Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 40: Civil strife among the Xiongnu?

When Li Guangli and other officers who went to attack Dayuan left, or some lower-ranking captains left, the Xuan Room was filled with senior generals, and Huo Shan could barely be counted as one.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and warned him, "I know you have always looked down on Li Guangli. You must not speak nonsense about him leading the army to attack Dayuan. If you say one more word, I will immediately arrest you!"

Huo Xian muttered, "I didn't say I wouldn't attack Dayuan. I just thought that other people would be fine."

Zhao Po Nu, Gongsun He and others immediately lowered their heads and dared not speak, while Wei Qing was very anxious.

"Give him 6,000 cavalrymen from subordinate states and tens of thousands of infantrymen, and he still can't conquer small Dayuan?" Liu Che was furious, pointing at Huo Xian and said, "You are becoming more and more presumptuous and have no rules!"

Huo Xian could tell whether the emperor was really angry or just pretending to be angry, so he was not panicked.

Huo Xian continued to mutter, "He has never led troops."

"There are other officers, and he has also read the Art of War!" Liu Che was so angry that he was about to explode. After a long time, he said cruelly, "I will find you a wife in a few days, and you will be able to do whatever you want!"

Wei Qing's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise, it's time for the Marquis of Guanjun to get married."

Gongsun He also quickly agreed, "Your Majesty, I think it's time for the Champion Marquis to marry. I dare to find a daughter from a good family to marry the Champion Marquis."

Gongsun Ao, as an old friend of Wei Qing, has a rather slippery personality. "Your Majesty, I thought that the Marquis of Guanjun should marry before he goes to war!"

Huo Xian was anxious and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, a real man should have a wife. The Xiongnu has not been destroyed yet, how can I violate the family teachings!"

"Which is more important, the family motto or my will?" Seeing Huo Xian's anxious look, Liu Che's anger disappeared. "You are either thinking about fighting or hunting. I also heard that you want to raise a few hunting dogs? You are already this old, and you haven't married yet. If you are not anxious, others will be!"

Huo Xian didn't want to get married. In fact, many people around him knew about it. He would run away when people mentioned it, and would just make jokes and act unreasonable.

But it's hard to say too much now, because he can get married at his age, but it's not too late or considered treasonous if he doesn't get married.

Liu Che had stopped Huo Xian from "attacking" Li Guangli. In fact, anyone with a discerning eye knew why Li Guangli went to attack Dayuan. He simply thought that Dayuan was a small country and Li Guangli would surely succeed immediately.

By then, if Li Guangli is successfully granted the title of marquis, everyone will be happy except Wei Huo.

"This time I'm asking you to fight the Xiongnu, this is a big deal." Liu Che said seriously, "In the year of Fengshan, I led you to fight in person, do you remember that?"

Huo Xian nodded, "There are 180,000 soldiers and the Chanyu is hiding in the northern desert and dare not fight."

Liu Che nodded with satisfaction and said, "The Xiongnu have fled far away, and there is no royal court south of the desert. This Yizhixie has been dead for ten years."

Huo Xian immediately reacted and said, "Then when we patrolled the north to intimidate the Xiongnu, were we intimidating the son of Yizhixie?"

Wei Qing helped to explain, "It was Yizhixie's eldest son Wuwei. He sent envoys to ask for marriage repeatedly, but the court refused. He died the year before last, and his eldest son Wushilu succeeded him. This man likes to kill people, and the people of the country are uneasy."

Huo Xian vaguely realized something, and Wei Qing continued, "The Left Grand Commandant sent someone to sneak into the Han Dynasty to kill Wu Shilu and ask for his surrender."

Huo Xian suddenly understood that if this thing was really accomplished, civil strife among the Xiongnu would be inevitable.

According to the power structure of the Xiongnu, the most powerful person was naturally the Chanyu.

Zuo Xian Wang, Zuo Guli Wang, You Xian Wang, You Guli Wang, also known as "Hu Yu", all of them have the opportunity to become the successor of Chanyu.

And the Left Grand Commandant we are talking about now also has the opportunity to become Chanyu.

The Xiongnu military system was "Ten Thousand Cavalry", and the 80,000 troops of Zuo Xian Wang should also be in units of Ten Thousand Cavalry. The left and right generals, the left and right great commanders, and the left and right great lords were all Ten Thousand Cavalry Captains. These Ten Thousand Cavalry Captains had a minimum of several thousand soldiers and horses, and a maximum of twenty or thirty thousand.

As for Prince Xiutu of King Jin Midi, or King Hunxie and so on, they are all "famous kings" and leaders of various tribes.

If the left commander of a Chanyu surrendered to the Han Dynasty, his achievement would be no less than that of King Hunye who surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

The position of Left Grand Commandant was originally a position only held by Xiongnu nobles.

In the Han Dynasty, that would be a high-ranking general or marquis who holds real power. Moreover, he is a relative of the emperor. It is impossible not to care about such influence.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and asked, "Would you rather fight Dayuan or the Xiongnu?"

Huo Xian immediately said in a flattering tone, "Xiongnu, Xiongnu."

In fact, everyone knows that Huo Xian was trained to fight against the Xiongnu. If Huo Xian was used to fight against Dayuan, it would be like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken. At this stage, when Huo Xian has not yet "failed", he should be regarded as the absolute main force in attacking the Xiongnu.

"The first purpose of this dispatch is to support the Left Grand Commandant." Liu Che said immediately without joking, "Secondly, we are waiting for an opportunity. If there is civil unrest in the Xiongnu, we will dispatch troops immediately."

No one thought there was a problem, and it was their duty to support the Left Grand Commandant.

Now let Gongsun Ao build the Surrender City. This is also the condition agreed upon between the Han Dynasty and the Left Grand Commandant of the Xiongnu.

If the surrender was successful, those troops would be placed in the Surrender City, which would become an outpost for the Han Dynasty to detect the movements of the Huns at the foot of the Altai Mountains and further control the south of the desert.

If this was a false surrender, or if it caused internal strife among the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty would take advantage of the situation and send troops to attack the Xiongnu again to expand the victory and continue to weaken the Xiongnu.

Liu Che said, "I can feel at ease knowing that you are under the command of the general. When you are on the expedition, you must obey the general's orders."

Huo Xian said solemnly, "Your Majesty, although I am stubborn, I would not dare to disobey military orders even if I were bold."

Liu Che also believed this. No matter how dissolute and arrogant Huo Shan was, he was not confused about important matters.

"This time I will give you 30,000 cavalry and 50,000 infantry." Liu Che looked at Wei Qing and said seriously, "I am relieved that the general is leading the troops."

Looking at Gongsun He, Gongsun Ao and others who were in high spirits, and then looking at Zhao Po Nu who was very excited, Huo Xian suddenly began to worry.

This battle is very likely the one in history in which Zhao Po Nu's 20,000-man army was completely wiped out and he himself was captured.

In other words, some of the current subordinates and arrangements are likely to go wrong.

However, there will be great changes, because the one leading the troops this time is Wei Qing!
Worried, Huo Xian felt that he needed to make more preparations, as this war would not be so smooth.

Liu Che looked at Chuntuo and said, "Go get weapons and armor."

A moment later Chuntuo came over with a few guards, equipped with spears, armor, ring-handled swords, exquisite saddles, etc.

"This is your first battle. Don't let me down." Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and said, "Most of your troops have two or three horses each. You should also carefully look for some horses and soldiers these days. I will give you everything you need."

Huo Xian had too many armors and other items, some of which he made himself, and some of which were awarded by the emperor, the general, the crown prince, and the empress. He could not wear them all.

"Your Majesty, I want Pegasus!" Huo Xian said, "I will go and pick two horses, especially the white horse that I often ride. I want to take it with me."

Wusun horses, Huo Xian's mounts were all Wusun horses.

Liu Che said without hesitation, "Okay, go and lead it yourself."

"I'll ask around and find some guides." Huo Xian said, "I won't count them as part of my 800 cavalry. I'll need to find some Xiongnu guides and veterinarians."

Liu Che nodded with a smile, "Okay."

"I also need to go and select some weapons. My horses have been very good at training these days, so I'll change them." Huo Xian continued to make a big request, saying, "I'll select two thousand horses!"

A staff of 800 people requires 2,000 horses, and Huo Xian dared to ask for such a high price.

But Liu Che was not unhappy, and said, "Two thousand horses are not enough. Most of your troops have heavy armor, and each man has three horses. Your group has twenty, and I will also give you horses, armor, and weapons, and let them choose the best and most suitable ones."

Huo Xian didn't understand, so he explained, "Your Majesty, I only have ten personal guards."

Wei Qing coughed and said, "Twenty people. When Qu Bing went to war, he was always accompanied by twenty personal guards."

Gongsun He also quickly spoke up, "Marquis Guanjun, as I remember, there were 20 people!"

The slick Gongsun Ao said hurriedly, "Sometimes I bring thirty people as guards."

Zhao Po Nu refused to be outdone and said, "Sir, the general brought ten cooks with him when he went to war."

All of them lied with open eyes. In order to make Huo Xian feel more at ease and safe, they did not care about "slandering" Huo Qubing.

Liu Che said, "Twenty guards, no less. The general will arrange the rest. You go and get the horses and organize the troops first, and we will set out in three days."

(End of this chapter)