Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 192 Protectorate of the Western Regions
It is definitely necessary to leave reliable troops in the Western Regions, and there is a high probability that some reliable troops will be left behind. Huo Xian can be said to be unshakable on this point. He also needs to consider some things carefully now.

Huo Xian called Tan Jie to the big tent and asked straight to the point, "Do you want to stay in the Western Regions, or follow me back to Chang'an?"

Tan Jie replied, "My Lord, I still want to go back to Chang'an. My family is in Chang'an. Although the Crown Prince is taking care of them, I have been away from home for many years and cannot serve my parents or take care of my wife and children. I feel guilty."

Huo Xian couldn't say much about this. Tan Jie's situation was very common. Soldiers guarding the border were basically like this, and they must have owed something to their families.

Not to mention now, it will be the same even two thousand years from now. This is the dilemma of having to be both loyal and filial.

Tan Jie probably realized that this statement lacked persuasiveness, and then said, "Sir, I have joined the Crown Prince's school, and thanks to your support, I have been able to achieve some minor military merits. Now that I have some military merits, it is time to return to Chang'an."

Huo Xian looked at Tan Jie and asked directly, "Is this your idea or His Highness's?"

After pondering for a moment, Tan Jie said, "Your Highness has previously instructed that all military affairs are up to you, Your Majesty."

It is not surprising that Liu Ju has such an attitude. Not to mention that Huo Xian has more and more military achievements now, even in the past few years, Liu Ju basically did not worry about military affairs.

Even though he didn't quite understand sometimes, he basically still approved of Huo Xian's arrangements.

Huo Xian looked at Tan Jie and said, "If it is His Royal Highness's wish, I will naturally do it. But from what you said, do you want to rely on His Royal Highness's will to let me do the job?"

Tan Jie turned pale instantly and quickly knelt down to explain, "My Lord, I dare not do that! I just thought that I would not be in Chang'an for a long time."

"Uncle Chen, slap him!" Huo Xian's face was ugly, and he said unceremoniously, "I will teach you the rules on behalf of Your Highness!"

Chen Ju didn't hesitate at all, he walked up to Tan Jie and slapped him in the face without any mercy.

Tan Jie did not dare to show any resistance or dissatisfaction. He was really scared now.

Looking at Tan Jie, Huo Xian sternly warned, "Remember this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a virtuous man, respected by everyone in the court and the country! You are the Crown Prince's disciple, so you must be more careful with your words and actions! You want to go back to Chang'an, do you want to join the Northern Army or the Southern Army? Do you want to become the Weiyang Guard or the Jianzhang Guard?"

Tan Jie was even more afraid, he must have some ideas and pursuits. Now he basically returned to Chang'an as a lieutenant and Guannei Hou, which naturally made him feel proud and high-ranking.

After fighting this battle in the Western Regions, even if he could not become one of the Nine Ministers, he would definitely not be able to escape being a county magistrate.

As the prince's disciple, and even the first one to hold the military rank of captain, it is very obvious that Tan Jie is now eager to return to Chang'an. In the final analysis, it is to further consolidate his position.

As long as he works hard, he will be the top general under the prince, which will be extremely beneficial for his future in the military.

Huo Xian was extremely stern and said viciously, "Why? Do you think that Your Highness's position as the crown prince is now secure, or do you think that Your Majesty is getting older, so you are in a hurry to return to Chang'an and become Your Highness's trusted general?"

Tan Jie didn't dare to speak at all. His little thoughts were obvious, but it seemed that he made the Lord very angry.

"You don't have to stay in the Western Regions, and don't go back to Chang'an!" Huo Xian was very angry and said directly, "Go to Mo Nan, and then I will transfer you to Shousu City to learn what duty is!"

Tan Jie's face turned pale, but he didn't dare to refute at this time. In the final analysis, he had his own thoughts, and his little thoughts obviously made Huo Xian and others very dissatisfied.

There is nothing wrong with choosing to take a chance, but if you don't get a better future, you must be prepared to suffer backlash.

After Tan Jie was driven away, Huo Xian said unhappily, "Where's Feng Dan? Ask him to come over."

Feng Wu went to call for help happily. Both of them were members of the Guanjunhou Army. This time they had made a great contribution, but his elder brother was a lieutenant in the army, and this time he was very likely to become the Guanneihou of the Han Dynasty.

Chen Ju saw everyone leaving and said, "My Lord, why do the people under His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have such thoughts?"

"People go to higher places and water flows to lower places. This is normal." Huo Xian said speechlessly, "Now he is not just a retainer of my cousin. He is now a lieutenant of my Han Dynasty and a 2,000-stone official."

Chen Ju thought it made sense and said, "He is still thinking too much. He must want to climb higher. After becoming a lieutenant, he wants to be a general. He thinks that Your Highness's position is stable, and he wants to command the army for Your Highness!"

Huo Xian nodded in agreement, "That's true, but he doesn't even think about his cousin's situation. He can still gain experience and make achievements in the frontier army, so what's the point of returning to Chang'an?"

Chen Ju didn't quite understand and asked, "My Lord, if he returns to Chang'an, why not seek a lieutenant in the Southern and Northern armies? Isn't this a good thing?"

There is a fundamental difference between being a lieutenant at the border and being a lieutenant in Chang'an. A lieutenant at the border might be paid 800 dan, but a lieutenant in Chang'an would be paid 2,000 dan.

Huo Xian asked directly, "He will take charge of the army for his uncle? Does his uncle have any troops? How do you think Your Majesty will feel if the crown prince takes charge of the army?"

Chen Ju was silent at this point. Since the words were so straightforward, he could naturally understand. In the final analysis, the position of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was stable, but there were some powers that he could not reach out for.

The emperor would never allow the prince to have military power. Not to mention not giving him military power, even if the prince showed interest in it, the emperor would be dissatisfied.

Whether it was Wei Qing or Huo Shan, Liu Che naturally knew that these two great Simas under his command were supporters of the prince, but he would not think that these two people were the prince's men.

Huo Xian said helplessly, "This person is just too aggressive. He still doesn't know much about many things in the court. If he really goes to Chang'an, I'm afraid he will mess up some things."

Chen Ju smiled and flattered, "Your Excellency is the one who sees things clearly. Without your advice, these people would have probably caused trouble."

Huo Xian did not comment on this. Many of Crown Prince Liu Ju's followers were of ordinary origins, or were "non-mainstream" people who were excluded by mainstream schools.

These people know very little about some things in the temple. Based on their past experiences, they may not be able to understand a series of things very well, and they still don't consider them comprehensively enough.

Feng Dan came happily, "Lord, Uncle Chen."

Chen Ju looked at Feng Dan and said with a smile, "He looks stronger and more capable than before, like a lieutenant!" "Lieutenant?" Huo Xian joked, "Uncle Chen, you can give him some advice in my tent and at home. But when you go out, he is the Marquis of Guannei and a lieutenant of the Han Dynasty. You must bow to him when you see him!"

Feng Dan's face flushed red after being teased. "My Lord, no matter how bold I am, I dare not show off in front of Uncle Chen. I am just a junior!"

Huo Xian said unhappily, "Junior? You are a lieutenant and a marquis of Guannei. You will be a general in the future! Next time, don't just say you meet Uncle Chen, you also have to act like a general when you meet Uncle Feng!"

Feng Dan was speechless after being teased. His own lord was just like that. Sometimes he would joke without caring about other people's lives.

Feng Wu said, "Sir, my brother is only a lieutenant now. If he really becomes a general, I will definitely pay my respects to him when I see him!"

Feng Dan was instantly furious, and turned around to grab Feng Wu, "I dare not offend the Lord, dare not disrespect Uncle Chen, and I dare not punish you? Good boy, it's only been a few days, and you dare to provoke me?"

Feng Wu began to howl like a ghost. He had never been disciplined by his elder brother since he was a child. Now that he had become a subordinate of the Lord, he still could not escape the discipline of his elder brother.

Huo Xian looked at Feng Wu and said, "I will ask the court to appoint you as a general to guard the Western Regions. What do you think?"

Feng Dan was a little embarrassed, but also very excited, "Sir, can I really become a general?"

"General?" Huo Xian said confidently, "You have made great contributions on this trip. You are a Marquis of Guannei and a lieutenant. In Chang'an, you are both a 2,000-stone official. Not to mention in the Western Regions, I will make you the General of Jiaohe. It's a no-brainer."

Looking at the smiling Feng Dan, Huo Xian continued, "I intend to have someone stationed in the Western Regions. I don't trust anyone else. It's either you or someone from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Feng Dan simply said, "I am where I am today because of your support. I will go wherever you tell me to go, and I don't understand anything else."

Huo Xian was very satisfied with Feng Dan's attitude and said with a smile, "Then you should stay in the Western Regions. There may not be a major war here for the time being, but there will definitely be small conflicts. It's better to be safe."

Feng Dan nodded repeatedly. In fact, he knew some of the situations in the Western Regions. After all, he had served as a military farm captain in the Western Regions before and was quite familiar with the place.

In the Western Regions, it can be said that there are many forces from all sides. Everyone knows that there are certain risks here, but it is indeed a good place to make achievements.

Especially after the Cheshi were destroyed and the Xiongnu were driven out, the situation of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions was suddenly reversed. Now the Han Dynasty can be said to be extremely tough in the Western Regions.

Feng Dan opened his mouth and said with some expectation, "Sir, how about asking Congxiao and the others to come over as well?"

Huo Xian said unhappily, "You should train your troops well and improve yourself in the Western Regions. When you return to Chang'an in two years, I will teach you how to be an official and how to gain a foothold in the court!"

Feng Dan was embarrassed. He didn't have any other thoughts. He just felt that it would be much easier if Zhao Congxiao and a few others were there.

They were all from the Guanjun Hou army and grew up together. If they really had to garrison in the Western Regions and fight together, they would definitely have a better understanding of each other.

"I previously set up three divisions of lieutenants in the Western Regions. One is from the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion, one is from the Crown Prince, and one is from your Majesty." Huo Xian explained, "Think about it, should I now assign all of them to the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion? If that's the case, what does your Majesty think?"

This made Feng Dan even more embarrassed. Although he had made some progress, he still didn't know much about some high-level affairs.

Huo Xian was not angry at Feng Dan's immature and incomplete ideas. After all, Feng Dan was his manor housesman, so he could be more patient.

It was also because Huo Xian knew Feng Dan's character and personality very well. He knew that Feng Dan was just a simple-minded person, not that he had any bad intentions, nor did he have any extra calculations.

"Then let's put it this way. You will stay in the Western Regions from now on." Huo Xian said with a smile, "There is one good thing about being in the Western Regions. You can gain more experience. Your position is higher than that of a county governor. When you return to Chang'an, you can become one of the Nine Ministers."

Listening to Huo Xian's description, Feng Dan felt a little dizzy, as if he was dreaming, "My Lord, can I really be one of the Nine Ministers?"

Nine ministers, this was something Feng Dan and others had never dared to think of before. Even being able to become a lieutenant or a marquis of Guannei in the Han Dynasty was something they had never dared to imagine before.

Even though he was born in the Guanjun Marquis Mansion and as Huo Xian's confidant, he had come into contact with some powerful people. But even though he had come into contact with them, he didn't dare to think too much about whether he could become such a person.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Why? Now you are already a Guannei Marquis and a Colonel, why don't you dare to think about it? If you work hard, you can't escape from becoming a Nine Ministers or a Marquis!"

Huo Xian was still optimistic about Feng Dan's future. This kid was worth training. Although his abilities were not particularly outstanding, he was not mediocre either.

Therefore, if given some resources, etc., there will naturally be an unstoppable momentum of development, and becoming a marquis is not just a dream!
Chen Ju smiled and joked, "Then when I see you next time, I should call you Lord!"

Feng Dan couldn't help but smile foolishly. Just thinking about such a future was something worth being happy about. It really felt like a dream.

Huo Xian was in a good mood and said to Feng Dan, "I have thought about it carefully. You don't have to fight all the time to make achievements. It's not bad to be a shepherd now. In the Western Regions, you will govern the countries in the Western Regions, manage the military farms, issue orders from the court, and send troops to conquer the countries in chaos."

Feng Dan was even more delighted after hearing this. "Sir, if I really stayed in the Western Regions, I would be more powerful than some county governors!"

No, if we really stay in the Western Regions, we will basically be in charge of both military and political affairs. If we were in the Han Dynasty, this would be impossible, and there would be no such opportunity at all.

The Western Regions Protectorate and so on, these also need to be put on the agenda. Now that some basic conditions are ripe, there is naturally no need to be polite.

Strike while the iron is hot and gain thorough control of the Western Regions. In Huo Xian's opinion, it is more important to do so. It is more meaningful for him to arrange some reliable people to control the Western Regions.

Feng Dan seized the opportunity, and Huo Xian felt more at ease and at ease. Things in the Western Regions seemed to be basically mature, and many things had been settled.

Some things need to be reported to the emperor as soon as possible. He has his own proposals, etc., but the emperor also needs to make the final decision.

(End of this chapter)