Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 184 Opening up territories

There is still snow falling from the sky, but this will not affect the excitement and anticipation of some people.

To pursue the victory is what the Han army needs to do now. To further expand the results of the battle and further kill the Huns is what the Han army should do. The opportunity is already in front of them.

In the evening, the Han army's heavy cavalry suddenly started to move, and the light cavalry also pressed forward. When they got a little closer, they decisively began to shoot arrows, suppressing the Huns with rain of arrows and creating more opportunities to get closer.

Huo Xian felt that after this battle, he would have to change his armor again. He was about to be shot into a hedgehog. Fortunately, the armor was relatively thick, with heavy armor on the outside and soft armor on the inside, which ensured good defense.

So even though it looks like there are arrows everywhere on the armor, at most they are just embedded in the armor and will not cause any damage.

The light cavalry led by Zhao Anguo spread out quickly, and the Han army quickly surrounded the remaining Xiongnu cavalry.

The Huns were not surprised. They might have considered that the Han army would pursue them, but they had expected that the Han army would rush out of the valley to pursue them when they retreated.

But who would have thought that the Han army would rush out directly.

Huo Xian, holding his horse lance horizontally, charged directly into the Xiongnu formation, stabbing, sweeping, smashing, and chopping with his lance, and slashing with his sword and knife. He thought he was killing more comfortably. In open terrain, a heavy cavalry charging into a light cavalry team was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

The light cavalry was also very powerful. They kept detouring from both sides, greeting the Huns with rain of arrows, driving them towards the center and preventing them from escaping.

Suddenly, a scout came flying over, "Great Sima, the Huns are coming back!"

Huo Xian immediately gave the order, "Let An Guo lead his troops back. Don't let them get caught up."

Huo Xian grabbed the spear and pulled the Xiongnu cavalryman off his horse. Feng Wu immediately jumped off his horse and chopped the Xiongnu man's neck with his knife.

Feng Wu chopped off the Hun's head in one go and said happily, "My Lord, this is an official!"

Looking at Feng Wu, Huo Xian was very angry, "You can capture him alive, but you have to kill him!"

Chen Ju was also cursing, "How could you fail to kill that man, sir? You were just greedy for merit, why did you chop him off for no reason?"

Feng Wu climbed onto the horse's back and smiled, "Your Excellency is not in need of a Xiongnu officer to exchange for military merits, but I am! This time when I return, I will definitely exchange for some military merits!"

Chen Ju immediately scolded, "None of you are good-looking. Who did you learn this from?"

The other troops were also laughing, because there were several heads hanging on their horses. In fact, there was one good thing about following Huo Xian in the war, that is, you don't have to worry about others stealing your credit.

However, there are some phenomena in the Han army today, that is, some officers drink the blood of soldiers or steal the credit of soldiers. For many soldiers, cutting off the enemy's head first is the only way to put the bag in peace.

Huo Xian immediately gave the order, "Let An Guo and the others retreat first, we will wait a little longer."

The Huns did not attack all at once, and they had obviously given up on the cavalrymen who were left behind. Those who could escape did so, and those who could not escape were surrounded and killed, and no one else could be blamed for this.

Huo Xian certainly didn't dare to chase too closely, as he was still afraid of the numerical advantage of the Xiongnu army. If he chased too closely or too far, he would probably be surrounded by the Xiongnu, which would be a loss.

"My Lord, the Huns must be scared." Chen Ju sat upright on his horse, looking ahead and said, "These people are trying to intimidate us so that we can't catch up easily."

Huo Xian naturally understood this and said, "It looks like the Xiongnu are going to retreat."

"I really want to see a heavy snow." Chen Ju said with some anticipation, "If there is a heavy snow, the Xiongnu will surely suffer heavy casualties."

With almost no logistics, the Huns could only retreat decisively. Their tactics were to fight a quick battle and make a quick decision. They had no way of fighting a protracted war or a war of attrition. When the surprise attack strategy failed, they were doomed to retreat.

Even if Huo Xian was unwilling, there was nothing he could do. He had few soldiers and horses at hand. A head-on battle was almost impossible. He could only watch the Huns leave.

"Now that it's snowing, I'm afraid they're going to rob the Wusun people of their cattle and sheep." Huo Xian said maliciously, "The Wusun people are trapped in their own webs and have to bear the consequences themselves. Sooner or later, they will be held accountable!"

Huo Xian was still resentful towards the Wusun people, and was even more upset about the fact that they allowed the Huns to pass through their territory.

If it weren't for the Wusun people's "betrayal", Huo Xian's battle plan would not have been hastily adjusted. Even though it seems to be a win now, it has disrupted too many important arrangements.

But there is really no good way now. It is obviously not appropriate to directly attack Wusun. Under the premise that the primary enemy, the Xiongnu, has not been resolved, it is not suitable to directly attack Wusun for the time being.

Chen Ju asked, "Lord, if this is the case, then we have taken over the Western Regions?"

Huo Xian smiled and nodded, not being modest at all, "We have killed the King of Ruju, and the Xiongnu's power in the Western Regions has been almost eliminated. The next step is for the court to appoint officials. The Western Regions have been taken!"

Although the entire Xiongnu territory was not taken, the most core area was taken and it was still able to be defended, which naturally meant that the Western Region was now almost under control.

As long as the imperial court continues to manage it, it will be able to completely incorporate the Western Regions into its territory, rather than just having preliminary control over it as it is now.

It will still take some time for the Han Dynasty to have a deeper influence in the Western Regions and to control both the land and the people's hearts.

These are things that cannot be rushed. This is a land that previously had no foundation for rule, and the people's hearts, customs, and habits are completely different. It is indeed not an easy task to completely control it.

However, this was not something Huo Xian needed to worry about. He was a general and was responsible for expanding the territory. It was the job of other officials to nurture the people and implement policies.

Fortunately, the Han Dynasty now has the power of a great victory. Even if many people in the Western Regions may be dissatisfied, they can only endure it at this time. They obviously dare not offend the Han Dynasty.

To the people of the Western Regions, the Huns were so arrogant that they could only bow down and accept all kinds of harsh conditions when facing them.

Such a giant was beaten black and blue by the Han people and suffered consecutive defeats. Such strength is something that the Western Regions countries cannot contend with. Otherwise, just look at the fate of Cheshi and other countries. It is obvious. Huo Xian led his troops to slowly retreat into the valley. Zhao Anguo was unwilling to accept it. "Sir, are we just going to watch them retreat?"

Huo Xian looked at Zhao Anguo and asked, "Look at their formation. They look like they are fleeing in a hurry? I'll give you 5,000 men. Are you sure you can chase them down? Are you sure you can keep your men safe?"

Zhao Anguo did not speak. Although he felt a lot of regret, he knew that what Huo Xian said made sense. The Xiongnu were retreating very resolutely and in an orderly manner, so there was no way to stop them.

The army was small in number and had many infantrymen. If they really chased after them recklessly, they would most likely be ambushed and besieged by the Huns.

Gongsun Ao was not surprised at all. "I have fought the Xiongnu for most of my life, and I am used to it. This time it will be fine. After all, I have punished the disloyal country in the Western Regions."

These were the most important tasks in Gongsun Ao's eyes. This was a clear order from the emperor, and everyone in the court was watching closely. If Cheshi hadn't been destroyed, there would be no way to explain.

And now they have killed thousands of Xiongnu soldiers, which is an even greater victory. After returning to Chang'an, they will definitely receive a lot of rewards. This great victory is probably beyond the expectations of many people.

After all, at the beginning, only a few people such as Liu Che and Wei Qing wanted to take the opportunity of attacking the Western Regions to lure out the Huns. Now that Huo Shan has done this, it is naturally a great achievement.

Huo Xian was basically satisfied with the current results of the war. He directly destroyed two countries in the Western Regions, killed thousands of Western Region coalition forces and captured countless people. This time, there was no loss in the expedition.

In addition, they also killed thousands of people in this battle against the Xiongnu, which was an absolute victory. It was just that Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were so dazzling that people thought that thousands of people were not many.

But to be realistic, before Wei Huo, killing hundreds of Huns was something worth boasting about.

If there were really two or three thousand captured, it would be enough to be awarded a title of nobility, and it would be a truly great victory. Not to mention against the Xiongnu, even if it was against some small countries, these military exploits should not be underestimated.

Huo Xian is now in a calm state of mind and can fully accept the current results of the battle. However, he still has to be stable when necessary and must not fail at this moment. Now is not the time to relax.

"Tell the Marquis of Haixi that there is no need to rush the army." Huo Xian said with regret, "The Xiongnu have returned along the same route. There is no need for a major battle."

Zhao Anguo and Gongsun Ao were also sighing. If it hadn't started snowing, the Huns might have taken a detour and killed their way along the river, and the two armies might have engaged in a decisive battle.

But now everything has changed. As the snow gets heavier, the Huns have to consider returning. They can no longer fight, and the Han army also needs to consider how to spend the winter.

Under such circumstances, there was no need for Li Guangli to lead the reinforcements on a rapid march. They could even retreat to Yumen Pass, as the Western Regions could not afford to support so many troops.

He transferred the troops here, but then sent them back halfway through the march, and Huo Xian felt at ease with that.

The war situation has changed, so naturally there is nothing to say. He is not tormenting people, and he is not to humiliate Li Guangli, etc. It is simply because of the needs of the war.

Huo Xian also continued, "Hurry up and have someone count our military achievements so I can report them to the court. We will spend the winter in the Western Regions this year, and maybe the court will send officials to reward us."

Huo Xian's words also made everyone look forward to it. Such a thing is entirely possible to happen, and it can even be said that it is likely to happen.

The journey is too long and the weather is not suitable, so it is naturally not a good idea for the army to return to the capital directly.

But this would not affect the court's appointment of officials to confer rewards. If Huo Xian had not been the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry before, perhaps the envoy would have brought the Grand Marshal's seal with him!
The Huns had retreated, and there would most likely be no major battles. However, the Han army could not return home immediately, partly because they had to be on guard against the Huns' comeback, and partly because of the weather.

The continued presence of the Han army in the Western Regions was the greatest deterrent to the people of the Western Regions. Relying on such military power, officials appointed by the court could better govern here.

Huo Xian immediately made arrangements and said, "We need to build passes and fortifications here to prevent surprise attacks by the Huns."

Gongsun Ao and Zhao Anguo had no objection. In their opinion, this was a very necessary matter. If they built a pass here, it would be like one man blocking a thousand men. They could use a small number of troops to stop a large number of enemies.

If we hold the valley, the enemy will have to take a detour of hundreds of miles along the river to attack. This will ensure the stability of the defense line and guarantee the security of several core Western Region cities such as Jiaohe City.

Gongsun Ao said expectantly, "It's the same with Qie Mi. With these two fortresses, plus the imperial court's troops stationed in Yumen Pass and Loulan, we can completely control this area."

Zhao Anguo said with great joy, "Your Excellency has expanded our territory by a thousand miles! All the land south of the Tianshan Mountains is now our Han territory!"

Huo Xian couldn't help laughing when he heard it. "That's true. Cheshi has been destroyed, and there aren't many powerful countries in the Western Regions now. I naturally won't give up Jiaohe City."

This is what should have been done. The destruction of Jiaohe City and Yuanqu City allowed the Han Dynasty to have a say in the core area of ​​the Western Regions. If they were busy fighting the Xiongnu, they would not consider the issue of governance for the time being.

But now the situation is different. The Han Dynasty has enough time to properly govern these places. If the Han army does not leave, there will naturally be no power vacuum, and no opportunity for other Western countries to intervene.

Expanding territory is an irresistible temptation for an emperor with aspirations and ambitions. The current Emperor of the Han Dynasty is an emperor who is very keen on expanding territory.

Liu Che had already sent troops to conquer Minyue, Nanyue, Southwestern Yi, Western Qiang, Korea, Kunming, etc., and set up Han counties one after another, completely incorporating these places into the Han territory.

Now Huo Xian has also begun to help expand the territory. Although he has made many military achievements in his previous expeditions, he has not made any contributions to expanding the territory.

Even if they had sent troops to cultivate land in the Western Regions before, it was not considered as true territorial expansion. But this time, the situation was different. Now the Western Regions would be closely connected with the Han Dynasty.

Chen Ju even smiled and said, "The general has recovered Longxi, and the prince has taken over the Western Regions. My Guanjun Marquis Mansion will provide the court with a place to breed livestock!"

Gongsun Ao looked at Huo Xian with great envy. This young general really had no title to his name. He always made great contributions every time he went on an expedition. This was exactly the same as the champion marquis back then. He never returned empty-handed!

Huo Xian also began to feel proud and said, "So, I will definitely be rewarded after returning to Chang'an! Let's count my military achievements first. I want to report them as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)