In early October of the fifth year of Yuanguang, Taishi Ling Sima Tan, after more than two years of careful research and day and night observation, finally wrote down the running pattern of the sun, moon and five stars. Although there are still many running patterns of the stars that cannot be determined, the truth is already very clear.

The so-called way of heaven is these fixed patterns and has nothing to do with man. It is exactly what Xunzi said: The way of heaven is permanent, and it will not survive for Yao or perish for Jie.

At this point, the theory of induction of heaven and man will collapse without attacking.

Although the news has not been announced yet, Dong Zhongshu was in Shiqu Pavilion, only a few dozen steps away from Tianlu Pavilion. His disciples were also involved in the calculations. How could he not know the news? With his wisdom, he could naturally guess the next development. The moment he heard the news, he sat alone in the pavilion alone for the middle of the night, feeling lost.

After a faint loss, Dong Zhongshu picked up the book again and began to revise the manuscripts on the economic gains and losses of the Qin Dynasty. He spent the middle of the night copying the article and finally added a title: "New Book", which echoed Lu Jia's "New Words".

"New Book" and Sima talked about the final style, and sent it to Ganquan Palace with a fast horse.

Although Sima Tan repeatedly stated that the emperor had an imperial edict that it would not be publicized before the court announced the result. However, everyone is a scholar and knows the meaning of this fixed pattern, so how can they be suppressed. Unconsciously, the news spread on a small scale, gradually forming an unstoppable undercurrent.

The emperor has been very busy recently. Not only is he about to make plans, but the war in Hexi has also entered the most tense stage.

During the Cao period, Wei Qing led 40,000 infantry and cavalry to advance to Longyou, step by step, crossed the river, and traveled west along the Huangshui River. As an envoy, Meigao contacted various tribes and told them that many Qiang tribes would surrender or remain unmoved. Those tribes that were determined to cooperate with the Huns were hit by the Han army without any mercy.

The Qiang tribe was tens of thousands of people large and thousands of people small. In front of the Han army armed to the teeth, they had no power to fight back and were beaten to pieces. Cao Shi fought several annihilation battles and seized some cattle and sheep. Although the number was small and far from achieving the goal of raising wars, Cao Shi understood the emperor's intentions and implemented the emperor's strategic intentions without fail, which made the emperor breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, it was the first time that Cao Shi was commanding troops alone, and he commanded 40,000 out of 50,000 infantry and cavalry, but only 10,000 were famous general Li Guang. Those who knew the inside story would not have any thoughts. People who were not aware of it would inevitably think that this was the emperor's preference for his brother-in-law, and suppressing Li Guang. Although the emperor had no intention of this. People's hearts were separated from their belly, sometimes such criticism was inevitable.

Therefore, although Cao Shi's current achievements are small, they have boosted morale and made the emperor feel a little relieved. He focused on Li Guang and Wang Hui along the way.

But the situation along the way was a little unclear. After Li Guang and Wang Hui led 10,000 elite cavalry out of Wuwei, there was no news again.

The emperor was worried about this and couldn't sleep or eat.

The emperor is uneasy, and the ministers are even more likely to be at ease. Even if they are pretending, they have to pretend to be the same as the emperor. Therefore, not only Han Anguo, Yan An and others stay away from the emperor almost day and night, but even the Prime Minister Tian Fu, who was in bed, forced to hold on, showing his face in front of the emperor from time to time, comforting the emperor.

Liang Xiao was naturally no exception. Although the emperor has not given him an official position so far, but has only asked him to follow his subordinates like a guest official and give advice, his role is far beyond Xu Le, Master Yan and others, and he is on par with the censor Han Anguo. However, he rarely expresses his opinions on specific matters, but he only resolves it in time when the emperor is in a hurry.

When he was fine, he practiced archery with Huo Qubing in the palace.

When he left Chang'an, in order to avoid implicating Huo Qubing, he had already driven Huo Qubing out of the sect on behalf of Huan Yuan, but Huo Qubing was still the elder brother and the elder brother was in the face of the emperor, and he did not hesitate to avoid taboos even in front of the emperor. Whenever he had time, he either asked Liang Xiao for advice on shooting skills or competing with the men and officials, or he would ask Liang Xiao for the purpose of the current war.

He was present when the emperor discussed the war. Even in the middle of the night, he would get up and sit quietly to listen to the emperor discussing with the ministers, but he never expressed his opinions. If he had any questions, he would ask Liang Xiao for advice in private, or ask the emperor directly when he had time.

"Senior brother, why should we reduce General Li's troops? The 20,000 troops are already very small, why should we reduce 10,000?" Huo Qubing tilted his head and stared at Liang Xiao without blinking. It can be seen that he had been thinking about this for a long time.

Liang Xiao was unmoved, let go of the string in his hand, and hit Jianhou a hundred steps away with one arrow. Then he said slowly: "Tell me about your analysis."

"Okay." Huo Qubing cleared his throat. "I heard that the Huns were all single-man, two horses or three horses, just to maintain horsepower and enter the battle anytime and anywhere. The senior brother reduced General Li 10,000 people, which should ensure the configuration of three horses for one man. Only in this way can our army's speed and physical strength be comparable to that of the Huns, and even maintain a little advantage."

Liang Xiao nodded. "What else?"

"One person and one horse can only bring food for at most half a month. If one month of food is carried, the weight of the war horse will be too high, and it will be difficult to maintain speed and will not go far. One person and two horses can go a little further, but at most it is only about one thousand miles. If one person and three horses are one person, the combat range can be expanded to more than one thousand five hundred miles. If necessary, you can drive straight into two thousand miles to kill the enemy."

Liang Xiao was very surprised. "You calculated it yourself?"

Huo Qubing smiled embarrassedly. "Most of it is heard, and I have calculated it myself. I think they think too conservatively and always keep their own food. In fact, if they are more courageous, seize the opportunity to fight and use war to support the war, they can significantly increase the combat range and even cross the entire grassland."

"Why do you say that? You all rely on seizing the enemy's supplies to live?"

"There will definitely be casualties in the battle, and the ones who stay in the end will definitely be the most elite warriors. Since they are the most elite warriors, it doesn't matter if they are hungry for two days. They can run three or five hundred miles in two days, and it is impossible to get a chance without any chance. As long as you catch the fighter plane and seize the enemy's baggage, you can persist even if you eat their war horses..."

Liang Xiao looked at Huo Qubing who was talking, and felt awe-inspiring. It seemed that Huo Qubing was really a natural warrior, and he was extremely paranoid. His tactics did not care about the casualties of the warriors at all, and had only one purpose, to kill and damage the enemy as much as possible. It has to be said that this tactic is very consistent with his later combat practices.

Behind Huo Qubing's dazzling record was huge casualties, even a casualty rate of up to 70% to 80%. This was when the emperor transferred all the elites to his command. Others, including Wei Qing, had no foundation even if they wanted to copy his tactics. Of course, they could not do this extreme, especially Li Guang, who loved soldiers as much as his son.

However, if moral factors are eliminated, Huo Qubing's success is not accidental. He is more in line with the original intention of war. Many famous generals have said similar things: being able to kill enemies is not a skill, but being able to kill one's own people is a skill. What is a famous general? It can make soldiers ignore life and death, and even if they suffer heavy casualties, their morale will not collapse, and they can still move forward bravely. This is a famous general.

Huo Qubing obviously meets this characteristic, because no matter how big the casualties are, he can lead his subordinates from one victory to another. On the contrary, Li Guang, who loves soldiers like his son, went from one failure to another failure.

"Senior Brother?" Seeing that Liang Xiao didn't say anything, he looked at him with a weird look. Huo Qubing closed his mouth awkwardly.

"Oh, nothing, you analyzed it well, I only have a little more to add it." Liang Xiao smiled concealedly: "Working in marches, you must not only consider the soldiers of both sides, but also the mentality of the general. As the saying goes, a general is the courage of a military force, and the gains and losses of a general may determine the life and death of the army."

Huo Qubing nodded thoughtfully.

"It is true that General Li is a famous general, but he is eager to fight. When the troops of both sides are almost the same, he will take the initiative to challenge." The emperor's voice came from behind, which was a little hoarse and indescribable fatigue. "But if he only gave him ten thousand people, he would be much more cautious. In fact, although the number of our troops was reduced by half, the combat power was maintained. In this way, our army's winning rate would be higher when facing the same force."

Liang Xiao and Huo Qubing quickly stood up and bowed. "Your Majesty."

The emperor walked up to Liang Xiao and reached out to take the black bow from Liang Xiao's hand. "Is there any mistake I said?"

"Everything that Your Majesty said is pointed directly at the vital point." Liang Xiao bowed and said, "If you talk about generals, if Your Majesty recognizes second, who dares to recognize first?"

The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly: "What if it is about generals and soldiers?"

Liang Xiao smiled slightly. "I think that if you talk about generals and soldiers, among the three people here, I will be second with Your Majesty."

The emperor's eyes flashed slightly and he laughed silently. "I mean, Xiao Qubing not only surpassed me, but also surpassed you?"

"If we talk about talent, we are not the same. But his luck is better than mine. When I was young, I was young and learned military tactics at the age of fifteen. However, he was with His Majesty when he was a child, and he was influenced by his eyes. How could I dare to expect such an opportunity? Not to mention me, I am afraid I can't find a second one in the world."

Liang Xiao said this truthfully, and he was flattering and slapped without any trace. When the emperor heard this, he laughed happily. "Little Qubing, you can work hard. Don't let your senior brother down in the future."

Huo Qubing was very excited. "I will work hard to live up to Your Majesty and Senior Brother."

"Then...what if it comes to shooting?" The emperor shook the bow in his hand, hooked the string, pulled it hard twice, but it didn't pull it open, and his face turned a little red.

Liang Xiao was willing to let him go. "I dare not deceive the king. As far as I know, I should be the leader."

"Don't forget that Xiao Qubing is earlier than you in ejaculation."

"He is a bi minister, but he is not focused." Liang Xiao smiled confidently. "Since I have been practicing art, I have been practicing crafts for one hour every day, and I have never stopped. Who can have such perseverance?"

The emperor was stunned for a moment and let out a sigh of relief. "No wonder your archery skills are so superb. It turns out that this is how you practiced. The Southern people have a saying that people do not have constant, so you cannot be a witch doctor. Trust, trust."

Huo Qubing was also stunned and scratched his head.

"There is strengths of a person, and the shortcoming of a person. I think that no one can be omniscient and omnipotent, and there will always be strengths. If there are weaknesses, why should your Majesty blame himself?"

The emperor laughed and stuffed the bow into Liang Xiao's hand. "Okay, since that's the case, I won't talk to you about archery art in the future. When the princes grow up in the future, they will ask you to teach you the art. You can't refuse. You must teach me all your money like teaching Xiao Qubing."

Liang Xiao's heart moved. The emperor's words seemed to be casual, but he knew the most. This kind of friend-like conversation was actually the greatest intent. You should neither be too serious nor treat the emperor as a friend.

"Your Majesty hopes that I will give you all my gifts, but I don't know what kind of identity Your Majesty wishes me to face the prince? Are you a teacher, a friend, or a minister?"

The emperor laughed silently. "Since it is a teaching, of course, he must be etiquette from the teacher."

"I obey the order." Liang Xiao bowed and bowed.

The king and his subjects smiled with a knowing heart.

These sentences seem casual, but in fact they have profound meanings. As the saying goes, the minister is the king, and the friend is the master, and the friend is the domineering. Liang Xiao asked about the courtesy of the prince. It seems that the emperor’s expectations for the prince are actually to determine the identity of both parties at this moment. If he faces the prince as a friend, he can only be a minister to the emperor. If he faces the prince as a teacher and is a friend to the emperor, it is at least not a simple relationship between the emperor and the minister. The emperor said that treating the prince with courtesy is actually to recognize some equal relationship between him and Liang Xiao, which also explains Liang Xiao’s current embarrassing identity.

What Liang Xiao accepted was not the future identity of the prince, but the identity of the friend of the emperor.

"I'll ask you something." The emperor thought for a while. "When you were in Yuzhang, you once said that the Marquis of Pingyang could become an official. Where did the confidence come from?"

Liang Xiao laughed. When he said this, he knew that sooner or later, the emperor would ask him about this.

"Your Majesty, I did not say that the Marquis of Pingyang may become an official. I just said that if the officials of the Lang want to fight for wealth and honor, they must follow the Marquis of Pingyang. As the saying goes, if they cannot become immortals and cannot ride dragons, they will follow the person who may become immortals and catch the dragon beard and dragon tail, and even chickens and dogs have the chance to ascend to heaven."

The emperor laughed loudly. After a moment, he joked: "If it comes to becoming an immortal, the King of Huainan is the most likely person to become an immortal. Why don't you go to Huainan?"

Liang Xiao shrugged. "The King of Huainan is just a scholar, a man like Ye Gong. He can't ride a real dragon, but I'm afraid he will be scared to death. He is better off doing academic research."

The emperor is rude. "Just like now?"

"Just like now." Liang Xiao nodded and smiled slightly. "Your Majesty, now the King of Huainan is holding glass, brocade, new paper, and new methods for printing books. He no longer cares about those lands. If all the princes and kings in the world are like this, and if the orders of grace are not implemented, your Majesty can rest assured."

The emperor had a slight head, and he understood it. "That's right, the King of Huainan is worthy of being a wise king and can be an example of all kings."—

(To be continued.)
Chapter completed!