Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 228 Always Prepared
After all, Liu Jin is the eldest grandson of the emperor and is already thirteen years old. In this day and age, he obviously cannot be simply treated as a teenager, and we cannot think that he is ignorant.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Liu Jin took the initiative to step forward and said, "My Lord, General, I have heard since I was a child that my cousin is young and brave, and skilled in archery and horse riding. Although I admire him very much, I can't help but feel a little dissatisfied in my heart."

Liu Ju laughed and said, "Why are you so dissatisfied? Your cousin has been learning military tactics and practicing battle formations with Your Majesty since he was a child. It goes without saying that he is skilled in archery and horse riding. How can you be so dissatisfied?"

"Sir, I also practice martial arts diligently!" Liu Jin said with a serious face, "My cousin is so brave and has won many battles in recent years! I naturally admire him, but I also want to fight with him!"

Wei Qing smiled and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor's eldest grandson, the cavalry general is too powerful, and even the warriors in the army cannot defeat him."

Liu Ju immediately followed up and said, "General, what you said is very true. Although your cousin does not look strong, there are few people in the army who can compete with him in strength. Your Majesty often said that in the early years, only Xiang Yu could defeat him!"

This is an exaggeration. Although Huo Xian was very proud of his strength, he did not dare to say that he was strong enough to lift a tripod, let alone fight with the King of Chu.

Huo Xian immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, General, we are all familiar with each other in the army today, so there is no need to be polite. Let us see the ability of the emperor's eldest grandson, and I will fight with him!"

Wei Qing smiled and jokingly reminded, "General Huoqi's skills are all about fighting on the battlefield. I have never heard that he is good at swordsmanship."

The others also laughed. Wei Qing's words naturally touched the hearts of many people.

Many people have heard that Huo Xian was very strong and skilled in archery and horse riding. They also know that he started practicing horse riding when he was very young. When he was in his teens, there were a dozen young men who accompanied him to practice riding and archery.

Some people also knew that this cavalry general particularly liked to charge into battle and lead his troops from the front when he led them in battle. Naturally, they also heard that this cavalry general was very skilled in martial arts.

But I have never heard of swordsmanship. I only know that Huo Xian usually wears a sword, but it is also a ceremonial sword, and sometimes the ceremonial sword is replaced by a ring-handled sword.

Huo Xian was not modest either, "Uncle, how can you be serious when I teach the emperor's eldest grandson swordsmanship?"

Some people who are full of thoughts will start to speculate, thinking that Marquis Guanjun is still young and arrogant, and speaks without restraint in front of the Crown Prince and the Emperor's eldest grandson. He should be more humble at this time.

But he was so good that he directly said that he was giving guidance to the eldest grandson of the emperor. If the crown prince and the eldest grandson of the emperor had wild thoughts, they might think that the Marquis of Champion was taking credit for himself.

Liu Ju and Liu Jin naturally didn't think much about it. Liu Jin happily took the sword and started to dance with it. To be honest, this also took a lot of effort, and the swordplay looked quite smooth.

Wei Qing nodded slightly and said to Liu Chuan, "Your Highness the Emperor's eldest grandson has learned the art of fighting, which is enough for self-defense."

"He wanted to learn the art of fighting, but I didn't allow him to do so." Liu Ju said in a low voice, "He can't learn it either. If I really asked him to practice the art of killing the enemy, he wouldn't be able to bear the hardship."

Wei Qing naturally did not object to this statement. Swordsmanship also has some emphasis. There is still a certain difference between the fighting skills on the battlefield and some fighting and self-defense skills.

Liu Ju looked at Huo Shan who was standing aside with a sword in hand and said with a smile, "Shan'er can enjoy happiness and endure hardships. If other children had such wealth, I don't know how spoiled they would be. But Shan'er is not afraid of hardships."

Wei Qing nodded with satisfaction. Huo Qubing didn't suffer much when he was a child. Although he was not very good when he was born, he was brought up by the emperor before he could remember anything.

This was even more true for Huo Xian, who was born into immense wealth, and wealth and glory were beyond any doubt for him.

But even so, Huo Qubing and Huo Shan were both able to enjoy life and endure hardships. They were always very diligent in learning how to lead troops in battle, and they never complained of being tired while practicing their skills to kill the enemy.

Huo Xian suddenly drew his sword, and the tip of the sword touched the blade of Liu Jin's sword. Liu Jin also reacted quickly, and immediately raised his sword to strike upwards, but Huo Xian shook his wrist, and the blade of the sword wrapped around Liu Jin's sword, and then he thrust forward.

Seeing the sword in his hand being knocked away, Liu Jin was depressed but convinced, "My cousin is really good, no wonder he is invincible!"

Huo Xian proudly threw the sword towards Chen Ju, "Your Highness is also good at swordsmanship, I just take advantage of your strength. When Your Highness grows up a few years and becomes stronger, it won't be so easy for me to win!"

Huo Guang really wanted to warn his nephew, if he doesn't know how to speak, then he should speak less. He was clearly praising the swordsmanship of the emperor's eldest grandson, why did it sound so harsh!

It's just that in such occasions, it's better not to remind them deliberately. Otherwise, even if some people don't think about these things at first, they will remember them after being reminded.

It has to be said that so far, the atmosphere of the banquet seems to be very good, and many people are enjoying it very much.

This is not to say that some of the arrangements at the banquet make people have fun. After all, such a banquet does have enough social attributes, which is undeniable.

Seeing the presence of Crown Prince Liu Ju and General Wei Qing was enough to reassure many people. The fact that the Prime Minister and the General of the Cavalry got along well with each other also dispelled some rumors.

The most important thing is that the guests this time seem to be from the line of General Hussars. Even if they are trained by two generations of General Hussars, they can now be considered to be able to work together. These people will have the opportunity to be of great use in the future.

Just when the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves, Chen Ju hurried over and said, "My Lord, His Majesty has arrived!"

Many guests were surprised, but Wei Qing and Liu Ju were not surprised at all. They seemed to stand up in a hurry, but that was because of etiquette, not because they were really panicked.

Huo Xian did the same, he hurried to stand outside the mansion gate, and all the guests followed him out. At this time, no one could sit safely in the mansion.

Liu Che smiled as he got off the carriage and glanced at the crowd in front of him. "It's rare for General Huoqi to hold a banquet, so I came to take a look. People say that you don't want to mingle with the rich and powerful, but it doesn't seem like the rumors are true!"

Huo Xian was not nervous at all, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, if I don't host a banquet again, people in Chang'an will say that I am not sociable. I don't want to go to someone else's house and be bound by rules, so I might as well host a banquet at home."

Many guests were still a little nervous, after all, the emperor had always been worried that his officials would form cliques.

But looking at what the Marquis of Guanjun said, many people subconsciously felt that it made sense, and that this was the Marquis of Guanjun's style of doing things. And if you think about it carefully, His Majesty's tone did not seem to be blaming him. Liu Che said with some regret, "You, no matter how many times I tell you, you can't change this habit. How can you live without some relatives and friends in this world? You have always been unwilling to interact with others, and others will only say that you are arrogant!"

"Your Majesty, I have a good relationship with An Guo, and Cao Zong also has a good relationship with me." Huo Xian said, "It's enough to have one or two close friends. Some friends seem close, but in fact they are just that."

Liu Che kicked Huo Shan hard. How could he say such a thing in front of all these guests? This kid is really troublesome and doesn't think about the ways of the world at all.

Wei Zifu, who was following behind Liu Che, also frowned slightly. She had told him many times to be careful when speaking, but why didn't he listen?

Huo Xian held Liu Che's arm and continued to talk nonstop, "Your Majesty, I can win the battle and I have your Majesty's trust, that's enough. It's boring to think about those things, it's better to go hunting!"

"Happiness, happiness, you only think about yourself all day long!" Liu Che was really angry, "Xian'er, you are the Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry, how can you always think about whether you are happy or not?"

Huo Xian's eyes widened, and he was speechless. "Your Majesty, I am already the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry. Can't I live a more comfortable life?"

Liu Che waved his hands in annoyance. He was a stubborn person who refused to change despite repeated admonitions. This was probably the end of his life. He would not think about anything else except fighting and enjoying himself.

If other powerful people had such trust and military achievements, they would have been in a state of disbelief. But when it comes to Shan'er, although he seems to have great reputation and prestige, he actually has no foundation at all.

Since you don't want to think about it, then don't think about it. Just be happy and cheerful, which is also a good thing.

Liu Che had very high expectations for Huo Shan. He hoped that Huo Shan would be a loyal minister and continue to win battles and make great achievements. There was no room for negotiation on these matters. This was his expectation for Huo Shan.

It can also be said that Liu Che had very low requirements for Huo Shan. He didn't care at all if Huo Shan made occasional mistakes. As long as there were no principled mistakes, it didn't matter how Huo Shan made trouble.

After arriving at the mansion, Liu Che looked around and said, "It looks OK. I am too lazy to say anything to you. This is a good mansion for the Marquis of Guanjun. You just need to build a training ground. Take a look for yourself. The scenery looks rough!"

The pavilions and towers are certainly a bit exaggerated, but the scenery of the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion is indeed not beautiful. It looks like the residence of a fierce military general.

"Your Majesty, you can't say that!" Huo Xian pointed to a small pavilion and said, "This pavilion is fine for viewing. I plan to plant some trees and flowers beside it."

Liu Che took a closer look and was instantly even more speechless. "Plant trees? If I were you, I would plant some bamboos here, right in front of your bedroom, it would look elegant."

During the Western Han Dynasty, the temperature was relatively high, bamboo and other things could be seen everywhere north of the Yangtze River, and giant pandas lived happily in the Qinling Mountains.

Although bamboo is not as popular now as it was in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many people still like these evergreen plants. Some meanings and cultures did not come into being overnight, and they are also inherited.

Huo Xian chuckled and said, "I'm also planning to build a shooting range and a watchtower! Then I can be high above and see everything going on outside the mansion!"

Wei Qing, who was following behind him, wanted to cover his face. The mansions built by some powerful and wealthy families seemed to be like fortresses, but not so exaggerated.

However, Huo Xian's ideas were not really compatible with the rich and powerful. This kid really wanted to use the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion as a fortress, and even built a watchtower. He would then arrange a few people, and this would be a camp!
Liu Che took a closer look and then said jokingly, "One watchtower is not enough. I have checked. Your mansion is too close to Jianzhang Palace. You need to build a watchtower on the north side."

"That's not enough. I'm going to open up the forest over there!" Huo Xian said confidently, "I'll be at the palace soon by then, and I'll build a ditch, and it will be even better then!"

"You are not allowed to destroy the forest!" Liu Che warned immediately, "I chose this place for you to build your residence because I thought the forest was nice. You are building the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion, not the Marquis of Guanjun Camp, and you are still thinking of building a ditch!"

What ditch? According to Huo Xian's idea, it is either a moat or a trench. If a road is built, it basically means sending troops to support the Jianzhang Palace. What is this kid thinking about!

The Yulin Army and the Qimen Army are right next to the Jianzhang Palace, and the Northern and Southern Armies are also in Chang'an. Is it necessary for his Guanjun Marquis Mansion to send troops to provide assistance?
Huo Xian proudly opened the warehouse and boasted, "Your Majesty, I recently received two good swords! I have seventeen spears, and I plan to make three more!"

Liu Che casually took out a spear, which was about the thickness of an egg. It was thicker than the average spear and about four meters long, but it was not heavy in his hand.

"I asked a craftsman to make it, and it was dried in the shade last year." Huo Xian said quickly, "There are a few more being made, but I can't guarantee that they will be successful. This pole is good, light but tough, and it has enough power to hit people!"

Looking at the weapons and several sets of armor in the warehouse, Liu Che really didn't know what to say. Huo Xian loved fighting, it was a love from the bottom of his heart.

"Put away the armor. Too much of it doesn't look good." Liu Che reminded, "Look at it yourself. How many pieces of armor are there? Heavy armor, light armor, more than twenty pieces in total!"

"Given by my great-aunt, my great-uncle, the prime minister and my uncle, I can't refuse any of them." Huo Xian pointed to a set of armor, "Your Majesty also gave me three sets of armor, and I also gave several sets of armor to my subordinates, and I can't wear them all."

Liu Che didn't know what to say for a moment. This matter really couldn't be blamed on Huo Xian. In the Han Dynasty, it was forbidden to privately store and make armor, but Huo Xian had never made armor himself.

Whenever he went to war, he would be given several sets of armor. When he was not fighting, his caring elders would call on skilled craftsmen and make armor regardless of the cost.

Picking up a chain mail and putting it on, Huo Xian tapped his chest and said, "Your Majesty, wearing this, even if the Huns shoot through my heavy armor, they can't hurt me!"

Liu Che was not so optimistic. "Now the Huns have become smarter and started using blunt weapons. You are wearing heavy clothes, so you must not fall off your horse!"

"My Pegasus can't carry enough weight. Their legs are too thin." Huo Xian said with some regret, "I'll go find a good horse later. I'll wear something heavier then!"

The Arabian horse is naturally very good, with good endurance, fast speed, and decent strength, but it is relatively lacking in weight bearing. There is nothing we can do about it, as it is born with a good body shape.

Liu Che naturally knew it in his heart, but he was too lazy to say it. Tianma was the best war horse for the Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)