Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 148 Who else would you rather me?
Wei Qing and others hurried over. The emperor had summoned them and there had been changes in the Western Regions. These were both major events, and they had to come immediately even if they were seriously ill.

The military newspaper was circulated among these important officials, and their faces were obviously not looking good.

Liu Ju took the initiative to speak, saying, "Father, I request your permission to send a general to lead the army to attack Cheshi."

No one was surprised by Liu Ju's attitude. Although some people said that the prince was always worried that the long-term war would increase the burden on the people, it did not mean that he would not fight.

Now the small country Cheshi in the Western Regions has dared to take the initiative to attack the Han garrison. If the prince chooses to keep quiet, it would be the most foolish thing to do. This is also something that is simply unimaginable.

Liu Che looked at the prince and asked, "Who do you think is the most suitable person to go?"

Liu Ju replied without thinking, "Father, I think Marquis Xuye is suitable to lead the army to attack."

Gongsun He immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xuye is guarding Shoujiang City and should not be moved lightly. The Xiongnu are in turmoil now, and there is no guarantee that there will be someone bold enough to lead the army south."

Liu Che did not comment. Zhao Po Nu was now guarding Shoujiang City. This was a suitable choice. With Zhao Po Nu guarding the front and Wei Kang and Han Shuo, two marquises, supporting them from behind, the defense line was basically stable.

Liu Ju was not angry when his proposal was rejected. "Father, the Marquis of Yiqu has made great military achievements over the past decades and has led troops on expeditions. He can conquer Cheshi."

Gongsun Ao also seems to be a good choice. After all, he is a veteran and has experience in leading troops alone. He seems to be very suitable.

Wei Qing thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think the Marquis of Yiqu is too calm in his use of troops and is not suitable to lead the army alone."

As Gongsun Ao's old friend and true brother, Wei Qing was not confident in letting Gongsun Ao lead the army alone. Otherwise, it might be a waste of effort.

Liu Ju immediately chose to believe Wei Qing. After a long silence, he spoke, "Your Highness, Haixi Marquis Li Guangli also has the talent of a great general."

Huo Xian couldn't listen any longer and said, "Your Highness, although the Marquis of Haixi is a talented general, it's only been a few years since he led a large army and nearly lost. I'm standing right here, how come you don't see me?"

Liu Ju didn't even look at Huo Xian, and said to Liu Che, "Father, I think Cheshi is a small country and doesn't need the Marquis of Guanjun to lead the army."

Gongsun He and others also nodded, seemingly agreeing with Liu Ju's words. Cheshi was not a big country, so there was really no need for Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, to lead an army to attack it.

Wei Qing's expression was solemn. He actually didn't want Huo Xian to lead the army. But some of the current situations were similar to those in the past.

In the second year of Yuanshou, Huo Qubing led his army on two expeditions to Hexi. During the spring offensive, Huo Qubing led 10,000 cavalry out of Longxi and captured the Xiongnu King Zhelan and King Luhou.

During the summer offensive, 32,000 Xiongnu heads were beheaded, and five Xiongnu kings and five queens were captured alive.

In the same year, Huo Qubing led his army to accept the surrender of Hunxie King and Xiutu King of the Xiongnu, and killed 8,000 Huns who tried to escape.

In just one year, Huo Qubing dispatched troops three times to conquer Hexi in one fell swoop. This was a high-intensity operation. Now, Huo Xian is likely to face the same thing.

The bottom line is that there are no generals in the court, not to mention the lack of reliable generals. It is also because there are many variables in the affairs of the Western Regions. Without a decisive general, it is really difficult to respond in time.

This is not just about war, it also involves a lot of politics.

Huo Xian took the initiative to speak and said to Liu Chuan, "Your Highness, it's not that I look down on other military marquises. It's just that if we go to the Western Regions, no one in the court is more suitable than me!"

These words were arrogant. If one were to encounter an extremely suspicious emperor, these words would obviously be extremely taboo. However, Huo Xian said it so bluntly that other people would not even be surprised.

In addition to the fact that everyone is very familiar with Huo Xian's character, it is also because some things are just like that.

Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention Huo Xian. Besides the fact that some people didn't want him to make any more achievements, most of them just wanted to protect him.

Huo Xian is too young. He has been fighting outside in recent years and has hardly had any chance to rest. This is obviously not appropriate.

Huo Xian didn't care about that and said directly, "Speaking of the Western Regions, even Marquis Xuye is not as familiar with it as I am. I remember the location of Cheshi and the roads we need to pass along the way."

This is the advantage of attacking Dayuan. Huo Xian led tens of thousands of troops across the Western Regions. He was familiar with the locations, conditions, etc. of most of the countries in the Western Regions.

As for Li Guangli's two crossings of the Western Regions, it seems more convincing, but if you believe his defeat the first time he led the army alone, it will not be convincing at all.

Gongsun Ao was Wei Qing's deputy general before, and Huo Shan's deputy general before that. He had military merits when he was a deputy general. Leading the army alone, he would either get lost or be defeated, and it would be hard to be convincing. "Cheshi and other countries have always been close to the Xiongnu. This time, the attack on our Han garrison was probably instructed by the Xiongnu." Huo Shan said, "If there are not enough reinforcements, I am afraid it will be difficult to break the siege, and we will also suffer losses."

Gongsun He frowned and said, "Grand Sima is worrying too much, right? The reason why Cheshi sent out troops may be that our Han army is stationed too close to Cheshi."

Huo Xian did not answer, but just smiled and looked at Gongsun He. Gongsun He also knew in his heart that what he had just said was totally untenable.

The Cheshi might be afraid of the Han army, and feel that the Han army's garrison is too close, which makes them feel uneasy. Perhaps they want to attack and drive away the Han army while it is still unstable.

Such a possibility does exist, but now two years have passed, and the Cheshi are only taking the initiative to attack now, instead of sending troops when the Han army had just stationed there. This is obviously a bit unreasonable.

On the other hand, the Cheshi should also know the combat effectiveness of the Han army. Even if they are stronger than Luntai and Loulan, they are still limited. How could they dig their own graves?

Then again, many of the so-called Thirty-Six Kingdoms in the Western Regions also had some city-state system and slavery system. A small city dared to call itself a country, and a population of over ten thousand was considered to be of medium strength.

There are so many countries in the Western Regions. Cheshi should not be particularly sensitive to this "neighbor" that suddenly appeared, but now they are in a hurry to take action. Could it be that it is really some of their own ideas?
It's hard to believe that there's no driving force behind this, but that's the reality.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Cheshi must have sent troops with the Xiongnu's instructions. Once the Xiongnu got involved, this matter could easily become a big deal.

In this situation, it is not enough to send a general. We must have a general of sufficient weight to lead the army so that everyone can feel at ease. Only with sufficient power can we deal with the war that may break out at any time.

If we calculate in this way, the only people with such weight and ability in the court are the Grand Marshal and the General and the Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry.

But everyone knew Wei Qing's physical condition, and it was difficult for him to lead the army again. In addition to his great achievements, the most important thing was that his body really couldn't hold up.

Huo Xian continued, "Your Highness, you may not know that Cheshi is located in a different place. It is connected to Dunhuang in the southeast, Loulan and Shanshan in the south, Yanqi in the west, Wusun in the northwest, and Xiongnu in the northeast."

Although the connection here may be separated by a vast desert, it is still a "neighboring country" after all.

"Of course, it goes without saying that Cheshi, Shanshan, Yanqi and Cheshi are all close to the Xiongnu." Huo Xian explained patiently, "Loulan is close to Dunhuang and has been closer to the Han Dynasty in recent years. Wusun is still wavering in its decision. To the north of Cheshi is Kangju, which is also the Xiongnu's hawk dog."

After listening to Huo Xian's words, everyone frowned even more. This meant that the Cheshi were most likely just pawns, acting as lackeys for the Xiongnu.

However, behind the obvious enemy of Cheshi, there might be other countries like Kangju, whose strength is not weak. Especially Kangju, which can be regarded as a powerful country in the Western Regions similar to Dayuan and Wusun.

If it were a general of average strength in the past, he would probably not be able to control the situation, and instead would destroy the court's previous layout in the Western Regions, leading to a situation of public attack.

What's more, even if the Cheshi were defeated, it would be very likely that the Huns behind them would be implicated, and at that time ordinary generals would dare not act rashly.

The long journey to deliver the military report delayed the opportunity to fight. When the imperial reinforcements arrived, the garrison might have been defeated.

Liu Che spoke decisively, saying, "General, immediately arrange for the northern and southern armies and the border troops to gather in Dunhuang, and speed up the allocation of all baggage, weapons, etc."

The selection of generals had not yet been finalized, so there was no need to rush. However, the assembly of troops and the march needed to begin immediately, which would also take a lot of time.

Wei Qing naturally accepted the order, as these things were quite handy for him. No one was more adept than him in dealing with where to transfer troops and where to assemble the army.

This is not a matter of simply withdrawing troops. The withdrawn troops need to be suitable for fighting against the Western Regions and even the Huns. After the withdrawn troops leave, they must not cause loopholes in the original defense line.

The marching speed and other things naturally need to be strictly controlled, otherwise the opportunity to fight may be missed, time waits for no one.

Liu Che looked at the prince and said, "I will ask your mother to open the armory later. The Qimen Army and the Yulin Army will go out this time under the command of Marquis Piao, and will set out with the southern and northern armies first."

It was normal to let Wei Zifu open the armory, because the queen was in charge of some armories in Chang'an City and the Imperial Palace, and the allocation of the army naturally required sufficient weapons, etc.

It is normal for the Qimen Army and the Yulin Army to be dispatched. The emperor's guards are not just ceremonial guards, but they are the elite among the elite in this era.

But since Zhao Po Nu, Marquis of Piao, led the army to march first, it inevitably makes people think too much.

The first generation of the Concubine Marquis Zhao Po Nu was Huo Qubing's deputy general. As for the current Concubine Marquis Zhao Anguo, everyone knows that Huo Xian used Zhao Po Nu as his deputy general in both of his expeditions.

Could it be that in your Majesty's mind, only Marquis Guanjun can control the situation in the Western Regions?
(End of this chapter)