The Baoshao system， namely the sentry warding system， was a local system of military protection on some transportation routes in the Liangshan Yi region lasting from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. During the Republican period， ethnic tensions and traffic obstruction in the Liangshan Yi region were serious. With the support of the local government of Liangshan， posts were set up at key and dangerous places， and sentries protected travelers through the Yi area. This system ensured the smooth flow of traffic in the Liangshan region to a certain extent， but in the later years it also imposed an economic burden on merchants and travelers， and became a taxing item levied by the local government and warlords.