Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 765: Engraving the North Sea
The setting sun is about to sink into the horizon, and the sky is dyed a magnificent orange-red, reflecting on the vast grasslands and river valleys.

The valley was filled with a smell of tranquility and blood, with the bodies of war horses lying in disorder on the ground, and broken limbs and arms everywhere. The blood dyed the Yuwu River dark red.

The excitement of the battle on the faces of the Han soldiers gradually faded, and was replaced by joy. The wounded soldiers were treated by military doctors, and the surviving soldiers cleaned up the battlefield.

Compared to the Han soldiers' joy at victory, the captured Xianbei people had panic on their faces and fear of the future in their eyes. They didn't know how the victorious Han soldiers would treat them.

On the South Mountain, the flaming red flags fluttered in the north wind, making rustling sounds, as if telling of the fierce fighting that had taken place not long ago.

Under the banner, Huo Jun, supported by his left and right hands, slowly climbed up the Nanshan Mountain. Looking up, he saw the grassland, the Gobi Desert, smoke from cooking fires, the sunset and other scenery, and could not help but marvel at it.

"The smoke rises straight up from the desert, the sun sets over the long river, this is truly a rare beauty in the world."

"careful!"

Seeing Huo Jun about to sit down, Jiang Ji offered his hand to help him and said, "How can the Prime Minister go to the battlefield in person as a commander?"

As he spoke, Jiang Ji looked at Huo Quji, who was full of shame, and said reprimandingly: "You are the personal guard of the prime minister, and your primary duty is to protect the prime minister. Now you are greedy for merit and have left your post without permission."

"I ordered Quji to attack. This was my order. Zitong, don't pursue it too much!"

Huo Jun waved his hand and explained, "Besides, if I am shot by an arrow, it can save Ke Bineng and his son from death, so why not?"

Huo Jun was shot in the thigh by an arrow before, but he endured it in order to kill Ke Bineng. It was not until the end of the battle that everyone discovered that Huo Jun was shot, and they rushed to treat him.

Huo Jun endured the severe pain, and under the operation of the military doctor, the arrowhead was removed and a simple herbal compress was applied.

Despite treatment, the injured leg was still painful. In order to relieve the pain, Huo Jun, with the help of his attendants, left the tent and climbed a hill to look into the distance.

Huo Junhuan sat on the green grass and asked, "How is the situation today?"

Jiang Ji said: "More than a thousand of our soldiers were injured, and about 500 were killed in battle. We captured tens of thousands of Xianbei men and women, and countless cattle and sheep. The exact number needs to be counted by officers at all levels."

Huo Jun's face turned slightly pale, and he said, "Leave the military supplies for the return journey, and the rest can be given to the soldiers. Those who are killed or seriously injured can be given several times more."

"promise!"

Jiang Ji glanced at the captives at the foot of the hill and asked, "What about the captured Hu people?"

Huo Jun considered it for a while and said, "Give them all to the soldiers as slaves, the same as the cattle and sheep livestock rewards."

Huo Jun pointed to an area and said, "The fallen Xianbei will be fortified into a Jingguan, and the heads of Kebineng and Tun Weize will be hung on the Jingguan to intimidate the other Hu tribes in Mobei, and a monument will be erected to commemorate their achievements."

"promise!"

While Huo Jun was talking with Jiang Ji, Han army officers including Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, Ding Feng, and Wei Yan came to visit him upon learning of Huo Jun's injury.

"How is the Prime Minister?"

Seeing that Huo Jun's thigh was bandaged tightly, Tian Yu asked with concern.

"nothing!"

Huo Jun motioned for everyone to sit on the ground and said, "I have applied the herbs, so it should be fine."

Qian Zhao looked worried and said, "There are carriages and horses in the royal court. I have ordered people to pack them up. The Prime Minister can use the carriages and horses to travel in the future. Walking may not be conducive to the recovery of the arrow wound."

"There is a good doctor in the Yan army who can treat the prime minister."

"good!"

"Thank you for the long article!"

In the era of lack of anti-inflammatory drugs, arrow injuries can be serious or minor. Many people who were shot died of inflammation of the wound or complications caused by the arrow. Now Huo Jun was shot in the thigh, especially in the desert Gobi, where there was a lack of medical care and medicine, so his subordinates could not afford to not care about him.

Ding Feng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Ke Bineng and his son surrendered, and our army has achieved great success. Now that the Prime Minister has been injured by an arrow, will he lead his troops back soon?"

"Not urgent!"

Huo Jun smiled and said, "In the past, the cavalry general Qu Bing drove across the desert, conquered Langjuxu, and climbed the vast sea. The cavalry general Dou Xian chased after the fleeing Ji Luo, watered his horse at Bi Di, and carved a stone at Yan Ran. Since our ancestors of the two Han dynasties had made outstanding achievements, how can we, the Han people today, fall behind?"

After a pause, Huo Jun struggled to get up from the ground, pointed his whip at the mountain, and laughed: "I want to go to Beihai with you to erect a monument, engrave our achievements and names for future generations to praise."

"This~"

Jiang Ji and other generals were all tempted by the idea of ​​doing something comparable to what Huo Qubing and Dou Xian did, but they were hesitant because of Huo Jun's injury.

As if he could see everyone's concerns, Huo Jun straightened his face and said, "A real man walks in the world, using his civil and military talents to help the world achieve peace and gain merits for posterity. Now I and you have defeated the Hu court twice and traveled three thousand miles beyond the border. We have made achievements but have not left any traces. How can we stop and move forward!"

"I have won the honor of being a real man. Even if I die, I will have no regrets. And I know the extent of the arrow wound. You don't have to worry."

Seeing Huo Jun's attitude, everyone naturally agreed due to various factors.

Erecting a monument to commemorate his achievements and engraving it in Beihai was the great wish that Huo Jun made when he was roaming the desert.

At the beginning of this campaign, Huo Jun wanted to end the battle in Yinshan. However, as the uncertainties of the battle emerged, Huo Jun had to go out of the border for 2,000 miles to attack Hu Ting again.

When the road has come to this point, how could Huo Jun be willing to return because of the arrow wound? He should do something unprecedented in history, go as far as the North Sea, erect a monument to commemorate his achievements, and leave his achievements for future generations.

As for the arrow wound, Huo Jun had already resigned himself to his fate. The journey from Mobei to the Central Plains was more than 3,000 miles. If he could not recover, he would probably die on the way; if he could recover, he would return home safely.

With the goal of engraving in the North Sea in mind, Huo Jun and his generals rested in Zhaomoduo for three days. They left the Wuhuan and Southern Xiongnu cavalry to guard the camp, and then headed northward towards the vast sea under the guidance of a guide.

The vast sea, where Su Wu grazed sheep, is the Lake Baikal of later times. It is more than 3,000 miles away from the Great Wall and nearly 1,000 miles away from Zhaomoduo. On March 16, the day of departure, Qian Zhao felt unwell and stayed in the camp to rest. Huo Jun led the Han cavalry to set off towards the distant North Sea.

On the way, because Huo Jun was shot in the thigh, he could not ride a horse fast, so he had to take a carriage, which slowed down the march.

Fortunately, it is spring, the ice and snow are melting, and the climate is gradually warming up. It is not as cold as before, so it will be better for Huo Jun.

After fourteen days of marching, in early April, Huo Jun and the Han cavalry marched more than a thousand miles and finally reached Beihai.

Even in April, Beihai is still much colder than Zhaomo. But as the weather warms up, the trees along the lake gradually wake up, with some tender green leaves hanging on the branches.

Huo Jun climbed to a high place and looked at the vast ocean. He saw the sunlight shining on the lake, making the waves sparkle like sparkling gems, stretching endlessly. Although it was called a lake, it was actually a sea.

Not far from Huo Jun, Wei Yan and Ding Feng led their soldiers to build a simple altar, while Jiang Ji and Tian Yu were engraving the inscription.

"Cough cough!"

Huo Jun couldn't help coughing a few times. Due to the long journey, Huo Jun's complexion looked much worse and his legs and feet were still inconvenient.

The military doctor carried the medicine bag on his back and said, "The Prime Minister needs to change his medicine!"

"Ok!"

In the tent, with the help of the military doctor, Huo Jun took off the smelly towel on his thigh and saw that the area around the arrow wound was red and swollen, and the color was very dark, which showed that the wound was obviously inflamed.

The military doctor frowned and said worriedly: "The injury has worsened!"

"Is there any new medicine that can be applied?" Huo Jun asked.

The military doctor shook his head and said, "There is no medicine in the army to cure it, and I am not a good doctor. The Prime Minister needs to return to the Central Plains for treatment, maybe he can recover."

"Just do your best!"

"promise!"

The military doctor applied herbal medicine to Huo Jun and bandaged him with a clean towel.

After a busy period, the attendant came to report, saying, "Prime Minister, the altar has been built and the achievements have been engraved on the stele."

"good!"

With the help of the military doctor, Huo Jun walked about a few hundred steps and arrived at the altar.

"Prime Minister, here is the Inscription on the Sealing of Beihai!"

Jiang Ji offered a scarf and said, "The inscription has been carved on the stele and left on the hillside."

"good!"

Because of his thigh injury, Huo Jun endured the pain, walked up to the altar alone, and began to read the contents on the towel.

"On the fourth month of the summer of the eleventh year of Jianxing, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, Huo Jun, together with the generals Jiang Ji, Wei Yan, Ding Feng, Tian Yu, Qian Zhao and others, organized the troops in Shuofang, led the Eagle School, and the six divisions, along with the Southern Chanyu, the Donghu Wuhuan, and 15,000 cavalry, and marched into the desert."

"He led the Chi-Le with elite soldiers, and showed his might and majesty. His black armor shone brightly, and his red flags rose to the sky. He then led the Chi-Le, descended the White Road, passed through the desert, crossed the Great Desert, defeated the Hu tribe twice, and killed Ke Bineng to stab the drum..."

"Then he crossed Yuwu, crossed Guyan, rode on Zhaomo, stepped on the dragon court of the old Hu, and piled up the corpses of the Hu people to build a Jingguan. He inherited the achievements of the two Han dynasties and glorified the spirits of his ancestors; he also secured the borders and expanded the territory, and revived the reputation of the Han Dynasty. This is what is called a short effort for long-term peace, a short expense for eternal peace. He then arrived at Beihai and engraved a stone tablet to commemorate his great virtues."

"Wan Sheng!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

As Huo Jun finished reading the contents of the inscription in an excited tone, the Han cavalry raised their spears and shouted.

Listening to the shouts of the Han soldiers, Huo Jun stopped on the hill, looking at the vast North Sea, his mind wandering.

He led troops to pacify Wu and Chu, and conquered the world in three campaigns; he defeated the Hu court twice and made great contributions in Beihai.

How will future generations evaluate me for my outstanding achievements?
Jiang Ji stepped forward and congratulated him, saying, "The Prime Minister's engraving of the North Sea is comparable to the engraving of the Fenglangjuxu and Yanran stones. You accomplished your feat in one move, which is beyond the reach of Dou and Huo."

Gazing at the vast North Sea, Huo Jun suddenly asked, "Zitong, do you think that after thousands of years, the North Sea will become the border of the Han Dynasty?"

Jiang Ji was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "If the future generations are better than the old ones, Beihai will surely be the territory of the Han Dynasty. And the future generations who dig up the earth and find the stele will certainly admire the divine power of the Prime Minister."

"Ha ha!"

Huo Jun put his arm around Jiang Ji's shoulders and laughed, "No, we should admire the power of the civil and military leaders who founded the Han Dynasty. Without you, we would not be able to rule the world, let alone pacify the desert."

"hehe!"

"It's all thanks to the Prime Minister and the commander-in-chief."

Jiang Ji stroked his beard and smiled, already looking very proud and satisfied.

Since the reunification of the country, Jiang Ji often thought of the Wanshui River, where Huo Jun defeated the powerful enemy with his back to the river and then surrendered after being captured. If he had not surrendered to the enemy thirty years ago, he would never have achieved his current success, let alone engraved his name in the North Sea.

Huo Jun gazed at the North Sea for a long time, and only left reluctantly when it got dark.

The next day, when the Han army returned, Huo Jun's injuries worsened!

(End of this chapter)