Chongshan Town

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chongshan Town (重山镇)
Type	Border town / military-administrative territory
Affiliation	Da Rong; later effectively controlled by the Yang Clan
Occupation / Role	One of Da Rong’s Nine Great Frontier Towns; a northern border defense, military-command, and regional-governance center 630
Status	Active; develops into the Yang Clan’s power base and a functioning separatist military-administrative center 654 724
First Appearance	Chapter 75

Geography & Settlements

Feature	Details
Original extent	Stretched over 800 li from the East Sea coast in the east to Sanfeng Mountain of the Thousandfold Mountains in the west 75
Later extent	Extended over 800 li east-to-west and nearly 1,500 li north-to-south; it bordered Beiyuan Town to the west, Liaohai to the east, Liaodong and Liaoxi to the south, and the Snow Plains to the north 458
Key river	The Yinghe River rises in the western mountains, passes Yinghe Fortress and north of Chongshan Pass and Anyuan City, then reaches the sea through the East Route 426
Terrain	The Thousandfold Mountains run east-to-west, with terrain rising toward the west; the Yinghe repeatedly intersects the mountain ranges 426
Chongshan Pass	The principal pass city. Its northern city contains the major government and military offices, while the southern “Pass City” serves as the civilian residential and commercial district 437
Northern Territory	Includes the region around Fuzhou City and further grasslands toward the Snow Plains; much of it initially remained beyond effective control despite being claimed by Chongshan Town 458 619

Chongshan Pass is laid out like the character 日. North City is the original fortress and houses the Governor’s Office, Regional Commander’s Mansion, Regional Military Commission, and Surveillance Commission; South City was expanded later for civilians, merchants, and lower-ranking officials 437.

Administration

The Regional Commander’s Mansion governs Chongshan Town’s military affairs. Its offices include the Armament Bureau, Ceremonial Guard Armory, Imperial Carriage Repository, Procession Equipment Repository, Treasury, and Horse Administration Hall 156.

Period	Key Leadership	Notes
Early decline	Zhang Shouwang — Regional Commander	Witnessed Chongshan Town’s decline after the Battle of Heiyun Mountain and struggled to reverse its military weakness 75
Reorganization	Liang Chu — Regional Commander / Marquis Changping	Rebuilt the town’s military strength over four years and prepared it for an expedition beyond the pass 246
Rebellion	Ji Feiyu — Regional Commander	Controlled the West Route as his political and military base; was suspected of deliberately allowing the Wuliang Hu Tribe through its defenses 397
Post-rebellion reconstruction	Yang Zhengshan — Regional Commander; Pang Tang — Governor	Reorganized military forces, infrastructure, refugee settlement, and economic development 457 458
Later administration	Zhou Lan — Regional Commander; Pang Tang — Governor	Zhou Lan commanded the army while Pang Tang became the principal civil administrator of the Northern Territory 612
Yang Clan dominance	Yang Chengye and Yang Clan officials	The Yang Clan ultimately held roughly 30% of Chongshan Town’s posts at thousand-man commander rank and above 654

At one stage, Chongshan Town contained 150,000 military households, 80,000 civilian households, and a population exceeding one million 458. Its population later surpassed 4.2 million after large-scale settlement and development of the Northern Territory 704.

Military Forces & Defenses

• Chongshan Town maintains more than 800 li of border walls, over 1,300 beacon towers, nearly 200 forts and watchposts, and more than 20 cities and towns 458.
• During the East Sea Hu Tribe campaign, its army fielded 100,000 soldiers while claiming a strength of 200,000 110.
• Under Ji Feiyu, the Town Garrison Camp held about 30,000 troops, while the six-route Assistant Regional Commanders’ reinforcement battalions brought camp-soldier strength to roughly 80,000; the entire territory could potentially assemble 200,000 men 397.
• Yang Zhengshan established the Zhenbiao Five Battalions as Chongshan Town’s core force, planned at 30,000 soldiers 458.
• Zhou Lan secretly developed Heavy Armored Cavalry and Heavy Armored Infantry within the Town Garrison Camp 616.
• The West Route is heavily mountainous and difficult to cross, offering defensible terrain but not complete protection against invasion 620.

History

Decline after Heiyun Mountain

Chongshan Town once possessed considerable northern military prestige, but entered a long decline after the Battle of Heiyun Mountain. Mutual suspicion between ruler and ministers, unclear rewards and punishments, and wrongful accusations against officers eroded the town’s military strength 75.

By the time of the East Sea Hu Tribe’s invasion, Chongshan Town had not fought a major war for twenty years. Its soldiers had grown lax, while its commanders lacked reliable intelligence on the Hu Tribe’s numbers and intentions 75.

Liang Chu’s Reforms and Northern Expansion

Liang Chu spent four years rebuilding Chongshan Town from a weakened frontier garrison into a renewed military stronghold with fighting strength 246. After securing money, grain, armaments, and warhorses, Chongshan Town’s forces eventually destroyed the East Sea Hu Tribe and absorbed the Northern Territory around the former Fushan City, which was renamed Fuzhou City 307 623.

The newly acquired northern land contained fertile soil and abundant rivers. Chongshan Town established the Three Fuzhou Guards and relocated military households and civilians to reclaim wasteland around Fuzhou City 307.

Ji Feiyu’s Rebellion

After Liang Chu returned to the capital, Ji Feiyu became Regional Commander. He had long controlled the West Route and used it as his personal foundation 397.

When the Wuliang Hu Tribe broke through the West Route with unexpected ease, Yang Zhengshan concluded that Ji Feiyu had likely permitted the invasion. Ji Feiyu had previously pursued the Ula Clan with 50,000 reinforcement troops without seriously damaging it, further raising suspicions of collusion 397.

Ji Feiyu’s rebellion devastated Chongshan Town. Chongshan Pass became desolate, businesses were sealed, and families associated with Yang Zhengshan—such as the Luo Family—were imprisoned by the Regional Commander’s Mansion 410.

Yang Zhengshan’s Reconstruction

Yang Zhengshan was appointed Regional Commander during the crisis, while Pang Tang was appointed Governor 403 424. After suppressing the rebellion, they rebuilt Chongshan Town’s military, government, economy, and frontier settlements.

Yang Zhengshan reorganized Tenglong Guard, retained control of the Zhenbiao Five Battalions, and arranged the route Assistant Regional Commanders so that his orders could reach throughout Chongshan Town 457.

His development policy focused on:

• Training troops through the Zhenbiao Five Battalions and rotating reinforcement battalions 458.
• Poverty relief and paid public-works employment 483 508.
• Developing the Northern Territory around Fuzhou City 458.
• Dredging the Yinghe River and constructing Heiyun City 474 483.
• Expanding trade, glass production, banking, agriculture, horse breeding, and settlement 373 463 488.

Later Crisis and Recovery

After Yang Zhengshan transferred to the capital, Zhou Lan returned to oversee Chongshan Town according to his plans 518 519. Pang Tang continued developing the Northern Territory, settling nearly one million disaster victims and transforming previously barren land into fertile fields 612.

Pang Tang was later assassinated, while Zhou Lan and Wang Yunqiao were poisoned. The Wuliang Hu Tribe exploited the crisis to threaten the region 612 614. Yang Zhengshan returned under imperial orders, reassumed command of Chongshan Town’s military and civil affairs, and stabilized the town before leading its forces against the Wuliang Hu Tribe 615 616.

Yang Clan Power Base

Over time, the Yang Clan’s influence became embedded throughout Chongshan Town’s military structure. Yang Family Disciples served across the Town Garrison Camp, reinforcement battalions, garrison battalions, and local forts 631.

Later governors sent by the imperial court were routinely sidelined, while the Yang Clan held approximately 30% of command posts at thousand-man commander rank and above 654. By the time Yang Chengye openly assumed command, Chongshan Town functioned as the Yang Clan’s effective base of power 719.

Economy & Development

Transportation Network

Yang Zhengshan’s infrastructure plan centered on one waterway and five official roads:

• Dredging the Yinghe River to connect Chongshan Town’s interior with the sea.
• Repairing the east-west road running across Chongshan Town.
• Linking Fuzhou City through Songzhou City and Anyuan City to Qinghua Prefecture.
• Connecting Heiyun Mountain, Chongshan Pass, and Jing’an Prefecture.
• Linking Guan Shankou through Xiling City and Daning City to Huade Prefecture.
• Connecting Heiyun Mountain with Fuzhou City. 462

The five roads exceeded 5,000 li in total length and were intended to connect Chongshan Town’s cities with Liaodong and Liaoxi 462.

Agriculture, Livestock, and Settlement

• Chongshan Town’s military economy initially revolved around the army, including horse breeding and agricultural reclamation 373.
• Fuzhou City’s former Hu-controlled land contained extensive fertile fields suitable for cultivation 373.
• Refugees resettled in Chongshan Town received three months of rations and necessities such as salt and cotton cloth 504.
• The Northern Territory’s settlement programs eventually transformed desolate land into widespread farmland 612.
• Livestock became abundant enough that ordinary farming households could afford cattle, donkeys, or mules after several years of saving 715.

Commerce and Banking

• Chongshan Town recruited craftsmen, engineering clerks, apprentices, and soldiers with improved pay and treatment for its construction and military programs 463.
• Chongshan Bank reopened in Chongshan Pass, offering silver-note exchange and interest-bearing deposits 488.
• The bank cooperated with the long-established Datong Bank for mutual remittance and note settlement 488.
• Chongshan Town’s development relied heavily on debt bonds, bank borrowing, and profits from the Glass Workshop; its outstanding obligations later reached more than 15 million taels of silver 517 519.

Role in the Southern Campaign

Yang Chengye established the Chongshan Town Grand General’s Mansion when Chongshan Town’s army marched south. The institution governed Liaodong and Liaoxi, deployed civil officials, raised troops, and directed logistical support 724.

Chongshan Town’s forces advanced in three routes across the Ru River, while the North Sea Naval Force landed at Jinhai Guard to form a four-sided encirclement around Shuntian Prefecture and the capital 727.

The town’s logistical system transported large quantities of provisions by land and water, demonstrating the military and economic capacity developed under the Yang Clan 724. Yang Chengye later led 60,000 Chongshan Army troops into the capital, bringing it under Yang Family control 733.

Trivia

• Chongshan Town takes its name from the Thousandfold Mountains 426.
• Though classified as a frontier town, its later territory became larger than Liaodong and Liaoxi combined 458.
• Chongshan Pass was once prosperous enough that crowds of visitors could turn the Regional Commander’s Mansion into a marketplace during major gatherings 249.
• Despite its later prosperity, Chongshan Town is known for long winters, brief springs and summers, and a harsher climate than Liaodong 523 596.