Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 501 March Yibing
During the inspection of the military camp that day, in addition to Huo Yuan, who was hiding his female relatives, there were also military princes and his soldiers who gathered together to gamble. After being reported and exposed, Huo Jun arrested him and questioned him.

After a day's surprise inspection, in addition to Huo Yuan and a military prince, they also caught the captain who had not repaired the fortress strictly and more than 30 soldiers who had committed crimes.

More than ten people, including Huo Yuan and the military lords, were beheaded. The captain who had not repaired the fortress strictly was dismissed from his post to atone for Xian Deng's sins. The rest were punished, both large and small.

Even the clan generals were beheaded, and all the soldiers in the army were in awe, and naturally they did not dare to relax.

Huo Yuan was buried at the funeral. Huo Jun saw him off in person and cried bitterly for him.

At the funeral, his wife Li scolded the concubines for causing harm to others, and also scolded Huo Yuan for being greedy for women. Huo Jun was worried about Li's trouble with the concubine, so he asked people to choose a house to live in alone and not to hold him responsible.

Immediately afterwards, Huo Jun appealed to the capital, asking Liu Bei to allow his son Huo Xu to inherit Huo Yuan's title of Tinghou, and to allocate 200 households in his own town to his son, totaling 700 households. Let's appoint Huo Xu as Yilang and let him serve as an official.

Liu Bei was very shocked by Huo Jun's behavior of upholding military law. He wrote back and agreed to Huo Jun's request, but also stated in the letter that Huo Yuan was a general of the country and was not in the camp during war. It was not appropriate to be so harsh.

When Zhang Fei heard about this, he became sober after drinking wine and suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He had secretly sworn that if he could drink with Huo Jun, he would never work with him.

Although Huo Du and the Huo clan had complaints, under Huo Jun's kindness, there was no criticism. Instead, they felt sorry for Huo Yuan.

In the tent, Pang Tong looked ashamed, raised his hands and said, "Captain, you have made a mistake in ruling the army. You didn't realize that Huo Yuan was secretly hiding his female relatives in the army. If you could detect it, you might be able to stop it in advance."

Huo Fan's face straightened slightly and he cupped his hands. "Remember the Governor's words!"

Huo Jun showed admiration and said: "Most of Huo Tukou's subordinates are from the Huo clan or have relatives by marriage. Now that I am appointed to lead the army, I should be kind and powerful at the same time, and not be too affectionate and forget about duty."

Huo Fan stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Fan Xinran is willing to obey the governor's order!"

Huo Jun put his pen on the shelf and sighed and said: "Your name is the Commander-in-Chief, but many of my officers and men have unruly temperaments, which cannot be cured by you. Since the founding of your Majesty's country, all the generals have thought they have great achievements and have always been proud of me because of me. If he is not punished by military orders now, he will be in trouble in the future."

"good!"

"Let's go!"

In the past, it was difficult for him to understand why there were arrogant and powerful generals, but now that he has led the army to fight, he has a clear understanding.

"promise!"

They have been fighting all year round, with no regard for human life, and have repeatedly performed military exploits. They are favored by the superiors and rely on their high achievements. In this case, many people's mentality will change because of this. In addition, they are in the military all year round and make friends when encountering difficulties. How can they not be arrogant and domineering?

Huo Jun did not hesitate and said, "Let's follow what Shi Yuan said."

In troubled times, armies mostly rely on clans, relatives, and cronies as their confidants to control the army. However, it is easy to have difficulties in running the army, that is, how to deal with these confidants who commit crimes. If the punishment is light, it will be inconvenient to run the army; if the punishment is heavy, it will make people complain.

"I am the one who governs the army. There is chaos in the army today, and the commander is uneasy. Please give me a fine of half a year's salary to give to the wives and children of the officers and soldiers who died due to military discipline." Pang Tong said sincerely.

"It's not Shi Yuan's fault!"

As a junior, it is not easy for Huo Fan to accept Huo Yuan's subordinates.

Pang Tong, a lieutenant governor who had turned from civil to military, wanted to convince the generals, but the Battle of Xiangfan alone might not be enough. Therefore, Pang Tong was called to manage the army, but in fact it was difficult to manage the generals in depth.

"That's fine!"

When Huo Jun served in the capital, the generals thought they had no restraints. They dealt with Pang Tong on the surface, but let themselves go privately. In the long run, loose military discipline is inevitable. After all, you learn bad things quickly, but it’s very difficult to learn well. This severe punishment is enough to make the generals fear him and restore the military discipline of the past.

Huo Jun paced and thought for a moment, then looked at Huo Fan and asked, "Would you like to receive the title of Shi Zai from Huo Toukou's officers?"

Jiang Ji thought about his tribe which had no one under its control, and asked: "Captain, now that Huo Yuan is dead, who should be in charge of his tribe?"

"promise!"

After Huo Fan left, Jiang Ji handed over a letter to the capital, saying: "Your Majesty will conduct the Northern Expedition in March. He wants to break Wancheng first, thinking that he will attack the east and attack the west. When Ma Chao and Lu Xun left Guanzhong, they went to Wuguan and drove straight to Guanzhong. Your Majesty now allows the governor to decide on his own when to deploy troops, with the priority of securing the Yangtze River and Huaihe River."

The strategy of seizing the east and attacking the west was proposed by Fazheng, who suggested that Liu Bei send troops to Wancheng first and make his own move to capture Wancheng to attract Cao Pi's army to Wancheng. Cao Pi's army marched south to Wancheng, which was beneficial to Ma Chao and Lu Xun's use of force in the Northern Expedition. Ji Ma and Lu sent troops, and the navy went upstream from the Yishui River. Liu Bei led his sergeants to turn west and use land and water troops and horses to conquer Wuguan. Then, Liu Bei led his elite infantry and cavalry troops into Guanzhong, hoping to capture Guanzhong.

Huo Jun read the letter and said: "Since our army is a partial army, it is not appropriate to use troops too early or too late. When news of the military situation in Licheng comes, we will order the navy to go out at any time."

"promise!"

Not to mention that Huo Jun was waiting for the opportunity of the Northern Expedition. In Wuhan, the capital, Liu Bei had already started the Northern Expedition.

Seeing Huang Zhong fall from his horse, his illness cannot be cured for a long time. After Liu Bei finished his business, he took Fazheng to visit Huang Zhong at his house.

"His Majesty!"

"My dear sir, I'm a long way from greeting you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Hearing that it was Liu Bei who came to the door, Huang Zhong, leaning on crutches and supported by his adopted son Huang Xu, came to the door to greet him.

Today, Huang Zhong's face is sallow, no longer as flushed as before, he is leaning on a cane, and his legs and feet are inconvenient, which is embarrassing.

"You are not feeling well, so there is no need for you to perform such a grand ceremony!"

Seeing that Huang Zhong was about to kneel down and bow, Liu Bei hurriedly stepped forward to help him up and said, "I am about to go on an expedition to the north. Now that I heard about your illness, I feel very uneasy, so I came here to see the old general."

Huang Zhong looked ashamed and sighed and said: "I am old and cannot serve your Majesty in the war. Instead, I let your Majesty come to ask for medical advice. I should kill this veteran for shame."

Liu Bei held Huang Zhong's hand and said emotionally: "The old general's fall is my fault!"

"His Majesty!"

Huang Zhong followed Liu Bei into the house, beat his left arm, and said angrily: "How can it be your Majesty's fault that I was practicing on horseback? I thought my body was useless, but I didn't control that fierce horse."

Liu Bei shook hands, patted the back of his hand, and said with concern: "The old general has fought for the country all his life. He is already seventy years old, and it is difficult for him to charge and fight. Now that the younger generation is getting older, it is better to watch them fight and cultivate their body and mind at home."

Huang Zhong looked touched and said: "I am a warrior, and my years have been wasted under Liu Jingsheng. Liu Guoan is not a good master. I am fortunate to meet your Majesty, and I have made great achievements and displayed my talents throughout my life. I live seventy years now, and I don't hate it. I don't have enough life, but I hate not being able to serve His Majesty, so I go to the army to destroy Cao Cao and establish the Han Dynasty."

Hearing this, Liu Bei held Huang Zhong's hand tightly and said movedly: "Old general, you should take care of yourself. You will definitely be useful in the future."

Huang Zhong shook his head slightly, beat his thigh, coughed and said: "My body is getting worse, and I may not be able to serve your majesty anymore. Now I only hope that your majesty will protect the dragon body well, so as to protect the Central Plains and rebuild the prosperous age of the Han family."

"I know the heart of the old general!"

Liu Bei held Huang Zhong's hand and called his adopted son Huang Xu, saying: "I will raise my troops to the north soon. Please stay at home and serve the old general. If there is any shortage of medicinal materials for the old general's diagnosis and treatment, you can bring them to the palace." Ask for it. Physician Du Du has excellent medical skills and can treat the old general."

"His Majesty!"

Huang Zhong waved his hands repeatedly and said: "My minister is still brave, how can he be allowed to serve the old minister at home? Now I should follow your majesty to make meritorious deeds, fall into battle and kill generals, and conquer Chang'an for your majesty."

"This~"

Liu Bei looked troubled. He felt that Huang Zhong's current body would not be able to survive until he returned to the army. Huang Zhong himself had no sons, and now he doesn't even have an adopted son. It would have been too sad to die without a son at that time.

Huang Zhong seemed to understand what Liu Bei was thinking and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed that I cannot serve in the army due to my illness. Now that I have to let my son stay at home because of my illness, I am even more ashamed. My son is not here. Your Majesty, I still have a grandson at home, I hope your Majesty will not worry about this!"

After saying that, Huang Zhong looked at Huang Xu and said seriously: "Boy, if you defeat Chang'an, I will tell you in a letter."

"promise!"

"So~"

Liu Bei hesitated for a long time. Seeing Huang Zhong's firm expression, he could only relent and said, "As the old general intended!"

(End of this chapter)