That night, the Bronze Sparrow Palace was brightly lit.

Su Xiaoxiao and Li Shishi played the zither and the harp in harmony, while Ying'er, Xi Shi, Bao Si, Huang Qiong, Qin Luofu and others danced, and Qin Liangyu danced with a sword. It was a lively occasion.

The scenery in the palace is even more beautiful than the scenery in the fairyland.

Lin Han was deeply trapped in it, and no man could escape from this beauty.

I only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals.

"Sister Luofu, you've just arrived, so drink a few more glasses. I'm toasting to you." Ba Qing poured wine for Qin Luofu, smiling without saying a word.

"Sister Bao Si, have a drink too." Lai Ying'er raised her glass to Bao Si with a smile on her face.

Liquor intoxicates the heart, and music and singing accompany the singing of orioles.

The sound of the piano dances with the bright moon, when will the cold song end?

In the Bronze Sparrow Palace, there is singing and dancing. For a moment, one cannot tell whether it is the immortal world or the human world. It seems like a dream. There is so much joy that one cannot stop until one is drunk.

After a night of drunkenness, Lin Han put on his armor and went out.

Perhaps he was still hungover, as no one came to see him off, and only Qin Liangyu followed him out of the city.

Lin Han did not need to lead troops out this time. He only brought Dian Wei and Xu Chu as assistants, Tian Feng as an attendant, and the others stayed in Hanjiang City.

The Eight Commandants of Xiyuan had no need for his troops, so he could not lead his private troops into Luoyang.

Lin Han thought he could escape the position of one of the Eight Captains of Xiyuan, but he didn't expect that he couldn't.

He replaced Bao Hong and became the captain of the lower army, ranking third, below Yuan Shao and above Cao Cao, which was beyond his expectations.

The Eight Commandants of Xiyuan were an army formed by Emperor Ling of Han to weaken He Jin's military power.

Jian Shuo was Liu Hong's confidant, serving as the captain of the upper army and commanding the eight captains of Xiyuan.

Other positions were mostly held by people from the gentry. The Captain of the Central Army was Yuan Shao, a member of the Yuan family with three generations of officials, and the Captain of the General Army was Cao Cao, the son of the former Grand Marshal Cao Song. Only Lin Han was outside the faction.

Lin Han didn’t know how much impact this trip would have on him, but he had to wade through the muddy water.

After more than ten days, nothing happened, so Lin Han and his party settled in Luoyang.

Last time he told Cao Cao that he didn't want to be one of the Eight Captains of Xiyuan, but he didn't expect that he would become a captain of the lower army now, and his status was even higher than Cao Cao.

While Lin Han was still thinking about how to greet Cao Cao when he met him, Cao Cao sent someone to find him.

Meet at the old place.

Fangze Pavilion.

Lin Han suspected that the place where Cao Cao entertained his friends was Fangze Pavilion.

"Brother Xiao, when we last met, we were still talking about the Xiyuan Commandant. I didn't expect that when we meet again, you and I would both be involved. Congratulations." Cao Cao was the first to congratulate.

"Brother Cao, congratulations to you."

The two men clinked their glasses and drank them all in one gulp.

"Hahahahaha..." Cao Cao laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "Thinking back to the time when Brother Xiao first entered the court, he was looked down upon by the officials. Now he has become a trusted general of His Majesty. Times have changed."

"Who could have imagined this day? Who could have known the future? Let's not talk about it." Lin Han said.

"Yeah, it's better not to talk about those incompetent people. I wonder if Brother Xiao has received any news?"

"What news?"

"Wang Fen's plot was exposed, and out of fear of punishment, he committed suicide."

"Isn't this what you and I expected?" Lin Han asked back.

"Yes, it's a pity for me, Cao. Wang Fen is also a good official serving the people. Although he is cowardly, he dares to pursue justice. But God does not help him, and he will not succeed in the end." Cao Cao sighed.

"If the time is not right, then the destiny is not there. You and I both tried to persuade them in the beginning, but it was in vain. You and I don't need to feel guilty. There are many taboos about Wang Fen's affairs. Brother Cao, don't mention it in the future, for fear that someone may hear."

"good."

Lin Han raised his glass, and the two of them clinked their glasses, no longer talking about Wang Fen.

"Brother Xiao, I still remember you saying that day that you didn't want to enter the West Garden. Now that you are a lieutenant in the lower army, how does it feel?"

"If I had a choice, I would rather be at home, having fun with my wives."

"Indeed, having a beautiful woman by your side is the greatest thing in the world; everything else is nothing but smoke and mirrors." Cao Cao laughed joyfully and called the brothel owner over: "Brother, find some girls."

"Master Cao, please wait a moment."

The brothel owner comes out.

After a long time, more than ten girls came in and lined up, dressed beautifully, but they were not very pretty.

"Change a batch." Cao Cao waved his hand.

"Okay, Lord Cao, please wait a moment." The brothel owner asked the girl to leave.

After a while, more than ten women came in, and Cao Cao cleverly selected a few of them to stay and drink.

The few of them drank happily until midnight, and Lin Han rewarded the girl before returning home.

The next day he went to court early.

In the imperial court hall, all the officials gathered, but the most dazzling ones were the eight people in the center: Jian Shuo, Yuan Shao, Xiao Hange, Cao Cao, Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, and Chunyu Qiong.

Lin Han knew that he would replace the cavalry captain Bao Hong.

The eight people in the palace are given titles and have the authority to recruit soldiers.

The Eight Commandants of Xiyuan were commanded by Jian Shuo and took direct orders from Liu Hong. Their purpose was to weaken the military power of General He Jin.

Even He Jin had to obey his orders, so his power was undoubtedly very great.

However, the emperor did not know that Yuan Shao now took orders from He Jin, and half of the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan were related to He Jin. The Eight Commandants of Xiyuan did not really threaten He Jin's position.

Eight people have the power to command troops. The upper army captain Jian Shuo commands 60,000 troops, the central army captain Yuan Shao commands 40,000 troops, the lower army captain Xiao Hange commands 30,000 troops, the commander of the army captain Cao Cao commands 10,000 troops, the auxiliary army left captain, the auxiliary army right captain, the left captain, and the right captain each lead 5,000 troops, for a total of 160,000 troops.

Liu Hong used the private collection of Xiyuan, which he earned from selling official positions and donations over the years, as military pay. He also handed over the fine horses from all over the world that he had collected over the years as war horses to the eight captains of Xiyuan for distribution. They each recruited able-bodied men and trained them into an army.

It can be said that the Eight Commanders of Xiyuan were Liu Hong’s private army.

After receiving the title, Lin Han looked around and only met Cao Cao's eyes for a moment before looking away. They understood each other's thoughts.

This seemingly absurd and mediocre emperor did have some thoughts. They both knew it, but they didn't say much.

"Today I appoint eight lieutenants. You may each recruit soldiers to form your own army and serve as the defense of the capital. Two months from now, on the fifth day of the tenth month, I will conduct a winter hunting review and give you a military review under the peaceful conditions to test your training results."

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