Most of the elders here were born in Peixian County in the Yangtze River Basin. Many of them have only fought from Guandong to Guanzhong and back to Guandong in their entire lives. They have never set foot on the land north of the Yellow River, let alone the land of Yanzhao in the north, or even the Huns. The base camp is Mobei Grassland;
Even well-informed people such as Zhang Liang, Han Xin, Xiao He and others have only heard of the Xiongnu in their lives, but have never really dealt with them.
The emperor's question stunned everyone present, and the hall suddenly became silent.
It looked like this was going to be a long discussion. Several Xiao Huangmen who were good at observing people took advantage of this opportunity to place lacquer-eared cups filled with hot tea on the copper table in front of everyone.
Everyone stared at the ear cup and was silent for a long time. It was the new Zhao King Zhang Ao who spoke first,
"I have followed my father in Zhao for many years. Although I have never come into close contact with the Huns, I am always prepared for the border because of the border, and I have a little understanding of them.
The Xiongnu are also an ancient tribe. According to legend, they can be traced back to the Xia Hou clan in ancient times, and they can also be regarded as survivors of the Xia Dynasty.
Later generations have various names for them, including some called Shanrong, some called 烃狁 (xiǎn yǔn), and some called Hun porridge. "
"What? Are they actually the remnants of the Xia Dynasty? So, they are humans, not half-humans and half-animals?" Fan Kuai interrupted.
"It's a person, it's a person." Zhang Cang whispered to him, "Please listen patiently."
Zhang Ao glanced at Fan Kuai and continued,
"What the general said is true. The Huns are also human beings. It's just that they grew up in the vast grasslands north of Yinshan Mountain. They make a living by hunting and herding. They live in pursuit of water and grass. They have no fixed place and move from time to time."
"No fixed place to live? So, they don't have a city or a fortress?"
"Yes." Zhang Ao nodded and said loudly,
“We Han people live in houses and pavilions, while the Huns live in felt tents, which can be erected and dismantled at any time and anywhere.
I have an old servant in my family who was taken captive by the Huns for several years. According to him, he once saw the Chanyu's felt tent from a distance. It was really huge and as grand as the main hall of a wealthy Han family.
But even a large felt tent can be dismantled in just two sticks of incense, and the pieces of felt can be rolled up and transported on horseback or camelback, which is very convenient.
Wherever the water and grass are more plentiful in the prairie, they move their families with their cattle, sheep, horses, and camels. "
Everyone listened to his vivid words and couldn't help but raise their heads to look at the palace where they were. They saw carved beams and painted pillars, eight dimensions and nine corners, tall and majestic.
Everyone tried their best to imagine the scene of a yurt of the same size, suddenly standing in the wind-swept desert thousands of miles away, and then completely disappearing, and they had a better understanding of the Huns' flexibility.
"Hey, cows, sheep, horses, plus camels, that's the four animals. What's the other animal among the five?" Fan Kuai suddenly interrupted.
"Sheep can be divided into two types: goats and sheep. These are the two animals." Zhang Cang slowly stretched out two fingers.
"Goats produce a lot of milk and are easy to feed, and sheep produce a lot of wool. They are both necessary livestock for grassland life."
Everyone was suddenly enlightened, but Liu Ji was playing with the jade in his hand, his eyes wandering, but what he was thinking in his heart was that such a scattered enemy did not even have a fixed stronghold. If our Han army wanted to take the initiative to attack, there would be no way. It is different from finding a needle in a haystack in the vast grassland.
Unless some spies can be sent deep into the Huns' royal court to get first-hand information on their movement.
***
Xiao He has been busy preparing for the affairs of the county and the country in recent days, and he is most concerned about the people's livelihood. He asked hurriedly,
"Then, don't they farm? What do they usually eat?"
"They do farm, but the cultivated land is only distributed near the border with the Han people, and most of the farmers are Han people who were robbed. For example, my old servant was taken away to farm.
The Huns' daily diet consisted mainly of livestock meat and dairy products. They wore leather and slept in felt furs, so they had little demand for food. "
Dried meat and dried milk are the best to ward off hunger. Han Xin, who listened quietly without saying a word, originally planned to stay out of the matter, but instead made calculations in his mind like a conditioned reflex. This shows that when the Huns marched and fought, they probably did not need to be like the Han people. , carrying large amounts of supplies.
The grassland is sparsely populated and stretches as far as the eye can see. Horses are really galloping. How can the Han army supply its reserve military supplies?
Liu Ji stared at Zhang Ao for a long time, then sighed with half admiration and half regret, and said,
"If your father were still alive, he would have a different opinion.
Among you people, Zhang Cang is one of you who has truly experienced the power of the Huns. You are still young. Although you only talk about it on paper and hearsay, you are still half of them.
Liu Jing dared to offer suggestions, but he had only a half-knowledge and a half-knowledge.
There is also an old man who is familiar with the inside story, but it is King Zang Tu of Yan. Unfortunately, he is ill and cannot come, cough. "
There was silence in the hall, and everyone felt that it was a bit tricky. Fighting requires knowing oneself and the enemy. The brave generals in front of them seemed to be walking at night blindfolded.
Lu Pheasant listened attentively and curled his lips slightly without being noticed. These Huns were very similar to the Turks who lived next door to the Tang Dynasty nine hundred years later. They seemed to have the same origin.
And she has a lot of experience in dealing with Turks.
***
Zhang Liang asked,
"What language do they speak? Is there a court? How is the official etiquette system set up?"
Zhang Ao shook his head and said he didn't know. Zhang Cang took the question with a wry smile.
“The Xiongnu had no written language, so all matters, big or small, were passed down by word of mouth.
They are loosely organized and usually run their own affairs as small tribes. I only know that the largest leader of the Xiongnu is called the Chanyu, and there are left and right kings and generals one level below.
The royal court of Shan Yu is equivalent to our imperial court, and the kings and generals on the left and right are similar to our vassal states.
Seven years ago, Maodun Shanyu killed his father and became independent, and eliminated the old enemies in the royal court. Then he destroyed Donghu, attacked the Yueshi, and unified all the grassland tribes. He was unstoppable. I believe everyone has heard of it. "
"This Maodun Chanyu is young and behaves so viciously and immorally. How can the Huns still respect him as a Chanyu?"
Sun Tong, the great Confucian uncle, couldn't help but ask. In the Central Plains culture, parricide was a treasonous and perverse crime.
“The Huns value the strong and the strong, but despise the old and the weak. Whoever can lead them to victory in the war is a great hero.
The crime of patricide is not a serious crime in their eyes. "
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, finding it difficult to understand the etiquette and morality followed by the Huns. Shusun Tong even shook his head repeatedly and muttered, "You are really a Yi Di, a Yi Di!"
Liu Ji asked confusedly,
"I remember that more than ten years ago, the First Emperor sent General Meng Tian to expel the Huns from Henan. Why have they frequently invaded the border in recent years?"
Zhang Cang thought for a moment and seemed to hesitate, but Liu Jing said word by word,
"Back to Your Majesty, there are two reasons for this.
First, the climate in Mobei has been abnormal in the past two years. Although it is warmer than before, there are sudden heavy snowstorms in spring from time to time, and the snow is often several feet deep.
The Huns were caught off guard, and their livestock often died of starvation and freezing. When there was a famine, they would go south to rob.
Sometimes three or five families would gather together and gather a dozen men to attack in small groups; sometimes hundreds of horses would plunder on a large scale under the leadership of various kings. "
Lu Pheasant beside the emperor nodded slightly, that's right. She remembered that Tai Shigong wrote that the Xiongnu tribe "follows the animals if they are tolerant, because they make a living by shooting and hunting animals", and "the people are accustomed to war and invade in order to make a living". When things are going well, they live peacefully. Once they are in danger, they invade and plunder.
"As for the second point," Liu Jing also calmed down and secretly glanced at the emperor's face.
"To be disrespectful, Meng Tian only drove the Huns farther away, but they controlled their horses like the wind and came and went freely on the grassland.
We have been fighting here for eight years and have no time to take care of the border. The Huns have slowly encroached and regained Henan. At present, their power may have reached Jinyang, and they are actually facing a confrontation between the north and the south.
I boldly predicted that the Huns would continue to invade and plunder, which would become the norm in the future. "
