Within Changle Palace lay a scene of peace and prosperity. Palace maids danced gracefully to the music, flicking their flowing cloud-and-water sleeves, their figures supple and elegant. Looking around the hall, gold and silver lined the walls, fine jade adorned the furnishings, and towering pillars rose high. Gone was the straitened poverty of the Han Dynasty's founding days.
The Han Dynasty's reserves ran deep. Over ten years, it had fought three or four major wars against the Xiongnu. Whether in victory or defeat, every stroke between the two sides drew blood. To put it more plainly, the supposed distinction between victory and defeat lay in who swept the battlefield afterward; their actual casualties were much the same.
Wei Qing's reputation had risen so swiftly because his gains exceeded his losses every time. Once, he had even returned without losing a single armored soldier. That was an immense achievement.
After three rounds of wine, Luo Jing addressed Liu Che and Wei Zifu, who sat in the seats of honor. "Your Majesty, since you ascended the throne in the first year of Yuanshi, you have repeatedly sent troops against the Xiongnu. The Great General, the Marquis of Changping, has thwarted them many times. Your subject offers you his congratulations.
"A lone tree cannot grow into a forest, nor can a single stream gather into lakes and seas. Without a host of worthies, no great undertaking can be accomplished. The Great General has the bearing of the ancient famous generals, yet in ten years of great wars between Great Han and the Xiongnu, there has been no major progress. This is because we still lack sufficient talent.
"Your subject is troubled by this, and so wishes to recommend someone to you."
Luo Jing's words struck precisely at what weighed on Liu Che's mind.