Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 252: Another Trap

Huo Xian had always been unruly, so he took the initiative to ask, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Crown Prince sent someone here. Did he tell them about preparing for war?"

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian with interest, "Didn't you go to find Wei Buyi? Go ask him and you will know the answer."

"Your Majesty, it's useless for me to look for him." Huo Xian couldn't help but complain, "He is the son of the general. My three cousins ​​are the same. What the general won't tell me, they won't tell me either."

Liu Che couldn't help laughing. What Huo Xian said was really correct. He never had to worry about being too successful and shocking the emperor, except for his absolute confidence in his own abilities and prestige.

This is also because Wei Qing is the only official in the court who has the potential to be so powerful that he could shock the emperor, but he is an extremely loyal and humble official.

Huo Xian continued, "Besides, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is reporting on state affairs, and no matter how brave I am, I dare not ask."

Liu Che joked, "It's not that you don't dare to ask, it's that you know it's useless to ask. Wei Buyi will definitely not read the prince's memorials privately, you know it's useless to ask!"

Huo Xian did not refute. Liu Ju and Wei Qing would instruct Wei Buyi on some things, so he would definitely say what should be said, but he would naturally not say what should not be said.

"You don't need to worry about preparing for war, the general will take care of it naturally." Liu Che said confidently, "As for political affairs, the prince has handled them steadily and there is nothing wrong."

Huo Xian looked worried, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is calm and composed in handling government affairs. Is everything really alright?"

If they had not known Huo Shan's stance, Huo Guang, Jin Midi and others around him would have thought that he was a treacherous minister who was spreading rumors and trying to sow discord between the emperor and the prince.

Liu Che smiled and asked, "Isn't this good? The Crown Prince is the regent, and things should be stable at this time. He is kind and generous, and now he is encouraging people to farm and sericulture, which is a good thing. You, what else can you do besides fighting?"

"He can also hunt, eat, drink and have fun." Huo Xian said proudly, "Your Majesty, I think it's okay for the Crown Prince to encourage farming and sericulture now, but he must catch some corrupt officials anyway."

Liu Che did not need to doubt at all, and said directly, "Are you thinking about rectifying the administration? In my opinion, you are just thinking about making money. Fortunately, you don't interfere in government affairs, otherwise you will cause trouble."

Others also agreed with it for a while. After all, some of Huo Xian's positions and political views seemed to be quite extreme. This Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry really had the mind of a military man.

Apart from fighting, he hardly thought about anything else, and his simple thoughts were known to everyone in the court and the country.

"If it were me, I would arrest some people in the army." Huo Xian said with some dissatisfaction, "Your Majesty, the general is too stable. Some officers in the army are not so stable."

Liu Che jokingly said, "Should we convict them and then fine them to atone for their sins? It would be better to find a few more marquises who have made military achievements, depose them of their titles and positions, and then transfer them to your army?"

Huo Xian nodded excitedly, "Your Majesty really understands me! Your Majesty, is my method the best? It can solve a lot of problems at once. I think this is the way to do it!"

Liu Che looked Huo Xian up and down, then said with emotion, "I still have to teach you a lesson. You are not as good as your father-in-law. You are too simple-minded. Can't you think about other things besides fighting?"

Huo Guang next to him also looked worried. Fortunately, his nephew was only concerned with fighting and was protected by the emperor and the general, so he did not cause any trouble.

If this child were really allowed to be in charge of some things, it would definitely cause some unrest.

Huo Xian said unconvincedly, "Your Majesty, you are not unaware of the corruption in the army."

"I know, but we can't just seek to be happy with government affairs. You should also have a long-term vision." Liu Che said earnestly, "I am in power now, but I also kept a low profile in the past. Don't you know that?"

Huo Xian shook his head vigorously, as if to say, "Don't talk to me about these things," and he didn't want to know so much.

Seeing Huo Xian pretending to be confused, Liu Che said unhappily, "If you don't know, then you don't know. I am too lazy to care about you. If you continue to act like this, I and the general will keep an eye on you. If you want to get the Grand Marshal's seal back, you should study hard. When you become more stable, I will give you the seal."

Huo Xian was speechless for a moment. The emperor had just used his trump card, which was also a warning.

Others didn't seem to have any objections, because this Marquis of Guanjun might be an extremely outstanding general, but in the court, he was not considered a qualified important official.

There should be no problem in rectifying the internal affairs of the army. There is some corruption in the army now, and some officers are sucking the blood of soldiers, etc. Everyone knows it.

However, if we sweep the grassroots or middle-level officers before the war, it will also affect the combat effectiveness.

On the other hand, Huo Xian wanted to convict some officers who had military merits and titles, and make them pay fines to atone their sins.

This would not be a problem at other times, and the Han Dynasty did this many times. However, Huo Xian obviously felt that there were not enough generals at the moment, so he had a crooked idea.

Even if the emperor used bribes to seize titles, he did indeed seize more than a hundred marquis titles in one go. But at that time, the internal and external political situation was stable, so it would not cause any unrest.

If Huo Xian's ideas were followed, it would obviously lead to political turmoil. Times are different now. Some of the practices in the past are really not appropriate now.

Others understand this truth, but Huo Xian seems not to understand it.

Although Huo Xian felt a little regretful, he did not continue to give bad advice. He knew that his suggestions were ridiculous and would not be adopted.

No one took Huo Xian's immature and bad ideas too seriously, which was completely understandable.

Perhaps this is Huo Xian's advantage. He has always had this kind of personality, and everyone knows that he is unwilling to go to the court. So it is completely normal for him to have immature political views.

As long as the starting point is low enough and there are some "jokes" in daily life, people will gradually become immune to it, and in many cases, they will not take his immature suggestions seriously.

Liu Che casually pointed to the memorial on the table and said, "Take it and show it to Marquis Guanjun."

A young eunuch immediately took the memorial and handed it to Huo Shan respectfully.

Huo Xian couldn't help but frowning as he watched carefully. In fact, some of Liu Ju's actions were theoretically correct. But Huo Xian was also very clear that the prince's actions would make the emperor unhappy.

In the final analysis, he was too stable. This Han heir was really calm and determined. He would not resolutely carry out the emperor's arrangements unless he agreed with them. He had been the crown prince for nearly thirty years, and he was indeed the crown prince who dared to start a rebellion in history.

Seeing Huo Shan frowning, Liu Che just smiled. He was somewhat dissatisfied when he saw the memorial, and it was expected that Huo Shan, who was more radical, would be dissatisfied.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and asked with a smile, "Now that you have seen it, what do you think?"

Huo Xian flattered, "Your Majesty, I don't understand politics. The Crown Prince must have a reason for doing this."

Liu Che laughed, "The prince has his reasons for making such an arrangement. You are not ignorant of politics, but you just don't want the queen and the prince to blame you. You just dare to contradict me!"

Huo Xian did not agree with this assessment. "Your Majesty, I have always believed that the truth does not lie in the loudness of the voice. When I encounter something I do not agree with, I will definitely argue for it."

Liu Che asked directly, "Arguing with reason? Then tell me, when were you really right? Making trouble without reason, this is what you always do!"

This time, Huo Xian didn't seem to be able to refute any more, and the others seemed to agree with this evaluation.

Liu Che continued to test Huo Xian, "Xian'er, what do you think of the Crown Prince's handling of some things?"

Playing dumb was useless, so Huo Xian told the truth, "Your Majesty, I think it's not appropriate for His Royal Highness to do this. We agreed to prepare for war, but now we are short of food and soldiers. What's going on?"

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian with a smile, "Is this the Crown Prince's responsibility, or the General's fault?"

Huo Xian was suddenly shocked. Politicians are really good at politics! Some of the things reported now seem to be that Prince Liu Ju is not resolute in carrying out some affairs, but it cannot be completely seen that way.

The emperor assigned tasks to Wei Qing, such as mobilizing troops and raising food and grass. In other words, even if the emperor wanted to hold someone accountable, he would first find fault with Wei Qing, not Liu Ju.

Seeing Huo Xian's dumbfounded look, Liu Che said earnestly, "Your cousin, the crown prince, looks kind and indeed has a good heart, but he is also very scheming. You, you sold yourself out and still helped count the money. You just think highly of yourself, and there are too many people who are smarter than you!"

Huo Xian was speechless. He didn't think highly of himself, nor did he look down on anyone. But sometimes, he would be slightly shocked.

Not to mention Liu Che, even Liu Ju, Wei Qing, Gongsun He, Huo Guang and others, none of these people are easy to deal with. Their control over the government and the current situation far exceeds his.

Seeing Huo Xian's shocked look, Liu Che joked, "You are young and promising, a young hero, but don't underestimate anyone."

"Your Majesty, I have never looked down on anyone." Huo Xian said, "This is why I don't want to attend court. They have too many thoughts and I can't defeat them."

Liu Che was a little unhappy. "You can't defeat them, so you hide? Is that what you should do?"

Huo Xian had another excuse, "Isn't it that His Majesty is here to protect me? There's also the Crown Prince and the General, so I don't have to worry about those. And there's my uncle, he always reminds me."

Liu Che looked at Huo Shan, then at Huo Guang who was looking down at the ground. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should praise Huo Shan for his simple mind and sincerity, or say that this child was sometimes naive and ridiculous.

Huo Xian obviously didn't take these comments too seriously. He really didn't need to think too much about many things in the court.

In the final analysis, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. The emperor, the empress, the prince, the general, they are all tall people.

We can even count on Gongsun He, Huo Guang, Zhao Po Nu, Cao Zong and others. Although their weight is a bit average, this is only relatively speaking. In the eyes of others, they are also unattainable big figures.

So there is really no need to worry too much, now is not the time for him to take the lead. In other words, other people are unreliable in the matter of fighting, so he needs to take the lead directly.

Huo Xian looked around and asked, "Your Majesty, has the general responded to the matter we discussed last time?"

Liu Che waved his hand to let some people leave, and said, "Go and call Wei Buyi."

Then Liu Che said to Huo Xian, "Of course, we can use the strategy of sowing discord. I also think that if we can defeat the Xiongnu with less loss, that would be the best thing."

No, although Huo Xian also likes to face off on the battlefield and completely defeat the Xiongnu in the fight, war is never just a one-on-one fight on the battlefield.

If the Huns could be completely defeated at a relatively low cost, Huo Xian would definitely be happy to see it happen, as it would not do any harm to the Han Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, I think the general may still want to fight." Huo Xian said, "The general has always sought stability in his military operations, and sowing discord is not the right approach for him."

Liu Che joked, "The general is willing to use the strategy of sowing discord, because he cares about the losses in battle. But you, although you can collect money and seize spoils, you like to take risks when you use your troops. If you really encounter a tough battle, the losses may be considerable."

Huo Xian was speechless at this point. What Liu Che said made a lot of sense.

A kind man cannot command an army, and a general is bound to die on the battlefield. Huo Xian was quite open-minded about these things.

However, one thing must be acknowledged, both Huo Qubing and Huo Xian taught Emperor Liu Che something a bit "extreme", in order to win the battle, they did not care about some losses.

As long as they could win a great victory, no matter how high the price was, it would not be too much. As for Wei Qing, the first thing he considered was to remain undefeated. He played steadily and cautiously, and it was difficult for him to fail.

It is normal for each of them to have some different styles. Liu Che never asked Huo Qubing and Huo Shan to be as calm as Wei Qing, and he also understood that the personalities of this father and son were not suitable for learning Wei Qing's military tactics.

Liu Che said, "I think the general has thought more. Although the Xiongnu are fighting now, they are not in chaos."

Huo Xian also understood this and immediately said, "Then let's add fuel to the fire and make the Xiongnu completely chaotic."

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian with a half-smile, "If that's the case, it will take some time. If we can't win this year, we won't win next year either. It will take at least two or three years to see results. Can you wait?"

Huo Xian was speechless for a moment. The emperor was setting a trap!
If I answer directly, I might accidentally go against the emperor's wishes, and at best I would be scolded!

(End of this chapter)