Hanhou

Jianyuan three years, April

During the period of Huaixia, the climate in the frontier is getting warmer.

The aftermath of the Mayi War has not yet ended, and the frontier residents have returned to their old lives.

Farmers holding plows and hoes on their shoulders are often seen in the fields. Occasionally, they get together in twos and threes, talking about the weather this year.I won a big victory against the Xiongnu before, and I hope that the gods will be beautiful, and this year will have a good weather and a good harvest.

On the vast grassland, there are large herds of cattle and sheep scattered.

The half-grown boy was riding on horseback, waving a long whip in his hand, and occasionally blowing a wooden whistle.There are often several big dogs around the mount, running and barking with the sharp whistle, driving away the scattered cattle and sheep, and driving the herd back to the fence.

Occasionally, a dog broke away from the team, found the lamb lying in the grass, and issued a loud signal.The teenagers got off their horses immediately, wrapped their long whips around their waists, and carried the shivering lamb into their arms.

Shan Yu, a military official, was defeated and retreated to the grassland. He returned to the Hu people to witness the might of the Han army, and he was determined to make a leg pendant for the Emperor of Han.The big bosses of the border counties seized the opportunity and once again joined forces to take back the captured fortress and push the border line to the north for several miles.

On the newly occupied pastures, only the border residents and the returned Hu tribe were allowed to graze, and all the rest were driven away.Regardless of the Xiongnu, Qiang, Xianbei, Wuhuan or Dingling, as long as they are vassals of the Xiongnu and bear the label of other tribes, they are not allowed to appear in the Han side.

Same as the previous rules, when encountering for the first time, it is mostly a warning to disperse.

If you dare to ignore the warning and try to take advantage of the loopholes, you will inevitably face the swords and arrows of the Han army.Most of the time, there is no need for the Han army to do anything, and the returning Hu people will compete to show that they will mount their horses with swords first, and kill the tribes who crossed the border neatly.

When Zhao Jia and Wei Yue were busy recruiting troops, Yunzhong County and Dingxiang County sent cavalry to the grassland several times in a row, recruited conscripts, and built fortresses, beacon towers, and garrison points on a large scale.

The progress of the fortress is a bit slow, so we simply build the beacon tower and garrison point first.

In order to occupy as much grassland as possible, some garrison points are just simple grass pavilions, with several tents erected around them, and ten Han soldiers are stationed, but they can deter hundreds of Hu troops.

Ten Han troops stood side by side, with bows and arrows outstretched, and Hu's troops were about to obediently return north, so they dared not charge head-on.Even with the number of people, it is the same to be able to flatten the garrison point.

This kind of deterrent power, in addition to accumulating over the years, also depends on the Mayi victory.

Nearly [-] troops were killed and injured in the First World War, and the four corners of the Shanyu and Wangting almost capsized, completely breaking the myth of the Huns' invincibility.As the news spread across the grassland, the tribes couldn't help but fear the Han army, and it became more and more serious day by day.

In the final analysis, the fighting power of the Huns is beyond the reach of other ministries.

Being able to beat the Xiongnu into a panic and flee, after running back to Longcheng, they didn't even have the courage to summon the warriors from all ministries to go south for revenge immediately, which shows how strong the Han army is.

The Battle of Mayi not only boosted the morale of the Han army, but also shook the Xiongnu's prestige in the grassland.

On the surface, all the ministries of the grassland still obeyed the Xiongnu and dared not have the slightest dissent.When Loulan and other countries met the Xiongnu, they would still honestly send food, livestock, and silk. The respect remained the same as before, and nothing changed.

In private it is quite different.

One after another, other tribes sent people to the Han side to contact the surrendered Qiang, Xianbei, and Wuhuan tribes.When Han merchants travel westward, they will clearly find that the soldiers and officials in the city guarding the city of Loulan and other countries, when they see the caravan dressed as Han people, their attitude is completely different from before, and they are more than polite.

The grassland has always respected the strong.

In the past, no one dared to obey the Xiongnu.

Now, the Han Dynasty is on the rise. The Xiongnu Da Shanyu went out in person, failed to get any benefits, and almost lost his life. Which one is stronger and which one is weaker, who can benefit from it, the leaders and priests of all ministries have thought about it.

In May, the frontier troops assembled in Yanmen pulled out their camps one after another and returned to their own counties.The new battalion has also completed its recruitment and is ready to return to Chang'an.

It is a pity that the replenishment of soldiers went smoothly, but the promotion of Lingcheng encountered difficulties.After discussing with the captain of Siying, he decided to put the matter aside for the time being and discuss it again when he returned to Chang'an.

Gongsun He revealed the news before his departure that the emperor intends to hunt in autumn.

As a personal soldier of the Son of Heaven, he must be the guard in front of the imperial court when hunting in autumn.In addition, the new recruits need to practice and adjust, and all weapons and armor must be equipped again. There is really not enough time, so they must set off as soon as possible.

In order to shorten the time and reduce unnecessary costs, Zhao Jia took up the logistics work again.

In view of his previous experience, he greeted Cao Shi and temporarily borrowed Peng Xiu.The two shared the tasks, and each led the scribes and officials so busy that they didn't even touch the ground.

For several days in a row, sleep up to two hours a day.

When everything was ready and the army was about to set off, Zhao Jia and Peng Xiu met each other with dark circles under their eyes and yawned again and again.

They were too sleepy and couldn't sit still immediately, so the two had no choice but to take a carriage instead.As soon as the car door was closed, he fell into a deep sleep, ignoring everything outside.

The day before departure, Wei Qingmo sent another batch of supplies, including a large number of seeds collected by Hu merchants.Today the army pulled out the camp, Wei Qingmo did not come to send it off, but took Wei Xia and Wei Qiu to inspect the fields, focusing all on Xia Zhong.

Wei Wu and Gongsun Ao blew the horn, and the generals of the fourth battalion mounted their horses one after another, raised the Han flag, gathered into a black dragon, left Yanmen County, and galloped all the way to Chang'an.

Zhao Jia was lying in the car, shaking with the car, sleeping even more deeply.

During a break on the way, Wei Yue opened the car door and tried to wake him up.

Zhao Jia sat up, eyes half-closed, and yawned from time to time.In a daze, he almost hit his face with the chopsticks.

"Hodor."

Wei Yue grabbed Zhao Jia's wrist and took off the chopsticks from his hand.Sitting next to Zhao Jia, he tore open a piece of steamed cake and handed it to Zhao Jia's mouth.

The aroma of food rushed into his nose, Zhao Jia instinctively opened his mouth, chewed and swallowed.

For one meal, two people eat one and feed the other, an unexpected "tacit understanding".

After drinking the whole bowl of hot soup, sleepiness surged again, Zhao Jia really wanted to lie down and continue to sleep.

"Hoduo, get out of the car and take a walk."

Wei Yue grabbed Zhao Jia and forced him out of the carriage.

Zhao Jia didn't want to move, but the third son Wei said that he was willing to do it for him and carried Zhao Jia down.

"I'll go by myself."

Knowing that Wei Yue was determined and he couldn't continue to meet Duke Zhou, Zhao Jia had no choice but to change his mind, cheer up and get off the carriage, circled around the temporary camp twice before being let by Wei Yue, and returned to the carriage.

Lying in the carriage, Zhao Jia looked up at the roof and suddenly lost sleepiness.

Unable to fall asleep and unwilling to get up, he simply continued to lie down, recalling all the things Wei Qing'e mentioned about his journey to the west.

The location of Loulan is very important, and it happens to be a key point connecting the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions.Continuing to be controlled by the Huns is very detrimental to the Han Dynasty.This time when I return to Chang'an, I have the opportunity to meet the emperor, so I should mention the matter.

Should it be the ceremony before the soldiers, or the soldiers before the ceremony; whether to make Loulan a vassal, or directly included in the territory, have the big bosses in the court to formulate the strategy, and just make suggestions themselves, and spend more time on military training.

Zhao Jia yawned, put one hand on his forehead, and closed his eyes.

And Lingnan.

During the Han Dynasty, the south had not been vigorously developed, and millet was the staple food. Few people would have noticed that the land that was regarded as wild was actually fertile and the climate was suitable for growing rice.

Nowadays, many local people still use slash-and-burn farming, and they have never heard of the curved plow or ox farming.

Such a rough farming method is destined to yield mediocre results.However, the local area is uniquely endowed with two or even three crops a year.No matter how the rice tastes, it is never a problem to have a full stomach.

Zhao Tuo occupied Lingnan, was able to sit firmly on the throne, and lived to be more than a hundred years old. Except for the remoteness of the place, the Han Dynasty could not dispatch troops at any time, and it was also inseparable from the local grain production.

Thinking of the hard work of the people in the border county for a year, the fields produced at most two stones, and thinking about the unutilized land in the south that was clearly capable of high yields, Zhao Jiateng sat up, and began to think about the plan to expand to the south after the Western Regions trade route.

After thinking about it, he was about to turn out the bamboo slips, knives and pens, when his movements suddenly stopped.

No matter how good the plan is, it is useless if the timing is not enough.

It is really not a good idea for the Xiongnu to rush south before they have taken it completely.

Even if the army can be used on both sides, the imperial court finances are also supporting, but for the soldiers in the north, the biggest danger of going south is not the enemy army, but the very different climate, poisonous animals and plants, and the pervasive miasma.

There are bound to be casualties in wars, and it is inevitable to open up territories without bloodshed.

There is nothing to say about fighting against the enemy. In Zhao Jia's opinion, it is too bad to cause losses due to unfamiliarity with the environment.

"It takes time."

Zhao Jia has a lot of ideas, some of which can be put into practice, some can only be kept in his heart, unless the time comes, he can't easily mention it to others.

Large-scale development is not possible for the time being. It should be no problem to organize a few caravans to explore the road south.

Due to geographical location, Changsha Kingdom had fought with Zhao Tuo, and he was most familiar with the Nanyue King.It is cheapest to collect intelligence and send caravans through Changsha.

Who is the current King of Changsha?

Zhao Jia leaned against the carriage, propped his head with one hand, and recalled all the old, middle-aged and young handsome men who passed in front of Lin Yuan when he was performing martial arts.I really couldn't figure it out, so I had to choose another way, and decided to ask Han Yan who is the current King of Changsha and what is his relationship with Chang'an.

In June of the third year of Jianyuan, Zhao Jia and his party arrived in Chang'an.

Liu Che was overjoyed to learn of the return of his own army. He wanted to go to Linyuan in person, but unfortunately he met the kings of Changsha and Zhongshan coming to court.In addition to the rewards due to military exploits, several carts of silk, silk and copper coins were given to the generals, and wine and food were rewarded, and they were allowed to drink freely in the camp for three days.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The lieutenant of Siying received the order to thank you.

Han Yan received another order and went to Weiyang Palace with Gongsun He to have an audience.When Cao Shi saw someone coming from his family, he didn't want to pay attention to him, but Han Yan pulled him aside to say a few words, and finally left the camp with a frown.

All the wine and food were sent to the camp for the army that was scheduled to rotate. The aroma of wine and roasted meat quickly filled the air, and the atmosphere rose instantly.

"The wine is good, but unfortunately it's not strong enough." After drinking a glass of wine, Li Danghu said.

Zhao Jia didn't say anything, he ate a piece of roasted meat, and raised a lamp to respect Wei Yue and Li Danghu.

Wei Yue turned her head and looked at Zhao Jia, who looked more relaxed and more contented. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and her slender fingers were holding the wine cup.

In Chang'an City, Han Yan was ordered to meet with Liu Che and told Liu Che about the battle in Mayi.

Knowing that Han Yan was staying in the palace, and predicting that Liu Che would not come to the harem, Chen Jiao left Jiaofang Palace and went to Changle Palace to accompany Empress Dowager Dou.

"Call Xu Liangren together." Chen Jiao stood up, her long sleeves vibrated slightly, bringing a burst of fragrance, "It's boring to be bored in the house all day. Musicians are making new songs, let her come and listen to them together."

"Your respect."

The palace people retreated, and Chen Jiao stepped out of the palace gate.On the way, he saw Xu Liangren was summoned to come.

Compared with when he first entered the palace, Xu Liangren's figure was slightly thinner, but his complexion was still good. When he walked up to Chen Jiao, he saluted politely, his eyes were downcast, and he didn't dare to look at her.

"Follow me to Changle Palace." Chen Jiao turned around and motioned for Xu Liangren to follow, her attitude was not too warm, but not hostile either.

"The doctor said that it's not good for you or the baby to move all day long. It's not easy to move around in Yongxiang, so I came to Jiaofang Hall." At this point, Chen Jiao stopped, looked sideways at Xu Liangren, and said, "You're smart enough to understand what I mean."

"promise."

Xu Liangren bowed his head in agreement, followed behind Chen Jiao, walking in a regular manner, and his posture became more and more respectful.