Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 105: The Twenty-Year-Old General
Huo Xian was not very fast, but when the city gate officer saw the tall horse, he was obviously a little overwhelmed.

It's a dilemma whether to stop it or not.

Liu Ju was still discussing with Liu Che the issue of enthroning Huo Shan. After all, this Marquis Guanjun had made great contributions and he must be rewarded.

Suddenly, a guard came running over in a panic, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Guanjun has entered the city."

Liu Ju couldn't keep calm, and he stood up and asked, "Who? The Champion Marquis entered the city?"

The guard quickly explained, "The Lord has brought several of his followers into the city. They must be here to ask for an audience."

"What a reckless bastard!" Liu Ju was furious. "I told him to camp outside the city tomorrow, why is he here now?"

Liu Che was calm and said, "Okay, go and pass on the order. If he comes to the palace to ask for an audience, bring him here. This child can't stand hardship, and I guess he definitely doesn't want to camp outside the city."

Liu Ju was very angry, "Father, Shan'er is really reckless! He has entered the palace now, what should we do when he enters the city the day after tomorrow? He is becoming more and more unruly, when will he be more careful!"

Liu Che looked at Liu Ju and asked, "Prince, how do you think we should punish him?"

Liu Che and Liu Ju both knew what kind of person Huo Xian was. It was not surprising that he dared to abandon the army and return to the court first, and then escaped back to Chang'an in advance.

Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, "Let the prime minister impeach him in a few days and reduce his fiefdom as a warning to others."

"Okay, let's deal with it this way." Liu Che said with a smile, "I'm afraid that the more merits Shan'er has made in the future, the more troubles he will get into. People who don't know him would think he is imitating Liu Hou to defile himself, but people who know him would know that this is his true nature."

Zhang Liang was cautious and self-protective after the founding of the Han Dynasty, which was not necessarily a true self-defilement. Now Wei Qing is also following suit, basically being cautious and self-protective.

But Huo Xian's behavior was obviously not self-degradation. In the eyes of some people, he was too ostentatious, a little arrogant and a little stupid.

"Father, I'm afraid that Shan'er will become more and more daring!" Liu Ju said in distress, "This child has been like this since he was young. When will he learn to be more thoughtful?"

Liu Che asked calmly, "Xian'er has a mind? What mind does he have? He is a general, and it's enough for him to win the battle. Why should he have a mind?"

Liu Ju said disapprovingly, "Father, Shan'er will soon be promoted to Grand Marshal. He will be Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry at the age of 20. If he doesn't grow up smart, how can he gain a foothold in the court?"

"A twenty-year-old Grand Marshal!" Liu Che was both relieved and regretful. "The general I chose back then was only twenty years old, and he could defeat the Huns. Now, the twenty-year-old Grand Marshal I choose can also defeat the Huns."

Then Liu Che looked at Liu Ju and said, "Believe it or not, after Shan'er got the title of Grand Marshal, he will definitely spread the word everywhere. If you ask him to attend the court, he will make excuses and refuse to respond."

Liu Ju thought about it and felt that it made sense, and became even more worried, "Father, what is Shan'er thinking? Isn't it appropriate for him to do this?"

"This child grew up in front of me, and he has the mind of a warrior." Liu Che said proudly, "What can he think of? He just wants to be lazy and not want to do anything. He doesn't think about anything else except fighting."

Speaking of fighting, Liu Ju quickly said, "Father, no matter what, you must let Shan'er rest for a year or so before going to fight the Xiongnu. How can we let him stay out for several years in a row?"

Liu Che said, "Hide it from him for as long as possible, otherwise he will pester me as soon as he comes back. You and your mother are not allowed to help him, he should rest for two years."

Liu Ju nodded in agreement. He was not afraid of Huo Xian's achievements. The more achievements Huo Xian made, the better.

But Huo Xian really needs to take a break in the next two years. In the past two or three years, he has basically been fighting outside and has only rested in Chang'an for half a year.

Especially when you think about how Huo Xian was obsessed with war before he set out on the expedition to Dayuan, it makes it even more difficult to know what to say.

"The time is not ripe yet. Shan'er should not attack the Xiongnu easily." Liu Che narrowed his eyes and said, "Perhaps Shan'er will really destroy the Xiongnu."

Liu Ju suddenly said, "Father, due to fate, Shan'er has completely destroyed the Xiongnu."

When Liu Che heard Liu Ju mention these, he felt indescribably proud and happy. This was the general he had trained. He was not only capable, but also a lucky general among lucky generals.

Back then, Huo Qubing and Wei Qing defeated the main force of the Huns in the decisive battle in Mobei, forcing the Huns to flee north. Over the years, they have been trying hard to recover some of their strength.

After more than ten years of rest and recuperation, the Huns finally got better. However, they lost more than 30,000 soldiers in the north of Shoujiang City the year before last, and their strength was further weakened.

At that time, it was felt that the greatest achievement was the killing of more than 30,000 Huns in battle. The strength of the Huns was weakened and they dared not move south.

Huo Xian captured Zuo Xian Wang, the highest-ranking noble captured since the war with the Huns.

But this year, the Huns' Khan died!

Wushilu Chanyu died two years ago, and his son was still young, so his uncle, Youxian Wang Xulihu, had to succeed him. But who would have thought that Xulihu Chanyu died after only one year of succession!
Yizhixie Chanyu's eldest and second sons were both dead, and his youngest son was now a captive of the Han. His eldest grandson was also dead, leaving only his young great-grandson.

That is to say, if Huo Xian had not captured Zuo Xian Wang the year before, the Xiongnu Chanyu would have been Qie Di Hou. But now, the Xiongnu was in chaos, and everyone wanted to fight for the position of Chanyu. Some supporters of Wu Shilu's son felt that this was the case, and the descendants of Xulihu were also restless.

In addition, the Left and Right Valley Kings, the Left and Right Grand Commandants, etc., are now competing for the position of Chanyu. No one is willing to submit to anyone else, and everyone thinks that they have a better chance!
Liu Che and Liu Ju doted on Huo Shan not only because Huo Shan was a trustworthy person, but also because she was capable of making achievements and had extremely good luck!

"Chuntuo, go and call the queen." Liu Che was in a good mood and said, "Shan'er is here, let's talk as a family."

Before Wei Zifu arrived, Huo Shan was led over by the guards.

Huo Xian handed his weapon to the guard and knelt down before entering the palace. "I, the guilty minister Huo Xian, kowtow to His Majesty the Emperor. Long live His Majesty!"

Looking at Huo Xian, who was darker but in good spirits, Liu Che asked jokingly, "Oh, what crime have you committed?"

Huo Xian hesitated for a long time, and Liu Che laughed and scolded, "Are you playing tricks on me? If you know you are guilty, just say it. Now you know it is not easy to say it out loud?"

The emperor doesn't play by the rules. Huo Xian was interrupted halfway through his words and now he feels uncomfortable.

After getting up, Huo Xian said, "What crime have I committed? His Majesty originally told me to leave early and return early after victory. I am just following His Majesty's instructions. What crime have I committed?"

No one else is so shameless!

Liu Ju criticized, "Just wait, I have arranged for someone to impeach you. I was originally planning to increase your fiefdom, but now I think it's better to forget it."

"I've said it before, I only want the Grand Marshal for this expedition." Huo Xian was at ease, "Your Majesty, Chuntuo is getting more and more confused as he gets older. He must be incompetent. He needs to be replaced."

Chuntuo had a sad face and hurried forward, "My Lord, I have been thinking about you a lot in the past two years. His Majesty has asked someone to boil water, so please go and take a bath and change your clothes."

He took the cloak handed to him by Huo Xian and asked other maids to help him take off his armor. The hall was in a bustling state.

Liu Che and Liu Ju just watched with a smile. When Wei Zifu came, she saw Huo Shan complaining about Chuntuo while asking for food and drinks.

"You are a child who never grows up. You had no manners when you were young." Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian and said to Wei Zifu with disdain, "When you were young, you always complained about wearing uncomfortable shoes and threw your shoes and socks everywhere. You are still like this now."

Wei Zifu also followed suit, "He doesn't listen to what I say. I've never seen him standing properly in the Pepper Room. I thought he would be better after becoming a general, but he's still like this."

"Your Majesty, aunt, cousin, I'm going to take a bath and change clothes first." Huo Xian said, "I feel uncomfortable without a bath. I haven't changed my clothes for three days!"

Seeing Huo Xian running away in a hurry, Liu Che was even more disgusted, "You haven't changed your clothes for three days, and you come back to blame Chuntuo. In Chang'an, how many people can change their clothes in three days in winter!"

Chuntuo quickly ordered the maid to get clothes. There were still a few sets of Huo Xian's clothes that could be found in the palace.

Wei Zifu smiled and said, "He looks thinner and darker, but he looks energetic."

Liu Che smiled and nodded, "He has a lot on his mind! He took off his armor in front of us and now he wants to take a shower. He just wants to say that he was not injured in this expedition so that we don't worry."

Wei Zifu knew this truth. If Huo Xian was injured, he would definitely pretend to be fine. If he was not injured, he would make a fuss, just like Huo Qubing in the past.

If you say he is sensible, he is really sensible; if you say he is hateful, he is really hateful.

After a while, a maid came over and found that the prince had no scars on his body. This made Liu Che and the others completely relieved. They were afraid that the child was hiding something.

Since Huo Xian was not injured, they quickly prepared food and drinks. According to their understanding, the child would definitely talk endlessly about all the big and small things that had happened since the expedition.

As expected, Huo Xian came over after taking a bath and said, "Your Majesty, Chang'an is still more comfortable. You don't know how uncomfortable I felt after leaving the border. There was no water in the Gobi Desert, not even a blade of grass could be found."

Liu Che laughed and joked, "No wonder he got so tanned, it looks like he's suffered a lot."

"Not bad!" Huo Xian continued to show off what he had seen, "Your Majesty, the Western Regions is really a good place. Some places are full of sandstorms. But in the blink of an eye, you can see rolling green mountains and lush green grass, which is suitable for raising horses!"

Liu Ju complained, "So you are so bold that you secretly left a captain there to cultivate the land?"

"Your Majesty said before that you would manage the Western Regions in the future!" Huo Xian refused to admit it and looked at Liu Che for help. "Your Majesty, you said so, right?"

Liu Che smiled and nodded, "I did say that you did the right thing. You left the lieutenant to cultivate the land with the power of a great victory, and it will be easier for the army to enter the Western Regions in the future."

Look, this is the benefit of understanding the emperor's mind. This is not just letting people cultivate land privately, this is the emperor's will!

(End of this chapter)