My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 493 It’s just the beginning

This joyful atmosphere lasted from November of winter, when the Battle of Gaoque was won, to the first month of spring.

Until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the streets and alleys of Chang'an were still filled with laughter and the smell of burning bamboo shoots.

What made Emperor Rong notice that the Han Dynasty already had the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Moreover, the origin of the Lantern Festival is a major event that happened in the Han Dynasty.

——In the eighth year of Empress Dowager Lü’s reign in the Records of the Grand Historian (actually in the fourth year of Emperor Shaodi’s reign), Empress Dowager Lü died in Changle Palace in September of the autumn.

After that, there was the "Rebellion to Punish Lu" which became famous among later generations but it is difficult to know whether it really existed, and the essence of the subsequent rebellion by the princes and ministers who joined forces to punish Lu.

From the ninth month of autumn when Empress Dowager Lü passed away, to the time when Chen Ping, Zhou Bo and other court officials conspired in Chang'an, to the time when King Liu Xiang of Qi raised his army in Guandong;
From how Zhou Bo threatened the life of Li Shang, the Marquis of Quzhou, to the marquis's son Li Ji, to defraud his friend Lü Lu of his military token, to how Zhou Bo was able to enter the Northern Army camp with the military token, and then overturned it with the phrase "Liu favors the left".

When the Lu Rebellion broke out, Chang'an was in turmoil and the southern and northern armies fought bloody battles in the Weiyang Palace.

Later, Emperor Shaodi Liu Hong was killed in the streets of Chang'an, and Prince Dai Liu Heng succeeded to the throne, becoming Emperor Taizong Xiaowen of Han...

Empress Dowager Lü passed away in September of the autumn. By the time the Lü Rebellion was quelled and Emperor Taizong ascended the throne from Dai, it was exactly the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the first year of Emperor Taizong's reign.

To celebrate the victory of punishing the Lü clan and quelling the rebellion, every year on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, Emperor Taizong would walk out of the Weiyang Palace and onto the streets of Chang'an, hanging up lanterns and decorations to celebrate with the people.

Gradually, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which was the "victory day" of Emperor Taizong's succession to the throne, gradually became a day that people all over the world are accustomed to: the Lantern Festival.

Yuan refers to the first month of the year.

Xiao means night.

However, while the people of the world were still immersed in the joy of victory, Emperor Rong in the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City had completely calmed down from the joy brought by the "Battle of Gaoque".

The Battle of Gaoque is a rather general term.

If the Battle of Gaoque refers to the "Battle for Gaoque", then the Battle of Gaoque has indeed ended, and the Han Dynasty has achieved an undoubted and complete victory.

But in Tian Zirong's mind, the Battle of Gaoque never refers only to the "Battle for Gaoque", but should refer to the entire battle, namely: the Battle of Gaoque.

What is a battle?

It starts with both sides mobilizing their troops and even preparing for war, and ends with the war being completely over and both sides stopping their attacks.

It is obvious: the battle for Gaoque is just the beginning of the 'Gaoque Campaign'.

The Han family got off to a good start and achieved the strategic goal of the entire campaign in the first battle at the beginning of the campaign!
The high palace is about to be lowered!

But this battle is far from over.

The Huns have not yet started their counterattack, but they will definitely counterattack.

After the Han family captures Gaoque, there will be a second, a third - and even countless battles for Gaoque!

It’s just that the attacking and defending sides changed from the original Han army merit and Xiongnu defense to the Han army defense and Xiongnu merit.

Only under two circumstances will the battle for Gaoque be declared over.

First: The Huns failed to capture Gaoque after their fierce attack and gave up.

Second: The Huns recaptured Gaoque and the Han army retreated to Hetao.

There is no third possibility.

So at this moment, the Han people inside the Great Wall were celebrating and telling each other;
But outside the Great Wall - in Yunzhong north of the border wall, in Hetao in the northwest of the territory, and even in Gaoque, the Han army soldiers were busy preparing for the next battle that might break out at any time.

It was inevitable that the Huns would counterattack Gaoque.

No matter who it is, it is impossible for anyone to remain indifferent and admit defeat when their precious child is forcibly taken away by their mortal enemy.

Regardless of success or failure, regardless of whether or not they had a chance of winning, the Huns would try to counterattack out of anger or fear in an attempt to recapture Gaoque.

Therefore, the battle on the Gaoque front is far from over.

The reason why the Battle of Gaoque was defined by Emperor Rong as the "Battle of Gaoque" rather than the first "Battle for Gaoque" which had already ended was certainly because this war would not be completely limited to the Gaoque line.

Gaoque is just a dot.

Gaoque, originally controlled by the Xiongnu, posed a deterrent and threat to the Hetao region. It directly prevented the Han army from advancing northward to Munan, and also pinned down the Han army from the side, preventing it from advancing westward with all its strength.

Now, Gaoque, controlled by the Han Dynasty, in turn posed a strategic threat to the Munan area controlled by the Xiongnu.

The Huns will never give up.

For the Huns, the best choice and the best outcome would be to recapture Gaoque.

Therefore, the Huns would definitely counterattack Gaoque.

But the Huns would never counterattack only Gaoque, and no matter whether Gaoque could be recaptured or not, it was impossible for the Huns not to launch a counterattack against the Han Dynasty from other directions to vent their anger.

For example, the isolated Yunzhong City outside the Great Wall is likely to fall into the siege of the Huns again.

The unstable factors in the Hetao region may also cause chaos and turmoil in the Hetao region under the secret instigation of the Huns.

As for the Hexi region, there is no need to elaborate on it - since they are closely related to Gaoque, they will certainly do their best to try to tie down the Han army from the side to help the Huns recapture Gaoque.

Therefore, the Battle of Gaoque seemed to be mainly a battle for Gaoque, with the ownership of Gaoque being the focus of the struggle between the two sides, but in fact, the battlefield was likely to be spread across the northern part of the Han Dynasty, nearly half of the national border.

In the Hetao region, one needs to be wary of Hexi to the west, and even be careful of internal unrest.

Yunzhong City is almost certain to be besieged, and Shangjun and Daijun will have to try to lend a helping hand to Yunzhong.

Even if the Daibei Mayi line did not attract a large-scale invasion by Xiongnu cavalry, there would inevitably be small-scale invasions and looting by grassland tribes.

If the worst situation for the Xiongnu occurred, that is, Gaoque would not be able to fight, Hetao would not be in chaos, and Hexi would be basically suppressed by the Han Dynasty;
Yunzhong City has been a city that has remained unconquered for decades, so it is highly likely that it cannot be conquered.

Once all of the above situations occur, the Huns will suffer repeated defeats in the areas bordering the two sides, and in the end, it will most likely be Daibei - and even Yanbei - that will bear the wrath and strategic counterattacks of the Huns.

Therefore, for people all over the world, the Battle of Gaoque has already been won.

But for Emperor Rong, the Battle of Gaoque was merely a victory in the first "Battle for Gaoque", and the campaign was able to enter the next stage as expected by the Han family.

Next, there will be many battles for Gaoque;

In the Hetao region, there will be counter-invasion and counter-harassment against the Hexi ethnic groups - even a tug-of-war of mutual invasion.

Internally, there is a possibility of riots among the Han-controlled Hetao tribes, or even worse, it may evolve into war.

Yunzhong City will have to endure a brutal attack and defense battle.

The Daibei and Yanbei fronts may also face an imminent anti-invasion war that will break out in full swing in the spring.

And this is exactly the embarrassing situation that the Han Dynasty had to face when facing the Huns in the north.

——The northern border of the Han Dynasty is really too long.

From the Hetao in the west to Youbeiping in the east - it's nearly ten thousand miles from east to west!
Although, borders are mutual, the Han border is long, and so is the Xiongnu border;

But agricultural civilization and nomadic civilization are still different after all.

The Chinese agricultural civilization must defend the entire border.

Otherwise, if a hundred or eighty Xiongnu cavalry crossed the border and set foot on the country, there would be another riot like burning down Ganquan Palace. The cities and houses of the Chinese people could not be moved.

The monk can run away but the temple cannot. When the Huns come, we have no choice but to fight back. We have no choice but to stop the Huns outside the country and resolutely cannot let them enter the country.

But the nomadic people of the grasslands do not have so many requirements.

National border?
What is that? Is it edible?
Tasty?
As for border defense forces, let alone.

At present, most of the nomadic tribes arranged by Maodun Chanyu, the "founding king" of the Xiongnu, on the Han-Xiongnu border have become the frontier sentinels of the Han Dynasty.

When the Han army went beyond the border, these tribes might not necessarily report to the Xiongnu Chanyu's court.

But if the Huns move south, there will definitely be news that will be passed on to the border wall garrisons of the Han Dynasty by these tribes!
The reason is very simple: nomadic people - nomadic, nomadic, the emphasis is on the word "nomad".

The Xiongnu people's means of production were cattle, sheep and livestock that could be driven and moved at any time.

The Huns lived in felt tents that could be loaded and taken away at any time.

There are neither cities nor mountains on the grassland, only endless prairie and water as a scarce resource.

At a fixed time every year, there would indeed be a considerable number of Xiongnu tribes on the Xiongnu side of the Han-Xiongnu border, who could build a border defense line as soon as the Han army went out of the border.

But in the remaining six months, these areas were uninhabited areas with a radius of hundreds or thousands of miles, without any human figures or even living creatures.

Because they are a nomadic people.

The grass in this area has been eaten by cattle and sheep, so people naturally drive the cattle and sheep to chase the next piece of grass.

Who cares if you are on the border or not...

The important thing is to ensure that cattle and sheep are well fed and fattened, and produce more milk.

As for the Han Dynasty, fighting outside the borders did not offer the feasibility of seizing cities, fortresses, or expanding territory.

——They don’t have any cities for you to rob.

There is no fortress for you to attack.

It’s just a vast expanse of prairie as far as the eye can see, and there’s nothing to grab except the grass beneath your feet.

As for occupying territory?
Just take it. There is nothing here anyway. Even the grass has been eaten.

When the new grass grows, people will return to their nomadic life.

At that time, you say you have occupied the territory?

Then try to defend your territory.

There are no cities, no passes, and even no favorable terrain to be found, and there is no strategic location to defend.

The infantry occupied the territory and fought head-on with the Hun cavalry groups on the vast plains - just fight, and they will remain silent.

This is the reason why the Great Wall, a groundbreaking product, appeared in the history of human civilization.

——On the boundless grassland, an isolation line and defensive fortifications were artificially created to serve as a strategic fulcrum to support the Chinese infantry cluster.

But it is obvious that something like the Great Wall cannot be built layer by layer.

Even if a city is to be built, it requires sufficient time and a stable internal and external environment to be successful.

Therefore, throughout the dynasties of China, whenever the agricultural civilization faced the nomadic peoples of the north, it would always fall into an "asymmetric war" at the national strategic level.

I need to guard the border, you don't.

I'm afraid that you will break through the border, but you are not.

If you go deep into my territory, I will not only lose face and shake the foundation of my rule, but also suffer heavy losses and serious injuries.

If I went deep into the grassland, I wouldn't be able to find you or even bring back the grass under my feet.

In the end, you may not even be able to find the way back...

The current situation is actually a true reflection of this "strategic asymmetry".

In order to deal with the high probability - or even inevitable - counterattack from the Huns, the Han Dynasty had to arrange sufficient border garrison troops along the entire northern defense line.

It's like a long snake formation.

Even if we can focus and make choices based on the terrain and passes, we still cannot guard only one or a few places, but we have to guard all the key points on the entire border.

But if the Huns wanted to attack, they only needed to pick a place where the Han army's defense was weak, or even a place that was pleasing to the eye.

Then, he would mobilize the whole country to attack a certain point along the Han Dynasty's long border defense line.

Right now, the same applies to the Battle of Gaoque, which seems to have ended but has actually just begun.

There is no way the Han family could use all their national strength to defend a high fortress...

"Next, most likely after the beginning of spring, the Xiongnu will counterattack Gaoque."

"In the western part of Hetao, we must confront the Hexi tribe."

"In addition to the interior of the walnut, Yunzhong City in the north, Daibei, and Yanbei..."

"When autumn comes, the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting will return from the Western Expedition..."

Muttering like this, Liu Rong's hand involuntarily stroked the huge map that was hanging in the air and occupied the wall of the palace for half a year.

The Xiongnu Chanyu went westward and never returned.

From a positive perspective, it was precisely because the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting moved westward and the rear defense was relatively weak, and because the Xiongnu underestimated the enemy and overestimated the Gaoque defense line under their control, that the Han Dynasty was able to capture Gaoque so easily.

Next, the Han Dynasty still has nearly a whole year to make further efforts before the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Ting returns to Munan.

But from another perspective: Yizhixie, the Right Wise King of Munan, only had about a year left to make up for the sin of "losing Gaoque".

In the autumn, after the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Court returns, the intensity of the counterattack that the Han Dynasty needs to face will definitely increase instead of decrease...

"Hexi..."

"It's still Hexi..."

"Only by taking over Hexi can we reduce the pressure from one direction and gain more initiative..."

Looking at the area marked as "Hexi" on the map, as well as the colorful marking symbols in that area, Liu Rong felt an inexplicable sense of fatigue and uneasiness in his heart.

This is war.

It does not start with personal will, and it will never stop at the right time because of personal will.

Just like the Battle of Gaoque - whether to fight or not was up to the Han people.

But whether or not to stop, and when to stop, is no longer something that the Han family - no longer the Han Emperor Liu Rong - can control...

(End of this chapter)