My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 244 Your Majesty, You Must Not Do That

Wuyuan County, Jiuyuan City.

The originally peaceful prefectural government had suddenly started a commotion. The man in the public room frowned and asked outside, "What's the commotion?"

"Governor, there's smoke rising from the north!"

The voice came before the figure outside the door. Luo Huai's face changed instantly when he heard it. When he stood up, the clerk rushed into the room and said in panic:

"To the north and east, beacons are rising. Governor, the Huns are attacking!"

"Why panic!?"

Although Luo Huai's heart was shocked, he didn't show it on his face, and he shouted sternly: "Wuyuan is a border county, have you never seen beacon smoke before!"

The clerk did not dare to argue and could only follow the prefect and walk quickly out of the house, through the corridor, and to the open area. Luo Huai raised his eyes and looked towards the north.

But see.

Under the azure blue sky, several columns of black smoke rose straight into the sky. The smoke columns rose from the east and north, stretching to the end of the sky.

"Order the county magistrate to immediately send people to move the people from the surrounding villages and towns into the city!" Luo Huai took a look, then turned around and left, while quickly giving the order:
"Tell the captain, sergeant, and lieutenant to come to me, and send out scouts to find out where the enemy troops are coming from, how many troops they have, and who they belong to..."

"Prefect!"

The order was halfway through when a man suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard and said urgently, "A quick horse has come to report that the Xiongnu have broken through from the east side of Daqing Mountain and have breached three forts in a row!"

"They are coming along the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain, less than fifty miles away from Jiuyuan!"

After hearing what the captain said, all the officials in the office suddenly became nervous. This time, the Huns invaded the border and went straight to the Wuyuan County?
next moment.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the governor, but unexpectedly, this governor who always liked to show off his literary talent was also looking at them. Luo Huai said stiffly:
"What are you standing there for? Go and pass the message!"

"Yes Yes!"

The officials responded and quickly dispersed.

After the others had left, Commandant Lu Yangrong lowered his voice and said solemnly, "Commander Qu Fu of the vassal state has repeatedly sent messages that the Xiongnu have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses."

"He is leading his troops to resist and urgently needs support."

The Commandant of a Vassal State was an official position established by the Han Dynasty in the Five Vassal States, and most of the people in the position were Xiongnu chieftains who surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

There were two Xiongnu tribes outside Wuyuan County that migrated from the Hexi Corridor to serve as frontier barriers. Qu Fulei was the leader of one of them.

At this time.

Lu Yangrong, wearing armor, said in a deep voice: "Even if we don't care about the life and death of the Xiongnu vassal states, we have to delay for some time, otherwise the villagers and townspeople will not have time to enter the city."

"The Hun cavalry is too fast!"

"You go and organize the troops!" The governor did not think for too long and said decisively: "Go quickly, I will personally lead the troops to help."

Seeing the captain opening his mouth to speak, Luo Huai knew what he was going to say, and waved his hand and said, "I will leave the city, you stay in the city to guard it. This place is more important and cannot be lost."

"Go quickly!"

Wuyuan Duwei paused, and said, "Yes!"

Not long after.

The governor, who had changed into military uniform, walked out of the back hall. The officials who had been summoned earlier had already rushed over. Luo Huai gave instructions as he walked:

"Wei Cao, send someone to warn the governor of Shuofang immediately. There is no need for him to lead troops to help. Be careful of the Xiongnu who may attack from the east."

"Yes!" The Wei Cao official responded and left.

"Inspector, send someone to the capital to urgently report for help. Report every two hours, and the messengers will not stop."

"Here!"

Military orders were issued one after another. By the time they reached the gate of the mansion, all the officials around had dispersed. Luo Huai jumped on his horse and rode away with a team of cavalrymen.

When they arrived at the east gate, they gathered two thousand cavalrymen and rushed eastward.

Smoke billowed in the sky and chaos broke out outside the city. Commoners fled westward with their families, looking panic-stricken and anxious, and children could be heard crying from time to time.

After walking east quickly for more than ten miles.

Another group of fleeing people were seen, all of them were Hun women and children. The line was even more chaotic, and there were even injured people wailing in the crowd.

See this.

The two thousand cavalrymen increased their speed and did not stop for a moment.

The area east of Jiuyuan City has the Yellow River in the south and the Yinshan Mountains in the north, with a narrow plain in the middle. If two large groups of troops were heading towards each other, they would surely collide.

"Lord Luo! Retreat!"

When the vassal commander Qu Fulei collided with the Wuyuan border troops, the man with blood on his cheeks, who was leading his men to flee, shouted:
"We can't stop them. The enemy has at least 50,000 soldiers!"

The riders of the vassal states showed signs of panic. While patting their horses, they also shouted, "I saw a golden wolf flag in the north. It's the king himself!"

"Get out!"

Amid the chaotic and noisy military formation, Wuyuan County Magistrate Luo Huai felt his heart instantly turn cold when he heard this.

He looked back far away, and saw smoke and dust filling the sky in the distance. A black line was slowly approaching with overwhelming force amid the deep and desolate sound of a horn...

Woo!
Woo——!
……

Chang'an City, night.

The capital, which was originally under curfew, was broken by a team of cavalry. Eunuchs hurried to all directions and summoned officials to the palace to discuss matters overnight.

"The Huns are invading our border. Why didn't we receive any advance news from the north?" Liu Ju asked solemnly in the prince's carriage which had just driven out from the west side of Changle Palace.

Jin Midi clasped his hands and said, "If it is the Julihu tribe that is heading south, I will definitely inform you. But if it is the Wuwei tribe or the Zuo tribe, the level of the spies we have planted is too low, so the intelligence may be delayed."

"It's my fault!"

Liu Ju frowned, "You are not to blame for this. Find out what is going on in the north as soon as possible."

"I have sent a letter by carrier pigeon. There will be news in three days at the earliest and five days at the latest." Jin Midi said in a deep voice.

The border was suddenly attacked and the enemy was so fierce that the urgent report sent to the capital was vague and even which Hun army was leading the army was not found out.

If it was the Julihu tribe that attacked, as Jin Midi said, they would definitely receive the news in advance, because the current Xiongnu Right Wise King is Julihu's second son -

Qu Bi.

That was the friend Jin Midi made outside the Chanyu's court.

After Julihu proclaimed himself the Great Chanyu, he killed the former Right Wise King in the Hou Kingdom of Cheshi in the Western Regions, annexed the Right Tribe, and made his eldest son the new Right Wise King.

But there are unforeseen circumstances.

One day, he went on an inspection tour in the south and was ambushed by the Han army for no apparent reason, resulting in his head and body being separated.

Ju Lihu was so angry that he had to help his second son ascend to the throne of Right Wise King.

He may never know that the Han army that penetrated deep into the desert and killed his eldest son was caused by his second son!
There is this cause and effect.

Qu Bi's "friendship" with the Prince's Palace in the south is getting stronger. If his father wants to send troops south, he knows what to do wisely...

"If it's not the Julihu tribe, then it must be the other two tribes?" A murmur was heard in the carriage leading to the Weiyang Palace.

Xuanshi Hall.

At this moment, the hall was brightly lit and the atmosphere was solemn. The general, the general of cavalry, the general of chariots and cavalry, the prime minister and others were all present.

"The Huns have enough energy to move south. Could it be that their internal fighting is over?" Imperial Censor Bu Shi asked in doubt.

Wei Qing looked at him. "No, it's even more intense. Julihu, who declared himself the Great Chanyu, is stationed to the west of Chanyu Court, while Wuwei occupies the middle."

"The Left Wise King, who originally formed an alliance with Wu Wei, was worried that he would end up like the former Right Wise King who was killed and annexed, so he developed a rift with Wu Wei and there are signs of a split."

Three-point grassland?

After the general's explanation, the doubts of the ministers in the palace were somewhat relieved. After a while, a reasonable guess was put forward: "So, Wu Wei and the left army are relatively weak, and the Julihu army is the strongest. Could it be that the leader of the raid this time is Julihu?"

"Probably not."

The one who answered the Imperial Censor's question was Liu Ju, who walked into the hall. When everyone followed his reputation, he continued, "It is more likely that it was the Wuwei tribe or the Zuo tribe."

"Is the information true?" Shi Qing asked.

"I'm not absolutely sure, but probably eight out of ten." Liu Ju didn't say anything definite.

But the emperor who was listening silently in front of the geomancy map knew that the prince had spies in the north and what he said was most likely true.

The officials present did not delve into how the prince knew the intelligence about the north. They just looked at the emperor's increasingly gloomy face and determined the truth in an instant.

"That's unreasonable!"

Wang Wenshu, the court judge, said angrily, "Only Wuwei or Zuobu dared to invade the border alone. Do they want to provoke the Han Dynasty? Or do they have some plan?"

Wei Qing turned sideways and explained again: "The Xiongnu have always had a tradition of showing bravery through military achievements. The attackers probably wanted to use the heads of the Han people to improve their reputation."

"So that he can fight among the Xiongnu."

After these words were spoken, there was silence in the hall for a moment, and then suddenly loud cursing was heard. Most of those who cursed were military generals like Li Guang and Xu Ziwei.

Although the prime minister and others were also angry, they did not curse directly. Now they had a clue where the enemy was coming from and why, so Shi Qing stepped forward, saluted and said:
"Your Majesty, the governor of Wuyuan was killed in battle, Shuofang was besieged, and the Xiongnu are trying to move deeper into the hinterland along the river."

"It would be fine if the three Xiongnu tribes joined forces to march south, but one of them, one of the two weaker tribes, is still so arrogant and domineering. I think..."

"We must inflict a heavy blow!"

Even the usually mild-mannered prime minister was provoked into a rage, clamoring to take the initiative to attack. It was easy for others to follow suit.

"I invite you to fight!"

Huo Qubing suddenly stood up and shouted: "As long as Your Majesty gives me 10,000 cavalry, I will immediately march north and make sure that the Xiongnu will never return!"

"I also want to fight!" Li Guang's eyes were as big as copper bells. "If I can shoot Yizhixie to death, I can shoot the damn Great Chanyu to death!"

Xu Ziwei, Lu Bode, Li Gan and others stood up one after another, looking angry.

"Are you angry?"

The emperor turned around and looked at his ministers. His face was as gloomy as water, and his words were as cold as ice. "You are angry, but I am even angrier than you!"

"I have always been the only one who gained prestige by using the heads of the Huns. No foreign race has ever gained prestige by using the people of the Han Dynasty. But today, I have?"

Liu Che's face was half mocking and half ferocious, and his tone suddenly rose:

"Well done!"

Flicking his sleeves, the emperor turned to look at the geomancy map, "Grand Sima."

"The minister is here."

"Issue a transfer order, ordering the cavalry from Longxi, Tianshui, Anding, and Beidi counties to march north to tie up the enemy, and then order Shangjun, Hedong, and Xihe to gather troops to block the gap in Yinshan Mountain."

"Yes!" Wei Qing responded with a fist salute.

"How many cavalry can the southern and northern armies mobilize?" the emperor asked with his hands behind his back.

"There are 6,000 cavalrymen in the Southern Army outside the palace, and 20,000 cavalrymen in the Northern Army camp outside the city. Within ten days, we can recruit 60,000 cavalrymen from the good families of Longxi, Tianshui, and Sanfu."

The total number of the Southern and Northern Armies is not always maintained, and they are only temporarily called up when war breaks out. In the past, most of the reorganization and reorganization of the army on the eve of a major war were done to do this kind of thing.

however.

This time the emperor didn't have the patience to wait for ten days. He couldn't even wait for a day. The thief in the north wouldn't let him wait!
"Less than thirty thousand? That's enough."

Liu Che stared at the map with an extremely ferocious expression, "If you take the heads of my people as reputation, I will take his head and offer it to the heavens!"

"Pass the order down, I will lead the army in person!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers in the palace were horrified. It was the prime minister who had previously advised the emperor to fight, and it was the prime minister who first stood up to persuade the emperor to calm down. Shi Qing hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

Huo Qubing raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly and advised: "Your Majesty, you don't have to lead the army yourself. You can also succeed if I lead the army."

Wei Qing hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to escort you?"

The Imperial Censor subconsciously wanted to nod and follow in his advice, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly looked at the general and asked, "Hmm?"
Is what you said wrong?

"Ha, ha ha ha! The one who understands me best is Zhongqing!" The emperor turned around suddenly and stared at everyone in the hall. "I've said it before, I'm going to lead the army in person!"

"I want to take the heads of the Huns in the north and offer them as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

Liu Che looked at Shi Qing first, "Prime Minister, there is no need to persuade me. Send a message to Xihe County overnight and order them to prepare food and fodder along the way. Go and do it immediately!"

Shi Qing wanted to say something but stopped himself. In the end, he just sighed and left in a hurry.

immediately.

The emperor looked at the other ministers and said, "Regarding the mobilization of troops from Longxi and other counties and tomorrow's military campaign, you must fully cooperate with the Grand Marshal and the Prime Minister. Go now and do it overnight!"

Gongsun He, Xu Ziwei and the others looked at each other, stopped trying to persuade him, and all bowed their hands: "Yes!"

After they left, the emperor held Wei Qing's hand and said, "Before, you led the army and I stayed in Chang'an. This time, I will lead the army and leave Chang'an to Zhongqing."

"Your Majesty, your words are sincere."

Wei Qing glanced at the Crown Prince who remained silent, and said earnestly: "I will definitely assist the Crown Prince, Your Majesty, don't worry."

"it is good!"

After a while, all the officials in the palace left, leaving only the father and son.

At this time, the emperor's words were much more direct. "I will take away Huo Qubing, Lu Bode, Li Gan and other new generals, and I will not keep the southern and northern armies."

"After I leave, you will gather the good families in the three prefectures, half of them will be sent to the Imperial Guards and let Li Guang take charge, and the other half will be placed in the Northern Army and handed over to Wei Qing."

The emperor looked at the prince beside him and said solemnly: "Ask Shi Qing about internal affairs. If there are any changes at the border, ask your uncle how to mobilize the troops."

"But to lead the troops, send Li Guang."

As he spoke, a fierce look flashed in Liu Che's eyes.

"remember!"

"Deploy all your spies and have them keep a close eye on the princes. If there is any sign of trouble, you would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let even one go!"

Perhaps because he was about to lead his troops into battle in person and it would be his first time, the emperor had some stress reaction, or perhaps it was because time was tight, so he gave a lot of detailed instructions.

Liu Juxian, who was standing with his hands down, replied respectfully: "Your son will remember this."

after that.

He looked at his father, the emperor, and after a pause, he finally said, "I am only leading the army in person. It is not like going through fire and water. Father, there is no need to give me so many instructions."

"Unlucky..."

"Ha!" Liu Che looked him up and down, as if there was something else going on, but it also seemed like there was nothing at all. He just said two words from the bottom of his heart -

"get out!"

……

The next day, when the first ray of sunlight shone on the earth, there was no oath-taking ceremony, nor the beating of drums. Instead, there was only the dull sound of horses' hooves heading north.

Rumble.

The farmers in the field looked up and asked, what is going on?

Someone answered: The emperor will lead the army in person!

(End of this chapter)