Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 302 Mobilization
War is a common thing for the people of Chang'an. Over the years, they have experienced countless military expeditions.

Naturally, they were accustomed to the army bringing back good news time and time again. Although the Han Dynasty was weak today, the people of Chang'an still felt proud.

All of this was built through one great victory after another. They were accustomed to the court's constant victories and to the enemies surrendering one after another.

The Han soldiers were accustomed to this and had already made preparations. All they had to do now was to start marching northward.

It’s just that the time when the army set out this time was a little unexpected, but that’s not a big deal. Sometimes soldiers just don’t have any choice.

If we defeat the Huns, perhaps we can relax a little more in the future, and we can probably reduce the frequency of wars.

Many soldiers were in high spirits when they went to fight the Huns. Continuous victories were the greatest encouragement to the soldiers. Although they all knew that the battlefield was dangerous, more people still hoped to gain military merit.

This is their opportunity to bring honor to the family, improve their social status, get more rewards, etc.

Even if one can rise from a civilian or ordinary soldier to an official in one breath, these are the temptations that military merit brings to everyone.

So let alone the soldiers, some idle knights, some prisoners who wanted to redeem themselves for their crimes, etc., they all began to prepare for action at this time.

These can also be regarded as a characteristic of the Han Dynasty. Every time the army was dispatched, in addition to some prisoners and laborers mobilized by the court, there were also many rangers who took the initiative to follow the army.

This feeling is somewhat similar to that of the Huns, except that the Huns have an army marching in the front, and behind them may be some herdsmen driving livestock.

In many cases, war is not just about hatred between two sides, it is also about fighting for more rights to survive, more supplies, etc.

Huo Xian looks very calm now. Although the army has started to march out one after another, he, as the commander-in-chief, can still rest in Chang'an for the time being. It is possible to set off again after everything is ready.

He even felt that it might be possible for him to wait until the beginning of spring before heading north. This could be considered a special treatment for a senior general.

However, it is obvious that not all senior generals received the same treatment as Huo Xian. His situation was actually a minority.

In the General's Mansion, Gongsun Ao looked miserable, "Marquis Guanjun, I will go first on this expedition. After we return victorious, I guess An Guo and I will have to lead the army back, right?"

Huo Xian started laughing first, "It seems to be true. When the time comes, I will escort the Xiongnu Chanyu back first, and you will just escort the ordinary Xiongnu people and the captured spoils behind."

For a moment, no one knew how to respond to Huo Xian's shameless words, and no one thought he was exaggerating.

If they really won, it would be most likely that Huo Xian would return first. This was a Grand Marshal who seemed to have not made serious preparations before the war and did not arrange to return to the court after the war. It was extremely rare for a general to achieve such a level.

Gongsun Ao said jokingly, "I'm not worried about your ability to fight, and you don't need to worry too much about leading an army on an expedition. But if we are gone, there will be no one to help you arrange post-war affairs."

"Isn't there An Guo?" Huo Xian pointed at Zhao An Guo and said with a smile, "He has been following you all the time. I think he has some real skills."

Gongsun Ao and Zhao Anguo looked at each other and indeed refreshed their understanding of Huo Shan.

Huo Xian always brought Zhao Anguo with him when he went to war. He was the real deputy general. But every time Huo Xian led the army alone, Gongsun Ao, a great general, would also follow him. Even though he was relatively mediocre in ability, he was experienced.

As a good friend of Wei Qing, Gongsun Ao was actually very stable and had no problem being a deputy general. He was good at assisting Huo Xian in leading troops and arranging some seemingly tedious tasks.

Zhao Anguo smiled and said, "I think Champion Marquis is least afraid of these. As long as he wins, he will definitely find a way to come back first."

"That's right." Huo Xian said proudly, "There are so many officers in the army, and we are happy after a great victory. There is no need to worry too much about many things. I just need to order the army to return."

Wei Qing couldn't help but say, "I'm afraid there's no need for you to give orders. His Majesty will arrange the details of the army's triumphant return."

The others also laughed. Huo Xian was not completely unaware of the army's triumphant return, so he could naturally arrange some things.

However, the fact that he went out to fight three times and came back as soon as the war was over each time, leaving the large army to Gongsun Ao, Zhao Anguo and others was really impressive.

So much so that now one has to doubt whether he can arrange the army's return, after all, this also requires some technical content. Huo Xian seems to be good at leading the army to the battle, but not good at leading the army back.

Huo Xian was not embarrassed. He did not think there was anything wrong with what he did. The most important thing was that there was a reason for it.

It's not that he was giving up or being lazy, but he had the emperor's order, so he had to return to Chang'an first. He was also doing his job in accordance with the emperor's order.

Wei Qing looked at Gongsun Ao and said seriously, "You must make arrangements for the army to spend the winter. Also, make sure the horses don't lose too much weight."

Gongsun Ao nodded and said, "We know all of this. Apart from other things, there are many storage pits along the way, and we have enough fodder with us."

It can only be said that for this war, the Han people started preparing early and understood some key points.

The choice to send out the army now and to launch a real offensive in the spring is to maximize the resources and advantages in the hands of the Han Dynasty.

Ultimately it’s still a question of war horses. Now there is silage in many places in the border counties, and these have been prepared early.

In addition, it does not affect the reserves of hay, etc. All of this is to ensure that the Han army's war horses will not lose too much fat in this winter, and they can still have enough nutrition, etc.

The Han army could do this, but the situation for the Xiongnu was obviously much worse. Even though they were harvesting and storing grass now, the livestock on the grassland would lack fodder and lose weight severely every winter.

The Huns' war horses also eat a lot of food after spring, and by autumn they are really fat and strong.

In spring, the Xiongnu horses are at their weakest. Once the Xiongnu cavalry, which they rely on the most, lose their fighting power, they will not be able to charge fast or escape. The consequences are obvious. Huo Xian smiled and said, "We need to prepare more fodder. We will have strong soldiers and horses. When we get to the grassland and see the skinny horses, we can naturally defeat them."

This is definitely a joke, but it is also partly true.

The Xiongnu's war horses were still better than the Han's overall, but it was not an overwhelming advantage. The Xiongnu people on the grassland seemed to be fierce and barbaric, but they were not big men.

In terms of body size, the people on the grasslands are not at an advantage, but it is not that they eat beef and mutton every day. If their diet was rich and sufficient, they would not have gone south again and again in autumn and winter.

The reason is simply because they know that the tribe's food and grass are not enough to sustain them through the winter, so they can only go south to plunder. These people only want to steal food, women, and slaves from the Han people.

Everyone is aware of many things. Choosing to go on an expedition at this time and officially starting the war after the spring is definitely something the Huns do not want to see, because it will put them under greater pressure.

However, we have to admit that choosing this time period to start the war, even though the Han side seems to be well prepared, the pressure from top to bottom is very high and there will be many inconveniences.

It was nothing more than that the Han people were more resistant to pressure, so they could have a relatively better life. The Xiongnu, on the other hand, could only deal with it passively, and they had no way out at all. That was all!

It is simply impossible to expect both sides to face the upcoming decisive battle in the best condition.

It is true that they ate and drank in the General's Mansion, but having a good gathering and simply discussing the matters that need to be paid attention to after the expedition is another matter.

After all, if a military meeting was really to be held, it would obviously not be held in Wei Qing's residence, but would need to be discussed in Jianzhang Palace with the emperor. This meant a private meeting before the expedition.

There was nothing to be ashamed of. Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao had a very good relationship, which Liu Che knew very well. Gongsun Ao had saved Wei Qing when he was young, and whenever Wei Qing went to war, Gongsun Ao would be his deputy general.

The relationship between these two people is equivalent to that between Huo Qubing and Zhao Po Nu, and similar to that between Huo Shan and Zhao Anguo.

So even though he seemed to be moving around very frequently, there was really nothing to be suspicious about. On the contrary, Gongsun He, who was Wei Qing's brother-in-law, needed to keep a certain distance.

This small gathering in the General's Mansion could be considered a gathering among senior generals, but it was obviously not all, at least not for Huo Xian.

The Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion was now lively, but it was still the same as before. Except for those who were recognized by Huo Xian, no one else could get in, even if they had a certain status or behaved attentively.

There is no need to mention Zhao Anguo, Feng Dan, Zhao Congxiao and other people who came from the army. Even Lei Dian, a descendant of the former Huo Qubing's army, also had the opportunity to come, after all, they also had to follow the expedition.

People like Lei Dian who followed their fathers and brothers to surrender to the Han Dynasty, although they now have the title of marquis, some of them have lost their bravery or control over their former tribes, but they must be taken with them to fight the Huns.

This is a decisive battle in the true sense, which naturally means mobilizing as many available forces as possible without any reservations.

And the captains Han Zeng, Zhang Anshi and Zhao Chongguo who were appreciated by Huo Xian naturally needed to come as well.

This time, the Southern Army and the Northern Army, including a part of the Yulin and Qimen, will go ahead. There is no need for Gongsun Ao and others to go out for the time being. Instead, these captains will lead their troops first.

However, Zhao Anguo, Gongsun Ao and others could not get away with it either. They had already begun to arrange the departure of various troops in a tense and orderly manner. When the main army was basically dispatched, they would naturally take action.

Lei Dian was a little attentive, raised his glass and drank it all, "I followed my grandfather back to Han, but unfortunately I was too young and had no military strategy, so I missed many opportunities. This time I finally got my wish and can follow you to fight!"

It would be fine to just listen to this, but Huo Xian still said, "It's good that you have the intention, and you also have a title. This time you and Zhang Guian go first."

Zhang Gui'an was also a little excited. He had always wanted to regain the title of Marquis of Bowang from his father Zhang Qian, so he was extremely attentive whether he was going to conquer Dayuan or the Western Regions.

It's a pity that he is still only a Guannei Marquis, only one step away from becoming a Marquis. But this seemingly one step away is like a natural chasm for countless people, and it is almost impossible to cross.

For Zhang Gui'an, this decisive battle against the Huns may be his last chance to strive for the title of marquis.

Huo Xian earnestly instructed, "You two should lead the cavalry to prepare for my army to enter the grassland. You should also do these things well."

There is no need to talk about Zhang Gui'an. Although the grassland is not his home ground, he is Zhang Qian's son after all. He followed him on the journey from the Western Regions back to Chang'an. As a guide, he has enough experience.

As for Lei Dian's situation, it was even more direct. Although he followed his father to surrender to the Han Dynasty when he was young, there is no sign of a Hun at all on him now. He looks like a template of the Han nobles.

However, after all, he grew up in the Xiongnu as a teenager, and there are still a few old people around him, and these people are still of sufficient use on the grassland.

Finding some water sources, marching routes, finding out the situation on the Xiongnu side through some channels and methods, etc., this is what Lei Dian, Zhang Gui'an and others should do.

Even though some preliminary preparations have been made, with some guides or spies entering the grassland to collect intelligence, Huo Xian still needs to be more fully prepared.

Huo Xian then looked at Han Zeng and the others, "You guys should pay attention. When you lead the army to the battle, you must strictly enforce military discipline. You must ensure that the soldiers conserve their physical strength and that the horses' horsepower is not depleted."

Han Zeng and the others were all aware of these things. They were about to lead their troops to march out, and they were all excited and nervous, because they all knew what this battle meant.

Fortunately, each of them has fought in battles, and with Huo Xian as their backbone, there is nothing to worry about.

As long as the military orders are carried out well, other matters will naturally be arranged by the Lord of Champions.

There are indeed quite a few things that need to be arranged before going on an expedition, including some necessary mobilization and instructions.

Now Huo Xian is giving instructions to his officers, and it won’t be long before Liu Che and Wei Qing will give instructions to him!

(End of this chapter)