Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 68: It’s not easy to be the prince

Shanglinyuan was no stranger to Huo Xian. He had been here many times for training troops and hunting.

However, I cannot say that I know it completely, as some places are relatively rarely visited, such as Bowangyuan.

Huo Xian, who seemed to be late, strode into the palace with his head held high, surrounded by four generals.

Shi De, the son of Prime Minister Shi Qing, was naturally responsible for the reception. He was the Prince's Tutor.

Shi De introduced several people of some status one by one, but none of them were particularly important.

Huo Xian frowned slightly and asked, "According to the official system, there should be a Zhanshi. I have never seen the Prince's Chief Guard, the Household Secretary, or the Guard Commander before. What's the reason?"

Shi De said somewhat awkwardly, "Your Excellency is lacking. The imperial court used troops before and transferred the guards and the central shields."

The Wei-Lüe was the commander of the prince's guards, the Zhong-Dun was the prince's inner guards, the Jia-Ling-Cheng was in charge of the prince's financial affairs, and the Shu-Geng was in charge of timekeeping and the prince's prisons.

Shi De whispered, "The only officials now are the servants who are in charge of traveling and the chief cook who is in charge of the prince's meals and stable horses."

If the prince had a guard, Liu Ju also had one, but he was transferred away.

Most of these matters still depend on the emperor's wishes, so even if troops and guards are deployed, the prince may not be able to mobilize them because they are the court's troops.

"Go and heat up a pot of wine." Huo Xian looked at Han Yunniang and said, "Find me some dried fruits."

Shi De immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there are dried lychees and longans. This year, when you went to war, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince specially had people pick a lot of fruits from the Fuli Palace and dry them for you to enjoy."

Shanglinyuan planted longan, lychee, betel nut, olive, citrus and other fruits. The output of these fruits was not as high as that of Guangdong and Guangxi, but they were not completely unsuitable for the local climate and soil during the Western Han Dynasty.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is so kind!" Huo Xian said with a smile, and then said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince hasn't come yet, let those who are interested in joining the army come over and let me see them."

It was no secret that Huo Xian loved food and was greedy. If there were no fresh fruits, he would eat dried fruits, which was not difficult for wealthy people.

Hearing Huo Xian's arrangement, Shi De was also excited. The news that the Marquis of Guanjun had come to Bowang Garden had already been released. Not to mention the prince's retainers, even those who were not his retainers now wanted to come to Bowang Garden.

Previously, the prince's retainer Tan Jie had already joined the Northern Army. This time he followed the general into the battle, and he should be able to get a higher position when he returns.

Huo Xian was lying lazily on the couch while Han Yunniang was massaging his shoulders. A dozen young men came forward and bowed respectfully, and they did not think that Huo Xian was being rude.

Huo Xian looked at these people and pointed at two of them, "Have you ever seen blood?"

One of them immediately stepped forward and said, "My Lord, someone once insulted my teacher, and I killed him out of anger!"

This is a matter of pride. In today's times, if someone insults their elders, the younger generation will retaliate. This is not a shameful thing, it is a good thing.

Huo Xian smiled and asked, "What if that person's descendants come to seek revenge? How will you deal with it?"

The man answered confidently, "If you come to take revenge, I will kill you! If I am killed, my descendants will take revenge!"

Look at it, it seems like this cycle of revenge will never end, it's almost becoming a lifelong feud.

But no one present thought there was anything wrong with this view, and this view is also the mainstream view today.

Huo Xian looked at the other person and asked, "How did you kill him?"

The young man said, "My Lord, I have served in the army and killed bandits."

Huo Xian did not comment, and then said, "See, you are either carrying bows or swords, show your strengths, I want to see the skills of the prince's followers."

Those who wanted to join the army and make military achievements were naturally excited, but some people were anxious. Many scholars in the Western Han Dynasty also wanted to make military achievements. They were not weak scholars, but were capable of both literature and martial arts.

They also have self-knowledge and know that their martial arts are not worth mentioning in front of the high-minded champion marquis. They originally wanted to talk about their ambitions and their views on the current situation.

But now Guan Junhou doesn't have the heart to pay attention to it, he just wants to watch people perform martial arts!

It doesn't matter if the Marquis of Guanjun doesn't go to the court or participate in government affairs, he will go there naturally in a few years. And everyone knows that this Marquis is deeply trusted by His Majesty. If he recommends him, he can really rise to the top and become a minister in the court.

Although it is early winter, it does not stop these aspiring people from showing their bravery.

The elegant Liu Ju led some people over and said, "You don't need to bow. It's a rare opportunity for the Champion Marquis to test you. You must perform well."

After hearing Liu Ju's words, his followers became even more excited. Becoming the prince's followers and being appreciated by Marquis Guanjun was the best step to rise to the top.

"Most of them are knights-errant, and one of them is brave." Huo Xian whispered to Liu Chuan, "If he doesn't change his knight-errant habits, it will be bad if he joins the army."

Liu Ju could also understand what Huo Shan meant. Personal bravery seemed to be consistent with joining the army. However, some people were chivalrous and disobeyed discipline and military orders. They relied on their bravery to look down on everyone. They were definitely not qualified soldiers. Both Wei Qing and Huo Shan liked soldiers with strict discipline.

Personal bravery is of course useful, and everyone likes a soldier king. However, on the battlefield, soldiers with strict discipline are more reliable.

"It doesn't matter whether you like me or not, just come here." Liu Ju understood and said with a smile, "You come here with great fanfare and test my followers. If it gets out, there will definitely be people who are interested in joining me. But if you do this, will His Majesty punish you?"

Huo Xian smiled and said, "If I don't want anyone to go to the Southern Army, your majesty won't punish me."

Huo Xian continued to ask, "I heard that Tan Jie had made some contributions before?"

Liu Ju said with great satisfaction, "It is also thanks to the support of the general and you that he fought bravely this time and beheaded 130 people with his troops!"

"That's fine. He can rise from a garrison commander of 50 men to a military officer of 500 men, and he can lead a song." Huo Xian said with a smile, "After returning to Chang'an, he can lead a song in the Northern Army. If he is allowed to stay at the border, he can become a lieutenant. What do you think, uncle?"

Liu Ju was surprised and happy, but also worried. "It would be best if I could become a school lieutenant, but what do you think, Your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, you won't pay attention to a small frontier lieutenant." Huo Xian said, "My cousin Wei Kang will definitely go to the frontier next year, so let Tan Jie stay there. I may have to send troops to fight the Xiongnu again someday, so staying there will naturally be beneficial and I can make new contributions."

Liu Ju said, "I don't understand much about military affairs, just make the arrangements as you see fit."

Liu Ju was not completely confused, but he knew better who was working for his own good!
Liu Ju lowered his voice and said, "Li Guangli was defeated at Yucheng City, with many casualties. He had already led his troops back to Dunhuang, and only one-tenth of his soldiers were left."

There were 6,000 cavalrymen from vassal states and tens of thousands of rangers and other followers, but this time they failed to capture Dayuan in one fell swoop. Instead, they suffered heavy losses. Li Guangli could be said to have become famous in one battle.

Zhao Po Nu's 700 cavalrymen defeated Loulan. Although Dayuan was much stronger than Loulan, Li Guangli fought very poorly in this battle.

Liu Ju continued, "He submitted a memorial, wanting to withdraw and ask His Majesty to send him more troops. His Majesty was furious and sent messengers to guard Yumen Pass, saying that anyone who dared to enter the pass would be killed immediately! Li Guangli is now afraid and has stationed troops in Dunhuang!"

In fact, when Liu Ju learned about these things, he felt very complicated.

More than 10,000 soldiers died on the way to attack Dayuan, but as the crown prince, he absolutely did not want to see Li Guangli achieve success and become a new upstart who could balance Wei and Huo.

In particular, Madam Li is deeply favored by the emperor and has now given birth to a child.

Even though Liu Ju's position remains stable, he has to think long-term.

Liu Ju also admired him very much in his heart, because before Huo Xian went to the expedition against the Huns, he was very sure that Li Guangli would be defeated and would be defeated miserably.

He had previously reminded His Majesty not to mention stopping the war in front of His Majesty, and after returning triumphantly, he began planning to replace Li Guangli to attack Dayuan next year.

The champion marquis taught by my father is indeed amazing!

Huo Xian understood what he meant and said, "Your Majesty doesn't allow my cousin to participate too much in political affairs, so my cousin pretends not to know about Li Guangli. I am the General of Cavalry, and no one can say anything if I go to argue about this matter."

Liu Ju asked with concern, "Do you really not need me to find someone to help you boost your momentum?"

"Uncle, first find a way to get the rate guards and the middle shields together." Huo Xian rubbed salt into Liu Ju's wounds, "It's a good thing that the general of the cavalry wants to go and ask for a fight, but Your Majesty will definitely not be happy that the crown prince is trying to boost the general's morale. We all know why Your Majesty chose Li Guangli."

Liu Ju did not refute, as he understood the actual situation.

Seeing Han Yunniang standing quietly and obediently, Liu Ju knew what was going on. It seemed that Liangdi should be allowed to move around more. This woman must have been loved by Shan'er, who took her with him wherever he went and was very close to her.

This is no longer an ordinary maid, nor can she simply be treated as a concubine.

At present, there is no mistress in the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion, so Han Yunniang can be considered to have a high status.

"You'd better enter the palace in two days. Don't wait until the ten-day rest period is over before entering the palace." Liu Ju couldn't help but nag, "Don't talk about me. Even other ministers don't want His Majesty to remember them. But you are the one who refuses to enter the palace!"

"It's easy for me to enter the palace, but it's hard to leave!" Huo Xian said bitterly, "Your Majesty is furious now, and if I enter the palace, I will definitely be pissed off!"

Liu Ju had even less to say. If the emperor took his anger out on other ministers, it would be normal for him to be dismissed from office or even imprisoned.

The "venting of anger" that Huo Xian mentioned was basically just a few mild scoldings from the emperor.

If Huo Xian is really scolded to death, he will dare to talk back!

"His Majesty has been nagging you for the past two days. His Majesty is angry now. Go and persuade him." Liu Ju said earnestly, "You are the only one who can persuade him at this time. No one else can."

This is not Liu Ju's "elevation" of Huo Xian, but many people have seen that the emperor's anger subsided after Huo Xian's jokes. Even Liu Ju envied this knowledge and this favor.

Huo Xian thought about it carefully and said, "If I don't go now, I will have fewer opportunities to attack Dayuan next year. I have to go. I will go to the palace tomorrow! If I hide for a few more days, I will be scolded even more miserably!"

(End of this chapter)