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

Chapter 59: The Han army returns to Beijing, Xu Gong advises

"It's useless. I know His Majesty's character. He is a very domineering person. Once he makes up his mind, he will never change it. His Majesty will listen to me, but what will happen if I die?"

Xu Gong looked at the blue sky and shook his head slightly. He didn't know what to do now. There was almost no one among the younger generation who could be of great use. Xu Chu and Xu Zhu had more than enough martial arts but lacked strategy. Although Xu Zhou held an important position as Taichang and was also a highly respected academician at the Imperial Academy, he was too indecisive and lacked courage, and he was also not young anymore.

As for Xu Nan, Xu Ye and others, they are both talented in civil and military affairs, but none of them are outstanding. They are just average. It is hard to say whether they can be reused, let alone advise the emperor like himself.

Then he looked at Gongsun He and said, "After I die, there are only three people in the court who can be prime ministers. The first is the most meritorious and experienced Taiwei Zhou Yafu, the second is the most virtuous and respected Taichang Xu Zhou, and the third is you, Gongsun He."

"I...I am terrified. The Prime Minister is too kind to me." Gongsun He was a little panicked. It was not that he was afraid that Xu Gong would harm him, but he was afraid of being targeted by Zhou Yafu or Xu Zhou.

The advantages of these two people are too great. Zhou Yafu needs no introduction. He made great contributions in the rebellion of Zhao State, the rebellion of the Four Kingdoms, and the defense of the border. Even if he is a newcomer in the military arena, Wei Qing, who was named a general, is far inferior to him in prestige and qualifications.

As for Xu Zhou, it is also obvious that he is a descendant of the Xu family. He has been in the position of Taichang for more than 20 years, often assisting in governing the country. At the same time, he is also the chief academic officer of the "Taixue". Neither the Confucian Party nor the Legalist Party would have any objection to his taking office, and would even support him, because they all believe that they are the "orthodox" of the Fuyang Academy.

Nowadays, the power of "Taixue" has grown to be very terrifying. Liu Che likes to use those who are influenced by the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor. The representative of the Legalist Party, Zhang Tang, was promoted to the position of Imperial Censor and was granted the title of Marquis of Wuping. The representative of the Confucian Party is the current right prime minister, Gongsun Hong!
It can be said that in a sense, Xu Zhou even has more advantages than Zhou Yafu, and the literati all over the world also hope that Xu Zhou, "one of their own", will be appointed as prime minister.

Xu Gong shook his head and said, "You can't compete with General Zhou and Zhou'er, but after them, you will be the only one who can win."

Gongsun He finally breathed a sigh of relief, but he had no advantages other than being appreciated by His Majesty, so why was Prime Minister Xu so sure?

"Because I will recommend you to His Majesty."

"Why, why?" He didn't understand again. Logically speaking, even if someone was recommended, it should be his nephew Xu Ye. It would not be his turn no matter what.

"I am very optimistic about you. You are different from others. Your ideas are not so radical, but not so conservative and rigid. You can definitely advise His Majesty. Another point is that you are born in a commoner family, not the descendant of a meritorious official. His Majesty will appreciate you very much."

Xu Gong actually prefers to use these mediocre ministers. The Han Dynasty now needs wars, but even so, it cannot be too frequent.

Zhou Yafu was a typical advocate of war. Although Xu Zhou was in a moderate position, he was indecisive and lacked courage. He could be used to govern and make plans, but he could not be allowed to make decisions arbitrarily.

Just like Li Guang, he can be a general but not a commander.

.........

The Han army won a great victory in the first Northern Expedition against the Xiongnu. Without spending much manpower, they pacified the Northeast and Liaodong and other areas, and also seized the Hetao area, providing a natural horse pasture for the court.

The number of seized cattle and sheep amounted to four to five million, and they were now being prepared to be transported back to Chang'an in batches. The power of the Xiongnu had been greatly reduced.

This time, Wei Qing took over the position of general, but in fact Xu Gong still had the power to control all the generals, and even the general had to obey his orders.

At present, the prime minister is still the next in command under the emperor in the court. Liu Che has actually thought about weakening Xu Gong's power. After all, he is a suspicious person and it is impossible for him to trust anyone 100%.

However, considering that Xu Gong was already very old, he gave up the idea. He was the founder of the Imperial Academy and was highly respected. No one from the Confucian Party or the Legalist Party dared to be the knife.

Perhaps Xu Zhou was much easier to control than Xu Gong. He was essentially a scholar and did not have much of a strong opinion, so he was easier to control than Zhou Yafu. Prime Minister Xu Gong and General Wei Qing returned victoriously with 100,000 soldiers. The whole city of Chang'an celebrated, and Emperor Liu Che personally led all the officials to welcome them outside.

This was the first victory the imperial court had taken on its own initiative against the Huns, and the results far exceeded expectations, so the court was naturally very happy.

Xu Gong, with graying temples and a weathered look, walked in front, and behind him was of course the high-spirited and youthful Wei Qing.

When Liu Che saw the great hero coming back, he walked over to greet him with a smile.

Xu Gong also quickly dismounted and saluted him: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"Your Majesty, I am here to see you." Wei Qing did the same. The miserable plight of the former general Dou Ying was still before his eyes. Naturally, he did not dare to be proud of himself anymore, but kept himself to the lowest level.

Facing Your Majesty with the most humble attitude, only in this way can we ensure that the Wei family can continue to exist.

"You two are meritorious officials of our Han Dynasty. Come with me to the capital quickly." Liu Che laughed and led the way for the two.

There were already many people in the city who came to welcome the victory. Although the foreign war cost a lot of money and food, it actually had little impact on the people at this time. They were still very happy that the court had won the victory.

In recent years, the strategy of "respecting Confucianism and Legalism, and suppressing various schools of thought" has been quite effective. The people have established the national banner in their hearts, and the soul of the Han Dynasty was also forged at this time.

"I heard that Huo Qubing killed the King of Aries and the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu?" Liu Che seemed to have mentioned it casually, but he was actually very concerned in his heart. He really liked the young general Huo Qubing.

Who wouldn't like a general who is good at fighting, handsome, and loyal? From the title given to him, we can see that Guanjun Hou means "the bravest among the three armies", which is very appropriate.

Wei Qing nodded respectfully: "Indeed, Qubing fought very bravely, and his attainments in cavalry are even better than mine."

Liu Che laughed out loud: "Well, he is indeed a general I like. I will definitely use him in the next Northern Expedition. He should be well trained now."

Afterwards, the emperor asked many questions about the details of the war, and Wei Qing explained them patiently.

Xu Gong walked up to Liu Che and finally spoke after having been silent all this time.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report. I hope you will pay attention to it."

Liu Che was somewhat puzzled, so he asked, "Teacher, what do you want to teach me?"

"Your Majesty has said that we will send troops again next year until the border troubles are resolved, and we will also conquer South Vietnam at the same time, is that correct?"

"Yes, it's time for us Han people to show our butcher's sword. If we don't fight, how will our descendants survive?"

Liu Che also knew what his teacher was going to say. It was simply to advise him to be cautious in foreign wars and not to wage them too frequently. It would be best to conduct a large-scale military campaign every ten or twenty years. After dealing with the Huns, he would have to wait until the country had almost recovered before continuing any further wars.

Of course, he also knew that there were benefits to doing so, but time waits for no one. No one can predict what will happen in a dozen years. Just in case, he must not delay!
(End of this chapter)