In the spring of March, Chang'an can already open the windows for a long time to ventilate without getting cold.
Huo Qubing was dressed in military uniform, sitting in the guard hall, looking away from the window.
On the low mat in front of him, there was a map of the territory of the Han Dynasty.
This is a new picture, which includes Wuhuan and Fuyu. At the beginning of the month, the DPRK and the Central Government announced to the world that the territory of the Han Dynasty had expanded hundreds of miles to the north, and new frontier towns were being established.
Recently, envoys from Fuyu, Wuhuan, and even Xianbei have come to Chang'an one after another.
Including the Qiang and Di tribes heading west, a small number of tribes sent envoys to pay homage.
Therefore, the Shaofu, one of the nine ministers, asked his subordinates to make works to suit the emperor's wishes and included these places in the new map of the Han Dynasty.
The geographical locations of the countries in the Western Regions are also clearly marked on the map.
"Is this new picture interesting?" Huo Qubing glanced at the dozens of people sitting in the left and right rows of the hall.
You must know that Lang Zhongling is the head of the one hundred thousand forbidden army. He has a high position and controls the entire Chang'an Guard system.
The subordinate officers under him are not all military generals. There are also Taizhong doctor, Zhongdafu, admonishment doctor, Lang, and other staff positions, as well as dozens of civil servants.
The ministers and officials of the DPRK gathered together to discuss military-related policies. Huo Qubing made most of the decisions first and then reported them to the emperor.
In a sense, Lang Zhongling had his own 'little court' under his command, where he could hold office meetings and discuss matters.
However, Huo Qubing rarely summoned his subordinates to discuss matters.
Coinciding with the recent gathering of envoys from all sides in Chang'an, this gathering was held in the Guard Hall to deal with various matters.
"I believe that the expansion of the national territory is a great joy, especially for Lang Zhongling."
The speaker was Wang Yan, a doctor under Huo Qubing, who was in charge of deliberation and equivalent to a staff officer. He was in his early fifties, thin, long-faced, with a goatee, and very knowledgeable.
They opened an internal office, and all the matters they discussed were from Huo Qubing's perspective and worked for him.
These subordinate ministers are equivalent to his counselors and ministers.
"The opening of the border this time is mostly due to Lang Zhongling's achievements. All the ministries in the court are happy, and it is indeed beneficial to Lang Zhongling. And it is a good thing that your Majesty has a large number of troops."
The person who spoke this time was Lieutenant General Yu Pei, a Che Lang under the command of the Zuo Auxiliary Guards.
He was a sturdy man, more than forty years old, sitting majestically like a hill, wearing heavy armor.
Huo Qubing's sight is still on the new map. Now that the border area has expanded, all parties in North Korea and China are already encouraged.
He didn't think it was a great achievement, not to mention the Yuan, Qing, and Ming dynasties of later generations. Even the Tang Dynasty was larger than the Han Dynasty at this time.
These civil servants have too little ambition.
"How are the troops and horses prepared?" Huo Qubing asked.
His subordinates reported immediately.
After discussing the business matters, it was almost noon. Huo Qubing waved his hand and signaled the generals to disperse and go about their business.
After all the ministers retired, only the doctor Wang Yan was left sitting aside.
"Mr. Zhongling seems to be paying special attention to this new picture?" Wang Yan asked carefully.
"Um."
Huo Qubing paid attention to the new map of the national border, not by the size of the territory, but by the racecourse.
"Horses are the foundation of armor and soldiers, and are of great use to the country."
Especially in the Cold Weapon Age, until the emergence of firearms, horse warfare that lasted for thousands of years would bring cavalry to its extreme and would last for thousands of years.
The key to cavalry is that cavalry precedes soldiers, which shows the importance of horses.
It is recorded in later generations that during the most prosperous period of the Han Dynasty, the annual output of fine horses was 500,000.
The reason is that after conquering the Western Regions and Northeastern counties, many large horse farms were established.
From ancient times to the present, the breeding places for good horses have remained almost unchanged.
On the land of China, the first is the northwest horse breeding area, which includes the Western Regions. The tribes living in this area have always made a living by raising animals and are rich in fine horses.
Horse breeding in Shaanxi and Gansu regions also has a long history.
The Hequ horse is the largest and most powerful horse among local breeds. Its greatest advantages are its resistance to heavy loads, strong endurance, and quick recovery from fatigue.
The Hequ horses were herded by Duke Mu of Qin for the Emperor of Zhou, and the cavalry horses used by Emperor Qin to unify the six kingdoms were also Hequ horses. Most of the military horses currently used by the Han Dynasty are Hequ horses.
Famous horses in the northwest also include the world-famous Dawan horse.
Dawan is a country in the Western Regions, and the Dawan horse is the most famous horse breed, and it is also what people often call the sweat horse.
It has a beautiful body, unparalleled steeds, strong obedience, fast speed, and is suitable for long-distance marches.
Jin'an is actually a different species among the Dawan horses.
Wan horses are not only weapons of war, but also the first choice for ancient emperors to ride on. The disadvantage is that they are small in number.
In addition to the above production areas, the Xiongnu and other ethnic groups emerged after the Warring States Period and had a larger horse population base.
In addition, there are the southwest and northeast horse regions, which are often referred to as the Sixteen Youyun Prefectures, including Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Fuyu.
Horses in this area have both strength and speed, are light and flexible, have strong adaptability, have good cold resistance, and have strong constitutions, so they are also suitable for becoming war horses.
Huo Qubing first attacked Fuyu and Wuhuan. The Han and Hungarians were eyeing the Western Regions, and horses were one of the main reasons.
If these places fall into the hands of big men, they will have the best quality horse farms in their hands.
Economically, conquering these places will also increase Han's national power and alleviate many problems.
While Huo Qubing was thinking about it, Dong Zhongshu walked in under the leadership of the Imperial Guards: "Huo Hou."
"Master, you don't come to visit us if you have nothing to do. If you have anything to say, it's okay to say it directly." Huo Qubing said.
Dong Zhongshu sat down and organized what he wanted to say:
"In the past few days, various foreign envoys have gathered in Chang'an. Although they have a desire to submit, they all request that the population not be dispersed and do not want to move inland.
At the court meeting this morning, the ministers discussed how to deal with it. I think Huo Hou never said a word, but he already had a plan in mind? "
Huo Qubing smiled and said: "How to deal with these tribes that want to surrender? Master, Li Yushi, and Taichang are all experts. They want to ask me?"
Dong Zhongshu: "Although there are ways to contain it, I still want to make it more perfect. Let's listen to Huo Hou's military advice."
Huo Qubing pushed the territory map he was looking at to Dong Zhongshu.
Dong Zhongshu saw that there were four or five places circled in the picture, and after looking at them for a while he found the common ground:
"Are these places suitable for raising horses?"
Huo Qubing hummed: "Both Wuhuan and Fuyu are excellent producing areas for horses and other livestock.
Let them donate horses in large quantities, and supplement it with the garrison control of several large areas with rich pastures. In this way for several years, we have repeatedly selected good horses for the use of our big men. "
"In addition to the forced transfer of part of the population, one is declining and the other is increasing, and it is not a big problem to check and balance the Wuhuan, Fuyu and other ethnic groups."
He added: "Actually, as long as my big man remains strong, their sense of belonging will naturally become stronger as time goes by.
Even if there is any dissent, they can be eliminated by sending troops. They are not fools, and they definitely dare not repeat it easily. "
Huo Qubing said: "On the other hand, once we decline, any other means will not work. Not to mention these foreign races that we have conquered, chaos will arise within us first, let alone the foreign races."
"So national strength is the foundation, and everything else is auxiliary."
"At this stage, even if we don't use any means to contain them, they have just been defeated by us and they don't dare to fight back easily. At least they won't decide what to do next until we fight the Huns again and decide the outcome."
Wang Yan, the doctor on the side, nodded secretly. In terms of his clear insight into everything, he had never seen anyone of his own age who could compare with this official, the youngest man in history, Lang Zhongling.
Dong Zhongshu also nodded and said, "What Marquis Huo said is correct.
It is precisely because of the several ancestors of our great Han Dynasty that they contributed to the country and came into the hands of Your Majesty, so that we can become the powerful Han Dynasty we are today. "
Huo Qubing said dumbly: "Master, there is no need to remind me in any way that war costs a lot of money.
If we don't fight this spring and autumn, the Huns will start fighting again.
They urgently need a big victory to clear up the turmoil and worries of the previously defeated Royal Court. Even if it consumes a lot of money, the Huns will try their best to fight this battle. "
Dong Zhongshu said: "I also expected this. The Xiongnu and other nomadic tribes in the northern part of the Great Wall have been a trouble for our country since the Spring and Autumn Period. It is these nomadic tribes that often harass our Han people.
So I have already figured out that I fully support Huo Hou in defeating the Xiongnu.
Fortunately, although there have been a lot of wars this year, we have fought several battles and captured plenty. The transformation and adjustment during this period can still be sustained. "
"If the Western Region falls into our hands and the channels for material and currency circulation with other countries are opened, the situation will be better." Huo Qubing said calmly.
After Dong Zhongshu left, Huo Qubing said to Wang Yan: "Let the Li family, Zhao family, and other horse-raising clans in Taiyuan, Shangdang and other counties come to Chang'an to meet me."
Wang Yan bowed and agreed, walking briskly.
Huo Qubing also left the guard hall and came to the military mansion on the outskirts of the city.
The tactics of cavalry will always determine the outcome of wars for thousands of years to come.
If we want to strengthen our army now, we need to find room for improvement in tactics and armaments.
If you want to upgrade your weapons and equipment, your first choice is armored soldiers and communication methods.
On the second floor of the Secret Realm of the Military Mansion, after the Mohists took over the construction of the military engineering camp, they used wooden mortise and tenon structures to build shelters here.
They have unique manufacturing methods and are very fast.
In less than ten months, many buildings have risen from the ground, with raised eaves and eaves, exuding the unique smell of logs.
Ji Qiu, who is short and fat but has slender and flexible hands, stands in a two-story wooden building, holding a blueprint in his hand and looking down at it.
He heard footsteps and turned around to see Huo Qubing: "Huo Hou." He then led Huo Qubing to the other side of the hall.
Here is the immortal jade sword that was taken from King Huainan.
The jade sword is still bound by the formation diagram of Huo Qubing's sacrifice.
But another Mohist artifact was added to it, which was a bronze mirror hanging above, with the mirror pointed at the jade sword.
On the back of the bronze mirror, there is a mantra of civilization and destruction emerging, just like thousands of raindrops falling on the lake, causing frequent ripples.
Whenever the jade sword shatters Huo Qubing's military formation, the incantation inside the jade sword changes and is reflected and imprinted by the mirror. Some of the symbols rising from the jade sword, once they break away from the jade sword and burst out, will be immediately dragged in and sealed by the mirror.
The whole process goes round and round, which is amazing.
"This is my Mo family's ink mirror, which can make rubbings and analyze various artifacts.
The aura of this jade sword has been growing. Fortunately, the combination of Mo Gongjing and Huo Hou's formation was able to contain it. "Ji Qiu said.
"The King of Huainan sacrificed his soul to refine this sword. When he died, the jade sword was also affected. During this time, its power began to gradually recover."
Huo Qubing said: "Our Han army, including the communication methods of embroidered clothes, is quite convenient within the territory of our Han Dynasty, but it will be subject to certain restrictions outside the Han Dynasty.
Since I destroyed Zonghengdao, I have discovered that there are people in Zonghengdao who are still in Han territory and can still contact the Xiongnu.
I suspect that their communication method is driven by the immortal weapon in their hands, so I let you study and analyze the power of this jade sword. "
Ji Qiu thought for a while and said: "Huo Hou was wrong about one thing. Although this jade sword is rare, it can only be regarded as a near-immortal weapon, and it cannot be called a real immortal weapon. Our Mo family divides various types of utensils into heavens. There are four levels of , work, creation and things.
That is, heavenly weapons, divine craftsmanship, precious weapons, and ordinary weapons.
This jade sword is considered a heaven-made spiritual treasure. With spirituality, it is an immortal weapon.
A true immortal weapon has the power to destroy heaven and earth, and it is not limited to the power of the jade sword in front of you. There is an innate spiritual treasure on top of the immortal weapon. It is a legendary thing. It may have existed in ancient times, but it absolutely does not exist in the world today.
As for the immortal artifacts, they may only be found in the tomb of the First Emperor at that time, so it is difficult for people to open the imperial tomb. "
"Zonghengdao has been planning the Tomb of the First Emperor for many years, and have you tried?" Huo Qubing asked.
"Yes, my Mo family has several treasures, but they were destroyed in the grave."
Ji Qiu spoke and flicked his hand.
A wooden box appeared out of thin air next to him.
After Ji Qiu opened it, he took out two things, and the box merged into the void again, similar to the space of the military bag created by military strategists out of thin air.
"This is the Hundred Craftsman's Box of my Mo Family. Every Mo Craftsman above the rank of Master Master has one beside him."
This branch of Mohist craftsmanship can be subdivided into different stages such as divine craftsmanship, masterpiece, master craftsmanship, craftsmanship, skillful craftsman, craftsman, and craftsman.
Ji Qiu is a master craftsman in craftsmanship.
He said: "Huo Hou asked me to study the Han army's communication method. I have a new idea. Huo Hou came to take a look at this."
Huo Qubing was a little surprised. What Ji Qiu took out from the baggage box were two pots of flowers.
"What's this?"
"For summons."
"Use flowers to send messages?"
(End of chapter)
