Han Xin had seen winter on the grassland before, so he was already prepared this time.

The leather goods borrowed by the Yuezhi people during the last expedition have not yet been returned. In the past few years, they have been often taken out to dry in the air at intervals.

I took them with me during this expedition, and recently I have captured a lot of them.

It is not a big problem for the personnel to survive this winter.

But people alone are not enough. People can live, but what about war horses? What about livestock?

How to fight without horses?

How to survive without livestock?

If the Han army wanted to adapt to long-term grassland life, they had to change their inherent lifestyle.

Relying on farming to survive here is not feasible. Traveling here requires hundreds or thousands of miles, and it is difficult to travel long distances dragging heavy supplies.

Therefore, their logistics supplies must also develop in the style of the grassland people, changing from grain to livestock.

Although the war horses of the Han army all wore horseshoes, they effectively protected the horseshoes and allowed the horses to adapt to more environments.

but……

Horseshoes are not a panacea!

It cannot solve the theorem of thermal expansion and contraction. The glue on the horseshoe is particularly brittle and inelastic in winter. If it runs at high speed, it will easily destroy the horse.

The most fearful environment for a war horse without the protection of horseshoes is ice and snow, muddy roads, and unstable roads with stones.

With the protection of horseshoes, it only solves the problem of instability and stones, and alleviates muddy roads, but it still has no solution for ice and snow.

This is why the winter on the grassland is so quiet. In this season and in this era, the cavalry cannot move at all.

Even these experiences were summed up bit by bit by the Han army.

Some learned it by themselves, some learned it through captives, some learned it through the Yuezhi people, and some learned it by consulting classics, and then summarized it.

As an excellent general, when should we fight? Where should we fight? How should we fight? How many men should we send to fight?

These should be clearly understood before the war begins.

Seeing that Han Xin had already made plans for winter, Li Zuoche began to make calculations in his heart.

"If the Xiongnu Royal Court had not moved, Beilu would be about a thousand miles away from there. According to the speed of the cavalry, it would probably take at least ten days or even half a month." Li Zuoche began to say.

.

It is not impossible for cavalry to travel hundreds of miles a day on the grassland, but it is unnecessary.

Even if there are one person and three horses, the consumption of war horses is still very serious.

The Han army is not yet so luxurious that it can consume hundreds of thousands of horses just to rush for time.

Therefore, the time reserved must be calculated according to the normal marching speed.

"And this place is about five hundred miles away from the battlefield. Even if we rush it, it will take two days."

"At this time, there is less than a month left before winter begins. After excluding the seventeenth day, we still have thirteen days left. After excluding the army gathering, even if you calculate it based on three days, there are only ten days left.

day."

"The army is marching hastily, and the movement will definitely not be small, and the Huns will not be unaware of it. If they let go and escape, it will be difficult for us to catch up in a short while."

"If everything is normal, we will only have ten days to fight with all our plans. If there is a slight surprise, we may only have two or three days left."

"Moreover, no one can predict the winter on the grassland. If snow suddenly falls during the march, it may be a catastrophic disaster for us."

"If the snow falls too early and we are not ready when we get there, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for a while."

"I don't recommend launching an attack on the Huns before the snowfall!"

Li Zuoche shook his head and said.

Although there is nothing wrong with the plan, the opportunity is pretty good.

But the time was too tight. As long as there was a mistake in one link, the 250,000 troops under Han Xin might freeze to death on the grassland, or starve to death on the grassland.

Do you really think that herdsmen just graze their cattle in autumn?

No, while grazing, they also have to cut grass and store grass. Otherwise, what would the livestock eat in winter?

Can we still expect them to last through the autumn and through the winter?

Fortunately, the Han army did not need to worry about forage.

During this period of time, the rabbit hunting operation not only captured a large number of Huns, but also seized a large amount of livestock and pasture.

Although the amount of pasture is not enough for these livestock to eat for a full winter.

but……

Don't forget that the 250,000 Han troops will eat these livestock.

This reduces the demand for pasture.

In order to survive in the coming year, the Huns would not eat so much in winter. Basically, they would just not be hungry.

But can the Han army be the same?

Whatever is captured is mine. I can eat it as I want. I don’t have time to graze.

"What about your suggestion?" Han Xin thought about this question seriously.

In the past, Han Xin would never have listened to Li Zuoche's advice.

But after several years of partnership, Li Zuoche has conquered Han Xin. As the trust between the two increases, many things fall into place.

"In addition to damaging the morale of the Xiongnu, attacking the royal court of the Xiongnu seems to be a bit outweighing the gains and losses."

"Why did the Huns flee here?"

"It's not because we weakened their strength in the east a few years ago and they couldn't defeat them again and again. We had to find a remote place to replenish their strength and restore their strength."

"I think if conditions permit, it wouldn't be a big deal to hit his court."

"If conditions do not allow it, it is better to follow the strategy of previous years, but this time we are doing an enhanced version, not only women and livestock, but everyone."

"When the time comes, the men will let them go mining, and the women will keep our beds warm. If they resist, they will be killed directly. Wouldn't it be beautiful?"

"Although the Xiongnu Royal Court has not been defeated, the Xiongnu's strength is still greatly damaged. After this winter, it will not be too late for us to launch a fatal knockout against him!"

Li Zuoche said with a smile.

As a counselor, what you have to do is very simple: maximize your benefits under reasonable conditions.

If we go to attack the Xiongnu royal court, we will inevitably let go of the Xiongnu tribes that have not yet gathered together.

Although those tribes are scattered, there are quite a few people in total.

After destroying these, what would be left of the Huns?

How many troops did the Xiongnu royal court have?

Can there be 50,000?

Both strategies have their own advantages and disadvantages, but if we really want to discuss it, Li Zuoche's suggestion is more vicious.

Even if the Xiongnu knows your intention, it will be difficult for him to stop it. The Han army is eager for you to stop it, so that they don't have to go everywhere to find your main force and can directly engage in a decisive battle. The outcome will be determined in one battle, isn't it nice?
Chapter completed!