Chapter 34: The Shield Barbarian

"Youzai truly possesses the talent for governance. In just over a month since taking office as the Prefect of Chengdu, you have brought about a state where no one picks up lost items on the road, and the atmosphere of extravagance has greatly diminished."

Liu Zhang smiled, praising his Prefect of Chengdu.

Dong He was indeed the talent praised by Zhuge Liang; the position of Chengdu Prefect was, if anything, a slight to such a great man. However, as a newcomer, Dong He needed to establish some achievements in this role before Liu Zhang could promote him further. After all, the position of Chengdu Prefect was already a significant leap for Dong He; otherwise, as a mere wanderer from Nan Commandery who had fled to Yi Province, how could he have ascended in one step to the administrative seat of the province?

"I am humbled by your praise, my lord," Dong He replied with his customary modesty.

Liu Zhang then turned his attention to Huang Quan, his future brother-in-law. Since taking on the role of Registrar, Huang Quan had handled documents and managed affairs, which had made Liu Zhang's life much easier.

"With Gongheng serving as Registrar, my burdens have been greatly reduced."

One could not help but criticize Liu Yan for this; his desire for power was so excessive that he had not even appointed a Registrar. He had tried to handle everything himself, refusing to share any authority with the people of Shu. Looking at later history, only Zhu Yuanzhang, who abolished the Chancellery system, could be compared to him—both men, regardless of the abilities of their successors, felt they had to handle every task themselves. They never considered how few of their descendants could match their own capabilities. According to historical records, within the eight days from the fourteenth to the twenty-first of the ninth month in the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang reviewed 1,660 memorials from internal and external departments and handled approximately 3,391 state affairs. Given such a frantic work ethic, among the other emperors of the Ming Dynasty, only Zhu Di could barely keep up, and even he had to establish a Grand Secretariat to assist him.

"Thank you, my lord," Huang Quan replied, bowing upon hearing Liu Zhang's words.

As he looked at Liu Zhang sitting in the seat of honor, he recalled the events of the previous night. Dong Fu had visited the Huang residence to relay Liu Zhang’s thoughts regarding the marriage. Liu Zhang had no desire to marry at this moment; he wished to draw up a marriage contract now and wed Huang Wan in three years. During these three years, he intended to observe mourning for his father and brother, focusing his energy on military matters to avenge them.

'He is truly a man of sincerity and filial piety,' Huang Quan thought with emotion. Liu Zhang was indeed a worthy match for his sister.

At the time, his sister Huang Wan’s attitude had been very straightforward. She had told Dong Fu, "Master Dong, please reply to the Governor for me: since he has such grand ambitions, let alone three years, I am willing to wait for ten."

Watching the spirited Huang Wan, Dong Fu had stroked his beard and sighed, "A match made in heaven, a rare and perfect pairing."

Huang Quan had no objections to waiting three years. The Book of Rites records: "A man is capped at twenty, becoming a full adult, and marries at thirty; a woman is betrothed at fifteen and marries at twenty." His sister being betrothed to Liu Zhang at fifteen and marrying at eighteen was well within the bounds of ritual and law.

Although most women in the world married at twelve or thirteen, and those remaining unmarried by fifteen or sixteen were often anxious, for Huang Quan, such a good outcome was worth the wait. There was plenty of time.

At this moment, Pang Que entered and bowed to report, "My lord, Commandant Gan has returned and is waiting outside."

Liu Zhang smiled and gestured, "Quickly, invite Xingba in."

Pang Que bowed to comply, but then remembered something and added, "Commandant Gan has brought another person with him. This man is dark-skinned and does not look like a Han Chinese. Should I bring him in as well?"

"Since he is someone brought by Xingba, bring him in for an introduction," Liu Zhang said, curious about whom Gan Ning had brought to see him.

Shortly after, Gan Ning led Shen Mi into the grand hall.

"Shen Mi of Ba Commandery, courtesy name Wenyuan, pays his respects to Governor Liu," Shen Mi said, performing a salute and introducing himself.

The process had been unexpectedly smooth; Liu Zhang had allowed him to enter the hall alongside Gan Ning. Shen Mi had been wondering if Liu Zhang would summon Gan Ning first, requiring Gan Ning to recommend him before he could be granted an audience.

Looking at this dark-skinned man who stood like an iron tower, Liu Zhang felt a surge of excitement. At a glance, he knew Shen Mi was a born warrior. He recognized the name Shen Mi; in history, in the first year of the Xingping era, incited by Liu He, the Registrar of Jing Province, Gan Ning, Shen Mi, and Lou Fa had rebelled against Liu Zhang. After their failure, they retreated to Jing Province. Subsequently, records of Shen Mi and Lou Fa vanished, leaving only Gan Ning to leave his mark on history. To be on such good terms with Gan Ning, Shen Mi could not be an ordinary man.

Liu Zhang nodded, acknowledging Shen Mi’s salute, and then introduced Huang Quan and Dong He to Gan Ning and Shen Mi. After exchanging names, Gan Ning and Shen Mi took their seats.

"Wenyuan calls himself a Ba person, but observing your appearance, you do not look like a Ba person; you bear a closer resemblance to the Cong people," Huang Quan said, his direct nature prompting him to ask immediately.

Shen Mi felt slightly embarrassed, but he bowed and answered Huang Quan’s question candidly, "Allow me to inform the Registrar: my father was a Han man. In his youth, our family was poor and he could not afford a wife, so he married my mother, who was of the Cong people. That is why I do not resemble the Ba people."

"So that is the case," Huang Quan nodded.

'The Cong people.' Liu Zhang recalled information about them. Compared to the name "Cong," this group was known by another, far more famous name: the "Ban-Dun Man."

The Ban-Dun Man used wooden boards as shields in battle, hence their name. They resided along the banks of the Jialing and Qu rivers, within the territory of the ancient State of Ba. This was a group with a long history. According to the *Chronicles of Huayang*, the Ban-Dun Man had already distinguished themselves in battle during King Wu’s campaign against the tyrant Zhou. At the Battle of Muye, the Ba people sang and danced as they charged at the Shang forces, inflicting a crushing defeat upon them. Thus, the world says, "King Wu conquered Zhou, with singing in the front and dancing in the back."

Historical records state that during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, a white tiger caused havoc. The Ban-Dun Man responded to a call for volunteers, using white bamboo crossbows to shoot the tiger, earning great merit. King Zhao then carved a stone alliance, granting them tax-exempt land and allowing those among them who committed homicide to pay a fine in silver to redeem their lives.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhang asked Shen Mi, "Are you descendants of the Cong people recruited by my great-great-grandfather when he was the King of Han, who helped him pacify the Three Qins?"

Shen Mi’s face lit up with joy. He bowed to Liu Zhang and replied in a clear, loud voice, "The Governor is wise; we are indeed those same Cong people."

This was the glorious history of the Cong, or the Ban-Dun Man. When Liu Bang was the King of Hanzhong, to pacify the Three Qins, he recruited large numbers of these fierce Ban-Dun warriors into the Han army. After Liu Bang unified the world, these warriors did not wish to live in Chang'an and returned to the Ba region. Because of their military service, Liu Bang granted their seven chieftains—the E, Luo, Pu, Zan, Du, Xi, and Gong clans—the privilege of being exempt from taxes and corvée labor.

Emperor Gaozu of Han was very fond of these warriors who had won merits for the Great Han. He ordered court musicians to study and adapt their dances. Because the Cong people lived along the Yu River in Ba Commandery, this dance became known as the "Ba-Yu Dance." After it was introduced to the palace, it became a court dance, performed during banquets to depict military battles and praise the virtues of the emperors; it was a famous "miscellaneous dance" of the Han Dynasty.

After a moment of reflection, Liu Zhang walked to Shen Mi, personally poured him a cup of wine, and handed it to him with both hands. With a smile, he said, "Since you are the descendants of heroes, and you, Wenyuan, are such a stout warrior, we must drink to this."

Facing such humility from a superior, Shen Mi was initially flustered, but he soon calmed down. He received the cup with both hands, drank it in one gulp, and turned the cup upside down to show it was empty.

"Truly a magnificent man," Liu Zhang praised.

Unlike the Xiongnu or Wuhuan, the nomads who plagued the Great Han, the Ban-Dun Man—though also called "barbarians"—were more often the loyal enforcers of the Han. They had not only distinguished themselves during the founding of the Western Han but had also repeatedly earned merit for the imperial court during the Eastern Han. They had twice crushed the Qiang tribes that had infiltrated Hanzhong and Shu during the Qiang rebellions in Liang Province, causing the Qiang to fear them as "divine soldiers" and preventing them from ever entering Ba and Shu again.

Historically, the state of Shu Han had also recruited the Ban-Dun Man in large numbers. Wang Ping, the great general of Shu Han from Dangqu in Brazil Commandery, might well have been a Cong person himself.

'They must be used by me,' Liu Zhang thought, a desire to recruit them taking hold.