The great man will live forever

Chapter 38 The Battle of Hexi (Er Wu Emperor’s Worries)
The lonely smoke in the desert is straight, the long river is setting in the sun,
The boundless grassland reflects the blue sky, and cattle and sheep are galloping and dancing in colorful clothes.

The desert is connected to the grassland and is inseparable.

The days of the expedition were not pleasant. I was riding horses all the time and almost slept on the horse.

Then there were killings, killings, killings, seizures, seizures, and seizures...

Most of the time, Liu Han and Huo Qubing did not take the initiative to kill people because it was not a critical moment.

Their route of action was very fast, and they would fight any grassland tribes they saw along the way.

The history books say: "After he led his army from Longxi County, he crossed the Wuli Mountain, crossed the Yellow River, attacked the Pu tribe, quickly killed King Dun Pu, crossed the Hunu River, fought for more than a thousand miles in six days, and defeated the five Xiongnu kingdoms. , defeating all the little kings in Hexi one after another..."

If it weren't for the exhaustion of riding horses and rushing every day, Liu Han would have thought that this trip was just for tourism and it was too relaxing.

Is this still a war?Along the way, you just pick up resources and equipment.

"go!"

"hurry up!"

Zhao Ponu was driving the surrendered Huns. There were too many of them, including women, men, and countless cattle and horses.

"Eagle Strikes Sima, do you know we can't stay long? Who told you to stop?"

Huo Qubing came over on horseback and questioned Zhao Ponu.

"But this seizure?"

Huo Qubing was very decisive, "Throw them all away. Don't let these seizures become a burden to us. Give us the order. After a short rest, we will set off immediately. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed."

"But what to do with these prisoners?"

"You can do it."

"Nuo, send hundreds of people to escort these prisoners to Chang'an, immediately!" Zhao Ponu ordered.

"drive!"

The army is starting to move again...

Chang'an, inside the palace, several eunuchs came in carrying piles of bamboo slips.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty looked at the map hanging in front of his eyes, his face full of sorrow.

"Have you noticed that Huo Qubing never reports on the battle situation, and you don't know where he is now."

While looking at the map, Han Wu asked his close minister Dongfang Shuo.

"Your Majesty, are you worried about him?" Dongfang Shuo asked this so superfluously that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty almost showed his worry on his face.

"What's the use of worrying about Huo Qubing? He deliberately didn't report it because he was afraid that I would interfere with him."

Dongfang Shuo sighed, "Yes, a 19-year-old general, leading tens of thousands of cavalry, dares to go thousands of miles behind enemy lines."

Then, he cautiously said, "Your Majesty, is this move too bold?"

Seemingly realizing something again, he continued: "But thinking about it conversely, if this move is successful, it will be a shocking miracle in the history of Chinese wars and leave a strong mark."

"I don't want to shock the world. The reason why I do this is to shorten the preparation time, reduce military expenditures, and increase the suddenness of the action. As for using 19-year-old generals, it is easier. The generals I value are only 19 years old!"

I have to say that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty fought against the Xiongnu on a large scale in recent years, which was very expensive and was simply a waste of money.

You must know that the Han Dynasty was very weak in the early days, so it had to make peace with the Xiongnu.

After the siege of Baideng, Liu Bang began to focus on developing the economy. He also wanted to take revenge.

During the Han Dynasty, under the rule of Emperors Wen and Jing, the money in the capital accumulated to a huge amount, which was rotten and unable to be corrected; the millet in Taicang was so full that it became rotten and inedible.There are horses in the streets and alleys, and there are groups of horses in the streets...

Of course, these are definitely exaggerated, especially horses. The Han Dynasty was rich, but it was not so rich that horses roamed the streets in droves, and people rarely raised horses.

Therefore, in order to obtain a powerful cavalry regiment, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented a series of horse policies.

Including borrowing horses from the private sector, first borrowing from the person who owns the horse, and then giving the money later, which feels a bit like robbery;
Also, horses were sacrificed in place of corvee service. When wars were frequent, some people, even those with noble titles, had to sacrifice horses if they wanted to be exempted from corvee service;

They also produced fake official mares. The imperial court lent the mares to the common people to raise, and after three years, a batch of official young horses were returned;
Finally, he also devoted himself to improving horse breeds. The "Book of Han·Biography of the Southern Xiongnu" records that "The Northern Danyu sent King Qiequyi Mozi and others to drive more than [-] cattle and horses to trade with Han guests. However, the Huns were greedy and still Leguan City is addicted to Han property, and the Han people also like to buy it from Guan City."

Relying on these, he pulled up 10,000+ cavalry to support Wei Qing to attack the Xiongnu and drive the Xiongnu out of Monan, making it difficult for them to threaten Chang'an.You know, the Han Dynasty during Liu Bang's time was estimated to have only 3 cavalry.

There are now more than 18 cavalry, an increase of about five times.

But even so, he felt that he couldn't support it anymore. The war was too expensive.

According to statistics, during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty dispatched 120 million cavalry, 90 infantry, and 1000 million logistics personnel. It was an incredible nationwide mobilization.

The consumption of financial resources was even more astonishing. Just to develop and operate Hexi, the cost was at least 1000 billion yuan, while the annual income of the Han Dynasty was only 40 billion yuan.

It is unprecedented in our Chinese history to devote all the manpower and financial resources of the country to military expansion and open up new territories, and to do so for such a long time.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty looked at the map for a long time and saw nothing. He was still worried about Huo Qubing.

So, he thought, find a professional to ask.

"Go and find the general and see what prediction he has for his nephew."

Dongfang Shuo smiled and said: "This is the first time for General to sit on the sidelines."

"It doesn't hurt to take a look. The beholder is clear, but the authorities are confused."

"Your Majesty, I will go find the general right now."

Not long after, Wei Qing arrived.

"General, where do you think your illness went?"

Wei Qing shook his head, "I don't know this, the army has lost contact."

"I don't know, are you not worried at all?"

"It's useless to worry. Everything can only be determined by himself. Based on my understanding of Qu Bing, he should take this line. Your Majesty, please take a look..."

Wei Qing pointed to the map and began to explain,
"Qubing set out from Longxi. He probably climbed over the Yuegaolan Mountain, then crossed the Yellow River, passed through Jincheng and Lingju, then crossed the Wuting River and entered the Hexi Corridor from the Gulang Gorge in Wushaoling.

Of course it’s very close, but it’s very dangerous. It’s easy for the enemy to block the Gulang Gorge, and either you can’t get through or you can’t come back..."

It has to be said that Wei Qing is indeed Wei Qing, and he has roughly analyzed Huo Qubing's marching route.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty looked at the map and suddenly became more worried, "If you go from here, you will be surrounded by enemies. If you don't get it right, the whole army will be wiped out."

At this moment, he regretted letting Huo Qubing go.

"Your Majesty, now we can only believe that Qu Bing is dead. It's too late for us to rescue him."

"Yes, I can only believe him."

In fact, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew that this was a gamble. He had a lot of chips, but he only took out a small part, and he could only take out a small part.

If we take them all out, once we lose, the country may be destroyed!

Wei Qing sighed with emotion, "After Zhao Xin surrendered and knew the details of our army, he must have concluded that our army would consume a lot of food and grass during the expedition, so the army could not go on an expedition, so he retreated to Mobei. This is all desert. If the army enters, if one does not pay attention, he will completely annihilated."

"So, I can only send tens of thousands of cavalry to expedition to the Hexi Corridor. The plan is up to people, and the success is up to God."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty looked at the map and pondered. He had a reason to take over the Hexi Corridor. It was too important.

The terrain of the Hexi Corridor is narrow, especially blocked by the Gobi Desert in the north, and the Qilian Mountains in the south as a natural barrier. It is difficult for enemy troops to station and attack, forming a natural barrier that can "advance, attack, retreat, and defend".

This allowed China's rulers in history to use this place for military defense, and at the same time, they could send troops from here to expand their territory.

It is also an important hub in the western region and a necessary place for trade and cultural exchanges in Central Asia, Europe and other regions.

　The Hexi Corridor is very important because it is an important transportation thoroughfare, a core area where multiple ethnic groups constantly clash and integrate, and is the throat of the world. It has a very important strategic position.Losing the Hexi Corridor and the grassland will unite with the snowy regions of the Western Regions to blockade the Central Plains, endangering the Central Plains Dynasty. Without the Hexi Corridor, there would be no Zhang Qian mission area, there would be no Silk Road, and there would be no strong Han Dynasty.

　　The Hexi Corridor is shaped like a jade ruyi and mainly involves Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, Jiayuguan and other cities in Gansu Province. The central city is Wuwei City.In addition, the Hexi Corridor is also a beautiful scenic corridor, with Gobi, desert, Danxia, ​​snow-capped mountains, glaciers, forests, grasslands and many other landforms along the way.If you don’t go to the top of the Qilian Mountains for snow, you will mistake Zhangye for Jiangnan, the Hexi Corridor, and the beautiful name of Jiangnan.

　　Dunhuang was once the crossroads of world exchanges, and the Mogao Grottoes are Dunhuang's business card to the world, Asia's largest military horse farm, Zhangye and Shandan military horse farms, the starting point of the Ming Great Wall, Jiayuguan Pass and Yumen Pass.I advise you to drink a glass of wine and leave Yangguan in the west without any old friends.China's silk and tea went to the world from here, a road to civilization, a magnificent epic.

　　This is the Hexi Corridor.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)