Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 657 Teaching Children
At night, the stars are shining and the air is cool.

In the study hall, mugwort incense was lit, and green smoke rose up, driving away mosquitoes in the summer.

Huo Jun wore a wooden hairpin on his head, sat cross-legged, and wrote with a pen in hand. He planned the deployment of troops for the Northern Expedition next year, especially how to allocate troops from the central and eastern routes.

The next year, the Northern Expedition troops were divided into three routes. The western route was led by Lu Xun and Huang Quan to Guanzhong, the middle route was led by Zhuge Liang and Wen Pin to Jingwan, and the eastern route was led by Huo Jun himself.

After months of discussion between Huo Jun and others, the first thing they did was to determine the number of troops in the western route.

Because Yizhou's troops were responsible for maintaining order in Bashu, Yizhou only sent out 20,000 county soldiers, and the rest were used to intimidate the barbarians of Bashu; Liangzhou had a smaller population, and in addition to garrisoning Hanzhong, it sent out 30,000 troops; Yongzhou's troops were screened, and 20,000 were left out of the 30,000, and now all the troops have been sent out.

The three states of Yong, Yi and Liang in the west had a total of 70,000 soldiers and horses, and 200,000 farmers were conscripted to transport military supplies.

The troops in the central route were mainly composed of soldiers from Jingzhou, with a number of 50,000; they were supplemented by soldiers from Jiaozhou and the Wudang Flying Army, with a total of about 10,000 soldiers and horses, a total of 70,000.

The troops of the East Route were mainly from Jianghuai, Yangzhou and Jiangzhou, with a total of about 100,000 soldiers. The troops of the Imperial Guard were under the command of Huo Jun, with a total of 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. The total number of the troops of the two routes should be as high as 150,000.

The above number of troops and horses include not only soldiers from the southern land, but also soldiers from the Wei army who surrendered to the Han Dynasty. After all, this battle is to fight back to the Central Plains, and the Wei soldiers from the Central Plains will help the Han Dynasty to some extent.

The total number of troops from the three armies was about 290,000. If the civilians transporting grain were included, the number would be no less than 600,000. It could be said that the whole country was marching north with all its might. If this campaign failed, the Han Dynasty would probably not be able to launch another northern expedition in the next few years.

"I wonder what the situation is like at the Jinling Xingtai?"

Huo Jun arranged the troops for the three armies, but was worried about the logistics of the Eastern Army. The Eastern Army was marching out of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, and had a large number of soldiers and horses. If the food and grass were not taken care of in time, it would affect the morale of the army, but it would also cause the army to withdraw due to lack of food.

After thinking about it, Huo Jun wanted to write a letter to Gu Yong to inquire about the preparation of food and fodder, but for the sake of caution, Huo Jun wrote a letter to inform Gu Yong that he would be going to Jinling soon to give Gu Yong some time to buffer.

When Huo Jun was writing, he suddenly heard some noise outside the hall and asked, "Who is outside?"

"Master, the young master has returned from the banquet!" replied the servant.

"Let you go to the study first, I have something to tell you!" Huo Jun said.

"promise!"

After a while, Huo Yi's face turned red due to being slightly drunk. He took off his shoes and walked into the hall, paying his respects to Huo Jun.

Seeing Huo Yi drunk, Huo Jun asked, "Who are you drinking with tonight?"

"My lord, Zhuge Ke is going to be the governor of Jiangxia. He invites me, Zhuge Dan, Zhuge Fan, Guan Xing and others to attend a banquet to celebrate!" Huo Yi replied.

"Zhuge Fan?"

Huo Jun was slightly stunned. He never thought that Zhuge Fan was so sociable that he could even get into Zhuge Ke's circle.

After sorting out his thoughts, Huo Jun asked, "What kind of person is Zhuge Fan?"

Huo Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "Zhuge Fan is a man of great talent, good at making changes in words, and proficient in the study of law. The Minister of Justice Hao Pu praised him for his talent as a king's assistant. Zhuge Dan and Pan Zhu were close friends with him and both believed that he had the ability to help the world."

Huo Yi said with some appreciation, "Zhuge Fan was able to give up his career in Qingzhou and return to the Han Dynasty. He is a man of virtue. Now that I see his talent again, I think it is a blessing for our Han Dynasty."

Huo Jun frowned and asked, "What is your relationship with Zhuge Fan?"

"We have only met a few times, introduced by Zhuge Dan, and we don't have a deep relationship. Since Zhuge Fan came to the Han Dynasty, all the money and food he used were provided by Zhuge Dan." Huo Yi said.

"Boxian is not allowed to have close contact with Zhuge Dan and Zhuge Fan in the future." Huo Jun said, "From now on, you should go out less and serve Your Majesty in the palace more often."

"Why?"

Huo Yi was puzzled and asked: "Father asked Yi to get along with Zhuge Qiao, why can't I get along with Zhuge Dan and Zhuge Fan now?"

Seeing that his son did not understand, Huo Jun said frankly: "Zhuge Qiao has outstanding character. Although his talent is not as good as Zhuge Ke, Zhuge Qiao is respectful and studious. He will be able to make great achievements in the future. However, Zhuge Dan and Zhuge Fan are new surrenders. It is difficult to know their background. At present, they only have the surname Zhuge, but they have little connection with Prime Minister Ge, so they should not be made close friends!"

Huo Jun knew a little about Zhuge Dan's background, and he was a sophisticated egoist. The most typical example was Zhuge Dan's performance in the Huainan Rebellion.

When Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin started their rebellion in Shouchun, they sent people to contact Zhuge Dan, the governor of Yuzhou. However, Zhuge Dan, who was at odds with Wen Qin, not only killed the messenger but also assisted Sima Shi in suppressing the rebellion.

Later, Zhuge Dan opposed Sima Zhao's enthronement, allied with Eastern Wu, occupied Shouchun and rebelled, and was eventually killed by Sima Zhao.

Huo Jun did not know why Zhuge Dan started the rebellion. But Huo Jun knew that Zhuge Dan was a sophisticated egoist, as he killed his colleagues and led his troops to surrender. Huo Jun did not dare to use people with a history of rebellion just to be on the safe side. He even worried that his son Huo Yi would be in contact with him, and if something unexpected happened in the future, Huo Yi would be punished for being implicated.

As for Zhuge Fan, Huo Jun even suspected that he was a spy, so how could he let his son have anything to do with him?

"But they both have great talents~"

Huo Yi said in a weak voice, "In the past, the Lord asked me to make friends with wise people. Now I doubt it just because of a few things. I am afraid it goes against the original intention!"

Seeing that his son still didn't understand, Huo Jun explained in detail, "Since Zhuge Dan entered the Han Dynasty, he has claimed to be the cousin of Prime Minister Ge, and he often talks about his family. This man loves fame and fortune, and when he surrendered to me, he killed his colleagues in order to seek promotion. How could Boxian have a close relationship with him?"

"As for Zhuge Fan, he said that his parents had both passed away and he was all alone. He called himself a member of the Zhuge clan, but his origins were unknown. How could we have a close relationship with him?"

There are people who claim that their parents are both dead and they have no brothers or sisters. It's not that there are no such people, but they are too rare. Moreover, such people have no family around them, so they are the most suitable to be dead spies. If Zhuge Fan brought his family to the south, Huo Jun would not be so suspicious!
Huo Yi seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Your Majesty, there is nothing important going on, so why did father let Yi Duo enter the palace to serve Your Majesty?"

Huo Jun raised his eyebrows and said, "Your father has made it clear to Prime Minister Ge that after this Northern Expedition, I will retire and leave the government affairs to Prime Minister Ge. Your brother will take charge of my troops, and you will be His Majesty's right-hand man. You will stay outside, and I will stay inside, assisting His Majesty and stabilizing the government for the time being."

"After Prime Minister Ge retired, the six ministries of the Secretariat became powerful, and Your Majesty would most likely have secretaries overseeing them. Boxian has been with Your Majesty for a long time, so he would most likely be able to supervise the secretaries."

With Huo Jun's status, it is basically impossible for him to retire regardless of everything. After all, the handover of power requires a transition period, and Huo Jun also needs to ensure the political interests of those around him. Letting Huo Fan take charge of the Huaishui troops and then letting Huo Yi enter the Secretary General can probably ensure the interests of the Huo family.

Although the status of the Secretary General of the Han Dynasty is not as high as that of the Zhongshu Jian of the Wei Dynasty, after Zhuge Liang retires and Liu Chan regains power, the Secretary General will develop towards the Zhongshu Province in order to limit the Shangshutai. Huo Yi, who has been in the Secretary General for a long time, will rise with the tide and be appointed as the Secretary Supervisor.

Huo Jun has been familiar with the officialdom for many years, and has already mastered some of the rules of checks and balances. He will use retirement to keep the Huo family intact. Of course, it does not involve the issue of appointing a new crown prince, which will better ensure the Huo family's wealth.

As for Zhuge Liang's retirement, when Huo and Ge had a heart-to-heart talk that day, Zhuge Liang also talked about his plan. After helping Southern Han to successfully move its capital, he would take charge of government affairs for a few years to create a prototype for Liu Chan or his successor. He would also follow Huo Jun's example and return to his hometown.

Although Zhuge Liang had a close relationship with Liu Chan, they were actually a monarch and a minister. Huo Jun did not dare to stay in power for too long, and Zhuge Liang did not want to stay in power for too long. After all, it would be so sad to die holding power!

"Secretary Supervisor?"

Huo Yi hesitated for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty wants to give Joseon to my father, so why are you talking about retiring now?"

"North Korea?"

Huo Jun smiled and said, "There is no final conclusion on the issue of feudalizing Korea. How can we trust your Majesty's words at the moment? And if our Huo family feudalizes Korea, does that mean we will not serve as officials in the Han Dynasty?"

The feudal Joseon affair, regardless of whether Huo Jun was willing or not, involved too many things, such as the reactions of civil officials, the changes in the title system, and the subordinate relationship between the feudal states and the Han Dynasty.

Huo Jun was given a fief, but what about the other generals who had made great contributions? For example, Lu Xun, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang and other generals who were qualified to be given fiefs.

In addition to the fertile Han River basin and warm climate, the northern part of Korea is mountainous. Huo Jun was appointed to Korea, and the other generals could not be appointed to Korea as well. Korea is so small, how could it possibly accommodate so many people!

Of course, whether Liu Chan really wants to be feudal is another matter.

Even if, as Huo Jun said, he was really exiled to Korea, it would be impossible for Huo to not return to the central government to serve and completely become a feudal lord outside the territory.

The future currently planned for Huo Yi is probably the better treatment Huo Jun can think of. One must always plan for both scenarios.

Huo Yi was slightly drunk, and he bowed and said, "I dare not forget what Your Excellency has told me. If Your Majesty forgets about feudalizing Korea, I will take over the post of Secretary General. However, Your Excellency is on a long expedition, and if Your Majesty asks me about rewards, I wonder how I will respond?"

Huo Jun pondered for a long time and said, "I am above the rank of county duke and can be given an additional county. If I can return to the old capital, Your Majesty wants to suddenly confer the title of county duke and make me my father, I must refuse."

To be honest, Huo Jun was jealous of the title of Duke of a County, which was not only better than the title of Duke of a County, but also had a larger territory under his jurisdiction. However, once it came to granting actual territory, it would touch the sensitive point of the Central Plains Dynasty.

The title of Duke of a county cannot be given lightly, and Huo Jun did not dare to accept it lightly. After all, according to the current title system of the Southern Han Dynasty, it will be granted in reality, not in name only.

"I already know it!"

Huo Yi bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. From now on, I will not have too much contact with Zhuge Dan and Zhuge Fan. If Your Majesty asks about relevant matters in the future, I will answer according to the words my father taught me."

"Ok!"

Huo Jun waved his hand and said, "Wash yourself up and have a rest early. Your father will arrive in Jinling soon. You should take good care of my brothers and sisters at home."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)