82 Battle to Fame

◎Huo Qubing: Shooting the Wolf in the Sky, how difficult is that?◎

With the Emperor's sacred edict and Huo Yan's propaganda, everyone now knows that these wealthy families who monopolized the local wine production have defied the Emperor's grace and smashed the Emperor's winery. According to the law, they should be executed, but the Emperor is merciful and only asks them to pay money to pay for their lives.

The powerful people were relieved. After all, they occasionally did not give the emperor face, because the emperor was always polite and courteous in his words. When they heard that the compensation for life was gold, they thought that Liu Che was out of money again. Some arrogant ones even mocked him at home, saying that the emperor was like those relatives who were begging for money.

Then when Liu Che's order arrived, their arrogance was extinguished in an instant.

"A million gold?" The head of the Handan Zhao family fell to the ground, unable to recover for a long time.

This scene took place in almost every wealthy family in the thirty-six counties.

The powerful families during Emperor Wu's reign weren't as tyrannical as the future Tang Dynasty's Cui Wang family. They merely possessed the potential to become aristocratic families, their foundations weak. The Nine-Rank System of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, which truly enabled these families to flourish, had yet to be devised. Moreover, to be honest, even the ultimate aristocratic families of the Tang Dynasty, the Guanlong nobles, couldn't withstand the might of Li Zhi and the other powerful emperors of the Li Tang Dynasty. Furthermore, the current emerging elites were facing the ultimate emperor Liu Che and the ultimate generals Wei Huo.

Even Zhang Tang, a subordinate of Liu Che, and Yi Zong, those cruel officials, could cut them like melons, let alone Liu Che.

Liu Che's meaning was very clear. Even if you sell yourselves as slaves, you have to collect the money from me. Otherwise, I will exterminate all three clans.

The wealthy families were completely panicked, like ants on a hot pan. Desperate, they resorted to all sorts of means, selling off their stored grain, mines, and slaves. The price of wine skyrocketed. Huo Yan's state-run winery kept prices stable, and thanks to Emperor Wu's protection, no one dared to attack them, allowing them to exploit the chaos and expand.

The national treasury is already in deficit, and the wealthy families can hardly protect themselves. Apart from Huo Yan, who has both money and free time, no one can quickly gather and devour such a large amount of products.

Huo Yan, the cash king of Chang'an, was grinning toothlessly. He sent people to the thirty-six counties to frantically buy up grain, mines, slaves, antiques, and even houses and shops at low prices. As long as the wealthy families offered, he would buy them. After all, the final profit would be his, and Liu Che was not good at managing money, so he would divide it between him and Sang Hongyang. In short, he was getting a lot of good things for free.

Happy events bring joy. He'd been beaming every day for the past two weeks, even urging Zhufu Yan and Sang Hongyang to buy some houses. Unexpectedly, Sang Hongyang had already joined Gongsun Hong and Zheng Dangshi, sneaking in to buy things they couldn't normally afford. Even Dongfang Shuo had made a good deal, and even Ji An had bought a house. The less affluent, like Zhang Tang and Du Zhou, had also bought some antiques.

Except for those who were from wealthy families themselves, all the officials in the court, those from humble backgrounds, those who were noble officials, and those who lived on the favor of Emperor Wu of Han, all ate their fill.

[The Han Wudi version of "When a whale falls, all things come to life" is true.]

[I can’t even imagine, Dongfang Shuo bought a wall lamp, an old wall lamp, hahaha.]

Gongsun Hong wiped his mouth after finishing his meal. The old doctor hadn't forgotten Che'er and had given him a few peacocks.

[The poor man suddenly became rich.]

According to history, Emperor Wu of Han established the title of military merit in this year, allowing common people to purchase it and pay a ransom to have their imprisonment and other punishments waived. The Han dynasty was burdened by the heavy financial burden of war, and faced significant economic pressure. Now, Huo Ayan has filled the Xuanshi Hall with gems, even though they were all leftovers from his selection.

[Ayan, you need to hold a gem exhibition!]

…

"My Lord, the official granary in Handan is full," Shi Ye said, holding up the bamboo slips. "The 100,000 dan of millet that the Zhao family sold at a low price has all been stored."

Huo Yan's lips curled slightly, and the gilded and silver-inlaid abacus gently twirled in his palm. The grain and minerals that the wealthy families across the country had been frantically selling off these days were now flowing continuously into the government warehouse along the straight road.

"Inform the wine officials in each county. Their official fields have been purchased. They should plant sorghum on their own. I will send the sorghum seeds from Chang'an." The young man wrote on the bamboo slips with cinnabar. "Tell them to reduce the price of official liquor by another 30%."

Huo Yan poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and felt it was spicy, but he still drank the whole glass, and a blush appeared on his face.

"Soon, very soon, I will be able to make a great effort and make sure that the rich people in the country can support their uncles and brothers, so that the people will not scold them and will have enough to eat."

The wine industry has undergone a reform and the climate has been created.

Huo Yan laughed foolishly, "Tens of thousands of fortunes will go into my pocket."

[Ayan, it’s OK.]

[Bao, go!]

[This battle was a success, and you are the main contributor.]

Guanzhong.

The red flags of the government-run winery fluttered in the wind, and common people in coarse cloth and shorts lined up in a long queue. The crisp sound of copper coins falling into a wooden box pierced the eardrums.

Old farmer Li He was squatting in front of the government warehouse, counting on his fingers. In previous years, at this time of year, he would have exchanged three dou of millet for a jar of muddy wine. Now, with the government wine being cheaper, he had half a dou of millet left over. Hearing that the price of wine would drop again tomorrow, he felt the warm copper coins in his arms and calculated that the savings would be enough to buy his grandson a new piece of cloth.

"Wait a minute, old man." The apprentice from the winery chased out and stuffed a bag of lees into his arms. The young man smiled innocently, "Our old man said that if you mix it into pig feed, it will help you grow an extra 20 pounds of meat in the spring. If you want to plant sorghum next year, send it to us to get some seeds. No matter how much, we will buy it at half the price of millet."

Li He looked at the apprentice's innocent smile, and recalled the cold stares he received at Kong's Tavern a few months ago. His cloudy eyes suddenly felt hot. "Little old man?"

The young man smiled and said, "Oh, my uncle's surname is Huo. He manages the wine shop. He is the nephew of General Wei Qing and the Queen."

Li He swallowed and felt a little embarrassed.

The young man continued, "If you have any grievances, tell me and I will find him. I won't go wrong."

Li He nodded hesitantly, and after the apprentice left, he kowtowed heavily towards Chang'an.

Yingdong.

"A bunch of low-lifes!" The Wang family's head smashed Tao Jue to pieces.

The debris splashed onto the newly hung wooden sign "Official Liquor" in the corridor of the winery he had just sold.

Suddenly, twenty ox carts loaded with corn rolled over the bluestone slabs. These were the grains that should have belonged to him! But he was powerless to do anything.

The warm spring breeze blew willow catkins across Wang's Tavern. The head of the Kong family looked at the deserted tavern and his servants, who had been almost sold out, and suddenly smiled bitterly.

He finally understood that from the very beginning, the imperial court had been intent on dealing with them. This game was doomed to failure from the start. If the emperor did business with you, a century of accumulation would be nothing more than food in your mouth.

Chang'an.

Liu Che had initially thought his own Ah Yan was a mere child, possessing only a few small businesses. While some claim the paper mill had gradually become a monopoly in Chang'an, that wasn't the only case. It wasn't until his Ah Yan took over that the wealthy families' piles of low-priced grain were practically completely snatched up by Huo Yan. When Huo Yan presented him with a long list and asked him to dispatch his purchases to the nearest government warehouse, he assumed it was just a few dozen bales. He reasoned, "Even a small fly is still meat," and dispatched officials from various regions to collect the grain.

Then the boy in front of the palace named over a thousand places, and then he received memorials from officials from all over the country. Their messages were all about the granaries, which had been empty for years, being full, and many officials petitioned to open more warehouses. Then he saw his Yanyanzi's true face clearly. Taiyi God appeared, this was the real golden sheep, his great treasure!

The more he cherished his big baby, the more he thought of the last time those tyrants forced his big baby to hit the pillar.

Liu Che has always been a passionate person. He loves those he loves and hates those he hates. This was reflected vividly in him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, he reacted to this by requiring the wealthy families to pay the remaining balance within a month, otherwise all of them would be beheaded. He exerted his power outside, read the memorial, and then sent someone to bring his heart screaming into the palace.

After Huo Yan finished his meal at the Wei Mansion, he saw a red-tasseled eight-treasure carriage parked at the Wei family's house. It was the carriage that Liu Che usually used to travel.

"Oh, uncle is here?"

The eunuch waiting for him said with a smile, "This is what His Majesty has prepared for you, sir. Please get in the carriage."

Huo Yan didn't ask anything. He accepted Zhong Huangmen's flattery, handed him the purse and got into the car. Zhong Huangmen felt the weight of the purse and his smile became more sincere.

He stood beside the carriage, and four palace guards led the way. Although it was not as grand as that of General Wei Qing, it was still as important as the two thousand stone official.

Huo Yan sat upright in the carriage, his eyelashes lowered, making it impossible to see what he was thinking. "Master Pan, I still remember the wooden bird you made for the prince last time. I heard it was made by your nephew."

After a long while, he spoke.

A blush crept into Pan's face. As a eunuch, destined to be childless, he had adopted his brother's youngest son. Though a nephew, he felt more like a son. He had, with all due respect, secured the boy a minor position as a clerk in the Imperial Household. Now that Huo Yan, a favorite of the Emperor, had asked about him, Pan was naturally overjoyed. He immediately replied, "Thank you for asking, sir. The boy is a bit slow-witted, but he's usually quite capable of tinkering with mechanical devices and wooden instruments."

Huo Yan smiled, and the car stopped in front of Weiyang Palace at the right time. He didn't need anyone to lead the way, he walked with his skirt tucked in, and even the size of his steps were almost the same.

The emperor likes him, and the young man is handsome.

"I also like to tinker with wooden mechanisms. If there's an opportunity, I'd need Master Pan to introduce me to one."

The eunuch surnamed Pan dared not to say anything, but only said that his nephew was rough and allowed Huo Yan to do whatever he wanted.

Huo Yan just patted his shoulder lightly, and the temperature of his fingertips fell on Pan Huangmen's shoulder, feeling a little warm.

"If Master Pan doesn't mind, you can have me come to my house on my day off to chat for a bit."

[Huh? ?]

[You have us but it's not enough!]

[You are still looking for playmates.]

…

Huo Yan stepped into the hall and saw the barrage of comments, feeling amused.

Fool!

He thought about it and looked up at Liu Che.

"Uncle." He skipped over. "I found the guy who made the wooden bird last time. I asked him to come over to my house and teach me. I'll give you a gemstone each. I bought a lot of gems recently. I sent two big boxes. Did you receive them, uncle?"

Liu Che was amused by him and laughed out loud, and called him over to his side.

The clepsydra struck again, and another bronze boat floated up. Huo Yan removed his crimson cloak, stained with willow catkins, and knelt beside Liu Che. The light cast a shadow on the young man's lean figure against the pepper-paste wall, overlapping with the silhouettes of the imperial guards patrolling outside the window, creating a mottled pattern. But the young man's gentle elegance didn't last long. Huo Yan stealthily took a piece of the three-colored jade dew ball on Liu Che's table. The emerald color was mixed with mint leaves, and it tasted cool. He took another piece and nibbled on it.

Liu Che watched him chewing, a warm smile on his face.

"Ayan, do you want to be a 2,000-stone official? Your uncle will find a position for you."

Huo Yan shook his head.

"No, uncle, I haven't been feeling well lately. I'm going to call in sick when my brother comes back."

Liu Che saw that he was eating snacks with relish, so he thought that he must be as strong as a bull, let alone being sick.

"Tell the truth, otherwise those people won't give you the redemption money."

Huo Yan snorted. If you don’t want to give it to me, then don’t give it to me. I can’t get the total anyway.

He whined and then received an elbow from Liu Che, "You rebellious son, I raised you in vain, do you want to go out and play again?"

Huo Yan retorted, "I'm your uncle, raised by my mother, so don't try to be related to me! Besides, you didn't stipulate that I can't resign. I said I was sick, but I didn't sell myself to you. I can do whatever I want!"

Liu Che was angry, but he held back for a moment and coaxed, "Okay, okay, Ah Yan is sick, so Ah Yan can go to work one day and take a day off."

Huo Yan tutted his words and said disdainfully, "Now I work one day and take two days off. If I resign, I will take a year off at a time."

He also muttered, "My brother and uncle are tired from fighting, I'm going to rest with them."

Liu Che was furious and could not bear it any longer.

I can't stand it at all.

"You little bastard, you're getting ahead of me!"

A blow to the head was about to hit him, but Huo Yan jumped out of the encirclement with his hands covering his head, grinning.

"I'm going to go find our uncle with my brother."

Liu Che stopped and frowned, "What 'Auntie'? Your relatives are all in Chang'an. I am the 'Auntie' of you and Qubing. Don't recognize anyone else."

Huo Yan said seriously, "It's my dear uncle. I'll go find him."

Liu Che's face fell, and he spoke word by word, "He dared to let you two go and find him." He snorted through his nose, "Hmm?"

Huo Yan shrugged. "My uncle said that my uncle ruled the world with filial piety. So I thought of buying some property for that man, just to make it look good and shut up everyone."

As soon as Liu Che heard him speak, he understood why Wei Qing rewarded Zheng Ji, his biological father who beat him when he was young, when he was made a marquis.

Sometimes he wondered how people could be so tolerant. Look, Zhongqing has started teaching Ayan again.

"Your uncle is wrong," he said, imitating the way we two chatted. "If you repay evil with kindness, how can you repay kindness?"

Huo Yan continued, "Repay kindness with kindness."

Liu Che choked and said, "Don't you hate your biological father the most, often scolding him as an irresponsible old man who only cared about giving birth but not raising you?"

Huo Yan nodded, "But I have to listen to my uncle. I don't want him to worry about me and my brother."

Liu Che suddenly smiled. He touched Huo Yan's bun. These two little guys, whom he had watched grow up, had grown into solemn and elegant gentlemen.

It turns out that I went there despite suppressing my nausea because I wanted to reassure Zhongqing.

"But if Zhongqing knew, he would be even more sad, Ayan."

The emperor on the throne stared at Huo Yan with a sharp gaze, as if trying to see through his soul.

Huo Yan also smiled. He placed his hand on the corner of Liu Che's robe and said, "Uncle won't tell. I believe uncle because uncle can't bear to see uncle sad."

Liu Che suddenly remembered this child and Qu Bing when they were little. They were cute little kids with dark eyes. No matter what you said, they would look up at you happily, like the dawn of spring.

The eyes of these two children are Wei Qing's eyes.

"Not only your uncle, I also can't bear to see you and Qubing sad."

Huo Yan was stunned. He buried his head in Liu Che's shoulder, again and again, just like when he was a child.

"My relatives are in Chang'an."

[move. ]

[Tetsuko is also moved by true feelings!]

[Humans are not plants or trees.]

Hun land.

At sunset, three smoke signals suddenly rose from the watchtower of the Han army camp in Dingxiang.

The soldiers saw smoke and dust rising on the horizon.

As the dust gathered, he looked forward and saw Huo Qubing controlling the reins with one hand. The men and horses behind him each wore two Xiongnu earrings tied around their necks. The bronze earrings and bone nose rings swayed in the setting sun, colliding with a chilling, crisp sound. Frozen blood clots on his ears fell off with the jolt, leaving dark red marks on the grass.

"I'm back!"

The young man has a deep voice, a handsome face and a heavenly appearance.

The captain Zhao Po Nu followed closely behind, holding up the lacquer box containing the Xiongnu seal and showing it to the crowd. He shouted, "Captain Yao is back!!!"

The young men behind him also shouted, "Captain Yao is back!!!"

The young man glanced at Zhao Po Nu and the others who were laughing so hard that their teeth were visible, and thought they were stupid.

When Zhao Po Nu saw his boss looking at him, he immediately gave him a big smile.

"Captain, are you ready for the show?"

Huo Qubing couldn't help but chuckle when he thought of his younger brother who wanted to be respectable throughout his life.

"Go and report back!"

The Central Army Commander rushed to Wei Qing's tent and said, "General, the cavalry commanders... have returned to the camp with over 3,000 heads!"

Wei Qing stood up.

The bronze jar in Gongsun Ao's hand clattered to the ground, its wine soaking the Yinshan Mountain markings on the map. The veteran general, who had fought four campaigns against the Xiongnu, suddenly began to cough violently, as if the cold wind from the Great Wall had choked his throat.

"Good boy!" He coughed, "Good boy! You've got guts!"

"I report back," the young man dismounted ten feet from the general's tent, his voice as clear as stone. Wei Qing quickly opened the tent curtain and took two steps forward. Seeing that Huo Qubing was intact, he felt relieved. Huo Qubing puffed out his chest with pride, raising an eyebrow at the leg of lamb he was about to carve, just as Huo Yan had done when he was claiming credit.

Eight hundred sharp warriors formed a wedge and cut into the gate, sparks flying as horseshoes clashed with the bluestone tiles. Captain Zhao Po Nu suddenly whipped his whip, splitting the bulging leather bags on the horses' backs. Over three thousand Xiongnu horns rained down like red hail, and seven hundred cavalrymen were dragging captives behind them.

Huo Qubing's voice sounded at the right moment, "On this trip, I beheaded over 3,000 people and captured 5,000. Please confirm, General. We also have the heads of high-ranking Xiongnu officials such as Da Danghu."

Zhao Po Nu displayed twelve bronze gilt official seals at the back, each with a seal knob shaped like a wolf devouring a sheep.

"The seal of the Great Pagoda, the seal of the Marquis of Gudu..." Jun Zheng's voice trembled as he bent down to identify the seals.

"Good boy, you're so brave!" Gongsun Ao laughed heartily. "Your uncle is still worried about you!"

Wei Qing patted Huo Qubing's shoulder vigorously, his joy beyond words.

Huo Qubing straightened his back after being slapped, wiped his lips, and rolled away the dried blood between his fingertips.

"Uncle, I can do it."

I could have taken up the banner of resistance against the Huns, and I could have shot down the Sirius long ago!

When he raised his eyes, there was blazing ambition and arrogance in them.

A raging fire in the heart, a long, strong wind!

Huo Qubing became famous in one battle!

【Author’s words】

In the next chapter, please see Liu Che’s excitement and Huo Yan’s madness.