In the history of China, the war between the northern nomads and the Central Plains has never stopped. The Great Wall of Wan Li was built in the Qin Dynasty to resist the Xiongnu in the north. Qin Shihuang sent Meng Tian to attack the Xiongnu in the north, recovered the Hetao area, drove the Xiongnu out for more than 700 miles, and calmed the north for more than ten years.
After the demise of the Qin Dynasty, there was a scuffle in the Central Plains, and the Huns took the opportunity to grow and develop, gradually becoming the masters of the vast areas in the north and south of the desert.
After Liu Bang established the Western Han Dynasty, the country basically settled down, and the only worry was the increasingly powerful Xiongnu tribe in the north. The Xiongnu's modu chanyu is not to be outdone. He often led the cavalry south and plundered the population, livestock and property of the northern border counties. In 20 1 BC, Morton Khan led 400,000 troops to invade the south on a large scale, and Liu Bang also took 300,000 soldiers from all over the country to participate in the war. Tarquin is a strong man, but Liu Bang misjudged the strength of both sides and was trapped in Biden for seven days and seven nights, which made him feel helpless and flustered. Finally, Chen Ping offered a plan and bribed the Xiongnu princess to escape.
After the siege of Baden, Liu Bang realized the difference in strength and dared not fight the Xiongnu easily again, and instead adopted the policy of "affinity". He married the imperial clan girl as a princess and gave the Huns a lot of goods and property such as silk, cloth, wine and rice every year. He also opened up border trade and exchanged needed goods with Xiongnu. In the case of weak national strength, this policy of humiliating tribute and "pro-marriage" has achieved certain results and eased the relationship between the Central Plains and the Xiongnu.
While making low-key concessions, the rulers of the Han Dynasty did not forget to take the opportunity to develop their strength and recuperate. During the periods of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, the emperor took the lead in advocating economy and developing production. Emperor Wen of Han encouraged his subordinates to put forward different opinions boldly, and stated that the emperor should also be responsible for the mistakes and sins of officials. During his 23 years in office, he did not build a royal garden, nor did he buy himself chariots and horses. He also repeatedly issued edicts prohibiting counties from contributing rare foreign objects, and concubines in the harem were also dressed simply. Emperor Wendi once wanted to build a terrace. I heard that it would cost 100 gold, equivalent to the property of ten middle-class families, so I ordered it to be abandoned. Because the emperor advocated frugality, the state's financial expenditure was restrained and reduced at that time, and aristocratic bureaucrats did not dare to exploit and luxury, thus reducing the burden on the people.
After Emperor Jing ascended the throne, he further inherited and developed the policy of Emperor Wen. During the period of Emperor Wendi and Emperor Wudi, the social and economic development was remarkable. The granary is full of grain, and the rope used to string money in the warehouse has rotted because it has not been used for a long time. The national strength has been greatly enhanced, and it has initially possessed a prosperous climate, which is called "the rule of culture and scenery" in history.
Liu Che, the son of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, was strong enough to compete with Xiongnu. Therefore, Liu Che changed the "low-key" practice of humiliation and obedience in the past, and resolutely fought back when Xiongnu soldiers invaded and harassed.
He sent generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to counterattack Xiongnu three times before and after, recovered Hetao area, completely controlled Hexi area, and weakened Xiongnu. From then on, the Xiongnu gradually migrated to the northwest, and there was a scene of "Xiongnu is far away, and there is no Wang Ting in the desert south", and the military threat of Xiongnu to the Han Dynasty was basically lifted.
The backward Huns had nothing to do, so they missed the "pro-marriage" policy. They made a request to the Han dynasty, hoping to marry the princess of the Han dynasty as before and accept the "old tribute" of the Han dynasty. But the situation is stronger than others, and how can the increasingly powerful Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty agree to continue to be a vassal? He asked the Huns to submit to the Han Dynasty and send a prince as a hostage to sweep away the humiliation and sulking of previous decades. Finally, the Huns' dream had to be dashed and forced to move.
Imagine, if it weren't for these decades of low-key, how could the Han Dynasty have the opportunity to develop its own strength and eventually defeat the Huns? Presumably, the more forbearing and shrinking on the surface, the more enthusiastic the fighting spirit in the chest, and finally honed himself, which made the Xiongnu decline and perish.
Postscript:
Enlightenment from life: Being a low-key person, whether in officialdom, shopping malls or political and military struggles, is a seemingly dull but profound strategy, and it is also the best tempering method to guide us from adversity to prosperity.