Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Liu Che has always been unable to let go of matters of life and death. He was unable to let go before, and he may become more and more obsessed and crazy in the future, but this is not something Huo Xian needs to worry about now.

Sitting on the edge of the boat, Huo Xian was fishing seriously.

Liu Che came over and asked, "Aren't you afraid of the wind or the cold?"

"It's not cold here, but it's a little windy this morning." Huo Xian smiled and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, I'm learning from Jiang Taigong, maybe I can catch some fish."

Liu Che said jokingly, "Jiang Taigong? He was fishing for the overlord. But you, you just want to catch Kun."

"We just saw a few sea pigs swimming right at the bow of the boat," Huo Xian boasted with a smile, "Your Majesty got up too late and didn't see them."

Dolphins are now called sea pigs. Their round bodies look like pigs, so it is normal for them to get such a name.

Liu Che looked at the sea and asked, "You only saw the sea pig, but nothing else?"

Seeing Huo Xian shaking his head, Liu Che could not help but feel disappointed. He longed to see the traces of the fairy mountain, but unfortunately, after five days at sea, he still could not see any traces of the fairy mountain.

It would be a miracle if we could see the fairy mountain. The fleet was basically sailing along the coastline. Although some ships were sent out to search in the deep sea, there was no useful information reported yet.

It was not just Huo Xian who thought that this was a useless effort. Many people also thought so in their hearts, but they did not dare to say it out loud. They were all worried about angering the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am still thinking about the Xiongnu." Huo Xian said, "Your Majesty, if we adopt the strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones, and separating the strong from the weak, do you think it is okay?"

Liu Che immediately became interested, "Xian'er has grown up. He used to only like to study tactics, but now he has started to study strategy."

This is true. What Huo Xian learned in the past were mostly about direct combat, such as deploying troops before the enemy, marching and fighting, etc. These were his main concerns.

Some strategic matters seemed to have nothing to do with him, and he had not studied them much before.

Liu Che asked with great interest, "Tell me, what do you think?"

Huo Xian immediately said, "Isn't it because the Xiongnu are now fighting among themselves? Yizhixie had three sons. Wuwei and his son Wushilu died early. Moreover, Dihou was captured by me. Before that, Xulihu died just after he ascended the throne. The Xiongnu has long been in chaos."

The succession of the Xiongnu Chanyu was now in disarray. Although Wushilu had a son, he was too young. As a result, Xulihu also died after one year on the throne.

In other words, Yizhixie had two sons who died, one son who was captured by the Han Dynasty, and a grandson who inherited the throne of Chanyu also died.

The current Xiongnu Chanyu is the son of Wushilu. He is forced to do something he is not supposed to do, and he is just a child Chanyu.

It was also because the Left Grand Commandant wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty and was killed, the Left Wise King was captured, and the Right Wise King Xulihu also died after becoming the Chanyu.

The so-called four corners of the Xiongnu suddenly lost three. In the past five years, the Xiongnu has changed three Chanyu.

The four corners also had people replaced one after another. The most important one was that the current Left Wise King, Right Wise King, and Left Grand Commandant were no longer Er Chanyu's confidants.

Huo Xian continued, "Su Wu and his men wanted to kidnap the Chanyu's grandmother and surrender to the Han Dynasty. I think this is the benefit of the current civil strife in the Xiongnu. Now that no one is willing to submit to anyone else, we might as well take advantage of the opportunity to take action!"

Liu Che smiled and said, "You are right. This is how the Xiongnu are today. They have really grown up. Now they can see the current situation more clearly."

Huo Xian said modestly, "Your Majesty, although these are all obvious things. But if I think about it a little, it will become clear. I am usually too lazy to think about it, but it does not mean that I don't understand."

Emperor Liu Che obviously did not care about Huo Xian's boasting, and everyone seemed to think it was commonplace.

In the final analysis, Huo Xian never knew what humility was. As long as someone praised him, he would accept it without blushing. If he needed to show off, he could also brag with a clear conscience.

You don't necessarily have to wait for others to discover your advantages, you can also point them out yourself and let others see them. It would be less roundabout and more intuitive, how great!
Liu Che smiled and asked, "Since you proposed to make friends with distant countries and attack nearby countries, and to stay away from the strong and unite with the weak, how should we arrange it? What is distant? What is nearby?"

Huo Xian immediately said, "Your Majesty, although Er Chanyu of the Xiongnu is the Chanyu now, he may not be able to command the people. Zuo Xianwang and You Xianwang have no fewer troops than Er Chanyu."

"Wrong, although Er Chanyu is young and difficult to convince, he is still Chanyu after all." Liu Che corrected him seriously, saying, "It's just that he has difficulty in unifying many forces, not that he has fewer troops."

Huo Shan did not feel embarrassed at all about some of the questions raised by Liu Che. He admitted his mistakes and there was nothing wrong with that.

Huo Xian continued, "Then the left and right wise kings and even the left and right commanders are not convinced by the Chanyu. Is this true?"

Liu Che smiled and said, "That's true. Now many tribes within the Xiongnu are not very loyal. It will be difficult for Er Chanyu to control the tribes, and chaos will occur sooner or later."

"So we can win over the Left Wise King, or the Right Wise King, or even the Left and Right Guli Kings." Huo Xian continued, "As long as we weaken Er Chanyu's power, that will be enough."

There was obviously nothing wrong with what Huo Xian said. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. As long as the Huns could be divided and disintegrated, that would obviously be enough.

It is not necessary to directly persuade Er Chanyu to surrender, which is also unrealistic. Even the left and right wise kings should be won over, which is also unrealistic.

However, if it were possible to win over some minor kings, support some Xiongnu tribes to grow stronger, and let the Xiongnu kill each other, etc., then it would obviously be in line with the interests of the Han Dynasty.

A weaker Huns would only bring benefits and no harm to the Han Dynasty, and everyone obviously understood this truth.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and asked seriously, "If I really adopt your plan, how long do you think it will take for it to work? I can't wait, do you think you can wait?"

Huo Xian was speechless for a moment, then he said, "If we take it step by step, this strategy may not take effect until five or ten years later, and we can see the Xiongnu killing each other and weakening each other."

Liu Che smiled slightly, "It seems that you really put your heart into it and thought it through. Since you also know how difficult this thing is, why do you still bring it up in front of me?" The strategy proposed by Huo Xian to divide and disintegrate the Huns can actually be regarded as a reference. This is the strategy of splitting the Turks proposed by Changsun Sheng, a general of the Sui Dynasty.

This Changsun Sheng had a son named Changsun Wuji, a daughter named Empress Changsun, and a son-in-law named Li Shimin.

Time is the biggest enemy. For Liu Che, some things cannot wait.

This is not just about some strategies against the Xiongnu, but also includes a lot of things such as life expectancy, which are all things that Liu Che cares about very much. He can't wait, and he is unwilling to wait any longer.

Liu Che's voice became a little stern. "Xian'er, if you hadn't gone to the Western Regions last year, we would have gone to fight the Xiongnu. According to the plan, we will go to fight the Xiongnu next year. Many things are being prepared. You must be aware of this."

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly. He was naturally very clear about these things. Launching a strategic decisive battle would not be done overnight.

The changes in the Western Regions last year slightly disrupted the plans of the Han emperor and his ministers, and everyone could accept that. After all, some things were not fully arranged at that time, so it was normal to make some temporary adjustments.

Looking at the preparations made for a war that has not yet happened, it is understandable why Liu Che couldn't wait.

Now all localities are also requisitioning food, fodder, and soldiers. Everyone is aware of this, and these resources are continuing to move northward.

On the other hand, Guanglu Xun Xu Ziwei, Guerrilla General Han Shuo, as well as General Wei Qing's son Wei Kang and Xieye Hou Zhao Po Nu, all stationed troops in the south of the desert, with tens of thousands of troops deployed in the south of the desert, and accumulated a lot of food and grass.

All of this is not just about guarding the border, but also about directly attacking the northern desert and engaging in a decisive battle with the Huns.

Moreover, Lu Bode, Li Ling and others were actually preparing for the decisive battle. Some border counties had gathered troops, and the preparations for this war had already been carried out in full swing.

It is not impossible to stop, but it means that the early preparations of the Han Dynasty have become useless. This is definitely unacceptable to Liu Che, and many soldiers will also have great opinions.

Liu Che's voice became even more severe. "Xian'er, you have always wanted to fight the Xiongnu. Why do you think it is easier to fight those small countries after fighting Dayuan and the Western Regions in recent years? Are you unwilling to fight the Xiongnu?"

Huo Xian retorted unhappily, "Your Majesty, what else can I do if I don't fight the Huns? I just want to fight the Huns. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will feel that my death is worthy. However, I just want to destroy the Huns in one go!"

"Destroy the Xiongnu in one go?" Liu Che's voice became louder. "I have prepared an army of 100,000 for you, all of them are elite soldiers. Even if the country is in trouble and the people are in need, I will still support you like this. Isn't this enough?"

Huo Xian was not frightened by the emperor, and he said loudly, "Your Majesty, I don't want to kill 50,000 or 100,000 Xiongnu in one battle, and I don't want to capture the Xiongnu Chanyu as a captive. I want to kill them until their country is destroyed and their race is exterminated. I want to kill them until all the people in Mobei become Han territory! Your Majesty, are 100,000 people enough?"

When Huo Xian quarreled with the emperor again, Huo Guang and others were very worried, thinking that Marquis Guanjun would definitely anger His Majesty.

Even if Your Majesty does not severely punish Huo Shan, he will vent his anger on these innocent ministers, who are already trembling with fear.

But now, this champion marquis really made shocking remarks, his tone was really big, and his ambitions were even something that no one had ever dared to think about before!
Defeating the Huns and killing tens of thousands of them was considered a great achievement by many Han army generals.

If one could inflict severe damage to the Huns in a strategic decisive battle like General Wei Qing and Marquis Jinghuan Huo Qubing did, that would be an unprecedented achievement and almost impossible to surpass.

But if you look at it now, there is someone who is even bolder and more ambitious, even to the point of being unrealistic and wishful thinking. These are some things that have never been heard of.

It was not difficult for some Han army generals to defeat the Huns in one or two encounters.

Some Han army soldiers also have confidence and expectations that a strategic decisive battle will defeat the Huns and continuously weaken this mortal enemy.

But to say that the Huns were completely killed was unthinkable. To completely annihilate the entire Huns was just a fantasy!

Looking at Huo Shan's burning eyes, Liu Che didn't think Huo Shan was joking at all. This kid really wanted to completely destroy the Huns!
"You are ambitious. I also want to completely destroy the Xiongnu. How easy is that!" Liu Che was a little annoyed. He was also trying to comfort Huo Shan. "Shan'er, the court doesn't have much spare energy now. Let's defeat the Xiongnu first, and then we can take our time!"

Liu Che had no problem thinking this way. He felt that fighting the Huns was an urgent matter. The Huns were now recovering in strength. Although they were still far from their peak, they could not be underestimated.

If the Huns were allowed to continue recovering, something unexpected might happen.

Seizing the opportunity to cripple the Huns and continuously weaken them is the effective way.

Huo Xian naturally understood this truth. "So I am worried now. If we defeat the Xiongnu next year, it will be difficult to completely destroy them in the future."

Liu Che suddenly laughed, "I think so too. After you defeat the Xiongnu next year, they will be even more panicked and disunited. Then we can win over those who need to be won over and suppress those who need to be suppressed. Sooner or later, we will be able to destroy them."

There does seem to be nothing wrong with saying this. It does not necessarily mean that we should make friends with distant people and attack nearby ones, or divide and disintegrate the Huns when they are relatively strong now. We can also say that they will continue to weaken and then continue to divide.

There is actually no big problem in adjusting the order. As long as we keep moving forward, there is still a great chance of winning a great victory in the end and completely destroying the Huns.

These are just some things in terms of timing, and not necessarily all things have to be resolved at once next year.

Huo Xian naturally understood this and said, "Your Majesty, I am not saying that I want to fight the Xiongnu in a few years. I also think that the next two or three years is the best time to fight the Xiongnu."

Liu Che nodded. The reason he was unwilling to drag it out was that he believed that the internal political situation of the Xiongnu was unstable and this was the best time for the Han Dynasty to take action.

If it really drags on for a few years, if Er Chanyu grows up, or if a capable person appears in the Xiongnu to unify many forces, the Han Dynasty will miss the opportunity and it will be too late to regret.

"Your Majesty, how about we win over one or two small tribes now?" Huo Xian asked tentatively, "How about we prepare for the war while continuing to weaken and divide them? How about we do this on a two-pronged approach?"

Liu Che thought about it carefully and said, "This is a good idea. This way, when you go to fight the Huns, you will surely win a great victory."

It is definitely not a bad thing to make more preparations. As long as the Xiongnu can be defeated, the Han Dynasty can do more preliminary preparations, which is also very worthwhile. (End of this chapter)