At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 574: The mule-like Western Expedition Army and the Messenger Seeking Death

July 34, the 7th year of the Han calendar, at the Desert Governor's Office, a recruit training camp.

"Hoo, ho, ho!" Three huge tongues of fire were emitting hot steam. Three huge fireballs were floating in the air. All the soldiers in the Western Expedition Army looked at this scene curiously. Flying is something that all nations have fantasized about, and today they actually saw it.

Commander Tang Cheng said, "This is a hot air balloon specially developed by your majesty for this war. It can carry reconnaissance soldiers to look down at the enemy from high altitude. Combined with the best 32x telescope in the court, enemies within dozens of miles can have nowhere to hide. It is even more advantageous when used in military battles."

Making a hot air balloon is not technically difficult for the modern Han people. The outermost fabric can be made of dense silk, and then some paint can be applied to prevent the hot air from escaping. At one end near the hot air balloon, fire-proof asbestos cloth is used, and the fuel is made of gasoline. A pressurization device is made, and a hot air balloon that can fly hundreds of meters high is ready.

Han Xin looked at the hot air balloon and said, "Your Majesty really thinks highly of the Xiongnu people. They even specially created such a magical weapon."

A famous general like Han Xin naturally knew the advantages that hot air balloons brought to war. They could rise hundreds of meters high and observe the enemy's every move clearly. This was equivalent to playing a game in later generations, with a full map open. As soon as the enemy made any move, he could respond immediately. An army of 1 could play the advantages of an army of or .

Han Xin said with great interest: "Let the balloon come down, I will go up and take a look."

Tang Cheng immediately stopped him and said, "His Majesty has instructed you not to board a hot air balloon. Although hot air balloons are convenient, they are also dangerous. If you are not careful, someone will die. Only scouts can board a hot air balloon."

Originally, Li Zuoche and his friends wanted to board a hot air balloon, but after hearing that it was dangerous, they immediately gave up their interest in the hot air balloon based on the principle that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall.

Tang Cheng asked, "When does the Duke plan to send out troops?"

Han Xin said: "The training of the soldiers has been effective and they can be dispatched today."

After the Han Dynasty destroyed the Huns, it was in a state of having no strong enemies anywhere. For hundreds of years since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the war-ready social state of national militarization began to change. From top to bottom, the Han Dynasty was more concerned about economic activities, or in plain terms, making money.

Moreover, a long-term militarized society is also an unhealthy social state. Xu Fan could not allow the Han Dynasty to remain in that state forever. The military system in the pavilion began to disintegrate. The former pavilion chief was a reserve officer, and his main responsibility was to lead and train the people during the winter break.

But now the people of the Han Dynasty are simply unwilling to do such things. Wouldn't it be better to use this time to go to the city to work, earn a few thousand dollars a few months, and pay for their children's middle school expenses?

The head of the ting began to gradually evolve into the local armed minister, responsible only for recruiting conscripts.

But this does not mean that the quality of the Han Dynasty's soldiers has declined. Apart from anything else, the soldiers' physique and physical fitness have improved greatly compared to the pre-Qin period as they now have meat for three meals a day.

Moreover, the Han primary schools, middle schools and even colleges have the experience of daily queuing for drills. In each class, there are team leaders, class leaders and study committee members at all levels. This is a small command system. In addition, there is military training for all grades. This is a simplified version of military training.

Of course, the big man did this not just to train soldiers, but mainly to cultivate these students' sense of discipline from an early age.

Now the Han Dynasty is an industrial country, and the premise of an industrial country is discipline. In an agricultural society, the army is the most organized group, but in an industrial society, organization is needed by every factory and institution. Being able to abide by discipline and being organized are the most basic requirements of the people in the industrial age. Of course, these requirements can also be met in the military aspect.

Han Xin could clearly feel that his soldiers had made great progress in all aspects except combat experience compared to the Han soldiers 30 years ago.

He only trained the soldiers for three months, but these soldiers completed the drill training, were able to understand commands, form simple military formations, and also mastered the use and maintenance of muskets.

Tang Cheng said: "The day when the Duke dispatches troops is the day when the court declares war on the Xiongnu. Your Majesty hopes that the Duke understands that this war is not only a military strike by the court against the Xiongnu, but also the beginning of the court's establishment of world order. What the court needs is not the kind of war that Sun Wu used to do everything possible, but the war of ritual and music system at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Our Han Dynasty also needs to establish its own war system and promote this system to the whole world. The national workers must especially strictly control the military discipline of the soldiers. The 11 disciplines of the court are the bottom line, and no one can touch it."

Han Xin frowned when he heard this. As a general, he naturally didn't want the war to have too many restrictions.

But he also understood that with the current strength of the Han Dynasty, it would not be too difficult to teach the Xiongnu a lesson, even if it were to destroy the Xiongnu, the difficulty lay in how to rule this area.

The reason why the Han Dynasty divided the princes on such a large scale was that it was difficult to rule over areas that were too remote. The core territory of the Xiongnu was thousands of miles away from Chang'an. It was not only the limit of the court's military power, but also the limit of its rule. It was easy to destroy the Xiongnu, but it was difficult to govern such a vast area.

The court learned from the Western Zhou Dynasty to establish a war order, which was obviously the lowest-cost way for the court to rule the world.

With the continuous exploration of the Han Dynasty, various civilizations on various continents were discovered one by one. The top leaders of the Han Dynasty already had an idea of ​​how big the world is. It was impossible for the Han Dynasty to directly rule such a vast territory. The Han Dynasty could only learn from the Western Zhou Dynasty to establish a set of order to rule the world, and his stop was obviously the beginning of establishing this order.

Han Xin nodded and said, "I understand your majesty's intention."

Tang Cheng said: "I will be the military supervisor and handle the logistics of the Western Expedition for the Duke."

Han Xin said, "I will select the troops to go out in three days. Then I will trouble Commandant Tang to inform the court."

Tang Cheng bowed and said, "Yes!"

Three days later, a huge convoy of 3000 people headed towards the Western Regions.

The current Han Dynasty is completely different from the past. Its fiscal revenue is more than ten times that of the Qin and Han dynasties.

Facing such a war, the Han court was extremely well prepared. For the 3 soldiers of the Western Expedition alone, the Han court prepared 1500 large carriages, pulled by 6 horses, more than feet long, and capable of carrying soldiers. The body of the carriage was made entirely of steel, and was sturdy and durable. It used the latest roller bearing axles, steel wire wheels, and rubber tires. It can be said that except for the power system which was still powered by horses, the entire carriage was very similar to the troop carriers of later generations.

Soldiers no longer need to patrol on foot, they just need to sit in troop carriers, which greatly increases the speed of marching and saves soldiers' energy.

In addition, there are medical vehicles following behind, which can provide medical treatment and consultation to soldiers at any time.

Various dining cars can prepare meals for soldiers during the march.

Vehicles carrying various weapons and ammunition, vehicles pulling artillery. In the words of later generations, the Western Expedition Army was an army fully powered by mules and horses.

"We are soldiers, what's the difference?"

"There is a truth that goes without saying: to be a soldier you must go to the battlefield."

During the boring march, the Han soldiers kept singing to boost morale, and they wanted to cover the singing of others, causing the soldiers' voices to become louder and louder. It didn't matter what tune or song it was, the only thing that stood out was the majestic voice.

However, on the carriage behind this army, there was a group of unexpected visitors, who were the envoys who came to the Han Dynasty.

They heard that the emperor of the Han Dynasty would send a large army to teach the Xiongnu a lesson because the Xiongnu Chanyu was disobedient. This aroused their great interest and they decided to change their return routes and return to their country by land, and by the way, they would be battlefield observers to understand the military strength of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty court also agreed to the request of these envoys. The Han Dynasty wanted to kill the monkey to pay tribute to the chicken. It spent such a huge price to teach the Xiongnu a lesson in the Western Regions thousands of miles away. Isn't it just to let these people understand the power of the Han Dynasty, and then let them be obedient brothers of the Han Dynasty and obey the order established by the Han Dynasty.

When Prince Antiochus heard the singing of the Han soldiers, he hesitated and said, "Ambassador, the Huns have fought hundreds of battles in the Mesopotamian region and have been invincible. It has been said in the Mesopotamian region that if there are less than 10,000 Huns, they are invincible. This is the best portrayal of the Huns' powerful fighting power. But the Han Dynasty sent a group of new soldiers like this to the Mesopotamian region. Isn't it a bit too contemptuous of the Huns?"

The Western Expedition Army before them gave Prince Antiochus and others a deep understanding of the wealth of the Han Dynasty.

In order to prevent the soldiers from walking, the general of the Han Dynasty actually requisitioned thousands of steel carriages to transport the soldiers. After marching thousands of miles, the soldiers only stepped on the grass a few times.

Not to mention the hundreds of dining cars following behind, just to give these soldiers a hot meal on the march, and special medical cars to treat sick and injured soldiers. Such extravagance, the Han court took such thoughtful care of the soldiers, even their commanders would find it difficult to do so.

If they had not seen that the army was lined up in strict formation and able to obey orders every day, he would have suspected that the Han court had sent 3 aristocratic soldiers to fight.

But even so, they still seriously doubted the fighting effectiveness of the Han army. After all, everyone had a stereotype: how could the young soldiers fight a good battle?

Zhang Pijiang smiled and said, "This is just basic logistical support. Do you think the singing in the vehicles is not loud enough? Such a powerful voice can prove that the morale of our Han army is high."

He didn't think the treatment was excessive. The food standard was just like the life of ordinary Han people. At most, there was a little more meat. But this was grassland, where there were many cattle and sheep. It would be troublesome for the soldiers to eat vegetables.

However, Apatius felt that the Han Dynasty's marching method was worth learning. The Han army marched thousands of miles, 100 miles a day. This speed could not be achieved by marching on foot.

Moreover, he could tell from the songs that the Han soldiers were full of energy and spirit, and it was obvious that the long march had not consumed too much of their morale and energy, which was very important for an army that was about to go to the battlefield. Sometimes, just a little lack of morale could cause an army to be defeated in a decisive battle, and using horse-drawn carriages to pull soldiers could increase the army's combat effectiveness.

Rome's main targets of conquest are now the Mediterranean line, so the demand for troop transport is not high. However, if it goes deep into the interior of the continent, the demand for logistical support will be high. Using the Han Dynasty's mule and horse army can effectively improve combat effectiveness.

Of course, this kind of army also has a headache problem, that is, the military expenditure is extremely high. A carriage needs 6 war horses to pull it. A war horse consumes 10 times more food than an ordinary soldier. 6 war horses are equivalent to 60 soldiers. This is an extremely heavy financial expenditure. In addition, the transport vehicle is made of steel, and there are many parts that he cannot understand. Obviously, it costs a lot of money to make such a carriage. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is an aristocratic army. Rome’s finances simply cannot support such a large army.

Apatius thought of the greed of the princes at home and realized that even if Rome could afford it, they would not raise such luxurious soldiers. Only a wealthy country like the Han Dynasty could afford such soldiers.

September 34, the 9th year of the Han calendar, Xiongnu Kingdom, inside the palace.

In order to highlight his legitimacy, Xu Fan sent an envoy to inform Han Xin of his intention to go to war after Han Xin's army set out.

Of course, Laoshang Chanyu didn't know it yet, but he understood that a year ago the Xiongnu Kingdom had violated the Han Emperor's order not to annex the Parthian Kingdom, so this time the envoys came, they would inevitably be reprimanded.

Therefore, Laoshang Chanyu attached great importance to it and gathered all the high-ranking officials of the Xiongnu Kingdom to welcome the envoys of the Han Dynasty together. He wanted to give enough face to the envoys of the Han Dynasty and the Han Emperor, and to raise this matter high and then let it go lightly.

But he never expected that the envoy would not give the old Chanyu any face at all.

As soon as he arrived at the palace of the Xiongnu Kingdom and saw the old Chanyu, he opened the imperial edict and said: "The Emperor of the Han Dynasty says: Ji Zhou, you old boy are disobedient again. Have you forgotten the strength of my Han army? I will send 3 troops to kick your Xiongnu country hard. Wait for the punishment and then admit your mistakes to me."

"Bold!" As soon as the Han envoy finished reading out the imperial edict, all the Hun generals present became furious. They stood up solemnly, drew their swords, and pointed them at the Han envoy.

In the eyes of these Xiongnu generals, the old Chanyu was the god of the Xiongnu Kingdom. The words of the Han emperor were too disrespectful and even showed contempt for their Xiongnu Kingdom.

However, the Han envoy who was surrounded by the Xiongnu generals was still not afraid. Instead, he looked at these people with contempt and said, "They are still a group of barbarians. Even after so many years of education, they don't even know etiquette."

After saying this, the envoy raised his head and walked to the Xiongnu leader Xia Jie, stretched his neck to his sword and said: "Nai Gong asked you to chop, see if you dare to chop. Nai Gong is an envoy of the Han Dynasty, representing the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Now the emperor just wants to teach you a lesson, and he still regards you, the Xiongnu, as a vassal of the Han Dynasty.

But if Nai Gong died in the Xiongnu, it means that you Xiongnu are committing treason. You have the intention of rebellion, and our Han Dynasty has always been merciless to rebels. "

"After Naigong's death, the imperial court will not send 3 troops to teach your Xiongnu a lesson, but will send 30 troops to destroy your Xiongnu nation. You can try it and take Naigong's life to see if he is lying."

Then the envoy mocked: "Your life is worth it in exchange for the demise of your Xiongnu Kingdom and your name will be recorded in history."

Xiongnu Prime Minister Zhang Yuan said with a hint of fear: "Generals, please do not act recklessly. Even if the two countries are at war, they will not kill envoys, let alone this is the emperor's envoy. Do you generals want other princes of the Han Dynasty to mock our Xiongnu country as barbarians?"

Other Xiongnu generals did not understand the strength of the Han Dynasty, but Zhang Yuan came to Chang'an City as an envoy of the Xiongnu Kingdom almost every few years.

No one in the entire Xiongnu Kingdom understood the strength of the Han Dynasty better than him. Although the Han Dynasty had enjoyed peace for 20 years, during these 20 years, the Han Dynasty's industrial strength had skyrocketed. More and more machines that he could not understand were produced, and the Han Dynasty's fiscal revenue had exceeded billion, which was dozens of times that of the Xiongnu Kingdom.

Wars are fought for money and food. The Han Dynasty had a fiscal revenue of over 100 billion yuan, and government and private warehouses were also filled with food. The Han Dynasty's artillery was becoming more and more powerful.

No matter from which perspective, the strength of the Xiongnu Kingdom was far inferior to that of the Han Dynasty. This was because they were far away from the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, the security of the Xiongnu Kingdom would not be guaranteed at all.

When Laoshang Chanyu heard Xu Fan's imperial edict, he was extremely annoyed. After the Huns arrived in the Mesopotamian region, under his leadership, the Huns were able to conquer every attack and win every battle, and annexed dozens of small countries and forces in the Mesopotamian region. Last year, they even annexed the Parthian Empire in one fell swoop, doubling the Huns' territory and population to tens of millions.

During this era, the Han Dynasty dominated the beginning of the great voyages of discovery, and civilized countries around the world established connections thousands of years in advance. Especially countries like the Xiongnu, which participated in the Han Dynasty's princes' conference almost every year. They had a very deep understanding of global civilizations and countries.

Judging from the current land area, population and military strength of the Xiongnu, it is no exaggeration to say that it ranks second in the world.

In the whole world, apart from the Han Dynasty, there was no other country that could compare with the Xiongnu in terms of population, land area and military strength, and Ji Zhou was proud of this.

The Xiongnu Kingdom naturally could not compare with the Han Dynasty, which occupied the New World and most of China, but the fact that it was able to defeat the remaining powerful countries in the world was enough to show how powerful the Xiongnu was.

From the imperial edict just now, Ji Zhou did not feel the respect of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty for him, nor did he feel respect for the Xiongnu Kingdom, the second most powerful country in the world.

Ji Zhou suppressed his anger and said, "Is this the only bit of magnanimity left in the Han Emperor? He wants to send you, a deadly warrior, to provoke the Xiongnu so that the Han can find an excuse to attack us."

The messenger laughed sarcastically and said, "Old Chanyu, you overestimate the Xiongnu. After fighting a few small battles, you think you are invincible.

I, the Han, want to teach you Xiongnu a lesson. It's like a father teaching his son. What excuse do I need? The emperor sent me here because you Xiongnu don't respect the emperor's will. I want to teach you a lesson. If you continue to be stubborn, then there is no need for the Xiongnu to exist."

(End of this chapter)