song said that the people of Shache and some other countries attacked and killed Wan Nian, the king of Shache appointed by the Western Han Dynasty, and also killed Xi Chongguo, the envoy of the Western Han Dynasty. At this time, the Xiongnu sent troops to attack Cheshi City, because they did not capture it, and went back. The Shache State sent an envoy to threaten that the northern provinces had belonged to the Xiongnu, so they attacked and plundered the southern provinces at that time, and betrayed the Western Han Dynasty in an alliance with them, cutting off communication from Shanshan to the west. The capital protector Zheng Ji and the school captain Sima Yi were trapped between the countries of the North Road. Feng Fengshi and his deputy Yan Chang consulted, believing that if they did not attack quickly, the Shache Kingdom would become stronger and stronger, so that the situation would be difficult to control and would definitely endanger the entire Western Regions.

So they sent envoys to the kings, and they mobilized their armies, and a total of 15,000 men from the north and south attacked the kingdom of Yache and captured its cities. King Shache committed suicide and passed his head to Chang'an. All the countries were pacified, and Feng Fengshi's prestige shook the Western Regions. Feng Fengshi collected his troops and returned to China, and reported the situation to the imperial court. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty summoned Han Zeng and said, "Congratulations to the general, the person recommended by the general is very competent. Feng Fengshi traveled west to the Great Wan Kingdom.

When Dawan heard that he had killed the king of Shache, he respected him more than the other envoys. Get the famous horse Xianglong and return to Chang'an. Emperor Xuan of Han was very happy, so he ordered to discuss the matter of rewarding Feng Fengshi. The prime minister and the general all said: "The righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, if the doctor is abroad, if he encounters something beneficial to the country, he can do it himself." Feng Fengshi's merits are particularly significant, and he should be knighted to reward the land. Shaofu Xiao Wangzhi alone thought that Feng Fengshi had his mission by order, but he pretended to be ordered by the emperor to go against his will and levy soldiers and horses from all countries. If you want to reward Feng Fengshi, you will open the door of convenience for those who will send envoys in the future, take Feng Fengshi as an example, and compete to mobilize troops, invite merit and reward thousands of miles away, and breed trouble for the country among the various ethnic groups of Yidi. This example cannot be opened, and Feng Fengshi should not be rewarded. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty thought that Xiao Wangzhi's suggestion was good, and named Feng Fengshi as the doctor of Guanglu and the captain of Shui Heng.

In the first year of Huanglong, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, and Feng Fengshi served as the ruling Jinwu. More than 10,000 Hu people who surrendered to the Western Han Dynasty betrayed the Shangjun vassal state. At the beginning, in the last years of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, King Yi Chief, a vassal of Xihe County, also led thousands of people to rebel, and Feng Fengshi immediately led an army with envoys to pursue them. Chang Hui, a subordinate of the right general, died, and Feng Fengshi succeeded him as the right general and the official titles. A few years later, he became Gwangrokun.

In July of the second year of Yongguang, the side branch of Xiqiang in Longxi rebelled, and Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty issued an edict to let the prime minister Wei Xuancheng, the imperial historian Zheng Hong, the general Wang Jie, the general Xu Jia, the left general, and the right general Feng Fengshi enter the court to discuss countermeasures.

At that time, the harvest was not good for many years, and the grain in Kyoto was sold for more than 200 wen per stone, 400 wen per stone in the border counties, and 500 wen per stone in the Kanto region. There was a famine everywhere, and the imperial court was worried about it, but it encountered a rebellion of the Qiang people. Wei Xuancheng and the others were silent, and no one spoke. Feng Fengshi said: "The Qiang bandits betrayed within the borders of the country, and if they are not destroyed in time, there will be no way to subdue the barbarians in the distance. I am willing to lead an army against them. ”

Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty asked how many troops were needed, and Feng Fengshi replied: "I have heard that those who are good at using troops will not use troops twice or transport grain three times, so it is not appropriate for the army to fight for a long time and the crusade that obeys the will of heaven should be resolved quickly." In the past, the enemy's situation was often not measured, and the army suffered losses, and the multiple deliveries of food were long and costly, and the morale of the army was low. Now there are about 30,000 rebel thieves, and according to the art of war, 60,000 should be doubled. And Qiang Rong is just an army that uses bows and spears, and the weapons are not sharp, and it can call 40,000 people, which is enough to solve it in a month. ”

The prime minister, the imperial historian, and the two generals all believed that the people were in the harvest season and could not send more troops, and that 10,000 men were stationed to defend it, which was almost enough. Feng Fengshi said: "No. The country suffered from famine, the soldiers and horses were thin and weak, and the number was not large, and the equipment used in the war was abandoned for a long time. Now with 10,000 men guarding several places, the thieves will not be afraid when they see that our army is small, but the army will be damaged and demoralized in battle, and the code will not be able to save the people. If this is the case, the cowardly situation is revealed, the Qiang people will take the opportunity to attack, and all the ethnic minorities will respond together and incite each other to raise troops, I am afraid that the Han Dynasty will have more than 40,000 military service, which cannot be solved by money. Therefore, if there is less army, it will be protracted, and the difference between the benefits and disadvantages is 10,000 times greater than that of a quick solution in a war. Feng Fengshi insisted on fighting for it, and he couldn't get more soldiers and horses. and an edict was issued to increase the number by two thousand.

Feng Fengshi was immediately dispatched to lead 12,000 soldiers and horses to set off, in the name of leading the troops to Tuntian. Ren Li, the commander of the subordinate state, and Han Chang, the captain of the army, were the deputy generals and went to Longxi County to garrison troops in three places. The subordinate state was appointed as the right army, and the troops were stationed in Baishi, the commander of the guard army, Han Chang, was the former army, and the troops were stationed in Lintao, and Feng Fengshi was the middle army, and the troops were stationed on the West Pole Mountain in Shouyang County. When the former army arrived at Tonghan, they first sent a captain to compete with the Qiang people in front of the favorable terrain, and then sent another captain to Guangyang Valley to rescue the people. The Qiang bandits were outnumbered, the officers and soldiers were routed, and two captains were killed. Feng Fengshi reported to Emperor Yuan of Han a plan for the terrain and how many troops would be needed, and requested that an additional 36,000 troops would be enough to settle the war. The letter was played, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty sent more than 60,000 troops, and Feng Taichang Yiyang Marquis Ren Qianqiu went to reinforce Feng Fengshi as General Fenwu. Feng Fengshi said: "I hope to get a large number of soldiers, and I don't have to bother the generals." So Chen asked for the cost of transfer.

Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty comforted Feng Fengshi with a seal letter at that time, and at the same time reproached him: "The emperor condolences to the right general who is leading the troops outside, and it is very hard to fight outside." The Qiang bandits invaded the border and killed the officials and the people, which was very contrary to the way of heaven, so the generals were sent to lead the army to destroy them according to the will of heaven. With the outstanding material of the general, lead the elite troops to crusade against the unscrupulous thieves, and there is a reason to win a hundred battles. Now he has the reputation of not daring to attack in battle, which is too embarrassing for the Han Dynasty. Was it because I was not familiar with military affairs in the past? Or was it because favors were not widespread and military discipline was not known? I wonder very much. You said in the book that the Qiang bandits relied on the deep mountains and many small roads, and had to divide more troops to occupy key places, and then they had to mobilize the soldiers stationed in the army, which was enough to solve the problem, and the deployment of the army had been decided, and from the perspective of the situation, no more generals could be arranged, I know. In the past, because the general lacked soldiers and was not enough for defense, the cavalry in the vicinity was dispatched to arrive day and night, not for the purpose of attacking. At present, the requisition of Sanfu, Hedong, Hongnong Yueqi, Jiji, Tongfei, Yizhi, Yulin orphans, Husu tired, and Lotus are being dispatched in a hurry. War is a dangerous thing, there will be success or failure, I am afraid that the strategy is not agreed in advance, and it is not prudent to understand the enemy's situation, so I sent General Fenwu. The art of war says that a general must have a biased general when he goes out to war, and he must show off his might and use his staff to make a strategy, so what doubts does the general have? As for the cost of transportation, there are special officials who are responsible, and the general does not have to worry. Wait until General Fenwu's soldiers and horses arrive, and attack the Qiang thieves together. ”

In October of the same year, the army was all assembled in Longxi County. In November, they attacked together. The Qiang thieves were defeated, killing thousands of heads, and the rest fled the border. When the war was not decided, the Western Han Dynasty recruited 10,000 soldiers and named Xiangtai Shou Han Anguo as the general of Jianwei. Before he set off, he heard that the Qiang bandits had been defeated, and Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty said: "The Qiang bandits were defeated and punished, and they escaped from the border. ”

In February of the third year of Yongguang, Feng Fengshi returned to Beijing and was reappointed as General Zuo, and Guangluxun's position remained unchanged. After the meritorious service, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty issued an edict saying: "The Qiang thieves are cruel and cunning, killing officials and people, attacking the Longxi County Office, burning down the post pavilion, cutting off roads and bridges, which greatly violates the way of heaven." The left general Guangluxun Feng Fengshi led the army to conquer, beheaded more than 8,000 prisoners, and captured tens of thousands of cattle, horses and sheep. He gave Feng Fengshi the title of Marquis of Guannei, 500 households, and 60 catties of gold. "There are more than 30 generals and captains, all of whom are rewarded.

More than a year later, Feng Fengshi died of illness. Feng Fengshi served as a military general for ten years, and was a veteran of killing the enemy and defending the country, second only to Zhao Chongguo in fame.

Two years after Feng Fengshi's death, the Western Regions Protector Gan Yanshou was named a liehou, because he killed Zhi Zhishan Yu.

At that time, Prime Minister Kuang Heng also used Gan Yanshou's fake edict to breed trouble as a reason, and according to Xiao Wangzhi's example, he believed that he should not be made a marquis, but the commentators praised Gan Yanshou's merits, and Emperor Yuan of Han listened to everyone's opinions and named him a marquis.

At that time, Du Qin was sparse and praised Feng Fengshi's previous merits and said: "In the past, King Shache killed the envoys of the Han Dynasty and formed alliances with various countries to betray the Han Dynasty. The left general Feng Fengshi sent troops to destroy the king of Shache according to convenient conditions as a guard, stabilized the city with strategies, and popularized the border areas with his achievements. Commentators believe that Feng Fengshi has his mission as an envoy, and according to the meaning of the "Spring and Autumn Period", it is said that his subordinates cannot act arbitrarily, and according to the laws of the Han Dynasty, they are guilty of correction, so they are not allowed to be marquis. Now the Xiongnu Zhizhi killed the envoys of the Han Dynasty and fled to the Kangju country, and all protected Gan Yanshou and sent more than 40,000 soldiers in the city and Tuntian to kill him, and he was named a liehou. In my humble opinion, if you compare your sins, you will be less guilty than Shache, if you measure the strength of your troops, you will have more Shache than Zhiche, if you use the army, Feng Fengshi will make less contributions, if you talk about the degree of victory, Feng Fengshi will make contributions to the peace of the border, and if you consider the elements of defeat, you will be willing to prolong your life and bring deep disasters to the country. Their sin of disobeying orders and causing trouble is the same, and Gan Yanshou ceded the land and sealed the marquis, but Feng Fengshi did not record the reward. I have heard that the same merit and different rewards will make the hard-working minister suspicious, the same crime and different punishment will confuse the people, doubt will lead to fickleness, confusion will lead to ignorance, fickleness will lead to unclear systems and directions, and ignorance will lead to people not knowing how to act. Feng Fengshi relieved the crisis, forgot to die to fight, completed the mission with extraordinary achievements, and made remarkable achievements, and was an example for generations of envoys, but he only suppressed and did not praise him, which is not the meaning of the Shengming monarch to eliminate doubts and encourage temperance. I hope to leave it to Arishi for consultation. ”

Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty thought that this was a matter of the first emperor's time, so he no longer adopted his opinion.

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In "The Legend of a Hundred Generals", Feng Fengshi's evaluation is as follows:

Sun Tzu said: "Those who will be able to conquer but not the king will win." "Fengshi sent troops and the Han Emperor proposed to seal it. He also said: "The soldiers are clumsy and fast, and they have not seen the trick for a long time." "It is protracted to be a young hairdresser, and there are thousands of benefits and disadvantages in one fell swoop. He also said: "If you don't know the power of the three armies and the responsibilities of the three armies, the sergeant will be confused." "The world said that there is no need to bother the general.