The great man will live forever

Chapter 174 Living sometimes requires more courage

In Changle Palace, Prince Liu Zheng was playing chess with Sima Qian.

"Prince, Prince, I'm so happy, so happy!" A chamberlain ran over in a panic.

"What's wrong?" The prince asked, holding the white chess piece in his hand.

"Li Ling's troops achieved a great victory, and the whole court was extremely jubilant. Li Ling's [-] infantry army met the [-]-strong army led by the Xiongnu Chanyu himself. They won the first battle and beheaded more than a few thousand people, which exceeded the number of the Han army."

After hearing this, Prince Liu Ju sighed with emotion, "It's unbelievable that 5000 people can defeat 3 people. I thought that only the Taifu can do this among the big men nowadays."

Sima Qian said with a smile at this time, "Li Ling and I were good friends back then. Great Sima admired him very much. I heard that when he went on an expedition, he even practiced it for him. Li Ling has the style of a national scholar, and Great Sima's appreciation is not unreasonable. . This time His Majesty sent him alone to go deep, just to make a big difference..."

……

That night, Liu Han was particularly restless. Everyone was cheering for the big man's victory, but he seemed to see Li Ling's future.

There are still many people in later generations who do not believe their record. After all, it is too outrageous. Even if it were any famous general or any powerful army in the ancient world, there is no guarantee that they will fight better than them.

However, whether you believe it or not, history is here, neither coming nor going, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Li Ling led 5000 infantrymen and postponed their departure. He went deep into Junji Mountain alone and encountered Shanyu.The Huns besieged Li Ling with an army of 1 horses.After many day and night battles, Li Ling killed more than [-] Xiongnu people. Such achievements are enough to go down in history. Even if Liu Han and Huo Qubing fought in person, they might not be able to do better than him...

Liu Han looked into the distance and let out a long sigh, "That's all, come and drive, I want to enter the palace overnight."

He wanted to change something after all.

Late at night, some guards went to the palace of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, Da Sima asks to see you."

"Why do you come to see me so late?" Emperor Wu of Han hurriedly put on his clothes and was not happy at all. He had just fallen asleep, that is, Liu Han, and he had already scolded the others.

"Your Majesty, Li Ling won the first battle. Five thousand people defeated thirty thousand people. Although it is a good thing, it is extremely dangerous. Shan Yu was defeated. He must be angry and want to regain his face. Otherwise, he will not be able to defeat or destroy our Han army of 5000 people. , How will he lead the tribe? I predict that he will definitely call on the wise kings on the left and right to increase his troops by at least 5. In this case, Li Ling will be in danger."

"Well, what you said makes sense, what do you want to do now?"

"Now Li Guangli, Lu Bode, Gongsun Ao and other nearly [-] troops are in Hexi, and they are all elites. Once the Xiongnu Chanyu mobilizes the main force to surround Li Ling, they will take the opportunity to press the entire army and cooperate with Li Ling inside and outside, and they will definitely achieve a good victory. Results.

If we were bolder and pressed forward with all the elite troops from the border, we might be able to repeat the great victory in Mobei, completely knocking the Xiongnu back to their original form, and win another ten years of peace for the country.

Of course, this requires a strong command. I request an expedition to capture the Xiongnu Chanyu alive and annihilate his main force. If he fails, I am willing to take the blame. "

Liu Han actually analyzed carefully and found that Li Ling's defeat was mainly due to the lack of reinforcements and the delay in the arrival of rescue.

During the dozens of days of Li Ling's iron-blooded regiment's transformation, the Han Dynasty had nearly [-] troops in Hexi, including Li Guangli, Lu Bode, Gongsun Ao, etc., and they were all elites. They had not received Li Ling's troops. News of defeat and escape?

If they received it, why didn't they rescue it?

In fact, at that time, the Xiongnu Chanyu's will was on the verge of collapse. It didn't take much, as long as the Han army had a force of [-] elite cavalry to extend out of the fortress and make a bluff, the Xiongnu would retreat.

If the Han army was bold enough to overwhelm all the Hexi Jingqi, and join forces with Li Ling's Iron Blood Corps near Juyan to fight to the death, they might be able to repeat the Mobei victory and completely defeat the Xiongnu back to their original form.

Of course, these prerequisites are that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che must have such a broad mind and magnanimity.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was silent, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "All these calculations must have a premise, that is, the Xiongnu Chanyu mobilized an army to besiege Li Ling. What if he escaped and did not mobilize an army to besiege?
To take a step back, if the Xiongnu Chanyu did not run away, as you said, and mobilized an army to besiege Li Ling, would he have been able to hold on for so long?He was completely wiped out before the Hexi army arrived. What should we do?
Or maybe he saw your army coming and ran away. Wasn’t this wasted?The whole army in Hexi is pressing forward. If he attacks from the east and west, Hexi may become the Xiongnu's again. "

Liu Han still refused to give up, "Then leave some people to defend and the others to attack. Even if we lose, it won't be a big defeat. If we win, it will be a big victory."

"Let's do this. Let's wait until the Second Division General's battle report comes in a few days, and let's discuss the details!"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said, yawning a few times, "I'm a little sleepy, you should go down and rest."

"Your Majesty!" Liu Han still wanted to say, but Emperor Wu of Han's face turned slightly cold, "Why, just because you are undefeated, can you remain undefeated? Even I have to listen to you?"

"Don't dare! I'll take my leave!"

Liu Han slowly walked out of the palace and looked up to see the night sky. The stars were very bright. He finally understood that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was an emperor and a politician.

Li Ling's defeat was inevitable. The Han army must have received the news that he was being pursued later. The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty had a complete beacon warning system. Usually, if there were police in one place, they would provide support everywhere to prevent barbarians from marching straight in.

With so many Xiongnu troops wandering a hundred miles outside Juyan Fortress for several days, how could they not be discovered by the Han border guards?

At that time, the beacon fire on the Great Wall should have been burning all over Hexi, but obviously the Han army did not receive the order to go out to rescue Li Ling. Why?

Because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty simply wanted Li Ling to "fight to the death", or to "die in battle".

It is conceivable that if Li Ling fought his way back to the fortress with such impressive achievements, wouldn't it be a big joke that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty reused his brother-in-law Li Guangli many times?

This was an insult and a provocation to Emperor Wu of Han's wise decision. It was a naked slap in his face, so Li Ling must die.

However, as the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who was both talented and handsome, he would certainly not do bad things as blatantly as Li Guangli, standing still and killing people with borrowed knives. This was the highest level of a black politician.

Of course, there are many small thoughts from Li Guangli, Lu Bode, and Gongsun Ao. If a younger generation is so dazzling, how ordinary will they be compared to them?
For a person like Huo Qubing, one is enough, let alone Liu Han suppressing them. If another one comes out, who can bear it?Their light will only be dimmed.

After thinking about it, Liu Han felt a little cold and a little disappointed. People are always selfish. Even though the current generals of the Han Dynasty are patriotic, they are only out of loyalty to the king. They fight more because they want to honor their ancestors, glory and wealth, and break the earth and seal. Hou......

They fight more for money, power, and fame, and fight for these, rather than for faith...

There may be some Han generals who put the Han and the people first, but not many.

It’s not their fault, human nature is selfish, faith must be tempered by blood and fire, and must be passed down and cultivated from generation to generation...

After all, he never gave another memorial. He just stayed at home and waited for that day to come.

Sure enough, ten days later, Li Ling was besieged by the Xiongnu army and retreated all the way south. News of the danger came.

In Weiyang Palace and the study room, several people began to discuss quietly. "Now that Li Ling is besieged by [-] troops, how can we report it to His Majesty?"

"Let Huo Guang go. Since Han Yan was released, His Majesty has trusted Huo Guang more and more, and even let him take charge of the study room."

"Yes, look at how cautious he is. The size of each step and the position of his footing have not changed at all. He is so cautious. It is completely different from his brother Huo Qubing's style. It is even worlds apart."

"I think it's better to call Da Sima over."

"Aren't you adding fuel to the fire? Da Sima said that he wanted to go on an expedition to meet Li Ling, but His Majesty refused. He said that he would send some people, and His Majesty agreed. But where is the person? There is no one. Da Sima always has foresight. His Majesty abandoned it. Instead of using it, I chose Li Guangli..."

"Okay, okay, don't talk about this. Is this something we can talk about?"

……

In the early Western Han Dynasty, Shangshu was an official subordinate to the Shaofu, living within the confines of the palace. He was an eunuch and had no rank, and was in charge of the delivery and custody of documents in the palace.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in order to weaken the power of the prime minister and establish an internal dynasty, the minister gradually occupied a core position. This was what Huo Guang first did. Starting from Huo Guang, all powerful ministers often had to take charge of the affairs of the minister.

When Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty established five ministers, there were five Cao Cao under the minister.During the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a Shangshu Taiwan was set up. The chief officer was Shangshu Ling, and his rank was Qian Shi.

Later, the Chancellery was extremely powerful. It was responsible for collecting memorials, conveying edicts, participating in the decision-making of military and state affairs, taking charge of national government affairs, and having the power to inspect and impeach hundreds of officials. In fact, it became the emperor's real power to make decisions and issue orders. Organization, Sangong and Jiuqing were only ordered to do things, forming a situation of "although the Sangong is placed, the affairs will be handled by the Taige".

The Shangshu Province in the Three Provinces and Six Ministries system that later influenced the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years evolved from here. It can be said to be extremely dazzling during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Most of the systems in later generations were deletions, deletions, or decentralization of power.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the three provinces were Shangshu Province, Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province, and the six departments were the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Punishment.

Zhongshu Sheng is mainly responsible for discussing the drafting of bills with the emperor and drafting imperial edicts.Menxia Province is responsible for reviewing the content of the edict and returning it to Zhongshu Province according to the situation.These two departments are decision-making bodies, and the decrees that pass the review are handed over to the Ministry of Shangshu for implementation.

The Shangshu Province has great power. It is one of the highest authorities in the country. It governs six ministries and 24 departments below them. The highest official is Shangshu Ling, who is responsible for executing important national decrees.

It is somewhat similar to the State Council in later generations. The difference is that the decrees it implements are all negotiated by the emperor and the ministers of the court. Some are even orders issued by the emperor alone and are not the wishes of the people of the country.

Huo Guang had no choice but to report this matter to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, people did not know whether Li Ling was alive or dead, so they regarded him as dead. Eighty thousand to five thousand, and it was the hinterland of the Xiongnu. No matter how you looked at it, he was destined to die. .

Liu Che was still worried, so he sent someone to summon Li Ling's mother, wife and children to Chang'an to take them hostage. He also sent a fortune teller to read their faces to see if there was any funereal look on their faces.

It can be seen that Emperor Wu was so anxious in his heart that he probably even drafted an imperial edict calling on the soldiers and civilians across the country to learn from Li Ling's great spirit of serving the country heroically and sacrificing his life for charity. Unfortunately, Li Ling failed to fulfill his wish. From the swamp to the jungle, he fought thousands of miles and killed more than ten thousand enemies...

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was also urging people to rescue, but it was too late, and he was more of a showman.

When he learned that Li Ling had surrendered, "Qiang!" Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty stood up tremblingly with anger and drew his sword.

"How could Li Ling become a prisoner of the Huns?"

"Crack!"

"Dong dong!"

"Clap!"

He took his sword and chopped a wooden figure supporting the armor to pieces.

"Huhu!" He gasped and cursed: "He should be like this puppet, die in battle, die in battle, die in battle, die in battle for me!"

"Snapped!"

He was still angry and struck several more times with his sword.

"The 150 million arrowheads have been used up, the shafts and frames of the chariots have been cut off, and the knives and pens have been made into weapons. This is not enough, this is not enough, far from enough, not enough at all."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty said, holding the sword to his neck, "Is it difficult to kill yourself? I think he lacks the courage to kill himself."

Perhaps this is an extremely complicated matter.

Li Ling originally promised to divide Shan Yubing, but in the end it turned out that he had to face Shan Yubing alone, but he still accepted the task.

Moreover, when the Han Dynasty never sent reinforcements, not even a single reinforcement was sent from this place just a short distance away from the Han Dynasty, Li Ling was able to do so, and he had a clear conscience.

But why did he say: "Repay Your Majesty without a face!"

It is possible that he guessed that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted him to die in battle and become a spiritual symbol of the Han Dynasty, so he really decided to surrender. Of course, the person who surrendered did not meet Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Later, according to Li Ling's own words, he was not reluctant to die, but "sincerely, it is better to establish a festival than to die in vain, and to repay kindness by destroying one's name, so he wanted to do something to repay his kindness to the king."

Citing examples from the ancients, he said: "In the past, Fan Li suffered the humiliation of Kuaiji, and Cao Min suffered the humiliation of three defeats. He died to avenge Gou Jian and avenge the humiliation of the Lu State. I only admire this in my heart."

Why did Li Ling have to bear this unbearable weight in his life, put aside the most precious dignity of a soldier, endure humiliation and live quietly, secretly carrying out major events, to repay his kindness to Emperor Wu of Han who cold-bloodedly abandoned him?
Doesn't he understand that there is no point in doing this?Except for Sima Qian and Liu Han who traveled through time, who would believe his painstaking efforts?Who would believe that he could succeed?Liu Che would never believe it anyway.

Perhaps these are just excuses for Li Ling to be greedy for life and afraid of death!

Or maybe, this is a big gamble that Li Ling is unwilling to make!
After all, he has lived in the shadow of his grandfather's suicide since he was a child. He has spent his whole life determined to build a career, revive his family, and realize the long-cherished wish of the Li family in Longxi for hundreds of years to become a marquis. His uncle Li Gan is seriously ill, and the hopes of the Li family rest on him. , how could he die like this?

He wanted to be an undercover agent, endure the humiliation, kill important people in the Xiongnu, obtain important information, and return to the Han Dynasty with greater achievements...

It is also possible that there are both situations. Human nature is complex. How can loyalty, villainy, good and evil be so clear?

Since ancient times, the only difficult option is death. In the face of death, people will hesitate. However, some people still choose death after hesitating because they think there are more important things than living.

In fact, sometimes, living people suffer more than dead people, like walking zombies, numb and helpless...

Compared with some great pain, humiliation, or even suffering, death may sometimes be more like a relief.

Death requires immense courage, and living may require even more courage!
(End of this chapter)