The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 135 Northern Expedition
Zhou Qingchen was a coward. He once thought he might not get an important official position in Xianyang. He never expected to be exiled to the Great Wall. Only when he actually saw the Xiongnu army did he realize how important Prime Minister Li Si's decision to relocate people to guard the border was.

Zhou Qingchen once accompanied Meng Tian to the grasslands, where he saw the large armies of the Xiongnu, who were different from the people of the Central Plains.

Yes, that's Zhou Qingchen's feeling. If we talk about the warring states back then, fighting back and forth, perhaps they were all the same people. Even people from Qi had distant relatives in Chu, and some brothers would live in different countries and even travel between them.

No matter how the war goes, no matter which country dominates, in the end, everything will be rebuilt and people's livelihoods will be restored.

But the Xiongnu did not.

The Xiongnu people seemed to be born to plunder. They were like a different kind of people, with an innate hostility towards the Central Plains people who lived by farming. Plundering was their instinct, and when they wanted to plunder, to seize wealth and food, they would not hesitate for even a moment.

This is almost their nature; they are like a group of uncivilized wild beasts baring their fangs at the Central Plains.

Zhou Qingchen followed Meng Tian to see Yunzhong, which had been plundered by the Xiongnu. At that time, almost no one in Yunzhong survived. Looking at the corpses scattered all over the ground, he cursed the Xiongnu for being inhuman.

Yes, even during the wars between the various states, there were prisoners of war, but the Xiongnu people had no concept of prisoners of war.

Therefore, even if Zhou Qingchen was afraid of death, he was still able to serve as a doctor in Qin because Qin treated him as a human being. Even if he was just barely surviving, he could still live like a human being.

However, Zhou Qingchen felt a deep sense of fear towards the Xiongnu people on the grasslands.

Previously, Zhou Qingchen had heard the news of Chunyu Yue's death. He felt that Chunyu Yue's death was not a pity. Before he left Xianyang, he had advised Chunyu Yue not to make an enemy of Li Si, but Chunyu Yue did not listen.

Although Zhou Qingchen was heartbroken, it was too late.

The night at the Great Wall was cold, with a howling wind.

For the Great Wall, there is actually no difference between autumn and winter; it's just as cold.

While fires could be lit inside the beacon towers along the Great Wall for warmth, Meng Tian was most concerned about the documents arriving from Guanzhong and the grain supplies being transported there.

Ever since the First Emperor returned from his eastern tour, the grain and fodder sent to the Great Wall have never stopped.

The cook from the beacon tower brought a basket of hot flatbreads, which he then distributed to everyone present. The flatbreads were filled with some salted dried vegetables.

Meng Tian ate the same food as the soldiers in the army on a daily basis.

The next day, at daybreak, there was still a layer of snow on the Great Wall. The soldiers scraped the snow off and put it into a pot to cook.

In winter, a thin layer of ice would form on the city walls.

Life along the Great Wall consisted of lighting beacon fires during the day and burning firewood at night.

It's monotonous and quiet. Zhou Qingchen has been here for several years and has long been used to life here. Now, if he were to return to Xianyang, he would feel uncomfortable.

As he walked along the Great Wall, he could still hear the soldiers whispering among themselves. They were talking about warhorses, and even now, General Meng Tian still felt that there weren't enough.

General Meng Tian also wants to take the Hetao region. Currently, Shangjun has over a million arrows, and the bronze crossbows on the city walls give people a great sense of security.

In fact, there were quite a few warhorses along the Great Wall, but General Meng Tian felt that one warhorse was not enough for a cavalryman.

Recent news reports that 50,000 cavalry from the Baiyang tribe and 30,000 cavalry from the Loufan tribe are planning to attack the Hexi Corridor.

And some things and people that Zhou Qingchen had never heard of before, or stories that he had never heard of, either in Manchester or elsewhere.

When the harsh winter arrived, thick, sharp ice formed along the city walls. Meng Tian spent his days training his convict soldiers and cavalry. In the freezing winter, squads of soldiers brandished long spears and repeatedly used crossbows.

On the day of the winter solstice, a series of horse-drawn carriages came from the south.

The soldiers on the city wall saw that the carriage was piled with snow, and the driver, wearing a raincoat, was covered in snow. If it weren't for the warm breath coming out when he breathed, they would have thought he had frozen to death.

"General, people have arrived from Xianyang City."

Meng Tian was reading military reports sent from beacon towers in various places when he heard this and went out of the beacon tower, where he saw a carriage in the heavy snow.

The coachman had shaken off the snow, and the man who stepped down from the carriage was none other than Lord Wu, who had come from the Prime Minister's residence.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Meng Tian's general, and bowed, saying, "General."

Meng Tian hurriedly had the coachman and Wu Gong welcomed into the city. In addition to bringing documents from Xianyang, Wu Gong also brought dumplings. He said, "This was brought by the young master. I specially waited until these dumplings were frozen before transporting them."

Now, when you take these dumplings out, they are still rock hard.

Once the water boiled, Mr. Wu put the dumplings into the pot, where the water was boiling.

While waiting for the dumplings in the pot to cook, he took out a scroll and explained, "This is what the young master asked me to give to the general."

Meng Tian took the document and looked at its contents.

Wu Gong warmed his hands by the fire and said, "Young Master said that we should not only guard against the Xiongnu, but also take away the livestock."

Meng Tian asked in confusion, "Where is Helan Mountain?"

"Young Master hopes that the General can capture Helan Mountain." After thinking for a while, Wu Gong said, "Young Master said that Helan Mountain is what the Xiongnu people now call Beiyi Mountain, and some people also call it Alashan Mountain."

Meng Tian accepted the scroll and said, "This humble general obeys the order."

Seeing that bags of frozen dumplings were being carried in, Wu Gong said, "Cook all of these and distribute them to the soldiers."

"Yes."

Meng Tian picked up a dumpling and said while eating, "Thank you for your trouble."

Wu Gong didn't want to eat dumplings; he had eaten dumplings the whole way. In this cold winter, dumplings could even be used as military rations. While drinking hot water, he replied, "Young Master said that this little bit of hard work is nothing. The General guarding the north is the pillar of the country."

Meng Tian sighed deeply and said, "I hope I will not fail your trust, young master."

Inside the beacon tower, it was warm. Wu Gong sat leaning against the city wall and fell asleep. When he woke up again, it was already the next morning. He still had to continue the task assigned to him by the Prime Minister, which required him to inspect the defenses of the Great Wall.

During this process, Wu Gong also learned about Meng Tian's deployment at the Great Wall. They built a city called Shuofang here, which was Meng Tian's main camp, and war chariots were also built there.

While accompanying Wu Gong on his inspection of the border defenses, Meng Tian also introduced the Xiongnu people's combat methods.

Meng Tian handed a short sword belonging to the Xiongnu to Duke Wu.

Wu Gong disliked the short knife and the arrowheads of the Xiongnu people; he even saw arrowheads made of stone.

The Xiongnu people's production was backward and could not compare with that of the Qin Dynasty.

In fact, the weapons of the Qin Dynasty were among the best in the Warring States period.

Wu Gong believed that as long as the Qin crossbows were arrayed on the city walls, the cavalry would be no match for them.

Defending the Great Wall was indeed a safer option. With Qin crossbows and the Great Wall, the Xiongnu might not be a match for Qin. But Meng Tian didn't think so. He felt that the Xiongnu had grown too strong in recent years. In order to deal with the Xiongnu, the defenses of the Great Wall would need to be continuously expanded, and the number of soldiers and laborers conscripted would increase. In addition, the cost of transporting food would be too high.

Therefore, Meng Tian felt it was necessary to go out and fight, to kill the Xiongnu so badly that they couldn't breathe for decades. The current Qin Northern Expedition was to buy time for the future.

If your home is surrounded by bandits, simply building high walls won't help. They might be able to defend against the Huns now, but what about decades later? What about a hundred years later?

This battle must be fought, and the Xiongnu must be severely weakened so that the north can be stabilized.

Wu Gong wrote down everything Meng Tian had said and had it sent to Xianyang City.

Meng Tian had a residence in Shuofang City, but he didn't stay there often; the great general usually lived along the Great Wall.

Wu Gong was temporarily arranged to stay at Meng Tian's residence, where he saw the memorial tablet of General Meng Wu.

As the coldest part of winter was about to pass, and the sun shone again on the Great Wall, a young general wearing a sheepskin cloak saw a black line appear on the distant horizon.

He stared intently for a moment. The black line was getting thicker and thicker as it approached. With his excellent eyesight, he could see the undulations of the black line, which represented groups of cavalry.

He shouted, "Light the signal fire! The Huns are coming!"

Shouts echoed along the Great Wall as a beacon fire was lit, and beacon fires were lit in other places in succession.

Zhou Qingchen hurriedly arrived at the Great Wall, where Meng Tian was already standing. There were many armored soldiers coming and going along the Great Wall, and Qin crossbows were ready.

Looking around, Zhou Qingchen was startled to see a dark mass of Xiongnu people heading towards the Great Wall.

The Xiongnu warhorses roared in, and as they drew near, Meng Tian raised his bronze sword and shouted, "Release them!"

The whistling sound of Qin crossbows rang out, and arrows rained down from bows and arrows.

The arrows thudded against the Hun's leather armor until one arrow pierced the Hun's neck, causing him to fall from his horse.

Several volleys of arrows rained down, and a pile of corpses had accumulated beneath the Great Wall, with warhorses still running about.

Half an hour later, the Xiongnu cavalry behind them made a turn and began to retreat.

Seeing that the Qin army was guarding the Great Wall, the Xiongnu people, unable to conquer it after a long siege, retreated one after another.

The Xiongnu did not possess the same fearless courage as the Qin army, whose bronze swords rewarded soldiers for each head they beheaded.

When the Xiongnu realized they couldn't conquer the city after a prolonged siege, they would retreat. This happened frequently during the winter months.

Zhou Qingchen, who was squatting in a corner of the city wall, was vomiting. Although it was not the first time he had seen such a scene, he still couldn't help but feel nauseous when he saw it now.

When Wu Gong rushed to the Great Wall, he heard that the Xiongnu were attacking and hurriedly came to inquire.

When he arrived at the beacon tower, Meng Tian and several generals were discussing the current situation, including Wang Li.

Beneath the Great Wall, Lang searched for the corpses of the Xiongnu and picked up Qin arrowheads and Xiongnu weapons.

Suddenly, a Hun reached out from the pile of corpses and grabbed Lang's ankle.

Lang drew his bronze sword and severed his wrist. The Qin soldiers immediately surrounded him and killed the Xiongnu man with their long spears.

After several battles with the Xiongnu, Lang has now become a squad leader.

Finally, Lang took a torch and burned all the corpses. After the flames burned, some bones were left behind. When the bones were still warm, they were reddish, and then they turned black.

"The general summons me!"

Upon hearing this, Lang exchanged a few words with his soldiers and then followed the messenger into the beacon tower.

Just as a group of people came out of the beacon tower, Lang followed his centurion into the tower and met General Meng Tian.

In Lang's memory, General Meng Tian was an extremely cautious person, and the general's judgments were never wrong.

Meng Tian looked at the soldiers in front of him and said, "The Xiongnu soldiers who attacked us earlier were under the command of the Xiongnu King Touman. This man was the Xiongnu King jointly elected by the Baiyang tribe and the tribes of the northern desert."

Looking at everyone, Meng Tian continued, "To their east are the Donghu people, to their west are the Yuezhi, and to their south is the Great Wall right beneath our feet. Their cavalry's feigned attack on the Great Wall this time was to seize the Hewan region. Now they are there, and this is an excellent opportunity."

Looking at the northern frontier land hanging on the wall, Lang realized that the river bend land the general had mentioned was a horse pasture that the Xiongnu people called a horse breeding ground.

After hearing what the general said, Lang understood the strategic intentions of the Xiongnu.

The river bend was a place that King Wuling of Zhao promoted when he reformed the country by adopting nomadic dress and cavalry archery, but failed to conquer.

The river bend lands that King Wuling of Zhao failed to capture from the Donghu were later controlled by the Linhu Loufan tribe.

Now, General Meng Tian is about to take over this river bend land that King Wuling of Zhao failed to conquer back then.

Holding the bronze sword, Lang frowned, wondering why King Wuling of Zhao hadn't conquered this river bend back then.

That night, everyone ate dumplings and then wrapped themselves tightly in sheepskin coats, not wanting to freeze to death while marching. There were students waiting for him in Langya County and family members waiting for him at the foot of Shangyan Mountain.

Therefore, Lang wrapped himself up tightly, picked up his bronze sword, and prepared to set off.

The defense of the Great Wall was temporarily entrusted to Wang Li.

The general was about to head north. Half a year after the First Emperor issued the edict for the northern expedition, Meng Tian had waited for half a year and finally got the opportunity for the Xiongnu to advance recklessly.

This battle did not involve the main force of the Qin army; Meng Tian led 5,000 cavalrymen out of the Great Wall.

At the beginning of the thirtieth year of the First Emperor's reign, which should have been the first day of the new year, Wu Gong recorded the first battle of the Northern Expedition from the Great Wall.

Lang rode his horse in the ranks, marching 20 li at night, the sound of the cold wind howling and the thunderous hoofbeats of five thousand warhorses filling his ears.

Lang, standing on wooden stirrups that were even worse than those of elite cavalry, leaned low on his horse.

The Xiongnu would never have imagined that the troops stationed along the Great Wall would dare to march on a bitterly cold night.

Even the Xiongnu wouldn't do that easily; they probably thought the Great Wall defenders would just hide inside the Great Wall.

The cavalry spotted the distant firelight, and whistles sounded in the ranks. It was the centurions of each squad signaling during the march, and the troops dispersed to form an encirclement.

As the warhorse's hooves kicked up puddles of water that dripped onto its boots, Lang suddenly realized that the river in the bend was beginning to thaw.

When the Xiongnu crossed the river, the surface was still frozen solid, but now it has begun to thaw.

Lang looked up at the sky. The night sky was very clear and full of stars. If it was sunny tomorrow, the Xiongnu people would be trapped in this wetland by the river once the river thawed.

(End of this chapter)