Chapter 650 [First Update] 650
When Liu Che received Liu Tan's letter, he was attending court. Today was a small court meeting, and basically all of them were his own people. Those who were more inclined to the King of the Northern Territory were also relatively neutral. The so-called neutrality meant that if the King of the Northern Territory did good things and made contributions, they would not hesitate to praise him, and if the King of the Northern Territory did something wrong, they would not give up pursuing him.
Although Emperor Liu Che doted on his son, he did not dote on him to the extent that everything his son said was right.
The court still needs such upright people.
But precisely because of this, he didn't shy away from everyone. He took the memorial and, before even opening it, asked the messenger with a smile, "Another victory?"
The messenger said joyfully, "Your Majesty, the King of the Northern Territory and the King of Wusun have captured the Right Bone Marquis alive!"
Liu Che couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly when he heard this: "What?"
Not only him, but everyone else couldn't help but look at the messenger.
Fortunately, the messenger was resilient. He recalled the first time he went to the capital to deliver a letter, and saw the Emperor and the Crown Prince stuttering and struggling to speak. Now... he'd seen it so often that he'd become numb to it. Even with so many people watching him, he remained calm and said, "The Right Bulwark Marquis's entire army was annihilated. Our army didn't let a single man escape. This battle was a great victory!"
After he finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but smile, especially Liu Che. Although he tried to restrain himself from getting too excited, his smile couldn't stop growing.
Perhaps because he was too happy, he directly threw the memorial to Crown Prince Liu Ju and asked him to read it, while he opened the letter written to him by Liu Tan.
Although Liu Tan's letter and memorial were about the same thing, their styles were quite different. It was rare for Liu Che to be able to do two things at the same time, listening to his eldest son reading the memorial while reading the letter.
When Liu Che heard Liu Ju recite the four words, "The destiny of the country depends on me," the smile on his face couldn't help but deepen.
Well, it's obvious that this memorial was not written by his son. After thinking about it, the writing style is somewhat similar to Lu Xuan.
He was even happier when he thought that Lu Xuan admitted that the country's destiny lay in the Han Dynasty.
Not only him, but everyone else present was very excited. If Liu Tan were to describe their state, it would probably be like getting a shot of cardiac stimulant.
Before, everyone was three parts hopeful and seven parts indifferent about the battle against the Huns. The hope was because the King of the North never lost against the Huns, and the seven parts indifferent was because they had suffered a lot at the hands of the Huns in recent years.
So no one dares to say that they will definitely win this time.
Building confidence is not easy. If it weren't for this accident, Liu Tan might have needed to win a few more battles to convince everyone that their current strength is much stronger than that of the Huns.
But when it comes to metaphysics, everyone suddenly develops supreme confidence when they think that even God is on their side.
Yes, Prime Minister Sang Hongyang thought, he should have thought that his Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory was a god. Although some people said that he was Qian Tong and some said that he was the incarnation of the Star Lord Tan Lang, but no matter what, the gods in heaven would definitely help "their own people", so they would definitely stand on the side of their King of the Northern Territory.
His ideas were basically the same as those of some other ministers.
After Crown Prince Liu Ju finished reading the memorial, Sang Hongyang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since the Xiongnu Right Gudu Marquis has been escorted to the capital, do you still need to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao?"
Liu Che tried hard to suppress his smile: "I'm afraid my ancestors will find me annoying if I offer sacrifices twice in such a short period of time."
Other ministers: ...
Is this showing off? Yes, it must be showing off.
Don't say it, some people are really jealous. The King of the North is only in his early twenties this year, which is not young according to the average age of the Han Dynasty. But in the court, the children of officials of his age are still accumulating seniority, and their sons are basically accumulating seniority as well. If they have a son like the King of the North, what would they worry about?
This time, Liu Tan not only wrote a letter to Liu Che, but also sent him some specialties from the Xiongnu side - these were basically obtained when he encountered some nomadic tribal captives. Some of the things were not particularly expensive, but he sent them to him because he thought they were of good style and taste.
Liu Che generously distributed some to everyone, complaining as he did so: "This kid, he's out on the expedition and his own conditions are probably not very good, yet he's still sending me gifts."
Ministers: ...
What if it gets even more sour? Their son would be so touched if he cared about how much they ate at the dinner table.
Compare this to the King of the North, who is always thinking about getting delicious food and fun things for his father, and even tries his best to deliver them to him when he goes out to fight. No, he has to beat that brat up when he gets home to vent his anger!
When Liu Che had finished showing off, he began to discuss business. They considered the current situations of Li Xi and Liu Tan. Sang Hongyang looked at the map and asked boldly, "Your Majesty, do you think...is the King of the Northern Territory's target Dragon City?"
Liu Che took a look at the map and found that their marching route was indeed very clear, heading towards Longcheng.
He smiled slightly and said, "Tan'er... The King of the Northern Territory has had this idea for a long time. This time is probably just a test. Everyone, don't have to have too high expectations."
Although he, like his subordinates, was eager for Liu Tan to reach Longcheng and drive the Huns further away, he also felt sorry for his son and did not want to put too much pressure on him.
If they make preparations here and word gets out, it might become that the King of the North wants to attack Longcheng. If the situation doesn't allow it, Liu Tan will probably have to fight anyway, otherwise he won't be able to explain himself.
Liu Che was thinking carefully. Sang Hongyang was also thinking a lot. He coughed lightly and said, "His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory did not report the consumption of food and grass this time. However, with a large army dispatched, the consumption of food and grass is bound to be considerable. Therefore, whether we can capture Longcheng at that time will depend on the food and grass."
He was giving Liu a way out first. If it was really not appropriate to attack Longcheng at that time, then it would be because they were short of food and grass, not the King of the North's problem.
Well, it wasn't that he had to help the King of the North, but who could blame him for having a son? He was the most outstanding of all his sons, and it seemed like he got promoted quickly by following the King of the North. So as long as the King of the North didn't make any mistakes, he would help.
Of course, this is also based on the fact that both the Emperor and the Crown Prince need him to help the King of the North. If there is any conflict between the King of the North and the Crown Prince, he will not help so clearly.
As expected, the emperor and the prince both gave him a look that said you are very smart, and then everyone began to discuss how to get food and grass, and how to keep the army going until they could attack Longcheng.
While they were discussing this, Liu Tan and Li Xi had already met at Yanran Mountain.
After Yougudu Hou was defeated, the area ahead of Liu Tan and his men was like a deserted place. Well, actually, it was almost deserted. Most of this area was Gobi and desert. If they didn't have a compass, they might not be able to get out.
During this process, Liu Tan also witnessed how bad Li Ling was at finding his way. Even if he only had to choose between two directions, he would choose the wrong one. It was amazing!
Compared to him, Liu Tan seems much more reliable.
Fortunately, they brought Lu Xuan with them. Lu Xuan was not very familiar with the terrain, but he was familiar with the desert and the Gobi, and knew the climate conditions and other things here, which helped the army avoid many detours.
As for Li Xi, he obviously had fewer problems than Liu Tan, but the route he took was more familiar. He had taken this route when he followed General Wei Qing. After so many years of changes in the world, he never expected to do it again.
After Liu Tan reunited with Li Xi, he asked, "What's the current situation with the Xiongnu?"
Li Xi said solemnly, "Wuli Lake has sent King Zuo Tuqi."
Liu Tan was shocked: "Are they no longer in the Xiongnu army? Did Xulihu even send his own son?"
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