156 B.C.
King Youxian of the Xiongnu led an army of more than 100,000 to the south.
Yunzhong, Yanmen, Dai, Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbei, and more than ten other counties were attacked.
The urgent documents from the border flooded into Chang 'an.
"Bastard, the Xiongnu are too much!”
In the main hall of Weiyang Palace, Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, cursed.
In the past, it was common for the Xiongnu to betray their trust.
But no matter what, the Xiongnu would restrain themselves in the first year or two before the marriage was completed.
This was a tacit understanding between the upper echelons of the Han and Xiongnu.
The burly man used women and money to exchange for one to two years of buffer time.
The Xiongnu people did not need to spend a single soldier to obtain a tangible benefit, so they were naturally happy.
When the dowry of the Han people was exhausted, they could go south to plunder.
The Han side would use this time to recuperate and prepare for defense.
This tacit understanding between the two sides lasted for decades and was not broken during the period of Mao Dun and Old Shang Chanyu.
He didn't expect that it would be broken by the newly appointed military minister Chanyu.
"Your Majesty, let the battle begin. This old minister is willing to lead the army!”
The old Prime Minister Shentu Jia's heroic spirit was not any less than before, as if he had returned to the time when Emperor Xiaowen was still alive.
At this time, even if there were people who had concerns, they could not easily voice them out.
The marriage agreement between Liu Sheng, the Cloud King, and the Xiongnu Princess was already set. In fact, it was equivalent to a marriage alliance.
The Xiongnu suddenly broke their promise and went south. It was a blatant contempt and insult to the entire Han Dynasty.
If he continued to advocate peace, he would definitely be despised by the world.
"Zhen…Zhen wants to personally lead the army!"
Emperor Jing's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, immediately causing countless ripples.
"Your Majesty, no!"
"Your Majesty, you must not!"
"The Empress Dowager will never allow a personal expedition!”
All the officials in the court were shocked. No matter what their political views were in the past, they all spoke up to dissuade them.
No matter how unyielding the pro-war faction was, they could not say anything in agreement at this moment.
To the Great Han Imperial Court, losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers might not be enough to hurt them.
However, if anything happened to the Emperor, it would be the consequence of the sky collapsing.
"Gaozu can lead an army of 100,000 and wipe out the vassals of Tianxia. How can I fall behind others?”
In fact, Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, had only blurted out in a moment of heat.
After that, he calmed down and felt quite regretful.
These words were just to maintain his face.
"Your Majesty, Gaozu didn't win when he led the army…"
The other people in the hall did not know what the Emperor was thinking, so they were a little anxious when they heard this.
The straightforward Shentu Jia suddenly spoke without thinking.
Although he was telling the truth, this was not giving face to Gaozu and Emperor Jing.
The effect could be seen from Emperor Jing's dark face.
"It is a blessing for the world that Your Majesty has the ambition of Gaozu. I hope Your Majesty can take advantage of his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.”
This was a more tactful way of saying it.
Liu Bang's ability to lead troops was simply indescribable.
In the past, Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu being trapped in Qi and unable to escape.
He led the alliance army of 560,000 vassals to capture the capital of the West Chu Country, Peng City.
At that time, everyone thought that the situation was already set.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Yu quickly led 30,000 light cavalry to attack Pengcheng.
The alliance army was unprepared, and 100,000 of them were killed, drowned, and captured.
In the end, Liu Bang only led dozens of cavalry to escape.
This battle had indeed demonstrated Xiang Yu's bravery and strategy, but it had also exposed Liu Bang's talent in leading troops.
This was also the reason why everyone in the court was so excited when they heard the Emperor compare him to Gaozu.
Liu Bang did not know how to fight at all. The reason why he could win the world was because he knew how to use people well.
Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, also understood what everyone meant. Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he did not mention the matter of the emperor personally going on an expedition.
"Your Majesty, the northern frontier fortress is in a state of emergency. I request that Your Majesty quickly mobilize the elites of the Imperial Army as reinforcements.”
A general asked.
"This matter still needs to be considered."
Chao Cuo stepped forward and ignored the angry gazes of the generals around him. He insisted,
"There are nearly two hundred thousand troops stationed at the frontier fortress. They may not be enough to attack, but they are more than enough to defend.”
The defense line in the north had been consolidated and repaired by the Great Han Dynasty for decades. It was already impregnable.
Unless the Xiongnu attacked with all their strength, it would be difficult to gain any benefits.
Of course, this meant that the overall situation was safe, but casualties in various places were inevitable.
The Imperial Army in Chang 'an could not be moved easily.
Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, read this deep meaning from Chao Cuo's eyes.
He could understand. After all, they still needed to guard against the major vassal states in the east.
The lesson of King Ji Bei was still fresh in their minds. No one could guarantee that Wu Chu and the other countries would take the opportunity to rebel.
"Your Majesty, you can order 30,000 imperial guards to garrison Xingyang. They can support the frontier fortress and deter the other countries.”
Cheji General Zhou Yafu's words hit the nail on the head, causing the surrounding people to nod.
This was indeed the best of both worlds, for Xingyang was the most important city in the world.
In the past, the struggle between Chu and Han mainly revolved around Xingyang.
"My love, please examine my heart and allow me to report.”
Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, looked at the famous general left behind by the late emperor, and a hint of satisfaction flashed across his eyes.
If the King of Wu rebelled, he might be allowed to lead the army.
"Order the border counties to be careful and not engage the enemy in the field.”
Emperor Jing's words set the tone for this war.
They would fight a defensive counterattack battle and retreat when the Xiongnu were exhausted.
This was also the norm on the battlefield between the Han and Xiongnu.
The Xiongnu had the advantage of cavalry and could come and go as they pleased.
The Han people, on the other hand, had the advantage of the city and stood still like a mountain.
Overall, the Han army was still at a disadvantage.
It was like a robber barging into your house, but you only dared to stand on the wall and throw stones.
Perhaps he could make the bandit bleed a little, but he could only watch as the other party left with the corners of the house.
Thousands of miles away, the City Amongst the Clouds had already mobilized urgently.
The door to the arsenal was already open, and a large number of militia had been incorporated into the ranks.
Due to the lack of training, these people might not be able to fight in the wild, but they were more than enough to defend.
One could often see miraculous scenes on the Great Han frontier fortress.
It was reported that there were only a few hundred Han soldiers stationed in a certain city.
However, when the Xiongnu arrived, they found that the city walls were filled with people. There were probably thousands of people.
Every time this happened, the Xiongnu people would have the urge to curse.
In the border counties, it was not uncommon for all the people to be soldiers, young, old, women, and children to fight.
Of course, the actions of the City Amongst the Clouds were just a precaution.
Liu Sheng did not intend to stay in the city to defend.
It was the same regardless of whether there was an order from the Imperial Court or not.
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