Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 122 Responsibilities

The first director of Shandan Military Horse Farm was Huo Qubing, so it was appropriate for Huo Shan to go and take a look.

What's more, there are 7,000 Arabian horses there. Huo Xian wants to see the improvement and breeding of military horses, which is a big deal!

Going out to relax or leaving in anger is too one-sided. Huo Xian has a lot of important things to do!

Huo Xian would definitely continue to go out and have a look, but at this stage, there was no need to rush for some things. After finally coming out, he still had to visit relatives and friends.

Now I have seen Wei Kang, whom I have not seen for more than two years. I have also not seen Zhao Po Nu for more than two years, since the last battle against the Xiongnu.

Now that we are already near the Surrender City, we have to go and take a look.

I followed Wei Kang to Yong'an City, which was the residence of Wei Kang, the Marquis of Yong'an, a small city and military fortress.

After careful inspection, it was found that Wei Kang, the son of a great general, might not have any special talents or abilities, but he was still conscientious in his duties in the army, and there was no problem with the storage of weapons, breeding of war horses, etc.

Wei Kang asked with some anticipation, "Xian'er, is there anything wrong with my arrangement?"

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Of course there is no problem. It seems that my uncle is also diligent in his work. If I were to do it, I would definitely not be as good as my uncle."

Wei Kang breathed a sigh of relief, and then said, "You and I are different. I can only do these menial tasks. If I were really asked to lead the troops out of the border, I would definitely be panicked. If it's to defend the city, I just need to be more diligent and check some preparations carefully."

"I'm having people harvest grass for winter. It's a tough job." Wei Kang said, "It's much colder here than in Guanzhong. Even though the weather is nice now, there's still a lot to do."

Huo Xian subconsciously asked, "Is it hay?"

"Of course." Wei Kang said with a smile, "You lead a lot of cavalry, so how could you not know that they are all hay."

This statement seems to be correct. Although it is not yet autumn, many people have already started preparing for winter. In winter, fodder for livestock is naturally extremely important.

In summer and autumn, when there is plenty of grass, harvest more, dry it, and bundle it into hay for storage.

Huo Xian stood there with a serious expression on his face. He thought of silage.

Nowadays, the stored grass is all hay, which is naturally the main food for livestock in winter. But silage has not been invented in the Han Dynasty.

Silage was probably invented and perfected during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Nowadays, when there is grass, we eat fresh grass. When there is no grass, we naturally eat hay.

This is not only true for the Han people, but also for nomadic peoples such as the Xiongnu. If we look at some things today with some "common sense" after more than 2,000 years, we will still have a sense of superiority.

Wei Kang lives a good life in Yong'an City. Although it is not as prosperous as Chang'an, his treatment as the Marquis of Yong'an is not bad.

You will definitely not have to worry about food and drink, and you won’t be really tired. You just need to be diligent and check the progress of your work regularly.

"Xian'er, I have been training the troops diligently in the past two years." Wei Kang said while drinking, "But now it seems that the Xiongnu have no intention of moving south."

Huo Xian could understand some of Wei Kang's concerns and expectations, which were all perfectly normal.

When in Chang'an, Wei Kang was the son of a general, and basically had no substantive military position. In addition to the fact that the emperor and the general did not train him, it was also because Wei Kang had no confidence in his own abilities.

But now that he has arrived in the south of the desert and is stationed in the outer city, Wei Kang has slowly started to have some expectations. Everyone says Huo Xian is young, but Wei Kang is also very young, so naturally he will have some passion and expectations.

"The Xiongnu Chanyu is dead, and I am now waiting for an opportunity." Huo Xian said bluntly, "No one can guarantee the outcome of the battle against the Xiongnu now. If the Xiongnu is in internal turmoil, we may have to wait for them to fight among themselves."

The civil strife among the Huns seemed to be the best time to use military force, but the reality might not be so.

If the Xiongnu really had internal strife, the Han Dynasty would certainly add fuel to the flames, win over some forces, sit on the mountain and watch the fight, and only send troops when the Xiongnu was further weakened.

After all, if we send troops now while the Xiongnu are in an unstable political situation, perhaps the Xiongnu will immediately unite and face the outside world together.

Wei Kang naturally understood this truth. "I thought the Huns came here to seek revenge, but I didn't know that was not the case."

"I originally thought they would retaliate, but I didn't know the Xiongnu wouldn't dare to do so." Huo Xian joked, "The deceased Xulihu Chanyu was probably also timid."

Xulihu Chanyu was really feeling aggrieved. He took over the mess left by Wu Shilu, and before he could eliminate the impact of being defeated by the Han Dynasty again, he died.

It is unknown whether this Xulihu Chanyu had any presence in the Xiongnu, but in the Han Dynasty, this short-lived Xiongnu Chanyu had the least presence. He died before he could do anything. He really came and went in a hurry. After eating and drinking, Huo Xian said, "My cousin should just prepare for the war here. He just needs to train the soldiers diligently and store arrows. When the troops are sent out, there will definitely be a part of them going from this side."

Wei Kang nodded, he knew clearly that if the imperial court sent troops to attack the Xiongnu, the area he guarded would most likely be one of the imperial court's troop routes and an important logistics material transfer base in the rear.

Therefore, Wei Kang should not expect to return to Chang'an in the short term, and he has to continue to stay in Mo Nan.

Being born in a military family, it is true that there is enough wealth and glory, but there are also enough responsibilities and obligations. When it is time to contribute, you must contribute well.

Huo Xian was able to lead troops in battle, so it was natural for him to send troops several times.

Wei Kang is a little lacking in ability, but he has to stay on duty when it is his turn, and his identity can play a big role.

After a few days of rest in Yong'an City, Huo Xian was in a good mood. This was like a revisit to an old place. Although it was still a wasteland when he came here a few years ago, there is now a fortress.

But no matter what, seeing that the Han Dynasty's strategic advantages are becoming more and more powerful now, it is something worth being happy and proud of.

Some advantages over the Huns are constantly expanding and may eventually turn into huge advantages during the war.

These are what Huo Xian cares about most. He feels that his mission is to use military force against foreign enemies.

It is enough for everyone to do their own job. Everyone has his or her own tasks and responsibilities, and everyone's positioning is slightly different. Huo Xian understands this truth, and Wei Kang also understands this truth.

However, Weihuo is still very united internally, and some of his subordinates do have the tendency to steal the credit and show their unique talents.

However, the head of the Wei and Huo families never had any internal strife, and Wei Qing was very happy to see Huo Qubing and Huo Shan grow and make achievements. Although Wei Kang envied Huo Shan's ability and treatment, he would never be jealous or restrained.

As for Huo Xian, others said that he was young and frivolous, and flamboyant, but he had great respect for Wei Qing, and had a very close relationship with the three Wei Kang brothers. They were all of the same blood, and they all knew it.

After dinner, the uncle and nephew took a walk in Yong'an City. Wei Kang still hoped that Huo Xian could help make some improvements.

"Xian'er, you can go back earlier." Wei Kang advised, "Others can't say it, let me say it. After all, you are a minister, and it's not a good thing to be so angry with His Majesty."

Huo Xian knew what was going on. "Uncle, I used to talk back, but they were all minor matters. This is the first time I really had a fight with His Majesty. It's really no big deal."

Wei Kang was speechless. He naturally knew that Huo Xian had been a smart kid since he was young and had a good grasp of the emperor's thoughts. If he said that everything was fine now, then it was very likely that everything was fine.

As for Huo Xian's talking back, everyone knew that it was not the first or second time that this time it just seemed more serious.

"I will go back next year at the earliest. This time, in addition to patrolling the border, I will also find some young officers to train." Huo Xian lowered his voice and said, "I did it on purpose. I don't want to patrol the east."

Wei Kang suddenly had a headache. Huo Shan was so willful and daring. Huo Shan was not interested in accompanying the emperor on a tour, something that others would not beg for.

"I still want to fight. It's your majesty's job to tour the country. He can seek immortals and seek beauties, that's his job. I will train the troops and patrol the country to prepare for war, that's my job." Huo Xian said, "When your majesty starts to scold me, I will go back. It won't be too late then."

Wei Kang was surprised. "After you came out, your father-in-law and mother-in-law said that His Majesty always scolded you. Why didn't you go back?"

Huo Xian was speechless, looking at the honest man Wei Kang, "Uncle, are you serious? When you scold someone, you should listen carefully! Your Majesty is scolding me now, just saying that I am willful and ignorant. That is complaining to my uncle and others, which is not scolding. If I were in Chang'an, and Your Majesty scolded me from above, I would dare to refute it from below!"

Wei Kang thought about it and it made sense. Huo Shan was not only disrespectful in front of Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang, but she also interrupted the emperor when he was speaking more than once or twice.

"Your Majesty won't be really angry now. I will go around outside. Even if I don't make any achievements, I will find something to do. I will definitely not return empty-handed." Huo Xian said to Wei Kang complacently, "By then, Your Majesty will like me even more!"

Looking at Huo Xian's smug face, Wei Kang felt indescribably envious.

He didn't think Huo Xian was bragging, because the final result of this matter would most likely be that Huo Xian would be rewarded for his merits again.

Wei Kang suddenly said, "Your fiefdom has been reduced by two thousand."

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment, and then he became furious. "Did you take my angry words seriously? I didn't get any additional fiefs when I attacked Dayuan, but I lost two thousand fiefs because of the quarrel. It's a big loss!"

Wei Kang sighed. They were the same person but had different fates. If he quarreled with His Majesty, he would be lucky if he didn't lose his life. At the very least, his title would be abolished. Huo Xian had such a big fight with the emperor, but he was only punished by having his fief of 2,000 yuan reduced. How could he not be happy?

There's really no comparison with this guy!

(End of this chapter)