Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 155 Be Smart
Gongsun Ao, Zhao Anguo and others felt more and more that Huo Xian's insistence on stationing troops in the Western Regions was very forward-looking, and now they could see the obvious benefits.

Tan Jie, a member of the prince's staff, had previously replaced Tian Ren as the commander of the guards, and led more than a thousand men to garrison and cultivate land near Loulan.

Now this place has become the best place for the army to rest and recuperate, and there are constant supplies delivered. Compared with the previous expedition to Dayuan, the Han army has more supply points.

Gongsun Ao was a little anxious, and said to Zhao Anguo, "Have you sent scouts to the Gobi Desert to investigate?"

Zhao Anguo quickly replied, "Marquis Yiqiu, we have already sent people there. You know there are no bandit problems along the way, so you must be worry-free."

There were indeed no bandits or Huns in the area from Yumen Pass to Loulan. If they really existed, they would have been wiped out by the Han army and become a military achievement.

The only worry now is that Huo Xian will get lost in the Gobi Desert. Especially since it is midsummer now, marching in the Gobi Desert is a huge test and this is also a huge crisis.

Almost all of the troops have already left the pass, and the vanguard led by Li Ling has packed up their bags and is ready to set off again. The other soldiers have also made some minor adjustments and can continue to march towards Cheshi and other places.

But now, the commander of the army has not arrived yet, and the day agreed upon is approaching.

According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, failure to meet deadlines would result in punishment, and it could even be a capital crime!
Huo Xian would naturally not miss the deadline. He had a pretty accurate grasp of some time, and most importantly, he left himself relatively ample time.

Suddenly, the scouts rushed back to the camp, "General, the Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry have left the Gobi Desert and will be at the camp in three days!"

Gongsun Ao heaved a sigh of relief, and immediately gave an order, "Hurry up and arrange for troops to pick them up. The Xiongnu said they don't have any bad intentions."

Zhao Anguo also had such an idea. Although they knew that Huo Xian led nearly a thousand people and would not pose any threat within the Han territory, they might encounter a large group of enemies if they left the border.

The scout said quickly, "General, the Grand Marshal has clearly stated that the soldiers are not allowed to welcome us, and ordered all troops to rest and prepare water and food."

Although Zhao Anguo and Gongsun Ao still felt a little uneasy, there was really nothing they could do. After all, although they were also marquises, there were still some differences between them and Huo Shan.

They were all generals, but there was still a difference between ordinary marquises and marquises with ten thousand households. They were all generals, but they were only generals in wartime, while Huo Xian was a permanent general, which was a bigger difference.

The most important thing is that Huo Xian is the chief general. Even if you disagree with some of his orders, you can only execute them firmly. What's more, the current military orders are not rude requests.

Huo Xian heaved a sigh of relief, finally walking out of the Gobi Desert. Although he had walked back and forth once, he was still worried about the terrain of the Gobi Desert, especially in the summer, which was full of various challenges.

Fortunately, we have passed this stage for the time being. Now we have to truly enter a state of war. Many arrangements to be made in the future need to be made with caution, and some things need to be considered more comprehensively.

Huo Xian led his troops forward and could now communicate better with the main army, so there would naturally be many scouts coming and going.

When Huo Xian arrived, many people were completely relieved. It would be best if there were no accidents. Now they felt more confident.

As soon as the dusty Huo Xian entered the camp, he immediately said, "Go to the tent!"

It is indeed necessary to raise the account. We are now officially entering a wartime state. War may break out at any time, so everyone naturally needs to be careful and cautious.

Colonels and above came to the military tent one after another. The whole tent was filled with senior officers and generals. These were some of the trump cards in Huo Xian's hand.

Huo Xian looked at the officers and soldiers, and then asked, "Marquis Yiqu, can all the soldiers of the army arrive at the camp? Why are some people late?"

Gongsun Ao said solemnly, "Reporting to Grand Marshal Huqi General, all the troops arrived at the camp after receiving the order, and none of them missed the deadline. However, dozens of soldiers died of illness during the march."

Huo Xian didn't think there was anything surprising about this. After all, this kind of situation was unavoidable in any era.

What can be done at this time is to bury those who need to be buried and provide compensation to those who need to be compensated. Huo Xian has no better way than this.

Huo Xian became serious and said to Gongsun Ao, "Those who are unwell and unable to march can stay and recuperate on the spot."

This is one of the benefits of garrisoning troops. The Han Dynasty now has some forward bases in the Western Regions. In peacetime, they can receive Han envoys and merchant caravans. In wartime, in addition to providing supplies and equipment, they can also take in the wounded and sick.

"Zhang Gui'an." Huo Xian looked at his old subordinate again and said, "You will be my envoy. Go to Loulan with the imperial seal and ask the king of Loulan to send a thousand cavalrymen and bring their own baggage to follow my army to attack the Cheshi."

Zhang Guian immediately clasped his fists and said, "Yes!"

The Western Regions is the blessed land of the Zhang family and their sons. It is also the place where they made great achievements.

Zhang Qian made great achievements here and was awarded a title of nobility, and Zhang Gui'an Ye hoped to make great achievements here and regain his title.

Huo Xian continued to give orders and looked at Tian Ren, "You lead a thousand men as the vanguard and set out tomorrow, keeping fifty miles away from the main army. Bring less baggage and more arrows. If you encounter the Huns, hold your ground and wait for help immediately." Tian Ren clasped his fists excitedly, "Yes!"

Huo Xian then looked at Xinzhi Marquis Zhao Di and said, "You lead 3,000 infantrymen to follow, and bring plenty of chariots, pack horses, and arrows. If the vanguard encounters the enemy, you must hold your ground and not rush forward to help."

This may sound like a very stupid decision, but it is understandable to some people.

In the final analysis, Tian Ren's troops were the vanguard, and in fact, Zhao Di's troops were also the vanguard. However, Zhao Di's more important task was to stabilize the position and use the Wugang chariots to form a formation to resist the Xiongnu's charge.

To put it more cold-bloodedly, Huo Xian wanted the vanguard to serve as a barrier for the army, buying more preparation time for the real main force.

This is not only because a kind army is not suitable for military operations, but also because if the Huns wanted to defeat this vanguard force of thousands of people in one go, they would have to crush them with a numerical advantage of three or four times.

If the enemy was of the same number, the Han army could have rushed to the rescue calmly.

Huo Xian then looked at Gongsun Ao and said, "Marquis Yiqu, you lead the troops to take charge of the baggage, and I will lead our troops."

Gongsun Ao had no objection. It seemed like he was being thrown at the very end of the army, but this was also a sign of trust in him.

After all, the task of transporting baggage is extremely important. Not only does it guarantee the logistics of the entire army, but it also has to be responsible for stabilizing the formation. Such a task is really difficult for ordinary people to accomplish.

In fact, there is no need to be too nervous to start arranging things now. After all, although Loulan is also one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms in the Western Regions, it is close to Dunhuang and Yumen Pass.

The Huns do have some influence here, but it is limited. For the time being, they are not enough to pose a big threat to the army, and there is no need to be on guard at all times.

The closer we are to Cheshi, the more likely a real war is to break out. Right now, we basically need to focus on marching and preventing enemy harassment. These are the most important tasks now.

After arranging some things, everyone now needs to start executing military orders. There will be a lot of things to do next.

After the captains of the various divisions left, Gongsun Ao said, "Sir, isn't it a little early to set out now?"

"It would be best if we could reach Cheshi in early autumn. I think it would be best if this battle ends before winter." Huo Xian said, "It will be no good if it drags on for too long. We don't have to worry too much about the army spending the winter in the Western Regions."

The Han army now has three locations in the Western Regions where they have settled and garrisoned troops, although most of them are self-sufficient. However, if the imperial court continues to send in some supplies, there is no need to worry too much.

Gongsun Ao knew that what Huo Xian said made sense. It would be the best thing if they could finish the attack on Cheshi before winter.

If winter really comes, there will be a lot of trouble. If the war is resolved earlier, the army can spend the winter more calmly.

Basically, forget about going back to the Han Dynasty this year. After all, the Western Regions are too far away, and staying in the Western Regions will actually help preserve our strength.

After collecting his thoughts, Huo Xian said to Gongsun Ao, "This time when we fight Cheshi, we should be ready to fight the Xiongnu at any time."

Gongsun Ao was naturally aware of these things. Some soldiers or low-level officers thought that this time they were going to attack the Che Division, but some middle and high-level generals knew that it might not be just the Che Division.

Huo Xian became more serious and said to Gongsun Ao, "This baggage is extremely important, so once the Loulan people go out to fight, they must deliver the baggage to the army!"

Getting food locally is what Huo Xian plans to do, which may bring huge burden to the people of many Western Regions countries.

But Huo Xian didn't care about these things at all, he wanted to preserve the combat effectiveness of the Han army. The supply line was too long, so the consumption was naturally very high, so he had to save when he could.

Gongsun Ao was a little worried and said, "My Lord, I have thought about this for a long time. If the Xiongnu attack, we must use less energy when we attack the Cheshi."

"I've thought about that, too. It's mainly about baggage and arrows." Huo Xian said, "It's easy to defeat the chariot division, but it's hard to say whether the Xiongnu will come to help."

If the fight was too fast, the Huns would have no need to send troops to help. If the fight was too slow, the Han would be at great expense, which would not be worth it. Especially arrows, etc., which needed to be consumed carefully.

Moreover, the Han army fought too smoothly or fiercely, which was obviously a reason why the Huns might be afraid.

If they just kept showing weakness, the Huns might not believe that people from other countries in the Western Regions would have a negative impact on the prestige of the Han Dynasty.

This is really a dilemma, and it seems that no matter what I do, there is something wrong.

Then think of a way to turn this dilemma into a strategy that is beneficial to the overall situation and helpful to tactics. You have to be smart.

(End of this chapter)