A strong wind stirred up smoke and dust all over the sky, and there was no trace of green anywhere. The earth and sky seemed to be the same color, showing desolation.
On the dry and hard ground lay corpses in different forms, with dried and blackened blood everywhere, broken armor and weapons, scattered arrows stuck in them, and living soldiers organizing the battlefield.
On the chariot of the Han army, Luo Shi took off his visor and helmet. Sweat soaked into his hair and face, and his hair even stuck to his face.
He seemed to be older than Luo Sheng. Years of continuous life on the horse had taken a huge toll on his body.
"Have the kills and casualties been calculated?"
The military judge made some calculations and replied excitedly: "For the information of the Protector-General, our army beheaded a total of 1,324 Xiongnu and their servants, including 304 Xiongnu elites and 1,000 miscellaneous Huns. Zero twenty people.
The Temple Army suffered fifteen casualties, the Han Army in the Western Regions suffered 103 casualties, and the Servant Army in the Western Regions suffered 504 casualties. "
It sounds like a big victory. After all, the number of beheadings is almost twice as many as casualties. Even during the period of Emperor Xiaowu, this battle loss was still very good.
But Luo Shi frowned deeply. He led his army thousands of miles to come here, not for such a small victory.
What he wants is for the trade routes at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains to be smooth. What he wants is for the roads from Guanzhong to Hexi to Wusun and Dawan to be unimpeded, so that people from the Central Plains can continuously immigrate to the Western Regions.
However, the Huns were too flexible. They would flee as soon as they saw no match for them. They would wait until the Han army had withdrawn and then fight back. They rarely fought head-on. Instead, they mostly harassed grain roads and attacked logistics troops, making the Han army unbearable.
"Go back to the Protector's Mansion and reward according to your merits!"
Putting aside these worries for the time being, Luo Shi shouted loudly that this time was a victory after all, and next he would ask for credit for the soldiers, and all the soldiers cheered loudly.
Merits must be rewarded, and rewards must be fair. This is the source of Luoshi's prestige.
…
The Great Protectorate.
An oil lamp in the room flickered, and the light in the room shone on Luo Shi's face, flickering brightly and dimly, just like his current mood.
In terms of combat power alone, the battle-hardened Western Region Army is very strong, especially the presence of the Temple Army, which is suitable for dealing with a conflict of this scale. However, the Han Army in the Western Region is more than capable of self-preservation and insufficient in attack.
Luo Shi wanted to leave the Temple Army to guard the Western Regions during Jingnan's reign. The reasons were very complicated.
"My dear, are you still thinking about the Huns?"
His wife sat next to him and comforted her softly: "Every time the Huns invade, you can fight and win. You have tried your best."
Seeing that Luo Shi was still worried, she straightened up slightly and pressed the acupoints on his head to relax Luo Shi.
Luo Shi thought for a long time, and then said firmly: "I want to write to the emperor and ask the court to attack the Huns, just like Emperor Xiaowu did. The Huns are recovering rapidly, and they must be killed, otherwise they will become a big trouble. "
His wife was horrified and said: "My dear, you have hardly stopped fighting in these years, can your body still hold up?"
Luo Shi sighed and said: "The Western Region is the millennium plan of Zhu Xia and his family, and it is the inheritance left by his father. Liu Dan's descendants are also here, and they have to fight for their husbands.
To tell you the truth, my health is indeed not very good, but it is not caused by illness, and the family's sacred objects are of little use to me.
Compared with the majestic mountains and endless rivers, human life is so short.
But how long does this last compared to the cries of cicadas?
I once heard that there is a kind of flower that takes three thousand years to take root, three thousand years to sprout, and another three thousand years to bloom. It only blooms for a moment, and those who see it can live forever. This is probably the meaning of life.
I am an ordinary person who will eventually die. It is better to do more things in this short life so that my life will not be in vain. "
Luo Shi's wife heard this and cried: "You, these men of Luo Shi, are all heroes. Women in the world admire you, and so do I."
But I'm really worried about you dying on the battlefield.
King Su is a god, but you and I have been sleeping in the same bed for decades. Don’t I still know it?
You are a mortal with a mortal body, and you will get sick and die.
The brother who loves me the most is dead, and now you have to fight for that emperor. In my whole life..."
She couldn't talk anymore, then she stood up, walked two steps, turned around and cried: "Don't you want to write a memorial? I'll grind the ink for you."
…
"I have something to say.
The Huns invaded, isolated the east and west, and tried to cut off the connection between the Western Regions and the Central Plains. I have been in the Western Regions for decades, and I know that in order to cut off the power of the Xiongnu, the Western Regions are the fundamental reason why Emperor Xiaowu controlled the Western Regions in the past. .
Now that your Majesty has fulfilled his duty, the world is at peace, but the Huns have risen again, which is really a serious problem for the Han family. If they are not eradicated as soon as possible, I am afraid that the arrogance of Emperor Xiaowu will return again. "
Luo Shi's memorial is very long, and he carefully analyzes the damage caused by the reappearance of the Xiongnu to the Han Dynasty and the possible consequences in the future, from the defense of border territories to the taxation of the central court, the importance of trade routes, and the Western Region's containment of the Hu regime in the north. importance.
This memorial can almost become a thesis on the study of the Western Regions. It contains a large number of events that Luo Shi personally experienced, as well as a large amount of data he has obtained over the years. An outstanding emperor can almost learn about the Western Regions in more detail from this memorial. Condition.
Liu Xun had only read the very beginning, and he had already made up his mind to attack the Huns. The most irritating words for him were "recreating the arrogance of Emperor Xiaowu." How strong were the Huns during Emperor Xiaowu's time?
The Han Dynasty almost used all his strength, and together with the three top commanders who had never been born before, they fought consecutive battles with more than 100,000 people. One after another, they wiped out the remaining soldiers of the Sixth Generation of the Han Dynasty, and finally defeated the Xiongnu. .
The cruel war prevented the Xiongnu from appearing in the sight of the Han Dynasty for fifty years. Even when they were so weak in the Battle of Jingnan, the Hu people did not dare to appear.
It wasn't until two or even three generations died and the Huns recovered some of their strength that they began to try to go south again. Moreover, they chose not the core territory of the Han Dynasty, but the borderlands like the Western Regions. Deep down in their hearts, they may not be without fear.
Liu Xun conveyed the meaning of the memorial to everyone, and then asked: "I think all the ministers are aware of what Wushuang Hou Luoshi said. If you have any ideas, just say it directly."
To fight or not to fight.
If the violent emperor Liu Dan had not been overthrown, he would have fought without hesitation. Ever since Emperor Xiaowu reused military merit, the trend for decades had been to do things without saying a word, and there was no other soft policy in mind.
So Liu Dan, the violent emperor, defeated the barbarians and brought the world to ruin. He lost his life and left a mess for Liu Xun to clean up for a long time.
The ministers looked at each other, but not many people spoke, because they were not sure whether the emperor's thoughts were the same as their own.
The emperor opposed the ruthless Emperor Liu Dan at every turn and took Liu Dan as a warning. Liu Dan's favorite thing was martial arts. The emperor criticized him many times, saying that he was militaristic and was so happy with his achievements that he based his achievements on the flesh and blood of the people of the world. He was a tyrant. The tyrant in.
In the eighteen years since the emperor took office, he has always imitated Emperor Xiaowen. Emperor Xiaowen did not like fighting. From this point of view, it seems that the emperor should be opposed to war with the Xiongnu.
A minister came out and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I think that the world has just stabilized and the people do not want to use weapons rashly. If we go to war now, I am afraid that I will repeat the mistakes of the violent emperor Liu Dan."
These smooth words were approved by many people, who nodded in agreement.
There was no expression on Liu Xun's face, so his thoughts were naturally different.
His goal has always been to become a Holy King, but how difficult it is to become a Holy King. From a cultural perspective, Emperor Xiaowen has reached the pinnacle. From a martial arts perspective, Emperor Xiaowu has reached the pinnacle. He wants to surpass these two. It is really difficult to be an ancestor.
Then the only way he can go is to complete both civil and military affairs at the same time. Now he has done a relatively good job in civil affairs. If he can also achieve success in martial arts, he may not be able to be followed by future kings and even become holy kings.
At least the Han Dynasty must have its own place among the temple names, and it is also one of the most senior ones.
This is the truest thought in Liu Xun's heart. This is one of the few opportunities in his life!
————
The Xiongnu invaded the border, destroyed the chariots, and blocked the east and west. Wushuang Hou Shi, the protector of the Western Regions, led his army to attack them. The Xiongnu fled far away. Shizou said: "The invaders are like fire, and they are as fast as the wind. They can be defeated and indestructible. Please send troops to attack them."
The edict said: "I use my body to flatter the ancestral temple and gain trust in the country.
All day long, I have always remembered that Emperor Huiwen was benevolent and righteous, and his administration valued the people. Therefore, since the establishment of the throne, he has been strict in generosity and frugality to restore people's livelihood.
All night long, I have thought of Emperor Xiaowu's choice of generals to establish the border, and to dominate the barbarians. His merits are so abundant that I cannot fully publicize them. I admire him very much.
The Xiongnu invaded the four territories, and the people were injured by them. I feel pity for them and should save them. "
In the autumn, he sent out the Yulin Orphans in Guanzhong and mobilized the three auxiliary archers to conquer the six counties of Longxi, Chengluo, Tianchu, Beidi, Shangjun and Tianshui. All the sons of good families were knights.
He also selected the bravest men from the counties and counties, and mobilized the elite soldiers from Guandong, the Hu knights, and the knights from Sanhe, Nanyang, and Yingchuan.
With the Western Region's chief guard Wushuanghou Shijiang, all the armies in the Western Region and Hexi.
Each of the five generals will choose 150,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the Xiongnu. ——"Book of Han·Xiaoxuan Chronicles"
(End of chapter)
