Chương 154: Lu Bing, 3 Imperial Guards

Time flies like an arrow; three months have passed in the blink of an eye. Three months is neither a long nor a short time.

In these three months, Youzhou has undergone earth-shattering changes. The refugees inside and outside Zhuoxian City have been settled, the number of shops on the streets has increased several times, and even the poorest people have regained their color in their faces—of course, it may also be because Liu Ce forced them to clean and wash their faces every day.

The first important thing: system sign-in rewards.

That day, Liu Ce was discussing specific plans with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu and others in the governor's mansion when suddenly a "ding" sounded in his mind.

The voice was so familiar that Liu Ce immediately jumped to his senses—the system was here to offer help again!

He quickly made an excuse: "Um... Xuanling, Keming, Wenruo... you guys continue the discussion, my stomach is a little upset, I need to go to the outhouse."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

My lord has been going to the outhouse every few days. Could it be that he has an upset stomach? Should we ask Master Zhang Zhongjing to come and take a look?

Liu Ce didn't care what they thought. He dashed back to his study, closed the door, and excitedly rubbed his hands together, asking, "System, what good stuff is it this time?"

[The system has detected several achievements by the host, including successfully resettling one million refugees, stabilizing the situation in Youzhou, and recruiting the Black Mountain Army. A sign-in opportunity is awarded as a reward. Sign in?]

"Sign! We must sign!" Liu Ce said without hesitation.

[Check-in rewards are being distributed...] [Congratulations on obtaining: 3, 000 Imperial Guards (full strength) and Lu Bing, Commander of the Imperial Guards] Liu Ce was stunned for a moment.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Lu Bing?

Well, so the head of the Ming Dynasty's secret service and his professional team came to work for me at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty?

Liu Ce asked, "Is it the Embroidered Uniform Guard I'm thinking of? The one with the flying fish robes, the embroidered spring knives, the one that specializes in intelligence gathering and arresting people?"

That's right.

He quickly checked the details, and wow, it was professional!

The three thousand Imperial Guards had a division of labor so precise it was outrageous:

「宫廷」、「宿」， 卫350人——洛阳皇宫宫门守卫100人、巡逻120人、应急侍卫50人。 刘策贴身护卫80人， 以后谁想刺杀他？ 先过这八十关吧。

The nationwide intelligence network comprises 850 people—50-60 people assigned to each of the thirteen provinces, with informants in provincial capitals and key towns, as well as undercover agents moving between provinces. Looking at this list, Liu Ce's mind was already racing: "Will I be able to know how many bowls of rice Cao Cao eats at home, or which concubine Yuan Shao slept with last night?"

The prison has 450 interrogators—100 core interrogators skilled in torture and psychological manipulation, 200 guards managing the dedicated prison, and 150 people handling evidence and paperwork. Hmm, from now on, when we catch spies or traitors, we won't need to bother local officials anymore; we'll have our own professional team.

特种行动550人——暗杀破坏小队200人（分20支小队， 每队10人）、重要人物物资护送200人、应急突袭营救150人。 这是东汉版的SWAT加海豹突击队啊！

文书后勤650人——情报整理档案管理200人、装备採购维护200人（打造锦衣卫专属武器飞鱼服？ ）、俸禄核算物资运输150人、内部联络纪律监察100人。 连后勤都这幺完善， 系统你这是送了我一个完整的情报机构啊！

150 mobile reserves – ready to fill vacancies and keep the facility operational.

The most impressive thing is that the system has automatically assigned identities to the three thousand Imperial Guards—some are local minor officials in Youzhou, some are passing merchants, and some are inconspicuous figures among the refugees, perfectly blending them into the environment without Liu Ce having to worry about making any arrangements.

Liu Ce breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good. Where's Lu Bing? Where is he?"

Lu Bingzheng was requesting an audience outside the governor's mansion, posing as a righteous江湖 (jianghu) figure who had come from Luoyang.

Liu Ce immediately went outside and indeed saw a man in his early twenties, with a lean build and sharp eyes, standing outside the mansion gate.

"Are you Lu Bing?" Liu Ce asked.

"Indeed." Lu Bing knelt on one knee.

"Lu Bing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, awaits your command, my lord."

Name: Lu Bing, courtesy name Wenfu Gender: Male Age: 22 [Strength]: 96 [Command]: 95 (Intelligence Agency) [Politics]: 89 (Second-rate) Intelligence: 88 (Second-rate) [Appearance]: 75cm Special skills: 【Tiqi Dark Web】: Building an efficient intelligence network can significantly improve the speed and accuracy of obtaining enemy intelligence.

[Miraculous Rescue]: When the monarch or lord is in danger, Lu Bing's troops will have their movement speed greatly increased and will be able to arrive at the monarch's side instantly to resolve the crisis. After that, they will gain the monarch's high level of trust and rewards for a period of time.

[Power Manipulation]: In complex factional struggles, they can effectively maintain their position and have a chance to uncover and counter conspiracies against them. At the same time, they can eliminate political enemies through unorthodox means (such as framing).

Liu Ce helped him up and looked him up and down: "Commander Lu, I've heard so much about you."

Lu Bing's expression remained unchanged: "My lord is joking. I am a newcomer and have no reputation whatsoever."

"Ahem, that's not important," Liu Ce waved his hand and said.

Liu Ce looked him up and down, becoming more and more satisfied. He secretly praised him: "No wonder he was Emperor Jiajing's right-hand man in history. His demeanor and style are professional!"

"Come on, let's go inside and talk." Liu Ce led Lu Bing into the study.

After closing the door, Lu Bing immediately bowed again: "Lu Bing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has brought three thousand brothers to serve our lord! Details such as the personnel list, job assignments, and stronghold layout are here. Please take a look, my lord."

He handed over a thick booklet.

When Liu Ce opened it, he was surprised to find it filled with dense writing, including everyone's code name, special skills, current disguised identity, as well as the location and contact information of intelligence outposts in various states.

"You guys are really efficient!" Liu Ce exclaimed.

Lu Bing humbly replied, "It was all thanks to the System's proper arrangements; I was merely following orders."

Liu Ce flipped through the roster, his mind racing as he considered how to use this force. After thinking for a while, he had an idea.

Liu Ce paced back and forth in his study, saying as he went, "Now I'm giving you a few tasks. First, send someone to bring over the families of several of my generals—Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Jia Xu, and Huang Zhong. Make sure their families are safely brought to Zhuo County."

Lu Bing nodded: "Yes."

"second," Liu Ce continued, "Send people to keep an eye out for two people in Liangzhou and Bingzhou—there's a girl named Zou Yu in Liangzhou and a girl named Du Xiuniang in Bingzhou. If you find them, bring them back depending on the situation."

(I've seen many readers say they want to add these two characters to their collections, but since I can't think of a good storyline, this is the only arrangement I can make.) At this point, Liu Ce touched his nose a little embarrassedly.

This request sounds a bit like... abducting a woman?

He quickly added, "Well... the main thing is that these two girls might be in a bad situation. We're just helping others and rescuing them from dire straits, you understand?"

Lu Bing replied without changing his expression, "Understood."

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction: As expected of a professional spy, he understood immediately and didn't ask any unnecessary questions.

"third," Liu Ce continued, "The Jinyiwei's intelligence network focuses on monitoring several places: the movements of the imperial court in Luoyang, the activities of the powerful families in Jizhou, the unusual activities of the Hu people on the border, and... well, whether anyone is making trouble within Youzhou."

Lu Bing wrote them down one by one.