My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 274 The Han family cannot have only one Cheng Buzhi~

The old empress dowager had a rare sunny look on her face, and Liu Rong was happy about it.

He chatted with the old empress dowager for a while and reminded his mother: Empress Dowager Li, please take some time to go to Gui Palace and chat with the late Empress Xiaojingbo. Liu Rong then took Cheng Bushi to bid farewell to the two empress dowagers together.

After leaving Changxin Palace, he walked to the palace gate in silence.
When he reached the imperial sedan chair parked outside the palace and said hello to the Imperial Coachman Zhi Buyi, Liu Rong took the lead and walked towards the Weiyang Palace with his hands behind his back.

Liu Rong made it clear that he wanted to take a walk and chat with him, so Cheng Bushi hurried to follow.

He was just walking on the imperial road, turning his head from time to time to look at the left flag of the yellow house following not far behind him, as well as the passers-by on both sides of the road who spontaneously gave way and bowed to greet him. Cheng Bushi's face, which had been relatively dignified, suddenly became a little embarrassed again.

"His Majesty······"

"——Marquis Chang'an sent back a message;"

As soon as Cheng Buzhi opened his mouth to speak, Liu Rong interrupted him, smiled and patted Cheng Buzhi on the shoulder.

He glanced at both sides of the road with a look of pleasure, and continued, "In that battle, the Xiongnu Right Wise King Yizhixie left behind at least a thousand regular soldiers of his own army outside the Great Wall!"

"Except for the Right Wise King's own tribe, the other tribes in the south of the wall, such as Loufan, Baiyang, Zhelan, etc., also suffered losses."

"——According to the rough estimate of Marquis Chang'an, the Xiongnu lost no less than 5,000 men in that battle."

"This only counts the regular soldiers of the Right Wise King's headquarters and the various tribes in the south of the wall. The rest of the slave tribes and the slaves of each tribe are not included..."

At this point, Liu Rong's face was filled with joy. He smiled, turned his head, and gently touched Cheng Bushi's chest with the back of his hand.

"Calculated this way, even if we only count the floating slash, you still gained a lot in this battle."

"——At least the floating cut is positive;"

"It has been more than fifty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. This is the first time that we have fought a war with the Xiongnu and suffered fewer casualties."

"Sir, there is no need to belittle yourself."

As he comforted Cheng Buzhi, who still felt somewhat guilty and obviously felt that he was unworthy of such royal favor and respect, Liu Rong couldn't help but smile happily.

——Using the information from the informant on the grassland: Chang'an Hou Lu Tazhi's report, which was most likely the enemy casualties he heard about, to calculate Cheng Buzhi's floating slash in this battle is obviously not very rigorous.

But Liu Rong didn't care.

Liu Rong didn't need Cheng Buzhi to chop off as many Huns' heads as possible in this battle to show off his "great military exploits".

As early as when he anticipated that the war was about to break out, Liu Rong had made the strategic task for his commander very clear: defend Chaona Pass and keep the war outside the country!
Liu Rong even threatened: As long as Cheng Buzhi can do this, he will not be stingy with the title of Che Hou!

From this perspective, Liu Rong is now just fulfilling his promise.

As for using the rumored number of Hun casualties to draw the conclusion that "Cheng Bu Shi's beheading was the right thing to do", it was just that Liu Rong wanted to use this to comfort this honest and overly dull undefeated general.

——Cheng Buzhi was also considered an old minister during the time of Crown Prince Liu Rong~
Liu Rong didn't have a thorough understanding of this blockhead's temper, but at least he had some experience with it.

As expected by Liu Rong - when Cheng Bushi heard Liu Rong mention the three words 'Marquis of Chang'an', his eyes, which were originally filled with anxiety and uneasiness, immediately lit up!
Upon hearing that the Huns also suffered heavy casualties, with the casualties of regular soldiers alone - that is, non-slaves and herdsmen - exceeding the total casualties of the Han people, Cheng Buzhi let out a long sigh.

He obviously breathed a sigh of relief;

Just a moment later, a hint of regret quietly emerged between Cheng Buzhi's brows.

"Ah~"

"It's a pity that those 5,000 heads became the proof of the Xiongnu people's exchange for wealth and inheritance;"

"——If it weren't for the Xiongnu's custom of snatching corpses, those more than 5,000 heads would have become proof of our Han soldiers' military honors."

"Those who walked out of Chaonasai alive could have used those heads to get promoted to higher positions - at least, they could have gotten tens of thousands of dollars in rewards to buy some things for their families."

"Those who didn't survive the war could use those heads to leave a shadow for their descendants to protect them from the wind and rain, and from the sun and the heat."

“What a pity…”

"pity·········"

Seeing that Cheng Buzhi had adjusted himself from the vicious circle of self-doubt and self-denial, Liu Rong grinned again.

Then he confidently clenched his fist and held it naturally in front of his abdomen;
The words he spoke were indescribably firm.

"There's nothing to be sorry for."

"——In this battle, the mission I gave you and the Northern Commander's Division was to defend Chaona Pass until reinforcements arrived."

"If we really want to argue, from the moment the reinforcements arrived, defending Chaona was no longer a mission that the Northern Commander had to accomplish."

"We held out until the day when the reinforcements arrived. Even if the Xiongnu broke through the pass later, I cannot blame the Northern Commander."

···
"You led your troops to hold Chaona firmly, not only until the day reinforcements arrived, but also until the day the Xiongnu withdrew."

"This contribution is worthy of my rewarding you with a fief of a thousand households."

"Of course, it is also worth it for me to reward the Northern Commander with money, food, and cloth, as well as the two Infantry Commanders who came to support Chaona Pass."

"The rewards for meritorious officials are even secondary."

"What I really care about is the compensation for the soldiers who died or were injured in this battle."

"The court has roughly drawn up the rules for this matter. We will only issue an imperial decree after I am crowned and married..."

Walking on Zhangtai Street with his hands behind his back, Liu Rong talked freely with a relaxed look on his face.

Beside Liu Rong, Cheng Buzhi had become a little dazed without him noticing for some time.

At this time when the Han army is in a period of transition - the older generation of founding fathers and the second generation have retired from the stage of history, and the new generation has no decent people to step forward to support the scene, Cheng Buzhi is almost the best general that can be picked out from among the dwarfs in the Han family.

Maybe he is "one of" the best, but no one can surpass Cheng Bu Shi.

This is not only because Cheng Buzhi's ability is relatively outstanding, but also because Cheng Buzhi has "deep experience".

——Cheng Buzhi became famous twenty years ago, in the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen’s reign.

Today, the Han Dynasty can no longer find many generals with twenty years of military experience who are worthy of being entrusted with tens of thousands of troops.

Therefore, even in peacetime, Cheng Buzhi would also think about things that go beyond the scope of a soldier.

Although it is still related to war and military formations, it is also a major matter that should be discussed in the court.

In fact, one of the most important items is the compensation for the injured and dead soldiers - mainly the living issues of the disabled soldiers.

Cheng Buzhi once fantasized about it.

That’s right—fantasy. Cheng Buzhi had imagined that one day, a certain emperor of the Han Dynasty, by chance, suddenly discovered that the soldiers who had retired due to disability were poor and destitute;
It just so happened that at that time, the Han family was able to support the lives of these poor people.

So, the emperor gave an order that all soldiers who were injured or disabled on the battlefield would never have to worry about their livelihood again.

On the front lines, the active soldiers who learned the news no longer had any worries and fought even more bravely and fearlessly!
Over time, the prosperity of the Han Dynasty became a legend that future generations sang praises for—and even admired...
Cheng Buzhi had thought about the Han family, maybe there would be such a day.

Maybe it will be fifty years later, a hundred years later, or maybe two hundred years, three hundred years - or even hundreds or thousands of years later.

But Cheng Buzhi never imagined that the beautiful scene that had only appeared in his fantasy and dreams in the past would actually show the possibility of becoming a reality during his lifetime.

So, Cheng Buzhi was stunned.

Then comes ecstasy!

However, this ecstasy only lasted for half a moment before Cheng Buzhi suppressed it with great willpower.

——It is like a fleeting shooting star, which always makes people reluctant to blink, for fear of missing that brilliant moment;
At this moment, Cheng Buzhi was also concentrating on grasping this beauty that might only exist for a moment.

"Emperor Taizu Gao established a pension system for our Han soldiers who died in battle."

"——At least there won't be any problems with the funeral rites for the deceased king."

“The descendants of those who died in the service of the king will also receive preferential treatment from the court of Chang’an and local counties under various circumstances.”

"But those who were injured or disabled in the war have never been able to live a relatively good life, or even a 'not bad' life, since the founding of the Han Dynasty..."

Coming out of self-doubt and self-denial, Cheng Buzhi apparently found his place quickly.

And be very careful!
——Cheng Buzhi wished he could treat the bright future that Liu Rong inadvertently revealed with caution, just like treating a raw egg that has been peeled off but still retains the inner membrane.

After hearing Cheng Bushi's not-so-subtle roundabout way of speaking, Liu Rong immediately understood: his undefeated general was beginning to fight for post-retirement living conditions for his subordinates, mainly the disabled soldiers.

Cheng Bushi's statement may just be an attempt to ask Liu Rong for special care from a personal standpoint, based on his status as an "old official in the Crown Prince's Palace."

Unexpectedly, when Liu Rong heard this, he showed an expression of deep agreement, and immediately pushed the special case of "taking care of the disabled soldiers under Cheng Buzhi's command" towards the direction of the general situation.

"You are absolutely right~"

"Back then, when the old prime minister was still around, he used 99% of the tax revenue from Gu'anhou State to support his old subordinates who had fought with him but were eventually injured and disabled and unable to support themselves."

"But the old prime minister is not an isolated case among the meritorious officials."

"——Other founding fathers, such as Yingyin Marquis Guan, Wuyang Marquis Fan, Pingyang Marquis Cao, etc., are also still supporting their former subordinates and old friends who were injured on the battlefield."

"Compared to the old prime minister, these families only took out part of their national resources to do these things..."

As Liu Rong sighed, his gaze involuntarily fell on the side of the street, where there was a steamed bun shop that was only two steps long and wide, but was surrounded by people inside and outside.

Looking at the bamboo and wood steamer, wisps of white mist were floating out;
The smell of meat wafted from my mouth and nose, and it spread half a street away.

Liu Rong smiled knowingly.

Then, he nodded solemnly.

"I plan to let Zhidu go there."

The sudden whisper caused Cheng Buzhi to frown instinctively.

Then Liu Rong shifted his gaze to the distance, raised his head slightly, and let out another long sigh leisurely.

"Since Emperor Xiaojing passed away, Zhidu has been ostracized by the entire court because he offended the Empress Dowager."

"——I was originally a loyal minister of the previous emperor. I offended the East Palace and there is no one for me to protect me. My situation is extremely difficult."

"I originally intended to send Zhidu to the border - to guard a county and find a way out of the army."

"But with the Imperial Grandmother here, even if I have the intention, I still have to find a suitable opportunity..."

As they were talking, the emperor and his minister walked slowly along the way and arrived outside Sima Gate.

He had just made the big news of "making Cheng Bushi a marquis", and then dragged Cheng Bushi around Chang'an City in public;
If Cheng Buzhi were to be brought back to the palace for a talk alone, he would probably be branded as a 'lucky and treacherous minister' in the eyes of the public.

He seemed to understand this - almost at the same time Sima Men appeared in his field of vision, Cheng Buzhi instinctively slowed down his pace.

When he reached the palace gate, he stopped on his own initiative, and put on an attitude of "If your Majesty has nothing else to do, I'll take my leave."

This is why Liu Rong likes Cheng Bushi.

——Even if you trample him into the dirt, he won’t flatter;
Even if he were praised to the sky, when he bowed, his back would not bend even a little.

Cheng Buzhi, it seems like he will always be that Cheng Buzhi.

It is the same when marching in battle, when attending court, and when dealing with people...
"Jia Zhidu was to visit Guanzhong as the emperor's envoy and record the names of those who were injured or disabled because of the king's affairs."

"From the treasury of the Shaofu, money and grain were used to allocate rice and salary on a monthly basis, and cloth, wine and meat were given on an annual basis."

"After the matter is accomplished, I will use this merit to send Zhidu to Yanmen..."

···
"After this battle, the Xiongnu people would rather starve to death than enter the north from Chaona again."

"Li Guang moved to Jingwu, Yanmen County, and needed an experienced general."

"——I would like to promote you to the rank of general and appoint you as the guard of Yanmen Gate."

"As for Zhidu, he is the Yanmen Wei I assigned to you..."

When Liu Rong said, "I intend to make you a front general," Cheng Buzhi instinctively wanted to refuse;
When he heard that Cang Ying Zhidu was going to be his first assistant in charge of military affairs in Yanmen, Cheng Buzhi frowned subconsciously again.

Liu Rong did not give Cheng Buzhi a chance to speak, but just said: "You are strict in managing the army, marching and fighting in a methodical manner, and taking every step carefully."

"Li Guang was lenient in his management of the army, and his march was disorganized. He always acted on impulse. Not to mention the enemy, even Li Guang himself didn't know what he would do next."

"——Zhidu, you have military strategy."

"And in my opinion, Zhidu is a man who possesses the advantages of both you and Li Guang, and is a general of his own!"

···
"Send Zhidu to Yanmen - send him to your side, firstly, to let Zhidu be tempered, to get rid of his sharpness, and learn from you the way of maintaining success."

"Secondly, I also want Zhidu to be with you and gain more experience at the border, so that he can grow up to be a capable general who can stand on his own and win battles one after another!"

"——In my Han family, there can't be only one Cheng Bushi~"

"I don't want to experience the misery of 'Besides Cheng Buzhi, only Li Guang is available' again..."

(End of this chapter)