Xiang Army (Provincial Garrison Troops)

Timeline

1. 1060–1080Northern Song realm · Northern SongXiang troops were assigned to circuit military commissioners and prefectures, numbering in the hundreds of thousands; their duties included city defense, grain transport, river works, and bandit suppression. Their combat strength was weaker than the Imperial Army's, but they bore much of the logistics and garrison workload.
2. 1081–1085Shaanxi and Hedong circuits · Northern SongDuring the Yuanfeng war against Western Xia, xiang troops in Shaanxi and Hedong were heavily conscripted for fort construction, grain transport, and garrison duty; some were upgraded or issued Divine Arm crossbows for combat, but overall they remained auxiliary to the Imperial Army main force.
3. 1086–1090Hebei and Huainan circuits · Northern SongAfter the early Yuanyou-era halt of the Hehuang campaign, frontier xiang troops were reduced and garrisoned, some returning to interior duties in canal transport and river defense; xiang army strength maintenance and reduction proceeded in parallel, and organizational management returned to normal.