The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 243 The Raid
As Han Xin was pondering this, a rider came along, interrupting his thoughts.

The man handed over a military report and then rode away.

Han Xin looked at the military report. It was General Meng Tian's order. The general would inform the entire army before each troop deployment, and this time was no exception.

Han Xin opened the military report and looked at it. There was an urgent report from the Hexi Corridor in the northwest, and then General Meng Tian sent people to the north to investigate. Now it has been confirmed that Maodun has indeed left the Tula River and is heading west.

Putting away the military report, Han Xin felt a little regretful. The Yuezhi people were weaker than he had expected. Their Yuezhi king's head had become a drinking vessel in Modu's hands, and they didn't even think about revenge.

The weak Yuezhi people are doomed to perish; they cannot hold onto the Altai Mountains, this gold mine.

That night, after the child fell asleep, Han Xin said to his wife, "Take the child and go south first."

Han Xin's wife looked at their child and asked, "Do you really have to go north?"

"Yes, I have a military post, and I cannot back down once the war begins."

"Okay, I'll bring the children and wait for you to come back on the Great Wall."

Han Xin breathed a sigh of relief when his wife agreed.

The next morning, as dawn broke on the northern horizon, Han Xin gave his son a final hug. After a while, he handed the child to his wife, who then sat in the carriage with the child in her arms.

She will stay at the home of the old woman who was a doctor at the foot of the Great Wall, the same old woman who delivered her wife's baby.

Moreover, it was protected by heavy troops along the Great Wall and had the support of the government.

Watching the carriage carrying his wife disappear into the distance, Han Xin patted the chestnut horse beside him and whispered, "Brother horse, you'd better run fast when we get to the battlefield."

The warhorse sneezed, seemingly showing some disdain for Han Xin.

After packing his luggage and preparing enough dry rations, Han Xin waited for the generals in the army to send more.

For the remaining two weeks, almost every day a squad of soldiers came to the ranch and took away the warhorses.

On the very last day, the last troop of cavalry led away all the warhorses, and Han Xin put on his leather armor.

He doesn't usually wear this armor, and it didn't quite fit him this time, probably because he's gained some weight.

It was a bit tight, but thankfully he was dressed. Han Xin mounted his horse and followed the team to the northern camp. Inside the bundle, besides a set of dry clothes, there were only dry rations and even a bag of salt.

Han Xin only had one weapon: a sword. As for the long spear, which was the most popular weapon in the Qin army at the time, Han Xin was not good at it. Even his archery skills were not particularly good.

Upon entering the camp, Han Xin put down his bundle and hurriedly went to see General Meng Tian.

Han Xin walked among the ranks of soldiers and arrived at the camp of General Meng Tian. Inside the tent, he could hear voices of conversation, indicating that someone was reporting to the general.

Han Xin had no choice but to stand outside, next to the halberd bearer.

The military camp was bustling with activity; almost everyone had something to do. After a group of generals emerged from the main tent, Han Xin entered the central army camp.

Inside the camp, a brazier was lit, and General Meng Tian was reading a scroll in one hand.

Han Xin said, "This humble general is Han Xin..."

"Alright," Meng Tian interrupted him, instructing, "The warhorses are well cared for. Once they arrive, go and count their numbers."

"Yes."

Han Xin responded and then left the tent.

Looking once more at the bustling camp, Han Xin roused himself and hurried off to complete the task assigned by the general.

Han Xin recognized most of the warhorses in the camp, and with warhorses constantly coming and going inside and outside the camp, Han Xin counted all the warhorses in just over a day, totaling 56,000.

After receiving this quantity, Meng Tian compared it with the previous correspondence and then looked at Han Xin with suspicion.

Han Xin noticed the general's gaze, and very sensibly handed over a roll of paper, saying, "These warhorses have been raised for two years. I raised them all and know them all. Every time a horse comes and goes, it is recorded. I have made a mark on the warhorse's neck. The mark is very small and others cannot see it. As long as I see the mark, I can see the wound below the warhorse's neck at a glance and recognize when it came to the army."

Meng Tian nodded in satisfaction and said, "I will give you a tent and three squads of soldiers, and appoint you as a captain."

"Thank you, General."

After bowing, Han Xin withdrew from the camp.

In fact, the Qin army was very open-minded in its personnel management and never cared about your background. Han Xin felt that it was good enough that he could become a captain in the army despite his humble origins.

This was also because General Meng Tian only considered ability when employing people, and did not care about their background.

Of course, the most elite troops in the camp are General Meng Tian's direct troops, who have been guarding the Great Wall ever since they left Xianyang with Meng Tian.

They followed a captain to a tent, where there was also a wooden shed.

An hour later, Han Xin met the team he was to lead. It was a team of over a hundred people, led by two platoon leaders.

Han Xin did not see the boy who came here with him. This camp is so big, it is easy to find warhorses, but it is too difficult to find people.

Han Xin didn't have time to continue searching for people. He needed to prepare for the northward campaign. He first led his troops to organize leather armor and weapons, sharpen the weapons, and repair the armor. This would give the soldiers a better chance of survival on the battlefield.

Others may not know, but Han Xin knew how vast the Gobi Desert was, and he had also met the Xiongnu people who lived there.

Even today, some of the Xiongnu people still eat raw meat and drink blood; their lifestyle is extremely cruel, but the Xiongnu they raise are even more ruthless. If Han Xin hadn't raised horses here, he wouldn't have known how vast the grasslands were, and if he hadn't gone to the northern deserts, he wouldn't have known how much the Xiongnu people outside coveted the Central Plains.

These Xiongnu people seemed born to plunder; they had no idea how to farm.

At night, Han Xin often looked at the map of the northern desert that he had drawn.

A sergeant passing by asked with a smile, "Captain, what is this?"

Han Xin said, "I've been to the northern desert a few times, and I've been thinking of drawing a map."

The two squad leaders were amazed, but they didn't say much. They were assigned to Captain Han's command, so they had to follow Captain Han's orders.

Autumn has arrived in Guanzhong, but it feels like winter is coming to the grasslands. The weather is getting cold very quickly, especially at night, when a snowstorm struck.

Han Xin usually only let the two platoon leaders train the soldiers themselves, while he himself would hold a scroll of books and carefully study them, sometimes refining the details on the map.

A month passed in the camp, and the weather grew colder and colder.

Han Xin knew what General Meng Tian was waiting for. When a cavalryman who had traveled to the north brought news of Modu's whereabouts, the battle between Qin and the Xiongnu began.

General Meng Tian first mustered his troops and assembled his forces. The 50,000 troops were divided into five routes and began to attack in five directions on the grassland.

Han Xin also received orders and set off towards the northwest of Helan Mountain.

Han Xin rode ahead, leading the hundred or so men away from the foot of Helan Mountain, heading northwest.

The area west of Helan Mountain was not yet included in the Qin Beidi Commandery. The grassland that Han Xin led his men across was of great importance to the Xiongnu people, who were said to have originated from this place.

Further northwest, you can see the Bactrian camels and white cashmere goats that are unique to this area.

The 50,000-strong army was divided into several teams by General Meng Tian, ​​and black banners swept across the grasslands.

The great battle had finally begun. Once General Meng Tian confirmed Modu's whereabouts, the battle could commence.

The grasslands are vast, and finding Modu's cavalry is no easy task. Therefore, as long as Modu leaves the North Sea and his whereabouts are known, the Qin army can pursue and annihilate him.

"Report!" Another cavalryman rode up and relayed the order: "General's order! Commander Han, lead two hundred soldiers to Yabulai Mountain to intercept Maodun's rear."

"Yes!" Han Xin responded loudly.

Then, Han Xin looked at the cavalry behind him. Although they had only known each other for a month, Han Xin could feel the trust in their eyes.

Han Xin said loudly, "Brothers, the time has come to earn military merit. Come with me to capture Modu alive."

"drive!"

The neighing of warhorses rang out as the cavalry galloped across the grassland.

This battle required a long march of over a thousand miles, from the Helan Mountains all the way to the Yabulai Mountains, until the cold wind howled in their ears at night and the warhorses exhaled hot breath from their mouths and noses.

The warhorses traveled day and night without daring to delay for even the slightest time.

Heading westward, the journey stretched far and wide. Under the bright moonlight, all that remained before them was an endless grassland, with no sign of human habitation except for this army.

That's how the grasslands are; once you go far, you can go hundreds of miles without seeing a single person, and you might not see a living soul even after walking for a day or two.

Yabulai Mountain, where Yabulai means bronze in the Xiongnu language, is a copper mine.

There is a salt lake near the mountain, and at the foot of Yabulai Mountain, there is a unique species of argali goat.

The Western Rong merchant named Wu Luo was very knowledgeable and traveled to various places all year round.

He visited again last year. Han Xin heard him mention Yabulai Mountain, where Xiongnu people often held sacrifices in the mountain valleys.

Unexpectedly, this time Maodun actually dared to head south to Yabulai Mountain.

"drive!"

Han Xin urged the horse on again, and the chestnut horse neighed. This was the first time it had run so far since it was brought to Helan Mountain, even farther than when it went to the northern desert.

As the sky behind him began to lighten, Han Xin realized that a night had passed.

When fighting the Xiongnu, it was common to travel for a whole day and night on a raid.

Modu knew how to fight on the grasslands. He destroyed the royal court of the Donghu in one night, and then traveled thousands of miles to kill the Yuezhi king and take his head.

What he relied on was this kind of blitzkrieg that could penetrate from east to west.

The Yuezhi king never imagined that Maodun, who had just destroyed the Donghu, would appear at Mazong Mountain and kill him.

Even Touman Chanyu never imagined that General Meng Tian would dare to march on a cold winter night and surround and kill the Xiongnu people gathered in the valley.

Now, the scattered Qin cavalry, like a large net, surrounded Maodun from all directions.

Han Xin greatly admired Meng Tian. General Meng Tian was skilled in both swift attacks and blitzkrieg tactics, as well as utilizing a large force to launch an encirclement and annihilation campaign.

When Han Xin saw the Qin cavalry with black banners flying in the distance, he finally understood that the scattered cavalry had the same goal, and the encirclement and annihilation battle had begun.

(End of this chapter)