In the thirty-second year of the First Emperor's reign, Meng Tian reported that the construction of the Great Wall and Chidao was completed.
So the First Emperor decided to tour the north again. The main purpose of the tour was to inspect the northern frontiers.
The First Emperor set out from Xianyang and passed through the former borders of Korea, Zhao, Wei and Qi along the way. The First Emperor was very surprised when he saw that many city walls were strong and tall, and there were walls built around them, so he asked: "Why are the city walls here so tall and strong? If someone rebels based on this, wouldn't it be difficult to conquer?"
Li Sidao: "These cities used to be in the border areas of vassal states. The countries fought for a long time and did not trust each other. Therefore, the countries rushed to build city walls on the borders and strengthen the city walls!"
The First Emperor said: "Now that the four seas are unified, what is the use of these city walls? According to my decree, destroy the city walls built by the previous vassal states, dismantle all the Sichuan defenses between the original boundaries, and level the dangerous obstacles on the road."
As the First Emperor marched along, he ordered the prefects of every county to demolish the city walls wherever he passed.
When he came to the Northland, the First Emperor saw that there were significantly more people than a few years ago, and the border defense situation had also been greatly improved. So the First Emperor summoned the local magistrate and asked, "Have the Huns still harassed this place in recent years?"
The county magistrate said: "Since General Mongolia built the Great Wall, the Huns have rarely come. However, the local people have been frightened by the long-term intrusion of the Huns. Moreover, now they only block the Huns, and there are still many Huns grazing outside the city wall. , so even though the officials tried hard to persuade, many people still didn’t dare to come back.”
The First Emperor said: "What you said is true. Although there are many more people here than before, it is still very depressed compared to other places in Guanzhong."
The county magistrate took the opportunity and said: "I hope your majesty can immigrate the people from the prosperous land so that the local area can develop rapidly!"
"Well, this is a good idea. When I completely destroy the Huns, we can immigrate. Otherwise, the Huns will be scared away again when they come."
The First Emperor continued to move forward, passing through Taiyuan, where he summoned Meng Tian.
Along the way, the First Emperor saw that the border defense had been greatly improved and there were more people. He said happily: "My patrol this time took a straight road first, and then turned to a galloping road. It was much smoother than the last time I patrolled. Not only did the winding path Less, the roads are wider, and the number of people along the way has increased significantly, and the general is indispensable!"
Meng Tian replied: "Your Majesty, thank you for the reward. This is all my responsibility! Now the grain transportation efficiency has more than doubled than before. It takes more than ten days to transport Xianyang's grain and grass to the border. Our Daqin soldiers can no longer Don’t worry about going hungry!”
The First Emperor was also very happy and said: "Yes, the soldiers stationed at the border are working very hard. It was difficult for me to reward them before! Now Chidao has helped us a lot! Haha..."
The First Emperor asked again: "The general reported that the construction of the Great Wall has been completed? How effective is its defense?"
Meng Tian said: "I am about to report to Your Majesty! In the past, the city wall was dilapidated and had to be guarded everywhere. Now that the construction of the Great Wall is completed, we only need to set up sentries at critical places. Once the enemy is discovered, there will be smoke and fire. Our army can quickly reinforce through the Great Wall. No matter where the Huns attack from, we can handle it easily! The number of troops used for defense has been greatly reduced!"
After saying that, Meng Tian said proudly: "Your Majesty, do you know that in addition to defense, this Great Wall can also be a boost for offense!"
"The city wall cannot be moved, how can we attack it?"
Meng Tian said: "Last year, a small group of Huns invaded. They relied on their cavalry to move quickly and took advantage of the gap between the Qin army's defense changes to break into Dai County and loot. It happened that I was patrolling here at this time and immediately ordered the garrison to block the entrance of the Huns' cavalry. , sent troops to encircle and suppress. The Huns cavalry were surrounded by the Great Wall on three sides and could not break through. They had to turn around and fight with our army, and were all annihilated by our army."
The First Emperor was surprised and said: "The Great Wall still has such a use. It can indeed be used to advance, attack, retreat and defend!"
The First Emperor felt relieved when he saw that the situation at the border had greatly changed. At this time, he already had the idea of crushing against the Huns. Before leaving, he ordered Meng Tian to step up preparations for war.
After leaving the border pass, the First Emperor continued to move forward and entered the land of Yanzhao. The magicians heard that the First Emperor was reborn and died, and each time they rewarded the magicians who sought immortality for him, so they rushed to see him. After experiencing the assassination in Xianyang, the First Emperor felt even more about the shortness and insignificance of life, and was eager to seek the elixir of immortality.
Lu Sheng, a sorcerer from the Yan region, paid an audience to the First Emperor and said to the First Emperor: "I once went to sea from the Yan region and encountered a fairy mountain, so I climbed up. There were two immortals on the mountain who called themselves Xian Men and Gao Shi."
The First Emperor had heard the stories of Xian Men and Gao Oath becoming immortals. They all became immortals through their own cultivation. So the First Emperor asked: "Sir, have you ever asked an immortal for advice on the art of immortality?"
"This little man also asked the immortal. The immortal said that there is an immortal tree on the sacred mountain, which can grow the immortal fruit. After eating it, you can become an immortal. But it happened to be summer when I went there, and the immortal fruit was not yet mature, so the immortal Let me go again in the fall.”
"Now that autumn is coming, sir, are you willing to ask for the elixir of life for me?" The First Emperor was extremely excited, as if the elixir of life was right in front of him.
"How dare I disobey His Majesty's orders? It's just that the Immortal will not give the medicine until he sees sincerity!"
So the First Emperor gave Lu Sheng a large amount of property and assigned him to find immortals in order to obtain the elixir of death.
After more than two months, the First Emperor arrived at the end of his tour, Jieshi Mountain in the Bohai Sea. Facing the surging sea water, the First Emperor turned around with great interest and asked his ministers: "Do you know what is on the other side of the sea?"
The eldest son Fusu said: "The sea and the sky are connected in the distance, so it should be heaven over there!"
Zhao Gao said: "The magicians all say that the sacred mountain is in the sea, so I thought that there should be the sacred mountain on the other side of the sea, and the gods live there!"
The First Emperor laughed and asked Li Si: "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Li Si didn't know the First Emperor's intention, so he replied cautiously: "I have never been there, so I dare not make any assumptions!"
The First Emperor said: "I just want you to guess, there is no need to be so formal."
Li Sidao: "Everything the sun and moon shine on is the world of Qin. I guess that the distance in the distance is just nothingness."
"A piece of nothingness?" The First Emperor thought this answer was very interesting and said: "All the ministers said it is true. One day, I want to go and see it for myself, find out what is going on, and then come back to judge for you, haha..."
Everyone also laughed.
Qin Shihuang ordered Li Si to inscribe a message on the gate of Jieshi City. The engraving said:
The emperor founded the country, merged his virtues with the princes, and achieved peace and prosperity at the beginning.
In the thirty-second year, I patrolled the Jieshi and looked at the four poles.
Follow the instructions of the ministers and sing high praises. I miss you so much,
The Rong ministers were so powerful that they raised troops and troops, and the great rebellion was ended.
The violent and violent people were killed by force, and the civilized people were innocent, and the common people were convinced.
Benefit discusses merit, favor fertilizes the land, and rewards cattle and horses.
The city walls were destroyed, the river defenses were cleared, and the dangers were eliminated.
The terrain is established, there is no Yao in the head of Guizhou, and the world is salty.
Men enjoy their duties, women cultivate their careers, and everything is in order.
Benefit from all properties, come to the fields together for a long time, no one will be uneasy.
The ministers recited the brief introduction, please carve this stone and hang the chopsticks in a formal manner.
The First Emperor stayed in the Jieshi Palace for more than a month, and returned to Xianyang from Shangjun before the magicians came back with the elixir of life. Before leaving, he ordered the county guard to wait until Lu Sheng came back and immediately send the elixir to Xianyang after getting it.
It is said that after receiving the reward from the First Emperor, Lu Sheng of Yan took a group of people into the sea to look for the sacred mountain. When he saw that all the food he brought was eaten and there was no sign of the sacred mountain, he had no choice but to sail back.
After returning, he heard that the county guard had been waiting for him, and he knew that this matter would not get through without an explanation. So he dismissed his entourage and came to Dai County alone, saying that he had seen the immortal. The county guard did not dare to neglect him and quickly sent someone to escort him to Xianyang.
When the First Emperor heard that Lu Sheng had come to Xianyang, he quickly stopped reviewing the memorials, called him into his study, and asked, "Sir, have you found the immortal?"
"I traveled on the sea for more than ten days and finally found the sacred mountain. The immortals on the sacred mountain recognized me and allowed me to climb the sacred mountain alone. Others could only watch from a distance."
"Did the immortal say anything?"
"The Immortal didn't say anything this time. He only handed me a scroll and asked a boy who transformed into a carp to send me down the sacred mountain. When we parted, the boy asked me to give the scroll to His Majesty."
When the First Emperor heard that the immortal was willing to communicate with him, he was surprised and happy, and asked: "What kind of scroll is it? Get it quickly and take a look."
So Lu Sheng handed the prepared scroll with yellow edges and black background to the First Emperor. The First Emperor did not dare to take it because he was assassinated many times, so he ordered the eunuch to unfold it. Only four words were written on it: "Hu who destroyed Qin".
The First Emperor was shocked and said: "In the past few years, I have been thinking about attacking the Hu people and taking back the land of Henan. I didn't expect that they were so bold and wanted to destroy our Qin Dynasty! This is unbearable!"
Lu Sheng said: "The immortal is reminding your majesty that the Hu people are a serious problem for our Qin Dynasty. If we don't get rid of them, we will be in danger of losing the country." Lu Sheng has been living in the Yan region and knows that the areas bordering the Huns are often robbed by the Huns' cavalry. The people in the north were often uneasy because of the plunder, so Lu Sheng wrote this, hoping that the First Emperor would attack the Huns and stop entangling him.
The First Emperor said: "This time during my tour of the North, I saw that the border defense has been greatly improved. It seems that it is time to attack the Huns. If we do not eliminate them, I will feel uneasy!"
So the First Emperor decided to take a preemptive strike and drive the Huns north. He issued an edict and ordered Meng Tian to return to Xianyang to discuss strategies for attacking the Huns.
Meng Tian had been stationed along the Great Wall for a long time. In order to deal with the Xiongnu, he personally visited various places and had a good understanding of the mountains and terrain of the North. Moreover, he had many battles with the Huns' cavalry and was familiar with the tactics of the Huns' cavalry, making him the perfect choice to attack the Huns.
The First Emperor was very happy when he heard that Meng Tian had returned, and ordered Meng Yi and Meng Tian to go to the palace to meet him.
The First Emperor said: "Thanks to you brothers, our Qin Dynasty has been safe and sound for many years! Meng Yi is the internal historian, and I rely on you to dispatch me in Xianyang when I am not on patrol. Meng Tian is the general and has been stationed in the north for a long time, so that the hinterland of our Qin Dynasty is not safe." After suffering the disaster of the Xiongnu, your hard work has paid off!"
Meng Tian said: "Your Majesty is ridiculous! It is my brother's blessing to be able to share your worries with Your Majesty! When it comes to guarding against the Huns, I think that although the Great Wall has prevented the harassment of the Huns' cavalry, relying solely on defense is still passive and cannot solve the fundamental problem!"
The First Emperor said: "The purpose of recruiting you back this time is to discuss this matter! I have decided to attack the Xiongnu in the north. What do you think?"
Meng Tian said: "Your Majesty, you are wise! The Huns are extremely tough, and they are a serious concern for me. As children, they can ride sheep, draw bows and shoot birds and rats, and when they grow up, they can shoot foxes and rabbits for food. Adult men can also Drawing their bows, they all wore armor and rode war horses. The custom of the Xiongnu is that when there is no war, they are nomadic and hunt birds and animals as their occupation; when the situation is urgent, everyone practices their offensive skills in order to invade and plunder. This is Their nature. If we don’t eliminate it, Great Qin will be uneasy!”
The First Emperor asked: "What are the chances of winning against the Xiongnu now?"
Meng Yi replied: "The attack now has two major advantages that were not available before: First, the Chi Road from Xianyang to Taiyuan has been repaired, and our army's troops can be replenished quickly and can support long-term operations;
Secondly, after the Qin Dynasty unified the world, the weather was smooth, and granaries everywhere were filled with grain. It only took half a month to transport grain from the Qin hinterland to the border, and logistics could be effectively guaranteed. The chance of winning is 60%! "
Meng Tian continued: "I think there is one more thing to add, which is the blocking and dividing role of the Great Wall. The advantage of the Huns' cavalry lies in their rapid mobilization, extremely quick adaptability on the battlefield, and their very strong cavalry and shooting capabilities. Now, the Great Wall not only It can be used as a support for our army and a stronghold to attack the Huns. It can also be effectively divided to resist the attack of the Huns cavalry and slow down their marching speed! Therefore, the chance of winning can be increased by 20% to 80%!"
The First Emperor was very happy after hearing this and said: "Now that we have the right place, right people and right time, it's time to attack!"
Meng Tian said: "The Huns cavalry came and went without a trace. I may not be able to complete the victory in one battle. At that time, the cooperation of local officials will be needed. Please grant me the right to appoint officials in the north!"
The First Emperor said: "According to your request! Officials from Beidi County, Dai County, Jiuyuan County, Longxi County, Yuyang County, Taiyuan County, and Shang County can be appointed and dismissed by your ministers, and they are granted the right to kill first and report later!"
So the First Emperor sent General Meng Tian to send 300,000 troops to attack the Xiongnu in the north. Wang Li was the deputy general, and Meng Yi was responsible for the supply of grain and grass.
Before the army set off, the news of the attack on the Huns was kept strictly confidential, so the Huns were completely unprepared for the Qin army's attack.
In the Chinese army's tent located in Shangjun, Meng Tian looked at the map and said to deputy general Wang Li: "The area occupied by the Huns is vast. I plan to expel the Huns in two stages. The first-level counties above and Taiyuan County will rely on the Huns in the Henan area. In the second stage, we will rely on the Great Wall to drive out the Huns!"
Wang Li said: "What General Meng said is true. The Huns are cunning. Our army should not go deep. We should camp step by step so that they have no chance to take advantage of them!"
Meng Tian then analyzed: "The Huns lived by water and grass. Now is the turn of summer and autumn. They are busy grazing and it is not suitable to gather. We should attack quickly and try to annihilate them all to prevent them from fleeing north and leaving behind disasters!"
Wang Lidao: "The Henan region is like a wedge inserted into our Qin Dynasty, attacking from south to north. Although we are more certain, the Huns will resist step by step and eventually retreat to the northern desert..."
Meng Tian interrupted: "So, we need to attack from the north and south. One force will enter northern Henan from Shangjun via Yulin and cut off their retreat. The other will enter southern Henan from Yiqu Xiaoguan and advance from south to north. In this way, we will attack from north to south. , so that they cannot look at each other! The Huns will be defeated!"
Wang Li said: "General Meng is far-sighted and is willing to lead part of the army out of Yiqu Xiaoguan!"
So Meng Tian led an army of 100,000 people from Shangjun and entered northern Henan via Yulin. Wang Li led an army of 100,000 people and entered southern Henan via the Yiqu Xiaoguan Road. Both armies marched quickly, constantly attacking the scattered Xiongnu wherever they went. tribe. The Qin armies in Longxi and the north also cooperated to attack the Xiongnu.
Because the Xiongnu did not receive the news in advance, they did not have any preparations. In addition, the Xiongnu army in Henan was already weak, with only more than 50,000 people. Facing the Qin army several times their own, they were unable to organize effective resistance in a hurry. Henan The Xiongnu army in the land was retreating steadily.
Touman Shanyu was shocked when he heard the news and said to his surroundings: "We Huns have always bullied the Central Plains people, but now this little Mengtian dares to bully grandpa! Pass my order, and the army will assemble immediately. Follow me to attack the Qin army in three days!"
Three days later, the Xiongnu gathered an army of 100,000 to attack Yulin.
Yulin is located at the junction of the Xiongnu's Yinshan lair and the land of Henan. It is a key area for Qin army's defense. Meng Tian knew that once a war broke out, this area would be the first to be attacked, so he listed this area as a key area when building the Great Wall. The Great Wall here was not only tall and thick, but also heavily guarded by 100,000 troops.
When the Xiongnu cavalry came to Yulin, the tall city wall blocked the way. Once the Xiongnu army approached the city wall, the Qin army rained down arrows, and the Xiongnu cavalry could not advance even half a step. Tens of thousands of Huns cavalry were blocked at the front line of Yulin, unable to seek help.
The Qin army seized the opportunity to launch a war of annihilation against the Xiongnu army in Henan. At this time, the Xiongnu army was blocked by the Great Wall on the east and west sides, and was pursued by Wang Li's elite Qin army in the south. They had no choice but to retreat all the way north, all the way to Yulin. At this time, the Qin army in Yulin experienced attacks from the Huns from the north and south, and the battle was extremely fierce.
Meng Tian sent Feng Wuze to guard Yulin and ordered him to stay on the high ground and strictly prohibited his soldiers from going out to fight without permission. Feng Wuze relied on the tall city wall to resist the Huns cavalry. Touman Chanyu lacked siege equipment and was hindered by the Great Wall wall, unable to carry out long-distance breakthroughs. After a month of hard fighting, the Qin army still firmly controlled the land of Yulin.
By the early winter of this year, the Qin army had wiped out all the Xiongnu tribes in Henan, and a small number of the remaining Xiongnu tribes fled across the river northwest. Touman Chanyu had no choice but to lead his army back.
After the armies of Meng Tian and Wang Li reunited, they stationed themselves on the south bank of the Yellow River to await the battle in the coming spring.
Meng Tian knew that the successful capture of Henan was entirely due to careful planning, rapid attack, and the fact that the main force of the Huns was not in Henan. The Xiongnu Chanyu would not be willing to give up the land in Henan and would definitely invade again, so Meng Tian decided to take a preemptive strike and go north from the Great Wall to attack the Xiongnu.
In the early spring of the thirty-third year of the First Emperor, Meng Tian transferred the Qin army that originally defended Henan to the front line of the Yellow River to defend against the Xiongnu. He personally led the main force of the Qin army, 200,000, across the Yellow River from Jiuyuan to attack Gaoque and Taoshan.
Soon afterwards, deputy general Wang Li led a hundred thousand Qin troops to cross the Yellow River westward and enter the Helan Mountains, directly attacking the Xiongnu's lair. The Qin army led by Wang Li was a partial division and marched only at night. It was very concealed and hoped to achieve a surprise effect.
It is said that after Touman Shanyu returned to Yinshan Mountain, he was extremely angry, thinking that the Qin army only relied on the Great Wall to achieve victory, if the field battle was not his opponent. So he ordered to regroup 150,000 troops to attack Mengtian next year to avenge his humiliation!
After Touman Chanyu's crown prince Maodun learned of this, he came to see him and said: "Father, please calm down for the time being. The Qin army has now unified the Central Plains and destroyed six countries one after another. I heard that Meng Tian is good at leading troops again, and the Qin army is at its peak. We are afraid that it will be difficult to resist the direct confrontation now! It is better to retreat temporarily, and when the Qin army becomes arrogant, we can use the cavalry to surprise them and defeat them!"
Touman Chanyu laughed and said: "Why is my son so timid? I, the Huns, are the proud sons of heaven. I grew up on horseback. Who have I been afraid of?" So he did not listen to Maodun's advice.
In the spring of the following year, the Xiongnu Touman Chanyu gathered 150,000 troops and prepared to go south to attack Qin. Just at this time, the Xiongnu came to report on the horse, saying that the Qin army was invading! Touman Shanyu was shocked. Asked: "Are you sure it's the Qin army? How many troops are there?"
"It must be the Qin army, but I don't know how many troops there are? Judging from the formation, there are at least 100,000 people!"
Touman Chanyu was angry and said angrily: "Explore again! This time we must find out how many Qin troops there are. If you can't see clearly, don't come back to see me again!"
The spy quickly thanked him, got up and ran out of the tent, mounted his horse and galloped away.
Touman Shanyu did not expect that the Qin army would dare to take the initiative to attack the north of Saibei! Very shocked. Before, the Qin army had also attacked the north of Saibei, but each time the Xiongnu army would attack long distances, go around the back of the Qin army and cut off its food routes. The Qin army returned without success several times. After a few times, the Qin army stopped attacking Saibei again. Unexpectedly, Meng Tian dared to repeat his old tricks this time!
Touman Chanyu was secretly happy in his heart, thinking that the Qin army was hiding in the city wall, and there was nothing I could do. Now that you ran out on your own, don't blame me for being rude! So he personally led the assembled Xiongnu cavalry out of the Yin Mountains, preparing to fight the Qin army to the death!
After Meng Tian led the Qin army out of Jiuyuan, they advanced rapidly and attacked all the way to the northwest. At Gaoque, Yangshan, Beijia and other places, they met the main force of the Huns preparing to go south. After the Xiongnu army saw the Qin army, they quickly launched a crazy attack. Meng Tian deployed heavy infantry on the front, followed by archers and crossbowmen, and cavalry on both wings.
When the Xiongnu army charged, their bows and arrows had a range of 300 steps, while the Qin army's powerful crossbows were modified to have a range of 400 steps. Therefore, the Xiongnu army often suffered heavy casualties before they even came into contact with the Qin army.
The Qin army won five battles and five victories, and soon entered the highlands of Yinshan Mountain and Helan Mountain. Touman Shanyu realized that the Qin army was equipped with advanced equipment and had an advantage in numbers. In a head-on confrontation with it, he would not be able to gain any advantage. So he sent Prince Mao Dun to lead 30,000 troops in an attempt to bypass the front of the Qin army and attack the supply line behind it. If the food route was cut off, the Qin army would collapse without a fight.
After Mao Dun accepted the order, he sent a large number of exploration horses. Soon Mao Dun discovered that the Qin army led by Meng Tian was attacking from southeast to northwest along the line of the Great Wall, setting up camp step by step, and its supply line was very short. No matter where the Qin army went, , can get quick supply replenishment from the front line of the Great Wall, so they can maintain strong combat effectiveness at all times.
But Mao Dun had already received the order and had to lead his troops to attack the Qin army along the Great Wall in order to break through its defense line and cut off the Qin army's food and grass.
However, as soon as the Xiongnu army attacked, they were attacked head-on by the Qin army stationed there. It turned out that Meng Tian had long expected that the Huns would repeat their old tactics and invade the Qin army's food routes, so he deployed a large number of troops along the Great Wall to rely on the Great Wall to block the Huns' cavalry.
After several attacks, Maodun found that he could not break through and had to lead his troops to move to the Yinshan Mountains.
At this time, the 100,000 Qin army led by Wang Li had arrived at Yinshan and were preparing to launch a sudden attack on the Huns from the rear. They would cooperate with the Mengtian army in the frontal attack to completely wipe out the main force of the Huns.
Mao Dun accidentally discovered the Qin army led by Wang Li and quickly reported back to Mao Dun. Mao Dun was shocked and quickly sent someone to report to Man Shanyu. He led more than 30,000 people to launch a formation to block Wang Li's army. Mao Dun knew that with the 30,000 troops in his hands, he could not confront the Qin army. At this time, he could only devise ways to stabilize the situation and wait for the arrival of the army. So he ordered the army to unfold all the flags and tents, assuming the posture of the main force of the Xiongnu army, to intimidate the Qin army.
At this time, Wang Li also discovered the Huns army in Maodun, but he was not sure whether he was facing the main force of the Huns. Since most of his hands were infantry, although there were 100,000 troops, he did not dare to attack rashly, so he ordered them to move away. The formation began to confront the Maodun army.
Touman Shanyu was shocked when he got the news that the Qin army had entered Yinshan. At this time, the Xiongnu army had large Qin troops in front and behind them, and was blocked by the Great Wall in the south, making them unable to break through. After analyzing the situation, Touman Shanyu ordered the entire line to retreat north.
After receiving the order, Mao Dun ordered the Huns to flee to Mobei overnight. All flags and tents in the camp were not allowed to be moved, leaving only a few old and weak soldiers who set off fireworks every meal time to confuse the Qin army.
A few days later, Wang Li sent a small group of Qin troops to test, only to find that the Xiongnu army had already fled. Then he led his army to join forces with Meng Tian's army and attacked Yinshan Mountain.
The Qin army fought successively and delivered a huge blow to the Xiongnu. Touman Chanyu was forced to withdraw from the highlands of Yinshan and Helan Mountains, retreated more than 700 miles north, and retreated to the Monan area north of Yinshan to nomadic.
The First Emperor was overjoyed when he heard this and rewarded the soldiers who attacked the Xiongnu heavily.
When Meng Tian returned to Xianyang to express his gratitude, the First Emperor happily asked, "I will grant you whatever reward you want!"
Meng Tian said: "Your Majesty, although the Huns have temporarily withdrawn from Yinshan and Helan Mountains, this campaign has not achieved the goal of annihilating their main force. I have nothing to ask for. I am willing to continue to garrison in the north and protect the peace of Qin!"
The First Emperor was very moved and said: "It is a blessing to the country that I love you for working so hard! In your opinion, how can we further guard against the Huns at this time?"
"This attack on the Xiongnu was a complete victory, and the construction of the Great Wall should be ranked first. Without the Great Wall, with the strength of our Qin Military District, we would not dare to attack when we advance, and we would not be able to defend when we retreated. The Xiongnu could use the advantage of their cavalry to bypass our army's rear. Now that our army has advanced to the south bank of the Yellow River, the Great Wall in Henan has lost its effectiveness, and the Great Wall must be rebuilt along the Henan frontline!"
"What you said makes sense! Using a wall to defend against cavalry must become a long-term policy!"
After that, Meng Tian continued to lead an army of 300,000 troops stationed in the north to intimidate the Huns. Qin Shihuang established Jiuyuan County and thirty-four counties in Henan, and ordered the reconstruction of this section of the Great Wall, connecting the Great Walls of Qin, Zhao, and Yan in the past, and building a Great Wall from Lintao to Jieshi in Liaodong.
In order to develop Henan, the First Emperor soon ordered more than 30,000 households to be moved to Beihe and Yulin to cultivate farmland for production and open up frontiers. With the protection of the Great Wall, the Huns no longer dared to go south to herd horses, and immigrants could settle here. This not only promoted the development of Henan, but also made it a rear base to fight against the Huns.
