Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 123 Strategic Advantage
Let Wei Kang continue to train troops, patrol the border, store some war supplies, etc. This is what Huo Xian expects of his cousin.

Wei Kang also knew that these things were not difficult to do, at most they were a little tedious. As long as they fulfilled their duties conscientiously, there would definitely not be any big problems.

The Xiongnu will not go south now, and there is a surrender city in the north, which means that Wei Kang is not on the real front line. So it is enough to do your job well.

Other things were naturally done by others. Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, had his responsibilities. Zhao Po Nu, the Marquis of Xuye, who was stationed in Shoujiang City, also had some responsibilities.

"Haha, I just like it here!" Huo Xian was very happy, waving his whip while riding his horse, "I'm visiting the old place again, but it's a pity that there are only you guys here, I should have brought thousands of troops with me!"

Liu Mo said in a supporting role, "My Lord, we are not familiar with this road. Only you have been here before!"

It is nearly two hundred miles north of Guanglu Pass to reach the Shoujiang City. Huo Xian is relatively familiar with this road, after all, he has been here before.

Huo Xian joked, "Uncle Liu, you've forgotten what you said. It's been so long since you last saw me. If that's the case, you should go back to Chang'an and retire there. If you die outside, I'll have to bear the blame."

Liu Mo was not embarrassed that his flattery had hit the horse's hoof. He turned around and scolded Liu Zhengnu, "What are you laughing at?"

After being scolded by his father, Liu Zhengnu asked Huo Xian for help, "Sir, next time you go to war, just take us young and strong with you. We are more sturdy and brave!"

Zhao Congxiao nodded in approval. It was great to follow the Lord this time. But his father-in-law also followed and was scolded a lot along the way.

Although it was tiring when we went to fight Dayuan before, it was better than getting scolded on the road all the time now!

Everyone was in a very good mood. This time when they were out, they naturally felt relaxed and comfortable. Although it was not as comfortable as when they were in Chang'an, they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

After all, they are a group of martial people who are restless in their bones. They prefer to gallop on horseback outside rather than enjoy life in their comfortable home in Chang'an.

Suddenly, a team of scouts appeared in front of them. These were the people arranged by Zhao Po Nu. There was no need for a surprise inspection, as Zhao Po Nu had already known that Huo Xian had escaped.

Going straight to Shoujiang City, Huo Xian was very happy, "Uncle Zhao! An Guo has made it big now, he is already a marquis! Both father and son are marquises, it is rare in my Han Dynasty!"

Zhao Po Nu was extremely happy. "It is also thanks to you, my Lord. I know very well what kind of ability An Guo has. If it were not for your support, how could he have such good fortune!"

Huo Xian said, "An Guo is quite capable. If it weren't for his help, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish my goal so quickly."

Zhao Anguo was not the most outstanding young talent, but his abilities were not bad either. He was also one of Huo Shan's earliest confidants and helped a lot.

Now, both Zhao Po Nu and Zhao An Guo are marquises, which is unique in the Han Dynasty. However, the biggest difference between the two is that they were both made marquises for their meritorious service, which is also what Zhao Po Nu is most proud of.

Wei Kang was made a marquis because of Wei Qing's contribution. Now Zhao Po Nu does not envy Gongsun He and Gongsun Jingsheng at all. The father and son there are both ministers, but that's just the case. Marquises are real!

Today, Zhao Po Nu and Zhao An Guo can be said to be the most dazzling new dignitaries in the Han Dynasty.

Liu Mo, Zhao Hexi and others also greeted Zhao Po Nu with a smile. Zhao Po Nu deliberately showed off his status. This was just a joke between old comrades.

When they arrived at Shoujiang City, Huo Xian said, "The city looks pretty good. It is much better than in previous years. This is a good thing."

Zhao Po Nu said, "The Xiongnu have not dared to go south in the past two years. Apart from training the troops, I have been building the city. If the Xiongnu really surrounded us, even 50,000 troops would not be able to break through the city."

Shoujiang City was isolated and it was a solitary city. It was very likely to be surrounded by the Huns.

In history, the Surrender City was constantly fought over between the Han and the Huns. Even in the Tang Dynasty, this city played a lot of roles because of its special location.

This is no longer the south of the desert, this is the north of the desert!
Guanglu Pass and other places are in the south of the desert, in Inner Mongolia, etc. But this surrender city has already reached Outer Mongolia. Such a strong city is deeply rooted in the heart of the Xiongnu, which naturally has a different meaning.

Huo Shan looked at him carefully. After all, Zhao Po Nu was a well-known general. He was good at leading cavalry, so Huo Shan didn't need to worry about many things.

"Xian'er, my men are quite capable." Zhao Po Nu boasted proudly, "If the Xiongnu didn't attack with tens of thousands of troops, I would have been able to defeat them in one fell swoop!"

There were not many people in the Surrender City, only three thousand cavalry, four thousand infantry, plus some slaves, etc. This was a truly important military town, and everything was done in preparation for war.

It is understandable that there are almost no civilians in the city. After all, this place is not suitable for ordinary people to live in.

Huo Xian naturally had nothing to worry about Zhao Po Nu's ability. He also believed that Zhao Po Nu's presence in Shoujiang City was of great significance to the Han Dynasty.

This is the real forward base. When the Han Dynasty wants to start fighting the Xiongnu, it can send troops here overnight. But when the Han army takes root in the northern desert, the Xiongnu must be prepared to be attacked at any time.

"Uncle Zhao, I still think it's not a good idea for you to go out of the city to fight." Huo Xian said, "It would be best if you prepare more arrows and hold on until help comes. We can't lose this place, as the army will need to store supplies here in the future."

Zhao Po Nu knew what was going on and said, "I can only lead the army 50 miles out of the city at most and I dare not go deep into it. The Xiongnu have also sent small forces to probe and investigate several times. These people are really thoughtful."

The Huns' constant probing is completely understandable. The Han Dynasty can understand the importance of the Surrender City, and the Huns feel like a thorn in their throats about the existence of the Surrender City.

If the Huns' strength had not been weakened and they were not good at attacking cities, they would have taken the Surrender City long ago.

"I have stored a lot of arrows and supplies. If the Xiongnu come to besiege the city, I can hold out for two months without any worries." Zhao Po Nu said confidently, "Even drinking water is not lacking in the city, so the water supply will not be cut off."

This was a lesson learned. Previously, they were surrounded by the Huns and almost the entire army was wiped out because of drinking water. This was also a stimulus for Zhao Po Nu.

Now he attaches great importance to this detail and must not allow any loopholes.

Zhao Po Nu was aware of this, and Huo Xian naturally felt very reassured, as this was the necessary preparation for long-term garrison.

Huo Xian knew what was going on and asked, "Have you captured any Xiongnu prisoners in the past two years?"

Zhao Po Nu immediately said, "We captured some herdsmen or scouts and asked them about the Xiongnu. We killed those who were stubborn and kept those who were useful."

A merciful man is not good at commanding an army. Huo Xian did not think there was anything wrong with Zhao Po Nu's actions. If he were to do these things, he would actually do them in a similar way and would not feel any psychological burden at all.

"In the past two years, I have also tried to recruit some Xiongnu escapees, and I have recruited dozens of them." Zhao Po Nu said with a smile, "When winter comes, I estimate that more Xiongnu will surrender."

There is nothing strange about there being a certain number of Huns in the army. The Han Dynasty is still tolerant. The Huns can then be assimilated into the Han system and join the fight against the Huns.

This was even more true for Huo Qubing and Zhao Po Nu, as the proportion of Huns in their armies was not low, and those people also played a significant role.

"That's good. We are not familiar with many places of the Xiongnu now. These guides can be very useful at a critical moment." Huo Xian said with a smile, "But we need to capture more. The war will start sooner or later."

There is a consensus that the Han and the Huns will definitely continue to fight, but many people are not sure when the war will start, and even Huo Shan cannot guarantee it.

The Han Dynasty must observe the internal strife of the Xiongnu and wait for an opportunity to act when it is fully prepared. There is nothing to say about this.

Moreover, the Han Dynasty now holds the initiative in the war, and Huo Xian is convinced of this. Even many people have a psychological advantage in this regard because they have been defeating the Huns over the years.

Confidence is constantly built and accumulated in this way. The Huns, who were once feared like tigers, are now seen as such in the eyes of the Han people. They are military achievements in the eyes of countless martial arts people.

After taking a closer look at the war horses, Huo Xian smiled and said, "Uncle Zhao's war horses are quite good. They are almost as good as my Yulin Army."

Zhao Po Nu was happy, because all the war horses in his hands were Hun horses.

At their peak, the Xiongnu had a large number of war horses, and many of them had two horses each. Now the Han Dynasty is not inferior in the number of war horses, but it is still a little behind in terms of quality.

It is not enough to have a certain number of horses; the quality of the horses is also very important and even determines the outcome of the war.

The Han Dynasty attached great importance to the improvement of horses, and the Huns actually also attached great importance to the improvement of horses.

Huo Xian asked, "Have you seen any Xiongnu people using horseshoes?"

Zhao Po Nu said, "I don't see many horseshoes, but some have started to have stirrups."

Huo Xian also felt that there was no way out. In the previous years, the Han army had fought against the Xiongnu and some of them had been killed or captured. Some of the technology had been leaked, which was also unavoidable.

The Xiongnu did not lack iron smelting technology, but it was relatively lacking compared to the Han. Horseshoes may not be widely popularized for the time being, but for the Xiongnu, it is possible to manufacture horseshoes in small batches, or equip some double-sided stirrups and high-bridge saddles.

Huo Xian could understand all of this. Horseshoes and other items had helped the Han Dynasty in its wars against the Xiongnu and Dayuan. The leakage of some technology was acceptable.

However, some technologies and so on still need to continue to develop and lead, so that we can always maintain our strategic advantage!
(End of this chapter)