I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 282 The man is still alive, but has become the Crown Prince!

"Your Majesty orders me to lead the troops personally?"

When he received this imperial edict, Wei Qing could hardly believe his ears.

I recall the last time I led troops personally was the Battle of Mobei, which was eight years ago.

In that battle, Huo Qubing conquered the Wolf's Lair and Wei Qing almost captured Yizhixie alive, causing the Xiongnu to flee far away and there was no royal court south of the desert. What a heroic spirit they displayed.

Until now, Wei Qing still misses those glorious years.

But since then, although he was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal and General, he never had the opportunity to lead troops again.

Some people say that this is because he has become so successful that Liu Che is afraid of him and intends to hide him...

Some people also said that after the victory in the Battle of Mobei, Liu Che gave Huo Qubing an additional fief of 5,800 households, and made Huo Qubing the Grand Marshal alongside him, but did not give him any additional fiefs. He even gave Huo Qubing's subordinates a lot of rewards, but did not give any rewards to his subordinates. This was an intentional attempt to weaken him...

Wei Qing has always scoffed at these conspiracy theories and never agreed with them in his heart.

He always felt that Liu Che no longer used him because he was too mediocre.

At least compared to Huo Qubing, Wei Qing felt that he was as mediocre as a pebble, while Huo Qubing was like the dazzling Kunshan jade (Hetian jade).

Let’s just talk about the Battle of Mobei.

He and Huo Qubing each led 50,000 elite cavalry to attack the Huns from Dingxiang and Dai respectively. Liu Che provided logistical supplies for the two with 140,000 war horses and 500,000 infantry.

As a result, Huo Qubing beheaded 74,430 people, captured three Xiongnu leaders including the Huns' Tuntou King and the King of Han, as well as 83 generals, prime ministers, doormen, and captains. He conquered the Xiongnu in one fell swoop and also dealt with the Wuhuan who were flirting with the Xiongnu.

And what about himself?
A total of more than 19,000 Huns were killed, allowing Yizhixie to break out and escape in the chaos. Li Guang and Zhao Shi's troops were lost, more than half of their soldiers and horses were lost, and the loss of weapons, armor and other items was incalculable.

Let’s put it this way, of the 140,000 war horses provided by Liu Che, only more than 30,000 were left when he returned.

Most of them were lost in my own hands...

Such a loss was not a big deal for Liu Che and was definitely a serious blow.

Even if he spent all his treasury money and tax revenue, it was still not enough to fill this huge hole. After the war, in order to reward his soldiers, he even had to set up a new "military merit" system to raise funds.

Therefore Wei Qing understood Liu Che.

He knew better than anyone that his performance in the Battle of Mobei was more like a defeat than a victory.

If it weren't for Huo Qubing's unstoppable victory, not to mention the fact that there was no royal court south of the desert, this war might have been the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Han Dynasty.

Of course, some people also spoke up for him.

It is said that the reason why he had such a hard time in this battle was that the soldiers under his command were not as elite as Huo Qubing's, and in the end they encountered the elite main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu.

Huo Qubing's elite troops were facing the army of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King.

The combat intensity of the two is completely different.

This statement is indeed objective, because before the war, the intelligence obtained by the Han Dynasty was that the Xiongnu Chanyu was located in the east, and Huo Qubing went east from Dai County to directly confront the Xiongnu Chanyu's troops, and his target was the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's troops...

But in Wei Qing's view, this was not a reason he should use to defend himself, nor was it the way for him to be a minister.

And he had reason to believe it.

Even if the situations were reversed, Huo Qubing would definitely fight better than him.

In the previous Battle of Dingxiang North and the later Battle of Hexi which was completely led by Huo Qubing, didn't this evil nephew still defeat the Huns so badly that they could only sing the sad song: "The loss of Mount Qilian has caused my livestock to stop breeding; the loss of Mount Yanzhi has caused my married women to lose face"?

Some things just cannot be compared. If you compare people, you will die. If you compare goods, you will throw them away.

Before Huo Qubing officially joined the army.

The Battle of Longcheng, the Battle of Mobei, the surprise attack on Gaoque... He was the worthy pillar of the Han Dynasty. He was the first general to establish a government in the Han Dynasty since the military genius Han Xin. Under his leadership, the Han army not only defeated the Xiongnu many times, but also often returned with all their armor intact. As a result, his three sons were all granted the title of marquis while still in their infancy.

This was the victory Liu Che wanted, not a tragic victory in which he would injure 800 enemies but lose 1,000 of his own.

But since the battle of Dingxiang North.

He never achieved his previous success again.

In the Battle of Dingxiang North, although he beheaded more than 10,000 Xiongnu soldiers, he lost two generals and the Marquis of Xi, and his losses were far greater than those of the Xiongnu.

However, the first time Huo Qubing led an army, he led only 800 light cavalry, but he beheaded and captured 2,228 people, including the prime minister, the head of the Huns, the grandfather and uncle of the Chanyu. He was the bravest among the three armies and was awarded the title of Champion.

After that, there were the Battle of Hexi and the Battle of Mobei, until Huo Qubing conquered the Wolf's Lair...

As a senior who was beaten to death on the beach by his own nephew, he could only admit defeat and acknowledge his defeat.

After so many years of stopping the war, he gradually realized the problem.

In fact, Liu Che and Huo Qubing had not changed at that time, but he himself had changed... Since he established his government, his mentality had changed, and he shouldered many invisible and intangible burdens. This mentality made him afraid of failure and dared not take risks. Even when there were opportunities in front of him, he never launched a surprise attack like the Gaoque surprise attack again. He often hesitated and missed opportunities many times.

For a long time, when he was formulating strategies, the first thing he thought about was how to avoid defeat...

As such, he was destined to be unable to revive the glory of the Battle of Longcheng, the Battle of Mo Nan and the surprise attack on Gaoque, and was also destined to be beaten to death on the beach by Huo Qubing.

Liu Che was not afraid that his achievements would threaten his throne, nor did he intend to hide him.

It was just that the change in his mentality had caused his sword to lose its original edge, so Liu Che could no longer use it, and could not afford to use it. This was why Liu Che once again made up his mind to completely annihilate the Huns two years after the Battle of Mobei. However, during the preparations, Huo Qubing died young due to illness, so he immediately stopped the war and did not mention the matter anymore.

What Liu Che wanted was a big victory, not a tragic victory.

Only Huo Qubing could do this; Wei Qing, who was burdened with the burden, could no longer do it.

At that time, the Han Dynasty could only afford a big victory and could not afford a tragic victory... No one knew the situation of the Han Dynasty better than Emperor Liu Che. He did not dare and could not take risks with the destiny of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Che was well aware of the suffering that the people had to endure as a result.

People only think that Liu Che was warmongering.

But who would have known that after the Battle of Hexi, there was no longer any harassment from the Huns on the northwestern border of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Che immediately reduced the number of soldiers garrisoning Longxi, Beidi and Shangjun by half in order to ease the corvée burden on the people across the country.

This is his kingdom, how could he not cherish it?
At least at that time, Liu Che knew better than anyone what he was doing and where the Han Dynasty should go...

"Breathe—breathe—"

With each long breath, Wei Qing's chest rose and fell violently.

A current of heat flowed through his body, making his scalp numb. The sourness in his nasal cavity was immediately dispelled by the hot breath he exhaled forcefully.

It’s been eight years!
For eight whole years, his armor remained as good as new, but he never thought that he would wear it again!
"Somebody come!"

"The general is here!"

A middle-aged man with graying temples entered the hall.

His name was Tian Sheng and he was the commander of Wei Qing's personal soldiers. He had been with Wei Qing since the day he joined the army. He had witnessed every war Wei Qing had gone through, as well as Wei Qing's eight years of silence and loneliness.

"Armor me!"

Wei Qing's voice was dull but powerful, like a low whistle.

"What did the General say?"

Tian Sheng thought he had misheard and looked up in surprise.

And the moment he looked up, he was completely stunned.

His gaze, posture, aura… He seemed to have instantly crossed time and space and was now in the general’s tent.

He could clearly feel the great general who once made the Huns tremble in fear.

Back in place!
"Yes! Yes! General! Yes!"

Tian Sheng's eyes instantly filled with tears. He used all his strength to perform the long-lost military salute, roaring and repeatedly agreeing.

……

Just fifteen days later.

Wei Qing had already led three thousand Jianzhang cavalry into the territory of Wei County in Jizhou.

How could he not know the point of Liu Che's edict? The point was to bring back Liu Ju!
He already knew that Liu Ju was assassinated in Hejian State, but he didn't know the current specific situation in Hejian State, nor did he know what situation Liu Ju was in.

Therefore, he had to ride fast and get there as quickly as possible to eliminate all risks and ensure that his nephew, the prince, was safe and sound.

It would be a lie to say I'm not worried.

The emperor must be extremely worried, so he ordered him, the general, to lead the troops personally. After all, even a rabbit will bite when it is anxious...

Along the way, Wei Qing also kept sending people to investigate the news about Hejian State.

"Report!"

As soon as they entered Jizhou, a scout who had gone ahead to explore the way came forward to report:
"General, I have learned something in Wei County. Many people in Wei County have learned that the Crown Prince was assassinated in Hejian State. The Crown Prince was furious and arrested the King of Hejian and most of the county officials of Hejian State. He is currently killing people in Hejian State. Many officials and nobles who are suspected of being involved have been beheaded by the Crown Prince. Hundreds of people have died!"

"Among them are the world-renowned great Confucian scholars Guan Changqing and Wang Ding. Even Hejian King Liu Shou committed suicide a few days ago out of fear of punishment."

"Because of this incident, someone has given His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a title..."

"..."

In fact, before this, Wei Qing had already heard some rumors, but they were not as detailed as the information he found out today.

The more detailed the intelligence is, the closer the rumor is to the truth.

However, seeing that the scout was hesitant to speak, Wei Qing decided to let him finish his words before analyzing the intelligence:

"What title?"

"I dare not say..."

"Just tell me straight, and I will forgive you!"

"Some people call His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince Li."

(End of this chapter)