Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

With Liu Che and Wei Qing arranging some things, Huo Shan could naturally relax and seemed not to have to worry too much.

Apart from other things, Liu Che's unique vision in strategy is admirable. And Wei Qing, needless to say, is one of the best in history in leading large troops in battle.

Huo Shan was self-aware. Both Liu Che and Wei Qing had outstanding abilities, which Huo Shan was far superior to in many aspects.

Since this is the situation, the natural thing is to learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses. Huo Xian can accept this without any psychological pressure.

Although Wei Qing was now somewhat weak and indeed no longer able to command thousands of troops to kill the enemy, he had imagined the decisive battle with the Huns countless times in his mind.

Even now that he almost no longer cares about some military affairs, he is basically constantly simulating the decisive battle with the Huns, and many of the plans in his mind are about to be implemented step by step.

Although Liu Che loved pleasure and pursued immortality, he would become very excited and completely focused when talking about things like war.

For Liu Che, his biggest regret was that as an emperor, it was almost impossible for him to lead the army in person, and his military tactics and strategies were almost useless.

Fortunately, there was Huo Qubing in the past and Huo Shan now, which also made Liu Che feel that his ambitions could be realized on the battlefield.

Wei Qing looked at Liu Che and asked, "Your Majesty, has the selection of the commander been decided now?"

Liu Che smiled and said, "Of course. Now we have decided to send three armies. Shan'er will definitely be the commander of the central army. The other two armies should also share the pressure with Shan'er."

There is definitely no problem with this statement. Whether it is Li Guangli or Zhao Po Nu, they will lead a large army. They may encounter the main force of the Huns, and their combat mission will also be very arduous.

But the real main force is definitely Huo Xian, there is no doubt about this at all, and most people with a discerning eye know this.

Huo Xian interrupted at this time and said, "Your Majesty, General, I was given 100,000 troops, right? If there is a little less, we will definitely not have enough manpower for the decisive battle."

Liu Che said unhappily, "One hundred thousand troops, this is the number you asked for. Can you command them?"

"Why not?" Huo Xian said unconvincedly, "This was my first time to go on an expedition with the general, so I have seen it before. When we went to fight Dayuan, there were tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and the number of soldiers going to the Western Regions was even greater!"

Hearing what Huo Shan said, smiles appeared on Liu Che and Wei Qing's faces. They did not think Huo Shan was bragging, but understood that Huo Shan really had such ability.

This is really not easy. Being able to lead tens of thousands of soldiers and horses on a journey of thousands of miles is an extremely difficult task in itself, not to mention having to fight continuously during this period and being able to achieve a great victory at a relatively small cost.

Being able to do all these basically means that he has the potential to be a good general, and Huo Xian's performance obviously exceeded some of their expectations.

Of course, there are some shortcomings. Huo Xian is a bit rigid and lacks agility in fighting. Many times he has to set goals before completing them step by step.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Whether it was Liu Che or Wei Qing, they both hoped that Huo Shan could surpass their teacher and surpass Huo Qubing. Even the military tactics taught by Liu Che were almost the same.

But it is obvious that the understanding of tactics varies from person to person, and there are still significant differences in the combat styles of Huo Xian and Huo Qubing.

Fortunately, Huo Xian had many merits in fighting wars. The first was stability. The second was trying to gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost, even resorting to some unscrupulous means.

After all, bombing other people's cities, plundering the enemy's food and grass, etc., these are things that Huo Xian can do, but Wei Qing and Huo Qubing cannot do. In the eyes of some people, this is almost against the harmony of nature.

Liu Che smiled and said, "It is definitely not difficult to give you 100,000 troops, but I still need to discuss the deployment of troops with you."

Huo Xian also understood this and said, "The number of cavalry is not enough, right? The army led by Marquis Xuye needs at least 20,000 cavalry, and Li Guangli also needs at least 10,000 cavalry, otherwise they will probably be wiped out."

Liu Che nodded and said, "There have been many wars in recent years. Even if you brought back a lot of horses and horse slaves from Dayuan and the Western Regions, it is still not enough."

Whether it is Ma Sanjian or the continuous reproduction of the Ferghana horses brought back from Dayuan, this does indeed make the current Han Dynasty have more war horses than the Han Dynasty of the same period in history.

But in the final analysis, even these supplements are just a drop in the bucket compared to the increasingly impoverished finances of the Han Dynasty, and are still not enough.

"I have to take all the heavy cavalry with me." Huo Xian put forward his conditions and said, "Now there are only more than 3,000 armored cavalry in total. These cannot be distributed to others. I still need to charge into the battle when the time comes."

"No!" Wei Qing was the first to get anxious. "Shan'er, you are a general, you should be in charge of the central army, why do you like to charge into battle so much?"

Liu Che was both proud and troubled. It was no secret that Huo Shan liked to charge into battle. Whenever he went to war, he basically led the charge and always wore heavy armor to fight the enemy.

During the first expedition, he rushed into the siege to rescue Zhao Po Nu, but he didn't play much role during the second battle against Dayuan. However, during the war in the Western Regions, he also fought hand-to-hand with the Right Xianwang of the Xiongnu.

Among so many generals and officers of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing and Huo Shan, father and son, were truly of the same lineage. They would feel uncomfortable if they did not charge into battle or kill the enemy personally. This was also what Emperor Liu Che taught them.

But as a general and a leading commander, how could he easily charge into the enemy line? It was such a dangerous thing. Moreover, whenever Huo Xian went on an expedition, he would basically get injured, all because of charging into the enemy line.

Liu Che also sternly warned, "You are not allowed to charge this time. Just have Zhao Anguo and Zhao Congxiao, and you can just command the troops."

Huo Xian wanted to refute, but suddenly he kept silent. If he brought it up now, he would definitely be criticized. This was simply asking for trouble, and it was really not worth it.

Seeing that Huo Shan did not retort, Liu Che and Wei Qing did not feel relieved, but instead felt a little worried.

The reason was actually very simple, it was because they knew Huo Xian too well. He didn't talk back now, just because he knew that if he talked back now, he would be scolded even more severely, so he would definitely not do such a thing.

If he really goes to war, there will be no one to restrain him. When he finds the opportunity to charge, will anyone be able to stop him?

Let's charge first. At worst, he will be scolded after his victory. Even if he is scolded at that time, he can still confidently give a lot of reasons why he must charge. Huo Xian said at this time, "Your Majesty, we can actually try to get the Western Regions to send troops to help us, even if it's just a few hundred soldiers and horses."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qing also said, "Your Majesty, I think what the Marquis of Guanjun said makes sense. The more troops we have, the greater our advantage will be."

"I don't know what choice Wusun will make this time." Liu Che sighed and said, "The other small countries in the Western Regions have sent out less than 5,000 soldiers in total. If Wusun sends out troops, it will have more than 10,000 soldiers."

It is unrealistic to expect the countries in the Western Regions to fight the Huns with the whole country's strength, but if they can gather 5,000 cavalry, even if they seem to be a bit of a motley crowd, it doesn't matter much.

In the final analysis, in a war of this scale, 5,000 soldiers may not seem like a lot, but if they are just allowed to fight in favorable battles, they can still play a significant role and reduce the losses of the Han army.

As for whether Wusun would send troops, it is actually very difficult to say. In fact, Liu Che, Huo Shan and others were not optimistic about Wusun sending troops.

The Great Yuezhi had a feud with the Wusun, and this mortal enemy had basically been completely destroyed. Even the restoration of the Wusun was completed with the help of the Xiongnu.

The Wusun people were originally more inclined towards the Xiongnu, and now that the Han Dynasty's influence in the Western Regions is constantly expanding, the Wusun must have a sense of crisis, and perhaps they now also have a feeling of being in the same boat.

In the past, the Wusun wanted to remain neutral between the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty, hoping that these two powerful regimes would compete to win them over so that they could profit from it.

But it’s hard to say now. After the Xiongnu was destroyed, Wusun might feel that their good days were completely over.

Wei Qing said at this time, "Don't count on Wusun. If the Western Regions send troops, it is better to let Haixi Hou lead them. I think this is more appropriate."

Huo Xian also nodded and said, "Li Guangli has a rather fierce reputation in the Western Regions and is quite familiar with the region. If he were to lead the troops of the Western Regions, there shouldn't be too much chaos."

Li Guangli fought two battles, both of which were basically related to the forces in the Western Regions. In addition, with the reputation of destroying Luntai, the countries in the Western Regions would definitely need to think twice.

Liu Che nodded slightly and said, "That's good. We can transfer 5,000 cavalry to Xian'er. But if Li Guangli's troops encounter the Right Wise King, I'm afraid they will have a hard time lasting."

"Hold him back. I don't think Li Guangli can destroy the Right Wise King." Huo Xian said directly, "They have more bows, crossbows and arrows. Just hold the Right Wise King back and don't let them go to help the Xiongnu Chanyu."

Liu Che understood what Huo Xian meant. "Do you want to destroy the Xiongnu Chanyu's headquarters and the Xiongnu Zuo Xian Wang's troops in one go, and then attack You Xian Wang?"

Huo Xian nodded and said, "I have this idea. The Xiongnu Chanyu has been fighting for power in recent years. Needless to say, the Left Wise King is also fighting endlessly. On the contrary, the Right Wise King is relatively stable now."

This is the good foundation in the early stage. The top leaders of the Han Dynasty are stable, while the Xiongnu has not had any stability in recent years, so it is difficult for them to work together.

"Xian'er, your arrangement is correct. We are now worried that the Xiongnu will want to avoid the battle." Wei Qing approved of Huo Xian's battle strategy. "If the Marquis of Haixi can hold back the Right Wise King, it will be difficult for the Xiongnu to find an equal opponent."

Isn't that the truth? The Right Wise King has no way to come to the rescue of the royal court. Even if the Han army goes deep into the grassland, it can still gain an advantage in terms of military strength, and naturally it will take the initiative.

In fact, everyone knows that in the early years, the Huns were strong in both men and horses, and the cavalry of the Han army was not as strong as that of the Huns.

However, after the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing and the decisive battle in Mobei, the Xiongnu's advantage in cavalry was almost wiped out, while the Han army's advantages in weaponry and quality of troops had long been apparent.

Now if we add some advantages in military strength, our chances of winning will obviously be greater.

Of course, everyone understands that having an advantage in military strength does not mean absolute initiative. If the advantage in military strength is to be transformed into victory on the battlefield, it will test the level and ability of the general.

"So we have to choose spring to start the war, otherwise the Xiongnu will really run away." Huo Xian said worriedly, "Autumn is obviously not suitable, because the Xiongnu horses are fat and strong at that time."

Liu Che nodded. Autumn is the time when the Huns are most powerful. After all, it is in autumn that the Huns' horses are well fed and have enough nutrition.

"We need to prepare some silage. Fortunately, our war horses have been quite good in the past two years." Liu Che nodded and said with a smile, "The war will start in the spring, and the Xiongnu's horses will be weak, so they will have to fight."

The war horses were weak and could not run too far, while the Han army's war horses were relatively well-nourished and had strong horsepower. If the Huns continued to flee northward, they would lose their pastures and would have no living space.

In the spring, we advanced deep into the northern desert and reached the core area of ​​the Huns, forcing the Huns to fight a decisive battle.

"But if this happens, Xian'er will have to prepare more things to keep warm." Wei Qing said with some concern, "If this happens, I'm afraid the Right Wise King won't send out troops in the winter."

Huo Xian also nodded repeatedly, "If we send troops in the spring, the Xiongnu will definitely not be able to react in time. But in this autumn and winter, we can pretend to attack and scare the Xiongnu for a while."

Wei Qing probably understood what Huo Xian meant. "Are you asking them to hastily gather their troops, making it impossible for them to harvest grass in peace, and making their winter even more miserable?"

It was still a strategy of gaining while losing, or he was planning to further deplete the fighting power of the Huns. This was what Huo Xian wanted to do.

Seeing Huo Xian nod, Liu Che said, "It's a good idea to do this, but we also have to be on guard against the Xiongnu who might take advantage of the situation and march south. Then we might be in a passive position."

This possibility certainly exists. After all, the Huns hurriedly gathered their troops on the grassland and found that it was a false alarm. Maybe they were angry, or they thought that the thieves would not leave empty-handed, so they marched south.

These are all possible things that could happen. If this were the case, the Han army's preparations for a full-scale decisive battle might not be truly complete.

"Then we should think of a way to make the Xiongnu run around in a hurry, but make them afraid to really go south." Huo Xian said, "The weaker the Xiongnu are, the greater our chances of winning in the decisive battle next year."

Everyone understands the truth, but it is definitely not an easy thing to do. (End of this chapter)