Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 510
As far as the scenery is concerned, the grassland in autumn is absolutely magnificent and magnificent. Gradually, the weeds are boundless and yellow, as vast as the ocean. When the autumn wind blows, the weeds undulate like waves, the sky is as blue as washing, and the white clouds are pure and flawless. No matter how skilled the painter is, it is absolutely impossible to paint such a beautiful scene.

The cavalry of the Han army led by Li Zuoche and Xiang Guan walked in such a scene. Although restricted by manpower and material resources, Li Zuoche and Xiang Guan only brought [-] cavalry this time. The flag of the Han army marched on the grassland, and the cavalry of the Han army was still as majestic as a giant red dragon, rushing northward.

Knowing that the Xiongnu will also learn a lesson, they will definitely not be deceived by their grandfather again, Li Zuoche actually planned to go to the grassland to provoke the Xiongnu, and he used various open and dark channels to find out Knowing a lot about the situation on the grassland, and having already prepared a guide who is familiar with the road geography and various necessary materials, although the decision to send troops to the grassland this time was quite hasty, the Han army in northern Xinjiang only took five days to do it. After making sufficient pre-war preparations, and before he had time to ask Xiang Kang for instructions, he launched the first counterattack against the Xiongnu since the founding of the Han Dynasty.

Originally, Xiang Zhuang tried his best to ask Ying to be the chief general of the Northern Expedition, but Li Zuoche flatly rejected Xiang Zhuang's request. Regardless of everyone's opposition, he insisted that he personally lead the army to attack the grassland and force Xiang Zhuang to stay in Mayi. , Temporarily preside over the northern frontier affairs for himself.There are two reasons. One is that Li Zuoche wanted to go to the grassland to understand the situation of the Huns in person, so as to deal with the large-scale southward movement of the Huns in the future; He was not good at dealing with unexpected emergencies, so he didn't dare to trust Xiang Zhuang with the six thousand iron cavalry he had trained so hard to fight this very risky counterattack.

Fortunately, as the grandson of the famous general Li Mu, although Li Zuoche had always served as a civil servant during the melee at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the Chu-Han War, he himself never delayed the practice of bow horse riding and archery. In terms of physical fitness alone, Even Xiang Kang may not be as strong as him, and he doesn't have to worry that his body will hinder the whole army, so he has the confidence to lead the army northward in person.

Time is precious, in order to induce the main force of the Xiongnu to change their plan to attack the Yuezhi west this winter, and to avoid the Han army soldiers from fighting for a long time in the winter, after crossing the Great Wall near Shanwu, when the enemy's situation is not clear Next, the cavalry of the Han army immediately marched northward at a speed of more than 150 miles a day, pointing their blades at the Yellow Flag Sea [-] miles northeast of Shanwu, preparing to wipe out a nomadic Hun tribe there, starting the Han army's counterattack on the Northern Expedition first shot.

To Li Zuoche and Xiang Guan's surprise, two days later, when they rushed to the vicinity of Huang Qihai, the Hun tribe that the intelligence showed was gone, and the first attack of the Han army's cavalry was in vain. Fortunately, the Han army The scouts soon discovered the traces of the camp left by the Hun tribe, which proved that the intelligence of the Han army was not wrong, but it was just bad luck that this tribe moved to other pastures.

After confirming this situation and carefully checking the camping traces left by the target, several grassland herdsmen in charge of leading the way came to the unanimous conclusion that the Hun tribe should not have traveled for long, and that they should have gone to the northeast. Li Zuoche just After a little calculation, he immediately ordered: "Go to Chahannao, the northeast is the only place where the water source is the most abundant. Even if this Hun tribe is not planning to spend the winter in Chahannao, they will definitely replenish drinking water there."

The geographical information collected by the border guards of the Han army for more than a year finally played a huge role this time. After continuing to attack the northeast for more than a day, at a location hundreds of miles away from Chahannao, the Han army Sure enough, the cavalry caught up with the Xiongnu tribe who had temporarily settled in Huangqihai. The scouts of the Han army who first discovered the situation immediately reported the news to Li Zuoche. In front, shouted loudly: "The whole army assaults, avenges the border people of our big Han! Kill!"

"kill--!"

Amidst the shouts, the first shot of the Han army's counterattack against the Huns was officially fired. Only 1000 of the [-] Han cavalry remained to protect the water tanker and food truck, and the remaining [-] cavalry charged forward with their sabers held high, and they charged at the enemy without hesitation. location.

It is worthy of being born robbers and bandits. The reaction of the Huns was far faster than the imagination of the soldiers of the Han army. Xiang Guan, who rushed to the front, just saw the nomadic tribe belonging to King Zuo Xian of the Huns. The young and strong men have all mounted their horses and formed a team, and they have drawn their bowstrings early to prepare for the assault of the Han cavalry. When they got close, countless colorful feathered arrows shot straight at the head and face, roaring towards the Han cavalry.

To the surprise of these Xiongnu cavalry, although the dense arrow rain they shot quickly also knocked down some Han cavalry soldiers, the number of Han cavalry fell to the ground was obviously less than they expected. With an arrow inserted, he still roared and continued to charge straight, without any signs of injury.Many experienced Hun cavalry were also shocked, and couldn't help shouting in Hun language, "What kind of armor are the people in the Central Plains wearing? Why can't our arrows pierce it?"

The armor of the Han army that frightened the Huns cavalry is of course iron armor, to be precise, it is iron armor. During more than a year in northern Xinjiang, Li Zuoche and other Han army civil and military organizations have repeatedly tested and invented the iron armor in advance. The new type of armor embedded in cowhide is light in weight and can effectively resist the bronze arrowheads, bone arrowheads and stone arrowheads used by the Hun cavalry. However, it is limited to the cost of craftsmanship, and it is only equipped for the elite cavalry of the Han army, which will be fully equipped The sudden appearance of such iron armored Han cavalry in large numbers certainly caught the Xiongnu cavalry by surprise, which is unbelievable.

Still the same sentence, after all, the Hun cavalry, who mainly eat cattle, sheep and cheese, are born tough. Even if they suddenly encountered a situation where bows and arrows could not penetrate the armor of the cavalry of the Han army, the cavalry of the Huns did not panic too much, and they still relied on years of training. Bow and arrow skills released arrows one after another, using the opportunity of the rapidly shrinking distance to suppress the impact of the Han cavalry as much as possible, and then the Hun cavalry put down their bows and arrows when the Han cavalry rushed within [-] steps, and picked up bronze knives with wooden handles, bronze pecks and Melee weapons such as copper spears with wooden handles, and horses and horses launched a countercharge against the Han cavalry.

In the memory of these Hun cavalry, the weapons used by the cavalry in the Central Plains, except for spears and other stabbing weapons, were all bronze long swords for close combat. They can only be harmed by stabbing the parts of their bodies that are not protected by armor. The hit rate is very low, and even if they are stabbed, the impact of the horse will often cause the long sword to directly penetrate the body, and it is difficult to pull it out to continue. In combat, it is very easy to injure the wrist, and it is not difficult to deal with, so even if the troops are at a disadvantage, these Hun cavalry are not afraid to fight close combat with the Han cavalry.

The steel sabers uniformly equipped by the cavalry of the Han army quickly told these Xiongnu cavalry what is called a generational difference in technology. The two armies met, and the Hun cavalry only temporarily did not lose the wind during the spear stabbing, but when it came to closer hand-to-hand combat At that time, the sharp steel saber immediately killed the Hun cavalry again by surprise!
In the sound of people shouting and neighing, every time the sabers of the Han cavalry slashed out, they could easily cut off the arms and wrists of the Huns cavalry, cut off their muscles, ears, noses, cut their throats and necks, and even cut off their necks. The wooden handles of the Huns cavalry's spears or bronze straight knives, and no matter whether they hit or not, the sabers of the Han army can immediately launch a second attack. The cavalry slashed and slashed like ghosts and wolves, and the screams continued one after another, covering the sky and the field.

That's not to mention, the Xiongnu cavalry was unlucky enough to run into Xiang Guan, one of the best generals among the disciples of the Xiang family, and rushed to kill the crowd of Hun cavalrymen wielding a saber. He chopped down the Huns cavalry in front of him one after another like chopping melons and vegetables, and they were all invincible.Encouraged by Xiang Guan, the cavalrymen of the Han army who had been well-fed and had grown up for a long time were also brave. Everyone took the lead. The heavy rain killed the poor Hun cavalry so that their corpses were scattered all over the field, and they turned their backs on their backs.

The Xiongnu cavalry in this tribe originally had less than 2000 people, and their strength was at an absolute disadvantage. In terms of weapons and equipment, they were left behind by the Han cavalry several generations in advance. Naturally, it was absolutely impossible to withstand the fierce offensive of the Han cavalry. Less than 10 minutes into the battle, the terrified Huns cavalry had already pulled out their horses and fled for their lives, yelling and fleeing in all directions, while the Han cavalry resolutely pursued, mobilizing their horses and wielding their sabers to drive out the defeated Huns. The ass is chasing and beating fiercely, and the red eyes want to avenge the frontier compatriots who have been tortured and tortured by the grassland bandits.

Even so, the battle didn't last long. The pursuit only lasted for more than half an hour. The Han army cavalry had already cut down all the Hun cavalry that could catch up, and at the same time quickly caught up with the Hun cavalry who drove the cattle and sheep to flee for their lives. The Xiongnu old and weak women and children, Xiang Guan, who was already red-eyed, was not polite, and immediately pointed the blood-stained saber at the old and weak Hun women and children who were already crying for their lives, and shouted: "Kill! A... ...!"

"General Xiang! General Xiang!"

A sudden shout from behind interrupted Xiang Guan's massacre order. When Xiang Guan looked back in doubt, he saw a guard from Li Zuoche rushing up. As soon as they met, he said to Xiang Guan: "General Xiang, the county has an order. If we catch up with the old, weak, women and children of the Huns, we are not allowed to kill them, let them go! Just grab the cattle, sheep and horses."

"Why?" Xiang Guan asked angrily, "Why are you not allowed to kill them? Why did you let them go?"

"The villain doesn't know." Li Zuoche's guard shook his head, and quickly added: "Jun Zun said, he knows that you must not understand his intentions, and he will explain to you in person when he meets you, but Before that, please obey his orders, let go of these Huns, the old and the weak, and the women, so as not to miss his important business."

Thinking of Xiang Kang’s repeated instructions when he was going north, to respect and obey Li Zuoche’s orders no matter what, Xiang Guan gritted his teeth, and still shouted: “Ming Jin, let these Xiongnu barbarians go, let the cattle, sheep, horses and Get all the vehicles!"

It was precisely because of Li Zuoche's order that the old and weak Huns, women and children who were already like lambs waiting to be slaughtered were able to escape alive, crying and fleeing to the distance, only some old Huns who were reluctant to leave their cattle, sheep and vehicles and The woman was executed by the Han cavalry, and before all the Han cavalry who were chasing the defeated Xiongnu returned, Li Zuoche had already arrived at the scene with water trucks and grain trucks. General, you fought beautifully, and within an hour, you have completely disabled the Hun tribe, which is a good start for our Northern Expedition!"

"Junzun, why do you...?"

"General Xiang, calm down and listen to my explanation." Li Zuoche interrupted Xiang Guan's questioning with a smile, and asked back: "You want to ask, why did I let you let go of the old, weak, women and children of the barbarians on purpose, right? "

Xiang Guan nodded immediately, and Li Zuoche also said: "General Xiang, do you still remember the combat habits of the Huns we learned in Yanmen? Every time the Xiongnu barbarians went south to invade our northern border, their old and weak women and children would accompany the army The colleagues, stationed not far from the battlefield, are responsible for driving cattle and sheep, milking and cooking meat, and transporting military supplies for the Huns cavalry. Every time they march to fight, it is actually equivalent to the migration of the entire tribe.”

"It's because I remember, that's why I want to kill all these old wolves, little wolves, and she-wolves!" Xiang Guan roared, "Although these wolves didn't kill us directly or rob us, but without them, the Huns would be as barbaric as possible!" How can that be so rampant?"

"General Xiang calm down, let me explain to you slowly." Li Zuoche smiled even more happily, and said, "General Xiang, I also know that those old and weak Huns who indirectly helped the Huns and barbarians to harm our Central Plains deserve to die, but have you considered it?" Is this a problem? If we kill all the old and weak women and children of the Xiongnu every place we go in this northern expedition, will they learn a lesson and arrange their old and weak women and children in the future when the main force of the Huns goes south? Far away, so that we can't find a chance to start?"

Xiang Guan was stunned, and immediately understood what Li Zuoche meant, and hurriedly lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Guangwu, you want the Huns and barbarians to think that we won't attack their old and weak women and children, so that we will go south in a big way." Time, feel free to take the old and weak, women and children with you?"

Li Zuoche nodded with a smile, and said: "It takes a long line to catch a big fish. I don't know how many years it will take us to fight with the Xiongnu to decide the outcome. In this case, why should we rush to remind the Huns to notice their tricks?" Weakness? Save it until later, when we are sure to deal with the main force of the Huns, and then suddenly use this trick, wouldn't the effect be better?"

Xiang Guan didn't say much more, just bowed his hands to Li Zuoche, and said sincerely: "Mr. Guangwu, my younger brother let you sit in the northern border of the Great Han Dynasty. I really didn't choose the wrong person."

The battle of the Han army cavalry not only basically disabled the Hun tribe, but after carefully cleaning the battlefield, the Han army cavalry also found more than a dozen Hun cavalry who were injured and survived. Hypocritically comforting these Hun cavalrymen, treating their wounds and feeding them, they also managed to extract important information from them, knowing that the reason why they suddenly left Huang Qihai was to go to Chahannao to join two other Hun tribes, and then Go north to Yundu Mountain to respond to the call of King Zuo Xian of the Huns.Li Zuoche was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered the release of the dozen or so Xiongnu prisoners of war, slaughtered all the cattle and sheep that could not be taken away, and then immediately led the Han cavalry to gallop to Chahannao to find the other two Hun tribes. account.

This time the cavalry of the Han army did not fail. As soon as they arrived at Chahannao, they immediately encountered the other two tribes that the Hun captives told them. Equal to the cavalry of the Han army, the cavalry of the Han army, which had an overwhelming advantage in weapons and equipment, was not afraid at all. Regardless of the exhaustion of the attack, they immediately launched an assault and fought fiercely with the Hun cavalry on the banks of Chahannao Lake.

In history, the reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was able to successfully fight back against the Huns was that in addition to having accumulated enough national strength, another important reason was that they were equipped with a large number of steel weapons, which made them far behind the Huns cavalry who were still in the Bronze Age. But now because of the appearance of Xiang Kang, the traverser, the cavalry of the Han army is not only equipped with steel weapons and armor more than [-] years in advance, but the main combat weapon, the steel saber, is also technically far superior to the ring-headed iron sword in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.so……

Therefore, the battle of Chahannao naturally turned into a unilateral massacre of the cavalry of the Han army against the cavalry of the Huns. Although Li Zuoche's family and children were able to escape because of Li Zuoche's deliberate forgiveness, almost all their cattle, sheep and vehicles carrying property were captured by the Han army. To get through the coming winter—you have to pay a considerable price in exchange for these alms reliefs, such as offering wives and children.

Still the same, just after the war ended, Li Zuoche immediately obtained a statement through an interpreter, and used medicine, food, and life to grasp the movements of other Hun tribes from the injured and captured Huns. Immediately after the rest, they continued to go north to find other Hun tribes to attack. They continued to sum up their experience in actual combat, and took advantage of the opportunity when the Hun cavalry camped without fortifications to protect them, and adopted the tactic of robbing the camp at night. Killed two small tribes of hapless Huns.

The story is short and long. After walking around the grassland and killing nine Hun tribes of different sizes, the cold wind suddenly picked up, and the first snow of this winter fell on the grassland, wrapped in sheepskin with a foul smell. Reaching out to pick up a snowflake, Li Zuoche made up his mind and said, "It's time to go back, order the whole army to return to Yanmen immediately for the winter."

"Mr. Guangwu, are you going back now? We haven't confirmed whether the Xiongnu will give up on the Western Expedition of the Yuezhi?" Xiang Guan, who hadn't killed enough yet, asked.

"Regardless of whether the main force of the Xiongnu was forced to give up the Western Expedition, we must go back immediately, and we can only do this."

Li Zuoche replied calmly: "The Huns have always been good at fighting in winter. Although we have captured enough furs to protect the soldiers from the cold, we have no experience in fighting on the grassland in winter. If we delay, if we encounter The large army of the Huns, even if we have superior weapons and equipment, we may suffer a big loss. So we can only accept it as soon as it is good, and quickly withdraw to Yanmen. As for whether we can force the Huns to give up the Western Expedition, it depends on the Yuezhi Kingdom Own luck."

(End of this chapter)