It’s cold in January, but the sun is shining brightly.
The study room of Weiyang Palace was warm and cozy.
The emperor asked Huo Qubing to tell him that he was going to return to Chang'an from the Western Regions, and his lips curled up.
When a minister comes back from an expedition, he must first obtain the emperor's permission and formally submit the memorial before he can leave.
The emperor happily approved and issued multiple imperial edicts to welcome the general back to the court!
————
Huns.
Under the high ground where the royal court is located, people and horses are passing through, and the shouts and shouts can still be heard clearly even in the royal tent.
The batch of supplies sent from the Northland made Ulaanbaatar regain some vitality, and it was much more lively than the previous quietness.
Yi Zhixie looked away from the window and saw Zhao Xin walking in quickly from outside the tent.
Zhao Xin was a general who surrendered to the Han and then returned to the Huns. With his understanding of the Han, Yi Zhixie handed Zhao Xin the responsibility for some relevant investigations about the Han.
"Reporting to the Great Chanyu, we have newly received news that the champion has set off back to Chang'an from the battlefield south of the Western Region where he fought against Shendu."
Upon hearing the news that it was Huo Qubing, Yi Zhixie straightened her back subconsciously:
"While Han was fighting Shendu, he, as the commander-in-chief, withdrew and returned to Chang'an... Without him in charge, Shendu would not be afraid of Shendu taking the opportunity to attack and suppress the Han army.
His itinerary should be top secret. How did you find out? "
"The champion's itinerary was not only kept secret, but was also reported to all parties in the Western Region without concealment," Zhao Xinhui reported.
Snapped!
Yi Zhixie thought for a moment, slapped his hand on the low table in front of him, and shouted: "This champion is really arrogant."
As a general of the Han army, Huo Qubing returned to Chang'an during the war. Without his leadership, the Han army would have increased instability. He should have concealed his schedule and minimized the alarm, so that all parties could not understand the true situation.
Huo Qubing did the opposite and left openly, clearly informing all parties.
This is obviously a warning, telling all parties clearly that he will beat anyone who dares to make any move.
"He is so flamboyant. If Shen Du knew about his departure, could he take any action?" Yi Zhi asked sideways.
Xin Zhao smiled bitterly and said: "No, the body poison has no movement at all.
Another news came not long ago. One of the seven poisonous Buddhas, Kongsamadhi, was killed by Huo Qubing himself. "
"The whole country was shocked by Shendu. The deterrent power of Huo Qubing's success is enough to make Shendu people dare not take action easily again, because they have to consider the consequences of offending him and weigh the gains and losses."
Yi Zhixie snorted coldly: "The attack caused by body poison only killed one prefect, which shows his incompetence.
If Huo Qubing or Wei Qing could be attacked and killed, the situation would be completely different. "
Zhao Xin thought to himself: Everyone knows that killing Huo Qubing or Wei Qing would be equivalent to destroying half of the Han army, but it is not that easy.
"The great shaman said that the poisonous Kongsamadhi practiced very deeply and was attacked and killed by Huo Qubing. We, the Huns, must also be vigilant and raise our defense level to ensure our own safety."
Yi Zhixie reached out and touched her chest almost reflexively.
A year and a half ago, Huo Qubing entered the royal court and stabbed him in the chest, leaving a particularly scar. That murderous fighting spirit... Yi Zhixie felt a slight chill in his heart and waved his hand for Zhao Xin to retreat.
————
Huo Qubing made arrangements, leaving Zhang Cigong and King Hunxie to command the Western Huns and Han troops respectively in Puli, and then set off back to Chang'an.
On the Hexi Corridor north of the Qilian Mountains, there is a large chariot, surrounded by more than a thousand Han troops.
In the car, Dong Zhongshu and the old prime minister were sitting opposite each other.
The two of them showed humility to each other, and Huo Qubing took the lead.
Dong Zhongshu opened the car curtain and looked out.
There were constant jingling sounds along the way. Jiuquan, Dunhuang and other four counties were being built along the Hexi Corridor, and there were also horse farms under construction. It was very lively along the way.
Carts carrying various supplies and merchants traveling between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty were constantly flowing.
There are also prisoners who are being escorted and supervised to serve as laborers in the Han Dynasty.
Most of these prisoners were obtained by killing the Dayue clan. In Lan's city alone, 400,000 were captured at one time.
Later, other areas of Da Yuezhi were wiped out, and the total number of prisoners became astronomical.
So many prisoners will be escorted to various places in the Han Dynasty in batches over a period of several months, adding to the strength of the Han Dynasty.
In this era, there is no so-called human rights to speak of. Prisoners are a by-product of defeat and an inevitable outcome of the social structure.
Along the Hexi Corridor, there will be nearly 200,000 prisoners, building four counties here and moving earth and stone.
These prisoners can greatly increase the progress of Han's construction.
Huo Qubing and others came along the way, taking prisoners constantly, and the number of people was spectacular.
“The first group of prisoners have arrived in the northeastern mining area and started mining.
As for the last batch of prisoners, they are still in Dayuezhi and have not had time to leave. It was a long journey with millions of captives. "
Dong Zhongshu put down the carriage curtain and looked away: "Huo Hou defeated the Dayue clan this time and captured so many people that it will be of great benefit to our Han Dynasty."
Gongsun Hong also said: "The actions of the champion can serve as a benchmark for future generations of generals."
The benchmark for military commanders... Counting the time, it's almost time to seal the wolf as Xu after the spring begins... Huo Qubing smiled.
The champion general in history went to the foot of Langjuxu Mountain and planted his flag there. The Huns were so defeated that they lost their helmets and armor and fled far away without daring to come back.
However, in the later years of Emperor Wu, after the deaths of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the Huns returned to their ancestral homeland of Ulaanbaatar and resumed their threat to the Han after years of recuperation and increased national strength.
If there is another war with the Xiongnu this time... Huo Qubing will do it even more thoroughly.
"How to supervise these many prisoners is a big problem to avoid causing mutiny." Dong Zhongshu thought.
“As for prisoners, you can earn work points through hard work, the more you work, the more you get.
Individuals who perform well can be promoted to foreman among the prisoners, with improved treatment, and even centimeters can be exchanged for a reduced sentence. "
Huo Qubing gave casual suggestions based on the experience of later generations:
"The advantage of doing this is that it gives them hope and reduces mutiny. Otherwise, there is no hope and they will have to work hard until they die of old age. There will be many people who dare to resist desperately."
"With the hope of freedom, no matter how small the hope is, the number of mutinies and desperate attempts will be greatly reduced."
“Secondly, the treatment of some prisoners can be improved, similar to the method used by my uncle to use Hungarians to control Hungarians.
Create divisions within the prisoners and promote some people to become 'bureaucrats' among the prisoners. They do not have to work, and their task is to supervise and supervise other prisoners.
If other prisoners do not perform well, we will deprive these 'bureaucrats' of their common interests and equate their interests with ours. "
He added: "In order to keep their own positions and interests, these people will focus on guarding and exploiting other captives.
While other captives work hard, part of the value generated must be attributed to the 'bureaucrats'. They do not have to work, but they also monitor and exploit other captives. The two sides will naturally become hostile and antagonistic, which will increase their internal conflicts.
To put it simply, we use prisoners to control prisoners and save a lot of our own consumption. "
Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong's eyes widened slightly and they were amazed.
The two of them have been worrying about state affairs and thinking about how to place prisoners and other issues related to the defeated country for some time.
However, it only determined the general direction of related matters. The specific how to do it is not as clear as Huo Qubing's proposal.
Huo Qubing smiled secretly.
He combined the experience of later generations and obtained it without any effort.
The team moved forward and soon passed through the Hexi Corridor and entered Longxi.
After passing the Xiguan Great Wall, you have entered the hinterland of the Han Dynasty.
In all counties and counties in Longxi, when people along the way saw the Han Imperial Guards riding by, they would show sincere reverence.
The people's love and sense of identification with the Han army are increasing day by day.
This is directly related to the fact that the emperor has repeatedly spread the news to the world that Huo Qubing led the imperial army and Wei Qing led the border army to defeat the Xiongnu and other surrounding countries in recent years.
This will allow more Han people to learn about the war situation in a timely manner. Through eating melons, they will know that the Han army has repeatedly defeated foreign enemies, and naturally they will have a stronger sense of national pride.
This time the governor of Xiguan was killed, the champion marquis defeated the enemy country in anger, killed the Yue Zhi king, and penetrated Lan's city. The emperor once again issued an edict to inform the people, but also to deter all parties.
When the Han people heard about it, they were very excited and ran around to spread the word.
In various parts of Han Dynasty, all walks of life have been discussing related matters for a long time.
In Longxi, where the prefect Zhang Jun had ruled, when they saw the Han army returning from the expedition, the people even rushed to pay attention and watch the majesty of the Han army.
It was the afternoon of early February when the team arrived in Chang'an.
It’s snowing in Chang’an.
Amidst the snowflakes all over the sky, hundreds of officials lined up to greet him, waiting outside the city gate.
The 86,000 Imperial Guards who stayed behind also gathered outside the North City Gate, wearing armor and armed with weapons to greet them.
Each of the Forbidden Soldiers had a bit of excitement, pride and reverence on their faces.
Huo Qubing himself did not know that the emperor had arranged such a grand ceremony to welcome him back.
When his chariot appeared in the distance, the Han army roared loudly, and the sound shook the sky:
"The champion is mighty! The champion is mighty! The champion is mighty!"
The uniform shouts caused the snowflakes in the sky to break into powder and fly into the air.
Outside Chang'an City, the crowd was boiling.
In fact, Huo Qubing defeated the Dayue clan this time, forced Kangju to surrender, and destroyed Dawan. Both in terms of actual gains and influence on all parties, he opened up the borders of the Han Dynasty more than any other time in the past.
It is not surprising that the emperor personally issued an edict and asked hundreds of officials to come out to welcome him.
Most of the people in Chang'an left the city spontaneously after hearing about it.
In an era when there were many foreigners, Huo Qubing carried many people's hope that the Han Dynasty would become rich and powerful and its people would be strong, and the power of the Han people would be promoted.
At this point, the emperor, officials and people are all the same.
Outside the snowy Chang'an City, there was a huge crowd.
Snowflakes remain on people's faces, heads, brows and corners of their eyes.
A father raised his child high and looked at the team returning from the snow. More eyes were focused on the chariot in the middle of the team.
"This kind of situation and meritorious deeds is the first time since the founding of the Han Dynasty, and it is estimated that it will not happen again in the future."
Taichang Zhou Ping stood among the officials, feeling a little emotional, and his heart was throbbing unconsciously.
The person who brought all this was only eighteen years old, which must be said to be a miracle.
"This won't be the last time... Can you be sure how far the champion will be able to achieve in the future and what achievements he will make?" Li Cai on the side glanced at Zhou Ping.
This year was the second year of Gengshen, Emperor Wu's Yuanshou.
In the cold winter of this year, when the champion returned from the battle, the people lined the road to greet him, and the team stretched ten miles outside the city.
This year, the Han people invented the revolving lantern.
Weiyang Palace.
Huo Qubing came to the study. Emperor Liu Che's eyes were bright and the smile on his lips spread little by little.
Dong Zhongshu and the old prime minister Gongsun Hong came back together, but they did not follow him immediately. Instead, they waited outside and let the monarch and his ministers talk first.
"I will grant you any reward you want." The emperor smiled happily.
"It is the right thing to be loyal to the Han Dynasty and His Majesty. I dare not ask for a reward from Your Majesty." Huo Qubing said frankly.
"How about I grant nine thousand households a food fief?"
Huo Qubing said: "Your Majesty, please don't do this. The reason why I am today is mostly due to your Majesty and my uncle's cultivation and teaching. There are nine thousand households in the city, which is three hundred more than my uncle. I am ashamed and dare not accept it."
Just because he was concerned about Wei Qing's feelings, he would rather not give generous rewards. This kind of mentality made the emperor like him even more.
"Then I will record your achievements first, and when both Wei Qing and you have made great achievements, we will reward you together."
The emperor added: "I will first give you the honor of being in the imperial court."
In ancient times, when ministers visited the emperor, they had to bend down and walk quickly, remain courteous, not be rude, not look directly at the emperor, and stay gentle. This process of movement is called "trending".
After enjoying the privilege of "not rushing into court", you can straighten your back, face the emperor upright, and walk normally.
This is more of a symbolic honor.
Entering the court without any hesitation, going to the palace with swords and shoes, and not naming the edicts are all the "privileges" of subjects to meet the emperor. They have little practical effect, but they are rare.
It is usually given to those who have made extraordinary achievements.
Later generations have concluded that there are four highest honors that a subject can have, and staying in the court is one of them.
In the long history of five thousand years, there are only a handful of famous ministers and generals that can be obtained in each dynasty.
The emperor took out another utensil and handed it to Huo Qubing: "I will reward you with this too."
Huo Qubing stood up and said, "I don't dare to accept this."
"I can't accept it."
The emperor said: "This time you went on an expedition and led your army to defeat the Dayue clan. Do you know what you brought to me?
After the news was spread to all parties, the South Vietnamese Kingdom in the southwest quickly submitted its credentials and asked for permission to come to Chang'an to meet me and declare submission.
In ancient and modern times, the barbarians heard that they were claiming to be ministers, and when they thought they could not stop the Han army, under my rule, Wei Qubing, you did this, which made the foreigners frightened! "
"South Vietnam surrenders."
Huo Qubing thought that this was good news. Half of the reason why I came back this time was because of South Vietnam.
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(End of chapter)
