If the Xiongnu had clicked Zhang Qian with a knife, maybe it would have changed history all of a sudden. But at that time, although the Han and the Xiongnu fought to the death on the battlefield, they would mostly detain the envoys on both sides.
The so-called "two countries are at war, do not cut the envoys", the root of the war lies in the plundering of resources, once the envoy is killed, it angers the other side, but it is not conducive to the negotiation between the two sides at the negotiating table.
Although Zhang Qian had a mission to unite with the Dayue clan to attack the Huns, he was caught by the Huns on the way. Although the Xiongnu did not kill him, they also threw a large number of sugar-coated shells at him, trying to corrupt Zhang Qian's will.
Zhang Qian's guy took the way of coping with the plan, and after being imprisoned by the Huns for more than ten years, he miraculously escaped. When he ran to the Dayue clan and reported the idea of the Han and the Dayue clan to jointly flank the Xiongnu to the king of the Dayue clan, he did not receive a positive response.
The Otsutsuki clan became a "Guardian of Peace", bent on letting go of the grievances of the year and continuing to lie down. In desperation, Zhang Qian could only return empty-handed.
Although Zhang Qian was caught by the Huns again on the way back, he was much stronger than when he came, and finally returned to Dahan smoothly to recover his life.
The task was not completed, and Zhang Qian could only contribute some other valuable information in order to survive. Among the many favorable news, let Emperor Wu of Han know that to the west of the Hexi Corridor, there are many countries that have not been heard.
In the southwest of China, there is also a country called body poison, which is now India.
This undoubtedly made Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty feel inspired, since there are so many countries, Liu Che thought that he could get him for a while. The reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made this decision is not that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was reckless, but that he had a larger pattern.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty no longer focused on the Xiongnu, and was determined to break through the Hexi Corridor and expand the living space while seeking more opportunities.
Once the Han Dynasty penetrated the Hexi Corridor and gained a firm foothold in the Western Regions, it could not only balance the Xiongnu, but also connect the Western Regions and open trade routes, which would not only enhance the prestige of the Han Dynasty, but also boost the economy of the Han Dynasty along the way. As it turned out, the thing was right.
Dawan in the Western Regions is rich in sweat and blood horses, if the sweat and blood horses can be armed to the cavalry troops of the Han Dynasty, then the cavalry of the Han Dynasty will be able to face the Xiongnu head-on.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty saluted first and then soldiers, and ordered the envoy to take the golden horse to establish diplomatic relations with Dawan, but he touched a nose of ashes. The king of the Great Wan Kingdom is also a strong temper, and he doesn't give face to the Han at all, which causes the two countries to have to meet each other.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, to lead the Han army on a long-distance expedition, but due to the lack of dominance of the Han army in the Western Regions, the whole process was more dependent on itself to solve the supply problem.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious and did not allow the army to withdraw, so he immediately recruited 100,000 people, replenished his troops, and killed Dawan again. The morale of the combined Han army soared, and the countries of the Western Regions also saw the dominance of the Han and changed their attitudes towards the Han one after another.
In fact, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty didn't know the consequences of the expedition, although he harvested thousands of horses, but it was not comparable to the national strength consumed for it.
The two wars marched 15,000 kilometers before and after, and the Han army made the countries of the Western Regions frightened in the first battle. This also laid the foundation for the Han Dynasty to establish the Western Regions Protectorate, and smoothly incorporated Xinjiang into China's territory.
Xinjiang's inclusion in China's territory plays an extremely important role in the country's destiny and development. First of all, in terms of geopolitics, Xinjiang is connected to the Eurasian continent and has a strong strategic depth capability.
Xinjiang is not a land of indescent of hair, but a land full of cattle and sheep, cotton, fruits, minerals and other rich feng shui treasures. The vast expanse of land to the west can also echo the coastal areas to the east, buffering each other.
Our Chinese nation is sufficient to deal with hostile forces from the coast or northwest. Occupying Xinjiang also connects the economic corridor to the west, which can advance or retreat, and come and go freely.
In order to find the poisonous country, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent people to set out from the Great Han Dynasty and carefully search for the southwest region in order to seek a breakthrough in the southwest of the empire.
In the process, the ancient Dian Kingdom in the southwest was discovered. In the late Warring States period, Qin and Chu confronted each other, and in the end, the state of Chu was defeated by the state of Qin in the west.
These Chu people, who expanded their territory to the southwest, lost the meaning of returning. The leading generals simply did not do anything, and built a country at Dianchi Lake and became king.
Later, the Central Plains region was in turmoil, but the Dian Kingdom developed and grew in the southwest region, and existed until the Western Han Dynasty during the Warring States Period. Originally, the Dian Kingdom would not have suffered the disaster of annihilation, but after hearing the news that the Han Dynasty army was going to borrow from the Dian Kingdom, they actually closed the road and did not allow the Han Dynasty envoys to continue to advance.
In this way, the king of Dian became a stumbling block to the advance of the Han army, and the envoy of the Han went to theorize, but he was even asked by the king of Dian: Is the Han bigger than my Dian country?
Originally, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted to go to Chang'an to see who was bigger between the Han and the Dian Kingdom, but the Dian King gathered a crowd to invade the Han Dynasty, and was finally exterminated by Liu Che's troops, and the Dian Kingdom became history, and Yunnan was also included in the territory of China.
Yunnan also has a strong geographical advantage, through which it can carry out trade activities with Southeast Asia, and is the only way to enter the Central Plains in the southwest.
Similarly, Yunnan can also serve as a strategic depth in the hinterland of the Central Plains Dynasty. Similar to Xinjiang, Yunnan is known as the spring city, with four seasons like spring, abundant products, and good climate resources, making Yunnan a place of yearning for the world.
The importance of these two places to China is self-evident, as an extension of the traditional Central Plains culture, and as a bridge connecting Asia, Europe and Southeast Asia.
In terms of strategic depth, it also provided sufficient guarantees, just look at the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army struggled in the land of China for 8 years, and there are still seven or eight provinces that have not been captured, including Tibet.
I have to say that the general pattern of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made Tibet a war-ready province, which has benefited us to this day.
Although at that time, the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty were criticized for their "large-scale" consumption of national strength, but facts have proved that these things they did were indeed a great cause that would benefit the future generations.