Chương 299: Liu Hong's Military Review

"On the 23rd of September, General Qin defeated two thousand Xiongnu cavalry on the banks of the Fen River, and killed three commanders in battle."

"On the fifth day of the tenth month, General Cheng captured Zishi City in Taiyuan County, accepted the surrender of more than 10, 000 defeated soldiers from the Baibo tribe, and opened the granaries to provide relief to the people."

"On the ninth day of the tenth month, General Xu's main force clashed with the main force of the rebel coalition at Jiexiu. General Yuwen Chengdu personally charged into the enemy's ranks and killed three of their leaders; General Huang Zhong led his soldiers to fire a thousand arrows at once, defeating the left flank of the Xiongnu. More than 10, 000 were killed in battle, and countless were captured. Guo Tai and Yu Fuluo barely escaped with their lives and fled west into the mountains."

By mid-October, Liu Ce had a decisive victory report on his desk: "The Southern Xiongnu Chanyu's court has been breached, and Yufuluo has been beheaded. His followers have scattered. Guo Tai, the leader of the Baibo tribe, was killed by mutinous soldiers while fleeing. The remaining followers have either surrendered or fled. The major banditry in Bingzhou has been quelled. General Xu is currently dividing his troops to pacify the various prefectures and to take stock of the population..."

Liu Ce handed the battle report to Cai Yan, proudly crossing his legs: "How about it, Yan'er? Your husband knows how to use people, doesn't he? Tian De is a match for two!"

Cai Yan smiled and poured him tea, saying, "My husband is wise in recognizing and employing talent. But... wasn't this war fought a little too quickly? Will the court...?"

"Afraid that my achievements will overshadow the emperor?" Liu Ce chuckled and lowered his voice.

"My emperor brother is probably enjoying himself right now. Besides, speed has its advantages. It's so fast that others can't even react before the matter is settled."

In the days that followed, Xu Da did not rush back to his army.

Following Liu Ce's instructions, he toured various counties in Bingzhou under the pretext of "suppressing the remaining bandits and reorganizing defenses."

Corrupt officials who deserved to be killed were killed, officials who needed to be replaced were replaced, the people who needed to be appeased were appeased, and the powerful and influential who needed to be disciplined were disciplined.

The nine prefectures of Bingzhou, from top to bottom, were gradually filled with people from the "Youzhou faction".

Of course, the process wasn't that smooth.

Some local bullies were dissatisfied and wanted to cause trouble.

As a result, Xu Da directly led his troops to conduct "military exercises" outside the city. They drilled during the day and beat drums at night, going on for three days. The local bullies obediently surrendered; this wasn't an exercise, it was a demonstration!

...

When the news of the victory reached Luoyang, Liu Hong, who had been bedridden for a long time, was so excited that he sat up from his bed. His sallow face flushed, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "Good! Good! My imperial brother is indeed a pillar of our Han Dynasty bestowed by Heaven! Issue an edict to generously reward the soldiers of Youzhou!"

However, after the extreme physical weakness and brief mental euphoria came a deeper sense of despondency and anxiety.

In the stillness of the night, Liu Hong lay on the dragon bed in the Greenhouse Palace, listening to the water clock ticking, gazing at the intricate caisson ceiling, enveloped by an endless sense of emptiness and powerlessness.

The chaos of the world churned in his mind like a map riddled with wounds.

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, its repercussions continued; war raged everywhere, with Han Sui and Ma Teng in Liangzhou, Ma Xiang in Yizhou, and even the White Wave Xiongnu in Bingzhou, which had just been suppressed.

He felt as if he were sitting in the middle of a leaky, dilapidated ship, with raging waves outside the cabin, and the people on board—He Jin, the eunuchs, the aristocratic families, even his favorite Xie'er and his disliked Bian'er—were all scheming and busy chiseling off another plank of the ship.

A strong, almost obsessive thought grew and swelled in his mind, which was somewhat dazed by illness and elixirs: he wanted to prove to the whole world that he was still the one in charge of this ship! He, Liu Hong, was still the sole master of this vast land and its million soldiers!

Thus, in late October of the fifth year of the Zhongping era, the world-shaking "Pingguan Show of Military Power" took place.

...

That day, on the western outskirts of Luoyang, below Pingguan Pavilion, on the banks of the Luo River.

Tens of thousands of elite troops from the capital, including the five schools of the Northern Army, the Xiyuan New Army, the Imperial Guards, and even some of the troops that He Jin could mobilize, were all gathered here.

Looking out, banners stretched like a forest, obscuring the sky and the sun. The reflections of armor formed a cold, metallic sea that was almost impossible to look at directly.

The autumn wind, already carrying a chilling chill, swept across the Luo River, yet it could not dispel the overwhelming atmosphere of war and conflict.

In the center of the altar, a massive altar with twelve tiers of walls was erected. The canopy on top of the altar was made of colorful silk and adorned with pearls and jade. Under the pale autumn sunlight, it shimmered with an ethereal and decadent luster.

"General," Yuan Wei whispered, "His Majesty is... trying to establish his authority."

"Who are they trying to impress?" He Jin sneered.

"They're trying to impress us. Those eight captains of the Western Garden are all so arrogant. His Majesty is telling us that he's now in charge of the Imperial Guards."

Just then, the sound of bells rang out at the end of the palace road.

Everyone looked up and were stunned.

Emperor Liu Hong did not ride in a jade carriage or wear a royal robe. Instead, he wore a specially made gilded armor, an embroidered dragon robe, and a military crown. He personally rode a snow-white steed, surrounded by imperial guards, to the altar.

His complexion was still not good, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, a light that was a mixture of excitement, vanity and final madness.

He reined in his horse, surveyed the vast, mountain-like army below, suddenly drew his sword to the sky, and roared with all his might:

"I... am the Supreme General!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!!!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers pounded their spears and halberds on the ground, and struck their shields with their swords. Their roars were like the collapse of the heavens and the cracking of the earth, causing the Luo River to surge backward and the tiles on the Pingleguan Palace to rattle.

The sound waves assaulted the eardrums and minds of everyone present.

A sickly flush rose on Liu Hong's pale face. He spurred his horse and began to inspect the powerful army that "belonged" to him.

On the left was General He Jin, his face contorted with emotion, standing solemnly with his hand on his sword; on the right were the eunuch leaders Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, as well as the newly promoted Eight Colonels of the Western Garden.

Looking at these faces that usually schemed against each other but now had to bow down to his "supreme" authority, and at this steel torrent that seemed capable of crushing all rebellion, Liu Hong felt a huge, almost dizzying pleasure surge in his heart.

Rebellions on all sides, infighting in the court and among the people, uncertainty over the succession... all these troubles seemed to be temporarily suppressed by the earth-shaking slogans and the forest of swords and spears.

However, Jian Shuo, who was standing to his side and behind, quietly lowered his head.

The eunuch leader, whom Liu Hong regarded as a confidant and who controlled the most elite troops in the West Garden, glanced at He Jin's restrained profile and the banners of He Jin's former subordinates in the army formation, and felt only a chill in his heart.

He knew that His Majesty, this seemingly majestic "Supreme General," was standing on nothing but quicksand.

Liu Hong was particularly proud of his "creativity".

By proclaiming himself the Supreme General, I not only satisfied my personal preferences but also intimidated local forces and suppressed He Jin... Killing three birds with one stone, I am truly a genius!

As the autumn wind blew, the pearls and jade on the canopy jingled.

Liu Hong had a ruddy complexion and was in high spirits. After riding around on horseback, he felt that he had never been so majestic in his life.

He didn't notice at all that many of the soldiers below the stage were secretly shivering from the cold.

They also failed to notice the shadow that flashed across He Jin's eyes.

He didn't even realize that, in the eyes of some of the older ministers, his attire looked like that of a child wearing adult clothes, which was quite comical.