Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 238: Divorce plan

Liu Che got up lazily. The sun was shining and the spring day was warm. After washing up, he walked out of the tent.

Amid the greetings, Liu Che looked around, "Where's the Marquis of Guanjun? Could it be that he hasn't gotten up yet?"

Jin Midi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Guanjun left an hour ago. About half an hour ago, the official of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Rites, suddenly fell ill and was afraid that he could not accompany him, so the Marquis went to visit him."

Liu Che was unhappy and snorted coldly, "The Taichang official is ill, what does it have to do with him? He can't be trying to curry favor with the Taichang official, the head of the Nine Ministers, right? The Taichang official is only 400 shi, if there is a problem, the Taichang official will handle it, what's the point of him going there?"

Liu Che did have reason to be angry. There were quite a few officials accompanying him this time. Basically, they were some officials from various government offices. It was almost a pocket-sized mobile imperial court.

If an official under the Taichang Department falls ill, it is natural for officials from the Taichang Department to handle the matter. They will make decisions on minor matters themselves and report major matters to the emperor.

Huo Xian was now in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, which seemed a bit redundant. Besides, the Ministry of Rites was a member of the Nine Ministers and the civil service system, and they had no contact with each other on a regular basis. Now he was meddling in other people's affairs.

Liu Che, who was not very happy, didn't say anything more and prepared to set off after breakfast.

Suddenly there was the sound of horse hooves. Liu Che turned his head and looked over. "He went there alone?"

Before the horse had even stopped, Huo Xian lifted his leg and dismounted gracefully, patting Daoli's butt. It then slowly walked towards the eunuch who was coming towards it.

Huo Xian went straight to Liu Che and said, "An official in the Ministry of Rites has fallen seriously ill. I have someone send him back to Chang'an."

This is normal. During the inspection, some officials will get sick. Under normal circumstances, they will persist if they can. If they can't, they will stay where they are or be sent to nearby towns to recuperate.

Liu Che asked back, "The Minister of Rites is out of office? The Minister of Rites' subordinates want you to take charge?"

"These people are timid. They are afraid of missing the time and displeasing the emperor." Huo Xian said with a smile, "When I went over, the Minister of Rites was almost crying. He didn't look like a high-ranking official at all."

Liu Che couldn't help laughing, "I don't believe what you say. You always make a small matter into a big one. It's nothing more than a serious illness. Are you still at a loss?"

Huo Xian, who was used to exaggerating and fanning the flames, was also "famous". When some things came out of his mouth, their credibility would be reduced. Not to mention that the emperor did not believe it, people who were familiar with him would also instinctively doubt it.

Huo Xian just laughed it off. It seemed that his credibility was close to bankruptcy, but that was only in trivial matters. No one would doubt him on serious matters.

Mrs. Xing felt that the Marquis of Guanjun was still very capable, and he made His Majesty no longer unhappy with just a few words. In fact, she could understand why the Minister of Rites might be so anxious that he cried, because this was a bad start.

The official from Taichang was the first to fall ill, and it happened on the second day of his tour. What a bad omen this was. The emperor must have been very unhappy.

Huo Xian sat down and said, "Your Majesty, you haven't had your meal yet, right? I calculated the time and came here, and I haven't had my meal either."

Liu Che waved his hand, and just as the food was served, Huo Xian said, "Your Majesty, I have said before that it is not suitable to eat too much meat and greasy food in the morning. This is not a way to maintain health."

Speaking of health preservation, Liu Che was no longer sleepy. "Oh? Then tell me, what do you think? Eating well is the way to longevity."

"Your Majesty, think about it. I just woke up from a nap and my appetite is not good. If I eat meat, I will be full for the whole day." Huo Xian continued, "I usually eat rice porridge and vegetables. Even though I love meat so much, I eat vegetarian food."

Seeing the emperor in deep thought, Huo Xian said, "And the general, he has been ill for a few years. I set the general's food. He eats vegetarian food and a combination of meat and vegetables. That's good!"

Liu Che was serious about this. Wei Qing had been seriously ill in the past few years and looked like he might collapse at any time. Although he was still ill in the past few years, at least he was still alive.

"I often tell my uncle to eat small meals frequently, and to combine meat and vegetables, and to walk around a bit every day." Huo Xian said confidently, "If you combine meat and vegetables, go to bed and get up early, stay away from women, and keep a good mood, you will definitely live a long life!"

The next moment, Liu Che said with a stern face, "Wait until you are eighty or a hundred years old before you tell me this!"

Things like birth, aging, sickness and death are fair to some people, but this is not absolute. It is not the case that kings, princes, generals and ministers live longer. There are also many who die young.

Huo Xian didn't care about Liu Che's attitude and continued, "Eat small meals frequently, just enough to fill yourself up. It's just that cooking will be a little tiring. It's not good to eat too much, and it's not good to be hungry either."

Liu Che kept a straight face and said nothing, but he was still quite particular about his meals. In recent years, he has been eating small meals and combining meat and vegetables. Although he still indulges in wine and women, it is still some exercise.

Liu Che also had good physical fitness. Historically, he reigned for fifty-four years and lived to be seventy.

This could be considered a long life in ancient times. If we take into account the fact that he was rather greedy for pleasure, took elixirs indiscriminately, was lustful, etc., the fact that he could live to such an age shows that he was in very good health.

Liu Che put down the bowl of porridge and couldn't help but say, "What did I teach you in the early years? Focus on the big things and let go of the small things. No matter how young and energetic you are, there are too many things for you to take care of? Taking care of small things will only waste your energy and miss the big things!"

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with what Liu Che said. Doing everything personally may indeed take up a lot of energy.

However, Huo Xian also said, "I am afraid of delaying things. Since I was preparing to go on the tour, how many things have I really taken care of? It's nothing more than that the subordinates can't make a decision, so I go over to take a look. I make decisions decisively, and I don't care about other things."

When Liu Che heard Huo Shan's retort, he was not annoyed at all. After thinking about it, he felt that it made sense.

Huo Xian was still talking back, saying, "I don't really care about military affairs. Who can find me for small matters? I've been in charge of big things these years. I never meddle in other people's business. If something really happens, I'll take responsibility."

"I say one thing to you, and you have ten things waiting for me? Who did you learn that from?" Liu Che laughed helplessly and scolded, "You, now that you have children, you should be more stable. I am afraid that you will be like your grandfather, and never grow up!"

This was indeed something Liu Che needed to worry about. He also felt that whether it was Huo Qubing or Huo Shan, they might not be stable even if they had children, and might remain the same as before.

Huo Xian had learned to walk, and Huo Qubing shot Li Gan to death in Shanglin Garden in a rage. Even with his children, he was still as aggressive as ever, still a young man who dared to love and hate and could not hide his secrets.

Huo Xian put the bowl aside and said, "Your Majesty, take a rest for a while. I'll have someone start moving."

Liu Che smiled and said, "I told you to look for something to say, you are smart. Is it necessary for you to give orders now? The front troops have not moved yet?" Huo Xian's little tricks were really funny in Liu Che's eyes, and he could always see through them easily. However, this was also something he never tired of. The grandfather and grandson always had some harmless battles of wits and courage.

After a brief rest, the huge team set off again. There was still a long way to go, so they naturally could not delay any longer.

Looking at Huo Xian sitting in the carriage, Liu Che was a little disgusted, "You are a general of cavalry, you should be riding a horse at this time. Riding in a carriage now, how can this be justified?"

"I am an excellent rider, who in the world doesn't know that?" Huo Xian said narcissistically, "We have come a long way, and it is tiring to ride a horse all the time. It doesn't matter if I take a carriage now, after all, I am the commander of the imperial carriages."

Liu Che joked with amusement, "Captain of Imperial Chariots, now you don't want me to dismiss you from your post as Captain of Imperial Chariots?"

The Commandant of Imperial Chariots is in charge of the imperial carriage; the Commandant of the Imperial Horse is in charge of the deputy horses; and the Commandant of the Cavalry is in charge of the cavalry.

There are still some slight differences between these three captains, and it is obvious which one is closer to nature.

Huo Xian ignored this and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, I am still thinking about the war. I am wondering whether we should send troops from the Western Regions this time. The court is now standing in the Western Regions."

Liu Che immediately became interested and said, "I think it is not appropriate to send troops from the Western Regions. If we send troops from the Western Regions, we will have to go through Wusun, Kangju and other countries. These people are not on the same page with us."

Seeing Huo Xian nod, Liu Che continued, "Although the court has now established a foothold in the Western Regions, if we mobilize a large army, the Xiongnu will inevitably know about our movements. Even if we send troops from Wusun, we will inevitably run into the main force of the Xiongnu."

Huo Xian also nodded and said, "I am worried about this too. If we have too few people, it will not work and we will definitely be destroyed by the Xiongnu. If we have too many people, it will be easier for the Xiongnu to mobilize troops."

"Yes, if we send troops from the Western Regions, we will run into the Right Wise King." Liu Che said, "This may seem like a way to tie down the troops, but I think we will inevitably suffer casualties."

Huo Xian asked, "What if we use 10,000 people? This 10,000 people will be used as a feint to tie down some of the Right Wise King's troops. The Xiongnu court is currently in a state of internal strife, and the Right Wise King might have some ideas."

Liu Che was silent for a moment and asked, "What do you think? Tell me?"

Huo Xian replied, "I thought we could try to sow discord. The Xiongnu are fighting for the position of Chanyu. We can send 10,000 troops to the Western Regions. The Right Wise King is thinking about protecting the strength of his own tribe."

Liu Che naturally understood what Huo Shan meant. If the army went to the Western Regions, it would have to pass through the sphere of influence of the Right Wise King, which seemed to be an opportunity to take advantage of.

Now all the Xiongnu nobles who have the opportunity to compete for the position of Chanyu are scheming against each other and may not be able to unite as one.

Huo Xian continued, "If we go to places like Dingxiang, everyone knows that we will definitely go to the Xiongnu royal court. At that time, the Xiongnu will definitely unite their forces to resist. Even the Right Wise King will have to send troops to help."

Liu Che nodded. Everyone understood what Huo Xian said. If the Han Dynasty launched a decisive battle, the Huns would certainly try their best, and each tribe might have to mobilize its main force to provide support.

Even if there are some intrigues, when facing life and death, when facing foreign enemies, they will still try their best to unite.

Of course, this is just a question of possibility. When foreign enemies come, some people may want to be guides and take the opportunity to expand their own power, etc. There will be all kinds of traitors everywhere.

Liu Che understood what Huo Xian meant and said, "You mean to send a part of the troops to prevent the Right Wise Prince from bringing all his main forces to help the royal court?"

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly and said, "That's what I mean. If the Right Wise King thinks his tribe might be destroyed, he will definitely be hesitant. If he rushes to help the royal court, even if he wins, he will suffer heavy losses and his own backyard will be gone."

Liu Che was silent for a moment, and after thinking carefully for a long time, he said, "This is indeed useful, but we need to plan it carefully."

"Think of a way. You can say that I am afraid of the Right Wise King." Huo Xian said immediately, "Didn't I meet the Right Wise King in the Western Regions last year? Now spread the word that I am afraid of him and let the Xiongnu people think too much."

Liu Che smiled and said, "We have captured the Left Wise King. We also defeated the Right Wise King last year. Why are you afraid of the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu? I heard that the Right Wise King wanted to surrender, and you wanted to become the Khan of the Xiongnu."

Mrs. Xing and the others were terrified. They didn't know what was going on. Why were the Huns still trying to persuade the Marquis of Guanjun to surrender? The Marquis of Guanjun was really bold. How could he even think of becoming the Chanyu?

Huo Xian was used to talking nonsense, and said, "I knew that the Xiongnu would never let me be the Chanyu. Next time I go to the Xiongnu, I will dig up their Dragon City again and learn from my grandfather to offer sacrifices to the heaven in the Xiongnu!"

Liu Che was very pleased, his eyes full of pride, "What a great ambition! My champion marquis should go to the ancestral land of the Xiongnu people, he should go to the Xiongnu people's holy land to offer sacrifices to the heavens!"

Longcheng, that’s where the Xiongnu royal court is located.

When Wei Qing led his troops to fight for the first time, Liu Che personally deployed four armies in order to attack Longcheng directly.

In fact, all three armies were either defeated or unsuccessful. It was only Wei Qing who killed hundreds of Huns and won the first victory of the Han Dynasty in its war against the Huns.

However, Wei Qing failed to truly destroy Longcheng. He was the only one among the four powerful armies who achieved the set goal, so he could only return after the great victory and could not further expand the results of the victory.

"Your Majesty, I am thinking that if we can divide and disintegrate the Xiongnu, that would be a good thing." Huo Xian said with a smile, "If we destroy the royal court, the Right Wise King will not be a concern."

Liu Che asked with a smile, "Why don't you think of destroying the Right Wise King in one go?"

"I do think that the general cannot lead the army now." Huo Xian said with regret, "It would be great if the general could lead the army. He would go to Dingxiang, and I would lead the troops from the Western Regions all the way to Longcheng."

Liu Che could only sigh helplessly. Xian'er was also in need of help. For a child who liked surprise attacks, detours and frontal battles so much, even fighting a war required stability.

Huo Xian said with great joy, "Your Majesty, if the general was still in his prime, I would definitely lead 50,000 men to the Western Regions. I would defeat the Right Wise King, and then head eastwards. It would definitely be possible to raid a thousand miles!"

Looking at Huo Xian drawing lines on the carpet, Liu Che said, "If the imperial court had conquered the Western Regions back then, your grandfather would definitely think the same way!"

It is better not to think about unrealistic things, but to think about how to fight the Huns in a pragmatic way!
(End of this chapter)