Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 69 Continue to develop
Huo Xian returned to the Weiyang Palace again and went straight to the Xuanshi Hall.

When Liu Che saw Huo Xian, he asked jokingly, "I thought you were so busy making love with your concubine that you forgot to come and see me!"

Huo Xian drove Chuntuo away and helped Liu Che sort out the "memorials".

The memorials in the Han Dynasty were divided into chapters, memorials, memorials, and discussions.

Zouyi, or memorials to the emperor, existed in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the Qin and Han dynasties, the process of submitting official documents was further standardized and began to develop into a legal system.

Some were written on paper, and some were written on bamboo slips.

Huo Xian did not respond and continued to sort out the memorials.

Liu Che threw a bamboo slip on the ground in annoyance, "The one who reported the disaster, there are disasters every year!"

"Our great Han country is vast and rich in resources, so some disasters are normal." Huo Xian said, "If most places are fine, that's fine. If everything is fine, I would find it strange."

Liu Che glanced at Huo Xian and said disdainfully, "If you can't talk, then talk less. It's best if there is no disaster!"

This is of course the most idealistic statement, but Huo Xian knows it is unrealistic.

Liu Che suddenly asked, "General, when you return in a while, I will order Guanglu Xun Xu Ziwei, Wei Kang, Lu Bode and others to go there and build cities, barriers and pavilions outside Wuyuan County and Shuofang County, and then order Guerrilla General Han Shuo to garrison there. What do you think?"

Huo Xian was not surprised at all. He mentioned it when he was going to the expedition, "I think this is a good thing. It can keep the northern border counties peaceful. There is Shoujiang City ahead, and then there is this pass city. If the Xiongnu want to go south, they can only go through Dingxiang and Yunzhong."

According to the plan of Liu Che and Wei Qing, this fortress started from behind the Yin Mountains in the north of Wuyuan County in the east and extended northwest to the Luqu River in the later Mongolian Empire.

Such a "Great Wall" was enough to stop the Huns who wanted to move south.

"I thought you were going to object." Liu Che said with a smile, "According to your personality, you would definitely say to send troops directly to fight the Xiongnu."

Huo Xian said, "I think the best offense is defense, but having more lines of defense is not a bad thing. If the war takes place in the south of the desert, our Han border will be peaceful."

Liu Che actually meant the same thing. What everyone didn't say was that they were worried that future kings wouldn't be able to attack the Xiongnu. Now that they had some advantages, they built a city in the south of the desert. This line of defense could indeed make it more difficult for the Xiongnu to move south.

Liu Che then asked, "You haven't been to the Marquis of Changping's mansion in the past few days?"

"I haven't gone anywhere. I'm just in the mansion." Huo Xian said with a beaming face. "Many people outside wanted to join me, but I blocked them all. It just so happens that I don't have time to deal with them now. How happy it is to recuperate in the mansion!"

Liu Che joked, "You are happy! Not only do you have a beautiful woman to accompany you, but you also spend the whole day thinking about making delicious food!"

Huo Xian was not embarrassed either, because he was greedy, loved food, and liked to enjoy himself.

This is definitely not a bad quality. On the contrary, the emperor does not like those ministers who seem perfect.

Seeing Huo Xian still nodding his head in approval, Liu Che laughed and scolded, "You don't want to fight or train your troops, but only want to eat and drink. Is this what a cavalry general should do?"

Huo Xian immediately said, "I have thought about this too. I used to think that even if the Xiongnu were no match for them, they should have some armor. I went to take a look this time and I plan to buy some more weapons and armor for the Jianzhang Camp Cavalry."

Liu Che immediately became energetic. When talking about fighting, he really didn't feel sleepy or impatient at all.

Liu Che asked quickly, "What's wrong? You have made great contributions this time, but you still have shortcomings?"

"Let's not talk about armor for now. I'm going to add some more heavy cavalry. If I have 500 to 1,000 heavy cavalry, I will definitely dare to charge the Xiongnu's 10,000-man formation!" Huo Xian said immediately, "The Jianzhang Camp cavalry has more heavy armor, which can be used to fight the Xiongnu."

Liu Che naturally agreed with this, but he was still worried, "Just be careful about the baggage. Heavy armor is not flexible and can only charge into the enemy's formation. To use heavy armor well, you need to cooperate with light cavalry. Heavy armor cannot be used alone!"

Huo Xian agreed with this view. Armored cavalry was useful and could win a battle at a critical moment. However, armored cavalry was not flexible enough and had insufficient endurance, which was a realistic problem that could not be avoided.

Therefore, armored cavalry must cooperate with light cavalry and even infantry in combat, and Huo Xian also agreed with this point of view.

Heavy cavalry is still very effective against the Huns, because the Huns are almost all cavalry.

It is not a problem for the Han Dynasty to maintain an elite heavy cavalry, as it is a strategic force.

"Also, as for weapons, I plan to have the heavy cavalry stop riding and shooting, it's a waste!" Huo Xian continued, "The heavy cavalry only needs to break through the formation and kill the enemy, while riding and shooting and chasing the enemy are the responsibilities of the light cavalry. I plan to have these people practice with spears and lances, and they should be longer, as the Xiongnu have thin armor!"

When infantry fights against light cavalry, their effective weapon is the spear, and the infantry spear must be longer than the cavalry halberd, so that they can use the spear to pierce the cavalry's horse's belly and knock it down before the cavalry's weapon can hurt them.

Most cavalrymen hold their spears in their right hands and reins in their left hands. So the length of a weapon held by one hand is naturally limited. Generally, more than three meters is the limit. If it is longer, it will be difficult to hold it steadily.

The horse lance can reach four meters, and is mainly used by heavy cavalry. It requires serious and hard training, and requires sufficient strength. Huo Xian said incessantly, "Even if I am strong, it is still not enough. I plan to modify my lance, and find a way to make the ordinary soldiers use wood. I will add an iron drill to the end, and sharpen some places."

The Shu that Huo Xian is using now is considered to be the predecessor of the mace. However, the lance is also a part of the development of the Shu, and the lance evolved from the spear and the stick.

Liu Che listened carefully and said, "I will call a craftsman for you. See if you can make one that suits your needs."

Although some of the current weapons can be used, Liu Che knows that Huo Shan has a say on what kind of weapons can better demonstrate the power of heavy cavalry.

In fact, Huo Xian also understood that it was unrealistic to let all heavy cavalry use lances because the cost was too high and the training was too difficult.

However, it is also very necessary to upgrade some weapons.

For example, the spear blades needed to be strengthened. During this charge, some cavalrymen's spears were broken or chopped off, because spears were basically made of wood.

Liu Che thought about it carefully and said, "We still need to practice horseback archery. Who knows, it might come in handy."

It is better to be prepared, but horse archery will no longer be a focus of training for the heavy cavalry.

"I think the knife is enough." Huo Xian said honestly, "The main thing is the gun and spear, these need to be changed."

The ring-handled sword is indeed the limit. The ring-handled sword in history seems to have evolved a bit, and the characteristics are straight body, long blade, long handle, and ring-handled. This is the ring-handled sword, which is the same thing in a different way. It is nothing more than the improvement of smelting and forging technology to increase the power of the sword.

Including the Tang Dao of the Tang Dynasty, which is essentially the same as the ring-handled sword.

Liu Che was still very generous and said with great enthusiasm, "Go and try it out first to see if you can make a better weapon."

"Your Majesty, I came here to ask for this matter." Huo Xian said with a shy face, "Now I don't know how the Xiongnu will react, and I don't know whether they will send troops to invade next year."

Liu Che said calmly and confidently, "I think they won't dare to go south in the next one or two years. Thirty thousand people died in one go, and there are also those who were captured and injured. It's lucky that only 20,000 of Zuo Xian Wang's 80,000 can escape. Zuo Xian Wang was crippled, how dare Chanyu go south?"

It was no wonder that Liu Che was so optimistic. The Huns had been gathering strength in Mobei for more than ten years before they recovered a little. The loss of 50,000 or 60,000 people in one go was almost a serious blow.

Even for the Han Dynasty, losing 20,000 cavalry in a battle would be painful.

Huo Xian flattered him, "Your Majesty, I am now a general of cavalry. It is not right for me to eat, drink and have fun all day. If I am really asked to train only the Jianzhang cavalry, that would also be inappropriate."

"Eight hundred men are not enough for you?" Liu Che asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you asking me for the Southern Army?"

Huo Xian said quickly, "How dare I? I can't train the Southern Army well now, but I should be allowed to go to the Southern Army!"

Liu Che said directly, "Since you are appointed as the General of Cavalry, you will naturally be allowed to serve in the Southern Army. However, you are not allowed to interfere with the appointment of lieutenants and military officers, and you are not allowed to inquire about daily training."

Huo Xian was also relieved and gave him a small portion of the "original duties" of the General of Cavalry.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian with interest and asked, "Don't you want to mention Dayuan?"

"Your Majesty is in a good mood now, why bring up that annoying thing?" Huo Xian said more bluntly, "It's not time yet. When the time comes, I will definitely pester Your Majesty every day!"

Liu Che immediately scolded, "You are so smart! It's just that it's difficult to mobilize or increase troops now that winter has arrived. Are you determined to come back to ask for the responsibility of conquering Dayuan after the spring?"

Huo Xian looked loyal and selfless, "Your Majesty, this is my duty. I will naturally ask for battle next spring!"

Without waiting for Liu Che to speak, Huo Xian continued, "Your Majesty, when the time comes, I will lead General Ershi to fight, and I will definitely not embarrass him!"

Liu Che said angrily, "This Li Guangli is also a fool. I gave him so many soldiers and horses, but he couldn't even conquer a small place like Dayuan, and he even suffered heavy casualties! Look, now he dares to ask for entry!"

Liu Che was really angry. The conditions he gave to Wei Qing were far inferior to those created for Li Guangli.

Wei Qing did not have an absolute advantage in military force to fight the Huns, but Li Guangli had an absolute advantage in military force to fight Dayuan, and Dayuan was badly beaten by the Huns!
Huo Xian advised, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much about Dayuan. We will definitely be able to conquer it. Bring back good horses when the time comes, and let them help us breed good war horses for the Han Dynasty!"

The main reason for attacking Dayuan was war horses.

The Han Dynasty now has a large number of war horses, but their quality is not as good as that of the Xiongnu. This is also the fundamental reason why Liu Che coveted both Wusun horses and Ferghana horses.

Even if they train hard and seriously, without good war horses, it will be difficult for the cavalry to truly display their level.

Therefore, Dayuan and the Western Regions must be controlled!

(End of this chapter)