The great man will live forever

Chapter 175 It's All Excuses
"Courage, courage!"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty walked around the palace with a sword. He was so angry that he wanted to kill people. Huo Guang was kneeling on the ground and did not dare to move. He was afraid that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty would chop him down if he was unhappy. Sweat kept coming from his forehead. This was It was the saddest night for Huo Guang so far.

"He is not qualified to be Li Guang's grandson, completely unqualified."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's sword flicked on Huo Guang's head. Huo Guang kept swallowing his saliva and was frightened.

"It is simply a shame for the Han Dynasty. The general I was optimistic about became a prisoner of the Huns?"

"Ridiculous, ridiculous, coward, coward, shame, lack of integrity..."

That night, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so angry that he did not sleep and killed three palace officials.

In the second year of Tianhan (99 BC), Li Guangli was ordered to lead [-] cavalry out of Jiuquan to attack King Youxian in Tianshan, and captured more than [-] soldiers before returning.

During this period, Li Guangli's army was besieged by the Xiongnu army and was almost unable to escape. The Han army suffered heavy casualties, with a mortality rate as high as [-] out of [-].

At the same time, General Yinjuo Gongsun Ao led his army out of Xihe and met Lu Bode, the strong crossbow commander, at Zhuoxie Mountain, but returned without any gains.

Li Ling, the cavalry captain, asked himself to lead [-] infantry to attack the Xiongnu. Later, he met the main force of Shanyu, the Marquis of Qie, and was defeated and surrendered...

This is the result of this battle. It cannot be said to be a big defeat, but it is not a big victory. It can be regarded as a draw. But for the Han cavalry, which has always defeated more with less, this can be regarded as a defeat.

If Li Ling's troops hadn't been very brave and killed many people, this would have been a complete defeat.

A few days later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, wearing imperial robes and crowns, held a court meeting with great strides. Li Guangli also returned to Chang'an.

"It's been a long time since we've had an early morning court meeting, and the Second Division General has also returned, so I'm temporarily notifying everyone today of an early morning court meeting, which has disturbed your good dreams. You don't have to curse in your heart. You didn't sleep well, and I haven't slept well these days either. .”

Everyone was so angry that they didn't dare to breathe. You looked at me and I looked at you without saying a word.

"I can't sleep these days, why? I've been thinking about the word integrity."

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty finished speaking, he called to the eunuch beside him, "Su Wen."

"The slave is here."

"Where is Chen Bule who brought the good news to Li Ling? Call him here. I will ask him to repeat the words he praised his generals to me and all your ministers here."

Su Wen said cautiously: "After receiving the news of General Li Ling's defeat and surrender, Langguan Chen Bule drew his sword and committed suicide."

"hateful."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty cursed angrily, while Liu Han, who was kneeling below, looked at this scene and felt a little ridiculous in his heart.

He reviewed this war many times and found that most of the responsibility lay with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He was suspicious of the generals and did not support Li Ling. He reused Li Guangli, who had only ordinary military capabilities, and did not listen to his own suggestions...

At the beginning, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent General Li Guangli of the Second Division with [-] horses out of Jiuquan to the Tianshan Mountains to attack the Xiongnu Youxian King's tribe who had just moved westward here not long ago, in order to consolidate the Han Dynasty's control over the Western Regions.

At the same time, Yingan General Gongsun Ao was ordered to lead his troops out of Xihe County (the county governs today's Dongsheng County in Inner Mongolia), and Lu Bode, the stronghold commander, led his troops out of Juyan. The two armies marched together to the north to explore the enemy's tracks, and joined forces at Zhuotu Mountain (today's Dongsheng County in Inner Mongolia). The eastern range of the Altai Mountains in Outer Mongolia and the area near the Mandal Gobi) to contain the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu from the west.

From this look, there seems to be no problem.

Seeing the outbreak of the war, Li Ling also took the initiative to ask Ying to attack the Xiongnu, but Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty refused to allow Li Ling to participate in the war because of Ma Shao.

It is true that Li Ling was trying to be a hero, but he was capable. Seeing that Li Ling was so stubborn, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to let him die.

Li Ling then returned to Zhangye and began preparations for the expedition.

The infantry is no better than the cavalry when entering the fortress, and the round trip cannot last for dozens of days?
Therefore, food, weapons, arrows, cold-proof clothing, etc. must be prepared.

Li Ling's ideas were different from Liu Che's. He didn't want to be a martyr. He wanted to make great achievements, be granted a title, honor the Li family, and fulfill the wishes of his grandfather and uncle.

During this expedition, he had to come back with a big victory to show everyone!Nothing is impossible in this world. In such a difficult environment and such a terrifying enemy, didn't Huo Qubing and Liu Han survive back then?
One became a champion, a hussar general and a great Sima, sealed the wolf as a vassal, and drank from the vast sea of ​​horses. The other took over Huo Qubing's position as a hussar general, without a single defeat, defeated Nanyue, shocked the world, and became the new great Sima of the Han Dynasty.

At the beginning, everything went smoothly. During the battle in the Qilian Mountains, the terrain and supply problems were not big, so Li Guangli's army did quite well in the initial battle. They killed more than [-] people and returned in triumph.

Li Guangli was dreaming about going back to make a fortune like Liu Han, when something happened!

It turns out that King Youxian is actually a bait to consume and confuse Li Guangli's army.

The real main force of Shan Yu's army was not on Gongsun Aolu Bode's route at all, but had ambushed Li Guangli's army on its way back early.This Qie Tuanhou Chanyu is not simple. He is very good at military diplomacy, strategy and tactics.

After all, he is the son of Yi Zhixie Chanyu and the younger brother of Uwe Chanyu. He is older and has fought with his father and brother for many years. He is rich in experience. He is still more mature than old. An elder in the family is like another treasure. These words It was still very useful in ancient times.

Especially in the era of agricultural civilization or nomadic civilization, the various experiences of the older generation are passed down orally from generation to generation, which is the wisdom of the sages.

Sure enough, Li Guangli's regiment was surrounded by Qie Tuanhou's army on the way back. This was obviously not an ordinary encirclement, but a heavy encirclement. For several days, the Han army ran out of ammunition and food, suffered heavy casualties, and still could not break through the encirclement.

At this time, a more powerful person appeared. He was Zhao Chongguo, the Yulin Knight, one of the Five Little Dragons of the Han Dynasty.

Eleven years ago, in the first year of the Han Yuan Dynasty (11 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che issued a powerful edict, saying: "South Vietnam and Dong Ou are lying in wait for their crimes; the Western Barbarians and Northern Yi are not harmonious; I will patrol the border, observe martial arts, appoint twelve generals, and personally command the division."

In those years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Liu Han to lead generals such as Yang Pu and Lu Bode to conquer southern ethnic minorities such as Nanyue, Dongou, and Southwest Yi. In addition, the Xiongnu had fled far away to the desert north and did not dare to look south for several years.

At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so famous and arrogant that he felt that he was wise and mighty, unprecedented, so he decided to follow the ancient rituals to first mobilize the troops and release the brigade, and then to grant Zen status.

Because of this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued the above edict. That year he personally commanded the twelve generals and a total of 18 cavalry. With banners flying thousands of miles away, they left the Great Wall via Shangjun, Xihe, and Wuyuan and crossed to Bianshuo. , drank from Ma Beihe, showed off his troops and demonstrated to the Xiongnu.

Of course, the Xiongnu Chanyu was not a fool, and he could not fight. He fled all the way north and hid in the cold and barren land in the north of the curtain.

During this personal expedition by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there were five young people specially selected by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for the prince. They were all around 25 to 30 years old, with similar backgrounds, extraordinary talents, and like-minded people. Therefore, they had a deep friendship with each other. They are not close friends of life and death, but they can also be said to be close friends. They can be called the "Five Little Dragons of Han Dynasty".

All five of them have left their names in history, and some have even remained famous forever.

The first was Su Wu, the son of Su Jian, whose courtesy name was Ziqing. He was a native of Duling (southeast of today's Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province). He was the supervisor of the Zhizhong Stables at that time (there was a stable in the Zhiyuan Garden of the Han Dynasty, named Zizhongwang, with the pronunciation of "Zhizhongshu"). Six hundred stones.

No one in future generations will not know that Su Wu Muyang’s integrity will last through the ages.

The second place is Huo Qubing's younger brother Huo Guang, whose courtesy name is Zimeng. He was born in Pingyang, Hedong Province, and was the captain of Fengche at that time. His rank was two thousand stones.

Needless to say, he was a powerful minister at the peak of his powers and a model for the ages. His fame was no less than that of his elder brother Huo Qubing.

The third one, Shangguan Jie, named Shaoshu, was from Shanggui in Longxi (today's Tianshui, Gansu Province). He was the magistrate of Weiyang Stables at that time and had a rank of 104 shi. This guy was one of the four ministers behind Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Huo Guang, Jin Rixi, Shangguan Jie and Sang Hongyang, but he later fought with Huo Guang and was killed for rebelling.The fourth place is Zhao Chongguo, whose courtesy name is Wengsun. He is a native of Shanggui in Longxi Province. He started as a knight and later became a member of the good family of six counties who were good at riding and shooting.Yulinqi is a forbidden guard. It was first established in the first year of Taichu ([-] BC) by Emperor Wu. It was named Jianzhang Yingqi and later changed its name to Yulinqi.

This man was also very good. He spent his whole life as a soldier, fighting against the Xiongnu in the north, and pacifying the Di and Qiang in the west. He made great contributions to stabilizing the border areas of the Western Han Dynasty and safeguarding the rejuvenation situation in the interior.His idea of ​​"valuing strategy but despising war", his strategy of combining military offensives with political disintegration, and his measures to cultivate fields and prepare borders had a profound impact on that time and later generations.

He was still very alive and lived to be 86 years old. He was one of the "Eleven Heroes of Qilin Pavilion".

The fifth one is Li Ling, named Shaoqing, the posthumous son of Li Guang’s eldest son Li Danghu, a native of Chengji, Longxi, who was the supervisor of Jianzhang in the Shizhong at that time, and the Yulin guard of Jianzhangqi camp...

Among these five people, in terms of family background and position, Huo Guang had the highest starting point, followed by Li Ling, Su Wu Shangguan followed closely, and Zhao Chongguo had the lowest.

But one thing is the same. They all come from northern military families, and they all carry the reputation and hope of their respective families. They all have a bright future.

They were so energetic and high-spirited back then.

However, due to the tricks of fate, they eventually embarked on completely different paths in life, but without exception they were extremely bumpy. Some of them became famous generals, some became powerful ministers, some became 'traitors', and some Some became conspirators, and some became national heroes.

It’s really sad that human relationships are changeable and things are impermanent!

Li Guangli was surrounded and could not break out. Zhao Chongguo, one of the Five Little Dragons of Emperor Wu, showed his power. He led more than a hundred elite cavalry as a death squad, wearing armor and fighting, taking the lead in the battle, fighting all the way, and forcibly cutting a bloody path...

Li Guangli's army followed closely behind, and after a fierce battle, they finally broke out of the enemy siege.

At that time, Zhao Chongguo served as a fake Sima in Li Guangli's army. The so-called fake Sima meant the deputy position of the Army Sima, with a rank of six hundred stones.

In this battle, the Han army had 1 cavalry, but only less than 1 came back. He himself lost [-] and killed only more than [-] enemies. The battle was so bad that if it had been any other general, he would have been deprived of his title. But Li Guangli still has not been punished.

At that time, Zhao Chongguo was injured in more than [-] places, and his body was terribly bruised and bruised. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very moved when he heard about it. He immediately summoned this heroic figure in person, named him Zhonglang, with a rank of six hundred stones, announced the commendation, and called on the entire army to learn from him.

Since Shan Yu's main force went to ambush Li Guangli, Gongsun Ao and Lu Bode did not encounter the enemy. The two armies wandered around Mobei and then returned home, waving their sleeves without taking away a single cloud.

Several armies either lost troops or gained nothing. Emperor Wu was actually extremely disappointed. He did not let Li Guangli come back immediately. Instead, he went to the border to recuperate and sent Li Ling out.

In fact, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew very well that Li Ling went deep with five thousand infantry alone. This was a completely suicidal attack. They were infantry, not cavalry. They were surrounded and it was difficult to run. Your cavalry can run away as soon as they mount their horses, but the infantry How could two legs outrun the Huns' cavalry?

Therefore, once you are surrounded, you will most likely not be able to come back.

But he had another plan in mind. Li Ling's troops were elite. If he could inflict heavy losses on the Xiongnu with the appearance of being burned together, he would certainly be able to exaggerate the power of the Han Dynasty and frighten the enemy's courage.

And even if Li Ling dies in battle, he can still establish a heroic image among the entire army in the country. Therefore, no matter whether he wins or loses, this battle will have very good results, and the sacrifice of these 5000 people will be worth it.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty actually had his thoughts in mind. He sent people with fast horses to notify Lu Bode, who was reorganizing his troops, and asked him to lead his cavalry to meet Li Ling halfway.

But who is Lubold?

He was a veteran general who had participated in the legendary battle between Huo Qubing and Liu Han. He had defeated the Huns all the way to Lake Baikal in the north, conquered South Vietnam all the way to Hainan Island in the south, and pacified North Korea all the way to Seoul in the east. , went west to guard against the Xiongnu and built fortresses all the way to Juyan. It can be said that he fought in the world and became famous.

Later, the marquis was lost and the general was also lost. He could only become a junior captain in Pingyang. He was even more unlucky than Li Guang, so he wanted to make a comeback.

This is great. I went to Mobei and didn't meet half of the Huns. Then I had to go back to serve as a foil to a junior like Li Ling. Do you think it's embarrassing or not?If this continues, will it take me a year and a month to be reinstated?

Therefore, Lu Bode naturally did not want to do it. He also thought of a lot of reasons and wrote to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, saying: "Fang Qiu, the Xiongnu Ma Fei is unable to fight. I am willing to keep the mausoleum until next spring, and I will ride with Jiuquan and Zhangye." With 5000 men on each side and attacking east and west, we will definitely win."

Later, Liu Han thought about it. Apart from Lu Bo's shamelessness, he actually also had his own considerations.

The Han Dynasty usually did not choose autumn to fight against the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu were the strongest in autumn because their horses were fat and well-fed.

The previous great victories of the Han Dynasty were all won in spring, or at worst in summer. This has almost become a routine. At this time, the Huns' horses were thin and had just survived the winter.

Therefore, Lu Bode suggested that he wait until the spring of next year to go head-to-head with Li Ling, each killing the enemy and making meritorious deeds based on his own ability, so that he would have another chance to make a comeback.

For this reason, he also emphasized that cavalry and infantry must be used to attack the Huns. If they were surrounded, it would be like giving away food.

At this time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was old and dim. After reading the memorial, he was furious.

I just lost a battle and am still unconvinced. How can I wait until next year?None of these generals understand my painstaking efforts, and none of them obey my orders. How can it be so unreasonable?
Are you the emperor, or am I the emperor?
At the same time, he felt that this was Li Ling's attention. He thought: "You Li Ling boasted so much in front of me, but later regretted it, became timid, and refused to be a martyr. That's why he ordered Lu Bode to make up excuses to delay in every possible way. You are treating me like a monkey!"

In anger, he even thought, "Damn it, these cunning and cunning generals deceived me into thinking that I was a three-year-old child? You are all going to be martyrs for me, and I can't cure you?"

Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent people to send two edicts to Li Ling and Lu Bode's army with fast horses.

The edict to Lu Bode probably means: "I originally wanted to give Li Ling cavalry, but Li Ling tried to show off himself and refused. What can I do? Now I find that some Xiongnu cavalry have invaded Xihe County. Go and stop them. , Don’t worry about Li Ling, can’t he? Just let him go!”

The edict given to Li Ling was extremely strict. It probably means: "I order you, Li Ling, to set off from the Juyanzhelu Fortress in September and rush to the area from Junji Mountain in the east of Mobei to Longle River (today's Tuyin River in Mongolia). Visit and look for the Huns fighting. If there is no trace of the enemy, follow the route Zhao Ponu retreated from the Huns a few years ago and return eastward to the surrender city to garrison and recuperate, and report the situation along the way with a horse. In addition, what exactly did you follow? What Lu Bod has plotted, please explain it to me in detail!"

The Art of War says: "Don't move unless it's advantageous, don't use it unless it's gained, don't fight unless it's dangerous. The leader cannot raise an army in anger, and the general cannot attack in anger."

This time, there are three major disadvantages for the Han army to send troops: you do not trust your generals, your generals are not united, and the timing is not right.

On the contrary, the Xiongnu had three advantages. The weather was favorable for the Xiongnu in autumn;

At that time, Li Ling read the edict, and he was probably complaining in his heart. Not only were there no cavalry, but also no backup. A hard battle was unavoidable, and his majesty also suspected that he was greedy for life and fearful of death, and retreated from the battle. But he still went, and there was no need to go. The solution is for the emperor, his ministers and his son.

Perhaps the most terrifying thing in the world is not the difficulties, but the fact that you have to fight alone in the face of difficulties. If you fight alone, you will be misunderstood, even jealous, ridiculed, complained, slandered, and made things difficult...

Liu Han seemed to feel that the Gungun princes in Chang'an City were looking at Li Ling coldly, with playful expressions and frivolous faces, as if they were watching a good show.

It was originally a chess game that was not going well, and had a high probability of being a fatal chess game, but Li Ling almost made a comeback, with 8 infantry defeating [-] cavalry, and then the Xiongnu Chanyu increased his troops to [-].

Li Ling retreated all the way south, killing enemies along the way, and almost beat Shanyu to pieces. Why was it so difficult to capture these 5000 men?It was still five thousand infantry. If it were five thousand cavalry, he might not even have a chance to win.

At this time, it is actually the opportunity for the Han Dynasty. If Lu Bode and Gongsun Ao at the border, as well as Li Guangli who has licked his wounds, press their entire army, the Xiongnu Chanyu will most likely collapse and flee all the way north. It will be another time. Great victory.

Liu Han suggested this, but Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not agree. His suspicion, sensitivity, and suspicion were worse than when he was young.

Also, in his later years, he even killed his own son and forced the queen to die. After all, he is no longer the same person as he was when he was young. Those ambitions and enterprising spirit have begun to be worn away by time. Maybe seeking immortality and the so-called face are more important to him. For important.

Only when Liu Han looked at these things from a higher level through the fog of history, did he feel that everyone was drunk and I was alone.

In this battle, the Han Dynasty was not defeated, but Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was defeated. He was defeated by his own will and suspicion, but he would not admit it because he was an emperor, at least not now.

(End of this chapter)