Famous generals of the Warring States Period, such as Lian Po, Le Yi, Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Tian Ji, Sun Bin, Pang Juan and others, were all clever and clever in their plans. But few people are like Li Mu, who can remain calm in the face of danger when the storm is coming and the building is about to collapse. He can be said to be invincible in resourcefulness, unparalleled in benevolence and justice, and unparalleled in bravery. After possessing these three, Li Mu can integrate political affairs with the road of life. As a whole, through the beginning and end, achieving the so-called realm of enlightenment and application.
Before introducing Li Mu, it is necessary to make some calculations about the situation in the north at that time.
According to Sima Qian's records in "Historical Records", in the second half of the 3rd century BC, the Xiongnu had begun to become a relatively unified and powerful nation. Shanyu led this powerful nation-state, and its status was equivalent to that of the Central Plains. The emperor of the region. Under the Chanyu, there are two largest official positions, namely King Tuqi, which means the wise king of the left and the right. King Zuo Xian is generally the successor of the Xiongnu Chanyu and lives east of the Chanyu's tent. The Right Xian King corresponds to it and lives in the west. In addition, the Huns also formed certain official positions and levels, such as King Guli of the left and right, generals of the left and right, captains of the left and right, and dadang of the left and right. Hu, the left and right Guduhou, then the captain of thousands, the captain of hundreds, and the captain of ten. This was a major advance for the Xiongnu from cultural similarity to centralization of power. This nomadic people is organized like an army when marching, and the place they always like to attack and plunder is the rich and vast southern Central Plains region.
The Xiongnu have always been known as a people on horseback. The tribe's horseback riding skills are already superior to those of the Central Plains Chinese. Coupled with the mobility of the cavalry and their skilled bow and arrow skills, the dynasties in the Central Plains region have a headache when facing them. In the past, King Wuling of Zhao learned how to ride and shoot in Hufu, which enabled Zhao Jun to become the first-class military group in Yunei. It was also because of this that Zhao Kingdom reached the peak of its life.
At that time, in addition to Zhao, the countries bordering the Xiongnu tribe in the north included Qin in the west and Yan in the east.
As early as the time of King Wuling of Zhao, the State of Zhao led an army to defeat the Loufan and Linhu tribes, and built an army from Dai County (now Yuxian County, Hebei Province) through the southern foot of the Yinshan Mountains to Gaojue (now the western end of the Yinshan Mountains). On the Great Wall, Daijun, Yunzhongjun (now Yulin, Shaanxi), Yanmenjun (now north of Ningwu in northwest Shanxi) and other counties were established.
The Yan State mainly relied on General Qin Kai, who once led the Yan State's heroic cavalry to defeat the Donghu tribe and forced them to evacuate to the north for more than a thousand miles. In order to prevent the Xiongnu tribe from invading again, the Yan State also spared no effort to build the Great Wall from Zaoyang (today's Huailai, Hebei) to Xiangping (today's Liaoyang, Liaoning), and established Yuyang (today's Miyun, Beijing), Youbeiping (today's Miyun, Beijing) and Counties such as Pingquan, Hebei), Liaodong (now Liaoyang, Liaoning), Shanggu (now Huailai, Hebei) and other counties guarded the border and settled the people.
The Qin State, mainly during the period when Empress Dowager Xuan was in power, relied on beauty tactics and Bai Qi's bravery to finally define the canal in one fell swoop, starting from Longxi (now Longxi, Gansu) and then passing through Beidi (now Ningxian, Gansu). Shangjun (now Suide, Shaanxi Province) built the Great Wall stretching for thousands of miles, thus most effectively preventing the old tribes of Yiqu State from escaping north and further invading the northern Huns tribe.
Most of the tribes defended by the countries mentioned earlier are a branch of the Xiongnu in a broad sense. Many of them were also Chineseized in this process, making them similar to the people of the Central Plains. The real Xiongnu Empire continued to grow stronger while other tribes were jointly resisted by the Central Plains countries and gradually weakened.
Li Mu's birth year is unknown, and he was born in Zhao Guobai (now Xingtai, Hebei). As early as the period of King Zhao Huiwen, Li Mu had grown into an outstanding general who was suspicious of being alone. The Huns seemed to be in conflict with Li Mu. As Li Mu grew up, the Huns gradually became stronger and stronger, and often sent troops to invade Zhao's northern border. However, King Zhao Huiwen could only send Li Mu to lead the army, relying on the Great Wall and border fortresses built by Zhao to defend the border. The enemy is stationed in Daidi.
Li Mu knew what a terrifying group of enemies he was facing. There was even a rumor among the frontier fortress that there were people among the Huns who drank blood. This was even more abominable and terrifying than the powerful Qin in the west who beheaded people to gain military merit.
Therefore, the first thing Li Mu did when guarding the border was to stabilize the morale of the troops and boost morale. In this regard, Li Mu adopted a relatively simple method. He ordered people to kill a few cows every day to reward the sergeants who had made meritorious service in the army. This not only allows the sergeants to fight the enemy more bravely, but also allows them to see their own thoughts. At the same time, Li Mu also personally taught the sergeants the art of riding and archery, setting an example for generals to be close to ordinary sergeants. The entire Zhao army was happy and harmonious.
Of course, the prerequisite for achieving all this is that Li Mu has sufficient military expenditures. In fact, as early as the beginning of Li Mu's border garrison, King Zhao gave Li Mu the privilege of setting up officials and appointing subordinates without asking for instructions according to the needs of the war. Moreover, the land rent and tax standards for the land were all determined by Li Mu, and the income he turned over did not need to be paid. If you worship King Zhao, you can control it yourself. In this way, as long as Li Mu can successfully resist the invasion and plunder of the Huns, it will basically not be a problem to be self-sufficient.
Undoubtedly, this was a strategy Li Mu formulated based on the different characteristics of the Xiongnu army after careful consideration. In order to strengthen the defense, Li Mu completed the beacon towers on the Great Wall defense line and sent elite soldiers and generals to guard it day and night. At the same time, he sent a large number of scout horses to detect the movements of the Xiongnu army and prevent sneak attacks by the Xiongnu army.
Li Mu knew that relying on these alone was not enough. Even if Zhao Jun had a strong intelligence network and a complete defense system, if the Xiongnu army really came, relying on its wind-and-wind combat style, what would be left to Zhao Jun The reaction time is actually very little. They came only to grab supplies, not to occupy land. Therefore, Li Mu made an agreement with the soldiers and civilians on the border that once the Xiongnu invaded, all the walls would be fortified and the country would be cleared to show the enemy's weakness, thereby paralyzing the enemy and preventing the enemy from obtaining their own supplies, thus creating opportunities for the Zhao army to annihilate the Xiongnu army.
Therefore, every time the Xiongnu army came, the beacon tower would sound the alarm. Without Li Mu's order, everyone packed up their belongings and retreated to the city according to the agreement. No matter how much the Xiongnu army scolded the formation, the Zhao army just couldn't hold on. The Xiongnu had a thankless task. Over the years, this strategy gradually showed its wisdom. The Xiongnu spent a lot of manpower and material resources, but did not obtain any food and grass. Kill half the enemy.
However, over time, this strategy also showed its shortcomings. Although Zhao Jun had the effect of showing weakness to the enemy, King Zhao and ordinary sergeants of Zhao State did not really understand Li Mu's superb skills. Even on the border, Zhao soldiers gathered in small groups and talked privately, thinking that Li Mu was timid and timid, and they felt aggrieved.
When the general is out, military orders are not obeyed. The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing, and no matter how wise the king is, it is difficult for him to fully understand the good intentions of his generals. In order to win the war, one has to adapt to the situation and cannot obey the king's obviously wrong decision.
After King Zhao Xiaocheng came to the throne, he didn't understand why Li Mu had been unable to hold on. In his eyes, Li Mu's move was undoubtedly a meaningless consumption of Zhao's tax and food and the morale of the army. Therefore, King Zhao Xiaocheng sent an envoy to severely rebuke Li Mu and strictly ordered Li Mu to either attack the Huns immediately or return to Handan.
All geniuses always have some independent characteristics. They are not influenced by external things or outsiders, and are not obsessed by gossip. Li Mu knows that the Huns have already taken action. Only by taking a long-term approach can they catch big fish. For King Zhao, Despite the accusation, Li Mu did not defend himself at all and continued to go his own way. He believed that King Zhao would definitely understand his difficulties. Li Mu even believed that to be a general, one needs to gain the king's trust.
Therefore, Li Mu was betting that the Xiongnu would underestimate the enemy and act rashly; he was betting that King Zhao would trust him and believe in himself without reservation. But he bet on the enemy, but not on his own monarch. When King Zhao saw that Li Mu was unmoved, he became very angry and issued an edict to transfer him back to the capital, Handan, and sent another general to replace Li Mu.
As the saying goes, there are three things a new official needs to do when taking office. As soon as the general arrived at the border, he was eager to make achievements. He followed the orders of King Zhao. Every time the Xiongnu army arrived, the Zhao army would attack across the board. However, the Xiongnu army was too powerful, especially in field battles, and the Zhao army was even more inadequate. Repeatedly and repeatedly, Zhao's army not only lost troops and generals, but also consumed a large amount of armaments, food and grass were also plundered, and the border residents could not live in peace.
Only then did King Zhao remember that it was better when Li Mu was in power. Although there was no credit, there was no loss. For Zhao, whose strategic focus was in the Central Plains and competing for hegemony with the princes, the stability of the north was the most important.
Originally, King Zhao was going to personally go out and ask Li Mu to come back, but he couldn't save his face, so he had to send envoys. Unexpectedly, Li Mu still had the same stubborn temper as before. Not only did he not restrain himself at all, but he was even worse than before. The envoy came with good intentions to deliver the edict, but Li Mu stayed behind closed doors, insisting that he was ill and could not take office.
Seeing that the border war was getting tighter, King Zhao had no choice but to issue a mandatory order, asking Li Mu to rush to the border to rescue the emergency no matter what. Li Mu also knew that at this point, things were already at a fever pitch. Since King Zhao cannot fully trust him, he can only use some small tricks to force King Zhao to submit.
At this time, King Zhao asked Li Mu for help, so he could only listen patiently to what Li Mu said and agree to all his requests. In fact, Li Mu's request is difficult to say and easy to say. Since Li Mu insisted on taking action, Li Mu naturally did not dare to neglect, but King Zhao had to promise Li Mu that everything would continue as usual and no interference would be allowed.
King Zhao thought to himself that Li Mu was naturally so insistent, and maybe he had his own reasons. Anyway, as long as he left, the border would be temporarily stable, and the people would not suffer much loss, so why not? Therefore, King Zhao agreed to Li Mu's request, and Li Mu returned to Yanmen. When the lieutenants of the army saw Li Mu coming, although many of them admired him as a man, they felt ashamed of his way of avoiding war.
Li Mu didn't say anything, but resolutely ordered everything to be done in accordance with his previous decree. Several years passed, and the Huns invaded several times. However, under Li Mu's strategy, the Huns gained nothing every time. At the same time, they also underestimated the enemy, thinking that Li Mu was timid and incompetent and did not dare to fight against the Huns. However, there are also knowledgeable people in the Xiongnu camp. Seeing this, they suddenly became suspicious and thought that although Li Mu was timid, his strategy was undoubtedly very effective for the Xiongnu.
Li Mu remained unmoved by all the rumors.
In Li Mu's heart, a grand and far-reaching strategy had already been born. He discussed with several trustworthy generals and decided to lure the Huns to penetrate deeply, set up ambushes, and annihilate the enemy troops. At this moment, under the guidance of Li Mu's public opinion, the Zhao army on the border gradually turned its dissatisfaction with Li Mu into a desire to kill the enemy, make meritorious service, and resist the enemy to serve the country. At this moment, everything is ready and all we need is the east wind.
In order to ensure victory in this battle, Li Mu carefully selected 1,300 chariots, 13,000 strong horses, more than 50,000 brave and skilled soldiers, and 100,000 archers from the Zhao army. Subsequently, the multi-arms joint combat drills were carried out, which made the Zhao army more powerful, more powerful, and more morale. Everyone was gearing up to fight the Huns.
This day is coming soon. In the spring of 244 BC, Zhao Jun took the initiative to attack the Xiongnu. Under Li Mu's instructions, a large number of people herded cattle and sheep all over the mountains and fields. Naturally, these herdsmen were just bait. Naturally, the Xiongnu would not be easily fooled, so they sent a small group of Xiongnu soldiers to find out the truth. After hearing the news, Li Mu also led a small group of Zhao troops to attack. As soon as the Xiongnu soldiers fought with the Zhao army, they discovered that Li Mu was as timid as a mouse, and he didn't know how to fight at all. After just one charge, the Zhao army was defeated and fled. Even the thousands of people grazing sheep and horses on the hillside abandoned them and allowed themselves to be captured by the Huns. It seems that the Huns' views of Li Mu in the past were exaggerated.
For many years, it was the first time that the Xiongnu had achieved such a great victory, and the Chanyu was very happy. After being instigated by those who were eager to make contributions, the Xiongnu Chanyu felt hot-headed in an instant, so he led a large army to invade and prepared for an invasion. Sweep away the bad luck of getting nothing for many years.
On the Zhao army's side, Li Mu had already known the movements of the Huns' army, and had deployed surprise troops at the places they must pass through. He was not in a hurry to attack at first. After the Huns' army arrived, Li Mu immediately ordered an attack. In order to consume the enemy troops to the greatest extent, the Zhao army first adopted a defensive coordinated operation. The chariot formations fought from the front, thus successfully blocking the action of the Huns' cavalry. At the same time, Zhao's infantry group also blocked the attack in the center, with bows at the rear. The crossbowmen took turns shooting from a distance, while Zhao's cavalry and elite infantry remained motionless, hiding behind the Zhao army's formation.
After the first round of attack, the Xiongnu army suffered heavy losses, so Li Mu took advantage of the situation and sent the elite troops under his control to join the battle from both wings. Suddenly, a pincer offensive was formed against the Xiongnu army, surrounding the Xiongnu army in the battlefield. After several years of training, The well-trained, well-trained soldiers of the Zhao army had been gearing up for a long time, eager to make achievements, and they were all vigorous and energetic, rushing towards the enemy at all costs. The entire Zhao army cooperated closely, like a well-oiled machine. The 13,000 Zhao army cavalry responsible for outflanking the two wings were like two sharp machetes, effortlessly tearing apart the Huns' once invincible military formation. At this moment, 100,000 Huns soldiers were successfully choked by Zhao Jun and struggled to death. It was originally a close contest, but under Li Mu's planning, it ended in a one-sided massacre. In the end, only Shanyu was left with the Xiongnu and fled in embarrassment with a small number of his followers.
Of course, Li Mu's victory over the Xiongnu this time was definitely not only a victory for Zhao, but also a victory for the ancient farming people over the nomads. It provided a model and set an example for the Central Plains region to curb the invasion of the powerful northern nomadic tribes. , also played a huge inspiring role in the wars of later generations.
After Li Mu won the victory in this battle, he did not stop there. Instead, he pursued the victory and destroyed the Xiongnu-affiliated countries on the northern border of Zhao State, such as the Xiongnu, Donghu and other tribes. Under the attack of Li Mu's army, they all suffered Severely injured. There was long-term peace on the northern border of Zhao State. For more than 10 years after that, the Huns did not dare to declare war with Zhao State.
Li Mu became famous and became the most outstanding general of Zhao State after Zhao She and Lian Po.
However, unlike the Xiongnu, the Qin State in the west was not easily fooled. After Li Mu stabilized the northern border, Lian Po fled in Zhao State, and Zhao She was no longer there, and was forced to return to the Central Plains to deal with the powerful Qin State. The honor of a famous general shines brightly, and the sorrow of a famous general is passionately performed.
