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

Chapter 575: Reappearance of the Spring and Autumn Model of War
In the end, Laoshang Chanyu still did not dare to attack the Han envoy. Instead, he asked his guards to invite the envoy to the embassy for protection.

When the palace was full of his own people, Lao Shang Chanyu said helplessly: "Last year, the Xiongnu offended the Han Dynasty severely. It will be difficult to let this matter go unless the Han Emperor vents his anger."

Then the old Chanyu asked: "Prime Minister, do you think the Xiongnu and the Han have the strength to fight?"

Zhang Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "Chanyu, last year the Han Dynasty announced a population of 7000 million, which is more than seven times that of the Xiongnu. If the population of other vassal states of the Han Dynasty is included, it is more than ten times that of the Xiongnu. Last year, the Han Dynasty's fiscal revenue exceeded 1000 billion yuan, which is 30 times that of the Xiongnu. As for grain production capacity, even though the Han Dynasty has been reducing taxes year after year, the grain tax of the Han Dynasty reached 260 million dan last year, while the grain of the Xiongnu can only be said to be barely enough. Last year, the steel production capacity of the Han Dynasty exceeded 20 million tons, while the Xiongnu was only more than tons, a difference of more than times."

Then Zhang Yuan saluted and said, "Chanyu, the Han Dynasty is the undisputed overlord of the world. The gap between the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty is so big that it cannot be made up by courage. Now the Han Emperor only wants to teach the Xiongnu a lesson from land, but if the Han Dynasty dispatches the Indian fleet to blockade Quanzhou, the Xiongnu's finances will inevitably collapse."

All the Xiongnu leaders were silent. The gap between the Xiongnu, who proclaimed themselves the second best in the world, and the Han Dynasty was too huge and they could not even catch up.

The old Chanyu thought for a moment and said, "Let me go and meet Han Xin. If I die in battle, the position of the Xiongnu Chanyu will be succeeded by Junchen."

Yizhixie said, "Father, please let me go and join the Han army on their Western Expedition."

Yizhixie was a little anxious. If his elder brother became the Chanyu, he would have no place in the Xiongnu Kingdom. If he defeated the Han Dynasty in this battle, it would surely cause a sensation in the entire Xiongnu Kingdom, and his father might change his mind by then.

But Lao Shang Chanyu waved his hand and said: "Since we want to let the Han emperor vent his anger, we must let the Han emperor see our Xiongnu sincerity. Replying to the message is the best sincerity."

The old Chanyu had an idea in his heart that he didn't say out loud. Han Xin was one of the main culprits in the demise of the Xiongnu. If he could kill Han Xin in this battle, it would be revenge for his father Maodun. Of course, he also knew that the possibility of this was extremely slim.

June 34, 9rd year of the Han calendar.

Laoshang Chanyu brought 5000 Xiongnu personal guards and began to march towards the original Dayuan city. Along the way, Xiongnu soldiers continued to join Laoshang Chanyu's army.

By October 10, the army under Laoshang Chanyu had reached 3 men. Almost all of these 5 troops were equipped with firearms, of which 200% were equipped with flintlock rifles, but % were still using old-fashioned matchlock rifles. There were also artillery pieces as Laoshang Chanyu's long-range strike force.

Such a large army is enough to defeat any enemy in the Mesopotamian region, but now facing the powerful enemy of the Han Dynasty, the old top laner has no confidence.

June 34, 10rd year of the Han calendar.

After three months of marching, the Han Dynasty's Western Expedition Army arrived near Dayuan. However, Han Xin did not issue an order for war. Instead, he set up camp and let the army rest for three days. At the same time, he sent a large number of scouts to investigate the situation in the Xiongnu Kingdom.

Han army camp, Chinese army tent.

Li Zuoche brought the information from the scouts and reported: "The number of Huns' muskets far exceeded our expectations. All of their 200 troops have been equipped with firearms. They also have a large number of artillery pieces, reportedly . It seems that Junchen has learned some real skills in our Han Dynasty."

It is not easy to manufacture a musket. It requires advanced iron and steel smelting technology, as well as mechanical manufacturing capabilities. The Han Dynasty was able to reduce the price of the Trinity rifle to 3000 coins, but other countries might not be able to manufacture the alloy steel tube for the Trinity rifle even at a price of coins.

Not to mention artillery. One cannon requires two or three tons of iron. Many countries don't even have the iron needed for 200 cannons.

"200 gates, is the information reliable?" Han Xin asked.

Li Zuochedao: "This is the number of gates counted by the scouts on the hot air balloon. It should be reliable."

The Huns' camp was just opposite the Han army. Once the Han army's hot air balloon was launched, the situation on the opposite side became visible. It can only be said that the hot air balloon equipped with a telescope is equivalent to the detection satellite of this era. Han Xin's battle covered the entire map.

Han Xin asked: "What is the quality of the Xiongnu's artillery?"

Li Zuoche laughed and said, "The Xiongnu people have not yet mastered the open-hearth steelmaking technology, so they cannot make steel cannons."

The Huns also had steelmaking technology, but they were at the level of steelmaking technology. They had not yet learned the open-hearth technology. A steel cannon required 1 tons of molten steel, which needed to be poured in one go. This was not something that could be made by simply making steel. It could be said that if you couldn't open the open-hearth technology tree, you couldn't open the steel cannon technology data.

Jing Tao smiled and said, "It is said that the one who came this time is the old Chanyu of the Xiongnu. The governor must teach them a lesson and let the Xiongnu know how powerful the Han Dynasty is. They think they are powerful just because they bully a group of foreigners. They even dare to disobey the emperor's words. This is because the emperor is merciful. If I want to, I will directly destroy the Xiongnu country."

The princes of the Han Dynasty have always been hostile to the Xiongnu, especially the princes in Mobei. The Xiongnu were just a group of defeated generals, but they turned over in the Mesopotamian Basin. Jing Tao and others were like seeing a poor student who had a grudge against them become a rich boss after entering society. They must be unhappy.

But Han Xin said calmly: "The Xiongnu are not so easy to destroy, and the emperor has no such idea. My Han Dynasty should focus on digesting the New World."

Han Xin understood that the world wanted to teach the Huns a lesson only to suppress their momentum, not to compete for hegemony in the Mesopotamian region.

Yu Long heard about Xin Dalu and said enviously: "This time we have made great contributions to the court and proposed to the court to transfer Xin Dalu. I think the emperor will agree."

The New World has been a hot spot in the Han Dynasty in recent years, for no other reason than that it is too rich. In just the past ten years, more than a dozen gold and silver mines have been discovered, especially the gold mine discovered by the second prince Tang Guo, which can dig out gold worth 20 billion coins a year. A newly established vassal state, relying on this gold mine, has become one of the top ten richest vassal states in the Han Dynasty. More importantly, the value of gold in the Han Dynasty has been very stable, unlike silver which has been slowly declining every year. Now many people in the Han Dynasty call Tang Guo the country of gold.

Compared with the desert that made them blow in the wind and sand every day, they felt that they were the most unfortunate princes in the Han Dynasty.

At this time, Tang Cheng said: "The New World is not all gold mines. The conditions there are also very bad. Last year, there was a storm in Tang State. It is said that many houses were covered with snow. I don't know what happened in the New World. The wind and snow there are very strong. Even in Chu State, which is close to the south of the Yangtze River, the wind and snow are stronger than Liaodong. These winds and snow may be the reason that prevented the Liaodong natives from developing the north. Now it has become a trouble for the princes of my Han Dynasty."

The territories of the princes in the New World were not limited to a small area near the Mayan Kingdom, but began to penetrate deeper into the interior of the continent. Then the climate of the New World began to teach the princes of the Han Dynasty a lesson. They never expected that the latitude close to Jiangnan, and even the land of Baiyue, would have snowstorms comparable to those in the desert. This strong snowstorm also caused a large number of immigrants to freeze to death. It was only in the past two years that they gained experience and began to build houses with better heating facilities and prepare enough fuel for the winter.

Yu Long laughed and said, "This little bit of snow is nothing. Where else can you find snow and wind that is worse than in the desert?"

But for the princes who have always lived in the desert, it is simply ridiculous to say that the New World has heavy winds and snow.

Han Xin said, "Now is not the time to discuss the New World. Let's discuss how to defeat the Huns." Then Han Xin asked, "Does the army have enough food and supplies?"

Tang Cheng said: "Don't worry, Governor. I have already purchased food and grass for the army to use for half a year. The people around us are also very supportive of our army. There is no need to worry about logistics supply for the time being."

The Han army and the people get along harmoniously. This is because when Xu Fan established this army, he established it according to the standards of later generations. In addition, the Han Dynasty had sufficient supplies and military pay, and those who could join the army were all from good families by Han standards. These people were the people with the highest moral standards in the entire Han Dynasty, so they could also handle the relationship with the people well.

At the same time, Tang Cheng, along with the military judge, strictly supervised the soldiers' military discipline. If the soldiers had conflicts with the local people, he would punish the soldiers without hesitation, which also brought extremely good results. The people of the Xiongnu Kingdom did not regard the Western Expedition Army as invaders. Not only did they not confront them militarily, they were also willing to sell them food.

Don't underestimate this point. It has reduced a lot of trouble for the Western Expedition Army. They don't have to spend huge manpower and material resources to transport food from thousands of miles away, nor do they need to spend troops to guard the food routes.

The Han army had been fighting on the interior lines from the desert to the Dayuan area. By paying twice the price, they could buy all kinds of food locally, which was much more cost-effective than transporting it thousands of miles from the Han Dynasty.

After 30 years of development by the Han Dynasty, there was abundant food in all parts of the Western Regions. The arrival of the Western Expedition brought them high-quality consumers, and the vassal states along the way made a lot of money by providing logistics.

Tang Cheng originally thought that after entering the territory of the Xiongnu, he would need to purchase food from the rear, but he did not expect that the local people of the Xiongnu Kingdom were not very hostile to the arrival of the Han army. On the one hand, this was because Xu Fan had always promoted the idea that the Han and the Xiongnu were one family, and on the other hand, a large number of Xiongnu people around Dayuan were originally Han people, so they naturally would not have too much hostility towards the Han army.

In particular, Tang Cheng spread the word to the surrounding tribes that the Han army came to the Xiongnu Kingdom because the Xiongnu Khan did not obey the emperor's orders, so the Han emperor wanted to teach the Xiongnu Khan a lesson.

This war has nothing to do with the people of the Xiongnu Kingdom. You don't have to worry about the Han army harming your interests. If the Han army dares to violate military orders, you can report to the Western Expedition Army's Military Supervision Department, and the Military Supervision Department will definitely uphold justice for you.

After Tang Cheng spread the word, the surrounding tribes believed it. They thought that the Emperor of the Han Dynasty was just teaching the Chanyu a lesson, and that it was not a big deal, because in their memory, the Xiongnu Kingdom was one of the princes of the Han Dynasty. This was a conflict between the Emperor and the Chanyu, and had nothing to do with them, the people.

Of course, the reason why these herdsmen have such an idea is also related to their dual identity. They are both Xiongnu and Han people. Especially those Xiongnu people who came from the desert, they recognize the Han identity more. They are also more familiar with the situation of the Han army and are full of trust in the Han army.

In the minds of these tribes, since this war had nothing to do with them, there was no need to flee. Instead of fleeing, they sold their livestock and food to the Han army at high prices. Many herdsmen even became laborers for the Han army, helping them build camps and handle logistics. Because of the arrival of the 30,000 Western Expedition Army, the surrounding tribes seemed to have discovered business opportunities, and dozens of tribes surrounded the Han army camp not far away to provide services for them.

These tribes are located in the center of the world island. After the Silk Road was affected by maritime trade, they were considered to be the poorest people in the Xiongnu country. Now they are naturally happy to make money from the Han army.

Moreover, many herdsmen came with their cattle and sheep to watch the battle outside the Han-Xiongnu camp.

The Dayuan area is extremely desolate, and there aren't many exciting things to see. This war is enough to keep these herdsmen gossiping for another ten years.

Even Han Xin did not expect that after they entered the Xiongnu Kingdom, they would still fight on the interior front.

This situation made Han Xin suddenly understand why His Majesty had always promoted the idea that the Han and the Xiongnu were one family, and now he wanted to promote the model of the Zhou Dynasty's ritual war to the world.

If the war model of the Warring States Period was used, the Western Expedition Army might not be able to march to such a far place. Even if it came, it would cost 30 troops and millions of civilians to maintain its food supply. This war model increased the cost of war for the Han Dynasty by hundreds of times, and it was also difficult to conquer the local area.

This war model between the vassal states during the Spring and Autumn Period was too friendly. It could greatly reduce the cost of conquering and ruling a country and enable the Han Dynasty to project its military power to more distant places.

The Han Dynasty, which has two new continents, is not short of land. What it lacks now is a kind of order that can manage the world at a very low cost. The ancestors of the Han Dynasty had thought of this order for them hundreds of years ago, which is a ceremonial war to control the scale and intensity of war.
Han Xin, who had reacted, felt that the emperor was too far-sighted and used this method to expand the influence of the Han Dynasty. Of course, this was also because the Han Dynasty had such strength to maintain such war rules. If the Han Dynasty declined, I am afraid that the war mode would return to the Warring States mode of using all means.

Then he realized that the tribes outside his army were probably just like the spectators watching a football match in Chang'an City, who viewed the war as a spectacle.

The envoys in the Mediterranean were very surprised by the war between Han and Huns.

Prince Antiochus said: "The Han army's discipline is too good. The people along the way actually dared to follow the army, and judging from their expressions, they are not afraid of the Han army at all."

"Not only are they not afraid, they also took the initiative to carry food and cattle and horses to sell to the Han army. It is said that the Han army paid twice the local price to buy these food and cattle and horses. The Han army came to attack the Xiongnu Kingdom. Not only did they not plunder the people of the Xiongnu Kingdom, but they actually bought their food at a high price. Doesn't the Han army care about money at all? This kind of war is too strange." said Apatius.

He now even had some doubts as to whether the Huns and the Han were at war. Most of these herdsmen who came here were Huns, a terrifying and brutal existence in the Mediterranean. But now when he saw these smiling herdsmen, it was hard to associate them with the word brutality. Instead, he felt that they were somewhat honest.

It was difficult for them to understand the situation of the Han army. The military discipline of Rome, Seleucid and other countries was better when fighting on their own land, but when they went to foreign countries, they could be said to be organized robbers who would never pay a penny more for what they could rob.

The fate of the defeated was even more miserable. A few years ago, the Roman army conquered Tarentum. Even though the people of this country were of the same race as them, the Romans still reduced tens of thousands of people of this small country to slaves. Because there were too many slaves, the price of Roman slaves dropped threefold. The economic losses caused to the big nobles and slave owners caused them to complain. The history of Rome's conquest is a history of blood and tears of slaves. That's why this empire is called a slave empire, because in this country, slaves make up the vast majority of the population.

A Greek scholar pushed his glasses and said, "Because they are originally from the same country. To us, these are the brutal Huns, but to us, they are just Han troops. These herdsmen are also Han people."

"Just look at the Han army along the way. They didn't harass any herdsmen. Even when Han soldiers accidentally killed herdsmen's cattle and sheep, their military judges took the soldiers to apologize and compensated the herdsmen with a high price. Moreover, these soldiers who apologized were not dissatisfied. This shows that in the hearts of these soldiers, they also recognize that these herdsmen are part of the Han Dynasty. Even these herdsmen think so. Otherwise, how dare they stop and watch outside the army? How dare they bring their own property into the army."

"We have all forgotten that the Xiongnu were just vassal states under the Han Dynasty. This was originally a battle between Han people, or even a battle between the Han Emperor and the Xiongnu Chanyu. It's like when two nobles in our country have a conflict and they summon their family's private soldiers to fight, the people of the country naturally won't worry about such a battle affecting their lives, and they may even stop and watch with an attitude of watching the fun."

The envoys around them suddenly realized that the Greek scholar's metaphor was really vivid, but what made them feel complicated was that the scale of the private battle between the Han nobles was too large. The combined armies of both sides were 8, and only a few countries in the entire Mediterranean could muster such a large army.

But considering the vast territory of the Han Dynasty, this was originally a war between two giants, so it is reasonable that it would be on such a large scale.

They came to Chang'an City from Kuaiji County. Because they took the train, although they felt that the territory of the Han Dynasty was too vast and the speed of the train was too fast, it only took them three days to reach Chang'an City, which made them lose their sense of distance.

This time they traveled all the way from the south of the desert to Dayuan by carriage, crossing half of the desert and the entire Western Regions. After marching for nearly three months, they finally got a feel for the size of the Han territory. This was an unprecedented giant. No wonder even the Huns had to submit to him.

(End of this chapter)