Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 761: Rampage in the Desert
In preparation for the expedition to Mobei, Huo Jun stationed his troops in Tuidang City for more than thirty days, waiting for the vassal armies of the Southern Xiongnu and Wuhuan.

Tian Yu was appointed by Huo Jun as the Lieutenant General for Protecting the Xianbei, and led light cavalry to Yunzhong. He recruited a thousand cavalry from Budugen and Xieguini respectively, and Tian Yu was responsible for commanding them.

Qian Zhao was appointed as the Lieutenant General for Protecting Wuhuan, and was promised money to various tribes. He also recruited an additional 3,000 cavalry from the Yanmen, Xihe and Taiyuan Hu tribes, and transferred 3,000 miscellaneous Hu cavalry from Pang Tong's account.

Qian Zhao and Tian Yu only recruited 8,000 miscellaneous Hu cavalry. In order to make up for the shortage of cavalry, Huo Jun increased the Han cavalry to 7,000.

The first month of the tenth year of Jianxing.

After 15,000 Han and Hu cavalry gathered in Tuidang City, Huo Jun listened to the advice of the generals and spent the first month of the year in Tuidang City, waiting for the weather to warm up a little in February before setting out his troops.

On February 3, after more than 40 days of rest and assembly, and with the marching expenses and food supplies prepared, Huo Jun set out from Tuidang City, went deep into the desert, and attacked the Xianbei Fu Court.

Under the guidance of the guide, Huo Jun led the Han army to march along the Tabu River which originated from the Yin Mountains. Because they were close to the Yin Mountains, the snow had melted and there was no shortage of water along the way. The Han army was equipped with two or three horses, so their marching speed was not slow.

But as they moved away from the Yin Mountains, the Gobi Desert gradually increased, and Huo Jun finally understood what the "sea of ​​​​land" meant. Because the temperature in the northern desert is low and the temperature difference between day and night is large, the sand on the Gobi Desert will freeze in the morning due to the presence of water, forming a Gobi Desert with ice cracks.

Before the Tabu River was about to disappear, Huo Jun left the Tabu River under the guidance of the Xianbei guide. The Han army led by him had thoroughly penetrated the Gobi Desert, and the surrounding environment was no longer the common grassland. The Gobi Desert appeared more and more frequently than the grassland, and the water source was also slowly decreasing.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of water in the Gobi Desert in early spring, and before leaving the Tabuk River, the Han army filled bags with a lot of water in advance to prevent a shortage of drinking water, which were then carried by the accompanying cattle and sheep.

Moreover, because the army was marching deep into the northern desert, it was impossible for them to carry too much food. Huo Jun chose to feed them with cattle, sheep, and Hu biscuits. Besides, on non-war days, the daily ration was reduced by one third.

On the way, in what would later be Erlianhot, the Han army encountered a grazing Xianbei tribe with about a thousand tents, all of which were captured by the Han army.

Huo Jun learned from the leader that Kebi Neng arrived at the tribe two months ago and obtained supplies from the tribe. In addition, Kebi Neng, in order to show his favor, told his leader that the tribe could go to Guyan Mountain to graze in the future and asked him for a reward.

Huo Jun was overjoyed because he had verified Kebineng's whereabouts again, and he became more determined to achieve the strategic goal of attacking Guyan Mountain.

As for how to treat the captured tribes, Wei Yan and Ding Feng proposed to massacre them to prevent the news from leaking out.

But Jiang Ji had a different opinion. He suggested incorporating them into the marching team and letting the men in this tribe go in the front to serve as the eyes and ears of the Han army, so as to prevent them from being discovered by other Xianbei tribes.

After much consideration, Huo Jun decided to take the old and weak in the tribe as hostages and ordered the young men in the tribe to be scouts to graze in front of the army.

In order to appease the tribe, Huo Jun appointed the tribe's leader Zhejubaba as a hereditary Dao Duwei and granted him the fertile Wuyuan grassland.

Under coercion and inducement, Zheju Baba chose to lead Huo Jun and let the Zheju tribe provide corresponding cover for the army.

With the guidance of the Zhejue tribe, Huo Jun led the Han army further into the vast desert. The surrounding environment became increasingly harsh, with strong winds mixed with sand, cold weather, and a lack of water and grass along the way. In order to reduce the expenditure on military food, Huo Jun began to slaughter cattle and sheep for food.

Fortunately, with the guidance of the Zheju tribe, after suffering from the harsh environment for many days, Huo Jun led his troops to Saynshand, which was located in the territory of Mongolia in later times. The local area was moistened by water and had fertile grass, which was a good place for the Han army to rest.

There are people living in the Gobi Desert where there is good soil and water. There are about a thousand tribes grazing here. Under the guidance of the Zheju tribe, Huo Jun led more than 10,000 Han troops to surround them from all sides and captured and killed them all.

Because of the feud with the Zheju tribe, Huo Jun slaughtered all the men in the tribe in order to maintain the unity of the discourse power, leaving only the ignorant children and women in the tribe, and then gave all to the Zheju tribe.

Having gained actual benefits, the Zhejue tribe did not mind being tied to the chariot by Huo Jun, and the people of the tribe did their best to cover the Han army.

When the army was setting up camp that night, Huo Jun received good news again after taking a bath.

Inside the big tent, Huo Jun placed a towel on the military rack and walked into the tent.

"Prime Minister, according to what Zhao has learned, our army is only a thousand miles away from Guyan Mountain, and the water and grass there are gradually becoming abundant, so our army will not have to worry about water sources. And because it is approaching March, the weather is gradually getting warmer." Qian Zhao said. "Our army has marched for more than 20 days, marching more than a thousand miles. According to the speed of foot, only half of the distance should be left. Now we are approaching the Mobei grassland, and our army can march faster to prevent Kebin from moving away from Guyan Mountain." Huo Jun said.

"I'm afraid not!"

Jiang Ji followed closely and said, "Prime Minister, Ke Bineng wants to rebuild the royal court in Mobei. He should summon the tribes in Mobei in May to exert his prestige on them."

The Xiongnu people often offered sacrifices to heaven and earth in the first and fifth months of the year. As a grassland people, the Xianbei naturally had similar sacrificial ceremonies.

Judging from the time alone, Kebi Neng did not have the time to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and convene various tribes for a meeting in the first month of the year. If Kebi Neng wanted to convene the tribes in Mobei, it would most likely be done in May. Therefore, Kebi Neng would not move away from Guyan Mountain before May.

"Correct!"

Huo Jun understood Jiang Ji's intention and said with a smile: "In this case, our army can use the power of defeating Kebineng to spread the prestige of the Han Dynasty to the tribes in Mobei."

"promise!"

Due to fatigue from the journey, Huo Jun chatted with the two men about some issues concerning the march, and then they went back to their tents and went to sleep.

When Huo Jun led his army to attack Guyan Mountain, Kebineng had already met up with his son Tun Weize and discussed how to rebuild the royal tent and completely subdue the tribes in Mobei.

In the tent, Ke Bineng drank kumis and sighed, "I moved the king's tent to Beiyu to prevent Huo Jun from attacking the king's tent, but Huo Jun guessed it right and led his elite troops deep into the king's tent. The king's court was attacked and Baidao was hit, so I had to lead my troops here."

Ke Bineng was somewhat relieved and said, "Fortunately, my son has pacified the northern desert. Otherwise, he would have gone to Liaodong or Hexi, but neither of them would have been able to stop the Han army from using force."

Tun Wei consoled him, "Father, you made a mistake for a moment. There are now more than 100,000 tribesmen in Mobei, and we can send out 100,000 cavalrymen. Father, with the troops in Mobei, will be able to return to Mobei and regain the old territory."

Kebi Neng praised and said: "In May, I will offer sacrifices to the heavens and invite all the tribes in Mobei to come here. I will not only rebuild the royal court, but also follow the Han people's method and make my son the crown prince, who will inherit my position as Chanyu in the future."

Now that he has built his fortune with the help of his son, Kebi Neng must give something in return. If he does not establish Tunwei as his successor, according to the nomadic tradition of loving fathers and filial sons, Tunwei will probably kill Kebi Neng and take over the throne himself.

"Thank you, Dad!" Tun Wei said gratefully.

Tun Wei hesitated for a moment and said, "The Han army is now clearing out the tribes in the south of the desert, and there are few people in the north of the desert. In order to deter the tribes, we can order the Western Region Lord to lead his troops back to the north of the desert. Otherwise, if the tribes in the north of the desert hear that our army has been defeated and that we don't have many soldiers and horses, they may become uneasy."

"feasible!"

Ke Bineng nodded with satisfaction and said, "When I restore the royal court, my son can go with me to the south to conquer the Hetao area and recapture the lost land."

Tun Weize's wife Anutuo was thinking about something and asked, "Chanyu, Huo Jun learned that Chanyu had gone to the desert. I wonder if he will go on an expedition to the desert?"

"Too much worry!"

Tun Wei smiled and said, "It is more than 2,000 miles from Mobei to Yinshan. The road is dangerous and difficult to travel. With Huo Jun's dignity, why would he go on an expedition to Mobei? Now the tribes in Monan are in disorder. Huo Jun should subdue them and recover the counties on the north."

Compared to Tun Weize's boldness and confidence, Ke Bineng only thought a little and analyzed: "The desert is more than 2,000 miles long. Without someone familiar with the road, it is difficult to lead the troops deep into the desert. They will most likely get lost along the way. Moreover, Huo Jun went to the southern desert, so why would he abandon his army and go deep into the northern desert?"

"Besides, it's already not easy for Huo Jun to raid the royal court, not to mention traveling over 2,000 miles to raid Mobei."

The 2,000-mile desert made it hard for Ke Bineng to believe that Huo Jun would send troops to pursue him. Moreover, the northern desert was vast, and Huo Jun was a newcomer to the frontier, so why would he risk going deep into the northern desert?
(End of this chapter)