Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 226 Arrangement
For those guests, they naturally need to arrive at the banquet in time and observe etiquette. The Champion Marquis may not care much about etiquette, which is also due to his reputation.

But that is the champion marquis, others don’t have that qualification, so they also need to be extremely cautious.

However, when a guest arrived at the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion, he still felt a little excited, frightened, and even a little uneasy.

No one thought it was surprising that the Marquis of Guanjun was waiting outside the palace. Huo Guang helped to usher in the guests, and Wei Deng, Zhao Anting and others helped to arrange the carriages and horses, etc., and no one needed to think it was strange.

The main thing is that there are obviously some imperial guards around the Guanjun Marquis's mansion, which means that the Guanjun Marquis has chosen to live in Shanglinyuan. If it was in Chang'an City, it would definitely make a bigger commotion.

The general is now outside the palace gate, smiling and greeting the guests. This is a bit "court order", because everyone knows that according to etiquette, the general does not need to greet guests here.

Even though everyone knew that the general had always treated Marquis Guanjun as his grandson and had taken good care of him, welcoming guests outside Marquis Guanjun's mansion now was clearly beyond normal etiquette.

Gao Buzhi dismounted hastily and stepped forward quickly, "General, how can you bear this?"

Gao Bushi is also a "junior" in front of Wei Qing. After all, he is Huo Qubing's peer and right-hand man, so he can still get some respect in front of Wei Qing. Of course, Wei Qing himself has always been very humble.

Wei Qing smiled and said, "Don't embarrass Shan'er. I am here for other reasons. You can go into the mansion first and help the Prime Minister entertain them. Many of Qu Bing's old men are familiar with you."

Huo Xian also smiled and said, "My uncle is right. I will go to the mansion first. I am not familiar with many of the old men in my father's department, let alone the prime minister."

There is nothing wrong with this. After all, over the years, many of the people who had followed Huo Qubing to fight have passed away, and Gao Bushi can indeed have some topics to talk about with his former colleagues.

Even if they are not former colleagues themselves, some of their descendants can still have a say. After all, this is the banquet of Marquis Guanjun, and everyone knows the reason why they are here.

It's nothing more than that the current champion's reputation and prestige are constantly increasing, and many people are now thinking of the affection they had in the past!
After taking a look at Gao Bushi's back, Wei Qing asked, "Are you ready to take Gao Bushi to the war?"

Huo Xian told the truth, "Uncle, this is what I think. If we really go to fight the Xiongnu, we will need at least 100,000 troops. Do you think the court can afford this number now?"

Wei Qing thought about it carefully and said, "One hundred thousand troops is certainly not difficult, but are these one hundred thousand troops you are talking about led by you, or are they a combination of troops from all over the country?"

"These 100,000 people are naturally the troops I lead. I think if we count them all, it should be 150,000 people." Huo Xian said with a smile, "150,000 people, only enough to fight a big battle."

Wei Qing smiled with satisfaction and said, "When the time comes, we will go all the way out of Jiuquan and all the way out of Xihe. You will lead the main force out of Wuyuan. Do you think so too?"

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly. This was a coincidence. "Originally, I wanted to go to the Western Regions, but the Western Regions are unstable. I can go from Jiuquan. Jiuquan requires at least 30,000 people, mainly cavalry."

Wei Qing said, "Gao Buzhi cannot go to Jiuquan, let him go to Xihe. Give him 30,000 horses, both cavalry and infantry."

"I think the Jiuquan route should still be led by Yiqu Hou, or Li Guangli." Huo Xian said, "If you calculate it this way, three armies are basically enough."

Wei Qing was a little worried. If Gongsun Ao was allowed to lead the troops alone, it would be hard to feel at ease. This man's ability was average. He was fine as a deputy general, but not good enough to be a main general.

Moreover, many people actually felt more at ease when Gongsun Ao was around Huo Xian. Even if his abilities were not very good, he had been on many expeditions and still had certain abilities and knowledge.

"Why not let Zhao Po Nu lead the troops to Jiuquan? He is better at leading cavalry." Wei Qing said, "The Jiuquan troops will have to travel a thousand miles."

Huo Xian was silent for a moment before he said, "I originally wanted him to follow me. By then, I will have an army of 100,000 and a general to command the cavalry, which will not be enough."

"The Jiuquan section is too important. They have to go through the Tianshan Mountains to the Junji Mountains." Wei Qing said, "With this group of troops, the Xiongnu Right Xian King and others cannot go to the royal court."

There is nothing wrong with Wei Qing's statement. After all, it is the habit of the Huns to run away if they cannot win. If it were not for the pincer attack, the Huns might have escaped again.

If the Han army wanted to fight the Huns, they not only had to eliminate the main force of the Huns' royal court, but also had to defeat the Huns who wanted to come to their aid.

Seeing Huo Xian remained silent, Wei Qing suddenly asked, "Do you think you like Li Guangli now?"

"He is not a threat now, so there is no need to target him as much as before." Huo Xian said honestly, "He has no great ability, but he is considered to be a powerful general among this group of generals."

Wei Qing did not object to this statement. To be realistic, Li Guangli's ability was quite good. It was just that Wei Huo's brilliance was too dazzling, so Li Guangli looked very mediocre.

But now if we carefully calculate, there are only a handful of generals in the court who can lead more than 30,000 troops alone. And 30,000 people is not the limit for Li Guangli.

As long as Li Guangli is not put under too much pressure, he can use his troops relatively steadily. It is difficult for him to achieve some brilliant results, but a major defeat is unlikely to occur either.

Madam Li is gone now. Even if Li Guangli is valued by the emperor, his role is limited. He poses no threat to Wei Huo, and even less of a threat to the queen and the crown prince.

"You can't do without a suitable general, otherwise your majesty wouldn't come to the banquet." Wei Qing sighed and said, "It's a pity that I'm seriously ill and can't go to fight the Huns anymore."

This is also the hero's twilight years. Wei Qing still often misses the things in his youth and the good times when he fought on the battlefield and commanded thousands of troops.

The pressure was indeed great and it was indeed very hard at that time, but he considers those experiences to be his most precious memories. They were also the moments when he was most high-spirited, glorious and proud.

"Uncle, if you lead the army this time, I will only be a general." Huo Xian joked, "The best case scenario is that I will lead a group of troops. Then why would I be in such a hurry to fight the Xiongnu?"

There was no need to take Huo Xian's joke seriously, even if the emperor seemed to be a little cold towards Wei Qing in recent years. But if Wei Qing's physical condition allowed, he would definitely have to fight in some battles.

For example, when it comes to fighting the Huns, it would naturally be the best thing to do if Wei Qing and Huo Shan led the troops separately, so that everyone can be more confident.

Some people even thought that this would make up for the regrets of the past. If Huo Qubing had not died suddenly, the Han Dynasty would have been led by Wei and Huo to the grassland to launch a real decisive battle. Wei Qing's current physical condition really made it impossible for him to go on the expedition, which was naturally a great regret.

It is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to find a good general. This is the situation of the Han Dynasty today. More than a hundred thousand soldiers and horses are not a big problem for the Han Dynasty, but it is difficult to equip them with good generals.

The guests arrived one after another, and everything seemed to be going as planned, with no accidents occurring for the time being.

This is easy to understand. Everyone is a person of status, so they are naturally very disciplined. Since they have received Huo Xian's invitation, they will naturally attend the banquet on time. This is basic etiquette.

On the other hand, even if the people who came to the banquet were not that close, Huo Xian's power and status were obviously higher, so the guests naturally restrained themselves strictly.

Although some powerful people might become enemies because of a small matter, if you ask yourself, no one among these guests can feel that they are on par with Huo Xian.

Since this is the situation, there is nothing more to say. Everyone is well-behaved and polite on the surface.

Wei Qing seemed to be in a good mood. "Your Majesty probably saw that you wanted to go to war, so he came here specially to show his honor."

"Uncle, it's not that I want to go to war, but this battle must be fought." Huo Xian corrected with a smile, "This time, my cousin is in charge of Chang'an, and there will be a lot of things to do."

Wei Qing naturally understood what he meant and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Your Highness the Crown Prince has always been wise. Although Your Highness is often worried about the impact of war on people's livelihood, he has never disobeyed Your Majesty on such a major matter."

There is nothing wrong with saying this. Although Crown Prince Liu Ju seems to be against war, he does know a lot about things and will not really go against the emperor.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "When will this battle be fought? My uncle and cousin will be busy next."

Hearing what Huo Shan said, Wei Qing just laughed it off, but he also knew in his heart that the actual situation was really like that. The emperor and Huo Shan seemed really irresponsible.

Launching a decisive battle against the Xiongnu has always been a major issue in Liu Che's mind, and he has always been the planner of this matter. Huo Xian is also the number one supporter of fighting the Xiongnu and will be the best executor.

However, as the decisive battle was about to begin, the emperor took Huo Xian out on a tour, leaving many pre-war preparations to the crown prince and the general.

If this is the case, it is natural that Liu Che and Huo Shan were quite irresponsible. They seemed to not really take such a big thing to heart.

But if you think about it from another perspective, isn't this a trust in Liu Ju and Wei Qing? Letting them do such a big thing shows that they are completely defenseless.

This could even be considered a test for Liu Ju. As the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, military affairs had always been his weakness. It was very meaningful to plan some preparatory work before the war.

While the two were chatting, a eunuch quickly dismounted and said, "General, Your Majesty, the Queen wanted to leave the palace, but His Majesty did not allow it, so she sent this servant to congratulate you."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Thank you for your help. There is no need to trouble Her Majesty the Queen to go back and forth. How about this? You can go in first, have some drinks, and watch the singing and dancing."

The eunuch naturally had no objection. His mission this time was actually very simple, which was to represent the queen.

Seeing the eunuch leave, Huo Xian said boastfully, "Uncle, I'm hosting a banquet at home, and my aunt is coming in person. I've thought about it carefully, is there anything worth celebrating?"

"Your Highness will naturally come over for such a big event as crowning you." Wei Qing said with a smile, "It's just that we have to wait and see. Your Majesty may not arrive until later."

This time, Huo Shan rarely invited guests to a banquet, but Wei Qing knew very well in his heart that this was also a ceremony to crown Huo Shan, which was a formal matter.

People who are not aware of the situation would think that this is simply a display of the Champion Marquis's great appeal and his prestige among the dignitaries and military marquises.

But in Wei Qing's eyes, this was a ceremony specially prepared by the emperor for Huo Shan, and all of this was to let everyone see clearly that Huo Shan, the Marquis of Guanjun, had truly grown up and should be respected.

The Queen had only sent a eunuch to come, seemingly saying that she could not come in person. However, both Huo Xian and Wei Qing knew that the Emperor would definitely come in person with the Queen.

Since it was Huo Shan who was to be crowned, and since it was the emperor himself who was to crown him, this meant that some elders could not be absent.

Huo Xian turned his head and looked behind him, and asked, "Uncle Chen, have all the guests arrived this time?"

Chen Ju immediately replied, "Sir, all the guests have arrived. Even those who did not receive an invitation have sent gifts."

Huo Xian's banquet was really grand, and all the guests who received the invitation came. Those who thought they were of some status would try to send someone to send a gift even if they didn't receive an invitation.

On the surface, it was to celebrate the fact that Marquis Guanjun had a son. In fact, many people also thought so, and believed that Marquis Guanjun was using the excuse of having a son to entertain some of his former friends.

"That's good. Everyone who should be here has arrived. I feel relieved." Huo Xian said with a smile, "Then you wait outside. The people from the palace will be here soon. Remember to report at any time."

Chen Ju naturally understood the situation more clearly. "Don't worry, my Lord. We will be watching outside the palace and will not let anything go wrong."

The four generals were Huo Xian's confidants, and they usually did not regard themselves as outsiders. However, it was precisely because they were not outsiders that they cared about many things.

When the prince entertains guests in the palace, they will not think of joining the banquet, as it is not in line with their status. So don't even think about welcoming guests or entertaining them outside the palace gate, or driving away those who want to take advantage of the banquet, that is their job.

"Your Majesty will be here soon. Ask Uncle Liu to wait outside the palace gate." Huo Xian lowered his voice and said, "Once Your Majesty leaves the palace, come back and tell me immediately."

(End of this chapter)