Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 188 Beating
There are still many things to do in the Western Regions, and even if Huo Xian wants to go back to Chang'an, he is too busy to do so. Don't think about those unrealistic things now, just do things steadily.

Seeing the end of the year approaching and the heavy snow outside, Huo Xian felt a little stressed, "Are these food and grass enough?"

Gongsun Ao said confidently, "It must be enough. It's just that the Huns came too hastily before, so they didn't store more silage. What a pity!"

Huo Xian was helpless, "If there is no silage, there is no silage. The horses need to survive the winter. I am afraid that there is not enough food and grass, and now we can't transport it."

The heavy snow blocked the roads. If we wanted to transport food from Yumen Pass and other places at this time, the cost would be too high, and it would obviously not be cost-effective.

Gongsun Ao continued to speak, somewhat bored, "I think from the looks of it, there won't be any war for the time being. Even if we want to fight, we probably won't be able to."

Huo Xian agreed with this statement. "The Xiongnu will definitely not send troops at this time. Even if we want to attack other Western Region countries, the current weather is not convenient. We can only rest now."

Now they really can only rest. When the weather is better, the soldiers can do some simple exercises. Usually they are hiding from the wind and snow. Fortunately, the place is big enough so they are not cold or hungry.

Huo Xian and others remained on hold. Now they just needed to continue to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions and there was no need to think about anything else.

Suddenly, a scout came and reported, "Grand Marshal, Princess Jieyou is leading the Wusun delegation."

Huo Xian immediately became happy, "Wusun, these people have a good idea. They come here at this time, I'm afraid they don't have good intentions!"

Gongsun Ao said with some disdain, "These people will be dealt with sooner or later. If they hadn't done evil, how could the Xiongnu come and go so easily, and how could they retreat so easily!"

The Han army had many complaints about Wusun, mainly because some of the things Wusun had done before were really infuriating. If Princess Jieyou and Feng Ling had not reported the news in time, the Han army would have been passive.

There were some things that Huo Xian could not say openly, so that some soldiers had complaints against Princess Jieyou, feeling that this princess of the Han dynasty failed to help the Han army.

Huo Xian looked at Gongsun Ao and said jokingly, "You still have to pretend and don't embarrass the princess. It's ok for other soldiers to have complaints, but you can't give the princess a hard time."

Gongsun Ao naturally knew all of this, and he was naturally clear about some of the situations. He also admired Princess Jieyou in his heart. This princess of the Han Dynasty was indeed a heroine, and she had provided great help to the army and the court.

But what needs to be done has to be done. Even if the Wusun people speculated that Princess Jieyou and Feng Ling had leaked the news, there was no substantial evidence. While the Han Dynasty was powerful, they naturally did not dare to say much.

As Princess Jieyou's family, the Han Dynasty was powerful and had a growing presence and voice in the Western Regions. The Wusun had no choice but to pay attention to this princess in marriage.

Looking at Gongsun Ao, Huo Xian asked with a smile, "What do you think the Wusun people are thinking when they come here this time?"

Gongsun Ao did not need to think too much and said, "It was because of the Xiongnu crossing the border. The Xiongnu were defeated and retreated. Now you are rebuking and attacking people in various places in the Western Regions. The Wusun people should be afraid of you."

Huo Xian felt that this should be the case. Although Zhang Gui'an had not gone to Wusun to reprimand them before, it was no secret that Weixu, Yuli and other countries were harassed by Huo Xian because they helped Cheshi and Xiongnu.

Now many countries in the Western Regions are on guard. This great Han champion marquis likes to bully the Western Regions countries. The number of Western Regions countries that have perished in his hands can soon be counted on one hand.

This time, Yanqi and Cheshi were destroyed, and the Han army occupied Yuanqu City and Jiaohe City. Although Qiemi was not destroyed, its situation was not much better. Wangcheng was the base of the Han army.

As for Luntai, it is said that it was destroyed by Li Guangli, but at that time Li Guangli was a general under Huo Shan, and Luntai was also a place where the Han army stationed troops and cultivated land.

If Huo Xian ever destroys another country in the Western Regions, no one would be surprised. It seemed very easy for him to destroy a country in the Western Regions. He would destroy a country every time he came to the Western Regions.

Moreover, according to this trend, in the future it will not be a matter of destroying one country at a time, nor will it just focus on small countries like Luntai, but powerful Western countries like Cheshi.

It would be a lie to say that the kings of the Western Regions were not afraid, especially since the Huns had been driven away and only the Han Dynasty was left to dominate the Western Regions. Many people would regret some of their previous decisions.

Including Wusun, their strength was stronger than Cheshi and other countries, but the Xiongnu and the Han did not consume each other, and Wusun's wishful thinking failed.

It is true that they did not offend the Huns, but it is also true that they offended the Han army. Now that the Huns have retreated, they can only find ways to bridge the rift between them and the Han army.

Sandwiched between two powerful countries, Wusun wanted to please both sides, but if it was not careful it would cause dissatisfaction from one side and might not get help from the other side.

Naturally, there was no need for Huo Xian to think so much. He just needed to do his job well.

The messenger came again to report that this time the Wusun side seemed to be very sincere, and it was Junxumi and Princess Jieyou who came together, which was much more important than Wengguimi. After all, Junxumi was also the crown prince of Wusun.

As it happened, the Wusun people were indeed anxious and were now anxious to repair their relationship with the Han army. They naturally understood that now in the Western Regions, Huo Shan was the one with the most say in the Han Dynasty.

Based on the intelligence held by the Wusun ruler and his ministers, Huo Shan not only has a say because he is now leading troops in the Western Regions, but even if he returns to Chang'an, he can also influence some policies of the Han Dynasty.

Since an envoy has arrived, it naturally means that we need to prepare well for the reception. Even if we have some small thoughts in our minds, etiquette cannot be neglected.

Junxumi and the others filed in, and they all seemed to care about etiquette. They were all people of status, and they still needed to maintain a little superficial friendship before they had a complete falling out.

Even if the Han and the Xiongnu fell out, everyone with a discerning eye knew that they were enemies to the death. But in most cases, they would still save face and not embarrass the envoys too much.

The group greeted each other, and Huo Xian asked with a smile, "It's so cold, I wonder what important matter Cen Zou came here for."

As Wusun's Censou, or crown prince, Junxumi said solemnly, "I came here this time to explain something to you. I was unable to come here before because there was too much chaos in Wusun and the Xiongnu were bullying us too much!"

It was fine to just listen to this, even if Huo Xian was not a qualified politician, it was better to see through it at this time. If you really take it seriously, it will not do any good. Junxumi continued, "Before the Xiongnu army attacked, my Wusun Dalu's troops suffered heavy losses. We hastily gathered troops and did not dare to pursue the Xiongnu. But the Xiongnu retreated and plundered my Wusun tribe, taking away more than 2,000 old and weak people!"

This was something Huo Xian really didn't know. It seemed like these Huns were still harboring some evil intentions.

It is true that they borrowed the passage from Wusun, and it is also true that they had some tacit understanding with Wusun. But when they were defeated, the Xiongnu obviously did not want to leave empty-handed, so they took some Wusun people captive.

This is also in line with the style of the Huns, who basically robbed wherever they went. Population and materials were the most important goals of the Huns. The people they robbed would become slaves, who could do a lot of work and strengthen the power of some tribes.

Gongsun Ao, who was sitting next to them, couldn't help but feel a little gloating. This time, Wusun lost more than it gained. They wanted to see a fight between the Han and Xiongnu tigers, but unfortunately, he, as a bystander and fanner, suffered.

Huo Xian looked concerned. "To be honest, the Xiongnu are really abominable. I set up a large battle array in Qiemi, just waiting to defeat the Xiongnu. But who could have thought that the Xiongnu would bypass Wusun and launch a surprise attack, so I set up the battle array in a hurry and could only defeat the troops of King Ruju."

Some situations are well known to everyone, such as why the Xiongnu took a detour through Wusun, but no one wants to make it clear. The Han killed thousands of Xiongnu, which also made Wusun feel pressured.

Huo Xian continued to ask, "So, Dalu's troops must have suffered heavy losses?"

Junxumi looked worried and said, "Before, Dalu was attacked by surprise and lost more than a thousand soldiers. Now the tribe has also been plundered, and Dalu can only hastily ask for help. I, Wusun, originally asked Dalu to guard the key place, but unfortunately, it has been defeated by the Xiongnu and we can only gather our troops in one place."

Huo Xian's expedition to the Western Regions indirectly contributed to the unification of Wusun, which is really hard to explain. It also helped Lie Jiaomi and Junxumi a lot.

As for Dalu, he was cheated and now it is difficult for him to fight for the opportunity to become the leader of Wusun.

Those who play politics are really good at it. Liejiaomi and Junxumi used the Huns to weaken Dalu, making it impossible for Dalu to pose any threat and leaving him with no chance or strength to think about other things.

Perhaps in the eyes of Liejiaomi and Junxumi, the Xiongnu people helped a lot this time. Even if it weakened the strength of Wusun in the short term, it was not particularly serious.

From a long-term perspective, after such a big drama, it will be basically difficult for Wusun to have any more internal strife, and Junxumi can smoothly take over the position of Kunmi.

Moreover, the original so-called three-way balance of power was more of a mutual restraint, but now that Wusun has been unified again, its power has become even stronger.

In this sense, Dalu was an out-and-out loser. However, Liejiaomi and Junxumi gained enough benefits from it, and they basically resolved some internal conflicts.

Junxumi continued, "The Xiongnu invasion this time has also caused great indignation among the people of Wusun. Kunmi was furious and beheaded dozens of pro-Xiongnu leaders. Those people missed the big event!"

Huo Xian and Gongsun Ao looked at each other. It turned out that Lie Jiaomi, the old fox, was able to restore his country and grow stronger in the Western Regions. He indeed had enough means.

This time, it can be regarded as eliminating dissidents and clearing out some pro-Xiongnu forces within Wusun, which will naturally be helpful for future rule.

There is no need to be so conceited as to think that Wusun will be pro-Han. It is just that the pro-Xiongnu forces within Wusun were too strong before. Even if they are weakened this time, it will not affect Wusun's position of holding both ends.

Wusun is still the same Wusun, there is no doubt about that. How could they change their ways so easily?
Huo Xian was very clear about some things. He still needed to continue to pretend to be in harmony with Wusun. For some things, everyone had to be prepared to pretend to be ignorant even though they knew the truth.

Looking at Princess Jieyou, Huo Xian asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you adapting well in Wusun now?"

Princess Jieyou smiled and replied, "Your Excellency is thoughtful. I have adapted well in Wusun. Although it is not as good as my old country, everything is going well for me."

There seems to be nothing wrong with this. Princess Jieyou has a strong ability to adapt, which is somewhat different from Princess Xijun. This is why she is like a fish in water in Wusun now.

Huo Xian smiled and said to Princess Jieyou, "The court intends to station troops in the Western Regions. If Your Highness misses your homeland, you can come to Jiaohe City and Yuanqu City. They are all elite soldiers of the Han Dynasty."

The translator brought by Junxumi was not just Princess Jieyou, so it was obvious that some of his words were not just spoken to Princess Jieyou, but also to Junxumi and other Wusun people, to let them know the will of the Han Dynasty.

The conquered territories will definitely not be given up. Even though the Han Dynasty is now trying to win over Wusun, it will definitely not be based on the premise of giving up some territories.

Princess Jieyou smiled and said, "My Lord, our Han is becoming more and more powerful in the Western Regions. This time, my Lord led the army to capture a lot of pastures with abundant grass and water. I'm afraid we need a lot of people who are good at animal husbandry to manage them."

The place that Huo Xian conquered not only occupied a core position in the Western Regions, but most importantly, there were many oases and water sources nearby, which naturally meant that this was an excellent pasture.

Countries like Cheshi are relatively powerful, and there are also countries like Yuli nearby. The reason is naturally that the survival foundation here is relatively strong and can support a lot of people.

If it is really a yellow sand desert, no matter how large its area is, it will definitely not have any attraction for many people. What is needed is a place that can feed the military and civilians, which is more important.

It is wishful thinking for Wusun to ask for the land that has already been conquered by the Han Dynasty. It is better not to put any unnecessary thoughts on such matters.

Junxumi took the initiative to speak at this time and asked, "My Lord, I heard that you conquered Cheshi and obtained a lot of food and grass. This year, the snow is heavy and Wusun is short of food and grass. I hope you can help."

Huo Xian immediately said with an embarrassed look on his face, "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. I have 50,000 troops in the Western Regions, with countless war horses, and naturally not enough food and grass. My army has already slaughtered cattle and sheep, and there is really not enough fodder."

After eating the mutton, it can be said that it is now impossible to afford the consumption of these sheep. In short, it is obviously impossible to get something for nothing.

You can be more generous when winning over Wusun, but you definitely cannot continue to show favor to them when they are indecisive. You must strike back when it is time to strike back.

(End of this chapter)