The front hall of Weiyang Palace, early morning.
It was still dark, and the courtiers walked in one after another, divided into civil and military columns.
The emperor sits north and faces south, the ministers face north and face the emperor, the civil servants stand in the east, and the generals stand in the west.
That is to say, the civil servants are on the left hand side of the emperor, and the generals are on the right hand side.
Historically, before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, strong centralization of power had not yet been completed. Officials who went to court had the qualifications to attend, at least the three princes.
But the current Han Dynasty has completed the reform of the court early. All courtiers need to stand in silence and wear civil and military uniforms. Only the emperor sits in the palace.
Don't ask about this change, ask because it was changed by the First Emperor.
At this time, the courtiers first entered the front hall to wait. The civil servants were headed by Prime Minister Gongsun Hong, the imperial censor, Taichang Zhouping, and the general Li Xi. There were more than a hundred people, each responsible for different affairs.
The military generals will be led by General Wei Qing.
The figure below Wei Qing's head, all the officials in the government and the public, whether civil or military, almost subconsciously glanced in his direction when they entered the palace.
At the age of seventeen, he stood at the second position among military commanders, temporarily acting as Lang Zhongling and taking charge of the Chang'an Guards.
Everyone knows how prestigious this position is.
It can be said that the safety of the heart of the Han Dynasty lies entirely in the hands of this young man.
The feeling in the hearts of many ministers is indescribable.
There were steady footsteps in the corridor at the back of the hall, and Liu Che, dressed in royal robes, walked out from behind.
The ministers all paid homage to the emperor at the same time, which is where the word "pilgrimage" came from in later generations.
"Something's going on!" Dong Xu's shrill voice sounded.
Huo Qubing had a calm expression on his face, but he was actually slightly energetic, waiting to start watching the performances of the ministers.
The group of ministers represents the voices of all walks of life, and at the same time, also represents their respective interest groups.
The ministers spoke at the meeting, covering the entire Han territory, including agriculture, animal husbandry, water conservancy, military, taxation, etc.
"Your Majesty, there has been no rain in Longxi County since June. I pray that the Central Government will send the Yin and Yang Family to sort out the celestial phenomena and provide rainfall for a good harvest."
Every year in the Han Dynasty, the Yin and Yang family set up arrays to gather clouds and form rain, which could bring good weather to various places.
"Your Majesty, Nanhai County's investigation of public corruption has implicated the county's chief bookkeeper. The evidence is conclusive. Please make your decision."
Yushi Fanxue said: "In addition, there are doctors from the Five Classics in Taixue who have requested to increase the number of people, open schools widely, and implement it in all counties."
The Da Nong Order among the Nine Ministers, which was inherited from the Qin Dynasty and was in charge of the country's finance and taxation, was an old man with a clear appearance. He also said:
"Recently, salt, iron, and money printing have fluctuated, which is significantly higher than the last two months..."
"I also advise that dams along the Huaihe River need to be repaired and reinforced to prevent floods..."
The civil servants started to make memorials one by one, mentioning various matters, which would inadvertently cause the generals to go out without enough "central finance" to allocate, which unknowingly inhibited the growth of armaments.
This is the court meeting, which seems to be launching various things, but in fact there are hidden secrets and certain intentions are quietly unfolding.
If the emperor cannot gain insight into the true knowledge, he will also be invisibly influenced by these ministers.
During this period of time, the border was uneasy, and all the ministers knew that the court meetings were more disciplined and restrained.
In normal times, it would be much more exciting than it is now, and there are many secret methods.
"Your Majesty, the ministries are in urgent need of funds at present. There are many reserves left over from the previous battle in Dingxiangbei. They can be collected into the national treasury and distributed separately to meet expenses." Da Nong's order continued.
Liu Che avoided answering and turned to look at Huo Qubing: "When I got up in the morning, I heard that there was another sneak attack by the Huns in Beiguan last night?"
Liu Che had already received a copy of the news Huo Qubing received.
His questioning of Huo Qubing was a tacit understanding between the emperor and his ministers, allowing Huo Qubing to speak out and cooperate with his intentions.
"A troop of ten thousand Xiongnu troops made a surprise attack last night at the junction of Yuyang and Shanggu counties. Beiguan general Yong used a trick to lure them into the empty city and killed them all," Huo Qubing said.
The entire court immediately fell silent, but the ears of the ministers quietly perked up, listening carefully.
"How many enemies are annihilated and how many losses are suffered by our army?"
"The Huns were lured into the city. Our troops lined up at the top of the city and defended themselves with shield formations. Archers and crossbowmen fired in turns, wiping out thousands of Xiongnu cavalry. The leader was also killed on the spot. Our battle losses were 370. Twelve people, most of them were injured by arrows shooting through the gaps in the shield formation, and at the end of the city's clearing campaign..."
There was silence in the hall at first, and then there was an uproar.
More than 10,000 enemies were killed and less than 400 were lost?
Was this completed overnight in Beiguan? !
"Is there such a huge disparity in losses between the enemy and ourselves?"
Zhou Ping frowned slightly: "Is this number only counted by the Beiguan enemy soldiers on their own, or is it a joint effort among all the ministries? The champion has received several summaries of numbers, do they all agree?"
The contrast in the number of battle losses between the enemy and ourselves was so shocking that not only Zhou Ping, but also most other civil servants were stunned and could not believe it.
"Taichang's subordinates, Tingwei, Da Nong Ling, and the Shaofu will receive the confirmed battle damage figures this morning, and all ministries will jointly count them in Beipei." Huo Qubing said calmly.
Each ministry has officials who are responsible for recording meritorious deeds in Beiguan. Since expenditures are involved, they are supervised at all levels.
"Who will command this battle?" Gongsun Hong looked at Huo Qubing with bright eyes.
"The commander before the battle is Lieutenant Zhang Cigong of the Northern Army."
Huo Qubing did not explain the details. Liu Che naturally knew that the ministers were greatly surprised that it was Zhang Cigong.
This Northern Army lieutenant accomplished such a remarkable feat overnight!
Liu Che and Huo Qubing mentioned in front of the ministers that the Huns were coming to invade the border again, which was to pave the way for subsequent attacks on the Huns.
Because the border often has to deal with the threat of the Huns, armaments and other items will continue to be left at the border to be prepared.
Wei Qing also understood the reason and smiled secretly.
Some people in later generations said that Liu Che was too extravagant in military force and exhausted the country's power, which was a waste of the family and the emperor should be regarded as ordinary.
In fact, Han was very wealthy at that time, which was equivalent to a piece of fat meat. It was certain that he would be coveted by others. Being a fat man but having no ability to protect himself was the tragedy of being a fat man. He could only wait to be eaten by others.
Assuming that the emperor doesn't attack the Huns, they won't attack you?
The Huns will only push further.
So we have to fight, and since we have to fight, it is better to fight to death and destroy the Huns.
To fight against the Xiongnu and even the barbarians, it is better to take the initiative than to fight passively.
Of course, it is certain that Liu Che is warlike, but his historical status has long been determined.
After the court meeting ended, the ministers were still discussing.
There is no doubt that in today's court meeting, the Battle of Beiguan is the core, and all kinds of court discussions by civil servants have been suppressed.
After the court meeting, Liu Che summoned Huo Qubing, Wei Qing, and acting prime minister Li Cai to the study to discuss matters.
"In the battle last night, the champion prepared his troops and wiped out all the enemies. I am very relieved." Liu Che said after sitting down in the study.
When Li Cai first heard about the results of the battle at the court meeting, he felt that there must be something hidden in it.
Zhang Cigong was a brave general, but he did not have the ability to lure the Huns into the city and put himself in a desperate situation.
Li Cai glanced at Huo Qubing, his thoughts were up and down, but what he was thinking about was that his brother was far less talented in military matters than this son!
"Shi Jian's father Shi Yong died. He was heartbroken over his father's death and was no longer fit to be in charge of the Chang'an Guards.
Qu Bing, you have made many meritorious deeds recently. I am going to issue an edict today to order you to take over the position of Lang Zhongling. "
"I don't dare to occupy such a high position. Your Majesty might as well choose General Li Guang to serve. He has served in the army for many years and is able to serve the public."
After Shi Jian, the doctor in history, the next doctor was Li Guang.
The next successor is Li Guang's son Li Gan.
At present, due to Huo Qubing's performance and the secret author's fueling, undercurrents are surging in Chang'an. A butterfly effect has obviously occurred on this matter, blowing the position of Lang Zhongling away from Li Guang.
Huo Qubing didn't want to be a doctor, but he had his own considerations.
Lang Zhongling needs to sit in Chang'an and protect the emperor.
Once you become the Commander-in-Chief, you can no longer lead troops on raids or train the troops at will as in the past. You have to sit in court every day.
This is one of them. Another hidden danger is if he becomes Lang Zhongling and his uncle Wei Qing is the general.
The Han's external military power and the internal responsibility of protecting Chang'an will be taken over by their two nephews.
Li Guang was appointed Lang Zhongling, which could balance the strength of the army. In the long run, it will be better for Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.
So Huo Qubing wanted to refuse, but he was sincere.
Liu Chedao: "The position of Lang Zhongling is related to the inside and outside of Chang'an. The safety of the clan is in danger. You should take charge of it for a while."
The implication is that there is currently a writer in the dark, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, and the emperor is worried about others.
Huo Qubing thought that he would have to wait until the person who wrote the book was found out before resigning.
"I will appoint Li Gan as your deputy. If there is a war, Li Gan will stay in Chang'an and you can still go to war."
By the time Huo Qubing left the study, it was almost noon.
He returned to the command hall of the Chang'an Guards and began to deal with the day's affairs.
In the afternoon, a small sword made of bamboo suddenly flew out of the window, and the power was flowing.
This was actually a bamboo slip, but it was engraved with magical incantations and was pushed over through the air.
Huo Qubing blinked and reached out to take it.
Princess Liu Qing has recently fallen in love with sending letters via letters, and she often uses the method of sending letters to communicate about things.
Huo Qubing took the flying bamboo slip in his hand and looked at the content written on it.
(End of chapter)
