The war between the Han and the Xiongnu four years ago ended with a complete victory of the Han Dynasty, and there were no Xiongnu in the grasslands south of the Hetao, but since then, successive small-scale wars have not been interrupted.

The Huns suffered a rare defeat in the past 100 years, which was not only regarded as a great shame, but also suffered heavy losses. The subsequent drawbacks of the loss of the Hetao grassland have become more and more apparent.

The inaction of nomads doomed them to survive by aggression and robbery. If one day this way of life is changed, then perhaps there will be disastrous consequences on the steppe. In more serious cases, it is not impossible to cause mass deaths and population decline.

The Han Dynasty took away their "winter pastures" and built three Xiongcheng cities in this area at the same time, blocking the most convenient route for them to attack the Han Dynasty. In the past, the area where the Yellow River flowed through the grassland was the back garden and nourishment of the Hun cavalry. But now, if you want to drink horses on the north bank of the river, you have to be careful to watch out for crossbow arrows that may suddenly shoot at the opposite side.

In order to guard against the comeback of the Hun cavalry, the Han Dynasty set up a strong defense line between the three cities, and at the same time, it also formulated a very strict military-civilian defense system.

Not to mention, to their great anger and despair, there were several occasions when small groups of cavalry of several thousand men had also broken through to the forefront of Shuofang City, but when they tried to climb the city wall in the dark night with their scimitar hands, they were surprised to find that the Xiongcheng built by the Han people on the grassland was completely different from the Great Wall they had visited before.

Although the Hun cavalry was known for its bravery, there was no shortage of skilled warriors, as long as there was an opportunity, using tools such as cowhide ropes and short knives and iron hooks, it was easy to climb steep mountain walls and city walls.

However, the three cities of Shuofang are destined to become an impregnable wall in front of them. I don't know how the Han people built the city wall, it is smooth and flat to the touch, the knife can't cut and the axe is chiseled without a trace, not to mention that I want to climb up, I don't even have a place to help. Then, without exception, these people were mercilessly shot by the Han Dynasty defenders who discovered it in time.

From then on, the Huns completely cut off the idea of sneak attack. The Han people actually have such means! If you break into the steppe in the future and set up such fortified cities everywhere, it will really be a place where there are no Huns! Thinking about it in this way, the Xiongnu nobles were all worried from being below the khan.

In fact, they thought too much, where have these soil buns on the grassland seen the "high-tech" from Changle Plateau! The city walls built with cement concrete of this era have long exceeded their cognition, and there is a deep sense of fear in the hearts of many Huns.

However, even under such circumstances, the cavalry from different tribes of the Xiongnu launched uninterrupted raids on the borders of the Han Dynasty again and again, the purpose of which was of course for the needs of property. There's no way! The wives and children in the tent are still waiting to eat.

Therefore, the real situation in the northern frontier in recent years is actually still a constant war. It's just that it is difficult for the Hun cavalry to organize a large-scale invasion into the territory of the Han Dynasty, and it is even more difficult to pose a threat to Chang'an.

Of course, wars are always won and lost. The northern border pass has also experienced several crisis moments, several Han troops stationed in the north have been ordered to fight, and even the Black Eagle Army led by Wei Qing has been dispatched twice, advancing into the grassland to find an opportunity to fight.

With the Huns already desperate, the Han army lost many horses, thanks to the Black Eagle Army to support the overall situation, and the deterioration of the situation was avoided. However, on the whole, the Xiongnu's henchmen have not been completely resolved. Larger-scale battles, between Han and Hungary, will break out again sooner or later.

Yuan Zhao did not know these specific military situations. Since he took the initiative to resign from his position in the army, he would no longer meddle in military affairs, not only to avoid suspicion, but also to enable the officers and men of the Black Eagle Army to develop independently under the leadership of Wei Qing.

However, when Wei Qing took the initiative to talk about this to him in detail tonight, Yuan Zhao still frowned slightly, he raised his head and looked at Wei Qing, and asked casually if he had some kind of guess in his heart.

"So, the activities of the Xiongnu north of the Hetao are becoming more and more frequent?"

"Exactly. According to information from the army, since the beginning of this year, small groups of cavalry have been particularly active. Just a few days ago, nearly 10,000 people gathered raided some areas west of Yuyang, causing a large number of casualties among border people, and even the garrison lieutenant was killed by them. Wei Qing did not conceal it, although this information is a secret in the army, but for the person in front of him, there is no need to conceal it.

"The Huns are back to life! And their life in the past few years must have not been satisfactory. With Shan Yuyi's childish and evil character, he can endure for four years and accumulate strength, he should have reached his limit, right? Hehe! ”

When Wei Qing heard Yuan Zhao say this, he nodded. I already have a premonition in my heart, Yuan Zhao must have the same idea as himself! Sure enough, what Yuan Zhao said afterwards confirmed his conjecture.

"The Han and the Xiongnu are going to fight again, and it's going to be a big battle! That day won't be too far away. And this time they must be fully mobilized from the south and west. The reaction of the countries of the Western Regions to the Han Dynasty has already revealed a lot. In light of that, I would like to ...... Brother Qing, as the Great Sima General, you should be prepared in advance! It is necessary to strike preemptively and not be controlled by others! ”

Wei Qing was a little surprised, although he and Yuan Zhao had the same idea, they both thought that it was very likely that the Huns would start a war again. But now listening to Yuan Zhao, this unprecedented scale of war is imminent? This is something he did not expect.

"Brother Yuan, the Huns...... Will it be so urgent? Moreover, they are capable of fighting on two fronts at the same time?"

Yuan Zhao nodded solemnly. The distribution of spheres of influence on the grassland, Yu Dan, the prince of the Huns, had introduced him in detail, so he knew more than anyone else. In the western grasslands, the place jointly managed by King Hutu and King Hun was the most powerful area of the Xiongnu royal court. If they send troops from that direction and then unite the forces of several pro-country countries in the Western Regions, then the Yumen and Yangguan lines of the Han Dynasty will be extremely dangerous. And the tribes that once survived in the Hetao grassland area are naturally unwilling to accept their defeat, and in the past few years, they must be gearing up in the north of the grassland all the time to make a comeback and regain their land of abundant water and grass.

"If you count it from now, it will not exceed this autumn at the latest, and when the autumn is high and the horses are fat, the Hun cavalry will definitely be dispatched in both directions. Let's not forget that in the entire Xiongnu steppe, there were as many as 300,000 or 400,000 people who controlled the strings a few years ago, and once this force is fully mobilized, it is absolutely impossible to ignore. I dare to conclude that after these four years of reserves, the Xiongnu Shan Yu must have the determination to fight a battle. Therefore, from now on, we must hurry up and prepare for battle. ”

Wei Qing didn't wait to finish listening, he had already overturned his original idea. Sure enough, Yuan Zhao's judgment was extremely correct.

"So speaking of which, did you already know that such a situation would occur when you persuaded the emperor to start the expedition to the west immediately this time?"

Wei Qing was already full of admiration. Yuan Zhao didn't have anything to do with Wen Jun for four years, but he could see the essence of the matter at a glance, and all the opponent's actions seemed to be under control.

"Oh, there have been speculations before, but I'm not sure. After listening to you talk about these things tonight, we can basically determine it. Therefore, instead of waiting until the Huns are ready to attack, it is better for us to strike first and take the initiative to attack from both directions at the same time. This will disrupt their deployment by surprise and avoid taking their full blow. Come on, hehe! Maybe they can achieve unexpected results, and it is very likely that they will be beaten to the point of serious damage in one fell swoop. ”

Wei Qing's eyes were shining, he had led his troops to battle many times in recent years, and although he had also won several victories, the results were not great. Every time, he misses the days when he fought side by side with Yuan Zhao, and with Yuan Zhao's far-sighted command of the overall situation, it seems that victory comes happily and easily.

"Brother Yuan! You'd better go back to the army. I went to the emperor to ask for it personally, resign from my current position in the army, and it is enough to be a forward general! For the position of this Great Sima General, only you are the most suitable. ”

He said it very sincerely. These were originally his words. It's just that Yuan Zhao shook his head firmly, and sighed secretly in his heart. Wei Qing is naturally incomparable to the victory of the enemy as a general, but he can be called a layman for the court's power scheme. How could things be as simple as he thought!

"Huh! Brother Qing, this kind of thing will never work. Not only will it be impossible for me to return to the army, but even you, I'm afraid that your power in the army will be greatly restricted in the future. There are no outsiders here, and for the safety of all of us in the future, there are some things that cannot be said openly, I will only say to you once tonight, and I will never mention them again...... Brother Qing, you have to remember it well! ……。 ”

In the somewhat stunned gaze of Hou Weiqing of Changping, Yuan Zhao calmly told him some of the twists and turns. His face was constantly changing, showing the ups and downs of his heart. If some of the rebellious words included in this were not said to him from Yuan Zhao's mouth, even if Wei Qing was killed, he wouldn't believe it!

But the person who spoke to him was Yuan Zhao, the person who had saved his life and the lives of the crown prince Liu Ju's sister and brother, he absolutely believed it.