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Having entered Hedong Commandery and traveling along the road to Anyi, Fei Qian needed to raise his banners.
In the vicinity of Sili, where most people were part of the migration and Dong Zhuo's soldiers patrolled constantly, it was relatively safe. Simply displaying the staff of a Left Bureau Commandant was sufficient.
However, once outside the area directly controlled by Dong Zhuo's forces, the role of banners became critically important. Moreover, Fei Qian's official titles were exceptionally unique…
"Let's go… take a look…" Fei Qian sighed inwardly, rising to his feet. Huang Cheng and Du Yuan followed him out of the main tent.
In ancient military formations, command relied on gongs, drums, banners, horns, and messengers. Fei Qian's position included military duties, so he was equipped with a complete set of military command systems.
Among these, banners were the most significant and numerous component.
Typically, a general leading troops would have a great banner, also called a maopi (banner adorned with yak tails). During battle, the commander would often raise this great banner beside him, commonly referred to as the commander's flag. It frequently became the focal point of enemy attacks and a critical symbol of morale for the troops. Soldiers would constantly watch for the position and presence of the great banner, as its existence could even determine the outcome of a battle.
However, Fei Qian had not yet reached the rank of general, so he only had a "Commander of the Three Armies" (San Jun Siming) banner. This banner now stood to the left of his main tent—a white rectangular flag with the four characters "三军司命" written on it.
This banner, however, did not signify Fei Qian's personal identity; it merely indicated the presence of a military commander, without specifying who.
Thus, a unique general's banner for Fei Qian needed to be crafted.
This was the issue Huang Cheng had come to consult about.
When Fei Qian departed, it was during the critical period of the capital's relocation, and the armory, among other facilities, had been sealed. Fortunately, Li Ru had personally approved Fei Qian's requisitions, ensuring he was fully equipped. However, because of this, no general's banner specific to Fei Qian had been made. While traveling within Dong Zhuo's controlled areas, displaying the staff of a Left Bureau Commandant sufficed. Now, having entered Hedong Commandery, it was necessary to raise Fei Qian's own banner.
Making a banner was not particularly difficult; the army's artisans were skilled in such tasks. Otherwise, what would happen if a banner was damaged during a campaign? Would they march with a tattered flag until returning to the capital?
The difficulty lay in deciding which banner to use…
Fei Qian held both central and local offices, as well as civil and military roles. This left Huang Cheng at a loss, forcing him to seek Fei Qian's guidance.
When Fei Qian reached the rear camp and saw the three banners laid out on the ground, he too felt a bit stumped.
Well, then…
On the left was a blue banner with red borders, bearing the four large characters "Left Bureau Commandant" (Zuo Shu Zhonglang)…
In the middle was a red banner with black borders, displaying five large characters: "Protector of the Xiongnu Commandant General" (Hu Xiongnu Zhonglang Jiang), with four slightly smaller characters below: "Separate Division Marshal" (Biebu Sima)…
On the right was a green banner with blue borders, with only three characters: "Governor of Shang Commandery" (Shang Jun Shou)…
Fei Qian's full official title was "Left Bureau Commandant, Acting Protector of the Xiongnu Commandant General, Separate Division Marshal, and Acting Governor of Shang Commandery" (Zuo Shu Zhonglang Ling Hu Xiongnu Zhonglang Jiang Biebu Sima Xing Shang Jun Shou). If official titles were ranked by word count, Fei Qian's would surely be near the top…
But now, a problem arose. Surely they couldn't hang all three banners on one pole?
That would be far too chaotic.
Erecting three separate poles? That might make people think three commanders were present.
Using just one pole? Then which banner to choose? They couldn't rotate them daily, could they?
So, which one should it be?
Fei Qian had already been wracking his brain over Bing Province's situation, leaving him dizzy and exhausted. Now, faced with these three banners, he felt a wave of malice crashing over him…
"Hang all three!" Fei Qian declared, his frustration boiling over, heedless of consequences.
"What?!" Huang Cheng and Du Yuan were stunned.
Huang Cheng glanced at the banners, then at the nearby flagpole, almost pitying it. "Uh, Fei Langjun, if we hang them all, the lowest one will practically drag on the ground…"
Flagpoles were made to standard specifications. A general's banner pole was slightly shorter than the "Commander of the Three Armies" pole. Otherwise, in battle, if the general's banner obscured the commander's flag, causing instability in morale, who would be to blame—the flag or the pole?
Raising the "Commander of the Three Armies" pole higher?
That wasn't feasible either. All flagpoles were carefully crafted, selected from sturdy tree trunks, peeled, dried in the shade, oiled, and lacquered for flexibility and strength. A random sapling chopped in the wild wouldn't do…
For instance, the "Commander of the Three Armies" flagpole was explicitly regulated: a total height of one zhang and nine chi (approximately 6.3 meters), with a flag three chi long (about 1 meter), one and a half chi wide (about 0.5 meters), adorned with twenty-five five-colored tail streamers, each two chi and five cun long (about 0.83 meters)…
These specifications were fixed and could not be altered arbitrarily. Moreover, a hastily made pole wouldn't guarantee quality. What if, mid-battle, a gust of wind snapped a makeshift pole?
Not to mention the issue of hanging them, crafting a new pole would take considerable effort, and there was no time to wait when they needed it now…
Fei Qian estimated the dimensions and realized Huang Cheng was right. Marching with a pole bearing three banners—would he be showing off or mopping the ground?
"Cut the banners down! Sew the three together to make one of the right size!" Fei Qian declared.
Huang Cheng hesitated, stammering, "Uh… is that… allowed?"
Fei Qian turned to Du Yuan. "Wenzheng, does Han law prohibit using a three-colored banner?"
Du Yuan blinked, racking his brain, and recalled that Han law specified only the size, border style, presence of yak tails, or pheasant feathers for different ranks' banners. There was indeed no rule against using a three-colored banner…
However, three-colored banners were typically used to indicate directions—southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest. For example, a blue-over-black banner might represent the northeast, raised alongside a unit's banner to signal movement in that direction…
Using a three-colored banner as a general's flag? That was unprecedented…
But then, no one had ever done it, had they?
"It's settled, then. Since there's no rule forbidding it, it's allowed!" Fei Qian, no stranger to exploiting loopholes in his past life, saw this as a solution to the banner dilemma, didn't he?
Fei Qian waved his hand, signaling the matter was decided, and returned to his tent, leaving Huang Cheng and Du Yuan staring at each other in bewilderment.
Thus, to the astonishment of the entire camp, the first three-colored general's banner in Han history rose amidst the cooking smoke, causing many soldiers to sleep that night with the taste of scorched porridge in their mouths.
For many of the soldiers on cooking duty, as they stirred their pots, their eyes drifted to the bizarre blue-red-green banner, and their hands unconsciously stopped moving…
*****
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