Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 101: Garrison
The army began to cross the Pamir Plateau again, but compared to the hard work of the first expedition, this time was much easier.

Dayuan's vassal army transported baggage, which saved the Han army a lot of physical strength, and the marching speed and efficiency were naturally improved a lot.

As for the loss of Dayuan's vassal states and so on, that was not something the Han army needed to worry about. Huo Xian and others were not that kind.

As soon as they crossed the Pamir Mountains, Huo Xian and others met an enthusiastic team.

The old Wusun Kunmo Liejiaomi came with his grandson Junxumi to greet Huo Xian and others, and with them came a delicate woman.

Lie Jiaomi can be considered a centenarian. He was born when his country was destroyed and his family was ruined. His father was killed and he was raised by Maodun Chanyu.

Five years ago, Liu Che married Liu Xijun, the daughter of King Jiangdu Liu Jian, to Lie Jiaomi as a princess. He gave her a carriage and imperial robes, and sent hundreds of eunuchs and attendants to accompany her.

Liejiaomi offered a thousand horses to marry the Han princess and made her his right lady.

Then he wanted to make Princess Jiangdu remarry his grandson Junxumi according to Wusun customs because of her old age. The princess refused, so Liu Che advised her to "follow the customs of their country and work with Wusun to destroy the Hu", and the princess remarried.

In other words, Princess Xijun first married the grandfather and then remarried the grandson.

Liejiaomi was old and couldn't speak the language. Princess Xijun was very sad. Now she had to marry her grandfather and then her grandson, which completely destroyed her worldview.

Her father was an absurd man. During the period of mourning for his father, Liu Jian committed adultery with his father's concubines, and even with his sister who came back to attend the funeral.

This man is worse than a beast, so there is no need to think too much about his final outcome. He is so licentious and evil that he must have been forced to commit suicide.

Princess Xijun looked at Huo Xian with tears in her eyes, "But I am the Champion Marquis of the Han family?"

Huo Xian bowed respectfully and said, "I am General Huo Xian, paying my respects to the princess."

Princess Xijun was extremely sad and said, "Let's not talk about the princess. I am the daughter of a guilty minister. Now I come to this barbarian land and I miss my hometown all the time."

Then she looked behind her and said, "Young Master, come and meet your brother."

A little girl of two or three years old stumbled over. She was still dressed like a Han Chinese, but her little face was red and she looked a little wild.

The little girl asked in broken Chinese, "Are you the Han general that my mother mentioned?"

Huo Xian smiled and nodded, saying gently, "My dear little princess, I am the Marquis of Han and the General of the Cavalry, and I am from your mother's family!"

Princess Xijun, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but shed tears. If she had her family, she wouldn't have come here to suffer such humiliation.

Shaofu Zetian asked, "My family, what do you say?"

"It's from your mother's family!" Huo Xian turned to look at Chen Ju and said, "Princess, I have obtained countless fine horses before. How about offering a colt to Your Highness?"

Princess Xijun said quickly, "General Huoqi, this gift is too heavy. His Majesty ordered the general to go to Dayuan, and I also know the inside story. I wanted to meet the general last year, but they didn't allow it."

This "they" naturally refers to Lie Jiaomi and his grandson Junxumi.

"I understand what the princess has done for the Han Dynasty." Huo Xian could only say, "It's a pity that I am too insignificant to speak. I really don't know how to say it."

Chen Ju and others brought a foal, which was naturally a Ferghana horse.

Huo Xian thought for a moment and said, "Bring the crown."

Chen Ju was stunned for a moment, and then asked quickly, "Sir, what are you going to do with the crown?"

Huo Xian glared at Chen Ju, "Do you really need to say anything?"

Chen Ju and his men quickly fetched the crowns, which were all spoils of war, some of which belonged to King Yucheng, some to King Dayuan, and several in different sizes, mostly made of gold and inlaid with gems.

"Princess, this is my first time here, so I can only offer you this humble gift." Huo Xian smiled and put a crown on the young man's head. "I am the princess of the Han family, so I am naturally worthy of being the ruler of a small country!"

As he said this, Huo Xian carried the young man onto the horse's back, and led the horse and the little girl to practice riding on the grassland.

Wusun nobles such as Lie Jiaomi were all watching. Some thought that the Han general was really arrogant, but some others thought that the Han general really valued the princess from the Han Dynasty.

You have to know that the current Left Lady came from the Xiongnu, and Princess Xijun was only the Right Lady, with a lower status. Moreover, the Xiongnu Left Lady gave birth to a son, while Princess Xijun only gave birth to a daughter.

The policy of marriage alliance is a very complicated matter.

When the Central Plains dynasties were weak, they had to make peace with other ethnic groups in order to maintain peace on the border, such as the marriage between Liu Bang and Maodun Chanyu in the early Han Dynasty.

This kind of situation was common. In the early Han Dynasty, every emperor married a daughter of the royal family to the Xiongnu Chanyu. Maodun Chanyu had three daughters of the royal family as concubines, Laoshang Chanyu had one daughter of the royal family as concubine, and Junchen Chanyu had three daughters of the royal family as concubines.

Even Emperor Wu of Han sent a princess from his clan to marry when he first ascended the throne.

However, when the Central Plains dynasty was strong, ethnic minorities took the initiative to ask for marriage,

This is the situation in Wusun. The Han Dynasty hopes to control some countries by "using barbarians to control barbarians".

However, the Han Dynasty's marriage policy has changed. In the past, the Han Dynasty took the initiative to seek marriage in order to ease the conflict between the two sides and develop its own strength. Now, the Xiongnu actively request marriage, but the Han Dynasty will refuse or put forward harsh conditions.

For example, now the Xiongnu want to marry a princess, and the Han Dynasty's condition is "If you want to marry a princess, you must give the Chanyu's prince as a hostage to the Han Dynasty."

Huo Xian, Lie Jiaomi and others were feasting on the prairie. Princess Xijun was also playing the Qin pipa, the predecessor of the "Ruan", and singing "Song of Sorrow".

Huo Xian and other military officers felt inexplicably humiliated that the safety of the Han Dynasty actually needed women to maintain.

Wusun had previously constantly shown goodwill to the Han Dynasty and tried to maintain a balance between the two powerful countries, the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty.

"General, I am the daughter of a criminal." Princess Xijun looked at Huo Xian and said, "I am lucky to be able to do my best for the Han Dynasty. Since entering Wusun, I have also tried to win over the Wusun people, but the effect is not great. I hope the general will report to His Majesty."

Huo Xian said, "Princess, I plan to cultivate farmland and store grain in Luntai and Quli. If you miss your family, you can go there to see my Han army."

Princess Xijun's eyes lit up, and she said happily, "That's good. It's only a hundred miles away, and I can visit often."

Places like Luntai are originally places with abundant water and grass. Not only are they close to Wusun, they have also always been the sphere of influence of the Xiongnu.

However, since Luntai had been destroyed by Li Guangli before, the surrounding countries such as Qiemi and Cheshi would also be much more obedient.

Back at the military tent, Huo Xian called Kang Da and said, "I want to keep you in the Western Regions. What do you think?"

Kangda said straightforwardly, "It is my blessing that the Lord thinks highly of me!"

"Luntai is an important place. I will leave you a thousand soldiers and fifty Dayuan slaves." Huo Xian said, "Your troops will cultivate the land and store grain, and support my army and provide for the Han envoys in the future."

Kangda listened carefully. Huo Xian pointed at the map and said, "You should station troops in Wulei City. If the Xiongnu attack in the future, you can send troops. If the surrounding countries are not obedient, you can not fight a big war, but seek help from the imperial court."

Kangda continued to nod. He was now stationed in the Western Regions. He was also the first official of the Han Dynasty to be officially stationed in the Western Regions.

"I will promote you to the rank of lieutenant of the imperial guards." Huo Xian started, and continued, "Train the troops diligently, be on the lookout for the movements of the countries in the Western Regions, and collect intelligence. The imperial court will send more troops later, and we will take over the Western Regions sooner or later!"

Kangda was overjoyed. A lieutenant was not so rare. He was Huo Xian's confidant. If he worked hard in the Western Regions, he would be promoted to a general when he returned, and it was not impossible for him to be granted a title of nobility.

What's more, your Excellency's meaning is very clear. The imperial court will invade the Western Regions sooner or later, so there will be many opportunities to make meritorious service!

Huo Xian called Zhao Shicheng, a subordinate of Li Guangli, and said, "You will lead a thousand men to Cheshi to cultivate the land and be promoted to the rank of envoy captain."

Zhao Shicheng didn't waste words. He was a military commander before the expedition, but he didn't do much in this war. Now he has a lieutenant, which is naturally very good.

This is the Turpan Basin, where the Han army is now continuing to increase its presence.

Ren An was called over, and Huo Xian said sternly, "You will lead a thousand soldiers to cultivate land in the southwest of Shanshan, and be promoted to the commander of the Western Guard. You will be in charge of all places south of the Tianshan Mountains with the envoy commander as a guard. One is to cultivate land and store grain to support the army, the second is to deter the countries in the Western Regions, and the third is that if any of the Xiongnu surrender, you can support them."

The three commanders led their troops to stay in the Western Regions, especially at the current stage, the focus is on controlling the area south of the Tianshan Mountains, which can greatly weaken the presence of the Xiongnu in this traditional sphere of influence.

We have to eat one bite at a time. We need to control the area south of the Tianshan Mountains first, and then consider the Tarim Basin and the areas north of the Kunlun Mountains. It is still difficult to swallow up the Western Regions in one go.

The army marched along the way, dividing its forces along the way.

When they were about to arrive at Loulan, Huo Xian kept Tian Ren again and promoted him to Guard Pass Captain. This was also the first garrison point of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions, echoing Yumen Pass and Yangguang, and could also rush to Luntai and other places.

Huo Xian left 4,000 troops in the Western Regions, which may not seem like a lot, but in the eyes of the Western Regions, each of these troops was very powerful and they dared not provoke them easily.

What's more, the Han army was already very powerful when it conquered Dayuan, and it was even more arrogant when it returned. The countries in the Western Regions are now even more frightened.

Look at the endless herds of Ferghana horses and the countless baggage and food, all of which were snatched from Dayuan, a powerful country in the eyes of many small countries in the Western Regions.

The strength of the Han army has exceeded the cognition of many people in the Western Regions, and these Western Regions countries have also had a deeper understanding of the strength of the Han army.

Destroying Luntai and defeating Loulan did not reflect the true strength of the Han army. Powerful countries like Dayuan or Kangju were no match for the Han army.

Whether to cater to the Xiongnu or serve the Han Dynasty was a dilemma for these Western Regions countries. But they had to consider these things because the Han Dynasty began to station troops in the Western Regions!
(End of this chapter)