Chapter 501 This is the last thing I can do in my life!
A gust of wind blew up a cloud of dust. Looking around, there was no trace of green. The earth and the sky seemed to be the same color, showing a desolate look.
On the dry ground lay corpses in various causes of death, with dried black blood everywhere, broken armor and weapons, and scattered arrows sticking out of them. The living soldiers were tidying up the battlefield.
On the Han army's central chariot, Luo Shi took off his armor and helmet. Sweat soaked his hair and face, and his hair even stuck to his face.
He looked even older than Luo Sheng, and years of continuous horseback riding had taken a toll on his body.
"Have you calculated the kills and casualties?"
The military judge calculated and replied excitedly: "Reporting to the Grand Protector, our army has beheaded a total of 1,324 Xiongnu and their vassal troops, including 304 elite Xiongnu and 1,020 miscellaneous Hu.
The Temple Army suffered 15 casualties, the Western Region Han Army suffered 103 casualties, and the Western Region vassal army suffered 504 casualties.
It sounds like a big victory. After all, the number of beheadings is almost twice the number of casualties. Even during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, this loss was very high.
But Luo Shi frowned deeply. He led his army thousands of miles to come here, not just for such a small victory.
What he wanted was a smooth trade route in the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. What he wanted was an unobstructed route from Guanzhong to Hexi and then to Wusun and Dayuan, so that people from the Central Plains could continuously immigrate to the Western Regions.
However, the Huns were too flexible. When they saw they were no match for the Han army, they would flee far away and wait for the Han army to withdraw before coming back to fight. Moreover, they seldom engaged in direct combat, but mostly harassed the food routes and attacked the logistics troops, making the Han army overwhelmed.
"Return to the Grand Protectorate and reward according to merit!"
Putting aside these worries for the time being, Luo Shi shouted loudly that this was a victory after all, and he would next commend the soldiers for their achievements. All the soldiers cheered loudly.
Merits must be rewarded and rewards must be fair. This is the source of Luo Shi’s prestige.
…
Grand Protectorate.
An oil lamp in the room flickered, and the light from inside the room shone on Luo Shi's face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, just like his current mood.
In terms of combat power alone, the battle-hardened Western Regions Army is very strong, especially the presence of the Temple Army, which is just right for dealing with conflicts of this scale. However, the Western Regions Han Army is more than capable of self-preservation but lacks the ability to attack.
When Luo Shi was suppressing the rebellion, he had to leave the Temple Army to garrison the Western Regions. The reasons behind this were very complicated.
"My dear, are you still thinking about the Xiongnu?"
His wife sat beside him and comforted him softly, "You have been able to defeat the Xiongnu every time they invaded. You have done your best."
Seeing that Luo Shi still had a worried look on his face, she gently straightened up and pressed the acupoints on Luo Shi's head to relax him.
Luo Shi thought for a long time, and then said firmly: "I will write to the emperor and ask the court to attack the Xiongnu, just like Emperor Xiaowu did. The Xiongnu are recovering rapidly, and they must be strangled, otherwise they will become a great disaster."
His wife was shocked and asked, "My dear, you have hardly stopped fighting in these years. Can your body still hold up?"
Luo Shi sighed and said, "The Western Regions is the thousand-year plan of the Zhuxia and the family. It is the foundation left by my father. The descendants of Liu Dan are also here. As a husband, I have no choice but to fight for it.
To be honest, my health is not very good, but it is not caused by illness, and the sacred objects of my family are of no use to me.
Compared with the towering mountains and endless rivers, human life is so short.
But how long does this last compared to the mournful chirping of cicadas?
I once heard that there is a kind of flower that takes three thousand years to take root, three thousand years to sprout, and another three thousand years to bloom. It blooms for only a moment, and anyone who sees it can achieve immortality. This is probably the meaning of life.
I am an ordinary person and I will die eventually. I might as well do more in this short life so that it will not be in vain. "
Luo Shi's wife cried and said, "All the men in the Luo family are heroes. All the women in the world admire you, including me.
But I'm really worried that you'll die on the battlefield.
Su Wang is a god, but you and I have slept in the same bed for decades, don’t I know that?
You are a mortal being, you will get sick and die.
My brother who loved me the most is dead, and now you have to fight for that emperor. My whole life..."
She couldn't continue, then stood up, took two steps, turned around and cried, "Aren't you going to write a memorial? Let me grind the ink for you."
…
“I have a report.
The Huns invaded and separated the East and the West, attempting to sever the connection between the Western Regions and the Central Plains. I have been in the Western Regions for decades and I know very well that the Western Regions are the foundation for eliminating the Huns' power. This is why Emperor Xiaowu controlled the Western Regions in the past.
Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne and the country is stable, the Xiongnu have risen again, which is indeed a great threat to the Han Dynasty. If they are not eradicated soon, I am afraid that they will return to the arrogance of Emperor Xiaowu. "
Luo Shi's memorial was very long, carefully analyzing the harm that the reappearance of the Xiongnu would cause to the Han Dynasty and the possible consequences in the future, from the defense of border territories to the taxation of the central court, the importance of trade routes, and the importance of the Western Regions in curbing the northern Hu regime.
This memorial can almost be regarded as a thesis on the study of the Western Regions. It contains a large number of events that Luo Shi personally experienced, as well as a large amount of data he has obtained over the years. An excellent emperor could almost certainly get a relatively detailed understanding of the situation in the Western Regions from this memorial.
Liu Xun had already made up his mind to attack the Huns after reading only the first part. The words that stimulated him most were "recreating the arrogance of Emperor Xiaowu." How strong were the Huns during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu?
The Han Dynasty put almost all its efforts into it, and with the help of three top commanders who were rare in the world, they fought consecutive large-scale battles with more than 100,000 troops, one after another, wiping out the remaining strength of the Han Dynasty's six generations and completely defeating the Huns.
The brutal war made the Huns dare not appear in the sight of the Han Dynasty for fifty years. Even when the Han Dynasty was so weak during the Jingnan Campaign, the Hu people did not dare to show up.
It was not until two or even three generations had died and the Huns had recovered some strength that they began to try to move south again. What they chose was not the core territory of the Han Dynasty, but the border areas such as the Western Regions. Deep down in their hearts, they must have been afraid.
Liu Xun conveyed the meaning of the memorial to everyone, and then asked: "I believe you all understand what Wushuang Hou Luoshi said. If you have any ideas, just speak directly."
To fight or not to fight.
If Emperor Li Liu Dan had not been overthrown, he would have fought without hesitation. Ever since Emperor Xiaowu valued military merit, the trend for decades has been to start fighting without saying a word, and there has been no other conciliatory policies in his mind.
As a result, Emperor Liu Dan conquered the four barbarians and brought the empire to its knees. He lost his life and left behind a mess that took Liu Xun a long time to clean up.
The ministers looked at each other, and few people spoke because they were not sure whether the emperor's thoughts were the same as theirs.
The emperor opposed Emperor Li Liu Dan in every way and took Liu Dan as a warning. Liu Dan loved military affairs the most and the emperor criticized him many times, saying that he was warmongering, ambitious, and built his achievements on the flesh and blood of the people of the world. He was a tyrant among tyrants.
During the 18 years since his reign, the emperor has followed the example of Emperor Xiaowen in every aspect. Emperor Xiaowen did not like fighting wars, so it seems that the emperor should be opposed to a major war with the Huns.
A minister stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I think that the world has just been stabilized and the people do not want to resort to war. If we start a war now, we may repeat the mistakes of Emperor Liu Dan."
These balanced words were approved by many people, who nodded in agreement.
There was no expression on Liu Xun's face; his thoughts were naturally different.
His goal has always been to become a sage king, but becoming a sage king is extremely difficult. In terms of civil governance, Emperor Xiaowen reached the pinnacle, and in terms of martial arts, Emperor Xiaowu reached the pinnacle. It is too difficult for him to surpass these two ancestors.
Then the only way for him to go is to accomplish both civil and military affairs at the same time. Now he has done quite well in civil administration. If he can also make achievements in martial arts, it may not be impossible for future kings to emulate him, or even let him become a sage king.
At least he must have a place among the temple names of the Han Dynasty, and it is one of the highest ones.
This is Liu Xun’s truest thought. This is one of the few opportunities in his life!
————
The Xiongnu invaded the border, destroyed the Cheshi, and blocked the east and west. The Great Protector of the Western Regions, Wushuang Hou Shi, led his army to attack them. The Xiongnu fled far away. Shi reported to the emperor, "The enemy is like fire, swift as wind, and can be defeated but not destroyed. Please send troops to attack them."
The edict said: "I, with my humble status, have served the ancestral temple and have been entrusted with the care of the country.
I always think of Emperor Huiwen who practiced benevolence and righteousness and focused his policies on the people. Therefore, since he was established, he has practiced leniency and frugality to restore people's livelihood.
Day and night I think of Emperor Xiaowu's selection of generals to pacify the borders and his power over the four barbarians. His merits and virtues are so numerous that I cannot express them all. I admire him very much.
The Xiongnu have invaded all four borders, and the people have suffered. I feel pity for them and should save them."
In autumn, the emperor sent out orphans of the Yulin Army in Guanzhong, mobilized archers from the three prefectures, and recruited young men from good families in the six counties of Longxi, Chengluo, Tianchu, Beidi, Shangjun, and Tianshui, all of whom were knights.
He also selected brave men from the counties and states, and transferred elite soldiers from Guandong, various Hu knights, and knights from Sanhe, Nanyang, and Yingchuan.
The Protector-General of the Western Regions, Wushuang Hou Shi, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the armies in the Western Regions and Hexi.
Five generals were selected to lead 150,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the Xiongnu.
(End of this chapter)
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