Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 239 Old kid

The emperor's tour was not just a simple sightseeing trip; it was not a large-scale picnic or travel.

Investigate people's livelihood along the way and pay attention to the construction and development of towns and villages. These are also things that need attention.

Even though Liu Che was somewhat ambitious and extravagant in recent years, it cannot be denied that he was very capable and he had considerable achievements as an emperor.

The army marched all the way to Mount Song in the direction of Henan Province to offer sacrifices to Zhongyue Taishi, which was also an important part of the tour.

Without Shaolin Temple and Bodhidharma Cave, Songshan is now the Central Mountain and the "Long Live the Mountain" where people cheer for the emperor. This is extremely meaningful to Liu Che and Huo Shan.

After all, these two were the parties involved. Liu Che was only trying to survive, and Huo Shan was the first minister to call the emperor "Your Highness", which made many officials hate him bitterly.

He felt that the Marquis of Guanjun was a traitor, and he hated himself for not being able to address His Majesty that first, as this title would have made the Emperor very happy.

Cao Zong rode over on horseback and said, "Your Majesty, the Chonggao County is ahead."

Liu Che was in a good mood and said to Huo Xian, "Back then, the Zhongyue Mountain God came to welcome me. I ordered 300 households to be allocated at the foot of Zhongyue Mountain to worship the mountain god. Do you still remember?"

"I remember when we climbed Wansui Mountain, we heard the mountain god shouting 'Long live the mountain' three times." Huo Xian said with some nostalgia, "Your Majesty, was I nine or ten years old at that time?"

Liu Che looked at this genius pretending to be confused and said, "At the age of ten, he accompanied me to climb Wansui Mountain and pay respect to Zhongyue. He also accompanied me to Fengshan at Mount Tai and performed the Dengfeng Ceremony."

Huo Xian then looked at Cao Zong proudly and said, "Did you hear that? I know this place well! Tell the people of Chonggao County not to welcome the emperor, and continue to focus on the sacrifices to the Yue God. We will go to the Taishi Temple."

Although Cao Zong rolled his eyes, there was nothing he could do. He thought he understood the emperor's personality and preferences more and more, but he was still far behind Marquis Guanjun.

Liu Che smiled and nodded. Revisiting the old place did not have much meaning to him, but coming to Songshan, it had extremely special significance.

I must definitely go to Wansui Peak, hoping to be welcomed by the mountain god again and hear the mountain cheering "Long live the mountain" again.

He must go to worship at the Taishi Temple. This was basically Liu Che's habit. Whenever he saw a mountain, he would worship it. He was even a little crazy in seeking immortality.

Huo Xian immediately made arrangements and said, "Go and make arrangements. Your Majesty will fast today and tomorrow. Qimen will go up the mountain first, defend along the way, and drive away wild animals."

Liu Che smiled and joked, "Are you thinking of Qimen and Yulin for good things? I think we should let Langwei go up the mountain this time instead of Qimen or Yulin."

Huo Xian was not embarrassed when his little trick was exposed. It was human nature for him to think of his trusted troops when there were things that would make him famous.

Now that the emperor has made special arrangements, there is no problem. There will be many opportunities for them to show up in the future. Now let other troops show up and have some presence. It is not enough for Huo Xian to be the only one in the limelight.

Cao Zong left in a hurry again. There were many things that needed to be arranged. This time, the emperor was on tour, and he got enough opportunities to gain experience.

Huo Xian looked around carefully and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, after the sacrifice, we can walk faster. The weather is not good. I am afraid it will rain in a few days."

Liu Che also said with some worry, "That's right. If it really rains, it will be difficult to walk. Let the people in front walk faster. Once the rain starts, it will last for several days."

The most feared thing in spring is the continuous rain. Not only is it wet, but the muddy roads also make it inconvenient for the large team to move.

Liu Che pointed to the sky and said, "If we really go to fight the Xiongnu next year, it will probably be around this time. If it really comes to that time, it will be quite inconvenient for the army to move."

Huo Xian naturally understood this logic, "It's better to wait until winter, right? Your Majesty, at this time of year, the weather in Mobei is not as warm as it is here. Although the snow has melted, the grass is not growing deep."

Liu Che naturally knew that the climates in different places were slightly different. Not only was the north more bitter and cold, but the spring and summer were also shorter. It was said that autumn was over in the blink of an eye.

In the past, battles against the Huns were always fought in summer and autumn, not only because of the weather, but also because the war horses needed to be kept fatter and stronger.

"Yes, after the winter, the Xiongnu horses became thin and hungry." Liu Che said with a smile, "This silage is still very useful. We have to keep a close eye on it now."

Huo Xian said, "These are what I fear the most. The last time I went to the Western Regions, I saw that the Xiongnu also used saddles, and a small number of their war horses had horseshoes."

There is actually no way to completely avoid things like technology diffusion, and some things spread very quickly.

Before the invention of horseshoes and high-bridge saddles, it seems that many people did not think of these things. But when they suddenly appeared, they quickly began to spread.

Liu Che nodded and said, "Although saddles are also very useful to the Xiongnu, it's just that horseshoes are more difficult for them. They have fewer craftsmen and smelt less iron, so they can't compare to us."

This is where Liu Che's confidence lies. When facing the Huns, the Han Dynasty still has some technical advantages and does not need to worry too much about the Huns' horseshoes becoming popular all of a sudden.

Some of those people even used leather for their weapons and armor, and even at this stage there are still many who use copper weapons. They are simply incomparable to the Han army.

The Han Dynasty had long since achieved the complete ironization of weapons. Although a lot of armor was made of tanned leather, this was also popularized to the point where ordinary soldiers all had a set of leather armor.

Such treatment is almost impossible for the Huns, and the Han Dynasty's overall national strength advantage is also quite obvious.

Huo Xian continued, "Don't worry too much about the ironware. We have been strictly preventing ironware from entering the grassland and not allowing craftsmen to go there. It is not easy for the Xiongnu to smelt iron."

Technological blockades and so on are also obvious things. It is not just talk that the Huns want to absorb all kinds of talents from the Central Plains dynasty. Many inconspicuous characters in the Han Dynasty are also valued there.

For example, Li Xu, who caused great harm to Li Ling in history, was a commander outside the Great Wall. He did not hold a high position in the Han army, but he was highly valued in the Xiongnu and was responsible for training the Xiongnu soldiers.

There was also Zhonghang Shuo, an important adviser to Laoshang Chanyu. This eunuch was dissatisfied with being a member of the marriage team and gave advice to the Xiongnu. Every time the Xiongnu went south, they not only looted food, women and people, but also paid great attention to craftsmen, and they also knew how valuable these people were.

Liu Che said, "I know what you mean. Although there are some tricks to making silage, it is still inferior to iron smelting. If this is passed on, it will cause trouble."

Huo Xian naturally nodded repeatedly. Silage does have a certain threshold, but compared to smelting and so on, the technical threshold is indeed much lower.

"If those people had prepared enough silage, the horses would lose less weight in winter, which would be bad for us." Huo Xian said, "I have been keeping an eye on this matter, and I am most afraid of helping the Xiongnu."

Liu Che understood this logic very well, and he had been keeping a serious eye on the matter over the past two years. He was determined not to let the Huns obtain such technology, otherwise it would easily lead to a big mistake.

Liu Che was more confident and said, "You don't have to worry too much. We have made some progress in the past two years, but we often make mistakes. Silage is not that easy to make!"

There is nothing wrong with saying this. Things like silage cannot be made overnight. Huo Xian also spent a lot of effort and continued to explore before he finally figured out some of the tricks.

This is the same as castrating a pig. It's fine as long as you have the idea, but it also requires a certain amount of cost.

Without a certain amount of family background and capital, it is really impossible to make the initial investment regardless of cost. After all, this thing is relatively risky and no one can guarantee a return.

Things like technology leaks certainly need to be prevented, but there is really no need to worry too much. The Han people have made enough preparations in this regard.

Huo Xian and the emperor were chatting and laughing. It was indeed nice to go out for a walk and have a look around this time. There were still many things that needed to be done, and they were not trivial matters.

After the serious sacrifice, Huo Xian accompanied the emperor to climb Wansui Peak again. Liu Che pricked up his ears and listened carefully, but there was no "mountain god" to welcome him, and he did not hear "Long live" coming from the mountains.

This would naturally make the emperor somewhat disappointed, but even if he was extremely disappointed, he could only accept the reality. Miracles are not so easy to appear, and if they appear too often, they are no longer worth being surprised about.

As for this, there must be some small tricks by Huo Xian. Since he went on this tour, he has asked people to keep an eye on this matter.

If he hadn't stopped and investigated, there would be countless "miracles" reported to the emperor now, and the emperor would have gone crazy again by then.

The Grand Marshal and the General of the Cavalry are now very overbearing, and it is not so easy for some officials to see the emperor. The most important thing is that miracles and the like must withstand investigation, otherwise the end will be miserable.

Seeing that Liu Che was a little depressed, Huo Xian advised, "Your Majesty, I don't think it's because we are not sincere enough in offering sacrifices to the mountain god. It's just that in my opinion, how can it be so easy to meet the immortal fate?"

Liu Che became serious, looked at Huo Xian and asked, "Xian'er, do you mean that I have missed my chance to become an immortal?"

Huo Xian's heart shuddered. The obsessed emperor was now doubting himself and becoming suspicious. This was not a good thing.

As Liu Che thought about it, he became more annoyed. "Back then, someone reported that an old man was leading a sheep here, but my men were a little slow, and the old man disappeared in a flash. He must be an immortal!"

Huo Xian was speechless for a moment. He knew about this matter, and it was one of the things that the emperor had been worried about for many years. He still thought that the old man who suddenly appeared and disappeared was a god, but it was a pity that he missed it.

Liu Che continued, "Li Shaojun is also an immortal. He knows about the events of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the artifacts from that time. It's a pity that I didn't seek the method of immortality from him in time, so I didn't realize it until he ascended to heaven!"

Li Shaojun was another regret of the emperor. This old man claimed to have lived for hundreds of years and was from the four-week period. After his death, there was no one in the coffin. The emperor always believed that Li Shaojun was not dead, but ascended to heaven.

The more Liu Che thought about it, the more excited he became. "And what about the immortal's footprints? I haven't been able to find any clues in all these years. That's right. Immortals are so hard to find, how can they be found so easily!"

Huo Xian began to tremble in his heart. According to the emperor's current insane condition, things would definitely get worse. There was no doubt about it.

This is a very obvious thing. When the emperor reaches Mount Tai and the edge of the East China Sea, he will become more sensitive. By then, everything may be related to the immortal fate.

As for breaking feudal superstitions, that is easier said than done. It will not be easy to change some of the emperor's cognition.

To exaggerate a little, the entire Han Dynasty is somewhat superstitious. This has always been a custom, and this is a kind of cognition today. Since ancient times, there have been various seemingly superstitious practices.

The custom of lavish burials is a reflection of this, because people regard death as life, believing that people will go to another world after death. There are also special designs in the tombs, and people will be led to another world by gods and so on.

This means that it is almost impossible for Huo Xian to change the universal perception on his own. Such an idea is just an idea and there is no way to do it.

The most we can do is to try our best to prevent the emperor from being so obsessed and being deceived by some seemingly very low-level scams.

Liu Che was naturally very disappointed that he did not encounter any immortals or miracles in Songshan, but all this seemed to be within his expectations.

After so many years of seeking immortality, Liu Che had more or less figured out some tricks and knew that such things were something that could only be encountered by chance. Even though he had encountered some miracles in Songshan before, it did not mean that they would happen every time.

He still needs to continue to seek immortality and look for opportunities devoutly. Liu Che will not give up because of such a small setback. After all, he has encountered many setbacks over the years.

In his pursuit of immortality, he becomes more and more courageous as he faces more and more setbacks. This little setback at the moment is nothing at all.

Although the emperor was a little depressed, he was not so irritable because of it. This made Huo Xian feel a lot more at ease. It seemed that he didn't need to worry so much and there was nothing to be afraid of for the time being.

As long as the emperor can accept it now, as long as the emperor does not vent his anger on others because he has no chance to become an immortal, then all of this will naturally be acceptable.

After the sacrifice at Mount Song was over, the huge team naturally needed to continue moving forward. This tour had just begun, and there would be more opportunities to seek true immortal fate in the future.

Seeing that the emperor had regrouped, Huo Xian couldn't help but worry that this tour might not be so smooth.

Judging from this trend, we have to be careful along the way and we have to coax the emperor. Old children are not easy to serve, especially old children who have great power and can control the power of life and death. They are even harder to coax!
(End of this chapter)