June 6th.

A swift horseman, carrying an urgent report that traveled eight hundred li, rushed into Luoyang.

After seeing the battle report from the grasslands, Zhang Huan, Huangfu Gui, Li Ying, and others summoned the people from the Privy Council and the Ministry of War to discuss the matter of sending troops to the grasslands.

The emperor had already given the order that once the war between Tanshihuai and the Yuwen tribe ended, the Han Dynasty would immediately send troops to cleanse the grasslands.

Although the emperor has now gone on a western tour, his orders still apply.

The Privy Council, inside the council hall.

Zhang Huan stood in the center, glanced around at everyone, and finally fixed his gaze on Li Ying, asking in a deep voice:

"Minister Li, how are the supplies and preparations progressing in You, Bing, and Liao prefectures?"

Li Ying said confidently, "General Zhang, rest assured, all kinds of supplies in the three prefectures have been allocated, and the laborers and transport teams are all in place, which is enough to ensure the army of the three prefectures can carry out a thorough cleansing of the grasslands!"

Zhang Huan smiled and said, "Then please have the Ministry of War immediately order the transport teams in various regions to set off immediately! Head to the grasslands first to establish supply points!"

"good!"

Li Ying nodded, then turned and left.

Nowadays, the Ministry of War is only responsible for the supply of materials and equipment, as well as the recruitment of soldiers and logistics personnel.

Military operations were entirely decided by the Privy Council and the General Staff.

Therefore, Li Ying, as the Minister of War, was no longer suitable to participate in the upcoming military operations.

After Li Ying and the Ministry of War personnel left, Zhang Huan turned to look at a staff officer standing to the side.

"The staff officer immediately ordered Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Huangfu Song, and others to make preparations by June 20th and to lead their troops into the grasslands on June 25th!"

"Here you go!"

The staff officer agreed and then quickly left.

After the advisor left, Zhang Huan looked at Huangfu Gui and asked, "Your Majesty should be arriving in Juyan soon, right?"

Huangfu Gui nodded: "Yes, according to reports, His Majesty left Zhangye the day before yesterday and headed to Juyan. He should arrive around today!"

Zhang Huan's expression turned serious: "Now that a great battle is imminent, if Tan Shihuai learns that His Majesty is in Juyan, he will surely lead his army to attack. Immediately send someone to Juyan to invite His Majesty back!"

"good!"

Huangfu Gui agreed and was about to turn and leave when a guard came running towards them, shouting, "General Zhang, General Huangfu, something terrible has happened..."

Zhang Huan frowned: "What's wrong? Why are you so panicked?"

"Generals, just now, Generals Wang Yue and Tong Yuan led 20,000 Imperial Guards and 1,000 Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry out of the camp and headed west..."

"What……?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huan and Huangfu Gui exclaimed in surprise at the same time, and a look of panic appeared on their faces.

What they feared was not the sudden mobilization of the Imperial Guards, since nowadays the Imperial Guards would not obey anyone's orders except those issued by the Emperor.

The fact that the Imperial Guards were able to leave the camp must mean they had received a summons from the Emperor.

It was precisely because of this that Zhang Huan and Huangfu Gui felt afraid.

At this time, the emperor's decision to mobilize the Imperial Guards to move westward must have indicated his intention to personally lead the army in a decisive battle against Tan Shihuai.

As for how to get Tan Shihuai to go there on his own initiative, that's basically out of the question.

The emperor must have used himself as bait to lure Tan Shihuai.

Although the Han Dynasty has made full preparations, and the emperor has also dispatched the Imperial Guards in advance.

But what if Tan Shihuai arrives at Juyan before the Imperial Guards? Wouldn't the emperor be in grave danger?

"How can His Majesty be so willful?"

Thinking about all this, Zhang Huan and Huangfu Gui could no longer sit still.

"No, we must inform the Empress Dowager and the Grand Secretary about this!"

Zhang Huan and Huangfu Gui said the same thing in unison, and then quickly ran outside.

Cabinet Office.

"Nonsense! Nonsense! Your Majesty, this is utter nonsense!"

Upon hearing Zhang Huan's report, the ninety-year-old Chen Fan was so angry that he glared and thumped his cane on the ground.

The faces of Yuan Feng, Yang Ci, Cao Song, Xun Shuang, and Yang Qiu, who were standing to the side, were also very grim.

What they feared most was that the emperor would impulsively lead the army into battle, which is why they discussed the return date with him.

Who would have thought that the sandalwood tree would be so resilient, failing so quickly, allowing the emperor to exploit the situation.

Once Tanshihuai leads his army to attack Juyan, then the emperor will have a reason not to return.

Of course, none of them knew that Liu Hong had planned this all along.

"No, I must go there myself and personally invite His Majesty back!"

With that, Chen Fan leaned on his cane and stormed out.

Cao Song, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and said, "Hey, Your Excellency, don't be in such a hurry. You are so old, how can you withstand such a bumpy ride?"

"Even if I die on the road, I must bring His Majesty back. The Han Dynasty can do without me, Chen Fan, but it cannot do without His Majesty...!"

Chen Fan stubbornly flicked his sleeve, quickened his pace, and walked outside.

Cao Song hurriedly advised, "Alas, Grand Secretary, if you leave, what will happen to the affairs of the court? With a great war imminent, if chaos breaks out in the court, His Majesty will be distracted, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan paused in his tracks.

Chen Fan originally planned to retire this year, but because of the impending decisive battle and the emperor's western tour, he continued to serve as the chief minister and take charge of the overall situation.

If I were to leave Luoyang, there would be no one to handle the government affairs, which would inevitably lead to chaos and affect this final battle.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!