Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 431: Arrogance is the obstacle to survival

On the fifth day of the eighth month of the third year of Jianxing, after the busy autumn harvest in the Guanzhong counties was over, Liu Bei immediately issued an edict to requisition the straw and grass harvested by the people of Sili, Yi and Liangzhou, as well as concentrated feed such as wheat, millet and beans.

To support 16,000 horses for transport, including pack horses and draft horses, as well as the Huben cavalry.

The local military governments deployed the newly recruited auxiliary soldiers in the counties they were advancing to, making it easier for the Han army to integrate into the team.

The military roster was distributed from top to bottom. The soldiers said goodbye to their wives and personally checked the water bags, quivers, robes, knives, hammers, flints, bows and arrows, and the herbs they had prepared that they would carry with them, along with two or three followers.

Many soldiers have followed the emperor in battle for many years and have accumulated a lot of wealth. In addition to continuing to repay the emperor for his promotion, they can also afford to hire retainers. Some of the retainers are dismissed from the ranks of powerful families. These people returned to their hometowns and did not want to farm, but they could not join the Han army.

You can only become a soldier's attendant first, take money and go to the battlefield to fight together, in order to gain merit and reward.

However, in the Han army, only military officers above the rank of tunzhang could bring two escorts with them to fight in the barracks, a military marquis could bring four, and a military secretary could bring six.

Team leaders, squad leaders, and platoon leaders can recruit followers, but they can only be placed at home to guard the house. Ordinary combat soldiers can only recruit farmers to replace them in farming, and cannot recruit followers without permission, otherwise it would be a violation of the law.

Although auxiliary soldiers were given land to farm, they could not recruit farmers to farm the fields long-term. They could only be hired for a short period of time, and they could not recruit followers.

"Ding ding ding..." The conscription order came to Hedong, and dull bells rang in the military offices of each county. Military officers rode fast horses to various villages to deliver the order.

Xu Huang, who was working in the fields of Yang County, heard the sound of rapid horse hooves getting closer. He looked up in surprise and saw that it was indeed a military officer. He spat out the grass roots he was chewing, threw down the farm tools in his hands, and ran away, shouting, "Are you here to see Xu Gongming?"

"Xu Gongming is here!"

The officer was about to head to the village ahead, but suddenly heard someone standing on the slope not far away shouting. He rode his horse and rushed over. When he was about a few dozen steps away, he pulled the reins and asked urgently, "You claim to be Xu Gongming, do you have any proof?"

Xu Huang clapped his hands, forgetting that he had brought nothing with him when he was plowing the fields, and hurriedly asked, "Are the soldiers and auxiliary soldiers enlisted?"

"If that's the case, my name, appearance, skin color, etc. must be recorded in the military books, and we can find out by comparing them."

"This place is very close to the courtyard where Huang lives. You can go to his house to check the credentials."

When the military officer heard this and looked at the farmers who were still plowing the fields nearby, he immediately realized that these people were all led by Xu Huang. He must be a military officer without a doubt, as he could hire so many civilians to plow the fields.

The bearded officer immediately clasped his hands and said with a smile, "In that case, please lead the way, Mr. Xu, and I will lead the horse. This is a matter of great importance to the military and the country, and we must first see the military government's certificate before we can issue the military register. I hope Mr. Xu will forgive me."

"Why do you have to be so polite, sir? I know all about the military affairs, so we must not be careless in the slightest."

"Come with me to the courtyard and have a drink of water."

Xu Huang grinned and pounded his chest with his fist.

After he promptly put order in the Battle of Anyi, he was appointed a military marquis by the King of Han. It was thought that he would soon attack the Xiongnu tribe north of Hedong County, but unexpectedly, the Xiongnu Chanyu surrendered upon seeing the enemy.

Then, he turned around and went to Hongnong to fight Zhang Xiu in accordance with military orders. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiu, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, surrendered without a fight. The war nearby suddenly subsided, and there was no need for too many soldiers to garrison. Therefore, the King of Han ordered some of the soldiers to be dismissed and return to their hometowns.

Unlucky Xu Huang happened to draw the bamboo slips for being sent to his hometown, and then he heard that the King of Han had set up an altar in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an and ascended the throne to become the Emperor of Han.

Later, news came that 100,000 Qiang and Hu people had rebelled in Liang Province, which had shaken the three prefectures.

Xu Huang thought that this time it was finally his turn to join the army to attack the Qiang and Hu tribes. He was determined to find an opportunity to make military achievements and become a general and captain of the Han Dynasty.

In the end, after waiting for a long time, there was no conscription order issued by the military government.

Spring went and winter came. Three years had passed in the blink of an eye. In addition to participating in daily training, Xu Gongming had been farming in Hedong Township for three whole years. Every night, he would light a lamp and wipe his sword with a piece of cloth, looking into the northwest and sighing.

Unexpectedly, today he finally received the summons from the military government. After sending off the military officers, Xu Huang could not help but draw his sword and start dancing. With a clang, he drew out his sword, looked carefully at the bloodstains on it, and said with a smile: "A real man should follow the example of Guan Yu and Zhang Wenyuan to defeat the enemy and gain meritorious service in order to obtain a title of nobility. How can he stay in the fields for long?"

"This is the ambition of a brave man!"

Damn it, we've waited so long. Let alone attacking the Xiongnu now, even if we run to the border to chase the enemy and attack the Xianbei army with 100,000 soldiers, what will happen? It's nothing but death!

If a man cannot achieve merit in life and leave his name in the world, what difference is there between him and death? !
……

After Liu Bei distributed the imperial edict and official documents to various places, he began to prepare the final matters. Among the people recommended by Xun Yu, he included Jia Kui, Cao Ang, and Pang Tong as the military officers and legal officers who would accompany the army to the expedition, and arranged the rest to serve as trial county magistrates in various counties of Liangzhou.

He also asked the Secretariat to temporarily take charge of various miscellaneous affairs, while the Central Secretariat would go to war with the central army.

Then Liu Bei asked the Zhongshutai to write an edict and sent it to the Shangshutai, which caused great shock among the officials in the court. Many ministers submitted petitions asking the emperor to think twice before acting.

Even Xun Yu and Zhao Yun were restless and rushed to the Bamboo Palace to ask to see the emperor.

"Your Majesty, although this route is to Jinyang in Bingzhou, it is also somewhat dangerous. If we register all the Xiongnu tribes as civilians, it is very likely to cause the remaining local nobles to counterattack. At that time, war will suddenly break out. If we take the prince to Jinyang, it may affect the emperor's victory over the enemy. I hope Your Majesty will consider this."

The elegant demeanor that Xun Yu had maintained for many years was gone, and he said anxiously, cupping his hands.

The emperor led his army to Bingzhou in order to reorganize the Huns, but who knows if the Huns will become desperate? Unexpectedly, His Majesty wanted to bring the prince along as well. Although it was to teach the prince how to govern the barbarians, what if the prince was scared?
I don’t know how the emperor convinced the queen to agree to this matter.

But he could not sit idly by. The future of the world depended on the crown prince, and he could not take any risks.

"Your Majesty, please do not forget the story of Emperor Xiaohui. If the prince's personality changes due to shock, it may not be a blessing for the Han Dynasty. I hope your Majesty will think twice."

After hearing this, Liu Bei shook his head and laughed, "Wen Ruo and Zi Long should both stay calm for now. I know how to handle this matter."

"The Jinyang area is backed by Taihang Mountain in the east, Luliang Mountain in the west, Yanmen Pass in the north, and Fen River in the south. It is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if the Xiongnu rebels, they cannot lead their army to attack Jinyang."

"The prince is almost nine years old. He already knows a little about many things, but he has never seen the harm done by the barbarians with his own eyes."

"If the Xiongnu tribe surrenders, the prince will not take the Xiongnu to heart. If he forgets the advice that the Hu people can be used well but also need to be guarded against, it will surely cause trouble."

"If we set a precedent of appointing Hu people as generals, as soon as the imperial court declines a little, the Hu generals will be able to use their prestige to return to their tribes to gather troops and use Han army tactics to attack us. How can we defend Hebei, a land of vast plains?"

"During Emperor Xiaowu's reign, the Han Dynasty was still able to defeat the Five Barbarians. In less than a hundred years, it could only defeat the Three Barbarians. I took up my three-foot sword and rose up in Qingzhou. I reorganized the military system, changed the tactics, compiled armor, forged iron tools, modified cavalry warfare, and installed light and heavy cavalry, thus defeating all the princes in the world."

"If these Han army tactics are all learned by the Hu people due to the negligence of the court and the emperor, how can the Han Dynasty still resist the Three Hu people?!"

"The ministers are arrogant and careless about material things. They do not control the tactics of war, the manufacture of armor, and the casting of iron. The Han Dynasty can prosper because of this, but it will also perish because of this."

"The danger at that time was not the Han family, but the entire world."

Liu Bei said solemnly.

There have always been some arrogant officials in every dynasty who always look down on the barbarians, but they have planted bitter fruits for future generations.

The Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty must not grow up in the deep palace again without understanding the dangers of the world. Only by seeing it with his own eyes can he understand how to use the Hu people.

(End of this chapter)