Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 84: A Little Bit of a Thing
The second year of Taichu ended like this, and some major events happened in this year.

The Han Dynasty defeated the Xiongnu in the north of Shoujiang City, captured the Xiongnu Zuoxian King and other dignitaries, and killed more than 30,000 people in battle.

General Li Guangli's attack on Dayuan was unsuccessful and he is now recuperating in Dunhuang.

The Imperial Censor Er Kuan died of illness. He had just gathered more than 20 people including Gongsun Qing, Hu Sui, Sima Qian, and others, together with the alchemists Deng Ping and Luo Xiahong, to jointly calculate and formulate a new calendar.

This is the Taichu Calendar, which has 24 solar terms and takes January as the beginning of the year.

Another person who died this year was Prime Minister Shi Qing. He had a bad reputation as he had not made any remarks to correct current ills during his nine years in office, but he was still a prime minister after all.

Gongsun He panicked, because the court was in a turbulent time and the requirements and supervision of ministers were very strict.

Since Prime Minister Gongsun Hong died of old age in office, Li Cai, Zhuang Qingzhai and Zhao Zhou all committed suicide due to their crimes. Although the predecessor Shi Qing inherited his family's strict style, he was still reprimanded by the emperor several times.

Gongsun He was afraid that he could not handle this important task and that any mistake would bring disaster upon himself, so he refused to accept the prime minister's gold seal and purple ribbon until the emperor became furious and he was forced to accept it.

After Gongsun He was promoted, the position of Grand Coachman became vacant, so Liu Che promoted his nephew Gongsun Jingsheng, who was then a Palace Attendant, to the position of Grand Coachman.

For a time, the Weihuo Group seemed to be unrivaled, and their power seemed even more astonishing.

General Wei Qing fought against the Xiongnu again after being unemployed for more than ten years, and he was still the military god of the Han Dynasty. Champion Marquis Huo Xian made great contributions in the first battle and was promoted to General of Cavalry. These two were the top military generals.

Now, Gongsun He was promoted to Prime Minister, the nominal head of the civil service. Even Gongsun Jingsheng was the Grand Coachman, one of the Nine Ministers. It was so glorious for father and son to be both ministers!
For a time, countless people thought that Queen Wei was still the most noble in the world, her younger brother was the general, and her brother-in-law was the prime minister.

The nephew was the emperor's favorite and nominally the second-ranking military general, but many people believed that the General of Cavalry was the most powerful military general!
Huo Xian was in a bitter mood, because everyone saw that he was the Marquis of Guanjun and the General of the Cavalry, and thought that he had great power. But now he had nothing and had not yet received the seal of the General of the Cavalry, so he was still in name only.

Han Yunniang brought the food and said, "My Lord, it's time to eat."

"I'm going to the camp tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about me." Huo Xian said, "I'm going to my uncle's house and take my sisters for a walk around Chang'an City."

Han Yunniang naturally remembered this matter. Although Huo Xian seldom went to Huo Guang's mansion often, he still took good care of his cousins.

In addition to letting Han Yunniang take them around Chang'an City, Huo Xian also gave most of the silk and other things he received as rewards to his sisters. After all, there were not many female relatives in his mansion.

Chen Ju asked, "My Lord, spring is almost here, why is there no movement?"

He was also a warmonger, and was very persistent in attacking Dayuan. After all, he was from the Guanjun Marquisate, and he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't fight.

"I was thinking that too. Didn't you see that I have been studying how to attack Dayuan these days?" Huo Xian said unhappily, "Uncle Chen, you will die on the battlefield sooner or later."

Chen Ju was grinning, and the scar on his face looked even more hideous. "That's a good thing. I don't want to die in bed. Even if I really die on the battlefield one day, please drag me back to me. I have to serve the general!"

"Okay, when you four die, I'll bury you all at Aong's place." Huo Xian became even more annoyed. "Then I'll bury you with armor, weapons, and war horses, okay?"

Chen Ju was beaming with joy, because lavish burials were popular in the Han Dynasty, and people also liked to bury the things they had during their lifetime.

The minds of these four generals were very simple. Even if they were very kind to Huo Xian, it was only because he was the general's son. As the followers of the Huo family, their real master was only Huo Qubing.

Chen Ju and his companions were not at all shy about matters of life and death. They just mentioned it, and now they all felt that it was complete.

Not only do they have descendants, but they are also protected. The princes have grown up and made great contributions, so they feel that they can give an explanation when they meet the general.

Huo Xian looked at Chen Ju and asked, "How is my plow now?"

Liu Mo said first, "Sir, it's not ready yet. I went to see it earlier, and the plowshare didn't work. I changed it to the iron plow that you mentioned, but the plowshare is too straight and not very useful."

"I told you before that we should try to make the plow shovel have an arc. Let the craftsmen pound it a little harder." Huo Xian said, "There's more. Let's talk about it later!"

Liu Mo continued, "We are still modifying the plow shaft, which is a bit unreliable and difficult to use. My Lord, this thing is very useful. A cow can pull the plow!"

"Of course I know, otherwise why would I spend so much effort to make these!" Huo Xian said, "If my plow is made, it will be easier to turn around and dig up the soil. You should pay more attention to this matter. Don't be afraid of spending money and food, I have more than enough copper coins in my house!"

This is definitely not boasting, but the truth. Even though Huo Xian's fiefdom was reduced a little, he was still very wealthy.

Moreover, the emperor, empress or prince constantly gave gifts, and the general's mansion or Ge Yihou's mansion often sent some good things. Today Huo Xian sent some silk to a few cousins, and tomorrow Huo Guang would send some good things.

Huo Xian now has the confidence to say that he is not interested in money at all, because he does have some money that he can't spend. Spending money is not a problem. Huo Xian doesn't mind spending some money to do things for the government, otherwise it will just pile up in the treasury. What's more, he can get a lot of rewards for doing these things.

It's not just the rewards from the emperor, etc., but if the food and productivity of the Han Dynasty improves, it will have more confidence in future wars.

Han Yunniang came over holding a cloak, "My Lord, I embroidered a cloak for you when I was free these days."

Huo Xian asked Chen Ju to open the cloak and laughed, "Not bad. Next time, embroider a more luxurious one for me. I'll need it when I'm in Chang'an. The cloak for the battlefield can be casual, a red one will do."

Han Yunniang naturally understood, she knew that Huo Xian would wear the most luxurious clothes when he was in Chang'an City. As for when he went to the battlefield, she didn't know, but she had heard that on the battlefield, this champion marquis was more fierce than other soldiers in fighting for his life.

Looking to the side, Huo Xian asked loudly, "Chen Sanlang, I think you have gained weight, why is my horse so thin?"

Chen Sanlang cried out that he was wronged, but he was not afraid. "My Lord, I have tried my best! I will take your horses out for a run every day!"

As if he still felt that he was not convinced enough, Chen Sanlang continued to explain, "Yesterday, the captain of the city gate stopped me and said that I couldn't ride those horses."

Chen Ju was watching with a smile on his face. The Lord liked to joke and was very tolerant of the people in the mansion. Now it seemed that he was picking faults, but it was just because the Lord was unhappy that Chen Sanlang had gained weight. After all, Jiang Xiaoniang was a good cook!
"The captain of the city gate?" Huo Xian asked, "Doesn't he recognize my horse?"

Chen Sanlang quickly explained, "I couldn't recognize it, I could only recognize it as a military horse. Fortunately, the soldiers recognized it and didn't make things difficult for me."

Huo Xian nodded and said, "If you really encounter someone, just bear with it for now. Come back and tell me, and I will deal with it."

Chen Sanlang was grinning, he had also learned Huo Xian's tricks. He didn't say anything when he had an opinion, he just listened on the surface.

The views of Chen Ju, Chen Sanlang and others are also very simple. They will not easily provoke others. But if anyone provokes them, they will definitely fight back and will never lose the prestige and face of the Champion Marquis' Mansion.

As for coming back to tell the Lord that it is definitely not possible, that would be too cowardly. At worst, I would die, but I would not humiliate the prestige of the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion.

Seeing Chen Sanlang's expression, Huo Xian was speechless. Huo Xian also understood what Chen Sanlang and others were thinking. In this day and age, such thoughts were too normal, and even "universal values".

"Xian'er!" Wei Deng strode and trotted along, "Ah Mum asked you to come to her house in a few days. She wants to hold a banquet."

Huo Xian immediately shook his head when he heard this, "I don't have time. I have to go to the camp."

Wei Deng knew what Huo Xian meant, and he quickly advised, "Xian'er, there are many princes and generals on this trip, you have to go!"

"I won't go!" Huo Xian said, "If I go, those old ladies will want to drag me back and marry me to their daughters and granddaughters. I won't be able to bear the pain!"

Wei Deng was helpless and said, "If you don't go, mother will definitely punish me."

"My aunt is reluctant to punish you!" Huo Xian said directly, "Uncle, how about coming with me to the camp? I just want to train the troops. Can you help me see how to form the Wugang chariot formation?"

Wei Deng suddenly became embarrassed and said quickly, "Xian'er, I am not even as good as my elder brother, how can I understand the formation of the array?"

Huo Xian said without giving up, "Go and help me make the decision. It's settled now. Don't worry about your aunt's mother-in-law. I'll ask Uncle Chen to pick you up and say it's a military matter!"

Wei Deng was still a little worried, "Shan'er, I don't have a military position."

As the youngest son of Wei Qing, Wei Deng was granted a title of nobility when he was still a baby, but now his title has been abolished and he has no military position.

Speaking of which, Huo Xian and Wei Deng are of similar age, Wei Deng is only two years older than Huo Xian.

"I have opened a government office!" Huo Xian, who was good at giving himself official titles, said immediately, "My General of the Cavalry's government office must have subordinate officials, so my cousin will be the chief clerk. It's no problem, the talented people I recommend will definitely be appointed as officials."

Wei Deng was a cautious person, so he asked, "I haven't heard Aung mention it, nor have I heard that His Majesty has allowed you to open a government office."

"Then you are my servant in the General of Cavalry's mansion!" Huo Xian said immediately, "You don't have a formal military position, but being a servant is fine. Don't worry, there's no problem with following me to the camp!"

Chen Ju was worried. If things continued like this, the prince's fiefdom might be reduced again.

But if you think about it, it seems natural. The prince should have set up a government office long ago, and it is normal to appoint a few officials. Why should his fief be reduced?
Wei Deng was somewhat convinced. As the son of a great general, how could he not yearn to join the army?

(End of this chapter)