Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 53 Zhou Yafu returns to the court and makes up his mind
In August of the first year of Yuanshuo, Liu Che officially named his wife Wei Zifu as empress, and most of Wei's sons were also promoted, apparently in an effort to support them in becoming true foreign relatives.

Emperor Liu Che was grateful for Xu Gong's merits and wanted to reward him with nine precious royal ceremonial vessels to show the court's attention to the Xu family, which would become the famous Nine Gifts in the future.

Xu Gong was of course flattered by these things, but he knew that he should not be too arrogant, so he refused on the grounds that his father Xu Zhen had never enjoyed it.

In addition to this, there was another major event, which was the return of the Grand Marshal Zhou Yafu to the court, and Liu Che chose to personally welcome this great contributor.

During the Jianyuan period, Zhou Yafu was demoted to the position of Shangdang Prefect and General Zhenbei because he offended the Empress Dowager, and was ordered to garrison the border with 80,000 troops.

After Empress Dowager Dou died, Emperor Wu of Han took power and conferred upon him the titles of Grand Marshal and General of the Northern Expedition. Until his return to the throne, he had made tremendous military achievements, repelling the Huns more than 30 times and killing so many foreign invaders that they did not dare to invade the border on a large scale for several years.

He already has the prestige of Xu Zhao before the Battle of Chang'an. Now the only one who can surpass him in the field of military generals is Prime Minister Xu Gong.

The emperor's ceremonial procession was displayed in a grand manner outside the north city of Chang'an, with various court rituals and music playing one after another. All the ministers, including Xu Gong, stood behind the emperor to welcome the arrival of the great Han general.

Soon, waves of dull footsteps were heard, and thousands of fully armed guards arrived.

Zhou Yafu dismounted, trotted to Liu Che's side, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am Zhou Yafu, and I am honored to have you wait in person."

This time he has really learned to be smart. He will no longer be like the previous emperor, who would become arrogant and look down on everyone just because he has made some achievements. Even Xu Gong, who is countless times more powerful than him, is very humble. What qualifications does he have to be arrogant?
Liu Che also respected him very much: "The Grand Commandant has been stationed at the border for several years and has curbed the harassment of the Xiongnu. He has done a great favor to the country and the people. I am very grateful, and it is natural for me to go out of the city to welcome him."

Xu Gong also came over and asked: "Does General Zhou have any military intelligence to report on this trip?"

Given Zhou Yafu's character, he must have returned to the court now because the war on the border had just ended and he had important military intelligence to report. Otherwise, he would not have moved lightly without the court's summons.

Sure enough, Zhou Yafu nodded and said, "Xu Xiang is really a master of prediction. What I want to report is the Xiongnu's invasion from the south."

"Then let's go to the palace and discuss it slowly." Liu Che also knew about the border issues. Ever since the failure of the Ma Yi plot, the Huns had completely torn up the peaceful policy and launched more frequent harassment.

Xu Gong was actually not optimistic about the Mayi plan. Even if it succeeded, it would be useless because the newly succeeded Xiongnu Khan would turn against the Han Dynasty.

It was inevitable for nomadic peoples to harass the Central Plains, because the climate on the grassland was harsh and the livestock would freeze to death in winter. In order to survive, plundering the Central Plains was a must.

This is also why nomadic peoples are eager to transform into agricultural civilization, because stability is the truth. Relying on the weather for food is too unpredictable. In the past, they could rely on the annual gifts from the Central Plains to survive, but now it is no longer possible after the split.

Zhou Yafu followed Liu Che and Xu Gong to the Weiyang Palace, while the other ministers were sent home.

"Wei Qing, please stay for a moment." Liu Che stopped Wei Qing who was about to retreat.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Qing stopped and stood aside.

Zhou Yafu finally stated the purpose of this trip.

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu's attacks on Shangdang, Taiyuan and other places have become more frequent. Although they have not been launched on the scale of Maodun and Huduo in the past, they still seriously affect the safety of the people in the border areas. I implore Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible."

"Whether it's resuming the marriage alliance or launching an expedition against the Xiongnu, we must not fall into a passive position!"

This is the tricky part about the Huns. They will never be a match in a large-scale battle, but it will be difficult to carry out small-scale harassment.

Although Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing and even the present dynasty have all attached great importance to horse management, the number of horses is still too small compared to other ethnic groups, and they are often led by the nose.

"What do you think, Prime Minister Xu?" Liu Che subconsciously looked at Xu Gong.

"I think the Xiongnu must be dealt with. Marriage can only be a temporary solution. Now that the Han army is strong, there is no need to worry about so much."

Xu Gong was born as a military general and rose to prominence through military exploits, so he was naturally very tough. In his opinion, he could not just sit and wait for death, but had to take the initiative to attack! If he continued to marry the Huns, they would surely become more and more rampant, and he would have no choice but to send troops.

Liu Che fell into silence. "Wei Qing, what do you think?" He looked at Wei Qing, who was of low status at the moment.

"I...I believe that only war can truly solve the problem of the Huns!" he said decisively.

"Okay, since all of you have this idea, I can't spoil your fun. Let's prepare for a few years, gather troops and food, and set out for an expedition to Mobei!" Liu Che said firmly. In his heart, he was unwilling to keep playing cozy with this group of barbarians.

"Wei Qing, you will be on duty in front of the teacher's residence during this period. Remember not to neglect it."

"Yes, sir!" Wei Qing accepted the order gladly.

Your Majesty, don't you want Prime Minister Xu to teach you? It is definitely an honor to be taught by this great military god of the Han Dynasty!
Xu Gong had no objection. His health was getting worse and worse, and he was afraid that he would die sooner or later. It would be nice to train a talented general for everyone in the end.

"By the way, I have already asked Huo Qubing to go over there. Teacher, you can take him with you." Liu Che had wanted to ask Huo Qubing to go over there before, but he wanted to keep Wei Qing by his side.

But now he has changed his mind.

"Huo Qubing..." Xu Gong thought about it and seemed to have some impression of this person. He had heard his son talk about this person.

"Yes."

.........

Liu Che immediately changed Wei Qing's position to that of an imperial doctor in the Prime Minister's Office, and he followed him back to the Prime Minister's Office.

Before entering the door, there were fierce sounds of knife and gun collisions from inside. Two young men were arguing loudly, and it was very noisy.

"This brat is causing trouble for me again!" Xu Gong slapped his forehead, drew his sword and rushed in aggressively without caring about the people watching.

Expansion!
He kicked the gate open roughly, and sure enough, there were two young men inside brandishing swords and sticks, fighting with each other excitedly, their faces red and ears red. The servants huddled in the corner, not daring to step forward to stop them.

One of the young men immediately dropped his weapon when he saw the person coming, and stood aside feeling guilty and afraid.

The other handsome and heroic young man was just standing there laughing until he saw the man behind him.

"Father (uncle)."

The two of them immediately became obedient.

"Xu Chu, what did I tell you? If you dare to fight in Chang'an again, I will never let you join the army!" Xu Gong, who had been calm all the time, finally couldn't hold it anymore.

"I heard from my uncle that my father was more combative than I was back then..." Xu Chu muttered softly.

"What did you say?"

"I... Chu knows I'm wrong and I'm willing to accept the punishment!"

"Go find the servant to receive your punishment. Don't try to get away with it! I will check." Xu Gong glanced at Wei Qing beside him. He felt really embarrassed so he decided to let him go for now and teach him a lesson later.

Then, he turned his head with embarrassment: "I'm sorry to embarrass you, but this child is too naughty and aggressive, not like me at all."

"I understand..." Wei Qing was actually feeling guilty. He recognized that the person next to him was his nephew Huo Qubing!

(End of this chapter)