Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 147 Life Ambition
There are changes in the Western Regions. This is a big deal and must be taken seriously.

Since Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty has been continuously developing its influence in the Western Regions. After years of efforts, some initial results have been achieved.

Whether it was making Wusun appear neutral, or Zhao Po Nu conquering Gushi and capturing the King of Loulan to dominate the Western Regions, these were all the results of the Han Dynasty's hard work in the Western Regions.

In the previous two years, Huo Xian had conquered Dayuan through the Western Regions, and Li Guangli had conquered Luntai, and later on, they had stationed troops and cultivated land. This was all part of the Han Dynasty's continuous advances and efforts to establish its own foundation in the Western Regions.

Everything was developing in a good direction, but suddenly hearing about changes in the Western Region made people think more.

Most of the Western Regions were still under the influence of the Xiongnu, and the Western Regions countries were closer to the Xiongnu. This was a fact. However, this did not hinder the Han Dynasty's strategy of incorporating the Western Regions into its territory, and there could be no chaos at this time.

Huo Xian hurried to the palace, and Liu Che's face was as gloomy as water. "The Cheshi are restless and are leading their troops to attack our Han garrison."

Huo Xian's expression changed immediately. He set up three places to garrison troops in the Western Regions, two of which were not far from Cheshi. And Cheshi was even more of a diehard element, often acting as the eyes and ears of the Xiongnu and attacking and robbing Han envoys.

"Your Majesty, I request your permission to lead the army to destroy Cheshi!" Huo Xian was furious and very angry. "I'm afraid Cheshi has forgotten the power of the Han army. If we don't teach them a lesson, the other countries in the Western Regions will not behave themselves!"

Although Liu Che was annoyed, he still said, "You don't need to send troops. I asked you to come here to discuss sending troops to the Western Regions. The general will be here soon."

Huo Xian still did not give up. If he was going to attack the Western Regions, he would be very motivated. If he could not defeat the Huns this year, he would use the Cheshi to practice.

"Your Majesty, let me see the military report." Huo Xian was not polite and took the initiative to say, "After the general arrives, we will discuss the route and number of troops, and then the army will be mobilized."

Liu Che said angrily, "I didn't plan to use troops this year. These people are ignorant of the current situation. They are really hateful!"

Liu Che did have reason to be angry. What he wanted to do now was to destroy the Huns in one fell swoop. This was what he considered to be the top priority, and he was constantly preparing for this matter.

But there are always some things that are unexpected. For example, the emergence of the Che Shi disrupted some plans and forced the Han Dynasty to free up its hands to temporarily change some combat strategies.

Although I was annoyed, there was really no other way. Some things were just beyond people's expectations. This was the case of plans not being able to keep up with changes.

The internal factors of the Han Dynasty are still controllable, but a series of external factors have forced everyone to adjust their strategies in a hurry to avoid greater losses and to avoid some things affecting the overall plan.

Huo Xian looked at the military newspaper carefully, unable to conceal the anger on his face.

The 3,000 cavalrymen of Cheshi attacked the military farms led by Feng Dan. Although they repelled the Cheshi people, the military farms were destroyed.

The intentions of the Cheshi people were very clear. They just didn't want to see the Han army gain a foothold in the Western Regions, especially stationed near Cheshi. They would try every means to drive away and kill these Han troops.

Fortunately, there were enough arrows and the simple city defenses also stopped the Cheshi cavalry, otherwise Feng Dan's troops would most likely have been wiped out. There were more than a thousand Han soldiers.

"Your Majesty, if the Che Division is not destroyed, the prestige of our Han army will be destroyed!" Huo Xian said angrily, "These people from the Western Regions really have forgotten the pain after the wound has healed. If we don't teach them a lesson, they will not know their own weight!"

After Zhao Po Nu conquered Loulan, the countries in the Western Regions behaved themselves for a while. They only dared to make some small moves and did not dare to be too presumptuous or make things difficult for the Han envoys.

But when Li Guangli sent troops, the countries in the Western Regions forgot the majesty of the Han Dynasty, and became stubborn and rebellious, including the King of Loulan, who forgot the embarrassment and awkwardness of being captured.

When Huo Xian led his army to the border, the Western Regions countries immediately changed their attitude, and basically all of them were ready to welcome the royal army with food and drink. After the Han army conquered Dayuan, the Western Regions countries were even more obedient.

But now, these people have such a short memory that they start flirting with the Huns and forget about the military might of the Han Dynasty.

"It's not enough to just be gentle, we have to be tyrannical!" Liu Che also said viciously, "Cheshi and Shanshan are even more so. If we don't deal with them properly, I'm afraid they will be like this again in the future."

Huo Xian naturally understood this principle and said, "I will lead 10,000 soldiers to directly destroy Cheshi. I remember that Cheshi has more than 2,000 households, a population of more than 20,000, and less than 5,000 soldiers. I can just lead my troops there."

"Just send one of our generals," Liu Che said. "Li Guangli, Gongsun Ao, and Zhao Po Nu can all lead troops to destroy Cheshi."

Cheshi was not Dayuan, but was only of an upper-middle level among the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions. In Liu Che's view, one great general would be enough, and there was no need for Huo Shan, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, to lead the army.

In theory, this is true. It seems that the Cheshi is not worth Huo Xian's army. This is a bit like killing a chicken with a sledgehammer. After all, the Cheshi is not too far away, just northwest of Turpan. In addition, the Han Dynasty also has garrisons between Dunhuang and Loulan. Now if the army enters the Western Regions, it does not have to worry about logistics and supplies.

If this were the case, it seemed that there was really no need for Huo Shan to take action. Li Guangli, Gongsun Ao and others had followed Huo Shan to attack Dayuan. They also knew the marching route and the situation of some countries in the Western Regions.

"Your Majesty, I will not only beat this dog, Cheshi, but I will also beat this dog's master!" Huo Xian said viciously, "Cheshi dared to act rashly, it's not because of the people behind him! If he didn't have someone to rely on, how dare he show his teeth?"

Liu Che naturally understood this truth. The support behind Cheshi was the Huns, and there was no need to doubt it.

Even if there had been no pressure or guarantee from the Huns, the Cheshi people might not have dared to launch an attack on the Han Dynasty's military farms. They did not have that much courage or that much strength!

When beating a dog, you have to look at its owner first. But now Huo Xian doesn't even care about the owner of the dog in Cheshi, not to mention that it's just a wild dog in Cheshi who only likes to bark. So he can't be polite at all.

Liu Che knew that if he called Huo Xian, the boy would definitely ask for a fight. But if he didn't tell him about this, the boy might leave in anger again.

Whenever there was a war in recent years, no one was more excited than Huo Xian. He always asked to fight first, no matter how big or small the war was, he would always try to seize the right to lead the troops, and he always had a lot of crooked reasons.

Now he is asking for a fight again, which is not surprising. It would be strange if he didn't ask for a fight!
Liu Che said earnestly, "Xian'er, can you tell me about your chances to go on expeditions in the past few years?"

"We only went on two expeditions," Huo Xian said. "The first time, I just followed the general to gain experience. It can't be considered a real battle. The battle against Dayuan the year before last was also average. We didn't even fight a real battle!"

Liu Che was speechless. People outside were praising the heroic young Sima, praising his bravery in battle and his invincibility.

But when it comes to Huo Xian, he was willing to belittle himself in order to get the opportunity to fight. He could talk about some difficult things or great achievements as if they were worthless.

Liu Che said seriously, "In the first expedition, he saved tens of thousands of Han soldiers and captured Zuo Xian Wang. In the second expedition, he destroyed Dayuan and killed its leader. If this is not a great achievement, what is a great achievement?"

"We didn't fight any serious battles. We were either on the road or on the march." Huo Xian said shamelessly, "Your Majesty, there really wasn't any serious fighting."

Liu Che said helplessly, "Xian'er, you haven't had a good rest in the past four years. If you really go to be a driver again, it will take another half a year to go back and forth. How can your body bear it?"

Huo Xian didn't care much and said, "Your Majesty, I want to be able to command majesty and be the bravest among the three armies on horseback. I can repay Your Majesty for your kindness and bring honor to my wife and children. This is what I have always wished for!"

Liu Che was both proud and troubled. Huo Xian was too stubborn. However, this child's spirit and ambition were so high that sometimes he really didn't know how to use him.

Liu Che was undoubtedly proud of raising Huo Qubing and Huo Shan, father and son. However, the minds of these two were so simple and stubborn that he was afraid that Huo Shan would leave in a hurry.

Huo Xian looked at Liu Che and continued, "Your Majesty, isn't the purpose of attacking the Cheshi this time to attack the Xiongnu again in the future?"

Liu Che said unhappily, "Don't confuse the public. Cheshi is Cheshi and the Western Regions are the Western Regions. Don't bring the Xiongnu into the mix. You know the truth about this matter!"

Huo Xian was being unreasonable. "The Western Regions are now the seat of the Xiongnu, and Cheshi is their lackey. If I destroy Cheshi, the imperial court will be able to gain a foothold in the Western Regions, and it will be incorporated into the Han Dynasty in the future!"

Liu Che did not deny this statement, because this was essentially what he was thinking. The Western Regions would be taken over sooner or later. This strategy had been decided before, but because the Huns had not been destroyed, matters in the Western Regions could not be rushed.

Fighting the Huns is the top priority. They are also the most important enemy of the Han Dynasty. This is a truth that everyone understands.

However, managing the Western Regions is a strategy that anyone with a discerning eye can see. Anyone with a little insight knows the benefits of taking over the Western Regions for the Han Dynasty and will not oppose the control and development of the Western Regions.

Liu Che was extremely annoyed, not only because things in the Western Regions were not going smoothly, but also because Huo Shan was too stubborn and had no idea of ​​his elders' good intentions.

Liu Ju and Wei Qing also hurried over, including Gongsun He and others. The matter in the Western Regions was a big deal. Not to mention that one move could affect the entire body, but everyone understood that at this point, the matter in the Western Regions could not be underestimated.

The Western Regions, after all, are inextricably linked to the Huns, so we have to treat them with caution at this time.

There are actually very limited options for those who can shoulder this heavy responsibility, understand the emperor's grand vision, and have enough prestige and power!
(End of this chapter)