Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 128: Seventy-two Generals of the Temple of Martial Arts
Although the temperature has dropped, it is not a big problem. Even if it is freezing cold, it can't freeze Huo Xian, the champion marquis.

It is true that today's productivity level is limited, but there are also many remarkable aspects in the lives of some ancient nobles.

Go straight to Lingju. The so-called Lingju also means "let the Qiang live". Lingju County was established here in the second year of Yuanding.

Huo Xian went straight to the county magistrate's office. The local administrative system of the Han Dynasty was relatively simple, mainly divided into two levels of government: county and prefecture. This also helped the central government to directly control the local areas.

In fact, with Huo Xian's identity, it would be more appropriate for him to go directly to the military camp. After all, according to the military organization, counties and marquisates were led by lieutenants, and border counties had separate barrier lieutenants.

But Huo Xian could not endure hardship. The military camp was not as comfortable as the county government office, and he did not want to bring trouble upon himself.

The Lingju County Magistrate, whose salary was 700 dan, came hurriedly and said, "I am Chang Rong, the Lingju County Magistrate. I am honored to meet the Grand Marshal, the General of the Cavalry."

Huo Xian took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I am here to patrol the border according to the order, so Lingju will naturally come to take a look. Bring me the list, household registration, land, taxes, etc. I want to check them."

Chang Rong was a little embarrassed and said tactfully, "My Lord, I dare to say that. Household registration and taxation are not within your jurisdiction."

Huo Xian smiled and looked at Chang Rong, then said, "Do you want me to open a government office in your place? What do you think if I recruit you as a chief secretary or military commander?"

Chang Rong was about to urinate immediately. If this champion marquis chose to open a residence in Lingju, then there was really nothing to say. It was a routine operation for the Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry to open a residence during wartime.

Although it does not seem to be wartime now, the reason why Lingju exists is that this county itself was established because of immigrants guarding the border.

It can be used as a strong command when facing other people, but it also depends on the situation.

It is better not to act like a strong commander in front of this Marquis of Champion. Even if they have never dealt with Huo Xian, any smart official should know that both generations of Marquis of Champion were extremely favored by the emperor, and with their unparalleled military achievements, who would dare to offend them?
Huo Xian then said to Liu Mo, "Ask the county lieutenant to come here immediately."

Chang Sen hesitated to speak, but he decided to forget it. As a county magistrate, he should not be involved in the internal affairs of the army.

Now the Han Dynasty also implemented military farming, and the number of farmers reached hundreds of thousands at most, which was an important part of the border troops. Lingju belonged to the border troops, maintaining local public order in peacetime and obeying the central government's dispatch in wartime.

The arrival of Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry in Lingju was like a bolt from the blue, making many aspiring young people and soldiers in Lingju extremely excited.

He was the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry. Three years ago, at the age of seventeen, he captured the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu and followed the general to destroy 30,000 elite Xiongnu troops.

The year before last, he had led an army of tens of thousands on an expedition of thousands of miles, destroyed the two kingdoms of Luntai and Dayuan, and returned victoriously with countless captives.

It is no exaggeration to say that this Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry is the new idol of the Han soldiers, and his prestige is comparable to that of the Champion Marquis and Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry of that time.

Now everyone can see clearly that the first person in the new generation of soldiers of the Han Dynasty is this Grand Marshal, General of the Cavalry.

The county lieutenant hurriedly led several subordinates to the county government office and said, "Lei Yu, the county lieutenant, pays homage to the Grand Marshal, the General of the Cavalry."

Huo Xian looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and asked, "When did you move to your residence?"

Lei Yu replied, "Replying to the Grand Marshal, I moved to Lingju in the second year of Yuanding. I once followed my predecessor to fight in Hexi, so I was granted the official position."

Liu Mo and the others were delighted by this. When they mentioned "the former lord" in front of Huo Shan, they could only be referring to Huo Qubing.

Huo Xian was also happy, "So, you are also a member of the Aweng tribe? Great!"

Huo Xian was very happy and generous, and asked, "Do you have any children?"

Lei Yu quickly replied, "I have three sons and two daughters. All three sons are adults, skilled in archery and horse riding, and are now serving as soldiers in the army."

"A good boy like him should go to Chang'an!" Huo Xian said, "Call him over, I will test him myself. If he is really promising, I will let him enter Chang'an!"

Lei Yu was extremely excited. This was basically how his life would be. Although he was now a lieutenant in Lingju County, he could be considered an official, but this was only a low-level officer. Even if there was a war, the possibility of him being recruited was not high.

But he still hoped that his sons would have a bright future. If they were really selected by the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry and brought to Chang'an, they would have a chance to make military achievements if they tried their best.

As for the dangers of the battlefield, that is another matter. Today's Han people value military merit. This is truly the case of "Why don't men carry Wu Gou?"
Others were envious, but there was nothing they could do about it. After all, the county lieutenant had fought in wars before, and he had even followed the former Grand Marshal Hussar General in many battles. This was something that most people could not envy.

Huo Xian then looked around and pointed at a burly man. "You look quite strong. Who are you?"

Zhao Chongguo stepped forward and said excitedly and seriously, "Replying to the Grand Marshal, I am Zhao Chongguo, a native of Shanggui, Longxi. I was appointed as a guard of the Imperial Guards because I was a son of a good family in the six counties. In the fourth year of Yuanshou, I was ordered to move my family to Lingju."

Huo Xian's eyes lit up. This was the fourth of the legendary eleven heroes of the Qilin Pavilion. He had spent his life in military service, fighting against the Huns in the north and pacifying the Di and Qiang tribes in the west.

Value planning over war!
The strategy of combining military attack with political disintegration and the measures of cultivating land and preparing for the border had a profound impact on the time and later generations.
By attacking the Qiang people's plans and alliances, and attacking their hearts and cities at the same time, the strategy of dividing and disintegrating them, appeasing them, and concentrating on attacking the stubborn ones was successfully implemented. This is in line with the idea of ​​Sun Tzu's Art of War that "to win every battle is not the best; to defeat the enemy without fighting is the best."

Whether it is the Sixty-Four Generals or the Seventy-Two Generals in the Temple of Martial Arts, Zhao Chongguo deserves to be among them.

This is one of Huo Xian's main goals. "What is your current position?"

Zhao Chongguo replied, "I am a talent officer."

"Okay!" Huo Xian said, "I will inspect the troops tomorrow. You all go back and prepare immediately!"

This is also a characteristic of the Han Dynasty. The Western Han Dynasty emphasized that "non-clergymen are not allowed to join the expedition."

The Han army not only focused on training that was adapted to local conditions and the types of soldiers it trained in, but also insisted on regular reviews and assessments, and a system of grand reviews.

A grand sacrificial ceremony was held in Chang'an every autumn, and military officers and soldiers practiced battle formations together.

In the counties and states, the prefects, the commanders, the county magistrates and the lieutenants organized military officers, knights and warships to hold competitions and tests on military skills such as archery, horse riding and sailing, and assessed their performance. If punished, they would conduct military exercises in the form of hunting.

At the border, the prefect led 10,000 cavalrymen to inspect the defense situation and implemented the autumn archery system for the border, during which archery tests were conducted on the officers and soldiers. Those who passed the test were rewarded, and those who failed the test were punished.

The Han Dynasty's ability to continue to win is not only explained by the country's growing strength in recent years, but the nation's martial spirit is also a key factor.

Especially during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han Dynasty was either fighting or preparing for war, and the soldiers' strong military skills were the key to continued victory.

The Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry presided over the assessment. Such treatment is beyond the reach of ordinary counties, let alone most prefectures.

The Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry would preside over the military exercises of the capital army in Chang'an. The officers and soldiers in Lingju would be able to brag about such treatment for the rest of their lives.

If you perform better and are appreciated, you will have the opportunity to make great achievements!
The motivation came here. With Huo Xian's identity, he came to inspect the soldiers of Lingju, which was to give them a chance.

Huo Xian was in a good mood and said to Zhao Hexi, "We can only stay here for five days at most. If we are late, we are afraid that the decree of Chang'an City will come after us."

Zhao Hexi joked, "My Lord, now think about it, it's a good thing that your reputation is known. You only have the seal of a marquis, no imperial edict, no tiger seal, not even the seal of a general."

Liu Mo also complained, "No wonder the prince's fiefdom was reduced. I'm afraid he will be reduced again after he returns."

Huo Xian couldn't help laughing, "My Grand Marshal has done a good job. Now we are just waiting for a heavy snowfall so that I can spend the winter outside. I have been out for more than half a year. When I go back, I will definitely be scolded and even confined to my room."

"Youth has been in the palace for more than ten years, and the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion is also doing well." Liu Mo said with a broad mind, "If we really go back to Chang'an this time, at worst, we can take care of the mansion for you."

Everyone knows that the prince will definitely be scolded after returning to Chang'an.

Patrolling the border is just a nominal act. If you think about it carefully, it is just running around, staying in a place for a few days and then running away, for fear that if you run too slowly, you will be caught up by the imperial edict.

Han Zeng had a strange look on his face. The Marquis of Guanjun was patrolling the border, and the court seemed to have acquiesced. But based on the information he had now, it was completely the Marquis of Guanjun flattering himself.

But there was no other way. The emperor didn't care and acquiesced, so Marquis Guanjun had to patrol the border.

"Han Zeng, you should stay in Lingju for a few days." Huo Xian arranged, "There are some Xiongnu and Qiang people here. I think the county lieutenant of Lingju is also a Xiongnu."

It was not new for the Xiongnu to serve as officials in the Han Dynasty. Perhaps the children of Lei Yu recognized them as Han people in their hearts.

As long as you consider yourself a Han Chinese deep down, and as long as you abandon some of the Huns' cultural customs, you are a good Han Chinese and can get recognition and opportunities.

The tolerance of the Han Dynasty was not only for the Han people, but also for the Qiang people. However, some precautions should be taken. After all, it was the habit of the Han army to win over some and attack others.

Han Zeng also understood that what he wanted to do now was to investigate the situation of some of the garrison soldiers in Lingju and see how the Huns and Qiang people were integrating.

These are all important matters, and the Marquis of Guanjun may have left Chang'an in anger. However, he was conscientious in patrolling the border and other matters, and he would report what should be reported.

Huo Xian was preparing to guard the border. Some people in Chang'an City were not furious, but they were indeed very angry, and most of them were helpless.

It seems that some people may have realized that they were a bit willful to run out, and now they want to find a way out. But young people want to save face, and they may think it’s fun outside and want to stroll around for a while.

For example, Liu Che, looking at the report in his hand, said helplessly, "This Xian'er is still playing tricks on me at this time."

(End of this chapter)