Why didn't Qin Shihuang destroy the Huns?

Qin Shihuang did not destroy the Huns for two main reasons: first, he could not destroy them; Second, Qin Shihuang's policy towards Xiongnu was not "extinction" but "expulsion". Just because Qin Shihuang couldn't destroy the Huns doesn't mean he is weak. On the contrary, when Qin was strong, Xiongnu was not strong. In the second year after the death of Qin Shihuang, when Chen Guang of the current dynasty launched an uprising, the Xiongnu Mausoleum also killed his father in this year and officially became the Xiongnu Khan.

The Xiongnu's real strength began with modu chanyu, but by this time, Qin Shihuang had passed away, and the Central Plains was in chaos. The Xiongnu in the north also took the opportunity to grow and develop, and took advantage of the melee in the Central Plains to become stronger, but this is another story. When Qin Shihuang was in power, General Meng Tian sent 300,000 soldiers to attack the Huns, driving them out of the Hetao area and rushing to the distant Mongolian Plateau. Then Qin Shihuang ordered the Great Wall to be built in the border area of Meng Tian.

Why didn't Qin Shihuang destroy the Huns? We should know that the development of Xiongnu and the Central Plains keeps pace with the times. Xiongnu and Zhongyuan were still a family in Xia Dynasty, and Xia Hou was destroyed by Shang Dynasty. A group of Xia people fled north to the grassland and became nomadic people, that is, the ancestors of Xiongnu. The ancestors of the Huns were originally from China, but later they were forced to leave China and live on the grassland. Natural selection, survival of the fittest In order to survive on the grassland, Huns gradually evolved into nomadic people according to the landform and environment of the grassland. This is evolution.

Because grassland is not suitable for farming land, it is only suitable for grazing life. After the Huns came to the grassland, they gave up their ancestors' farming habits and began to wait for animals suitable for living in the grassland, such as cattle, sheep and horses, and made a living by chasing water plants and became nomadic people. Huns have no towns, no fixed assets, no land, no houses, and even the place where they live is just a temporary felt house. When a place needs to be changed, just tear down the original felt house and build another one, so the Huns actually have no fixed place to live and no fixed place to live in the city.

This custom of Xiongnu has always been looked down upon by Central Plains people. During Qin Shihuang's period, although the force was powerful and swept the six countries in Kanto, Qin Shihuang could not destroy the Xiongnu, because the Xiongnu had no fixed place and was a nation on horseback. You hit Xiongnu, and he ran away. Where can Qin Jun find the Huns? In addition, a large number of war horses are needed to fight against the Huns. Although Qin is strong, it is far from strong enough to have enough horses. Simply put, the Huns can't be destroyed, which means that Qin Shihuang can't launch a large-scale cavalry campaign and accurately find the Huns to fight. Qin Jun came, the Huns ran away, Qin Jun left and the Huns came again. How to fight this battle?

So, Meng Tian attacked Xiongnu in the north: more than 700 miles away from Xiongnu. It can be understood as driving the Huns out of 700 miles. Another important reason why Qin Shihuang did not destroy the Huns was that Qin Shihuang's national policy was not to destroy the Huns, but to expel them. This is because of the conflict between two different civilizations. Qin Shihuang represents the peak of farming civilization, and Xiongnu represents the peak of nomadic people. Qin Shihuang emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, while Xiongnu plundered and plundered. Qin Shihuang mainly relied on farmers to farm for food to maintain "eating", while Xiongnu mainly relied on nomadism to obtain the growth of cattle and sheep and meat to solve the "eating" problem.

In other words, the territory of Xiongnu is a vast grassland. Why did Qin Shihuang rob it? If you can't farm, why not let Qin Shihuang herd cattle and sheep? It is precisely because of the Huns' territory that they can't cultivate and produce food. Qin Shihuang chose to give up, just expelling and solving the threat of the northern border. In addition, not only Qin Shihuang, Zhao and Yan in the Warring States period, but also other vassal States chose the strategy of expulsion when facing the nomadic people in the north, and also built the Great Wall. The construction of the Great Wall shows that it is a defensive strategy, which uses the Great Wall to stop the Huns from attacking as a military facility to stop the Huns.

During Qin Shihuang's reign, Meng Tian was also sent to build the Great Wall, linking the original Zhao and Yan Great Walls together, forming a north-south dividing line throughout northern China. As the border between Xiongnu and Daqin Empire, Qin Shihuang's policy towards Xiongnu was not extermination, but expulsion. In sharp contrast, Qin Shihuang conquered the Baiyue area in the south, but was eliminated and assimilated. The reason is also very simple. Baiyue land in the south is cultivated land, which is homologous to China. Therefore, after Qin Shihuang's expedition to the south, a large number of immigrants from the Central Plains made a living by farming, managed by Qin laws, ruled by Qin people, and incorporated into their own territory. This is called expanding territory.