At this time, in the Han Empire, a large number of generals who were capable of conquering and fighting were gradually getting older. Two myths in the imperial military circles - Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had also passed away. In order to restore their former glory and their own li

In the second year of the Han Dynasty (99 BC), the 20th year after the decisive battle between Han and Xiongnu in Mobei, after a long period of recuperation, and the Huns gradually recovered their past strength, and the shadow of the disastrous defeat in Mobei gradually faded away. . At this time, in the Han Empire, a large number of generals who were good at conquering and fighting were gradually getting older. Two myths in the empire's military circles - Wei Qing and Huo Qubing - had also passed away. In order to restore their former glory, the Huns also fought for their own Living Space once again launched an active attack on the Han Empire.

Faced with the invasion of the Huns, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che quickly mobilized an army to prepare for the Northern Expedition. More than 100,000 Han troops were quickly in place, but the choice of the chief general stumped Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for a while. It is said that it is easy to get a general but hard to find a general among the three armies. Liu Che looked around his court and could not find a general suitable to command the Han army. However, he had to shoot when the arrow was on the string. In the end, Liu Che had to use the general who had won the battle of Dawan before. General of the Second Division Li Guangli . Liu Che naturally knows about Li Guangli's character, but there is no one more suitable than Li Guangli now.

So, Li Guangli led more than 100,000 Han troops from Shuofang Base, the most powerful fortress of the Han Dynasty. For this battle, Liu Che also assigned Li Guangli a powerful vanguard, that is, Li Ling and his 5,000 elite infantry. . Not long after the war started, the Han army advanced rapidly by virtue of its superior equipment and strength, and had a tendency to replicate the Mobei War. In particular, the advancement speed of Li Ling's army exceeded everyone's expectations. But just when the situation was good, Li Guangli, the commander-in-chief of the Han army's military operation, suddenly stopped the attack. As a result, Li Ling's troops were divided and surrounded by the Huns. In the end, the entire army was annihilated, and Li Ling was forced to surrender.

With the annihilation of Li Ling's army, the Huns regained the initiative on the battlefield. The Xiongnu Chanyu gathered 100,000 cavalry to besiege Li Guangli's main Han army. At this time, Li Guangli's family was implicated in the witchcraft incident. Emperor Wu executed him, and the news spread to Li Guangli's army. Li Guangli no longer had the intention to fight with the Huns. Other Han generals were even more disobedient to Li Guangli's command, which eventually led to the complete collapse of the Han army under the Xiongnu's offensive. The entire Han army of more than 100,000 people Overturned. This battle was the Han army's most serious military defeat since the Han-Hungarian War began, and it was also the Han army's most failed military operation. However, an officer named Zhao Chongguo performed brilliantly in this battle, which added a bit of color to the gloom of this battle.

At that time, Zhao Chongguo followed General Li Guangli of the Second Division as a fake Sima to attack the Huns, and was heavily surrounded by the Huns army. The Han army was without food for several days and suffered many casualties. Zhao Chongguo and more than a hundred warriors broke through the siege and captured the enemy's formation. Li Guangli led the soldiers to follow him and finally broke through. Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty personally received and visited his injury, praised him, and promoted him to the post of General of Chariots and Cavalry, officially entering the military circles of the Han Dynasty.

After the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty came to the throne. At this time, the Han Dynasty reduced the frequency of external military operations. The main task of the Han army changed from external conquest to internal suppression. Zhao Chongguo almost took over all military operations of the Han army during this period. Task. During the era of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty restarted the second round of the Han-Hungarian War. At this time, Zhao Chongguo was already the last famous general of the Han Dynasty, so he naturally had to make more concessions. Zhao Chongguo led two expeditions to attack the Xiongnu, and joined forces with Wusun, the Han's traditional ally in the Western Regions, to jointly attack the Xiongnu. A series of wars achieved brilliant victories. Under Zhao Chongguo's attack, the Xiongnu gradually declined and eventually split into In the North and South parts, the northern and southern Xiongnu launched a protracted civil war for the hegemony of the grassland. They had no time to look south for a while, and the Xiongnu problem that had plagued the Han Empire for hundreds of years was finally solved.

Just when the Xiongnu were in decline and the northern part of the Han Empire was in peace, a Qiang people that emerged from the Huangshui River Basin in the northwest entered the stage of history. In the first year of the Han Dynasty (61 B.C.), the emerging Qiang people expanded their territory. The direction of the Han Dynasty was focused on the Hexi Corridor , the newly occupied area of ​​the Han Dynasty, trying to seize the Hexi Corridor, cut off the connection between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, and monopolize all the benefits of the Silk Road. The actions of the Qiang people quickly attracted the attention of the top officials of the Han Dynasty.Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty quickly summoned Zhao Chongguo to discuss countermeasures. At this time, Zhao Chongguo was already over 70 years old, but he was still as strong as ever. Zhao Chongguo stated the battle plan in detail. When Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty asked about the candidates for the expedition, Zhao Chongguo recommended him without hesitation. In the end, Zhao Chongguo, who was in his 70s, once again went into battle and commanded tens of thousands of Han troops to conquer the Qiang people in the west.

Under the powerful offensive of the Han army, the Qiang people lost their troops and generals, and the Han army restored the ruling order in the Hexi Corridor. However, small groups of Qiang people continued to attack the Han army, and the main force of the Han army fell into a long-term "security war." middle. In the end, Zhao Chongguo suggested to Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty the solution of "gathering the fields with troops". Zhao Chongguo asked his deputy general to bring back the main force of the Han army. He only left 10,000 Han troops to garrison in Huangzhong (both sides of the Huangshui River in today's Qinghai Province) as a long-term solution. They worked as farmers in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime, raising food on the spot, which reduced the number of soldiers. The pressure on the Han army's logistical supplies also prevented the disadvantages of large armies refusing to surrender. Zhao Chongguo's plan was very effective. There were no more wars in the Hexi Corridor. The Han Dynasty thus firmly controlled the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions.

Mangzi said: Since ancient times, those who have made great contributions to Anbian and have made outstanding achievements in their fields, Zhao Chongguoban Dingyuan have been called famous generals. However, they are all over seventy years old, old and poor, and then they can take effect. It’s not something that happens overnight! In addition, Zhao Chongguo stationed in Hexi, reduced transportation costs, and became a fierce tiger in the mountains. He subdued the Western Qiang and reaped all the success. He can truly be said to be an unparalleled good general.