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

Chapter 68: There is no home until the Xiongnu is destroyed
The title of General Who Conquers the Northern Army was just a nickname before, and was not established until Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne. It was given to the Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu, who was in charge of military affairs in counties and prefectures on the border and held great power.

The Zhenbei General could only use troops when the enemy invaded, but the Zhengbei General had the power to take the initiative to attack. This was a real army! The power within the power, plus the Jijie was almost the second emperor of Yan and Dai. Although the Chief Executive had the power of supervision in principle, he dared not manage it in reality.

It is actually quite surprising that Liu Che did not take advantage of the situation to take back the military power this time, but instead gave it to the Xu family, which was already powerful in the court.

However, the intention can be barely guessed. Xu Nan is the general of the guard and controls the army in the capital. The Xu family has been running the business for many years and has long been like an iron barrel.

Transferring him away from Chang'an was probably intended to further deprive the Xu family of their power in Chang'an and reduce their influence in the court.

Let Xu Nan, who has military talent, be stationed there to ensure peace of mind on the border. When he has made enough military achievements, he can be transferred back to Chang'an. In this way, the capital and border troops can be taken back into our hands at one stroke. It can be said that we can kill two birds with one stone.

Thinking about it this way, Liu Che's actions are understandable.

"Congratulations, my dear nephew. From now on, you will be a high-ranking official, and it will be natural for you to be promoted to one of the Three Dukes." Zhou Yafu laughed and bowed to congratulate him. He didn't think too much about it.

"Thanks to the general, I will have to go through these hard days for you." Xu Nan was even a little depressed.

Strictly speaking, guarding the frontier is indeed more promising and can reduce the emperor's suspicion, otherwise Xu Gong would not have agreed. But in this way, his chances of competing for the position of head of the family would be greatly reduced.

Xu Ye was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, one of the Nine Ministers. In later generations, he would be the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the world's treasuries and granaries. He was in a high position and had great power. Besides, he was in Chang'an, so he was the first to see the moon!
Even if Xu Nan had great power, he was still a military general sent out to other places. The head of the family needed to live in Chang'an for a long time, so it would never be his turn.

Moreover, Xu Zhou has a very good chance of becoming prime minister. When his cousin makes further progress, the position of Taichang will be vacant. It is very likely that Xu Ye will take over. By then, with the help of his family's years of management, he will be able to secure this position quickly.

Zhou Yafu patted his nephew on the shoulder and said, "What's the big deal? The war was even harder than this. When you get through this, there will be so much good fortune waiting for you to enjoy."

"Don't worry, I have high hopes for you. Both General Xu Zhao and the Prime Minister were born as military commanders. Doesn't this explain everything?"

Hearing this, Xu Nan's eyes suddenly lit up. Yes, weren't his father and uncle both Taiwei? Facts have proved that fate favors warriors!

And Zhou Yafu's meaning was very clear, he was on his side.

The head of the Xu family certainly does not need to win over court officials. This is his own family affair, not the establishment of a crown prince. However, if he gets the support of court ministers, his power will be further enhanced. The family just needs such a person to take the lead!
He still had a great chance. As long as his father submitted a memorial to His Majesty, he could return to the capital immediately.

He bowed quickly and said excitedly: "The commander's words are like the clouds and mist that have been cleared away to reveal the blue sky! The road ahead is immediately clear."

Zhou Yafu was very satisfied: "This is the eldest son of Prime Minister Xu. How can you let such a small thing dampen your ambition? You are too fragile. In the past, General Xu Zhao dared to stand up and fight against 300,000 rebels! If you want to be a head of a family, you can't act like a little girl."

"What the commander said is very true. I will defend the border to the death for the court and repay the emperor's kindness."

.........

Wei Qing's Northern Expedition Army also immediately returned to the capital. This time they defeated more than 100,000 Huns, beheaded tens of thousands of them, seized countless cattle and sheep, and opened up the Hexi Corridor in one fell swoop, opening up the road to the Western Regions, and reaped a lot of rewards.

When Liu Che learned of the great victory on the front line, he was naturally very pleased. The Xiongnu and Donghu in this border area were people that previous monarchs had failed to deal with, but he had solved them. Doesn't this prove that he is an emperor that is rare in history?
His love for Wei Qing also reached its climax, and he granted him the title of Grand Marshal, the most honorary official position at that time. For Huo Qubing's great contribution, Liu Che planned to reward him personally.

Although he liked him, the art of checks and balances was the instinct of a king. He did not want to see Wei Qing's family dominate the world, and he was still worried even with the presence of the Grand Marshal Zhou Yafu.

It was difficult for ministers in the Han Dynasty to defeat the foreign relatives, so Liu Che took a fancy to Huo Qubing, who was also a foreign relative, and wanted to share power with him.

"Uncle, it was a pleasure to kill him this time. Last time, that bastard was so crazy that he wanted to kill us both! But I chopped off his head in just one month!"

"How about it, I can leave quite a mark in history now." Huo Qubing laughed and showed off his achievements to Wei Qing, just like a kid in kindergarten who was praised by the teacher, eager to be recognized.

But Wei Qing didn't want him to be so crazy, so he said calmly: "Don't be too happy too soon, you still need to work hard."

"Do you know the old general Xu Zhao?"

"Everyone knows this." Huo Qubing was excited. "General Xu was a fierce man who defeated 300,000 people with only a few thousand soldiers and killed the rebel king Liu Ruyi in battle! He is my idol."

"So, you still have a lot to learn. At least you have to completely eliminate the Huns so that you can leave your name in history." Wei Qing said earnestly.

"I see. Uncle, you are so nagging..."

"It's the general, ah, you little bastard."

Just as Wei Qing was about to correct himself, he found that Wei Qing had already run to the back, so he could only sigh.

Of course, Huo Qubing wanted to avoid his uncle's nagging, and he also wanted to find his good friend Xu Chu. He found that he was the only one of the same age who could compete with him.

"How is it? Does it hurt?"

"Of course it's a pleasure. There are three things in life that we enjoy the most: promotion, fighting, and getting married. This is two of them at once." Xu Chu narrowed his eyes, like an old monk in meditation.

"Hey, just like me, I also have these three goals in life, but I will put off getting married for later." Huo Qubing seemed to have seen a confidant.

"Which girl do you like? My father has already found a relative for me." Xu Chu perked up. He actually had a fiancée.

"As for me, I have no home unless the Huns are destroyed." Huo Qubing laughed loudly towards the sky, showing the unrestrainedness of a young man.

"I will never return home until the Xiongnu are destroyed... You really have great ambitions!"

Xu Chu said that this girl pretended to be so beautiful that he was really amazed.

"Of course. My aspirations are ordinary but not bad." While he was speaking, he glanced at Xu Chu.

"Who are you mocking if not you?"

"Who am I mocking? No one knows. Look, you are getting anxious now."

"Hey, you want to fight, don't you?"

Xu Chu refused to accept it at that time, and Huo Qubing also refused to accept it. After a "friendly" exchange, the two started fighting.

In the end, they remained good brothers for life. Wei Qing punished him with thirty military sticks. He had to lie on his back when riding a horse, otherwise his butt would hurt.

　Xu Zhou is my cousin, the previous generation was wrong.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)