Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 195 Big Events Continue
As they got closer and closer to Chang'an, Huo Xian and the others were not overwhelmed with emotion, but they still felt a little excited and expectant in their hearts.

I've been away for more than half a year and now I'm finally home. Naturally, I feel very happy.

Huo Xian did not return to the capital privately, nor did he intend to catch people off guard. Therefore, he also needed to have people return to Chang'an in advance and make some preparations. This set of procedures became more and more handy for him.

Chen Ju would definitely feel happy. Looking at the increasingly familiar scene, he said, "My Lord, you have been traveling all the way and it's only in the spring that you can come back!"

Huo Xian said with a smile, "We're used to it. Every time we go out, it takes at least a year or two! This is considered fast. If we really have to wait any longer, we may have to wait even longer!"

There was nothing wrong with this. If Huo Xian had not left early, he might have had to wait a little longer. If he had followed the army, he might not have been able to return to Chang'an until midsummer.

All we can say from this incident is that there are some benefits to Huo Xian's early escape. Although the frequency of his expeditions is definitely higher, he returns in time!
Compared with those dignitaries in Chang'an who don't have to go to war, this is naturally much more tiring, and the treatment seems to be average.

But compared to Gongsun Ao, Zhao Anguo and others, this treatment is much better. Wei Kang, Han Shuo and others still have to guard the border.

So this is nothing. Being born into a noble family or a military family, while enjoying some benefits, naturally you also need to bear certain responsibilities and obligations.

What's more, for many people, being able to go to war is also an opportunity. Being awarded a title of nobility or a general, and making great achievements, are temptations that are hard to refuse for the martial Han people. It would be unacceptable if they could not endure this little hardship.

Feng Wu asked curiously, "My Lord, if we really count, the little Lord should be born by now, right?"

Huo Xian was a little uncertain. "According to the date, the baby should be born. But I don't know whether it's a boy or a girl, and I don't know whether His Majesty has given it a name."

Huo Xian had a hard time describing his own name, but others were still very proud of it, as it was important proof that their prince had been loved by the emperor since he was a child.

This "嬗", to some people, is "Zen", which means replacement and transmission.

This naturally does not refer to the throne or something like that, but the title of Guannei Hou is also very high. The names of Huo Qubing and Huo Shan, father and son, were given by Liu Che, and also represent some expectations of the emperor.

Chen Ju said without thinking, "If it really is a young prince, it must be named by His Majesty. When the prince was a child, the general was away, and it was His Majesty who directly named him!"

Huo Xian couldn't help but complain, "You said it as if you knew. Weren't you also outside at that time? I also heard that I was in the Pepper Palace after I was born, and my mother rarely saw me!"

Chen Ju was not embarrassed, as long as he did not mention the Marquis's biological mother. Anyway, many people now also maintained a tacit understanding that Huo Xian's life experience was like that.

Just as Huo Xian and the others were talking and laughing, a group of cavalry appeared, "Xian'er, you are so impressive this time!"

"Uncle!" Huo Xian was very happy and looked at Wei Deng and said, "I am so embarrassed. I always ask you to pick me up. This is really unreasonable!"

Wei Deng had long known about Huo Xian's shamelessness, and he joked, "What's there to be embarrassed about? I'm just a commoner with no official position or job title, but you're the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, and I'll need your support in the future!"

Huo Xian immediately smiled and said, "That's great. Next time I go on an expedition, I will definitely take my uncle with me! Then we will fight the Xiongnu together, uncle and nephew. That's a big deal!"

"Tell my brother about this, he complained about you!" Wei Deng said, "He spent the whole year preparing for the war, and only found out that you had gone to the Western Regions!"

It is estimated that it is not just Wei Kang who is complaining. Han Shuo, Zhao Po Nu and others must also have some complaints in their hearts, because Huo Xian is a little "unreliable".

Huo Xian was determined not to take the blame and said, "This is not my fault! The Cheshi rebelled under the instigation of the Xiongnu, and I had to go and put it down! The Xiongnu escaped, otherwise I would be on the grassland!"

Wei Deng thought for a moment and said, "There are many voices in the court saying that you are bellicosous. You'd better pay attention to it."

Huo Xian probably had an idea in mind. "Are you saying that the current use of troops is excessive? Didn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince submit a memorial with these people?"

The impeachment of Huo Shan was just an illusion. Everyone knew that Huo Shan, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, was the sword in the emperor's hand. He was just trying to persuade the emperor by impeaching Huo Shan!
Wei Deng immediately said, "What are you thinking? His Highness is such a wise man! He doesn't like you to go to war all the time, but if you really go to war, he will definitely protect you."

Hearing what Wei Deng said, Huo Xian couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't think it was exaggerated at all.

In his opinion, Crown Prince Liu Ju was indeed not the kind of person who was particularly keen on expanding territory. He was more concerned about protecting the territory and the people, and about issues such as people's livelihood.

But this definitely does not mean that Liu Ju does not care about the war. If there is a hostile force that really threatens the Han Dynasty, the prince will immediately become a warmonger and will actively ask the court to send troops to attack.

This was the attitude towards Dayuan, the same attitude towards Cheshi, and actually the same tit-for-tat approach towards the Xiongnu.

It is true that he is not warlike, but that does not mean he is afraid of war. This is just one of Liu Ju's characteristics. Moreover, he must also take into account the existence of Wei Qing and Huo Shan, who are also Liu Ju's arms.

Wei Deng continued, "Now you know, the court is spending a lot of money now. In the past few years, we have fought a war, which has consumed even more. Many people are worried that there will not be enough money and food."

The large-scale wars in the past decade included pacifying Nanyue, conquering Goryeo, and settling Yizhou. In addition, Wei Qing and Huo Shan led their troops to fight the Xiongnu in the south of the desert, and Huo Shan attacked Dayuan and pacified the Western Regions.

If we calculate in this way, the Han Dynasty has basically been at war for many years, and the scale of each war has not been small.

If you really want to say that, there is nothing wrong with the war. In addition, the emperor's extravagant lifestyle will naturally make the court more burdened, which is also true.

The big man is about to lose all his family assets, and many people will have some concerns about this. In fact, such concerns are very insightful.

Huo Xian continued to ask with concern, "Has anything major happened in Chang'an City in the past six months?"

"Big things?" Wei Deng said jokingly, "If you really want to talk about big things, there are indeed some. Does Huo Wuyou count as one of them?"

Huo Xian immediately became excited, "I have a son? When did it happen? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Wei Deng smiled and explained, "It happened a few days ago. It was said that she gave birth to a son. His Majesty was very happy and personally named him Wuyou. My mother also went to the palace to see him and was very happy. But we are not having a good time."

Wei Deng and others are under some pressure now, because those of them who should get married have already married, and those who should take concubines have also taken concubines, but now there is still no movement at all.

"My mother was not happy, so she sent my eldest brother's concubine to Mo Nan last year." Wei Deng complained, "We are not much better off. Now we dare not even enter the house. We can't beat you in a war, and we can't give birth to sons as well as you!"

Huo Xian doesn't care about those things. The current situation of Wei Deng and others is not his concern. Now that he has a son, the most joyful thing is naturally.

Chen Ju and others actually felt the same way. The fact that the prince had a successor was a top-notch event in their eyes, even more gratifying than the prince's previous victory in the Western Regions.

Over the years, the Guanjun Marquis's Mansion has been the only one that has survived, and everyone knows this. Now that Huo Xian has grown up successfully, many people will naturally feel relieved.

But Huo Xian was now a military marquis and often led his troops to battle. Even though he had made continuous achievements over the years and seemed invincible, no one could guarantee that there would not be some accidents on the battlefield.

What's more, with the precedent of Huo Qubing, no one would have thought that the invincible Grand Marshal would suddenly pass away at the strongest age. This would certainly make many people worried.

It is unrealistic to say that no one has any worries in their hearts. This is indeed something that many people are worried about.

At least now Huo Shan has a successor, which naturally makes many people feel relieved. This is definitely good news, and it is worthy of becoming a major event in Chang'an City.

"So, I probably won't be able to leave the palace for a while!" Huo Xian said with a smile, "Uncle Chen, when you go back, you guys take care of things in the mansion. I won't be in a hurry to leave the palace."

Chen Ju and the others could understand this completely. After all, it was just the way their own prince had always been. Every time he returned to Chang'an, he would definitely be kept in the palace, for as short as three to five days, or as long as ten days to half a month. They were used to it.

Wei Deng continued, "I don't think there are any other major events. The three dukes and nine ministers have not been replaced, and there are no other wars. You don't care about government affairs, and I haven't heard of any changes in government affairs."

However, Wei Deng then said somewhat depressedly, "Last autumn, the people of Taishan, Langya and other counties rebelled, blocking the mountains and attacking the city, cutting off traffic. It was that Bao Shengzhi who led the army to quell the rebellion, and I heard that many people rebelled."

Huo Xian couldn't say anything about this because the actual situation was like this and people's livelihood issues were becoming more and more serious.

This is an indisputable fact. Some of the problems that are exposed now are simply because the contradictions that have accumulated before can no longer be suppressed.

It can even be said that this is just the beginning. More problems are likely to be exposed in the future, and people's livelihood issues are likely to become something that the Han rulers need to pay attention to.

Huo Xian naturally understood in his heart that he might need to be more serious and plan out some of the next things carefully.

Zhao Po Nu was not defeated and captured, and Li Guangli did not suffer heavy losses in his expedition to Dayuan.

It can be said that because of Huo Xian, the Han Dynasty lost at least 30,000 elite soldiers. Moreover, whether it was fighting the Xiongnu or Dayuan, he also brought back a lot of spoils.

Of course, there is no need to worry about insufficient troops now, but in terms of national strength, we can only sustain two or three large-scale battles at most, and the opportunities are naturally becoming fewer and fewer.

No matter what, Huo Xian also needs to be cautious. After all, if he wants to wage a large-scale war, he must have a strong national strength to back it up, and war has always been a competition of national strength.

Huo Xian was still very happy about the news brought by Wei Deng, as it allowed him to better understand some of the things that had happened in the past year.

Wei Deng then continued, his face full of gossip, "The crown prince of Zhao has been deposed, and that man is not even as good as the king of Zhao!"

In the Han Dynasty, the eldest sons of various princes could be called "crown prince", and this was not considered as usurpation of power.

Zhao Wang Liu Pengzu, Liu Che's elder brother, was a cunning and flatterer who used sophistry to hurt others. He had been in power for nearly sixty years. He sent people to monitor the prime minister and report any inappropriate remarks he made. The serious ones were sentenced to death or minor ones were punished.

Therefore, the prime minister of Zhao State has never been in office for more than two years. He is almost rampant in Zhao State. This prince has a strange hobby and likes to lead his men to patrol Handan City at night.

Huo Xian subconsciously asked, "What's going on? Zhao is a big country after all. Deposing the crown prince is a big deal!"

Wei Deng said, "Prince Dan is shameless and licentious, and has lost all conscience. He actually committed adultery with his own sister! If it weren't for his followers reporting it, no one in the government would have known about such a ridiculous thing!"

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized that the historical witchcraft disaster was getting closer and closer. So, the other protagonist of the witchcraft disaster had already arrived in Chang'an?
Jiang Chong was originally a retainer of Liu Dan. It seems that he had a feud with Liu Dan and went to Chang'an to report him, which also angered the court and the public.

Liu Pengzu and Liu Dan, both father and son, were dissolute and immoral people. Some of the things they did seemed to have crossed the bottom line of normal people.

Therefore, Liu Dan's dismissal was entirely his own fault. No one would sympathize or feel sorry for him. Some of his actions could be said to be his own fault.

Wei Deng continued, "The King of Zhao was also ridiculous. After the Crown Prince was deposed, he wanted to make Prince Nao the Crown Prince. Your Majesty naturally did not allow it. Prince Nao's biological mother was the concubine of King Yi of Jiangdu!"

The root of the problem was found: Liu Dan had an affair with his own sister. Liu Pengzu seemed to be a little better, as he had robbed his brother's concubine and wanted to make such an illegitimate son the crown prince.

Huo Xian said in agreement, "I think what these people are doing is too absurd. Who is the prince of Zhao that Your Majesty has appointed now?"

"Chang, the second son of the King of Zhao." Wei Deng said, "It's nothing. He is the second son of the King of Zhao after all."

Huo Xian just listened to this matter. Although there were many princes who rebelled in the Han Dynasty, such situations almost did not exist in recent years. The Qiangu Yangmou Extension of Favors Order still had a great effect.

For Huo Xian, the next thing that needs to be paid more attention to, apart from fighting the Huns, is the increasingly approaching witchcraft disaster!

(End of this chapter)