The invention of the stirrup undoubtedly greatly strengthened the combat power of the Qin army's cavalry corps, and the Qin army's new pawns quickly mastered the balance of horses through this simple tool.

The Qin people established the country by farming and warfare, and most of the men in Guanzhong had served in the army many times and had rich experience, so most of these soldiers who were selected to join the cavalry were very familiar with the operation of bows and crossbows, and the only thing they lacked was the fire. Now with stirrups, most of the problems are solved.

Few inventions are as simple as stirrups and at the same time of such historical significance. The stirrup applied animal power to hand-to-hand combat, allowing the cavalry and the horse to become one. After the invention of the stirrup, it made the war horse easier to control and made people and horses one. The knight on horseback can free his hands, and can ride and shoot on a galloping horse, or swing sharply from side to side on horseback to complete a series of combat moves such as slashing left and right.

Han Xin did not deliberately keep it secret, because this simple and effective invention would soon spread with the actual battle, and there was no way to keep it secret. Once the enemy is defeated by a cavalry equipped with stirrups, the opponent will soon discover the usefulness of stirrups and follow suit. It's just that Kanto is not a place to raise horses, and although Xiang Yu's cavalry is elite, it can only be maintained at a scale of thirty or forty thousand people, and it is difficult to promote it on a large scale. As for the Huns on the steppe, there is no need to worry, although the stirrups are simple to make, they are not easy for the Huns who lack iron-smelting technology to follow.

In fact, Han Xin was far from expecting that his invention of the stirrup created a new era in the history of warfare, greatly improving the strategic position of the cavalry, and the cavalry jumped from an auxiliary arm to the king of war, and became the most brilliant branch of the army in the era of cold weapons, thus completely rewriting the pattern of warfare for thousands of years thereafter.

Of course, now Han Xin was only satisfied with gaining an advantage in equipment over the Xiongnu, which made him more comfortable with the upcoming war. Under his instructions, the general in charge of managing the craftsmen mobilized all the blacksmiths in the entire Xianyang neighborhood to build new stirrups around the clock. Finally, three days later, the first batch of 10,000 stirrups was given priority to the new army for drills, and the rest were being built in a hurry.

Just when the Qin State was in full swing preparing for war, Maudun's army had also been assembled in Dragon City. With Hugh Tu Wang Ji Congee as the vanguard, the army of 500,000 horsemen poured south, pointing directly at Guanzhong.

For a time, warnings were issued at various passes on the Great Wall, and the troops on the whole line were tight. Tian Shi and Zhao Wuji died on the Great Wall on the other hand, and used the beacon fire as a sign to strictly prevent the Huns from attacking and harassing. On the one hand, the main army was concentrated in Fushi and other places as mobile troops, and once the pass was warned, it quickly went to the rescue through the gallop to prevent it from being broken one by one by the Huns' plan to attack the east and west.

At this time, the importance of the Great Wall became apparent, with the Great Wall as a support, the defenders only needed to use a small number of troops to deploy on the wall, and a limited number of troops could be gathered at the pass as a mobile force.

Most of the Great Walls were built according to the dangerous situation of the mountains and rivers, and in the mountain passes and plains, high walls were built to cut off the way of the cavalry of the nomadic tribes of the steppe. In addition to the city wall, beacon towers were also built at the commanding heights inside and outside to reconnoiter the enemy and transmit information, so that the garrison on the Great Wall could be prepared; At the intersection of traffic and the valley mouth, barriers were built and troops were stationed to strengthen the defense capability of the Great Wall. Within the Great Wall, large garrisons were built at intervals and communication networks were set up to quickly transmit messages so that they could unify command and support each other.

The entire Great Wall is like a complete defense system, and it is precisely because of its existence that the three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao and Yan during the Warring States Period were able to get rid of the never-ending tug-of-war with the nomadic tribes and were able to compete for hegemony in the Central Plains with all their might.

Mao Dun gnawed a hard bone under the Great Wall, originally he thought that under the Huns' hard blow, the Great Wall was just a vulnerable city wall, which could be easily broken through, but he did not expect to suffer under the high city wall, and 500,000 troops were stranded outside the pass and could not enter.

In fact, this can not be blamed for Mao Dun, when he was born, the Xiongnu had moved all the way north under the repeated blows of Zhao and Qin, although the original intention of the first emperor to build the Great Wall was to prevent the invasion of the northern nomadic tribes, and to transfer the main elite troops back to the Central Plains. However, the Qin State had already unified the whole country at that time, and the resistance forces of various countries were basically pacified, and there was no strong threat around except for the Xiongnu Donghu in the north.

Therefore, the 300,000 elite northern army was stationed in the north to continue the attack on the Xiongnu and Donghu. In this situation of unprecedented strength of the Qin state, the Xiongnu did not even have the courage to go south to herd horses, let alone cross the city to attack the interior.

Later, the main force of the Northern Army of Qin was exhausted in the Battle of Julu, and Wang Jing, who fled back to the north, transferred all the garrisons along the Great Wall back in order to withdraw his troops. Therefore, the Xiongnu invaded south all the way to break through the defense line of the Great Wall without bloodshed, and did not see the difficulty of the Great Wall to overcome, so they naturally despised it, which is why they have today's disgrace.

Mao Dun hollowed out his dead mind several times and tried to sneak attack, and even feinted to lure the Qin army out of the city, but Tian Shi was unmoved, and still followed the rules step by step, ignoring Mao Dun's attack and harassment at all. Mao Dun had no choice but to besiege Xiao Pass, and ordered more than 50,000 people from Sima Xin and Dong Fei's two divisions to be the vanguard, so that they with siege experience led the siege, and at the same time ordered the captured Central Plains craftsmen to build siege equipment day and night, wanting to take Xiao Pass by storming.

The Xiongnu ran into a wall under the Great Wall, which was undoubtedly too good news for Xianyang, and those who had been worried that the Xiongnu might not be able to resist the Great Qin Army finally put their minds at ease. The Qin State still maintained a normal order of life and production, and was not panicked by the war at the border pass.

In order to effectively control strategic resources in wartime, Han Xin has ordered that wartime war horses, weapons, salt, iron, grain, and other materials are prohibited from being bought and sold by the private sector, and are instead sold by the government. The imperial court also implemented a policy of tightening the interior and loosening the outside, and the grain, grass and weapons were continuously transferred from Xianyang to Shangjun and Beidi County through the straight road, and the troops in Guanzhong were also frequently mobilized.

In order to deal with the unexpected incident, the Qin people in Shangjun and Beidi counties, who were close to the Great Wall, were forcibly moved back to Guanzhong, and local garrisons were stationed instead. Curfews have been imposed in places such as Fushi City, the administrative office of Shangjun County, and Yiqucheng, the administrative office of Beidi County, to strictly check outsiders to prevent Xiongnu spies from infiltrating.

Although the current situation of the Qin State is superior, Han Xin is not at all relaxed. On the contrary, the stalemate in front of him was the last thing he wanted.

Although the Xiongnu are pouring south this time, if they are rejected by the Great Wall, they will naturally retreat to the grassland when the grain and grass are exhausted, but they have not hurt the root at all. With the first time, there will be a second, a third, ....... several times. Maudun will not give up easily, and according to his character, he will never give up if he does not achieve his goal.

He now has this capital, the Xiongnu have dominated the grassland, and there are no strong competitors around him, which creates conditions for him to focus on going south. The Qin state, on the other hand, was hostile on all three sides, except for a land of quicksand to the west. Especially Xiang Yu, who was fighting in the Central Plains in the Kwantung region, was a big trouble for the Qin State. But if the threat of the Xiongnu is not resolved one day, then the Qin State will not be able to withdraw from the north, so why not go east to chase the Central Plains.

This also became Han Xin's dead end, which gave him a headache, but he was helpless. You must know that the current national strength of Qin is no longer the first emperor period of "King Qin swept Liuhe and looked at He Xiongzai", and he could not concentrate the strength of the whole country to fight a battle of the Northern Expedition and solve the threat of the Xiongnu in one fell swoop.

In terms of troops, in addition to the defenders defending Guanzhong, he can mobilize no more than 200,000 troops, and if these troops are dragged to the vast grassland to fight with the Huns, I am afraid that they will die ugly.

The Qin State is no longer the Qin Empire in its heyday, and the Maodun Xiongnu are no longer the Touman Xiongnu of the year. The difference is only that one is in decline, and the other is in full swing, so the offensive and defensive momentum is reversed.

Even though he knew this, Han Xin couldn't come up with any effective way to solve this dilemma, so he had to pay close attention to the soldiers' drills. In the past few days, he has been stationed in the cavalry all day, and even the handling of official business has been moved to the big tent in the army, and it is only in the evening that he drags his tired body back to Xianyang City.

For an army to truly use it as an arm, the commander must maintain a close bond with the army. Therefore, many military books on the method of training soldiers will emphasize that the commander must share weal and woe with the soldiers, day and night, so that the soldiers can really be close to you and be willing to fight to the death for you. At that time, Wu Qi, a famous general of the Wei State, in order to govern the army, was even willing to suck pus from his mouth for the soldiers with sores on his back, in fact, in the final analysis, it was nothing more than a show to please the army.

Of course, Han Xin couldn't do such a disgusting thing, but he still mastered the general essence. The way to govern the army is nothing more than strict orders, clear rewards and punishments, and at the same time close to the soldiers. Although his prestige among the Qin people is extremely high, it is just an unattainable legend for ordinary soldiers, although he admires it, he may not be close to him. Only by seeing with your own eyes, practicing together, going into battle together, killing the enemy, and eating the same pot of rice, can you make the sergeant return to his heart and feel that you are his own person.

It was already dusk on this day, and Han Xin was returning to Xianyang from Nanying.

After a busy day, Han Xin was already hungry, but the food in the camp was really poor, where could it be compared to the delicious food that won and cooked by himself. So Han Xin played a trick and tried to eat as little as possible in the camp at noon, saving his appetite for dinner.

Thinking of the delicate wife and food at home, Han Xin couldn't help but feel itchy, so he swung his horsewhip and sped up the horse's speed.

In the evening, there are naturally a lot of people on Xianyang Street, and the bustling time is lively, but on the contrary, it is indeed deserted on the road not far from the street. No matter how crowded the street is, no one will always step on the road without permission, even if it is a child playing and playing.

The road was used by princes and nobles and officials over 500 stones, and it could also be used by the army and messengers in wartime, but the commoners were never allowed to occupy the road. Since the Shang Dynasty changed the law, the Qin people's fear of laws and regulations has long been deeply rooted in the bone marrow, and their words and deeds will unconsciously follow the Qin laws. Although Han Xin had abolished or revised many harsh Qin laws after taking power, the fear of the Qin people's centuries-old fear of laws still guided their lives, and they did not dare to cross the thunder pond by half a step.

Han Xin's team of more than 200 people galloped along the gallop road all the way, and the pedestrians on the road saw the banner of Wuxin Marquis in the distance, and some of them knelt down and shouted long live, and most of the rest cheered.

These Han Xin have already experienced a lot, and they were a little reserved at first, but over time they got used to it, and every time they turned a deaf ear and just concentrated on hurrying, otherwise they would be exhausted to death by the onlookers of the Qin people.

Passing around a corner, a person rushed out of the crowd and stopped on the galloping road. Han Xin, who was in the lead, was startled, pulled the reins of the horse urgently, raised the front hooves of the war horse, and stopped the rush with a long neigh.

The soldiers behind him had already rushed up, and they all pointed their swords at the man and shouted loudly; "Who are you, you dare to block the way of the general, but you want to die."

Han Xin smiled, raised his hand to stop the guards behind him, and said with a smile; "Brother Zhang, the way you look for me is really fresh, you actually stopped the horse on the road, if I don't stop here, then you and I will regret it for the rest of our lives."

The person who came was Zhang Liang, who was dressed in a white-washed cloth robe, although he was under the horse's hooves, his face was still calm, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard Han Xin's words; "It's hard to see you. I have been looking for you for many days, but everyone outside your door says that you are not in the house, and they refuse to tell me about it. Today I happened to pass by here and saw someone saying that you were back to the city, so I hurried here, where do you dare to do so much in a hurry. ”

Han Xin couldn't help but be dumbfounded when he heard this, and smiled apologetically; "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You also know that there are too many people looking for me to give gifts and friendships in my current capacity, and it's no wonder that those doormen will reject you. ”

After speaking, he turned over and dismounted, stepped forward and took Zhang Liang's hand enthusiastically and smiled; "Brother Zhang, you have been gone for more than half a year, and there is no news, I am still worried about what happened to you, and now I am relieved when I see you."

Zhang Liang smiled, "Brother Han, you underestimate me." Back then, I was wanted by the first emperor in the world, and I lived in exile alone for more than ten years, although Liang is not as strong as you, but I still know a little bit about my fists and feet, and there is no problem with self-defense. ”

Han Xin laughed and apologized; "That's what I said, it's me who underestimated you, Brother Zhang." After speaking, he looked around, pulled Zhang Liang and said; "There are a lot of people here, why don't you go back to my house with me first, and we can have a drink to catch up with the old love, how about it?"

Zhang Liang nodded happily; "It's fine."

After saying that, one of the personal soldiers gave up his mount, and Han Xin and Zhang Liang laughed and talked as they drove towards the Wuxin Marquis Mansion.

When he returned to the mansion, Ying Ke, who had already been told by the servant in advance, greeted him with a smile, and when he saw Han Xin affectionately pulling a middle-aged man beside him, he couldn't help but be stunned, thinking that he had indeed never seen someone before, so he turned his puzzled eyes to Han Xin.

Han Xin explained with a smile; "This is Brother Zhang Liangzhang that I told you about before, he is an emperor's skill, and he has the talent of the heavens and the earth."

Win Ke immediately showed his face and said to Zhang Liang slightly; "The concubine has seen Brother Zhang."

Zhang Liang naturally knew that she was a princess, and when he saw her being so courteous, he hurriedly bowed and saluted back, saying that he didn't dare. Ying Ke smiled slightly; "Brother Zhang doesn't need to be polite, you are my husband's friend, and you are older than him, why can't you afford this sentence. As for me, when I marry and obey my husband, I will naturally call you big brother with my husband. ”

Zhang Liang smiled bitterly, "Princess, you are really distressed, Liang is just a cloth cloth, and his talent is far inferior to Brother Han." He loves him too much, so he has a cheeky face to keep a big brother. Now that he has become famous in the world, I am still a white man, how can I afford it. ”

Han Xin glared at him and feigned anger; "Brother Zhang, you and I intersected in a poor and lowly time. At that time, although you were a fugitive, you were a famous knight in the world, and you were still the queen of South Korea. At that time, you never hated me for being from a humble background, but I was a child in the market. ”

Zhang Liang is a free and easy person in the end, he couldn't help laughing when he heard Han Xin's words, clapping his hands and laughing; "Brother Han taught me a lesson, I was wrong, and I will compensate you."

Han Xin hurriedly helped up Zhang Liang, who was about to bow down, Zhang Liang didn't have any apology, just pretending, and when he saw Han Xin reaching out to help, he also stood up.

Han Xin glared and feigned anger; "Wrong is wrong, how can it be so small, you have to be punished, a few glasses of heavy punishment."

This is Ying Ke has already ordered his subordinates to go and prepare, and when he heard the words, he said with a smile; "Husband is right, your brothers meet naturally and have a thousand glasses of wine with their confidants, I have already prepared dinner, and I have called someone to serve some snacks, you might as well get drunk."

Han Xin stepped forward with a smile, hugged Ying Ke and kissed his cheek, and said close to his ear; "Lady who knows me, are you okay today?"

It can be seen that he is openly affectionate regardless of the presence of outsiders, and he is suddenly embarrassed, and he glanced at Han Xindao with a red face; "Brother Zhang is here."

Zhang Liang turned his head very cooperatively at this time, and said with a smile in his mouth; "Don't worry, I didn't see it, I didn't see anything."

When he said this, he was even more ashamed, glared at Han Xin fiercely, stomped on him, and then left.

Han Xin and Zhang Liang glanced at each other, both laughing, and wanted to take them into the main hall.

The wine and food were quickly put on the table, Han Xin was born in poverty, so his life was still frugal, and he became much more thrifty after marrying into the mansion with Yingke. There are not many dishes in this meal, but they are all exquisite, and it can be seen that it took a lot of effort to win.

Han Xin raised his glass, "Come Brother Zhang, I haven't seen you for more than half a year, I will toast you here for my brother." "After Han Xin drank everything, he smiled and asked the question he was most concerned about;" I don't know what Brother Zhang has been busy with for the past half a year, why there is no news at all. ”

Zhang Liang sighed slightly, and said with a somewhat melancholy expression; "I said goodbye to you that day, and I wanted to go back to Korea to consult the clan scriptures. Later, when I went back, it coincided with Zhao Weiqi's use of troops against the Chu State, and our Korean state was in decline, and it continued to breathe in the gap between the powers. I couldn't bear it when I saw King Han so pitiful, so I joined the court as a minister. ”

Liu Bang soon came to the Central Plains and defeated Ji Bu's troops. I already had a grudge against Liu Bang, so I didn't want to see him again to avoid sudden incidents, so I resigned from my official position and returned to the people. It's a pity that the sky died in Korea, and after Xiang Yu's victory, he was angry with the king of Han, and even gave him death, uprooted the Han family, and appointed his henchman Zheng Chang as the new king of Han. I am angry in my heart, but I am powerless to take revenge, so I came to seek refuge with you, Brother Han. ”

Han Xin pondered for a long time, and suddenly said; "Brother Zhang, do you know a person named Han Feng in the Korean clan?"