Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 193 Flexible Will

Gongsun Ao felt very bad, mainly because he felt that Huo Xian might very likely want to escape.

Judging from all aspects of the preparations, and based on his understanding of Huo Xian, this kid definitely wasn't holding it in and was definitely trying to run away.

Huo Xian didn't have any special understanding of this. He just felt that he was just doing what he should do now, just because the war had basically stopped.

As for Huo Xian, he actually had no intention of staying in the Western Regions any longer. The main reason was that things had already been done, which naturally meant that when the time was right, he could return home.

The countries in the Western Regions basically would not have any other thoughts. They must be worried about the Han army's stationing in the Western Regions.

However, they had no strength to compete with the Han Dynasty. Especially after the Xiongnu were driven out, the countries in the Western Regions naturally became more aware of their own realities.

The construction of some fortresses and passes has been determined, and the distribution and stationing of troops, etc., have also been basically finalized.

The officials appointed by the court and so on have all been reported. Now all that is left is to wait for these officials to take up their posts. Huo Xian does not need to worry about these matters at all.

If you calculate it this way, it naturally means that Zhu Yunhuan actually doesn't have much to do. He has done what he should do, and there is no point in staying in the Western Regions.

Chen Ju looked at the sun outside and said, "Sir, I think it won't be long before the snow starts to melt."

Huo Xian thought so too. "It's just that the Western Region is still a little colder than Guanzhong. The snow in Guanzhong might have already started to melt. We need to wait a little longer here."

Feng Wu asked curiously, "Sir, are we going to prepare to return to Chang'an? How can we do this? His Majesty has not issued an order yet!"

Huo Xian cursed, "Imperial decree? I have an imperial decree with me. If I really want to wait for it to come, it will take at least one or two months! The matter is over, why am I still waiting here?"

Chen Ju was probably used to this. If his own prince really ran back, there would be nothing strange about it. As for whether His Majesty had issued an order, there was nothing to worry about.

As long as the important matters are not delayed and as long as a great victory is achieved, then everything will be fine. This is also the most crucial thing.

Moreover, in Chen Ju's opinion, the other reason why the prince wanted to return to Chang'an was that he wanted to see the little prince. Calculating the time, the little prince would be born soon, which was a big deal.

Huo Xian was indeed quite concerned about this matter, but it was obviously not all that mattered to him. He was still thinking about the war with the Huns.

Even though the Xiongnu seemed to be in internal strife in recent years, and suffered defeats in battles against the Han Dynasty, it was not to say that the Xiongnu were seriously injured, as they still had considerable strength.

In Huo Xian's opinion, the time is now ripe and they can continue to wage war against the Huns and continue to weaken them.

He obviously didn't want to miss such an opportunity. If he wasn't in Chang'an, he might have missed some opportunities to start a war. Time waits for no one, and there is a time window for fighting the Huns.

All these are the reasons why Huo Xian is now eager to take action. He always pays attention to the weather. If it really allows, he might set off immediately and return to Chang'an to "take charge of the situation."

As for the army in the Western Regions, there is nothing to worry about. With Gongsun Ao and Zhao Anguo in charge, there will naturally be no problem.

In fact, many people now understand that there are some essential differences between Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, and Wei Qing, the Grand Marshal and General.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Huo Xian only needed to lead the troops into battle during wars, and it seemed that he did not need to worry too much about other matters.

Wei Qing, as the Grand Marshal and General, needed to take all aspects into consideration, which was in line with his personality.

Zhao Anguo hurried over and said to Huo Xian, "Lord, I have carefully checked the Qiemi area. I will start to arrange for people to build the pass after the thaw. There are a thousand people guarding it, and the Xiongnu will never be able to break through."

Huo Xian reminded him, "You still have to be careful. You've seen this side of the Western Region. Not to mention the border fortresses, even the royal city and so on are basically made of rammed earth."

In the Han Dynasty, many cities, passes, etc. were built with bricks and stones, but in the Western Regions, such conditions were basically not available and most of them were made of mud.

Zhao Anguo understood this and said, "The Huns don't have as many siege weapons as we do. If we defend the valley, the Huns will have to take a detour. Prepare more arrows, etc. It will be difficult for the Huns to break through!"

There is nothing wrong with this statement. After all, it is just the Huns' smelting technology and so on. They are not very used to siege warfare and the like.

Faced with the defense of a strong city, the Huns preferred to retreat if they failed to capture the city after a long siege, or simply choose to take a detour, etc. These were also determined by their level of productivity. They were indeed not used to siege warfare.

Whether it was Shoujiang City or Guanglu Pass, these were thorns in the hearts of the Huns. With the existence of these fortresses, the Huns had to take a long detour if they wanted to go south.

Zhao Anguo continued, "My Lord, I think we have enough manpower. But this time I shouldn't be the one building the city here. I'll have to send people over later."

Huo Xian couldn't help laughing and said jokingly, "It's not good in the Western Regions? You are also very powerful and everyone is in awe of you now, so why is it not good?"

Zhao Anguo couldn't help but complain, "Your Excellency is even more powerful in the Western Regions. Isn't he also thinking about going back? No matter how good the Western Regions are, they are not as good as Chang'an, not to mention there is no way to compare them."

It's not that it's hard to leave one's hometown, but it seems that life in the Western Regions is pretty good now. However, in all aspects, the Western Regions are still not as prosperous as Chang'an, so it's natural for everyone to want to go back.

At this point Huo Xian was speechless. After all, it was not possible for the officials to set fires while the common people were not allowed to light lamps.

It was no secret that Huo Xian ran back after the battle. As Huo Xian's confidants, Zhao Anguo and others knew this matter very well and it was no longer surprising.

"I will definitely not let you build the city here forever. I will send people over when the time comes." Huo Xian said, "I have thought about it carefully. If I want to fight the Xiongnu, I still have to take you with me."

After hearing what Huo Xian said, Zhao Anguo naturally felt relieved. He didn't want to keep building the city, but he wanted to fight the Huns even more.

This is completely understandable. In the final analysis, it is a waste of talent to let Zhao Anguo do something like building a city. Things in the Western Regions are relatively stable for the time being. There is no point in having particularly powerful enemies here now, which naturally means that it is a waste for Zhao Anguo, a former Marquis of Piao, to be here.

The imperial court does not have any generals now, and it will definitely need several armies to fight the Huns. Zhao Anguo is a good candidate who can lead an army alone.

Even if he did not lead the troops alone, as Huo Xian's deputy general, he could also command the cavalry very well. This has always been a tacit combination.

Huo Xian suddenly became a little uncertain, "An Guo, do you think it's almost time for me to go back to Chang'an?"

Zhao Anguo was puzzled, and pointed outside the door and said, "My Lord, the snow is about to melt, it's time to go back. If I hadn't been worried about the war being over last year, I would have thought that my Lord should go back in the snow."

Huo Xian was speechless at this point. It seemed that the stereotype was still quite deep in some people's minds. It made people wonder how to explain it.

Zhao Anguo had such an idea, and Gongsun Ao had also had some such ideas before. They all seemed to generally believe that it was normal for Huo Shan to do such a thing.

But think about it now, this is considered pretty good. Last year, he did not flee as soon as the war ended, but instead stayed in the Western Region to arrange many things. This shows that he has already put the overall situation first.

"Remember to arrange more cellars if you don't go back." Huo Xian smiled and said, "I don't know whether we will fight the Xiongnu this year, but there is a high probability that we will fight next year."

This was what Huo Xian was thinking. No one was sure whether they could defeat the Huns this year, because the time was too tight and it might be too late.

On the other hand, there were not enough men and horses. Huo Xian could have a good rest after returning to Chang'an, but there were still many soldiers and horses that needed to return to the Han Dynasty from the Western Regions, which also required some time to rest.

Judging from the current situation, it may not be realistic to have a decisive battle with the Xiongnu in the third year of Tianhan. Anxiety will not bring success, and the Han Dynasty is not fully prepared.

After all, if you want a large-scale decisive battle, the preparation period is relatively long. It is definitely not a matter of one or two days or one or two months. Preparing for a year or two can be considered relatively fast and efficient.

After returning to Chang'an, there are still many things to do. Huo Xian is not in a hurry to go back to live a life of debauchery and extravagance.

There are still many important things to do. The most important thing for him is to consider fighting the Huns. This is a major matter that absolutely cannot be delayed.

On the other hand, the emperor was getting older, and there were only seven years left before the historical witchcraft disaster. This was something that Huo Shan needed to be vigilant about.

Now that he and Wei Qing are here, naturally there won't be any blind people who would attack the crown prince. Liu Ju's position is still very stable, so there seems to be nothing to worry about.

But Huo Xian knew the emperor too well, and it was no problem to say that he was mean. Who knows when he would suddenly stop showing any mercy, and who knows if the favor he once showed would become a death warrant.

What's more, the older the emperor gets, the more superstitious he will become, and he may even become senile.

These are naturally things that Huo Xian is very wary of. If he is not in Chang'an for a long time, he will feel a little uneasy. Some things can be taken care of by being in Chang'an, and he can also respond in time.

Huo Xian was very motivated to return to Chang'an. Others might just think that he couldn't endure the hardships in the Western Regions, and they wouldn't have thought that the Champion Marquis had such deep thoughts.

But there was no need to explain anything. Huo Xian felt that he had done what he should do, and that was obviously enough. These things seemed more important to him, and the others could be ignored.

So now many people are watching the weather. Once the weather starts to warm up and once large areas begin to thaw, it basically means that Huo Xian will start to run away.

However, it seems that there is no need to worry too much about this matter. Maybe this Marquis of Champion really has an imperial decree. As long as the emperor does not blame him, there is naturally nothing to say.

Huo Xian turned over in boredom, and Chen Ju suddenly ran over, "My lord, the messenger from Chang'an is here."

Huo Xian asked with great interest, "So if that's the case, they left last year. What did they talk about?"

Chen Ju said somewhat embarrassedly, "Lord, please call the person over for questioning. I cannot take the initiative to inquire about these matters."

Huo Xian readily followed suit. When the messenger arrived, he immediately said, "Grand Marshal, the victory report has been sent back to Chang'an. His Majesty has ordered all officials to discuss the reward. The result should have been reached."

This happened last winter, so it is completely understandable that the messenger has only just returned to the Western Regions. After all, it is really difficult to travel in the snow and wind, and even if you are rushing, sometimes the roads are blocked.

Huo Xian smiled and asked, "Your Majesty has always been like this, rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes. Since our army has won a great victory, rewards are inevitable!"

Huo Xian was still very confident about this. Although the emperor's approach on some things made people have reservations, he still had no problem rewarding merits and punishing mistakes. The military achievements of the Han Dynasty were still convincing.

The messenger then said, "His Majesty has ordered you to return to Chang'an to report when all matters in the Western Regions have been settled."

Huo Xian was happy now. This decree came at a very timely moment. Even if he went back early, he was just following orders. He was not running away privately. No one could impeach him.

Huo Xian asked with concern, "Your Majesty, have you decided on the military marquis to stay in the Western Regions? Should it be the Marquis of Yiqu, or the Marquis of Congpu?"

The messenger replied, "Grand Marshal, your majesty intends to order the Marquis of Yiqu to lead his army back to the court. However, the military marquises and officers stationed in the Western Regions should be recommended by the Grand Marshal."

These decrees also gave Huo Xian enough flexibility, allowing him to handle things more calmly, and his arrangements would be more legitimate.

This was naturally a very good thing. Although Huo Xian had not been in Chang'an for most of the year, he was still the Marquis of Guanjun who was trusted by the emperor, and the power given to him was something that other marquises could not even dream of.

But there was no way out, because this champion marquis had always been the emperor's confidant. Moreover, he kept winning and could guess the emperor's mind. It was impossible not to accept it!

(End of this chapter)