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

Chapter 54: The Young Hero Huo Qubing, the Northern Expedition to the Xiongnu
"Cough cough..." Wei Qing watched Huo Qubing cough a few times. The other party immediately understood and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Junior greets Prime Minister Xu. I apologize for any offense I have caused before. Please forgive me." He was just too hot-blooded before and didn't care about other issues at all. He just wanted to have a good fight.

He and Xu Chu can be said to have known each other through fighting.

Xu Chu was the sixth and second son of Xu Gong. He perfectly inherited Xu Gong's martial power and military talent. He was invincible since childhood in Chang'an, where there were many descendants of meritorious officials. Huo Qubing, who had just arrived, was also at a passionate age and of course he was not convinced.

At that time, he didn't know that this was Xu Gong's son, and the two of them just faced off. After many fights, it turned out that Huo Qubing was stronger. Xu Chu was not convinced, and the two of them often competed with each other.

Huo Qubing also developed a liking for this peer, as he was the only person in all these years who could fight with him so fiercely.

Xu Chu also often studied military tactics and exchanged martial arts with him.

Even when Huo Qubing first came to the Prime Minister's Mansion and saw the other party, he did not think of him as Xu Gong's son. He just thought he was the same as himself, so he started fighting again.

"Well... I heard that you beat that guy so badly that he didn't know what to do. I admire you very much." Xu Gong also looked at the person in front of him. He knew his son's martial arts ability very well, and this man could actually win the battle. He was a good seedling.

"This... I was just doing it in the spirit of competition." Huo Qubing thought the other party was blaming him, so he muttered a few words.

"Get rid of the disease!" Wei Qing was about to scold but was stopped by Xu Gong.

"I didn't say you did anything wrong. That kid always thinks he has conquered the world. This time, let's kill his arrogance and show him that there are always people who are better than you!"

Then he looked at Huo Qubing and said, "I admire you very much. Would you like to learn from me?"

For a moment, Huo Qubing was stunned where he stood. He had long heard about the story of Xu Gong who went into Wu alone and killed Hu Duo in battle, so he was extremely yearning for it. This time it was a bit sudden.

"Qubing, Prime Minister Xu is asking you a question."

After hearing Wei Qing's words, Huo Qubing finally reacted and said quickly: "Yes, I am willing to learn from you!"

"Well, that's great. In the future, you should find time to come to the Prime Minister's Mansion." Xu Gong nodded with satisfaction, but he still didn't want this person.

Because he knew that Emperor Liu Che liked Huo Qubing very much, and always took him with him whenever he went out hunting or touring, and even gave him personal instructions. Xu Gong simply did not take away his favor. Moreover, Huo Qubing could only be truly valued if he stayed by the emperor's side.

In the next few years, Wei Qing stayed in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Xu Gong realized how terrifying this man was only after he really got to know him. The same was true for Huo Qubing. The two had no actual combat experience and had never led troops to the battlefield. Their understanding of him was limited to military books.
But he was extremely skilled, and every time he practiced, Xu Gong was amazed. Before, he did not believe that Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin, was raised from the countryside, and thought that it was impossible for an ordinary family to raise such a commander.

Now he is recognized and knows what a genius is. He can command large troops to fight at will. It is simply terrifying. Such a person is a killing weapon on the battlefield!
There was also Huo Qubing, but he didn't know much about large-scale military operations, and he was even bothered by the logistics of the army. He didn't calculate the march and adopted a "step-by-step" approach.

"Food and supplies are a compulsory course for generals. You said you don't need to calculate these or plan routes, so how do your soldiers eat and drink?"

Xu Gong put down the map in his hand and looked at Huo Qubing and asked.

"Isn't this easy?" Huo Qubing suddenly became interested. "It's troublesome to carry food and fodder. Cavalry can only exert their maximum combat power if they are lightly equipped! They can't fight with so many heavy things."

"Then how can we eat and drink? Can you conjure up food?" Xu Gong laughed.

Huo Qubing pointed to the vast grassland on the map and said, "Prime Minister Xu, the army's food and grass are here." Xu Gong also understood what was going on. Did he intend to rob the Xiongnu's cattle and sheep to eat? This was too unstable. This was a vast desert. If he couldn't find the tribe, wouldn't the whole army be wiped out?
He had fought in a tough manner before, but never like this.

"You mean by robbing?"

"If the Huns can rob us, why can't we rob them? There are Hun tribes everywhere on this grassland. We can easily find food to eat. If all else fails, we can ask the natives to lead the way."

Huo Qubing said decisively that this was the way he had envisioned fighting, although it had not yet been put into practice.

Xu Gong shook his head: "This method is feasible, but it is too risky. It can only be used in the season when the grass and water are abundant. Otherwise, there will be no food to eat on the grassland."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister Xu. I'm not dead. How could I not know how to adapt?"

"Well, your military talent is not weak. I shouldn't look at you from an ordinary person's perspective." Xu Gong chose to believe him. Since he proposed it, he had a response strategy. Everyone has his own style, which cannot be changed easily.

In addition to military skills, Huo Qubing was also skilled in archery and horse riding. Because Wei Zifu became the queen, he lived the life of a relative of the emperor since he was a child. He was full of nobility and it was impossible to tell that he was of commoner origin.

He was able to draw the bow on horseback even without stirrups or saddle, showing his very high martial arts skills.

"Remember this: you can't drink the water on the grasslands at will. The Huns may pollute the water source and wipe out the whole family! You don't have to bring food with you, but you must carry water with you. You can't drink the water on the grasslands unless you are 100% sure it is fine."

"We must also pay attention to the prevention and treatment of plague, and we must not eat unclean food."

Xu Gong looked at Huo Qubing who was practicing horse riding in front of him and said solemnly that he found that the other party still had no experience and did not understand some things at all.

Moreover, Huo Qubing had a very casual personality and he believed in many things "as long as you don't get sick if you eat something unclean or unclean". If this continued in long run, the probability of contracting a disease would be very high.

This was a warning from his elder brother Xu Zhao. Xu Gong himself, who had been dealing with the Donghu Xiongnu for many years, also agreed with this. These Hu people had no ethics and morals and were capable of doing anything.

"It's not that serious." Huo Qubing climbed down from his horse, thinking that Xu Gong was making a big fuss. At most he just caught a cold. Could he be poisoned to death?

"A lot of times, little things are fatal, you know?"

Although Huo Qubing still couldn't understand, he kept it in mind: "Don't worry, Prime Minister Xu, I will take care of the kitchen when the time comes."

Time flies, and soon it is June of the fourth year of Yuanshuo. On this day, Liu Che has basically completed his preparations for the northern expedition against the Huns.

Originally, Lord Father Yan, Yan An and other Confucianists tried their best to persuade Liu Che to restore the policy of marriage alliance, but Liu Che had made up his mind and did not listen. Instead, he adopted the proposal of the Legalists to eliminate future troubles.

In July, Emperor Liu Che sent an army of 100,000, divided into four routes to the north to attack the Huns. He promoted Prime Minister Xu Gong to the position of acting general as the commander-in-chief, and promoted his relative Wei Qing to the position of general of chariots and cavalry as his deputy. The army's food and supplies were almost ready, including a considerable number of cavalry.

After years of emphasis on horses, the number and quality of cavalry in the Han Dynasty were improved.

(End of this chapter)