The Making of the Shatuo: Military Leadership and Border Unrest in North China's Daibei (808–880) research-article Maddalena Barenghi Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 63 (2020), Ausgabe 1-2, Seite 39 - 70 This paper explores the stages of the Shatuo's growth in the late Tang period (ninth century CE) from retainers to an enlarged military force. It shows how “Shatuo” was used both for a specific military formation, the Daibei expeditionary troops and for the troops affiliated to the Zhuxie-Li clan. The latter were able to take advantage of the relative mobility that characterised the Tang military ranks, quickly progressing through the ranks of the army and taking over civilian positions as well. The Shatuo also benefited greatly from the general shortage in manpower in the aftermath of the Uyghur refugee crisis and the various mutinies that took place in the Hedong provincial armies during this period. In both senses, different ethnic elements are to be found under the catch-all term “Shatuo.” This paper shows how ethnicity played little to no role in the internal dynamics of military affiliation. Belonging to the Shatuo was more of a military, political, and constitutional matter. The emphasis on biological and cultural ties among the Shatuo may only be the product of later periods, as a means of expressing political loyalty.