My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 310 Zhidu, no responsibility~
The time came to the first year of Emperor Rong Xinyuan, the late August of autumn.

The autumn harvest is over.

The war was on the verge of breaking out, but the real main battlefield planned by the Han Dynasty: the Beidi-Hetao battlefield, did not yet exist.

Whether it was the Suiying Duwei transferred by Liu Rong from Chang'an, or the standard troops recruited from Guanzhong and sneaked into Beidi halfway, or the two cavalry duweis plundered from the Han Dynasty - mainly from various places along the northern border wall, they are still lurking in the jungles and valleys on the northwest edge of Beidi County.

They are waiting.

When the news came from the Mayi battlefield: the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting appeared near Mayi, and the Hetao troops were empty;

When the weather turned cooler, the Huns' horses and soldiers became lazy and slack, and the water flow in the river decreased, making it easier to build a pontoon bridge.

——If we ignore the time limit and the fact that weather factors have a greater impact on the Han army's soldiers, the best option for the troops in the north is to wait for the river to freeze!
At least the most cost-effective option is to wait until the water flow in the river is reduced by most, so that there are several shallow streams where you can wade through.

But time waits for no one.

The main force of Shanyu Ting will set out at the end of July and launch a full-scale offensive against Mayi no later than the end of August.

According to the Xiongnu custom of "going out when the moon is full and returning when the moon is waning", the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting's offensive on Mayi would most likely not last more than fifteen days.

If they could capture Mayi within fifteen days, the main force of the Xiongnu would cross the Great Wall of Zhao and spend no more than fifteen days plundering and pillaging the territory of Dai and trying to continue moving south.

After capturing another important town, they would head south again and spend another 15 days continuing to plunder.

On the contrary, if Mayi remains impregnable within fifteen days, the Huns will most likely stop attacking Mayi.

——If they withdraw their troops directly, the Xiongnu Chanyu would probably not be able to save face.

After all, the core strategic goal of the Xiongnu Chanyu Court in this southward march was to inflict a major blow to the northern border wall of the Han Dynasty again after the battle with Beidi Chao at the beginning of this year, in order to restore the strategic deterrence against the entire Han Dynasty and thus regain the initiative in the bilateral strategy between Han and Xiongnu.

Therefore, if they failed to capture Mayi within 15 days, the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting would probably change their target and continue attacking another place in order to achieve the strategic goal of "severely damaging a certain part of the Han Dynasty's northern defense line."

If the Xiongnu were willing to invest, they might choose Yanbei;

If the Huns were confident that they would not repeat the same mistake, they might even try to invade the north - Longyou from Chaona Pass again and further threaten Xiaoguan.

But the best choice is still Mayi.

Because after conquering Mayi and crossing the Great Wall of Zhao, the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting could pose a direct military threat to a fortress on the northern border wall of the Han Dynasty.

Yanmen Pass!
Just like four years ago, during the Wu-Chu Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, as long as the main force of the rebels arrived at Hangu Pass - or even as long as a few scattered rebel cavalry appeared outside Hangu Pass, Guanzhong would immediately be shaken;
As long as the main force of the Huns appears outside Yanmen Pass, it is equivalent to telling all the Han people in the world: With this last step, the iron cavalry of my great Huns will be able to step into the heartland of you Han people!

Therefore, the Northern Front Army, including the commander of this battle, Li Ji, as well as Han Tuidang, Luan Bu and other generals, all unanimously concluded that in this battle, the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting would first attack Mayi for fifteen days;

After failing to capture Mayi, the Chanyu court would at most add another fifteen days to see if they could still capture Mayi.

If they fail to capture it, they might choose Yanbei further east, or Shangjun in the west, which would take another fifteen days.

Forty-five days at most;

If they still cannot break through any part of the Han Dynasty's northern border defense line within forty-five days, Shanyu Ting will most likely retreat due to illness no matter how hard he tries to save face.

——Right now, it is already late August in autumn;

Forty-five days is just one and a half months, and it will be early October in winter.

By then, there is a high probability that the first snow will fall outside the Great Wall. No matter how unwilling Shan Yu Ting is, there is no reason not to lead his troops to retreat.

Moreover, if Chanyu Ting does not retreat, then it’s fine. As long as he withdraws his troops, he will definitely go straight to Hetao!

Not only because in the past, Shanyu Ting was used to spending the winter in the relatively warm Hetao area, but also because after leading his troops to Hetao, Shanyu Ting might be able to try again from the north before winter completely arrived.

For the Xiongnu Chanyu court, this period of time was no more than two months, which was a rough result obtained due to many considerations such as weather and logistics.

But for the Han family, these two months are the deadline for the Northern Front Army.

——The main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Court will not be forever unaware of the existence of the northern battlefield!
Once the action starts in the north, the Han army will cross the river, step onto the Hetao area, and attack the main force of the Chanyu court in Mayi thousands of miles away. They will definitely get the news in a very short time!

Take the current situation for example: The Han military has always inferred that the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Court will launch a full-scale offensive against Mayi around the 20th day of the eighth month in autumn.

The news of the war in Mayi would take at least five days to reach the northern battlefield.

Soldiers are very fast!
In order to buy as much time as possible, the Han Dynasty military planned to officially launch the Hetao Campaign on the evening of August 20th in autumn!!!
It would also take at least five days for the news of the fighting in Hetao to reach the Xiongnu Chanyu's court at the foot of Mayi.

By then, Chanyu Ting would most likely have already begun attacking Mayi. Even if he wanted to withdraw from Mayi and return to provide support, it would not be an easy task in just three to five days.

In this way, the Han Dynasty's plan for the entire battle and the tasks of the two battlefields at each stage become very clear.

——On the 20th of August in autumn, the northerners officially began to plot to seize Hetao!
At the same time, Mayi was also likely to begin to face the fierce offensive from the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting.

In this first stage, the northern side needs to ensure the stealthiness of the action and the speed of advancement as much as possible, and strive to occupy a larger area before the Huns react, which will serve as a place for subsequent troops to stay after crossing the river.

As for Mayi, it not only had to withstand the fierce offensive of the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting and ensure that Mayi was not lost, but also had to retain its strength to the greatest extent in order to complete the more difficult strategic tasks in the subsequent stages.

In the second phase of the campaign, as expected by the Han Dynasty, the Northern Front successfully captured the eastern part of Hetao. All the Northern Front troops crossed the river and gained a firm foothold in Hetao.

At the same time, the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting at the foot of Mayi received the news.

At this stage, the Northern Front Army no longer needs to ensure the covertness of the operation, but can instead roll up its sleeves and use all means possible to sweep the Hetao area, eliminate the various Munan tribes that remain in Hetao, as well as the headquarters of the Right Wise King, thus achieving the Han family's de facto control over the entire Hetao area!
On another battlefield, the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting was eager to return for reinforcements, and would most likely attack Mayi for several days as a final effort, while also attacking fiercely and retreating secretly.

During this stage, the Mayi Front Army had a heavy task.

——Not only do they have to withstand this more fierce attack, but they also have to find time to prevent the Huns from withdrawing from the battlefield.

In other words: the Mayi Front Army, which was composed entirely of infantry, needed to fight outside the city in the second phase of this battle and face the elite cavalry group of the Xiongnu Chanyu's main force in the plains.

This is also the reason why Mayi had to retain its strength to the maximum extent in the first phase of the battle.

——If the Mayi Front Army suffered heavy casualties and low morale in the first phase of the mission, then the second phase of the mission, which was already extremely difficult, would be impossible for them to complete.

In the eyes of the Han court, the most difficult and also the most crucial part of this battle was the Mayi battlefield in the second phase of the battle.

Can we hold back the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Court?

Can we buy more time for the Northern Front Army that has captured Hetao to gain a foothold and initially establish a defense line?

If they can do this, the Han family will win this battle!
The Hetao region returned to the embrace of China, and the Han and Xiongnu changed their offense and defense patterns—at least from the past of the enemy attacking and the other defending, to a strategic balance where no one could do anything to the other.

The strategic situation of the Han Dynasty has been greatly improved, and the strategic defense pressure in the northwest direction no longer exists;
Liu Rong could then rest assured and wait patiently for the two pillars of the empire.

On the contrary - what if the Mayi battlefield failed to delay the main force of the Chanyu court, or even worse, the city of Mayi was directly captured?

Whether the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting crossed the Great Wall of Zhao and turned the entire Dai Kingdom upside down, or the main force of the Chanyu Ting successfully returned to support and drove the northern front army out of Hetao and back to the northern land inside Chaona Sai, it would be a major blow to the Han Dynasty.

The casualties of the army and the ineffective loss of logistical materials are secondary.

What’s really terrible is that after this battle, the Huns will definitely be extremely vigilant in the Hetao area!
The Han Dynasty no longer had the opportunity to retake Hetao, and the horse policy construction could only rely on the northern border wall and the man-made horse farms that devoured gold beasts. The Xiongnu were not fools!

After realizing that the Han Dynasty was trying to seize Hetao in order to obtain a piece of prime horse-breeding land in order to complete the construction of the cavalry unit more quickly, the Xiongnu's next strategic focus would certainly be on the horse farms that the Han Dynasty had spent a lot of money to build on the north wall.

As a result, the Han Dynasty failed in its attempt to seize Hetao, and the construction of horse administration and cavalry units was far from being completed. It would take another thirty to fifty years, or even a hundred to eighty years, to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens...

As the most outstanding and most brilliant fresh blood of the young generation in the Han Dynasty’s military, Cheng Buzhi certainly would not be unaware of this.

At the same time, as the most expert in positional and city defense battles in the Han Dynasty, Cheng Buzhi would understand how much pressure he was facing in this battle.

——It’s easy to defend Mayi.

Although there was a huge disparity in the strength of the enemy and our side, it was a battle of attack and defense of a city after all. A difference of less than three times in strength was not considered a big disparity for the defenders.

Cheng Buzhi also had the confidence that he could hold on to Mayi - the only gap in the Great Wall of Zhao - under the fierce attack of the main force of Shanyu Ting.

But after Mayi was held, when the news of the Northern Front's surprise attack on Hetao reached the main force of the Chanyu Court outside the city, how could they keep the main force of the Chanyu Court in the Mayi battlefield...

"Wuzhou Pass~"

"It's a pity that it's not very useful."

"If not, we can divide our forces and ambush them, bypass Wuzhou, and trap the main force of the Chanyu Court."

"——It shouldn't be that difficult to just trap them, not annihilate them, right?"

"What a pity~"

"pity……"

The first year of Emperor Rong Xinyuan, the twentieth day of the eighth month in autumn.

Daibei, Mayi.

As early as five days ago, the Huns had officially crossed the Wuzhou Pass on the full-moon night of August 15th.

A dozen outposts guarding Wuzhou Pass and a dozen prisoners all died!
At dusk the next day, the main force of Shanyu Ting arrived thirty miles north of Mayi, officially entered the Mayi battlefield, and set up camp.

On August 17th of autumn, the Battle of Mayi began.

Today is the fourth day since the war broke out.

Facing the fierce attack of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting, the defenders of Mayi had already fortified their cities and cleared the fields under the command of Cheng Buzhi, and were ready for battle, and they were able to deal with it with ease.

But when it came to August 20th in autumn - the day the Northern Army scheduled to start the war, Cheng Buzhi once again began to worry about the tasks of the second phase of the campaign.

——Tonight, the northern battlefield will officially begin!
Afterwards, the main force of the Chanyu Court outside Mayi could get the news at any time.

Cheng Buzhi was not afraid of the killing in the court of the Chanyu, and kowtowed in Mayi until his head was broken and bloody;
I was afraid that Shan Yuting would get the news and leave the battlefield immediately to return to Hetao for support. Cheng Buzhi could only do the same as he did now - standing on the top of Mayi City, shaking his head and sighing outside the city...

"Captain Zhi, have you sent back any news?"

When asked softly, the adjutant beside him shook his head with a complicated expression: "No."

"I think even if Commander Zhi is a genius, he can't think of a good solution..."

Hearing this unexpected answer, Cheng Buzhi couldn't help but sigh again.

Outside the city, the Huns had just ended an offensive and were collecting the bodies of the dead while slowly retreating like the tide.

On the city wall, the defending soldiers under Cheng Buzhi were also very "gentlemen" - they did not continue to shoot arrows to vent their anger, but took advantage of this precious rest time to replenish water and food, and took the time to catch their breath.

Watching the soldiers methodically completing the cycle of meeting the enemy, repelling the enemy, resting, and meeting the enemy again, Cheng Buzhi frowned more and more, and more horrifying thoughts emerged in his mind.

"Zhidu, I'm sure you thought of it."

"But Zhidu doesn't dare to take this responsibility."

"I dare not take the risk of success but failure, and failure will leave a bad reputation for eternity."

···
"——Zhidu is a man whose responsibility is not enough to be a commander-in-chief or a general in a battle."

"As for me..."

Frowning, he said to Zhidu, "I can't do this."
After hearing the commander's judgment, Cheng Buzhi looked outside the city and once again fell into a difficult decision.

If nothing unexpected happens, Cheng Buzhi will be in this kind of tangled and difficult struggle between himself and others in the next few days.

But Cheng Buzhi's final choice had actually been determined on this day.

——When Cheng Buzhi made the judgment that "Zhi Du's responsibility is not suitable for being the commander-in-chief" on this day, Cheng Buzhi already had the answer in his heart.

"Let the soldiers remain calm and focus on repelling the enemy. There is no need to deliberately seek to kill or injure them."

"Bows, arrows, rolling logs, boulders, and even iron fortifications should all be used sparingly. If you can make the enemy retreat quickly, try not to engage in close combat."

"——Before Shan Yuting withdraws his troops, the people we must protect are the lives of our soldiers!"

"Instead of bows and arrows, or rolling logs and boulders..."

···
"Send another elite scout to report my command to Zhidu."

"Zhi Du's 50,000 troops marched 40 miles north of Loufan and set up camp south of the breach in the Zhao Great Wall."

Since it was wartime, Cheng Bushi gave an order and the deputy general did not say much and immediately took the order and left.

After the deputy general left, Cheng Buzhi took two steps forward and rested his elbows on the parapet of the northern wall of Mayi;

Gazing outside the city, at the Hun siege troops that were coming in like a tide again, a strange and intriguing smile quietly emerged on the corner of Cheng Buzhi's mouth.

"Old Junchen~"

"Can you withstand such temptation?"

"Hey……"

···
"Zhidu~"

"Look at me now, I will teach you, the Legalist lackey, what is meant by a great military sage."

"What else? It's the responsibility of a warrior..."

(End of this chapter)