The Battle of Han and Xiongnu
Speaking of the Xiongnu, a rural ethnic group in the north, it is simply a nightmare that has haunted the Central Plains for thousands of years! In the late Warring States period, there were first records of the Xiongnu harassing various countries in the Central Plains. After unifying the whole country, the State of Qin made great efforts to build the Great Wall of various northern countries into a whole. The fundamental reason is to resist the Xiongnu. Of course, the Xiongnu could not defeat the powerful Qin Dynasty, so they chose to temporarily hibernate and wait until the end of Qin's chaos before jumping out, causing disasters to the north.
Fortunately, just eight years later, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, dominated the world. Liu Bang had long been dissatisfied with the Xiongnu, so in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, in order to cut off this scourge, he personally led a large army northward to conquer. However, the invincible Han army suffered a major defeat and was defeated by Talkan. Liu Bang had no choice but to compromise and first use a friendly strategy to stabilize the Xiongnu. 70 years later, the Han Dynasty kept a low profile and accumulated national strength. Until Liu Bang's death, he still held a grudge against the Xiongnu for not annihilating them.
In the second year of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Che, the newly crowned Emperor of Han, changed his policy of marriage and resolutely began a strategic counterattack against the Xiongnu. He vowed to cut off the 'Sword of Damocles' hanging high above the heads of the Central Plains dynasties!
At this time, the Western Han Dynasty was in its heyday, but the war was not smooth and lasted for hundreds of years. Usually, the more brutal the war, the more likely it is to determine the outcome of victory. However, it was the first decade that determined the outcome of the Sino Hungarian War. Looking back on this magnificent history, it is very exciting! But at that time, the two most powerful forces in the world were facing each other head-on, with only one goal - to eliminate each other! Undoubtedly, war is the most brutal, especially in the first decade, which was the most intense, dangerous, brutal, and terrifying war between China and Hungary.
If you carefully read historical books, you will discover the terrifying truth of the Han Dynasty's war against the Xiongnu. According to the "Biography of the Xiongnu" in the Book of Han:
In the summer of the establishment of Mount Yi Xie, tens of thousands of Xiongnu rode into Dai Jun County and killed the friends of the prefect, totaling over a thousand people.
Autumn, enter Yanmen and kill over a thousand people.
In the spring of the second year, Han dispatched Wei Qing and six generals, totaling over 100000, to leave the North China High Wall. You thought the Han soldiers dared not come, so you got drunk. The Han army traveled six to seven hundred miles and surrounded the Right Prince at night. The Right Prince was frightened and fled, but was followed by a cavalry attendant. The Han general Ying obtained 15000 men and women from the Right Wise King and more than ten young kings.
In autumn, the Xiongnu rode into Daijun County and killed Colonel Zhu Yang, slightly more than a thousand people.
In the spring of the second year, the great general Wei Qing of the Han Dynasty dispatched six generals and over 100000 cavalry to attack the Xiongnu several hundred miles away from Dingxiang. He won over 9000 soldiers before and after his first capture, while the Han Dynasty also lost two generals and over 3000 cavalry.
Next spring, the Han general will send General Pu Qi to suffer from illness. He will ride ten thousand horses out of Longxi, cross Yanqi Mountain for more than a thousand miles, and defeat Hu Shoulu by more than eight thousand soldiers. He will lead the Earth King to worship the Heavenly Jin.
In the summer, General Pu Qi rode tens of thousands of horses out of Longxi, traveled two thousand miles north, passed through Juyan, attacked Qilian Mountain, and captured more than 30000 soldiers of Hu Shoulu and more than ten people below Xiaowang.
In autumn, the Khan angered the evil King Kun, and the Han who wanted to be summoned killed tens of thousands of people in the West. Evil, stop slaughtering the king and fear, plan to surrender to Han, Han generals welcome them with military tickets and cavalry
When we read these history books, we are often attracted by the process of conquest by both sides. However, some details are really scary! From the description in "The Biography of the Xiongnu" in the Book of Han, it can be seen that the invasion of the Xiongnu into the Central Plains usually occurs in autumn, while the Han army's attack on the Xiongnu usually occurs in spring and summer. Why? The real reason behind this is the bloody war between two ethnic groups to destroy their country.
They are a farming ethnic group in the Central Plains, born from agriculture; The Xiongnu were a nomadic people in the north who mainly relied on grazing for survival. Autumn is the harvest season for agriculture, and the nomadic tribes in the north have finally survived the harsh winter and welcomed the abundant spring and summer of water and grass. All cows, sheep, and horses are fat, strong, and energetic. At this time, it is also the time when the ethnic combat power on horseback is strongest, and it coincides with the harvest season of agricultural ethnic groups. When will they launch an attack? The farming ethnic groups in the Central Plains are the most weakened due to their busy autumn harvest.
If the Xiongnu were good at seizing this advantage to invade the Central Plains, the Central Plains dynasties would definitely seize the period of decline of the Xiongnu, which is spring and summer. You should know that nomadic tribes fear the harsh winter, which can deplete the fat of horses, cows, and sheep. Summer is the weakest time for recovery. Of course, the Han Dynasty would not give up this rare opportunity to severely crack down on the Xiongnu.
It seems that both sides have seized each other's fate, so why was the powerful Xiongnu ultimately eliminated directly by the Han Dynasty? How big is the Gobi Desert grassland in the north? Can't we run if we can't win? But the Xiongnu were fragmented by the Han Dynasty. Some people surrendered, while others went missing. Why is that? The reason is that the Han Dynasty used the most terrifying, bloody, and cruel method to resist the Xiongnu, and to use this method, one must choose to attack in spring and summer.
It is said that this season is the weakest time for the Xiongnu people, but there is another more important reason - at this time, energy conservation will eliminate their living forces to the greatest extent possible! The severe cold in winter on the northern grasslands is unbearable. Whether it is humans, cows, sheep, horses, or even wild animals, they have compressed their life activities to the limit. After the cold winter, spring comes and everything comes back to life. Both humans and animals spend time mating to reproduce offspring. Especially in summer, with abundant aquatic plants, pregnant women have enough food and milk to survive the harsh winter and the initial period of weakness, which can maximize the survival rate of offspring.
The Han army chose to attack the Xiongnu in spring and summer, and to strike a snake, they had to hit seven inches, seize his life gate, and beat him fiercely. The life of the Xiongnu lies in their living strength. At this time, many Xiongnu people and animals were pregnant and preparing to raise their babies peacefully. But the Han army has descended from the sky, and the nomadic tribes have no strong cities to defend. Pregnant people can only start running, as long as they are still alive after running. It is impossible to take care of others, nor can it take care of one's own fetus. The medical level and productivity in ancient times were very low, which directly led to a sharp decline in the number of newbies, cattle, sheep, and horses! In this way, every spring and summer, the population and resources of the Xiongnu will decrease, and their strength will also weaken. In the early Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu could send hundreds of thousands of troops to defeat Liu Bang, but when Emperor Wu of Han swept across the grasslands, it could be said that it was a barren land
What happened to the Xiongnu people in the end? The Book of Han, Biography of the Xiongnu "records:" The Han army pursued them for more than 20 years, but the Xiongnu were lazy? It was extremely difficult! "In other words, many Xiongnu women were pregnant with cattle, sheep, and horses, but had to choose abortion due to the war, so that they could still have children in the future; Many people who did not choose abortion were killed by enemies due to the poor quality of their fetuses caused by war.
Some people say it's too cruel! Not even sparing pregnant women? You should know that this is a civil war in the Central Plains, but a war of destruction between two ethnic groups! On the other hand, if the Former Han Dynasty was in a period of decline, Talkan's rampant plunder and massacre would only become even more inhumane. Do they think it's too cruel? The advantage of the Central Plains Dynasty over the Xiongnu was the natural barriers and cities that could be defended. Every time Talkan comes to plunder, I will let you plunder. As long as I stick to the city and the people are okay, I can continue to produce. On the other hand, on the Xiongnu side, they would suffer heavy losses from the Han army every spring and summer when they rested and recuperated. Over time, the entire nation can only decline and ultimately end up surrendering or disappearing