Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 232 Start early

It's time to start thinking about the tour. Not only Huo Xian is busy with some things, but everyone else also needs to start preparing some things. After all, it's the Emperor of the Han Dynasty going on a tour, and there are many things that need to be prepared.

Lin Mei packed her luggage and said to Huo Xian, "Your Highness's spare clothes and utensils are all ready."

Huo Xian said lazily, "Well, someone will definitely come from the palace in the next two days, let them take him with them then."

When Huo Qubing went to war, he would bring the palace's kitchen and enough food with him. Huo Xian was not much better. When he was away on the battlefield, the baggage train would have a lot of his supplies.

Now, when following the emperor on a long journey, it is natural to prepare enough things. When the time comes, many of the huge team will carry the supplies for these dignitaries.

Lin Mei said with some concern, "My Lord, it would be inappropriate for me to go with you, right?"

Pulling Lin Mei's chin, Huo Xian asked with a smile, "Do you not want to go anymore or what?"

"It is my great pleasure that the Lord is willing to take me with him." Lin Mei said quickly, "But I have heard in the past few days that other people have not brought concubines with them. If I follow them, it will be bad for the Lord's reputation."

There is nothing wrong with what Lin Mei said. Some of the powerful people in the Han Dynasty lived a luxurious life. In the eyes of later generations, the moral standards of some of the powerful people were extremely low, and even unimaginable.

Huo Xian said nonchalantly, "As for reputation, everyone in Chang'an knows my reputation."

Lin Mei quickly said, "Your Excellency, please don't say that. Your Excellency has a good reputation among the people."

There should be nothing wrong with this statement. It is a very good thing that Huo Xian does not oppress the good and does not commit evil. It is naturally very good to be able to make meritorious deeds and fight for justice.

It was nothing more than saying that the Marquis of Guanjun was particularly domineering, or that he was a close minister to the emperor. These were far-fetched for most ordinary people, and those who wanted to make military achievements would still want to vote for the Marquis of Guanjun.

That is, among the powerful and wealthy class, these people have many opinions about Huo Xian, the main one being that he is simply not sociable.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Since you know all this, you don't have to worry about anything else. If I were worried about these things, I wouldn't have said I would take you with me from the beginning."

This is also what Huo Xian really thinks. He is indeed confident and knows what can be done and what cannot be done.

Since Huo Xian said so, Lin Mei was naturally happy. She definitely still hoped to be able to go on the parade with them. After all, she had never had the opportunity to go out and see the world since she was a child.

Going to see the beautiful mountains and rivers without being too tired is the best way to travel. Not to mention ordinary women, even some powerful women don't have such treatment.

There was no need to worry about these things. Huo Xian felt that he must be busy with other things. Lin Mei's matters were actually just some small matters.

He rode his horse straight to the General's Mansion and then galloped all the way to Chang'an. Some people along the way shook their heads, but they were used to it.

On the road from Chang'an to Shanglinyuan, the Champion Marquis was advancing so rapidly that he didn't care about so many things at all and didn't need to consider the opinions of others.

Huo Xian was used to it. Whenever he was on a road with few people, he would urge his horse to speed up. He had learned this since he was a child and he always did this. He would not take a leisurely stroll when riding a horse.

After entering Chang'an City, Huo Xian naturally slowed down a little. Chang'an was a prosperous city after all, and it would not be good if he bumped into someone.

The guards of the General's Mansion came forward when they saw Huo Xian, "My Lord, why are you here at this time?"

"Do I need to tell you in advance that I'm coming?" Huo Xian said unhappily, "Watch your mouth. If others hear it, they'll think the general doesn't like me coming!"

The guard smiled awkwardly. What the Lord said made sense. If others heard these words, they would easily misinterpret them. Moreover, the Lord of Champions often came without informing us in advance, so he came without any prior notice.

Huo Xian asked casually, "Cousins, have you prepared your luggage? Have you prepared your horses? Have you chosen the troops to go with you?"

The guard quickly replied, "Young Lord has already entered the camp and left just now, bringing ten of his followers with him."

Wei Buyi did not get the chance to accompany the patrol this time, but Wei Deng was selected and arranged to serve as a captain in the Southern Army. The general's youngest son was now of the right age, so he could naturally join the army.

In the final analysis, although Wei Deng, Wei Buyi and Huo Xian were of different generations, they were of similar age. They were slightly older, but only by two or three years.

Huo Xian nodded and said, "Oh, I will also go to the Southern Army camp to inspect these two days. I will go and take a look then."

The guards didn't think there was anything wrong, as the three young princes of the general's family were all average in ability. Wei Kang was now a marquis and a general stationed in the south of the desert, but everyone knew that his abilities were mediocre.

Not to mention Wei Buyi and Wei Deng. Even though the general has been teaching them constantly in the past few years, they haven't made much progress. This is why they basically cannot go on the expedition with the army.

It was not because the general's contribution was too great or he was worried that Wei Deng and others would have difficulty being rewarded for their contributions, but because as the sons of Wei Qing, Wei Deng and others could not lose, otherwise it would be a huge blow to morale.

Just like when the Huns heard that Huo Shan was leading the troops, they all clamored to kill Huo Shan, so that they would achieve success and fame, and they also believed that they could defeat the Han army.

In the final analysis, they are just some banner figures whose identities determine some things. Wei Deng and Wei Buyi, as sons of Wei Qing, cannot die on the battlefield.

Huo Xian entered the General's Mansion and saw Princess Pingyang and said, "My cousin has joined the Southern Army. Is he following that kid Cao Zong?"

"Of course, Your Majesty is very kind to let Wei Deng be the captain." Princess Pingyang said with a smile, "In two years, when you go to the war, take your cousins ​​with you, so that they can also make meritorious contributions and be awarded titles."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "My eldest cousin is definitely going to the war. Now that he is stationed in Mo Nan, it is normal for him to go with the army. It is hard to say about my younger cousin. If he goes with him, he will at most be a general."

"A general is good, and a general can also make contributions." Wei Qing walked slowly to the main hall and said, "He is not capable enough, and he is too cautious. If you take him out, you must not let him lead an army alone."

Huo Xian laughed, "Of course, I will definitely think of my uncles when something good happens. But you don't have to worry too much about your eldest uncle going to the war, your youngest uncle will just follow me." Wei Qing sighed and said, "Wei Kang can also be a great man. I thought he had been guarding outside for three years. I have exchanged letters with him several times before, and his use of troops and training of troops are not good enough."

"Uncle, you have a broad vision." Huo Xian said with a smile, "My cousin is better at training soldiers than I am. The soldiers I train have no order at all."

Not to mention Wei Qing, even Princess Pingyang didn't believe this. They were very clear about some things about Huo Shan.

Even though Huo Xian seems to seldom train his troops now, the Yulin Army and Qimen Army have always been under his direct leadership and have always been under the personal control of Zhao Po Nu.

There is no need to mention the loyalty of these two guards. Others say that the combat effectiveness of these two guards far exceeds that of the Southern Army and the Northern Army. This is understandable. After all, they are the guards and their source of soldiers is the best.

However, in terms of military training, the biggest characteristic of these two armies is their wildness. The army led by Huo Xian, or the foundation he laid, also has its own characteristics.

Many people think that the Yulin Army and Qimen Army are not suitable to be the honor guard, but these people just stand there with an arrogant look, with pride in their bones.

When marching, they were unbridled and showed their talents without hiding anything. They liked to fight tough battles and took pride in killing the enemy. Everyone in the army was determined to "use me in the first battle and I will definitely win."

"It's not a good idea for my cousin to be in the Southern Army. If I were to make the arrangements, I would send him to the Northern Army." Huo Xian sighed and said, "Cao Zong is in the Southern Army now. I can't get involved in the iron plate I have created in the past few years."

Wei Qing coughed and said, "Xian'er, be careful with your words. The troops belong to your majesty, why are you thinking about the Southern Army?"

Everyone knew what was going on when Cao Zong was put in charge of the Southern Army, since he was the emperor's grandson.

Even though it is said that Cao Zong gained his merits by following Huo Shan in battles, and the relationship between the two was very good, any discerning person could see that the two had become quite distant in the past two or three years.

The emperor was naturally the reason behind this, so the two of them kept their distance tacitly, and no one thought there was anything wrong.

Huo Xian just smiled and said, "Uncle, is it His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who is responsible for raising military funds for this trip?"

Wei Qing nodded silently. He also understood that this was a tough job. But he knew even more clearly that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had no choice at this time and had to do this well.

This matter may be a test of the prince by the emperor, to see if the prince has the ability to stabilize the court in the difficult situation, and whether the prince has enough courage to stabilize the army.

This could also be a test from the emperor to the prince. The emperor is not young anymore and his desire to seek immortality is genuine. It's a pity that he has not found a chance to achieve immortality yet.

The emperor has always been worried that the prince is "not like him", and he is also worried that some of his policies will be changed.

The continuity of policy is very important. Liu Che did not want some of the major policies he formulated to be changed by Liu Ju and others, because that would be a denial of him.

Huo Xian looked at Wei Qing and asked with concern, "Uncle, I've thought about it. If we want to mobilize more than 100,000 troops this time, we need to be ready before winter."

Wei Qing smiled and said, "We can't let them all go north at once. It's hard for Mo Nan to feed so many people at once. Otherwise, the court's military pay and food will be difficult to maintain."

Huo Xian was naturally aware of this. In the final analysis, putting hundreds of thousands of people on the border at once would put a lot of pressure on logistics. Especially considering wintering, the pressure was even greater.

"We will set off after the beginning of next spring, so we can only start mobilizing troops now." Huo Xian said, "Uncle, please select some elite soldiers for me. I don't have great abilities, so I can only lead strong soldiers."

Wei Qing was silent for a moment before he said, "Xian'er, you should think about something. You are now the Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry. You can't just use strong soldiers all the time!"

Many people were relieved and happy that Huo Xian was able to fight and win battles. They also felt that this was due to his outstanding abilities and the emperor's excellent teaching.

However, Liu Che and Wei Qing also knew that Huo Shan could only fight a prosperous war. Only by equipping him with elite soldiers, food, horses, and sufficient freedom could he truly win the war.

Without superior military strength and military equipment, it is hard to say what kind of battle Huo Xian could have fought.

Huo Xian did not feel embarrassed and said with a smile, "Uncle, after we defeat the Xiongnu this time, there will be basically no major battles to fight in the short term. By then, we will just have to suppress bandits and so on, and there will be no need for me to take action."

After defeating the Xiongnu, he could take a break, which was also one of Huo Xian's goals. After solving this major problem, Huo Xian might need to keep a low profile, after all, his role was to prepare for the Xiongnu.

There is no need to worry about things like harboring enemies to protect one's own safety. Even if Huo Xian is no longer threatened by the Huns, he will not be immediately suspected or alienated by the emperor.

Wei Qing just smiled and said, "I know how to deploy troops, so I won't let you fight a difficult battle. After arriving in Hejian, a part of the accompanying troops will head north."

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly. This time, when accompanying the emperor on his tour, there were naturally a lot of soldiers and guards, and these were naturally the elite among the elite.

"Three groups of troops?" Huo Xian asked the key question and said, "If it is really three groups of troops, I should discuss some things with His Majesty."

Wei Qing did not hide it, "Your Majesty has not yet made up his mind, but I think it would be best if the army could attack in three directions. You can also try to give suggestions on these matters. If His Majesty does not allow it, you should not bother to argue."

Wei Qing admired the emperor's strategic vision from the bottom of his heart. His Majesty has always had a regret that he cannot personally command thousands of troops to fight the enemy, but this does not mean that His Majesty does not know military affairs.

Your Majesty is knowledgeable about military affairs and has profound attainments. Wei Qing is naturally very clear about this, so sometimes he would not refute some of the emperor's arrangements.

Huo Xian also knew this. "My uncle thinks that three groups of troops are the best, and I think Your Majesty thinks so too. I was actually thinking of three groups of troops, but I felt that the candidates and the number of troops had not been decided before."

Wei Qing smiled and nodded, "There's no need to rush these things. We can discuss everything in detail after we return from our tour. We're still investigating the situation with the Xiongnu, so maybe there will be some temporary adjustments."

It is normal to arrange to fight the Huns now, but if there is an unexpected accident, some temporary adjustments will need to be made.

But no matter what, the Han army needs to start preparing in advance, after all, this is a decisive battle!
(End of this chapter)