Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 85: The Champion

After handling government affairs, Liu Che asked casually, "I haven't seen Guanjun Hou for several days. When was the last time?"

Chuntuo replied, "Your Majesty, the last time you came to the palace was seven days ago, and I reported to Your Majesty the route of the army going to Dayuan."

Liu Che snorted coldly, very unhappy, "What have you been doing these days? Are you not with his concubine all day again?"

Chuntuo replied, "Your Majesty, the prince has been in the military camp these days. A few days ago, he was in the Yulin camp and selected fifty heavy cavalry for training. Later, he watched the training of the Yulin Orphan Army."

Liu Che was slightly more satisfied. He didn't like to see Huo Shan remain single, but he also didn't want Huo Shan to be obsessed with women.

Since he was doing serious work, it was understandable. But the child was still heartless. No matter how busy he was, he should come to the palace to visit.

Chuntuo continued, "The day before yesterday, the Lord and the general's youngest son Wei Deng went to the Northern Army. The Lord was angry that part of the Northern Army had insufficient weapons and munitions. He was furious and whipped the captain and wanted to execute the arsenal secretary."

Liu Che looked unhappy and asked, "Which one is it?"

Chuntuo quickly replied, "It's the Changshui Commandery."

Liu Che's face became even uglier. The Changshui Colonel was one of the eight colonels of the Northern Army, with a rank of 2,000 stones, and a rank below the ministers. His subordinates included the chancellor and the military commander. He led the Changshui Xuanqu Hu cavalry, stationed in the capital, and concurrently served in the expedition.

"Convict the Changshui Captain. If he doesn't have copper coins to atone for his crime, he will be executed." Liu Che said without hesitation, "The Champion Marquis has made great contributions, so I will reward him with a lacquer bow."

Chuntuo said carefully, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has previously submitted a memorial impeaching the Marquis of Guanjun for not having the power to command the army and for arbitrarily whipping the court generals."

Liu Che looked at Chuntuo with a cold face and cursed, "How dare you impeach me, Prime Minister? I appointed eight lieutenants to do such dereliction of duty, how could the Prime Minister not know? It is right for the General of Cavalry to punish the lieutenants!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Liu Che cursed, "This Gongsun He doesn't know the importance of things. If the court really had no one else to use, would I have appointed this mediocre person as prime minister?"

Huo Guang and others felt sorry for Gongsun He, because Gongsun He really didn't want to be the prime minister, but it was the emperor who insisted on giving him the position.

The current prime minister has no power. It's not that there is no one available in the court, but after Shi Qing, His Majesty increasingly felt that the prime minister is a yes-man, so he chose Gongsun He.

Liu Che suddenly remembered and asked, "Since the Marquis of Guanjun wanted to punish those generals, why didn't he report it?"

Chuntuo quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I heard vaguely that the prince was so angry that he almost beat someone up, but he didn't dare to report it. The Changshui captain knew that he had neglected his duty and said that he was injured when he fell off his horse."

Liu Che laughed and said, "You are so brave. You were not afraid when you were beating people, but now you are afraid. I will fine Wei Deng 1,000 kilograms of copper coins as atonement."

Jin Midi and others were stunned. Your Majesty, it was Marquis Guanjun who beat the person, so why was Wei Deng the one being punished?

Huo Xian appeared and entered the palace as if nothing had happened. "Your Majesty, I have come up with another plan to attack Dayuan! I will bypass Yucheng City, which is said to have strong defenses. I will go directly to attack Guishan City, the capital of Dayuan. What do you think?"

Liu Che said with a smile, "After defeating my Changshui Commandery Commandant, you are now thinking about attacking Dayuan. You are really busy!"

"Your Majesty, it is really the Changshui Captain who is being unreasonable." Huo Xian said, "I have heard that some officers in the army are corrupt and have withheld soldiers' wages. How can I let them off easily after seeing this?"

Liu Che knocked on the table and said, "I also know about this matter. If I see it, I will punish it. But how can you execute someone privately? You should report it to the court!"

"I didn't torture him, but he knew he was in danger and didn't dare to dodge, so he got hit twice." Huo Xian said, "I went to find the rear general. Cao Zong should have reported it to the emperor. He didn't control his subordinates strictly."

Pingyang Marquis Cao Zong is now the rear general, and is in charge of the Northern Army. So the matter of the Changshui Captain was also due to his lack of strict control over his subordinates.

Liu Che found it funny, "Okay, you did it, it has nothing to do with you now. The prestige is yours, but the guilt is my grandson's."

Huo Xian just smiled, his face full of sunshine and he looked harmless. He was a sunny and cheerful big boy, not some cavalry general who would whip the Changshui captain with a horsewhip!
Liu Che asked, "How are your heavy cavalry now?"

"I'm looking for horses." Huo Xian complained, "The Yulin Army needs lots of horses. I'm thinking about going to Dayuan to find some good horses. Ordinary horses can't carry heavy cavalry."

This topic should not have been started, because Huo Xian would definitely take advantage of the opportunity to bring up the matter of Dayuan again.

Some of today's war horses are indeed struggling, but they are not so heavy that they cannot carry heavy cavalry. The most they consume is more horsepower. Heavy cavalry requires at least two horses for one person, and some livestock must be brought to carry armor.

"I found some people in the Shaofu, and they are now researching engineering equipment." Huo Xian sat cross-legged and complained, "Your Majesty, Chuntuo is really old. I'm talking so much that my mouth is dry, but he doesn't even bring me a bowl of honey water!"

Chuntuo, who was standing next to Liu Che, said flatteringly, "My Lord, I have not offended you in these days!"

Huo Xian said, "I'm really sorry! I was so secretive, but now His Majesty knows about it. It must be you who said too much!"

Liu Che was so disgusted, "You do things secretly? You idiot, everyone in Chang'an knows about what you do, but you think you are keeping it secret!" Huo Xian really felt innocent, "The Changshui Captain did something wrong and dared not say anything. Cao Zong is not strict with his subordinates and is now waiting for him to plead guilty. Other soldiers don't dare to say anything. How come I didn't do this in secret?"

Liu Che said impatiently, "Okay, okay, you are being secretive, it's Chuntuo who is talking too much!"

Then Liu Che reminded him, "Xian'er, you should be more thoughtful and don't just think about fighting! You were smart when you were young, but you are getting simpler as you grow older! If I didn't know you well, I would have thought you had more thoughts as you grew up, and you were hiding something from me!"

This is what Liu Che really thinks. In his opinion, Huo Xian is not as smart as he was when he was a child as he grows older. Now he is obsessed with fighting, eating, drinking and having fun, while when he was a child, he liked to think about things for no reason, although he was always wrong.

But this is just a pity that one's own apprentice is too stupid. Fortunately, this child has never hidden things since he was a child. No matter whether he understands or not or whether it violates taboos or not, he dares to speak to his face.

Huo Xian said, "Your Majesty, thinking about those things is too tiring. I'd rather focus on fighting. I don't go to court, so why should I care about so many things?"

Seeing Huo Shan's attitude, Liu Che was speechless for a moment. This reason was indeed impeccable.

"I'll allow you to be free for a few more years." Liu Che softened his heart and said, "It doesn't matter if you are a little dissolute in your teens and twenties. After all, you are still a child. When you are twenty-five, you should be sensible. You should go to court when you should, and participate in government affairs when you should."

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly, as if he had heard everything, but everyone present felt that the Marquis of Guanjun was fooling the emperor in front of him again.

But looking at the emperor's expression, the others present found it hard to describe.

Perhaps in the eyes of the emperor, this champion marquis is a child who will never grow up. Others are required to be mature and stable at the age of seventeen or eighteen, and the requirements are even higher when they hold an official position.

As for this Marquis of Champion, His Majesty was more lenient again and again. It would take eight years for a Marquis of Champion to be 25 years old.

"Your Majesty, I see that the Northern Army has already begun to mobilize its troops." Huo Xian said, "I went to the armory earlier and saw that many arrows were being transported to Dunhuang."

Liu Che rubbed his temple and asked, "Shan'er, do you know why I don't want you to attack Dayuan?"

Huo Xian thought about it carefully and said, "I have been learning military strategies from your Majesty since I was a child. Your Majesty taught me cavalry tactics."

Liu Che nodded with satisfaction, "That's also the reason. You were taught by me, so you can't fail."

"Your Majesty, sooner or later I will have to lead infantry into battle." Huo Xian also became serious. "I have been pestering the general because I want him to teach me some military tactics. When I fight the Xiongnu in the future, I will definitely use cavalry as the main force, but I cannot do without infantry either."

The cost of training cavalry is too high. Even with the current national strength of the Han Dynasty, it is impossible to rely mainly on cavalry. Infantry has always occupied the vast majority of the Han army. This is a fact.

In the military organization of every dynasty, infantry has always accounted for the majority.

Liu Che became serious and asked again, "If you lead the army, can General Ershi really get military merit?"

"Your Majesty, I will also let him have some military merit!" Huo Xian said hurriedly, "Although my fiefdom is less now, it still has 15,000 households. After destroying Dayuan, I don't want fiefdom, I just want the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry!"

Liu Che still said worriedly, "You have been back for less than half a year. If you go on another expedition, I am afraid you will be a little tired. Now I think back, although Qubing was strong in the past, he collapsed after years of continuous expeditions."

"Your Majesty, I have been back for a few months." Huo Xian also said hurriedly, "Besides, the army is still gathering. Even if I want to go to the battle, I have to wait until the army is gathered. By then, I will have rested for half a year!"

These are also true. Huo Xian has been recuperating for several months. By the time he goes to the battle, his body should be almost recovered.

Huo Xian didn't intend to pursue immortality or longevity. Longevity would be the best thing. But he hoped to do something meaningful in his limited life. That was a wonderful life!

"Your Majesty, if we really let General Ershi go to attack Dayuan, he might have to wait for another year!" Huo Xian said again, "If we really wait another year, how will we deal with the war in the north?"

Liu Che was somewhat shaken because some things happening in the north were beyond his expectations.

Not long ago, information had been received that the Xiongnu Chanyu Wushilu had died and his son was young, so his youngest father, the Right Wise King Xulihu, succeeded him.

From the death of Chanyu Yizhixie to the present, the Xiongnu has already had its third Chanyu in less than fifteen years!
This naturally seemed like an opportunity to Liu Che, and he even thought that Huo Shan was a lucky general.

If Huo Shan had not captured Zuo Xian Wang Qie Di Hou, it is very likely that the current Xiongnu Chanyu would be Qie Di Hou Chanyu!

For the superstitious Liu Che, this kid Huo Shan really brought too many surprises.

This kid was born to fight the Huns!

(End of this chapter)