Huo Qubing
140 BC - 117 BC)
A famous general in the Western Han Dynasty. A native of Pingyang, Hedong (now southwest of Linfen, Shanxi). The nephew of Wei Qing, a famous general in the Han Dynasty. Good at riding and shooting. In the sixth year of Yuanshuo (123 BC), Huo Qubing was appointed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty as the captain of Piao Yao. He accompanied Wei Qing to attack the Xiongnu in Monan (south of the present-day Mongolian Plateau Desert). He annihilated more than 2,000 people with 800 people and was awarded the title of Champion Marquis. In the second year of Yuanshou (121 BC), he was appointed as a general of hussars. In spring and summer, he led troops to attack the Xiongnu tribe that occupied Hexi (today's Hexi Corridor and Huangshui River Basin) twice, and annihilated more than 40,000 people. In the autumn of the same year, he was ordered to welcome King Hunxie of the Xiongnu who led his troops to surrender to the Han Dynasty. At the critical moment of the partial surrender, he led his troops into the Xiongnu army, killed the rebels, and stabilized the situation. King Hunxie was able to lead more than 40,000 people. Return to Han. From then on, the Han Dynasty controlled the Hexi area and opened up the road to the Western Regions. In the summer of the fourth year, he and Wei Qing each led 50,000 horses across the desert (today's Mongolian Plateau Desert) to attack the Xiongnu. After Huo Qubing defeated King Zuo Xian's troops, he took advantage of the victory and pursued it, going more than 2,000 miles deep and annihilating more than 70,000 people. Later he was promoted to Grand Sima and shared military power with Wei Qing. He used his troops flexibly, paid attention to strategy, did not adhere to ancient methods, was brave and courageous, and won every battle, winning the trust of Emperor Wu. He died of illness in the sixth year of Yuanshou (117 BC).
Heroes do not care about their origins
Huo Qubing was born into a legendary family. He is the child of Wei Shao'er, a slave girl from Princess Pingyang's mansion, and Huo Zhongru, a petty official from Pingyang County. The clerk did not dare to admit that he had an affair with the princess's slave girl, so Huo Qubing could only be born as an illegitimate son. An illegitimate son whose father dared not admit it, and whose mother was a slave girl, it seemed that Huo Qubing would never get ahead, but a miracle finally happened to him.
About when Huo Qubing was just one year old, his aunt Wei Zifu entered the harem of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and was soon named Madam, second only to the Queen. Huo Qubing's uncles Wei Changjun and Wei Qing were also promoted to the rank of servant. The fate of the Wei family has changed since then - at this time, I am afraid no one thought that it was not just Wei Qing and Huo Qubing whose fate was changed, but also the offensive and defensive changes between Han and Huns over the years.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che was an emperor with great martial arts achievements in Chinese history. At that time, the Han Dynasty had unstable borders and was constantly invaded by the Huns. As a nomadic people, the Huns almost regarded the Han Dynasty, which relied on farming, as a storehouse for their own needs, and they burned, killed, and looted everything. Faced with such a situation, the countries within the Great Wall have been unable to fundamentally change since the Qin Dynasty. They rarely win, and more often they can only hope to buy temporary peace with marriage and a large amount of "dowry" property. Relatively peaceful.
The talented Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty hoped to change this situation, and he soon found someone who had the same aspirations as him. He was Wei Zifu's younger brother Wei Qing.
In the fifth year of Yuanguang (130 BC), Wei Qing paid homage to the chariot general, and he and three other generals each led an army out of the fortress. During this troop dispatch, the four armies were defeated in three attempts. What was especially outrageous was that veteran Li Guang was captured by the Huns and managed to escape with great difficulty. On the contrary, Wei Qing, the "cavalry slave" who went out to lead troops for the first time, came out of Shanggu and attacked Dragon City, killing 700 enemies and becoming a true "Dragon City Flying General". Wei Qing's military genius impressed Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. From then on, he went on many campaigns with great success.
Born out of the blue
While Wei Qing was making great achievements, Huo Qubing also gradually grew up. Under the influence of his uncle, he was good at riding and shooting since he was a child. Although he was young, he disdained Yu stayed in Chang'an City like other princes and grandsons, indulged in sex and enjoyed the shelter of his elders. He longed for the day when he would kill the enemy and achieve meritorious service.
In the sixth year of Yuanshuo (123 BC), the Battle of Monan. Huo Qubing, who was under 18 years old, volunteered for military service, and Emperor Wu named him Captain Piao Yao to accompany the army on the expedition.
On the battlefield, Huo Qubing relied on his bravery and 800 cavalry to gallop hundreds of miles in the vast desert to find traces of the enemy. As a result, his original "long-distance raid" won the first battle and defeated the enemy. There were more than 2,000 people. One of the two uncles of the Xiongnu Chanyu was killed and the other was captured alive. But Huo Qubing and others returned intact. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty immediately named him "Champion Marquis" and praised his bravery to win the three armies.
Huo Qubing’s first battle, with such eye-catching results, announced to the world that the most dazzling generation of Han family generals had been born.
The God of War is Invincible
In the spring of the second year of Yuanshou (121 BC), Huo Qubing was appointed as a hussar general and led 10,000 elite troops to attack the Xiongnu alone. This is the Hexi War.
The 19-year-old commander-in-chief Huo Qubing lived up to expectations, running through the desert thousands of miles away and fighting a beautiful roundabout battle. In six days, he fought against the five Xiongnu tribes, advancing all the way, and fought a head-to-head life-and-death battle with the Huns Luhou and King Zhelan in Gaolan Mountain. In this battle, Huo Qubing was defeated miserably, with only 3,000 elite soldiers remaining from 10,000. The Xiongnu suffered heavy losses - King Luhou and King Zhelan were both killed in battle, Prince Hunxie, Prime Minister, and Captain were captured, killing 8,960 enemies. The Xiongnu sacrificed to Tianjin and became Han Dynasty. Trophies of the army. After this battle of blood and fire, no one in the Han Dynasty doubted young Huo Qubing's ability to lead the army. He became a military model and the embodiment of martial spirit in the Han army.
In the summer of the same year, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to pursue the victory and launch a battle to regain Hexi.
In this battle, Huo Qubing became the commander-in-chief of the Han army, while veteran general Li Guang and others only served as his supporting troops. What makes people laugh or cry is that Gongsun Ao and other "old horses" who often traveled in the desert who cooperated in the battle were not as good as Huo Qubing, the son of Chang'an two years ago. They actually got lost in the desert and did not play their due role in assisting. The veteran Li Guang's troops were surrounded by the Xiongnu King Zuoxian. Huo Qubing once again went deep alone and won another victory. In the Qilian Mountains, Huo Qubing's troops killed more than 30,000 enemy soldiers and captured five Xiongnu princes, as well as 59 Xiongnu princes and 63 Xiongnu generals.
After this battle, the Xiongnu had to retreat to the north of Yanzhi Mountain, and the Han Dynasty regained the Hexi Plain. The Xiongnu who once did whatever they wanted on the head of the Han Dynasty and destroyed countless people in the Han Dynasty finally sang a lament: "The death of my Qilian Mountains will make my six animals unable to rest; the loss of my Yanzhi Mountain will make my women colorless."
From then on, the Han army became more powerful, and the 19-year-old Huo Qubing became a god of war that frightened the Huns.
The thing that really made Huo Qubing like a god was "Hexi's surrender", which happened in autumn.
After the two battles in Hexi, the Xiongnu Chanyu wanted to deal harshly with King Hunxie who had been defeated repeatedly. After the news leaked, King Hunxie and King Xiutu wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not know whether the surrender of the two Xiongnu kings was true or false, so he sent Huo Qubing to the Yellow River to accept the surrender. When Huo Qubing led his troops to cross the Yellow River, a mutiny broke out among the Xiongnu troops. Faced with this situation, Huo Qubing personally rushed into the Xiongnu camp with only a few soldiers, faced King Hunxie directly, and ordered him to kill the mutinous soldiers. We can never guess what King Hunxie is thinking at this time. At that moment, he had every opportunity to take Huo Qubing hostage or kill him for revenge. As long as he did this, the Chanyu would not kill him but would reward him. However, King Hunxie gave up in the end, and the momentum of this young man who dared to take risks alone and was not afraid of life and death suppressed him. Huo Qubing's momentum not only suppressed King Hunxie, but also suppressed more than 40,000 Huns. In the end, they did not continue to expand the rebellion.
The surrender of Hexi ended successfully, but today we can only imagine with admiration how that nineteen-year-old boy stood in the enemy's camp when the situation was confusing and dangerous. With just one expression and one gesture, he subdued 40,000 soldiers and 8,000 rebels outside the tent.
From then on, the four counties of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang were added to the territory of the Han Dynasty. The Hexi Corridor was officially incorporated into the Han Dynasty. This was the first time in Chinese history that foreign invaders had surrendered. It not only made the Han people proud and proud of themselves after suffering from the Huns for hundreds of years, but also gave them the confidence to be strong.
Sealing the Wolf to Juxu
In the fourth year of Yuanshou (119 BC), in order to completely eliminate the main force of the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty launched the unprecedented "Mobei War".
At this time, Huo Qubing had become the trump card of the Han army without any doubt. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had great trust in Huo Qubing's ability. In the pre-planning of this war, Huo Qubing was originally arranged to fight Shanyu. However, due to intelligence errors, the game became Wei Qing's and Huo Qubing failed to meet his most desired opponent. , but ran into King Zuo Xian’s tribe.
However, this battle can be regarded as the pinnacle of Huo Qubing. In the process of searching for the main force of the Huns in Mobei, Huo Qubing led his troops to attack for more than 2,000 miles. With a loss of 15,000, he annihilated more than 70,000 enemies and captured three Hun princes and eight generals. Thirteen people. Probably because he was eager to meet the Xiongnu Chanyu, Huo Qubing, who "sought defeat alone", pursued him all the way to the Kent Mountains in present-day Mongolia. It was here that Huo Qubing paused temporarily and led his army in a ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth - the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was held in Langjuxu Mountain, and the Zen ceremony of offering sacrifices to earth was held in Guyan Mountain. It is a ritual and a determination.
After sealing the wolf to Xu, Huo Qubing continued to lead his army to pursue the Xiongnu in depth, and fought all the way to Hanhai (now Lake Baikal, Russia) before returning. Starting from Chang'an, we rushed all the way to Lake Baikal, and won great victories along the way in an almost completely unfamiliar environment. What an achievement!
After this battle, "the Huns fled far away, and there was no royal court in the south of the desert." Huo Qubing and his "Self-conferring the Wolf to Live in Xu" have since become the highest pursuit and life-long dream of Chinese soldiers of all ages. This year, Huo Qubing was only twenty-two years old.
Even if you die, you can still smell the fragrance of your chivalrous bones
After completing such an unparalleled feat, Huo Qubing also reached the pinnacle of his life: the Great Sima Hussar General. However, only two years later, in the sixth year of Yuanshou (117 BC), the 24-year-old hussar general Huo Qubing passed away.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very sad about Huo Qubing's death. He mobilized the armored troops and formed a formation along Chang'an to Huo Qubing's cemetery in Maoling. He also ordered Huo Qubing's tomb to be built to look like the Qilian Mountains to demonstrate his miraculous achievements in defeating the Huns.
Huo Qubing was given the posthumous title of Marquis Jinghuan.
Huo Qubing was born as a slave and grew up in Qiluo, but he never indulged in wealth and luxury. He put the safety of the country and his achievements before everything else.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once built a luxurious mansion for Huo Qubing, but Huo Qubing refused to accept it, saying: "The Xiongnu are not destroyed, why do we have a family?" These eight short words, because they came from Huo Qubing's mouth, are meaningful and meaningful. It is shocking and engraved in the hearts of the soldiers who have defended their homes and the country in all dynasties.
Huo Qubing rarely talks but does more, and never talks empty words. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once wanted to teach Sun Wu the art of war in person. He replied: "In war, you should adapt to changes, and the situation has changed. The ancient art of war is no longer suitable."
Huo Zhongru did not want to be the father of Huo Qubing in the womb. Wei Shao'er has never told him his life experience. After he made great achievements, he finally understood the cause and effect. Just after he became a hussar general, he came to Pingyang (today's Linfen, Shanxi), knelt down to his father Huo Zhongru, who had abandoned him that year, and said: "Qubing didn't know that he was the son of an adult earlier, and he failed to fulfill his filial piety." Huo Zhongru was worthy of his filial piety. Dare to respond, he replied: "I have to trust the general, this is the power of heaven." Afterwards, Huo Qubing bought a farmhouse for Huo Zhongru, who had never fulfilled his father's responsibilities for a day, and took Huo Guang, the stepmother's son, to Chang'an to cultivate him into something useful.
The young general Huo Qubing was not a perfect man. He once shot and killed Li Gan, and he also once guarded Jun Jun. However, no matter how serious he is, he is still the god of war. All soldiers yearn to become his subordinates and follow him to kill the enemy and perform meritorious service. He led troops to formally attack the Xiongnu four times in his life, and returned with great victory every time. He destroyed 110,000 enemies and surrendered 40,000 enemies. He opened up new territories and expanded the territory. His military exploits were even more spectacular than those of his uncle Wei Qing. For the entire world military history and Chinese history, Huo Qubing is a legend that will shine through the ages.
Huo Qubing's tomb still stands next to Maoling. The stone statue of "Horse Trampling the Huns" in front of the tomb symbolizes his immortal contributions to the country. Thousands of years later, the world still thinks of the peerless demeanor of the young general Huo Qubing. They are fascinated by his spirit, wisdom and courage, and their blood boils with enthusiasm for his ambition to protect his family and country without any desire for luxury.
Evaluations of the past dynasties
In "Customs and Meanings. Guoyu" written by Yingshao of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when commenting on Huangfu Gui, the general of Liao Dynasty, he said: "Emperor Xiaowu treated Dishe for Hussars General Huo Qubing. The imperial edict looked at it and said: "The Xiongnu will not be destroyed, why should we take care of our family!" After removing the sick relatives and relatives, all the warriors can still resist Hong Yi; but the pure Confucianism of the old family is not the only one to blame. "At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty when the eunuchs were dictatorial for the foreign relatives, the Qingliu people like Ying Shao were quite disdainful towards the foreign relatives, so much so that they even spoke highly of Huo Qubing. Huangfu Gui was a famous general and minister at that time. , there is another wonderful performance in the disaster of party imprisonment, Ying Shao still thinks that his behavior is not as good as Huo Qubing
(Song Dynasty) He Qufei's "Huo Qubing Theory" in "Dr. He's Preparation"
What heaven gives is talent that cannot be strong but is very high; what nature receives is wisdom that cannot be learned but is very clear. Since there is no talent in the world that can be strong and wisdom that can be learned, then all talents and wisdom are there. Those who are greater than human beings are the reason why the gods are private. Nothing in the world can be done by gods, and nothing in the world can be done by cleverness. Therefore, gentlemen who are gentle, respectful, trustworthy, and virtuous cannot know anything about them. It is clever, but the evil, deceitful and unruly villains often take matters into their own hands. From this point of view, all those who have excellent talents and intelligence and are able to use them wonderfully are endowed by heaven.
The Han Dynasty had something to do with the Xiongnu, and the old generals of his family were handed over to the fortress. Wei Qing, who was a famous general in ancient times, fought thousands of miles and conquered all directions. There is nothing wrong with it. Is it possible that the abilities of these two people are due to their practice? Therefore, Sun and Wu wrote in the book "Gu Fang Lue" that he did not seek to learn from ancient times. art of war. "Believe it or not, soldiers cannot be taught by law. In the past, people could not say anything but got rid of the disease. This is enough to know that they are Xiaobing.
Soldiers can do nothing, but people can do nothing. Learning. Building a military force is not possible without the law, but the law cannot be completely achieved through the military force. , so one cannot just stick to it. The beauty of it is that the law has a final conclusion, but the soldiers can change in a day, in a moment, and in an instant. However, the shape of the army is changing. If you defend a certain book and face an infinite number of enemies, the odds of victory or defeat will be ruthless. This is because those who use the ancient virtues as soldiers do not use the law as a defense, but use the law as a weapon. The Dharma arises from the Dharma, and the Dharma is separated from the Dharma. I follow the Dharma in the past, and apply it in reverse. ; People use it to defeat, but I use it to win. If it is seen as clumsy, it is a skill; if it is seen as stupid, it is wisdom. The reason for this is that he does not seek to learn deeply, but only cares about the strategy. "Don't pursue him when he returns to the army." This is why Cao Gong defeated Zhang Xiu, and Huangfu Song invaded and destroyed the kingdom. , the reason why Zhao Chongguo slowed down Xian Ling, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty invaded and surrendered Xue Rengao. "Those who strive for profit within a hundred miles will defeat the general." Sun Bin also killed Pang Juan, Zhao She invaded and defeated the Qin army, and Jia Xu invaded and defeated the rebellion. The Qiang "were strong enough to avoid them", so Zhou Yafu did not attack the sharp Wu army, but Guangwu invaded and defeated Xun and Yi, while Shi Le attacked and defeated Jidan. Also, Cao Gong used it to reject Yuan Shao and kill Yan Liang. "The general is in danger when facing the enemy." The Qin Jun used it to defeat Zhao Kuo. Xue Gong used three strategies. He must abandon the top and middle and use the bottom. Jia Xu used his elite troops to pursue the retreating army and was defeated. Song Wu first expected Qiao to surprise me, and then attacked the opponent's surprise.
Li Guangbi was out of the field for a while, but suddenly returned and surrendered Siming's two generals. All these are obtained illegally and can only be taught by writing. However, a good person uses it skillfully. This fruit does not care about the ancestors, but focuses on guarding them. Zhao Kuozhi was able to read his father's letters in detail, but Lin Xiangru said that his disciples could read them but did not know the changes. Therefore, when it came to discussing military affairs, although his father had nothing to do with it, he did not think he could do it, but he knew that he would definitely defeat the Zhao army, so it would be of no use to Kuo Kuo to write about it. But what is wonderful about me is not only something that cannot be conveyed in books, but also something that my heart cannot reverse and determine in the days before the war.
No one in the past used military force as a book like Sun Wu. What martial arts can teach others has been prepared, but what martial arts cannot teach others can only be predicted by martial arts. Therefore, he said: "The victory of a military strategist cannot be passed down first." He also said: "The change of strange and correct changes cannot be defeated." He also said: "Everyone knows the form of my victory, but no one knows the form of my victory. Therefore, the victory cannot be restored, but the shape should be endless. "Those who are good at martial arts seek for themselves because of this, which is called strategy. This is the only thing that scholars care about when it comes to getting rid of illness without seeking to deepen it. Alas! It is also delusional to adhere to the last words of Sun and Wu and use the empty words of Cheng people to seek to be consistent with their teachings and not to seek what they cannot teach, just because they are called good.
As for Zhao Yun and Yue Fei, both of them quoted Huo Qubing’s famous sayings and asked for the magnificent houses given by the emperor. This also shows the mutual recognition between famous generals and famous generals. I am afraid it is more precious and more valuable than Comrade Wang Lang’s comments. Be convincing. As for the allusions of Wei Huo, Han family general, Feng Langju Xu in Tang poetry and Song lyrics, they are even more old-fashioned.
Preface to the new book of General Qi Ji Xiao (Wang Shizhen): "When I was in charge of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, I went to North Korea, Yunnan and Yue, sweeping across Ou, Fujian and South Vietnam, not spinning but just like inheriting the ancients. The most important thing is The Huns were in trouble, but the generals and hussar generals conquered the desert with their light cavalry. Isn't this just a matter of luck? However, the official biography of Taishi was not included in the story. He was famous for his articles, and he was dissatisfied with others. He didn't want to make the warriors famous. When the emperor wanted to teach Wu's art of war, he refused to accept it. Then we will know the insignificance of the hussar general and the general. He is good at skills but short on law, which means he is not a lucky man. How will he be seen in future generations? "
"General History of Chinese Military" "Military History of the Western Han Dynasty" (Author: Chen Wutong)
Huo Qubing was not a general who was good at military theory, and he was not even interested in it. "Historical Records: Biography of General Wei's Hussars" records that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once intended to teach him to learn "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and "Wu Qi's Art of War", but Huo Qubing said: "Gu Fanglue has such an ear that he does not want to learn the ancient art of war." Huo Qubing was not a person either. A general who loves his soldiers as much as his sons and can share the joys and sorrows with his subordinates. On the contrary, he is famous in history for being "ignorant of soldiers", that is, not caring about the hunger, cold, food and clothing of his soldiers. When he went on an expedition, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent his eunuchs to deliver dozens of carts of food to the army. However, when the army returned, "the heavy carts were left with grains of rice and meat, and some of the soldiers were hungry." Sometimes the soldiers lacked food and could not even raise their hands due to hunger, but Huo Qubing still "traveled across the territory to play juju" and played football to keep fit. Obviously, Huo Qubing was not a perfect military strategist. However, he was able to achieve invincibility, and his military achievements far surpassed those battlefield veterans who were familiar with the art of war and experienced hundreds of battles. The reasons for this mainly include the following three aspects:
First of all, Huo Qubing has Extraordinary heroism. Sima Qian said that he was "vigorous and courageous", that is, he did not avoid hardships and dangers, bravely shouldered heavy responsibilities, and was brave and resolute. It can be seen from his combat records that Huo Qubing had two major characteristics in his wars. One was that he dared to take risks, and the other was that he was fierce and tenacious. The former means that he dares to go deep alone and often rushes to the front. For example, when he was the captain of Piao Yao, he actually led 800 cavalry and separated from the main force. He pursued hundreds of miles and fought against an enemy several times stronger than himself (Huo Qubing killed 2028 enemies in this battle. This was already 3% of the soldiers he led). It was twice as weak as the number of Huns fighting with it at that time must have been greater than this). For another example, in the autumn of the second year of Yuanshou, Huo Qubing sent his troops to greet King Hunxie of the Xiongnu who wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty. The Xiongnu troops "were so eager to surrender when they saw the Han troops that they fled away." The situation was very chaotic. Huo Qubing made a prompt decision and took the lead in "rushing" into the Xiongnu army, "to meet King Hunxie and kill eight of his people who wanted to die." Controlled the situation. From this we can see that the statement in the "Book of Han·Huo Qubing Biography" that Huo Qubing "often preceded his army with strong cavalry" in battle is true. The latter means that Huo Qubing dares to fight tough and vicious battles. For example, when he first went to Hexi in the second year of Yuanshou, Huo Qubing led only 10,000 cavalry and marched straight in alone. After going through hardships and dangers, "we fought for six days and crossed Yanzhi Mountain for more than a thousand miles." Kill thousands of enemies. On the way back to the division, they used their cavalry to engage in a fierce battle with the enemy at the foot of Gaolan Mountain. Although they returned victorious, the Han army's "divisional strength was reduced by ten-seven" and more than half were lost. You can imagine how difficult and fierce this battle was.
Secondly, Huo Qubing is by no means an ordinary man with only courage and courage, but a warrior who is both brave and strategic and can win thousands of miles. Although it is not unbiased to quote Huo Qubing's statement "not to learn the ancient art of war", it can also be roughly seen from it his way of being a general. This is not to stick to customs and conventions, but to pay attention to the "strategy" before the war, that is, planning. At the same time, Also pay attention to adapting to the actual situation on the battlefield. Huo Qubing was very good at using cavalry groups to maneuver in deserts and grasslands. He could command the cavalry to conduct short-range surprise attacks. You can also command the cavalry to carry out long-distance, large-scale frontal attacks, use the cavalry to fight mobile warfare, and also use the cavalry to fight encounters, showing good tactical literacy and superb battle command art.
Thirdly, the cavalry led by Huo Qubing, whether they were the "Qingyongqi" of 800 people, or the army of 10,000 or 50,000 people, were all carefully selected outstanding soldiers. For example, during the Battle of Mobei, "Anyone who dares to fight deeply is a hussar." Not only are they highly skilled in martial arts, but they are also brave in combat and equipped with excellent equipment. Therefore, Huo Qubing's troops are likely to be one of the elites of the Han army, and their combat effectiveness is far stronger than "the soldiers and horses of all the veteran generals." In addition, under Huo Qubing's command, there were also some Xiongnu captains who surrendered to the Han Dynasty. They were familiar with the Xiongnu roads and could guide the Han army to advance without losing their way. They could also help the Han army to feed on the enemy, allowing them to "lightly" "The vastest desert", give full play to its advantages of maneuverability, flexibility and speed to capture and create fighter opportunities.
Huo Qubing was personally trained and promoted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. His favor towards Huo Qubing seemed to exceed that of all ministers. Of course, there are factors of nepotism and personal feelings, but the most fundamental reason is that Huo Qubing has a strong spirit of loyalty to the emperor and the country and a spirit of hard work and progress. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built an exquisite residence for Huo Qubing and asked him to go and inspect it, Huo Qubing said the eternal saying "The Xiongnu has not been destroyed. There is no place for home". In a sense, Huo Qubing was able to make many extraordinary achievements precisely because of his noble character of forgetting his family for his country.
The fundamental reasons for Huo Qubing’s victory
1. It is the development and utilization of national strength. From Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Jing, the Han Dynasty had long accumulated reserves and enriched its treasury, which was one of the prerequisites for Emperor Wu to change his marriage to war. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he changed his previous compromise policy of forbearance and peace, gave up "peace", and took tough offensive operations to completely eliminate the Xiongnu intrusion. After more than ten battles with the Xiongnu, the threat of the Xiongnu was basically resolved. The Han Dynasty also took back the Hetao area occupied by the Xiongnu, opened up official fields in the border areas, repaired the Great Wall, and stationed 100,000 troops. A thriving scene of peace and prosperity appeared on the frontier.
2. It is the establishment and consistent implementation of the strategic thinking of proactive attack. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, it always faced military threats from the powerful Xiongnu. Although the "peace and marriage" policy had been implemented since the early Han Dynasty, countless gifts of property could not satisfy the greed of the Xiongnu nobles. During the reign of Emperor Wen, the Xiongnu invaded twice on a large scale, with their troops approaching Chang'an. The capital was in danger and the whole court was frightened. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he changed his previous compromise policy of forbearance and peace, gave up "peace", and took tough offensive operations to completely eliminate the Xiongnu intrusion.
3. It is the correct application and performance of large-corps surprise operations in tactics:
1) The construction and use of cavalry. The period of Emperor Wu was an important stage in the history of China's military system when the major transition from using both chariots and cavalry to cavalry as the main body of combat was completed. The large-scale use of cavalry groups, rapid maneuvers, and long-distance attacks were one of the main reasons why the Han army defeated the Huns in the early stage. The development of cavalry in the Han Dynasty can be roughly divided into stages by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Previously, cavalry and chariots were equally important. After that, cavalry completely replaced chariots, and then became the main force of the Han Dynasty army.
2) Raid operations Use of tactics. Huo Qubing's combat strategy can be said to be an innovation in the Han army's tactical concepts. His operations can be described as roundabout and deep, interspersed with encirclement, completing the roundabout and interweaving at the fastest speed, encircling the Huns, and carrying out devastating attacks on them starting from the weakest link. In the two battles in Hexi, his troops gave up their baggage and supplies, traveled lightly and quickly, ate on the spot, and took advantage of the Xiongnu's unstable foothold to quickly launch a decisive battle with the main force. He completely annihilated him in one fell swoop and cut off the right arm of the Huns. The so-called eating on the spot is to plunder the Huns' rear areas to replenish military supplies. This strategy not only solved its own supply problem, but also hit the Huns' production capacity to the greatest extent. The Xiongnu's economy was greatly destroyed, allowing the Han Dynasty to establish absolute superiority over the Xiongnu economically and militarily.
The Xiongnu troubles were a nightmare in ancient China during the Qin and Han dynasties. However, after the three battles of Monan, Hexi, and Mobei, the Xiongnu troubles finally basically disappeared from Chinese history. This time the Han Dynasty advanced north to the edge of the desert, occupied the entire Hexi Corridor and parts of Qinghai and Xinjiang, and established the Western Region Protectorate. The living space of the Han people expanded on a large scale for the first time, taking almost all the marginal bases of the Xiongnu and Huns.
The admiration and love that descendants have for General Huo Qubing is not only the memory and sorrow for the young hero, but the more important essence is actually the admiration and yearning for the martial spirit. Therefore, the battle fought by Huo Qubing was the most soul-stirring in the war history of the Han nation. His victory was not only a complete victory in several foreign wars, but also became a spiritual monument. The entire Han nation was proud of it. It inspired and inspired a generation. For a generation of Han children, his heroic words, "The Huns are not destroyed, why do we care about our family?" made countless temperamental men's blood boil. Because of this, Huo Qubing has become the idol of ancient scholars and generals. People have praised him, respected him, and loved him, which has lasted for thousands of years since ancient times.