Chương 706: Divine Martial Eight Years

After he finished speaking, he tapped the blackboard:

"Alright, that's enough for today. Homework is simple: write an essay titled 'If I were to lead 100, 000 men to defend Yanmen Pass.' You don't need to write any ingenious strategies or plans; just write about what you would do in the first three days and why. I'll pick someone to read next class. Anyone who writes something too presumptuous will have to run thirty laps around the drill ground with weights."

There was a chorus of wails below, even worse than last time.

Cheng Chumo muttered to the person next to him with a bitter face, "One hundred thousand people... I've never even led ten thousand people before, isn't this going to kill me?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce chuckled and added, "Too many? When you actually get to the battlefield, even if you were given 200, 000 men, let alone 100, 000, you'd still have to bite the bullet and accept it. Thinking about it now is better than panicking and losing your brothers' lives later."

The drumbeat signaling the end of get out of class sounded, and the students stood up and bowed.

Even after Liu Ce left, the group didn't disperse. They stood around the table, arguing and bickering. Some said the first thing to do was to check the grain supplies, others said to build fortifications first, and still others said to immediately send scouts to explore the way. They argued until their faces turned red, and no one would give in. Each person's voice was louder than the last.

As Liu Ce walked out of the military academy, the wind blew in his face, carrying the scent of earth and grass.

He glanced back at the young faces debating, thinking, and growing.

The road ahead is still long.

But as long as the direction is right, it doesn't matter if we go a little slower.

..................

On the tenth day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Shenwu, a heavy snow had just fallen in Luoyang. The glazed tiles of the Forbidden City were covered with a thick layer of white, and the sunlight made people dizzy.

The Liangyi Hall was warm and cozy with the burning of silver frost charcoal, and the gilded bronze cranes at the corners of the hall emitted wisps of sandalwood incense, but they couldn't suppress the restless energy throughout the hall.

Today His Majesty summoned... Crown Prince Liu Chen, Third Prince Liu Yao, Fourth Prince Liu Yong, and on the military side, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Xu Da, Xue Rengui, Li Jing, Li Ji, Qi Jiguang, and Yue Fei lined up in half the hall. They were all dressed in court robes and looked quite dignified, but in reality, they were restless and couldn't sit still, changing their legs several times.

The civil officials were even more lively. Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Pang Tong, Zhang Liao, Cao Cao... each of them was a shrewd and astute individual. His Majesty's sudden summons of so many core civil and military officials was definitely not just for casual conversation.

To be honest, the Han Dynasty had not waged war against foreign powers for twelve years.

During these twelve years, everyone was focused on construction: building railways, factories, naval forces, and expanding into Southeast Asia... Life was getting better and better, and the national treasury was almost overflowing. Every few days, Shen Wansan would come with a worried look and report, "The national treasury is full again and can't hold any more."

But the military officers were so bored they were practically rotting away.

Zhang Fei spent every day on the drill ground, fighting bayonets with the new recruits. Everyone avoided him at the mere sight of him; even the new recruits would steer clear of him...

Cheng Yaojin was even more outrageous. He would often sneak into the imperial kitchen to learn how to make braised pork hock from the imperial chefs. His skills improved so much that he almost caught up with the imperial chefs, and he even boasted that he would open a "Cheng Family Braised Pork Hock Shop"...

Dian Wei would lift the stone lion every day to play with it, and after that he would need to eat three pots of rice. The Imperial Household Department could hardly afford to support him anymore, and the officials in charge of grain would get a headache whenever they saw him.

The group whispered among themselves: "If this peace continues, all our martial arts skills will be ruined, our knives will rust, and we won't even know how to ride a horse anymore."

"His Majesty has arrived!"

At the eunuch's announcement, the entire hall fell silent, and everyone stood up abruptly.

Liu Ce, dressed in a black casual suit, strode in, his movements powerful and energetic.

He glanced down and saw that the generals' eyes were shining like hungry wolves eyeing meat. He chuckled to himself: These guys are really itching to get out there.

"Please sit down," Liu Ce waved his hand, leaned back on the throne, and got straight to the point without uttering a single unnecessary word.

"Gentlemen, it has been twelve years since the last foreign war. In these twelve years, we have focused on development behind closed doors, building up industry, agriculture, the navy, railways... we have a solid foundation. I know you military officers are itching for a fight, your swords are practically rusting."

"Hehe..." Zhang Fei scratched his head and chuckled, his mouth practically splitting open.

"Your Majesty understands me! If I don't get some exercise, I'll soon be as fat as Fatty Cheng!"

"Bullshit! I'm called strong!" Cheng Yaojin glared at him, then grinned, patting his chest loudly.

"But Your Majesty, just tell me straight, is war about to break out? I, Old Cheng, will be the first to volunteer! My sword is already sharpened!"

Dian Wei added in a deep, muffled voice, patting the double halberds at his waist:

"My twin halberds should see some blood too."

The military officers were all eager to get started, as if it were New Year's Day. Some had already started counting on their fingers how many soldiers they should lead.

The civil officials, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, smiling as they went... The fighting was the responsibility of the military generals, while logistics and national policy were theirs to handle; they had already calculated the costs and benefits in their minds.

Liu Ce chuckled and tapped on the imperial desk: "What's the rush? Let's hear the intelligence first. A battle isn't fought blindly; we need to know the enemy's strength."

Lu Bing, tell everyone what you've learned about the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Tell us about the three great western powers: Kushan, Parthia, and Rome, one by one, in detail.

"I obey your decree."

Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stepped out of the train, carrying a thick stack of secret reports in his arms.

He bowed to the throne, turned to face the officials, cleared his throat, and spoke in a clear yet chilling voice:

"Gentlemen, let's get straight to the point. Go west past the Pamir Mountains and travel another 18, 000 miles, and you'll find three powerful nations lined up side by side, like a string of candied hawthorns. Let's start with the westernmost one, the most formidable... the Roman Empire. Its territory is several times smaller than ours, but it has a large army and is quite capable, making it the toughest opponent in the west."

A murmur of discussion immediately arose below, the buzzing of voices like a swarm of bees.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, his eyebrows slightly raised, revealing a hint of attention. His fingers remained motionless, hovering in the middle of his beard...

Zhao Yun stood sideways, his eyes focused, as if listening to an enemy intelligence briefing, his back ramrod straight...

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, lost in thought, the fan waving more slowly than usual...

"Let's talk about the current ruler of Rome, Severus, a veteran military officer who seized the throne purely through a coup." Lu Bing's tone was slightly teasing.

"Shouldn't the emperor be enjoying a life of leisure in the capital? But he's not... Right now, he's not in Rome at all. He's taken his two sons and gone to the northernmost island of Britain."

"Britain?" Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but interject, his eyebrows practically flying up.

"What kind of place is that? It sounds like a barbarian territory."

"It really is barbarian territory." Lu Bing chuckled, as if gossiping.

"It's just a big island floating in the sea, freezing cold enough to freeze your ears off in winter. It's inhabited by savages wearing animal skins and painted on their faces, called Caledonians, much like the barbarians of our ancient times. Why would Severus leave behind the sunny beaches of the Mediterranean to fight savages in that godforsaken place? All he wants is to rack up military achievements and establish his authority!"