My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 450 Difficult Choice

At the same time, the Han Dynasty's territory was in the northwest, Hexi.

The military report that Cheng Buzhi sent to Chang'an was naturally inspiring.

——The Xiu Tu tribe is gone!
The entire tribe, from top to bottom, regardless of gender, age or status, was wiped out!
In order to "submit" or for some other purpose, the Hunxie tribe went to extremes and did not abide by the unspoken rule of the grassland nomadic people that "the old, the weak, the women, and those who are shorter than the wheel will not be killed."

It can be said that the Hunxie Tribe did not leave itself any way out.

From now on, the reputation of the Hunxie Tribe will be known all over the grassland.

There will no longer be any nomadic tribes, and I believe that the Hunxie tribe is also a nomadic tribe.

They are devils!
After the Hunxie tribe massacred the Xiutu tribe, the series of chain reactions it triggered were also extremely intriguing.

For example, at this moment, Cheng Buzhi was indeed located west of the Hetao and the Great River.
However, they did not go far, but temporarily camped in a depression less than a hundred miles west of the river.

Cheng Buzhi was thinking.

Previously, upon learning that the Hunxie tribe had destroyed the Xiutu tribe, occupied the Xiutu Lake, and sent people to request submission to the Han Dynasty and offered the Xiutu Lake to the Han Dynasty, Cheng Buzhi naturally followed his instinct and immediately gathered his men and horses to break camp, cross the river to the west and head towards the Xiutu Lake.

You can’t blame Cheng Buzhi for losing his temper.

The strategic importance of Xiu Tu Ze was such that it was impossible for any general to even have the slightest thought of rejecting him.

——Ze!

The place where the word "Ze" can be used may not be a big deal in the Central Plains of China.

It's just a puddle of water.
It's not a lake or a river.

Maybe it is a wetland or swamp with little water, or even difficult to walk in.

But on the grassland, the place where the word "Ze" can be used is enough to make every general who has thoughts about the grassland drool.

Because in the Huns' language system, there are no words such as lake, river, and river.

So how do they describe the water source?
The answer is: There is nothing else except the words "Chi" and "Ze".

Such as Nanchi, Yanchi, Xiutu Lake, Juting Lake, etc., are no more than the same.

The Xiongnu people called these places "ponds" and "marshes". Few Han people had ever been to these places, so they had no idea whether they were ponds, marshes, lakes or rivers.

Naturally, we can only translate it according to its literal meaning and call it: pond or marsh.

But actually?
——What the Huns called a "pond" was actually a lake!

And it must be a saltwater lake with a high salt content!
Nanchi - the saltwater lake in Munan!
Salt Pond - a saltwater lake with extremely high salinity!

And "Ze" mostly refers to a freshwater lake with running water.

After understanding this, when we look at Xiutu Lake and Juting Lake again, it is not difficult to find out why these two places are so attractive to the generals of the Han Dynasty.

——On the grassland, it is called "Ze" by the Huns, which is definitely a good source of water for marching!

Moreover, unlike the grassland and other vast areas that are not strategically located and cannot be defended even if occupied, the water source area means that it can be settled and a city can be built!
So, to sum up: every place name with the word "Ze" on the grassland is a strategic focus that the Han army must consider when fighting outside the border.

These places were in the hands of the Huns, so their tribesmen, soldiers, cattle, sheep, and horses would never lack water.

On the other hand, the Han army soldiers were unfamiliar with the grassland and were completely in the dark once they lost the landmarks. They had to determine the directions of east, south, west and north based on the sun.

This is like saying that the Han army soldiers went directly out of the border to fight, just like a fighter jet flying out of the border alone to carry out a mission in a neighboring country.

How far you can fly, how far you can fight, and where you must return are all real limitations.

What's more, the soldiers of the Han Dynasty were fighting outside the Great Wall, and they did not have the positioning system of later fighter jets or satellite navigation.

If you are lost, you are really lost!

If we encounter the Huns, we will most likely never be able to come back!

But if we occupy the water sources with the word "Ze" in their names, the situation will be very different.

Where there is water, we can stay and rest!
At worst, it can replenish your energy and get fresh water.

In this way, these water sources scattered across the grassland are like aircraft carriers.

The Han Dynasty's "fighter planes" flew out of the frontier, no longer in the dark, no longer had to come back no matter how far they went, but they were not sure they could come back.

——With these "aircraft carriers", the Han army soldiers do not need to come back, but can go directly to find these "aircraft carriers".

When you arrive at the destination, it’s time to refuel and take a rest.

After recuperating, they took off again. At that time, their combat radius was no longer limited to the border of the Han Dynasty.

Instead, it spreads out in all directions with those 'aircraft carriers' as the center!

Of course Cheng Buzhi didn't know what a fighter jet or an aircraft carrier was.

But Cheng Buzhi had a vague concept of combat radius.

In Cheng Buzhi's understanding, a war between two equally powerful parties must be that each side occupies an area and then confronts each other head-on.

For the Han army soldiers to fight outside the border, it meant taking the initiative to attack the enemy in the enemy-occupied area.

This is very dangerous.

If you are not careful, you will be surrounded and fall into a desperate situation of being isolated and helpless.

But war has always been the area in the world where risks and rewards are most proportional.

Going deep into enemy territory alone and launching attacks proactively, every word of this reveals a sense of danger from the inside out.

But once successful!
Once a successful and effective attack is launched against the enemy in the enemy-occupied area, the damage caused to the enemy can be said to be huge!

Take the border wars that took place between the Han and the Huns over the past few decades.

Why did the Huns always gain the upper hand while the Han people always suffered losses?

Because the place where the war took place was always the border of the Han Dynasty.

Regardless of victory or defeat, the Han borders would be devastated, the Han people would be displaced, their families would be broken up, and their cities and roads would be destroyed.

On the other hand, the Xiongnu only lost a few lives, but also captured many times the young and strong population. In particular, in the 14th year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign, the war that almost broke out in Chang'an almost overturned the Han ancestral temple and destroyed the country.

The reason for this is that the Xiongnu army led by Laoshang Chanyu not only set foot in the "enemy-occupied area", that is, the territory of the Han Dynasty, but also penetrated into the Han Dynasty's mansion and posed a huge military threat to the absolute political center of the Han Dynasty.

So, from the perspective of the Huns, is the only way to penetrate deep into the heartland of the Han Dynasty and inflict heavy losses on the Han people the "direct march to Chang'an"?

The answer, obviously, is no.

The imperial capital Chang'an was indeed the most important and crucial strategic and political center of the Han Dynasty.

But apart from Chang'an, there are still countless strategic points in the Han Dynasty. If the Huns captured them - or even just launched an attack - the Han Dynasty would suffer heavy losses.

Then when the Huns invaded Han territory, why didn't they pay special attention to water sources like the Han soldiers did when they went out of the border?
The answer is: any place where people live in the Han territory, whether it is a city, a town, or a village, can serve as a strategic resource replenishment point for the Xiongnu.

Whether they captured a big city, a small town, or an inconspicuous village, the Huns were able to seize enough food, find enough water, and even capture young and strong people to supplement the logistics manpower.

The grasslands are poor.

On the grassland, whether it is water or food, whether it is water sources or habitable areas and suitable garrisons, they are all very sought-after scarce resources.

Therefore, when the Han army soldiers were fighting on their own land, they only needed to pay attention to the logistical supply lines, including the food routes, but did not need to pursue water sources too much.

In China, where is there no stream?

But when you get to the grassland, everything is different.

For later generations, the Han army soldiers of this era who went out to fight and marched on the grasslands could be completely understood as walking across the desert.

We have to find water and a campsite, and forget about logistical supply lines.

Under such circumstances, a stable water source - at least one that has existed stably for dozens or hundreds of years - is of unquestionable practical and strategic value.

If the Xiongnu invaded the Han Dynasty with the purpose of plundering resources and population, what the Han Dynasty had to do was to protect the city and reduce losses;

The purpose of the Han army's battle across the border was to expand the territory, while the Xiongnu's goal was to preserve their manpower.

In this process, an area with no military presence and a water source that can accommodate hundreds of thousands of troops for a long time became a focus of competition between the two sides.

Take Xiu Tu Ze, which the Han family is about to acquire, for example.

——As long as Xiutu Lake is in our hands, it means that the area within a radius of at least 500 miles of Xiutu Lake, as well as the area between this area and the territory of the Han Dynasty, will be officially incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty!
Because as long as they control Jutingze, the Han army will have a crucial strategic fulcrum in the heart of Hexi.

After three to five years of consolidation and construction, Jutingze, which was originally just a water source, can be built into a military town, strategic location, and bridgehead.

Needless to say: Why did the existence of Yunzhong City make the Huns so uncomfortable?
It was clearly just an isolated city, especially one that was isolated outside the Great Wall, hundreds of miles outside the Han Dynasty's territory;

Why did the Huns hate Yunzhong City so much but be helpless about it, as if it were a thorn in their backs and a fishbone stuck in their throats?

It is precisely because of Yunzhong City that it is a nail that the Han family has inserted into the grassland, an outpost and a strategic fulcrum.

The Han army soldiers who went out of the northern border wall did not need to be on 360-degree defense, but could go to Yunzhong with peace of mind.

At worst, even if we cannot retreat directly back to the Han border, at least we still have Yunzhong City to stay for the time being.

The Cloud City itself can radiate an area of ​​hundreds of miles in radius, turning this area into a "buffer zone" that neither the Han nor the Xiongnu can fully control.

The situation in Hexi is more complicated.

——The reason why Yunzhong is a hundred miles in radius and is called a "buffer zone" rather than Han territory is because Yunzhong is almost located in the center of the Munan grassland.

Unless most of Munan falls, the Huns will not allow Yunzhong City to radiate its control beyond the Yunzhong city walls.

But the situation in Hexi is different.

In simple terms, as long as the Han Dynasty controlled Jutingze and extended it from the point to the surface, a city three miles long and wide was built near Jutingze, and then a military control zone of fifty miles in radius was extended;

Then the area from the border of the Han Dynasty's territory, namely the Hetao region, all the way to Jutingze, will become the actual controlled area of ​​the Han Dynasty.

The Xiongnu people in Munan had no ability, nor the extra energy or manpower to threaten this area controlled by the Han Dynasty because of the existence of the "Juting Fortress".

From these aspects, it seems that the Han Dynasty's control over Jutingze has only benefits and no harm.

But Cheng Buzhi knew - to be precise, it was only after he led the army out that Cheng Buzhi realized belatedly: Ju Tingze is really not a thornless rose.

There is nothing wrong with Jutingze itself, and occupying Jutingze is a good thing, there is no doubt about it.

But time and opportunity are key.

The way of occupying is equally important.

Look at the present time. What time is it?
How will Ju Tingze soon become the property of the Han family?
——Now, it’s the end of September!

It has started snowing in the Mobei grassland area!

At this point in time, even if the Han Dynasty occupied Jutingze, it would be impossible for them to carry out infrastructure construction in the Juting area in winter.

In other words, even if an army was sent to take over Jutingze, it would be nothing more than a group of infantry exposed in the wild, guarding a lake of dozens of miles in radius.

Furthermore, the Han dynasty did not conquer Jutingze by itself;
Instead, it was the Hunxie tribe that suddenly launched an attack, occupied the area through sneak attacks and massacres that were despised by the grassland peoples, and "unconditionally" gave it to the Han family.

what does this mean?
This means that the nomadic people in the Hexi area will definitely not accept it!
The Hunxie tribe was unwilling to accept the surprise attack and massacre of the Xiutu tribe, and even more unwilling to accept that the Han family got the Xiutu Lake for nothing without any effort.

——Everything on the grassland must be fought for with real swords and guns!
Things that are obtained for nothing are not considered "legally owned" on the grassland.

So what is the law on the grassland?
The fist is the law!
Only when you win a fight against others and steal something from them can it be said to be your legal possession!
What you stole, cheated, or was given to you by others is what you don’t deserve.

So, the current situation is: It seems that the Han family is going to get Xiu Tu Ze, and everyone is happy.

However, the approaching winter and the resentment of other tribes in the Hexi region made it impossible for the Han family to gain actual control over Xiutu Lake this winter.

The only realistic option was to let the Hunxie tribe temporarily stay in Xiutu Ze. In the spring of next year, the Han Dynasty would send troops to Xiutu Ze and start consolidation and construction.

But the question is: after a winter, are the Hunxie tribe still willing to voluntarily give up Xiu Tu Ze?
Cheng Buzhi certainly didn't think that there was soil for the words "morality" and "credit" to exist on the grassland.

According to the inherent thought processes of nomadic peoples, the most profitable operation method for the Hunxie tribe is undoubtedly: this winter, they will occupy the Xiutu Lake alone, and directly begin to annex surrounding tribes, taking advantage of the situation to expand their controlled areas and sphere of influence!
At the same time, under the pretext of "submission", he tried to gain the support of the Han Dynasty - including but not limited to supplies, weapons, and diplomatic strategic support when facing the Xiongnu Chanyu court.

As for the Hunxie tribe, which has already established a foothold in Xiutu Ze after the spring, will it submit to the Han Dynasty?
What is the Hunxie Department?

Isn't this just a new group of people and a new name for the 'New Xiu Tu Tribe'?

What's the matter with surrendering or not? I'm just guarding Xiutu Lake, why should I surrender to you Han people?
(End of this chapter)