Straight man of steel

Chapter 385 Timing
"Tai Xue Ling, His Majesty let you in, and Chu Da knelt outside the hall."

Zhang Yuan was a little surprised when he heard what the eunuch said. Generally, few people have the habit of making people kneel, even the emperor.

Unless Chu Da has nothing for Liu Che to respect, this will be the way Liu Che treats him as a pariah in the true sense.

If it were any other minister, even if Liu Che got angry again, he would at most kill that person instead of letting him humiliate him on his knees.

"Tai Xue Ling, you should go in first, I'm fine.

Explain the matter clearly to His Majesty, I believe His Majesty will have his own judgment. "

Chu Da used honorific words to Zhang Yuan, which could open up the relationship between the two. Zhang Yuan also understood, so he nodded and followed the eunuch into the hall.

"Minister Zhang Yuan pays homage to His Majesty."

Liu Che acted like he didn't know anything, slowly put down the pen in his hand, raised his head and asked Zhang Yuan with a smile.

"If Taixue Ling doesn't bother with setting up new disciplines at Taixue, how can he have time to come to Jianzhang Palace?

If you have any difficulties, you can directly speak to other people, and if you can't solve it, just come to me. "

Zhang Yuan didn't intend to talk about Chu Da directly, he didn't want to arouse Liu Che's disgust now.

"I do have difficulties, but only His Majesty can help."

"Let's talk about it. If it's related to the war against Hungary, say it. If it's not, I'm not in the mood to listen to other things."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I won't put my mind on other things these days.

The minister has thought about it for the past few days, if we want to win a war, what do we need?
After much deliberation, there are always only three points, the right time, the right place and the harmony of people.

People and our big Han now have, the Han army has 10 soldiers, excellent weapons, strong men and strong horses.

In addition, the former general is a rare commander in a century, and the harmony of people is the biggest advantage of our side.

It seems that we now have the geographical advantage that we never had, but this burden has to fall on me.

For this matter, only the minister will do his best to create the best conditions for the Han army before the expedition.

The last point is the time of day. The time of day does not mean that our big men are excited or that some natural and man-made disasters happened to the Huns.

The minister believes that we need to grasp the timing of the attack. If after the expedition, the former general ordered the army to disperse, our Han army just met the main force of the Huns, and it would be quite difficult to win.

If the former general joined forces and only encountered a small Hun tribe, then this victory is far from satisfying the big man, His Majesty, or the people of the world. "

Liu Che frowned, but he was not too worried.

"Then tell me what to do?"

Zhang Yuan also understood Liu Che's thoughts. After fighting several wars with the Huns now, if he told Liu Che about this day in another 20 years, he would probably turn his hair gray in worry.

Timing is the key factor that can dominate anything.

If anyone chooses the right timing, no matter what they do, they will succeed.

Comparing a war won by surprise with a war won by hard work, everyone obviously likes surprise.

The importance of timing is particularly important, but you cannot leave the timing to God just because it is the right time.

The reason why Liu Che didn't care now was because Zhang Yuan was talking about the time of day. The emperor would subconsciously think that things decided by God could not be manipulated by manpower. Even if he was worried, he felt that Zhang Yuan was talking nonsense.

"Has your Majesty ever played chess?"

Zhang Yuan asked suddenly.

"Well, of course it did."

"I want to treat the war as a chess game involving three parties.

Heaven is the referee, and it can also be said to be the judge. It dominates everything. When the war starts, if it is sunny, rainy or snowy, it will directly affect the war. If there is an earthquake and flood, the impact will be even greater.

Then we Dahan and the Xiongnu are both pawns on the chessboard. They seem to rely on their respective strengths to play the game, but they are subject to rules, and we don't even know what the rules are. "

Zhang Yuan paused at this moment, giving Liu Che some time to think.

This arrogant emperor will not accept the control of something that may or may not exist above his head when he does something.

God can't!

"I want to break this chess game!"

Liu Che said suddenly.

"Your Majesty, this is not the best way. Breaking the chess game will hurt both sides, and as a referee, it will not be affected. He will only judge a draw."

At this time, there is no concept of win-win, and there is no mutual compromise between the big man and the Huns.

If neither side is a warlike nation, then Zhang Yuan will have to talk nonsense about non-zero sum games.

But the Han people and the Huns are actually warlike peoples. People who don't like war either survive in the cracks, or they have disappeared in the long river of time.

"Then what can you do?
I feel that what you said so much is all nonsense! "

"Your Majesty, why don't you think about changing the identities of the three?"

"How to change?"

"Before playing chess, if the big Han fought against the Xiongnu, he would surely win.

Then there will only be two of them on the chessboard, and the side that is doomed to failure is not qualified to hold the piece.

I just don't know if His Majesty has the heart to win the Heavenly Son! "

Liu Che narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

"I just hope that your Majesty will become great. The Huns are a nation created by the heavens, and they are no more miserable than us Han people.

They have not stopped their aggression since their appearance, but the Huns have no culture and no heritage, and every hundred years will forget what happened in the previous century.

We Han people understand their history better than they themselves understand.

Their weapons are outdated and they have no art of war at all, and their food, drink and clothes are no better than our Han people, but the innate barbarism makes them unique in war.

It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the darlings of God, and if they are sure to defeat the Huns in war, it is not an exaggeration to say that His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. "

"But the inevitable victory you said is impossible to exist, right?
While you say that the Huns are the darling of heaven, you also say that we have no time and only when we have the time can we win. Isn't the two contradictory? "

When he said this, Zhang Yuan raised his head and looked directly at Liu Che.

In fact, it is a direct look, but Liu Che's sitting position is high enough to look directly at it is to look up.

"If Your Majesty wants to win over Tian Banzi, how can you let Heaven do it arbitrarily?

As long as we are prepared in all aspects, manpower may not be invincible!

Has Your Majesty forgotten to ask Chu Da to pretend to join the Xiongnu? "

After talking for a long time, he finally got around to Chu Da, and Liu Che also guessed what Zhang Yuan meant.

But Liu Che really didn't have any hope for this matter. Even if Zhang Yuan mentioned it, the big man had never successfully placed chess pieces on the Xiongnu's side.

There will be no news of those married Lord Weng who are sent there, and gradually no one has hope for it.

"I haven't forgotten it, but the hope of this matter is slim, and I don't want to invest my energy in it."

Looking at Liu Che's expression, Zhang Yuan also understood.

Liu Che just wanted to send Chu Da to the grassland to die, and never expected him to do anything.

In this way, Liu Che preserved his good reputation, and by the way, he also expressed some anger in his heart.

"Your Majesty, after Chu Da found me yesterday, he told me about it. He did not leak the secret on purpose, but he is not as familiar with the map as I am.

Wanting to find a way to reach Shan Yuting of the Huns, the minister thought it was not feasible at first, so Chu Da went to die.

In fact, Chu Da didn't think he could survive. He was already desperate, but he could only die generously for his family.

But afterwards, I thought about it, and the Huns were not surrounded by Han people who had not surrendered. Although those people were no longer our clansmen, it also proved that the Huns did not kill Han people when they saw them.

In addition, I found out a piece of news that further verified this fact. "

"what news?"

"Zhang Qian is still alive!"

Liu Che tried his best to think about the name of Zhang Qian in his mind, and finally remembered it after being reminded by the eunuch around him.

"Where are the others?"

"I don't know now, but when I asked those merchants to draw the map, someone once saw Zhang Qian in Touman City.

However, he was guarded by the Huns and there was no way to escape, and the Huns have been trying their best to make him surrender, but they have not been successful. "

After Zhang Yuan finished speaking, Liu Che's face showed joy.

Any emperor likes this kind of person who would rather die than submit
You can have no talent or ability, you can be useless and have nothing, but you have to be loyal.

This kind of person who would rather die than surrender in front of foreigners is a benchmark image that can be established in the eyes of the emperor.

Zhang Qian was later awarded the title of Bowang Hou, which was actually a bit baffling. He just followed Wei Qing for a trip, and then he was granted the title of Bowang Hou.

For the military, Zhang Qian is almost an idiot. If he had a little vigilance and sensitivity, he would not be caught by the Huns once and then by the Qiang people.

But Liu Che likes him, so what's wrong with sending him to the army for gilding?

You have to keep your opinions.

If an incompetent person wants to become a marquis, the most direct way is Zhang Qian's path, go to a foreign race and then run back for ten years rather than surrender.

Even if you can't be a Marquis, you can still be rich for a lifetime.

"Since Zhang Qian is still alive, why don't people contact Zhang Qian and ask Zhang Qian to pretend to surrender to the Huns and provide information for the Han army?"

"Your Majesty, each person has his own mission, and Zhang Qian endured humiliation for so many years just to go to Da Yuezhi.

If you give him other tasks at this time, it will only make him despair, thinking that all his previous efforts have been in vain.

For a person who suddenly lost his will, can His Majesty still believe that he can continue to be firm? "

"How do you make me believe in Chu Da?"

"First, Your Majesty can control the life and death of Chu Da's family.

Second, Chu Da was originally destined to die, but now His Majesty has given him hope of life.

Third, Chu Da and Chen are close friends, and Chen will also participate in next year's war against Hungary. With Chen's guarantee, I believe that Chu Da will not let Chen fall into jail. "

"Didn't you say before that you wouldn't go to the desert?"

"I thought about it, I have no choice but to go.

Chen's students fought bloody battles on the battlefield, fighting for the country.

At that moment, even if the minister could not fight the Huns with a sword, he had to stand behind them. "

This reason is something that Zhang Yuan has already thought about.

You can't tell Liu Che that you can't go a few days ago, and then say that you are going, and it won't work after repeated repetitions.

As for the reason of fighting for the country, Liu Che would not believe it. If Zhang Yuan was such a person, why didn't he directly say that he was going to go for the first time.

"Chu Da has been approved by me a long time ago, why did you come here today for this matter?
In addition, have you considered that even if the Huns believed Chu Da, how would Chu Da send the news? "

These two questions are what Liu Che really wants to ask in his heart, and the last question is the most critical.

There are Huns all around, you can't let the Huns pass the news, right?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I want to follow Zhang Qian's example and ask Chu Da to pretend to be an envoy of the Han Dynasty and lead a team across the border of the Huns, and then let the Huns arrest him, so as to minimize the Huns' suspicion of Chu Da's purpose.

In addition, after Chu Da is captured, His Majesty can spread the news to the outside world, saying that he has learned about Chu Da's surrender to the Huns, and then kill Chu Da's family, and then select some people from the death row prisoners and send their heads to the Huns. That's it.

Chu Da saw the head of the "family" at this time, and then surrendered to the Huns, the authenticity will be even higher.

As long as there is a way to deliver the message, Chu Da can only work hard on his own.

There are many ghost slaves among the Huns, and I feel that it is impossible for those ghost slaves not to yearn for the lives of the common people of the Han Dynasty. I am still confident in this point.

Your Majesty, as long as you allow Chu Da to set some conditions for those ghost slaves accordingly, they may be used by us. "

Zhang Yuan thought that as long as he did this, he might recruit a group of ghost slaves to be used by the big man.

The Huns regarded the ghost slaves as human beings, and the ghost slaves had always been repeated. However, the Han people hated the ghost slaves to the extreme, which made the ghost slaves have no choice but to find space for survival in the Huns. .

The ghosts are different from the Han people who surrendered to the Huns. The Huns only regard the ghosts as cannon fodder. Some Han people who surrendered to the Huns can still be treated and valued by the Huns.

"I allow those ghost slaves to return to the big man, but they must bring three heads of the Huns back.

They will also be given military merit and rewards for beheading three people. In addition, if they commit crimes in the Han Dynasty, they will be punished by death regardless of the severity. "

"Your Majesty is merciful."

Being able to do this is probably Liu Che's limit. Zhang Yuan had previously hoped that Liu Che could restore the Han identity of the ghost slaves, but he did not expect that he would give them military merit.

It is more than enough to behead three ranks and confer eight nobles. If you kill some more Huns, it will be easy to come back to be an official.

As for the difficulty of the ghosts killing the Huns, this was not within the scope of Liu Che and Zhang Yuan's consideration.

The ghost nuns took advantage of the Xiongnu's sleep and directly attacked them inside. They could kill as many as they wanted, as long as they could find a way to take the heads of the Huns from the grassland to the territory of the big Han.

(End of this chapter)