A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 165 Number Oddities
"After Emperor Xiaojing, ah."

Liu Ju burst out laughing.

Emperor Xiaojing had fourteen sons.

Consort Li's eldest son, the deposed crown prince Liu Rong, the Prince of Linjiang; her second son, the Prince of Hejian Liu De; and her third son, the Prince of Linjiang Liu Eyu.

Cheng Ji had four sons, Liu Yu, the Prince of Lu Gong; five sons, Liu Fei, the Prince of Jiangdu Yi; and eight sons, Liu Duan, the Prince of Jiaoxi.

Tang Ji had six sons, including Liu Fa, the Prince of Changsha.

Lady Jia had seven sons, Liu Pengzu, the Prince of Zhao, and nine sons, Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan.

Empress Dowager Wang gave birth to the tenth son of the emperor, Liu Che.

Wang Maoxu had eleven sons: Liu Yue, Prince Hui of Guangchuan; twelfth son: Liu Ji, Prince of Jiaodong; thirteenth son: Liu Cheng, Prince Ai of Qinghe; and fourteenth son: Liu Shun, Prince of Changshan.

Although Consort Li was a renowned physician of the Han Dynasty, her three sons were actually of decent character. Liu Rong's downfall was due to his mother and Emperor Xiaojing's desire to eliminate the Li family's influence. He was innocent. Liu De was a scholar who loved antiquity and focused on governing the country. Liu Eyu died young without children and did not commit any evil deeds.

Then look at the children born to the other wives and concubines, including that tenth prince, which one of them wasn't extravagant and wicked?

Liu Ju thought of his fathers and could only shake his head. His father, the emperor, was unwilling to act with dignity, and the King of Zhao, for the sake of some vague divination text, was willing to collude with the Xiongnu, letting the Dai territory fall into the hands of a foreign tribe, disregarding the long-term stability of the Han dynasty.

Rebuilding reconciliation between the two ethnic groups?

The mighty King Zhao of the Han Dynasty not only committed a disgraceful act, but also disregarded the bloodshed and sacrifices of his soldiers and the endless financial investment over the past decade. Is he even human?

"120,000 elite Xiongnu cavalrymen marched south."

Liu Ju also believed that the Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie lacked the courage to take risks when faced with an opportunity to change the fate of his people. No wonder the Xiongnu became weaker with each generation and could not even suppress the dissatisfaction of the nobles within the tribe.

However, the Zhongxingfa still concealed some details from Liu Pengzu's account.

The various reforms proposed by the Han traitor after he defected to the Xiongnu did indeed provoke strong dissatisfaction among the Xiongnu's upper-class nobles, but this was not the only reason why Yizhixie lacked control over the Xiongnu.

In his later years, when Chanyu Junchen was in power, the Han Dynasty shifted from defense to offense, and the battlefield officially moved from the border regions of the Han Dynasty to the territory of the Xiongnu, and the Xiongnu gradually weakened.

Junchen Chanyu appointed his son Yudan as crown prince, but after Junchen's death, his younger brother Zuoguli Wang Yizhixie declared himself Chanyu, launched an attack on Crown Prince Yudan, and won the battle, becoming Chanyu himself.

For over a hundred years, from Touman to Junchen, the position of Xiongnu Chanyu was passed down from father to son, with no succession from brother to brother. This gradually became a Xiongnu custom.

Junchen's son, Yushan, had been established as the Xiongnu crown prince and was Junchen's successor. Yizhixie's self-determination and counterattack were actually acts of rebellion.

In their struggle for power, Yizhixie and Yudan sparked a civil war among the Xiongnu. Although Yizhixie ultimately emerged victorious and Yudan was driven to the right wing, the losses from the civil war and the further division of the ethnic group were inevitable.

Zhang Qian, along with his wife from Hu and Tangyifu, had just returned to the Han Dynasty while the Xiongnu Chanyu was engaged in a major battle.

The right wing, outwardly united but inwardly divided, and the nobles, harboring resentment and slander—Yizhixie, the Chanyu, has only managed to reach this point, which can be described as above average; he lacks any more courage or boldness.

"Secretly inform General Wei Qing to prepare a 'pocket' that can hold 120,000 men, and make sure to achieve victory in one battle," Liu Ju said, looking at Zhang Tang.

Wei Qing and Cheng Bushi, relying on the method of marching at night and resting during the day, had secretly led an army of 100,000 into the Dai region. In order to avoid repeating the "defeat at Mayi", apart from a few county officials, no one knew that a huge trap had been opened.

They allowed Liu Chang, the Marquis of Wushi of Zhao, and powerful local clans to cause trouble in the Dai region, even damaging the Great Wall, without taking any action.

The county officials who knew about the plan did not interfere much, but took the opportunity to remind the people in the county to stay at home as much as possible, and that they could not do it any longer.

Therefore, the local life in Dai remained unchanged. Herdsmen who frequently crossed the Great Wall to graze their livestock and smugglers who traded with the Xiongnu still frequented the area. Undoubtedly, when the Xiongnu elite cavalry arrived, these people and goods would immediately become spoils of war for the Xiongnu.

Liu Ju remained unmoved by this. The Han Dynasty had always maintained a "scorched earth" policy towards the border regions, prohibiting herders and their cattle and sheep from crossing the Great Wall to graze on the grasslands. However, there were always herders who believed that "the grass on the grasslands is fertile" and would cross the Great Wall to graze their livestock. It was impossible to persuade such stubborn people with kind words, so there was nothing more to say.

As for those profit-driven merchants who smuggled salt and iron from the Central Plains for huge profits, there's not much to say about them. If it weren't for these greedy beasts feeding the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty might have won long ago, and their deaths would be no loss.

After the war in Daidi, Liu Ju will also order a purge of all smugglers. He is not one to punish those who have colluded with the enemy, but when faced with merchants who have profited from smuggling and betrayed the country, he will make all the merchants and their families who have benefited from smuggling disappear from this world.

With 40,000 gold coins thrown down, the number of Embroidered-Robed Censors quickly expanded both inside and outside the Han Dynasty. In order to obtain information in a timely manner, Zhang Tang built a special "channel" for the Embroidered-Robed Censors, which was both secretive and fast and could be used for military purposes.

"Yes."

Zhang Tang wrote it down.

The newly formed team was all about being able to do anything and daring to do anything. With the backing of money, they even reached a point where they were almost infallible. Their motto was simple: "The Embroidered Robe directly instructs the Censor to do things, so the Emperor can rest assured."

"Has the Marquis of Champion not sent back any battle updates yet?"

"Your Majesty, there is none."

Zhang Tang saw the lord's helplessness and added, "The general instructed before going to Dai that General Wei never reports the battle situation. But please don't worry too much, Your Majesty. It's just that General Wei intentionally doesn't report, for fear of interference. By the time there is news again, the Hexi Corridor may have been opened up."

After leaving Gaoque Pass, Huo Qubing and the empire's 30,000 light cavalry seemed to vanish, disappearing into the vast desert.

However, having experienced the Battle of Dingxiang North in the sixth year of Yuanshuo, where Huo Qubing's 800 cavalry "disappeared" and then reappeared twice to achieve the greatest merit in the entire army, Wei Qing, as a traditional famous general, although he did not understand it and was greatly shocked by it, was able to choose to believe it.

Or rather, the only option is to choose to believe.

Zhang Tang didn't believe it at first either, and he couldn't accept the daring march of a twenty-year-old commander leading 30,000 light cavalry thousands of miles deep behind enemy lines. However, he knew Huo Qubing's importance in the emperor's heart and dared not utter any words of doubt or discord.

“Extraordinary people, extraordinary events, extraordinary battles—this is the general I have chosen!” Liu Ju said matter-of-factly.

A general unparalleled in history, only twenty years old. If he is careful and cautious, he can probably fight until he is seventy or eighty. He doesn't even dare to think how far Huo Qubing can defeat him.

Even a world map might be a bit small.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tang couldn't even feel jealous. This pure and undisguised favoritism was something that should never exist between a ruler and his subject. Throughout history, who among the favored ministers could compare to the Marquis of Champion, who was born into wealth and privilege?
"How is the situation on the eastern front?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Vice General Li Gan and Colonel Han Shuo each led three thousand light cavalry, moving swiftly on the left flank of the Xiongnu, doing their utmost to harass and attack the tribes, pastures, and livestock of the Xiongnu Left Wise King, pursuing maximum destruction and slaughter. At times, they didn't even have time to collect the heads they had taken, and they narrowly escaped before the Xiongnu elite cavalry could encircle them." Zhang Tang's voice was noticeably louder.

The two young generals, Li Gan and Han Shuo, were not so foolish as to lead their small number of light cavalry to attack the main force of the Xiongnu Left Wise King. After assessing the strength of the Xiongnu elite cavalry and determining that they could not fight against multiple enemies, they relied on the high mobility of their light cavalry to play guerrilla warfare against the Xiongnu Left Wise King's elite cavalry.

Once they find a large tribe, they would cause some disruption and plunder some of the Xiongnu's cattle and sheep for supplies, but they would never linger in battle.

Once you find a small tribe, set it on fire, kill people, and plunder valuables, then leap out before the enemy completes their encirclement.

In such a long time, not many Xiongnu people were killed, only one or two thousand. Many heads were not picked up because there was too much loot to carry or there was not enough time.

How to describe Li Gan and Han Shuo's actions? They didn't seem like they were going to fight a war; they seemed more like they were stealing livestock on the grasslands.

He lacked the demeanor of a Han general, but he did a great job.

Despite several attempts by the Xiongnu Left Wise King Wuwei to capture and kill the two "traitorous Han generals," he remained helpless. Utilizing horseshoes and stirrups, the Han light cavalry could outrun the Xiongnu elite cavalry. In encounters with equal forces, they could turn the tables and annihilate the Xiongnu. After suffering several losses, Wuwei had no choice but to ambush and surround them with a large army. The more people there were, the larger the layout, and the more time they had to wait. Li Gan and Han Shuo escaped time and again, and the two sides began playing a game of "wolves devouring tigers" on the left flank of the grasslands.

According to the battle reports, both Li Gan's and Han Shuo's troops really enjoyed the game.

This is incomparable to the level of the Champion Marquis's 800 cavalry charging into the Xiongnu Chanyu's hometown and achieving numerous victories, but in the transition of the Han Dynasty from defensive warfare to offensive warfare, his performance has already surpassed that of a group of veteran generals.

Liu Ju approved of Li Gan and Han Shuo's performance, nodding and asking, "And Li Guang?"

On the left flank of the grassland, there are ten thousand light cavalry of the Han Dynasty, and two junior generals leading a total of six thousand men. The main force of elite troops is with Li Guang. Why don't they listen to Li Guang's battle reports?

Zhang Tang's lips twitched, and he almost lost control of his expression, but he tried to remain calm and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the General of the Valiant Cavalry has not sent back any battle reports."

What does "no battle situation" mean?

"Either General Xiaoji is like General Wei, deliberately not sending back battle reports, or... or..."

Zhang Tang took a deep breath and carefully chose his words, saying, "They just got lost."

Whether from a rational or emotional perspective, Zhang Tang did not believe it was the former. After all, generals who had served under Emperors Xiaowen and Xiaojing paid great attention to the details of the battle reports. Before Li Guang left Youbeiping County, he also kept sending back reports of the battle situation, but soon after leaving Youbeiping County, there was no news of him.

All I know is that they headed north.

Liu Ju remained silent.

Li Gan and Han Shuo had guides, and so did Li Guang. The two young generals were playing games with the Xiongnu Left Wise King, but Li Guang was nowhere to be found. The Xiongnu had not been found, and the court had not received any news. The grasslands were vast, but surely neither side could be missing?

Is this the same him who was difficult to seal away, or the him who disappeared?
Is this the fate of "odd numbers"?

(End of this chapter)