Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The Huns Bullied the Han Dynasty in This Way

There is an old saying: A country has neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies.For the Western Han Empire, their "friends" and "enemies" were constantly changing from the founding of the country to most of the entire dynasty. A shadow in half - the Huns. Before the Western Han Dynasty, the enemy "Xiongnu" was no stranger to the Chinese in this period.During the Warring States Period, Zhao, Yan, and Qin all endured the invasion of the Huns for a long time.Qin Shihuang mobilized people's power to build the Great Wall, and his original intention was to prevent the invasion of the Huns.In fact, the Great Wall built by Qin Shihuang was not built out of thin air, but connected the original Great Wall of Yan, Zhao, and Qin to defend against the Huns in the north.From the struggle for hegemony in the Warring States Period to the struggle between Chu and Han at the end of Qin Dynasty, the military conflict between the Xiongnu and the Central Plains has never stopped.For the Central Plains army whose main combat methods are infantry and chariots, the high-speed assault of the Huns cavalry and the cavalry and shooting in mobile warfare are the killer moves that hit their "death spot": the heavy chariots and infantry cannot keep up with the Huns cavalry With such a high speed, they can only become prey for others to shoot and kill.In large-scale corps operations, it is easier to be eliminated in mobile warfare by avoiding the real and attacking the false.Before the Western Han Dynasty, the regime in the Central Plains had victories in which Li Mu of the State of Zhao defeated the Xiongnu and Meng Tian of the State of Qin regained Hetao.However, in these two battles, the former lured the Huns under the Great Wall by luring the enemy deep, relying on solid city defenses and chariots to gather and annihilate them, while the latter relied on the powerful crossbow equipment and chariots of the Qin army to charge the Huns. expulsion.However, there is still no better way to deal with the high-speed mobile combat methods of the Huns cavalry.Therefore, for the Central Plains regime at that time, there was no way to build the Great Wall.

After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, the strength of the Huns, the enemy, also underwent qualitative changes.Before the Western Han Dynasty, the grassland situation in northern China was actually a "three-legged confrontation" situation.Occupying today's northeast region is a large nomadic tribe "Donghu", while occupying western Inner Mongolia and the Hexi Corridor is a nomadic tribe "Dayuezhi" in northwest China.From 206 BC to 203 BC, when Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were fighting for the world, the Huns in the north were also fighting to unify the grassland.In 209 BC, the Huns prince Modun killed his father Touman, usurped the position of "Chanyu" of the Huns, and then launched a large-scale war.In 205 B.C., the Eastern Hu was wiped out and the Northeast land was occupied, and then the Western Expedition was launched, driving away the Yuezhi people entrenched in the Hexi Corridor, not only occupying Gansu, but also forcing the countries in the Western Regions to surrender to the Xiongnu.By the time of the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, the Huns in the north of the Han Empire were no longer the "Ameng under Wu" who "did not dare to go south to herd horses" in the Qin Dynasty, but a well-organized, efficient and unified people under the rectification of Maodun Shanyu. Combat command system, vast land, nomadic empire with unprecedented combat effectiveness.Whether it was Qi Huangong who "respected the king and fought against barbarians" in the Spring and Autumn Period, or Qin Shihuang who took Hetao to build the Great Wall, he had never faced such a powerful opponent.

For the rich land of the Central Plains, the Xiongnu Empire also has ideas.In the Maodun era, the "king court" of the Xiongnu had moved from the original Yinshan Mountains to the Orkhon River area. The area directly controlled by the Xiongnu Shanyu was facing the Weizhou area of ​​Hebei in the Central Plains.The area under the jurisdiction of the Zuoxian King of the Huns is facing the Huailai area of ​​Hebei, and the area controlled by the Youxian King of the Huns is facing the Yulin area of ​​​​Shaanxi.As early as the Peasant War at the end of Qin Dynasty, the Xiongnu took advantage of the opportunity of the main force of the Qin Empire to go south and recaptured the Hetao Grassland.The result of the loss of Hetao was that the Western Han Empire, whose capital was Chang'an, had a sword of Damocles hanging on its forehead for a long time.

In the early days of the Western Han Empire, the Huns invaded more and more frequently.At this time, Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, wantonly killed kings with different surnames, which also gave the Huns a chance to launch a war.After Liu Bang ascended the throne, he adopted a policy of suppressing and even killing the kings of different surnames who had helped him win the world.Three great heroes, Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu, were eliminated one after another.In the north, kings with different surnames adjacent to the Xiongnu include Yan Wang Lu Wan, Chang Shan Wang Zhang Ao, Han Wang Xin and so on.Among them, Han Wangxin's status is the most delicate: he is a descendant of the Korean royal family during the Warring States Period. During the Peasant War at the end of Qin Dynasty, he followed Liu Bang into Hangu Pass to destroy Qin, and was later named King Han.After the world is settled, a character like him is destined to be suspected by Liu Bang.Sure enough, he was soon moved out of the original Korean fiefdom and changed to Taiyuan, which happened to be opposite the Xiongnu.Although Han Wangxin swallowed his anger and sealed it, the rift between the two sides has become increasingly serious.Mao Dun Shanyu naturally would not give up such an opportunity. As soon as Han Wangxin arrived in Taiyuan, in September 201 BC, tens of thousands of Hun cavalry rushed to kill him.The military collision between the Western Han Empire and the Xiongnu Empire came suddenly in such a way of taking advantage of the fire.

As soon as the war started, Han Wangxin first went all out to meet the enemy.But the South Korean army, which was not considered elite in the civil war, could not be the opponent of the Xiongnu Huwei Jingqi.As a result, Han Wangxin lost consecutive battles, and the important town of Mayi was besieged.As for Liu Bang, he wanted to take advantage of the Huns' invasion to weaken Han Wangxin with the hands of the Huns.Therefore, no rescue was carried out at all this year, and I really wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.But "Tiger" is not so stupid. Han Wangxin knows that his "files are black". fruit to eat.As a result, he made up his mind and took the initiative to discuss with the Huns-surrender.

Han Wangxin surrendered, and the consequences were serious. Not to mention the surrender of tens of thousands of cavalry to the Huns, the door of the important town of Shanxi was wide open.Mao Dun was overjoyed. In 200 BC, the Xiongnu raised 400,000 troops, led by Han Wangxin's "puppet army", and launched a large-scale attack on the Western Han Empire.The critical situation made Liu Bang no longer able to sit idly by. Liu Bang, who wanted to "recuperate and recuperate", resolutely decided to march in person. The Han army quickly assembled, and 300,000 troops sent to Shanxi.In the small province of Shanxi, 700,000 elites from the Han and Hungarian ethnic groups were assembled at once, and it can be said that they have spent their money.

Liu Bang's march went smoothly, and Han Wangxin's "puppet army" was almost vulnerable to the elite of the Western Han Empire. The powerful combat power accumulated through years of civil war made the Han army invincible.The Han army first defeated Han Wangxin in Qin County, then recovered Jinyang, and then repelled the counterattack of Han Wangxin's remnants, marching all the way north, and killed the main force of the Huns.In Ningwu, Shanxi, the Han army started training with the Huns for the first time. As a result, the Huns were defeated and forced to retreat northward.The situation on the entire battlefield is developing in a direction favorable to the Han army.

At this time, it was already the winter of 200 BC. In this year, northern China was colder than in previous years. The sky was covered with snow for days and the north wind howled. He even froze his fingers, and the troops were severely attrition in non-combat situations.Moreover, since the departure of the Han army, it has been non-stop all the way, chasing and killing from Jinzhong to northern Shanxi, fighting continuously, showing fatigue.Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty who had already unified the world, was full of confidence at this time. After all, the Han army had won consecutive battles, and the Battle of Ningwu proved that the Huns were far from being as terrible as in the legend. China, suffering from wars and turmoil, can usher in a real recuperation.

With such a goal in mind, the elite army led by Liu Bang marched all the way north and arrived at Pingcheng on the front line. At this time, Maodun Shanyu also led the main force to station in Yu County. The main decisive battle between the two sides was about to start. Liu Bang, who has been a soldier all his life, is not a fool. He knows the truth of "knowing yourself and knowing the enemy". So after arriving in Pingcheng, he continued to collect information about the Huns through various channels.Only Liu Jing, a counselor next to Liu Bang, believed that the Xiongnu must have hidden the main force in an attempt to lure the Han army into the north, but was reprimanded and sent to prison by Liu Bang on the spot.In fact, Liu Bang may not understand the Huns' intentions, but at this time, Shanxi has been snowing for days, and the supply of food and grass materials for the Han army is not enough. A long-term stalemate is not an option.

In December 200 BC, after countless careful planning, Liu Bang finally made up his mind to lead the main force to Wei County, preparing for a general attack on the Xiongnu.However, when passing through Baideng Mountain, they were surrounded by the main force of the Huns who had already ambushed here.In this battle, the Xiongnu almost took out all their possessions: a total of 400,000 troops were deployed in four directions, all of which were elite cavalry.The Han army trapped in the siege immediately set up defenses on the spot, organized defenses on the spot at Baideng Mountain, and fought fiercely with the Huns.Immodun's own strategic concept was to annihilate Liu Bang's troops in one go, but what happened next was beyond his expectations.Under the severe cold and heavy siege, instead of collapsing, the Han army burst out with tenacious fighting spirit. Relying on the strict military formation and crossbow defense, they repelled the attacks of the Huns several times. Can't move forward.

The situation at this time was even worse for Liu Bang.Liu Bang used 320,000 troops in this northern expedition, but only about 100,000 people followed him to the front line of Pingcheng, and the remaining 200,000 people were allocated to Zhou Bo to wipe out the remnants of Han Wangxin.At this time, Zhou Bo, after defeating Han Wangxin, went northward to the Loufan area. If he could arrive in time, he would naturally be able to lift the siege of the Huns.But Maodun has surrounded Baideng Mountain completely, so how can he break out?Fortunately, Baideng Mountain has been a fortress against the Huns since the Zhao State in the Warring States Period. There is a strong military fort built in the Zhao State Period, which is enough to hold on. For 7 days and 7 nights, the Huns were unable to attack, and the Han army was also unable to break through. The situation of the Han army without water and food was undoubtedly more difficult. In desperation, Liu Bang, according to Chen Ping's plan, took the initiative to contact Maodun Shanyu's Yanshi (wife), pretending to send beautiful women to Maodun, so as to induce the "jealous" Yanshi to intercede with Maodun.The Yan family really fell for the trick, and suggested that Maodun lift the siege in the name of "the emperor of Han is blessed by the gods".According to many historical records, Mao Dun was fooled and took the initiative to untie a hole in the encirclement to let Liu Bang escape.But the real reason, according to the records, is that Zhou Bo’s troops of the other Han army had already rushed to Baishan Mountain after sweeping up the remnants of Han Wangxin. Therefore, Maodun Shanyu's best choice was to push the boat along the river to lift the siege and withdraw troops decently. For Liu Bang, who has fought all his life, the siege of Baideng can be described as a great shame and humiliation, and he can't let it go because of his character of revenge.The first thing he did after the siege of the squad was to kill more than a dozen counselors who persuaded him to enter the decisive battle before the war, and released Liu Jing who had persuaded him before the war.But for the Xiongnu, Liu Bang endured it: it was the time when the Han Dynasty was waiting to be rejuvenated, and the Huns were in a strong position again, and they could no longer easily start a war.In the siege of Baideng, the tenacious spirit of the Han army in a desperate situation and its strong defensive capabilities also left a deep impression on the Huns.With the military strength of the Xiongnu at this time, it may be possible to defeat the Han army in the field, but it is difficult to occupy the Han land.Therefore, peace has become the common choice of the two families. In 198 BC, the Han Empire officially concluded a peace treaty with the Xiongnu with Liu Jing as an envoy: the Han Dynasty married a princess to the Xiongnu, and gave a large amount of rice and grain treasures. Gifts; two, the two sides set up a mutual market at the border; three, the two sides use the Great Wall as the boundary and do not invade each other.This "peace agreement" is the famous "peace agreement" in history.Although it was humiliating, it was the only choice of the Western Han Dynasty at that time, and it was also fought with the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of Han soldiers in the Battle of Baideng. After the "marriage" between the Han and the Hungarians, according to the common saying in history books, the Han and the Hungarians maintained peace for 60 years.The fact is that in the more than half a century from Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the war between the Han and the Hungarians has not stopped. If we say that before the Battle of Baideng, the main policy of the Xiongnu towards the Western Han Dynasty was robbery, then the Xiongnu before the Battle of Baideng and the counterattack of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had only one national policy towards the Western Han Dynasty-blackmail. The so-called blackmail refers to the use of various methods, mainly a combination of force intimidation and military attack, to continuously open mouths to the Western Han Dynasty to extort gold, silver and property.His appetite is getting bigger and bigger, his methods are getting more and more vicious, and his behavior is getting more and more arrogant. In the second year of the "peace" between the Han and the Huns, that is, in the winter of 197 BC, the Xiongnu launched another attack.Taking advantage of the chance of rebellion by Chen Xi, the guard of the Daidi, the Xiongnu took advantage of the fire to loot and plunder Hebei, Shanxi and other places, forcing Liu Bang, who was seriously ill, to once again use his old body to lead the conquest.In order to prevent the recurrence of the siege of Baideng, the Han Empire had to swallow their anger and sent envoys to the Xiongnu before the expedition to send a large amount of property, asking the Xiongnu to "remain neutral" in this battle. receive".After pacifying the Daidi Rebellion, Liu Bang felt the pain of the heavy affliction in the north. When he returned to his hometown for inspection, he sang the song of the great wind sadly: And the warriors guard the four directions... But the Huns didn't care how sad Liu Bang was, they wanted to get a vote when they saw the opportunity.In 195 BC, King Lu Wan of Yan rebelled again and led thousands of his subordinates to surrender to the Xiongnu, and was named "East Hulu King" by the Huns.After that, he took the initiative to serve as a guide, leading the Huns cavalry to attack prefectures and counties, and became a "hardcore traitor".The Han Dynasty sent envoys to the Xiongnu many times, sending gold and silver treasures, and wanted to ask the Xiongnu to "extradite" Lu Wan. Every time the Xiongnu took money and did not do anything. At most, they promised the Han Dynasty to restrain Lu Wan's behavior.Until Liu Bang's death, the Huns' harassment of the border of the Western Han Dynasty hardly stopped.But after all, coveting the huge wealth of "marriage", most of the Xiongnu made small troubles, usually tens of hundreds of cavalry robbed the border, and then said "misunderstanding" to the Han Dynasty, and a large-scale war did not break out. After Liu Bang's death, the Huns almost provoked another war.In 192 BC, in the Han Dynasty at this time, Liu Bang had passed away, and the reigning emperor was his son Han Huidi.The power rests in the hands of the Empress Dowager Lu Zhi.Mao Dun took the opportunity to write a letter to Lu Zhi, in which he "sexually harassed" the empress dowager, asking Lu Zhi to marry him.Such a shame and humiliation aroused the anger of the emperors and officials of the Han Dynasty. Fan Kui, Empress Lu's brother-in-law, offered to lead 100,000 troops to sweep the Xiongnu, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty were also screaming and killing.But Zhong Lang calmed down Ji Bu, and laughed at Fan Kui, saying, "You didn't see how powerful you were when you were on Baideng Mountain, so what are you boasting about?" At that time, the result of the matter was that the Han Dynasty sent a large amount of grain and treasure, plus dozens of beauties and a humble letter from Empress Lu.Empress Lu's humiliation had a remarkable effect. The years when she held power were the few years when the Huns invaded the least during the Western Han Dynasty.Of course, this was not because of the kindness of the Xiongnu. At this time, Maodun Shanyu had also reached his later years, and his aggressiveness was greatly reduced. It is true that he blackmailed more wealth from the Han Dynasty every year and used it for pleasure. The resurgence of war disasters on the Han-Hungarian border was after Hanwen Emperor Liu Heng ascended the throne in 179 BC.At this time, the Han Dynasty had just experienced the Empress Lu Rebellion, and when the state power was still being established, it was naturally the best time for blackmail in the eyes of the Huns.In 177 BC, taking advantage of the rebellion of King Jibei of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu Youxian King's tribe launched an attack again. This time, the methods were more brutal. Not only did they conquer Daijun, but they also killed the magistrate of Daijun.This is a vicious event that has never happened since the "marriage" between the Han and Hungarians.Emperor Hanwen's reaction to this was also unexpectedly tough.He immediately ordered Guan Ying to lead 80,000 elite troops to the frontier to fight. Seeing that the Han army had left, the Xiongnu quickly withdrew.Afterwards, Emperor Hanwen sent envoys to "account for responsibility", and Mao Dun Shanyu also had to make a superficial gesture, evading that the incident was initiated by King Youxian without authorization, and pretended to punish King Youxian.At this time, the Western Han Empire's national strength was greatly enhanced compared with that of Han Gaozu, but it was still dominated by infantry chariots, and its cavalry was seriously insufficient.Peace is still a helpless choice. However, the Xiongnu's practices became more and more rampant, especially after the death of Mao Dun Shanyu, the old Shang Shanyu who came to the throne was young and energetic, and his behavior was very arrogant.For example, the correspondence documents with the Han Empire are larger than the Han Empire in size, to show the meaning of overwhelming the Han Empire.In terms of military affairs, the old Shang Shanyu launched an offensive almost every year. From the northwest to the northeast, the border of the Han Dynasty was full of flames, and the frontier troops were exhausted.The most serious one was in 166 BC, when the Xiongnu army penetrated deep into the territory of Shaanxi.The one in 162 BC was even more extreme.The Xiongnu invaded Shanggu, Yuyang, and Yunzhong. The Han Dynasty mobilized 130,000 troops to the northern border to meet the enemy. However, the commander Zhou Yafu was too cautious and ordered his subordinates not to fight the Xiongnu easily.As a result, under the watchful eyes of the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Han Dynasty, the Huns burned, killed and looted for a month before they returned to the court triumphantly under the "gift" of the Han army. After the death of Emperor Han Wen and his son Emperor Han Jing ascended the throne, the threat of the Huns continued unabated.During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, there was a large-scale rebellion among princes in the Western Han Empire—the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.Shan Yu, the military official of the Xiongnu who was in power at this time, conspired with the prince of the Western Han Dynasty, King Wu, in an attempt to take the opportunity to go south to seize the Han land.Although weighing the advantages and disadvantages, the military minister Shan Yu did not act rashly, but sent heavy troops to the border of the Han Dynasty to contain them. However, the northern elite cavalry of the Western Han Dynasty were also restrained at the northern border and could not participate in the counter-insurgency war, which led to the continuation of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion. several months.The pacification of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion was of greatest significance to the Western Han Empire: the hidden danger of collusion between the princes of the Central Plains and the Xiongnu was completely eliminated, and the Han Empire could concentrate sufficient manpower and material resources to launch a war against the Xiongnu. In the 67 years of the "marriage" between the Han and the Huns, the Han Dynasty maintained peace with the Huns through forbearance, and several generations of emperors from Empress Lu to Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty also built an army that was enough to fight with the Huns. Confronting strong soldiers is the key task.From the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty implemented horse management, encouraged horse breeding, and recruited the Huns from the border areas to the Han Dynasty to train cavalry for the Han Dynasty. A new generation of cavalry generals represented by Li Guang was also rising.By the time of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, the frontier cavalry of the Han Dynasty had begun to take shape. The turning point of the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion was when the Han Dynasty sent thousands of cavalry from the north to the south to defeat the rebels with a devastating force.After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che ascended the throne in 140 BC, the time was ripe to counterattack the Huns. However, compared with military issues, the "ideological issue" was more serious for the Han Dynasty's counterattack against the Huns.The Han Dynasty governed the country with the "Huang-Lao Theory" and pursued a policy of governing by doing nothing. When it comes to diplomatic issues, it is better to do less than to do more.Every time the Huns blackmailed, they met the requirements as much as possible, and most of the Huns' invasions were turned into small things.Especially in the early days of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's ascension to the throne, the power was in the hands of his grandmother, the Empress Dowager Dou.However, the changes in the national policy of the Han Dynasty have revealed clues from some policies during this period: Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty advocated shooting and hunting in the court, and took the lead in practicing martial arts.In the third year after ascending the throne, Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions to seek a joint attack on the Xiongnu with the Da Yuezhi. At the same time, he set up "Eight School Captains" in the Northern Army of the Western Han Dynasty and "Habayashi Cavalry" in the imperial palace to reorganize elite cavalry .Above the court, the "peace" policy, which was originally a consensus between the upper and lower levels, also split at this time.The new generation of officials, such as Wang Hui and others, advocated reorganizing the army to prepare for war and counterattack the Huns, forming an opposition with Han Anguo's "Zhuhe" faction.Although the "marriage" policy was supported by veterans at the beginning, with the death of Empress Dowager Dou in 135 BC, the pro-government Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began to fully implement the counterattack policy against the Xiongnu. Yi lured the enemy to fight. Mayi, that is, Shuo County, Shanxi Province, was an important town in the northern part of the Han Dynasty during the Western Han Dynasty.In the Han-Hungarian "marriage" era, this place was the place where the Han-Hungarians "mutually traded". It has always been famous for its economic prosperity and gathering of business and travel exchanges.In 133 B.C., Da Xing ordered Wang Hui to offer a plan to use Mayi as a bait to lure the Xiongnu Shanyu to come and launch a war of encirclement and annihilation, which would solve the Xiongnu issue in one battle.After a fierce court debate, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty approved the battle plan: Nie Yi, a local businessman in Mayi, pretended to surrender to the Xiongnu military official Shanyu, and lied that he could attack Mayi with internal and external cooperation, luring the Xiongnu Shanyu to come, and then , launched an attack with 300,000 heavy troops, and completely wiped out the Huns.For this plan, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used almost all the elite soldiers in the north. Han Anguo, Li Guang, and Gongsun He led 320,000 troops to ambush in the Mayi Valley, and Wang Hui led 30,000 elite soldiers to cut off the return of the Huns. In order to completely annihilate.On the surface, this is an almost perfect battle plan. But with such a complicated plan and large-scale troop mobilization, it is impossible not to leak the news.Shan Yu, a military official, was deceived at first and led his army straight to Mayi, but on the way, he got news that the Han army had set up an ambush there, and immediately pulled his horse and fled north.Wang Hui, who was supposed to cut off the Huns' escape route, retreated at the critical moment and did not dare to launch an attack. Instead, he "sent" the Huns out of the country.Afterwards, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious. Wang Hui's reason was that he had only 30,000 troops and was unable to resist 100,000 Huns cavalry.If the 300,000 main force of the Han army rushes at full speed at this time, as long as Wang Hui can hold back, there is still hope for victory.As a result, Wang Hui's cold retreat made all the previous efforts of the Han army go to waste. The revelation of the siege of Mayi marked the complete break between the Han and the Hungarian.From then on, the Huns no longer had to play tricks of blackmail, nor did the Han Dynasty have to swallow their anger.The bayonets on both sides saw red, and the war machine of the Han Empire was rumbled into action. After more than 60 years of forbearance, the Qingfeng of the Han Empire unsheathed and began the war against the Huns.