Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 119 Qilin Pavilion Hero

With a small collection of tricks, Huo Xian happily rode his horse across the seemingly endless prairie.

Suddenly, a small group of cavalry appeared in the distance, and Liu Mo immediately commanded his troops to move forward.

The leading officer stepped forward and introduced himself loudly, "The chief of the Xifengsui Pavilion under the command of the Guerrilla General greets the Grand Marshal Huqi General!"

Liu Mo stepped out from the crowd, holding the reins in one hand, "Do you have an official seal to verify your identity?"

The head of the Xifengsui Pavilion immediately stepped forward. He was just a small pavilion chief. In this section of the outer city there are Guanglu City, Zhijiu City, Touman City, Huhe City, and Sulu City.

Guanglu City was the station of Xu Ziwei, the Guanglu Xun. Each of the remaining four cities had a Houguan, which was also the troops of the guerrilla general Han Shuo. Under the four Houguans, there were barriers, forts, passes, pavilions, and fire stations, totaling more than 120.

This does not include the outer city guarded by Wei Kang, which consists of almost five cities, more than 120 pavilions, beacons, etc.

The Han Dynasty left behind a strong army in the south of the desert, and these were guards guarding the border. If a war really broke out, they could always draw and gather a large number of troops from the rear.

Huo Xian was very happy and looked at the head of Xifengsui Pavilion, "You are not bad, how did you find us?"

The head of Xifengsui replied, "A garrison soldier saw the general's troops, so we immediately prepared and left the city, and learned the situation after asking."

Huo Xian frowned slightly, "Who asked you to come out? Aren't you afraid of being ambushed?"

Zhao Congxiao brought ten people with him, which seemed not many. Theoretically, there was no problem in going out directly to prepare to meet the enemy.

"General!" the captain replied immediately, "We have lit the signal smoke and marched out in multiple units. The Marquis has issued an order not to let the Xiongnu get close to us. We have the troops to stop them. Even if we chase them, we can't go more than thirty miles."

Huo Xian was very satisfied. Not only did the head of the pavilion perform well, but the Houguan who was guarding the place also performed well and looked like an experienced soldier.

In fact, the official salary of Houguan here is 600 dan, which is comparable to the level of most county magistrates as a middle or lower-level official.

When they found something, they reported it immediately. When they encountered a small group of enemies, they did not take it lightly. They lit smoke to warn them immediately, and then they would move out in multiple units at once. They would not chase them too far and did not have to worry about being ambushed.

The most important thing is momentum. This is not just passive defense. You should take the initiative to attack when there is an opportunity, bring continuous pressure to the enemy, and make them dare not get close at all.

Huo Xian didn't think that his sudden appearance had caused many soldiers to panic and disrupted their rhythm. These people's job was to guard the border. If these people lost their vigilance, that would be troublesome.

The Han Dynasty was in a stage of high-intensity combat, especially against the Huns in the north, so the soldiers were not always on the alert, but their basic qualities were still very good.

Huo Xian rode in front on his horse and asked, "How often does the guerrilla general train his troops?"

Wei Kang and Han Shuo had been in the north for two years, and their main tasks were to garrison and train soldiers. Xu Ziwei, who came with them, had the main task of building the city.

The guard immediately replied, "General, my troops train every three days. Last autumn, the guerrilla general ordered the garrison troops to patrol the border and kill the small tribe of Xiongnu."

"You are veterans after all." Huo Xian praised with a smile, "You are not bad either. This general will record your achievements and report them to the court."

Huo Xian's words made Xifengsui Pavilion Chief overjoyed. Although it was unlikely that he would be promoted to a colonel or a military officer all at once, he still had a chance to become a garrison commander or a captain.

This is the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry. The guerrilla general, the biggest leader of these garrison troops, can only obey his orders.

Huo Xian asked casually, "How much food do you have every day?"

The captain replied, "We soldiers get one dou and one liter of millet a day, and our family members, men, women, old and young, get between one dan and six liters and three dan of millet a month."

It was about one kilogram, and that was for the grain without shelling. But this standard was already a bit high for soldiers from other parts of the Han Dynasty.

The monthly allowance for family members is between twenty and sixty, which is not a low standard either.

We cannot judge this by the standards of later generations. At that time, many fields in the Han Dynasty had a rice yield of less than 200 kilograms per mu, so the food ration standard for these garrison soldiers was really not low.

Huo Xian continued to ask, "Do you have any wine?"

The pavilion chief was a little embarrassed and said, "There is only some crude and low-quality wine. It is difficult to drink it freely. There is more in winter. Nowadays, we can drink once every ten days at most."

Huo Xian joked, "That's good. Although guarding the border is bitter and cold, it also has its benefits."

The head of the guard post also acquiesced to this. Guarding the border was indeed hard work. However, these soldiers were well treated, had more food, and their families were also taken care of by the court.

The Han Dynasty had a salt and iron monopoly, and the control of alcohol was extremely strict, after all, it required grain to make alcohol. However, here at the border, alcohol was not always available, but many people could still drink a little occasionally, and even treat guests.

Although he left in anger, Huo Xian also took official business very seriously. He was not just going out to travel. This time he came out to inspect and start training troops at the right time.

These are serious matters. You can be angry, but you cannot put personal matters above public ones.

Huo Xian stayed for a short while and carefully inspected the military farms and weapons at the Sui and Pavilions, and carefully checked the number of fields or the number of soldiers on the garrison and their families, etc. These were all important matters.

Although the Han Dynasty is still using troops intensively, it has to be said that there will always be some corrupt officials. Some officials oppress the soldiers, or make the soldiers' families become vassals, etc. Such things happen from time to time.

These are naturally part of Huo Xian's work content. If he encounters something worthy of recognition, he will of course record the merit and ask for a reward.

However, if there is corruption, abuse of power, or slackness in fighting, then naturally they must be dealt with.

Huo Xian, the champion marquis, was not just a decoration. He had power and status. The most important thing was that when he was in Chang'an, he seemed to have no real power, but after leaving Chang'an, his power and status became very transcendent.

Even though Huo Xian did not seem to have received a clear imperial decree, it was indeed difficult for him to directly appoint or dismiss or punish some senior generals. However, as long as he did not directly kill generals or captains, there would be no problem.

Even high-ranking officers such as generals and colonels could be punished at any time.

Guerrilla General Han Shuo hurried over with 300 cavalrymen. This Andao Marquis and guerrilla general did not dare to show off his family background in front of Huo Shan.

It is true that he was the great-grandson of King Han Han Xin, grandson of Han Tuidang, Marquis of Gonggao, and younger brother of Shang Daifu Han Yan. He was also once awarded the title of General Henghai and made great contributions in the fight against Dongyue.

But times have changed. Now Huo Xian is no longer just the Marquis of Champion. He has achieved great success in his two military campaigns. Anyone with a little awareness knows that the rise of this young Marquis of Champion is unstoppable.

The most obvious thing is that he is now the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry, so it is normal for him to start managing the army.

Han Shuo clasped his fists and saluted, "Grand Marshal, I have not received your order. I don't know why you are here?"

Huo Xian smiled and said, "You can submit your petition. I am here to patrol the border. I don't need to say anything to you."

Han Shuo was not angry either, as he was ordered to guard the border and coordinate with Wei Kang. And since Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, suddenly came to inspect, he naturally had nothing to say.

Those who need to be asked must be asked, and those who need to be reported to His Majesty must be reported. It is just that everyone should do their own job well. There is nothing wrong with what the two people are doing now.

Han Shuo was very enthusiastic and said, "The Grand Marshal is patrolling the border. I have two sons who are very brave. I hope the Grand Marshal will support them."

As soon as Han finished speaking, two handsome young men came forward. After all, they were from the Han family and they were all quite handsome.

"Langguan Han Xing, I pay my respects to the Grand Marshal, the General of the Cavalry."

"Langguan Han Zeng, I pay my respects to the Grand Marshal, the General of the Cavalry."

There is nothing much to say about entering officialdom through family connections. The starting point is a Langguan.

The Han family was originally a family of meritorious service. Even though Han Wangxin, one of the Han Dynasty's heterodox kings, defected and was killed, Han Wangxin's son Han Tuidang surrendered to the Han Dynasty as the Prime Minister of the Xiongnu, was granted the title of Gonggao Hou, and made outstanding military achievements in quelling the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Han family still has a very good status now, and Han Zeng was the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry of Emperor Xuan of Han. He served three emperors and fought against the Huns several times.

Huo Xian immediately became interested, because this Han Zeng was one of the eleven heroes of Qilin Pavilion in history.

The twenty-eight generals of Yuntai and the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion are all "younger brothers". Their original origins are "painted in Lin Pavilion for success" and "whose Lin Pavilion is it".

"Han Xing will stay and train with An Daohou." Huo Xian said directly, "Han Zeng will follow me to patrol the border. I want to see what the offspring of a powerful family can do!"

Han Xing was very disappointed and even a little jealous. It was reasonable that the Grand Marshal should have taken him with him because he had a chance to inherit the title. But I don't know what the Grand Marshal was thinking, he actually wanted to take his younger brother Han Zeng with him.

As for Han Zeng, he was very excited. Given his background, he certainly didn't have to worry too much. Although he couldn't inherit the title like his brother, he had many opportunities to become an official, which seemed very good.

Now all young people with a little ambition want to serve under the Grand Marshal, General Huoqi. Everyone can see that the person in charge of the military of the court is General Huoqi.

Han Shuo was also very happy. Of course, he hoped that both sons could follow Huo Xian. If that was not possible, the eldest son would also follow.

Now that the youngest son can follow him, it is also a very good thing. After all, the Champion Marquis does not keep retainers, and apart from Wei Huo, he only likes some old subordinates.

Now that the son of Marquis An Dao can follow the General of Cavalry, it is already a huge breakthrough and it is an honor to tell others about it.

Huo Xian looked at Han Xing and said, "You will return to Chang'an tomorrow and join the Qimen Army. There is a Zhang Anshi in the Shangshutai, whose father is Zhang Tang. You will join the Qimen Army with him."

Han Xing was overjoyed. Although he wanted to join the Yulin Army, the Qimen Army was also very good. The Yulin Army and the Qimen Army were the main troops of the Marquis of Guanjun. These two armies were the emperor's personal guards.

Qilin Pavilion hero, I have to see his quality.

Huo Guang is his uncle, and he will promote Zhang Anshi, who is ranked second, and Han Shuo, who is ranked third, will also be his subordinate.

I have to look for Zhao Chongguo again. He is a man of both literary and martial talents, and one of the sixty-four generals enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts among the Ten Sages!

I have found a group of generals to train, but can't I fight the Huns?

(End of this chapter)