My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 536: The Plan of Extermination

Liu Rong was not at all surprised by Li Ji's statement that he "could not defeat an enemy who was determined to drag things out and engage in a protracted struggle."

Not only was Liu Rong not surprised, but everyone in the hall was also not surprised.

These are all very simple principles; they are easy to understand once you think about them and easy to comprehend at a glance.

However, Wei Qing's initiative to speak on this occasion not only surprised Liu Rong, but also drew the attention of everyone in the hall.

Wei Qing's current position is Wei of the Central Chariot Guard, concurrently serving as Cavalry Commander.

Among them, the former were officials under the Crown Prince's palace, and those in charge of the Crown Prince's carriages and ceremonial guards: people under the command of the Central Chariot Commander.

Take Liu Rong as an example—Liu Rong's position as the Chief of the Imperial Carriage during his time as Crown Prince was equivalent to the current position of Eunuch: Kui Wu.

Further back, the traitor Zhao Gao also held this position, but in the Qin court at that time, the position of the Chief Chariot Officer had little to do with the Crown Prince or the Crown Prince's palace.

It is not hard to see from this that the Central Chariot Guard, to put it nicely, was the ceremonial guard for the Crown Prince when he traveled, but to put it bluntly, it was just a figurehead who obeyed the orders of the Crown Prince's chief eunuch.

Especially now that Liu Rong is no longer the crown prince and the crown prince's palace is in a state of being without a master, Wei Qing's position as "the one who commands the central carriage" has become even less meaningful.

Another position, Cavalry General, also sounds impressive, and it's even Liu Rong trying to glorify this historical Marquis of Changping.

—In the Han Dynasty today, there is no official title such as 'Cadre General'.

The Zhonglang group never distinguished between cavalry Zhonglang and infantry Zhonglang, but was uniformly referred to as: Zhonglang.

Those who could add the character "骑" before "中郎" were not the Zhonglang group who came to Chang'an to study and gain experience as military reserve cadres, but rather relatively ordinary: Qilang.

Also known as a mounted attendant.

They may sound impressive and look glamorous, but their actual status may not be that high.

—Because in the Han Dynasty at that time, officials could be 'bought'.

From middle-class families with a fortune of 100,000 coins to so-called "Su Feng" families with a fortune of 2 million coins, all could pay tribute to buy an opportunity for their sons, nephews, or even themselves to become court officials and serve the emperor.

Among them, the Qilang is indeed the one with the highest threshold and the most expensive price.

But frankly speaking, how high can the threshold be for an official position that can be bought with money?
Even if it's expensive, how can it possibly have a high actual status?

Understanding these points, we can then examine Wei Qing's status as a member of the Imperial Guard and a cavalry officer, combined with the fact that he was born into the Pingyang Marquis's household and was originally a slave. This gives us a glimpse into his background.

The fact that CRRC was affiliated with Wei Qing can be seen as a sign of Liu Rong's closeness and respect for Wei Qing.

As for the position of "Qilang," it is the highest-ranking and most respectable title that Liu Rong can currently offer Wei Qing.

Even so, these two identities and positions—and even the identity of 'a person from the Pingyang Marquis's residence' combined—were far from enough to make Wei Qing speak up in such a meeting and in such an occasion without being asked or granted permission to speak.

In fact, Liu Rong invited the future Marquis of Changping to this meeting not because he really wanted the young Wei Qing to give him advice, but simply because he wanted Wei Qing to experience the atmosphere and, incidentally, learn about these future events.

After all, more than a decade later, the Han dynasty's strategic affairs would largely depend on this Marquis of Changping, as well as another genius rarely seen throughout history.

Liu Rong invited Wei Qing to attend the meeting primarily to experience the atmosphere beforehand, to participate in such a national-level strategic conference from the perspective of the participants, and to gain some understanding of the country's future strategies.

Although they and the others did not know what Liu Rong was thinking, they were clear that Liu Rong had never been a person who acted erratically or thought things out of turn.

Even if Liu Rong really wanted to let a nobody like Wei Qing speak at today's meeting, he would never allow Wei Qing to have such a big problem with etiquette.

From this moment, Liu Rong's expression shifted, half surprised, half doubtful, with a hint of expectation but also an instinctive sense of dissatisfaction. It was not difficult for everyone in the hall to see that this was not a charade arranged by Liu Rong, but rather that the young man named Wei Qing had actually inadvertently interrupted the meeting.

Logically speaking, someone like that, interrupting at such a meeting, would at least barely survive, if not lose their life.

After a brief moment of surprise, Liu Rong beckoned to Wei Qing with a half-smile, signaling Wei Qing to come forward.

Then, looking at the others in the hall, he introduced, "My young tiger, Wei Qing, comes from the Pingyang Marquis's mansion."

The introduction was quite brief, yet it effortlessly resolved Wei Qing's predicament.

—This is my man!

Realizing the unspoken meaning in Liu Rong's words, the people in the hall instinctively exchanged glances.

She instinctively wanted to greet Wei Qing, but realized that the difference in their status was too great, so she simply nodded slightly with a smile, which was enough to greet Wei Qing.

As for Wei Qing's remarks, no one paid any attention to them.

Military issues, especially those at the national strategic level, cannot be resolved with mere enthusiasm.

It's not about shouting "fight to the death, never retreat" or "I'd rather die than surrender," or like Wei Qing just now, saying "strength can overcome all techniques" to quickly cut through the mess and solve the problem.

Especially now, the Xiongnu have begun a strategic retreat and have started to 'avoid war' to some extent, shifting the potential friction points between the Han and Xiongnu from the Gaoque-Munan line to the distant Western Regions.

This caused the Han dynasty, which had gradually gained strategic advantages and initiative in recent years, to lose some of its strategic advantages due to the Xiongnu's deliberate avoidance of war.

If the Xiongnu were to achieve their goal and shift the battlefield between the Han and Xiongnu from their borders to the distant Western Regions, the Han would undoubtedly be the one suffering more.

Because when faced with two equally powerful nations, the weaker party is definitely the one that does not want war to break out on their borders.

For example, the Han people of the past, and the Xiongnu people of today.

This is certainly because wars that occur on the border are highly likely to evolve into wars of expansion by the stronger party and resistance against aggression by the weaker party. In the past, the Han dynasty did not want wars to break out with the Xiongnu on the Han-Xiongnu border, or rather, on the northern border wall of the Han dynasty.

For the Han people at that time, any conflict with the Xiongnu on the border was a war to defend their homeland and a war against aggression.

From the perspective of victory and defeat, the Han dynasty had both wins and losses.

But from a realistic perspective of 'total loss,' when war breaks out on your land and your country becomes a battlefield, you have already lost.

All that's left is the question of how much to lose.

Therefore, the Han dynasty's decades-long practice of marriage alliances was aimed at minimizing friction, at least avoiding large-scale armed conflict, or even the outbreak of war.

Because the Han dynasty at that time did not have any strategic initiative, it could only passively accept the reality that "as long as a war breaks out, the battlefield will inevitably be within the territory of the Han dynasty".

Now, times have changed. The strategic positions of both the Han and Xiongnu have undergone an almost complete reversal.

Although the Xiongnu could still rely on the mobility of their cavalry to freely attack and harass certain locations along the northern border of the Han Dynasty, from a national strategic perspective, where to fight was no longer up to the Xiongnu.

Especially after the change of rulers of Gaoque, the entire southern part of the Mu region was exposed to the military threat of the Han dynasty, and the Hexi region was unlikely to receive support from the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu's court. The Han dynasty had already seized absolute strategic initiative.

However, after the Xiongnu strategically contracted and shifted their strategic center westward, the situation underwent some subtle changes.

The Xiongnu wanted to regain the initiative on 'where to fight' through strategic contraction and a shift in strategic focus, and to move the main battlefield to the Western Regions, thousands of miles away from the Han Dynasty.

Once the Han dynasty is deeply mired in the Western Regions, its supply lines stretching thousands of miles, along with its near-absent strategic control over the region, will inevitably erode all of the strategic advantages and initiative the Han dynasty currently enjoys on the Han-Xiongnu border.

Although the Xiongnu's management of the Western Regions was not particularly secure, it was still far superior to that of the Han Dynasty, which had never set foot in the Western Regions.

Furthermore, the starkly different logistical supply strategies of agricultural and nomadic civilizations were enough to cause the Han people, who were now increasingly showing their strength, to suffer a crushing defeat in the Western Regions.

Some might ask: Why should we let the Huns lead us by the nose?
Why should we fall for the Xiongnu's trick and follow them on their strategic relocation to the distant Western Regions to compete?
"The Xiongnu might not necessarily hold out to the death in the south of the Great Wall."

After a long silence, Han Tuidang, the most authoritative expert on the Xiongnu and cavalry in the Han Dynasty, spoke up.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Han Tuidang couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

"Back in the Qin Dynasty, the Donghu, the overlords of the grasslands, were trapped in the northern deserts, and the nomadic people dared not go south to graze their horses."

“Even though the Hetao, Hexi, and even Munan were not controlled by the Donghu people, it did not affect the Donghu people’s status as ‘masters of the grasslands’ in the slightest.”

"Now, the Xiongnu people dominate the grasslands. Although they have lost the Hetao and Gaoque areas, and the Hexi Corridor is about to fall out of Xiongnu control, the southern part of the Mu region and the northern part of the Gobi Desert are still under Xiongnu control."

"—This is already much better than the Donghu people of the past."

“Especially in Mu Nan, although it is no longer an absolutely safe rear area for the Xiongnu after our Han dynasty took control of Gao Que, if our Han dynasty wants to take it by force, it will inevitably pay an extremely heavy price in terms of casualties.”

···
"besides."

"The Donghu people, who once occupied the northern desert, were already the overlords of the grasslands."

"Now, the Xiongnu have gone beyond the northern desert and southern desert, and have also opened up the Western Regions and many other places further west."

“Even if they lose Mu Nan, the Xiongnu can simply do what any nomadic people would do—easily pack up the Chanyu’s royal tent and then migrate westward.”

"When our Han people fight against the nomadic people, the ultimate goal is to defeat them, not to occupy their territory."

“Once the main force of the Xiongnu court moves westward, or even directly regards the Western Regions as their new ‘southern border,’ it will probably take the Han people more than twenty or thirty years, or even fifty years, to get rid of the Xiongnu.”

After saying this, Han Tuidang couldn't help but give Wei Qing a look that wasn't malicious, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

It's as if it's saying: Young man, you're still too young.

There's still a lot you don't know~
Sensing Han Tuidang's 'goodwill'—yes, that's right, for Wei Qing now, for a high-ranking general like Han Tuidang to not harbor hostility towards him is already a great act of goodwill.

Sensing this kindness, Wei Qing simply bowed silently as a gesture of thanks.

Then, he looked intently at Emperor Liu Rong on the imperial couch.

Wei Qing was indeed a bit reckless just now.

Although Liu Rong didn't take it to heart and even helped Wei Qing out of the predicament, it didn't mean that Wei Qing could be presumptuous and boastful a second time.

Wei Qing was waiting.

They were waiting for a glance from Liu Rong, or a word of permission.

It's like a soldier full of fighting spirit, waiting for the general to give the final order to charge.

Then, on the imperial couch, Emperor Liu Rong pondered for a long time before finally taking a deep breath.

"That's enough..."

"If anything truly happens, I'll swallow my pride and protect my Marquis of Changping once again..."

Thinking this, Liu Rong sighed softly and gave Wei Qing an encouraging look.

At the same time, Wei Qing hurriedly bowed and then turned to the side, bowing to the people in the hall to apologize for his previous rudeness.

After all, he was Emperor Liu Rong's 'confidant' personally acknowledged, and now that he was willing to apologize, the people in the hall naturally had no reason to hold a grudge.

Then Wei Qing took a deep breath, and then, with a look of grim determination, began to explain his views.

"Your subject dares to speak."

"The reason why our Han dynasty's victory over the Xiongnu is neither a great triumph nor a minor loss lies primarily in our territory!"

“The Xiongnu invaded southward, and although they had no intention of seizing our Han land, they often burned, killed, and looted, turning our fertile land into scorched earth overnight.”

"On the other hand, even though our Han people occasionally venture beyond the Great Wall, and have no intention of venturing into the grasslands, they are completely unable to cause any substantial damage to the lands of the Xiongnu."

"When the Han army marches beyond the Great Wall, the grasslands remain grasslands; when the army returns south to the border, the grasslands will still be grasslands."

···
"If I were a Xiongnu, I probably wouldn't feel the slightest fear at the sight of the Han army stepping onto the grasslands."

"At worst, we can just run away for now. Anyway, the Han army will leave sooner or later, and the grasslands will eventually return to the hands of the nomads. Why should we fight the Han army head-on?"

"Therefore, I believe that the best way to deal with the Xiongnu and nomadic people is to treat them the same way they treat themselves!"

"Just as they ravaged our northern border, we must ensure that every grassland trodden by our Han soldiers will never again grow water and grass, and will never again be used for nomadic herding!"

"Only in this way will the Xiongnu people and nomadic people be bound by their own land, instead of migrating across the grasslands at will."

“As long as the nomads don’t wander off, they are nothing more than bandits and brigands scattered across the grasslands, each numbering in the thousands.”

"Nothing to fear!"

(End of this chapter)