My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 308: Battle
In the first year of Emperor Rong Xinyuan’s reign, it was the eighth month of autumn.

The autumn harvest is approaching.

According to past practice, at this time, whether in Guanzhong or Guandong, whether in the Central Plains or the border, from county officials to farmers, everyone should be busy preparing for the upcoming autumn harvest;
After the autumn harvest, the collection of agricultural taxes and head taxes follows.

But this year is clearly an extraordinary year.

——It was only August when news came back from outside the border: the nomadic tribes outside the wall, which the Han Dynasty had obtained as a bargaining chip in exchange for their protection and serving as "outposts", had disappeared without a trace!

All the Han borders, from Longyou in the west to Youbeiping in Yan State in the east - within a range of 150 miles outside the entire border line, not to mention the nomadic grassland tribes, cattle and sheep, even the caravans seemed to have disappeared between heaven and earth.

It was as if at the border between Han and Xiongnu, an uninhabited area thousands of miles long and one hundred and fifty miles wide appeared out of nowhere!

But the people living along the border, whether they are herdsmen on the grassland or Han farmers, all know that this uninhabited area could not have appeared out of thin air.

Such a "forbidden zone" could only appear before a war broke out, and only the Xiongnu Chanyu had the ability to cast it.

Thus, with nearly half a month left before the autumn harvest, the entire northern part of the Han Dynasty was filled with the pungent smell of war and gunpowder.

——The farmers, half filled with anger towards the Huns and half filled with love for the crops in the fields, had to go out of the city walls in groups to harvest the crops that were not yet fully mature before the war broke out;
When farmers were harvesting, the government rarely failed to send people to watch over the fields. They even did not bother to collect agricultural taxes, but instead devoted all their energy to guarding the border and maintaining public security in various places.

Whenever there is war, there will be the danger of the Huns' bandits plundering outside, and there will also be turmoil such as looting, murder and arson inside.

For the border towns of the Han Dynasty - limited to the towns: when facing the invasion of the Huns, the possibility of the towns being breached was actually quite small.

The ones who really faced the Huns' blades and were harmed by them were the villages centered on the towns and scattered around the towns.

For the towns, the real threat has never been the Huns attacking the cities.

——The Huns were not good at attacking cities.

It was not just the Huns - before the advent of hot weapons, the nomadic peoples of the grasslands could not and had never gotten rid of the label of being "not good at siege."

During wartime, what really worries border towns is the interior of the towns.

If they were lucky, and only had a few robbers who tried to take advantage of the situation, that would be fine.

They were afraid that there would be traitors in the city who would collude with the Huns outside the city. At the very least, they would mislead the people and create chaos. At worst, they would trick the city gates open and lure the Huns into the city.

Therefore, except for the towns on the front line that are likely to face the Huns directly, the vast majority of towns on the border have invested all their manpower in maintaining public order.

It’s just that border pressure will never disappear out of thin air.

When there are only a few cities along a border line thousands of miles long facing military threats, it must mean that these cities are shouldering the border defense pressure of the entire border line.

It's like Mayi.

The Zhao Great Wall during the Warring States Period started from Shangjun in the west and ended at the junction of Yan and Dai in the east. It was roughly in the shape of a bowl, or a "handle".

The entire Zhao Great Wall "lifts up" a large plain to the north of Loufan County, which is blocked by mountains and rivers to the east and west.
The only gap in the entire Zhao Great Wall - this bowl-shaped isolation line - is located at the bottom of the bowl.

South of the gap, or rather within the gap, is Loufan County, which acts as the 'gatekeeper';

Mayi was isolated to the north of the gap, or thirty miles outside the gap, guarding the entire Dai State, and even the northern gateway of the Shangdai and Yanzhao regions.

The war is imminent. As the only strategic center deployed by the Han Dynasty on the entire Zhao Great Wall defense line, the pressure on Mayi is enormous.

Fortunately, 170 miles north of Mayi, the Han dynasty had an outpost warning station: Wuzhou Pass;

The wall of Wuzhou Fort is two zhang thick, one zhang and six chi high, and three li long.

To the west there is a bottomless cliff, and to the east there is a hill which is not too steep but not easy to walk on.

There are natural barriers on both sides, with Mayi at its back and the grassland in front!
However, the natural barrier that Wuzhou Pass relies on - mainly the hill connected to the eastern end of the wall of Wuzhou Pass, is, after all, just a "slightly steep" and "inconvenient to pass" hill, rather than a completely impassable and climbable cliff.

If the invading enemies are not numerous and are not in a hurry to enter the Han territory, they can completely ignore Wuzhou Pass and pass through the hills and forests without alarming Wuzhou Pass.

Therefore, the Han family did not maintain this pass according to the specifications of a "fortress", but simply used it as an outpost early warning station.

Wuzhou Pass has an infantry squad stationed all year round, with a squad leader in charge and two squad leaders assisting.

The remaining eight people were a cook, a groom, two messengers, and four soldiers.

There were ten people in total, plus six or seven prisoners exiled here - less than twenty people in total, which was the entire strength of Wuzhou Pass.

On weekdays, the prisoners would work during the day, doing odd jobs such as collecting firewood, gathering grass, making fires, and feeding horses.

The soldiers took turns patrolling and would look for some meat to hunt along the way.

The daily meals were provided by the cooks, and two messengers traveled to Mayi every three days to inform Mayi that the Wuzhou Pass was safe.

When the war comes, the prisoners will be locked up in the cells and the soldiers will be ready for battle!
Once there is any disturbance outside the Great Wall, they will try their best to run to the only additional building on the wall: the beacon tower.

Light the beacon fire to give a warning to Ma Yi, who is about a hundred or seventy miles behind. Make sure the beacon fire burns long enough for Ma Yi to see it so that everyone can act accordingly.

If there is a chance to escape, then retreat to Mayi!
If we really can't get away, then we'll see if we can hide in the grass and jungles that can be seen everywhere in this "jar" south of Wuzhou Sai and north of Mayi, which is 170 miles from north to south and no more than 100 miles from east to west.

There is really no time to retreat, so killing one will not be a loss, but killing two will be a loss.

At the border, there are always soldiers who say that their "head is tied to the belt" and "people in the army are risking their lives for a better future";
But compared with outpost early warning stations like Wuzhou Sai, the rest of the ordinary border soldiers can only be said to be much safer.

——At least if the Huns attack, you still have a chance to draw your bow and arrows, and brandish your sword;
But if the Wuzhou Fortress really had to fight the Xiongnu with archery and bayonets, they would be doomed...

"An army cannot be run with kindness~"

"Ci, do not command the army..."

At the Mayi County Government Office, Cheng Buzhi located the central army tent.

Looking at the chessboard in front of him, his eyes fell on the thin wall that symbolized Wuzhou Pass. Cheng Buzhi muttered to himself truthfully and then moved his eyes away from Wuzhou Pass.

——The necessary sacrifice is worth it.

To be more precise, some sacrifices are unavoidable.

Cheng Buzhi expressed sympathy for Wuzhou Sai from a personal perspective;
But as the actual commander of the Mayi battlefield, the most Cheng Buzhi could do was to equip Wuzhou Pass with twenty fast horses.

When the Huns really arrived at the gates of the city, it would have been the best outcome if the dozen or so people in Wuzhousai could do their job well: warn Mayi and then escape with these twenty war horses.

However, before the Huns clearly arrived at Wuzhou Pass, Cheng Buzhi would never give up the Wuzhou Pass as a forward warning battle in order to avoid sacrifice.

Cheng Buzhi didn't have high expectations for Wuzhou Pass, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.

Soon, Cheng Buzhi's gaze fell on a small pool of water further north of Wuzhou Sai. The straight line from north to south was no more than 200 miles away from Wuzhou Sai, but there were layers of hills and gullies between them, so the actual distance was probably more than 500 miles.

That's the salt pond.

It was not the Nanchi where the Right Wise King was stationed in Hetao, but the only place outside the Daibei defense line where the Xiongnu could use it as an offensive fulcrum for garrison preparation and supply of salt water for war horses. The terrain of the Mayi area was very complex.

To be precise, the terrain of the entire Daibei area, including Mayi, is very complex.

The Daizhong area, with Mayi as the gateway, had the Zhao Great Wall as the outer barrier and Loufan County as the inner guard;

South of the Zhao Great Wall are three vertically arranged mountain ranges that divide the area into two parts.

The western part is a plain, and the capital of the Dai Dynasty, Jinyang, is located in the southern part of the middle of this plain.

To the east, there are endless mountains.

Baideng Mountain and Pingcheng, which are well-known to later generations, are located in this area.

To the north of the Zhao Great Wall, that is, to the north of Mayi, it is surrounded by two mountain ranges from the east to the west, forming a vertical rectangle.

At the bottom is Mayi and the Zhao Great Wall behind Mayi;

The left and right sides are blocked by mountains;
At the top is the "bottle mouth" of Wuzhou plug.

From a military perspective, this area is actually very suitable for ambushes and even encirclement and annihilation battles.

——As long as the Huns were tricked into Wuzhou Pass and the hole was blocked in time, every enemy who crossed the Wuzhou Pass could be trapped in this deadly place with mountains in the east and west, Wuzhou Pass in the north, and Mayi and Zhao Great Wall in the south.

Unfortunately……

"It's a pity that Wuzhou Pass is not very useful."

"Both the bottom of the cliff on the west side of Wuzhou Pass and the gentle hills on the east side can be used by the Xiongnu to bypass them."

"If not for this, Commander Zhi would have a lot to offer in this battle..."

Upon hearing this, Zhidu, who had just arrived in Mayi and had a face-to-face conversation with Cheng Buzhi about this battle, couldn't help but smile regretfully and shook his head.

After this period of consensus, these two famous generals, who originally had nothing to do with each other, have a basic understanding and coordination with each other.

——Cheng Buzhi is rigid, stubborn, and inflexible;
Zhidu was extremely fond of the Legalist school's ideas and attached great importance to order.

This made the two people, who obviously had nothing in common, develop an inexplicable sense of mutual appreciation.

As for military inclinations, both of them are more open-minded.

Cheng Buzhi is good at, or advocates, taking every step carefully, and is determined not to fight dangerous battles or take risky moves.
Zhidu agreed with this, but it did not affect him at all. He used more flexible battlefield responses as the core element of commanding the battle.

In this regard, Cheng Bushi did not comment, but only said politely: Captain Zhi is a man of great talent, I am far inferior to him.

Captain Zhi has talent and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances on the battlefield, which is a very remarkable thing;
As for a fool like me, I don't have the ability to adapt to the situation at the last minute. In order to avoid making mistakes, I can only follow a strict and cautious approach...

Overall, the two appreciate each other and get along quite harmoniously.

Just like at this moment, Cheng Bushi's slightly joking words made Zhidu smile and shake his head.

—— Cheng Buzhi, the expressionless man, and Zhidu, the eagle, are actually laughing!

God knows what a sensation this news will cause when it reaches Chang'an...

"Yeah~"

"If Wuzhou Pass can be used, then we can not only capture Mayi, but also repel the invading enemy;"

"Even if we can trap the old Junchen's Chanyu Court inside the Wuzhou Pass, or even capture the Xiongnu leader and offer him to the Tai and Gao Temples, I think it is not impossible."

"What a pity~"

"It's a pity that Wuzhou is not Yanmen Pass."

"Wuzhou is not even a 'pass', but just a 'fort'..."

It was originally just a joke, but he found that Zhidu actually took it to heart. Cheng Buzhi also restrained the smile on his face and nodded slightly with a serious expression.

He continued to scan the chessboard in front of him, pretending to be casual and saying, "There's no need to be too sorry."

"If Wuzhou Pass is really as majestic as Yanmen Pass, Xiaoguan Pass, or even Hangu Pass - if Wuzhou Pass is really the only way for the Xiongnu to enter and exit Daibei, it can really trap the Xiongnu;"

"I'm afraid that old Junchen will not easily send a large army across the Wuzhou Pass to attack Mayi."

···
"Besides, in this battle, our mission in Yanmen is to defend Mayi and the Zhao Great Wall."

"Wait for the victory report from Henan, and then try to delay the main force of the Xiongnu from returning for reinforcements."

"——Others may not know about this matter, but Commander Zhi knows it."

"Your Majesty once said: Success doesn't have to be mine, but I must be part of it."

"In this battle, as long as my Han family successfully recaptures Henan, then my people in Yanmen will also be credited with the second-rate merit."

"We in Yanmen don't need to focus our attention on the Xiongnu heads under the city of Mayi..."

After saying this, Cheng Buzhi pretended to observe the sand table, but in fact he was carefully observing the changes in Zhidu's expression with the corner of his eye.

——In this battle, the strategic mission of the Mayi front is very clear.

As Mayi and the only support force for Cheng Buzhi outside the main battlefield, Zhidu's strategic awareness and understanding of the Han Dynasty's strategic intentions in this battle were crucial to Cheng Buzhi.

Cheng Buzhi must ensure that in this battle, Zhidu's full attention is on Mayi!
Once something goes wrong in Mayi, Loufan County must immediately organize a second line of defense!
As for making achievements, if it were in the past, Cheng Buzhi would say: Only those who survived are qualified to discuss whether they have made any achievements;

And now?
"There is something I need to tell Captain Zhi."

"——His Majesty has sent a secret letter, clearly stating: In this battle, no matter whether Henan is returned to our Han family, as long as Mayi is not lost, the soldiers participating in the battle on the front line of Mayi will be guaranteed a collective first-class merit."

"No matter what happens in Henan, as long as the garrisons in Mayi and Loufan can hold off the Xiongnu until the 15th day of the 10th month in winter, as long as the main force of the Xiongnu does not arrive in Henan on the 15th day of the 10th month in winter, the soldiers of Mayi who participated in the battle will be collectively awarded special merit!"

...

"Your Majesty's reform of the military merit review system is known to Commander Zhi."

"For a special merit, the commander-in-chief and deputy commanders will be granted the title of marquis, and subordinate generals can also be granted the title of lord..."

"Even if it's a collective special merit, there will be at least two Chehou and five Fengjun as a minimum."

"Captain, encourage yourself..."

(End of this chapter)