In the previous period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, because the Han Dynasty went through the famous "Wenjing Rule" period, which led to the comparison of the strength of the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, some subtle changes occurred, and the Han Dynasty could almost sit on an equal footing with the Xiongnu and rule the world together.
After the reign of Wen Jing of the Han Dynasty, the economy and military jumped to the xiongnu
After the young Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, he gradually had the courage to say nothing to the Xiongnu, so the Xiongnu side increased the invasion of the han dynasty's borders, hoping that the Han dynasty could continue to accommodate the various demands of the Xiongnu.
After Emperor Wu of Han succeeded to the throne and took power, he was reluctant to join the Xiongnu
Emperor Wu of han then relied on his strong national strength to begin preparations for war, and after the Xiongnu repeatedly broke their faith and betrayed their righteousness, they first launched the Battle of Mayi in Southern Mo and recovered the important Hetao area, and soon after, they launched the Battle of Hexi, recovered the Hexi Corridor, opened up the road to the Western Regions, and prepared the beginning for future exchanges and management of the Western Regions.
Huo Fuyi, Li Guang, Wei Qing and others fought hard to regain the western part of the Mo'nan River
However, this only lifted the military pressure of the Xiongnu on the surrounding areas of the Han Dynasty, and after the Xiongnu retreated to the north of the desert, they still retained their strong combat effectiveness and could make a comeback after rest! At that time, it will become more and more intensely intruding the Han Dynasty! In addition, the large number of old Xiongnu troops who surrendered within the Han Dynasty could not guarantee that they would not pursue the old lords to rebel against the Han Dynasty! Although many small countries in the western region like the prosperous civilization of the Han Dynasty and follow the Han Dynasty, if they encounter the threat of the Xiongnu, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not surrender to the Northern Xiongnu again, for the sake of the Han Dynasty!
What are the two terms Mo nan and Mo Bei? It is named according to geographical characteristics, originally, in the vast area north of Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia in China, there is a vast desolate desert area called "Desert"! The vast area south of this great desert is called "Mo Nan", and the vast area north is called "Mo Bei", which is today northern Mongolia and the Siberian region of Russia! It is a long way from the Han Dynasty, the concept of the Central Plains.
The Battle of Mobei of the Han Dynasty was long and expensive
The Han Dynasty still decided to pursue the remnants of the Xiongnu in the north of the desert! Since the middle is a vast desert area, there is no military food supply! So, it's an expensive war! The Han Dynasty divided its troops into two routes, one was Huo Fuyi commanding 50,000 cavalry, the other was Wei Qing commanding 50,000 cavalry, of which the famous general Li Guang also participated in the battle, and the infantry and logistics grain transport personnel totaled hundreds of thousands! There are several times more logistical support personnel than front-line combatants! You can see how hard the war is!
Due to the strong national strength and full preparation of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty still won a difficult victory in the counterattack of the Xiongnu in the north of the desert, and an army of Wei Qing fought against Yi Zhishan Yu, won a great victory, almost completely annihilated the other army, obtained a large amount of material supplies for the Xiongnu, and won a glorious victory. Huo went sick and an army was even more severe, pursuing and killing the elite Xiongnu troops Zuo Xian Wangbu all the way, as long as he could destroy the main force of the Xiongnu of Zuo Xian's army, the Xiongnu would definitely be devastated from then on, and would no longer harm the Han Dynasty! Hodge disease did it! Almost completely annihilated the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's department! Killed countless high-ranking Xiongnu officials, captured 3 kings alive, captured 83 high-ranking officials such as generals, Xiangguo, and Duwei alive, and since then, the Xiongnu have really collapsed, withdrawn from the stage of history, and have never invaded the Han Dynasty on a large scale!
However, the fleeing Xiongnu head Ofi Shan Yu and Zuo Xian Wang, were not caught, and the Han Dynasty or Banshi returned to the Dynasty, why is this? Is this considered to be the failure to conquer the desert north?
At that time, the situation was: Wei Qing and Huo Quyi defeated the main force of the Xiongnu Mobei, which is certain, and seized the old nest of the Xiongnu Mobei King's Court and the Treasury of Money and Grain, which is also certain, but it was also an objective fact that Yi Zhishan Yu and Zuo Xian Himself were not captured, which is also an objective fact, because the local geographical environment is too broad and too desolate, and the climate is facing too cold risks to conduct carpet searches.
Shortly after the Han Dynasty defeated the main Xiongnu force in northern Mobei, Banshi returned to the dynasty
On the other hand, since the Xiongnu's royal court and treasury had been destroyed by the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu threat to the Han Dynasty had been lifted, the Han Dynasty did not spend a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to capture the leader, to do such a thing of little significance, and also wanted to take the opportunity to show the Han Dynasty's gentle policy and win the local people's hearts.
In the handling of the aftermath, it also shows that Wei Qing, Huo Went ill is very capable, after Wei Qing destroyed the Xiongnu royal court and the treasury, the money and grain materials of the treasury were rewarded to the three armies, including some of the soldiers and civilians who surrendered from the Xiongnu, which made the Xiongnu internal military and civilians more supportive of the Han Dynasty, and then contacted the nearby Eastern Hu small countries that were also bullied by the Xiongnu, let them monitor the Xiongnu, and then banshi returned to the dynasty, such an arrangement, not only reasonable, but also prevented the Xiongnu from rising again in the desert north, and also left the local people with the Han Dynasty friendly, Reasonable impressions.
After the Wei Qingbu destroyed the Treasury of the Xiongnu King's Court, he rewarded the soldiers and civilians with praise
Huo Was also very capable, and after destroying the main Xiongnu force Zuo Xian Wangbu, he also held a famous "Sealing Wolf Juxu" ceremony, which was a cultural activity, and then pardoned all the Xiongnu people who fought with him!
What does it mean to "seal the wolf juxu mountain"? This is similar to the "Taishan Feng zen" of the Central Plains Dynasty, the emperor climbed Mount Taishan to pray for blessings, and then rewarded the military and the people, and the morale was greatly boosted, which has a deep cultural heritage! The Xiongnu here "Wolf Juxu Mountain" is equivalent to the Taishan of the Central Plains Dynasty, because the Huns are nomadic peoples and have the belief in wolf totems, so this mountain is regarded as the place where the sacred wolf king lives, and it is a sacred place to communicate between heaven and earth!
Now, Huo went to the sick mountain to worship, representing respect for the local culture, but also showed the Xiongnu people that the Han Dynasty destroyed the Xiongnu, it was a natural will, not a human will, and it resonated in the hearts of the local Xiongnu people! Hostility to the Han Dynasty army was eliminated.
Huo went ill after annihilating the main force of the Xiongnu and respected the culture to seal the wolf Juxu
Due to the deep penetration of the lone army, the long battle line, the difficulty of military supplies, and the risk of sudden climate change, the danger of the Xiongnu invading the border of the Han Dynasty was solved, so Wei Qing and Huo Zhiyi led the army to return to the dynasty to resume their lives.
Therefore, the Han Dynasty's defeat of the Xiongnu was not about conquest, but about being reasonable and subduing people with virtue!