Chương 578: Liu Ce ascends the reviewing stand

The soldiers squatted on the ground, holding porcelain bowls bigger than their faces, and slurped their food down.

There's plenty of white steamed buns, each one plump and steaming hot...

The braised pork belly is plentiful, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, stewed until tender and flavorful, so tender it falls apart with a touch of chopsticks...

This was a send-off meal before the expedition. The kitchen foreman patted his chest, his voice so loud it could be heard throughout the street:

"Eat your fill today! No one who doesn't eat their fill is allowed to go to war! If anyone leaves even a single grain of rice, I'll steam it like a bun!"

"Hey! Old Black Yan! Put that piece of meat down! It's mine!"

Cheng Yaojin, holding a bowl, jumped up on tiptoe to snatch the pork belly from Zhang Fei's chopsticks, splattering oil all over his face and even sticking his beard together.

"I'm going to be the first one to do the hard work today, so I need to eat a couple more pieces of meat to have the energy! You've already eaten four bowls; if you eat any more, you won't be able to walk! If you fall off your horse, don't say you know me!"

"Bullshit! Who ate four bowls? This is only the third bowl!" Zhang Fei stuffed meat into his mouth, chewing until his mouth was greasy and his cheeks bulged, then shoved it back indistinctly.

"You ate and drank too much last night. Be careful you don't get a stomachache during the battle, fall off your horse, and get killed by the enemy!"

"You're the one with a stomachache! I can eat ten bowls in one meal! I can carry a cannon and run ten miles without getting out of breath!" Cheng Yaojin shouted, patting his chest. But he used too much force and spilled the soup all over himself, soaking a large area of his chest.

Qin Qiong, standing nearby, helplessly handed him a rag, his face clearly saying, "I'm used to it."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. You two have been arguing since Zhuo County, for over a decade, don't you get tired? Hurry up and eat, His Majesty will be here soon. If His Majesty sees you behaving like this, he'll teach you a lesson."

Guan Yu stood not far away, expressionlessly wiping his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the blade gleaming with a cold light that even flies dared not land on.

He wiped it very carefully, from the tip of the knife to the handle, inch by inch, as if he were caressing his own child.

Li Jing and Li Ji huddled in front of the map, tracing lines on the grassland with their fingers, quietly discussing their raid route.

The two of them frowned slightly, as if they were solving a complicated math problem.

This battle must completely resolve the millennia-old border troubles in the north; there is no room for error.

The map of the northern grasslands was drawn by the Embroidered Uniform Guard over several years. It was densely marked with mountains, rivers, tribal distribution, and water source locations, making it more than ten times more detailed than previous maps.

Just then, the crisp sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The messenger's voice pierced the sky, echoing throughout the entire camp.

The sound was sharp and drawn-out, like a knife cutting through the morning air.

Instantly, the entire military camp fell silent.

The silence came so suddenly, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

One hundred thousand soldiers put down their bowls and chopsticks in unison, wiped their mouths, picked up the weapons beside them, and stood in neat rows with a "whoosh," even their breathing was extremely low.

The sounds of bowls and chopsticks clattering, wiping mouths, and nail clippers colliding were exceptionally clear in the quiet.

The camp, which was just a moment ago in chaos, was transformed into a well-organized military camp in the blink of an eye, as if by magic.

Liu Ce, clad in gleaming silver armor, rode slowly towards them on his black horse, Wuzhui.

This armor was specially made for him by the Ministry of Works, using the finest steel, making it both lightweight and sturdy.

It was also inlaid with a lot of gold trim, which shone brightly in the sunlight, making it look majestic and awe-inspiring, like a god descending from heaven.

What left him speechless was the black horse.

These past few years, I've been living a life of luxury, eating the finest feed at every meal, and I've gained a lot of weight; I can barely run straight now.

It used to be such a magnificent steed, but now… Liu Ce thought to himself: If it keeps eating like this, it'll have to be renamed Black Steed. I'll have the groom give it a weight loss sometime, otherwise it won't be able to run in battle, and I, the emperor, will have to walk.

Behind him followed a group of military generals including Li Jing, Li Ji, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin, all clad in heavy armor, with weapons at their waists, exuding a murderous aura.

They stood ramrod straight, their eyes piercing, and just standing there exuded an indescribable sense of oppression.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

One hundred thousand soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the ground and causing even the birds in the distant trees to flutter away, and leaves to fall with a rustling sound.

Liu Ce reined in his horse, waved to the soldiers, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Brothers! Have you all eaten your fill?"

"I'm full!"

"Not loud enough! Haven't you eaten?" Liu Ce teased them deliberately, cupping his hands to his ears as if he couldn't hear them.

"I'm full!!!"

This time, the sound was even louder, rolling overhead like thunder, making people's ears ring.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction, dismounted, and did so cleanly and swiftly.

Surrounded by a group of military officers, he ascended the high reviewing stand.

A red carpet was laid out on the stage, and nine dragon flags were planted, their fluttering in the wind.

He picked up the tin megaphone, cleared his throat, and began his rally speech.

"Brothers!" Liu Ce's voice, transmitted clearly through the tin loudspeaker, reached the ears of every soldier, each word resounding with conviction, "Today, you will set out for battle!"

"I know many people are asking themselves: Why are we fighting? Why are we leaving our wives and children... to eat sand on the grasslands thousands of miles away? Why are we risking our lives to fight those complete strangers and barbarians?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, then his voice suddenly rose, filled with barely suppressed anger:

"I will tell you the answer today!"

"It's been over five hundred years since the Qin Dynasty! These nomadic barbarians are like a pack of insatiable wolves! When we were strong, they acted like grandsons, kowtowing and paying tribute to us, calling us grandfather..."

When we are weak, they pounce on us, bite our necks, and drink our blood! They steal our food, burn our houses, kill our people, and abduct our children...

"In the past, in order to exchange for a pitiful peace, the imperial court would send young princesses to marry off to the icy grasslands and make them wives of barbarians!"

Every year, they also send hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver, hundreds of thousands of bolts of silk, and hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain... What is this? This is an utter disgrace! It is an eternal pain for our Central Plains dynasty!

At this point, Liu Ce slammed his hand on the railing of the reviewing stand, the force so great that the railing cracked with a "crack," sending wood chips flying.

The soldiers below the stage could see it clearly and were secretly amazed. His Majesty's strength was still so great!

But today! It's different!