Juyan, within the prefectural governor's residence.

"Your Majesty, according to reports, the Imperial Guards and Imperial Cavalry led by Generals Wang Yue and Tong Yuan have already left Anding County. If they march at full speed, they will arrive at Juyan in four days!"

Huang Zhong, holding a military report, briefed Liu Hong on the latest situation of the Imperial Guards.

"Alright, send word to Wang Yue and Tong Yuan that there is no need to rush. They should ensure the soldiers' stamina and arrive in six days!"

"Here you go!"

Liu Hong turned to look at Lü Bu beside him: "Fengxian, how is the situation with Huangfu Song?"

"Your Majesty, General Huangfu has already deployed all the infantry of Bingzhou along the Great Wall."

Instead, General Huangfu personally led 25,000 cavalry, including the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, the White Horse Camp, and the Blazing Fire Camp, to a location 200 li southeast of Juyan.

"good!"

Liu Hong nodded, then immediately instructed, "Send someone to inform Huangfu Song to rest for now and arrive at Juyan in six days!"

Lü Bu: "Yes, sir!"

"Wenhe, what's the Qiang people doing?"

Liu Hong turned to look at Jia Xu beside him and inquired about the situation of the Western Qiang and Eastern Qiang.

"Your Majesty, it has been reported that two days ago, Dianxian of the Western Qiang gathered 30,000 Qiang cavalry and marched towards Shehetai's headquarters."

Shehetai sent someone to General Duan for help, and General Duan feigned agreement, instructing Shehetai to hold his position in the fortified village and dispatching 20,000 Xiliang cavalry to advance towards Xiqiang. The plan was to wait until Dianxian and Shehetai were both weakened before annexing the Xiqiang territory in one fell swoop…”

Liu Hong nodded: "Yes, send someone to tell Duan Qing that we should try our best not to kill anyone in this battle. The Han Dynasty is not what it used to be, and we still need a lot of slaves!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"What's the situation in Dongqiang?" Liu Hong asked again.

Jia Xu replied, "Ma Yi of Dongqiang has received the message from Tan Shihuai agreeing to send troops and has begun to assemble his forces. He has already gathered 30,000 men!"

Liu Hong frowned and asked, "Where did this Ma Yi get so many people?"

Previously, the Han Dynasty had been using the slave purchase edict to instigate the Eastern Qiang and the Shi people in the northwest to fight each other. Over the years, the two sides sold nearly 100,000 slaves to the Han Dynasty, which can be said to have led to a sharp decline in population.

In addition, in recent years, Qiang herders have been migrating to the Han Dynasty from within the territory of Dongqiang. Now, the total population of Dongqiang is only about 200,000. It is natural that Liu Hong is curious that Ma Yi can still gather so many people.

Jia Xu said, "Your Majesty, although Ma Yi has suffered great losses in population in recent years, he has exchanged slaves for a large amount of supplies from the Han Dynasty. Furthermore, just one month ago, he annexed five Qiang tribes near the Western Sea, subjugating nearly 100,000 people and 10,000 soldiers!"

"Sigh, these guys are really resilient. They recovered in the blink of an eye!"

After listening to Jia Xu's account of the situation in Dongqiang, Liu Hong couldn't help but sigh.

For thousands of years, the Central Plains dynasties have been entangled with the surrounding barbarian tribes.

Although the Central Plains dynasties usually held the advantage, the surrounding barbarians were like weeds, impossible to eradicate completely. No matter how many old ones were defeated, a new one would emerge soon after.

The Xiongnu and Xianbei during the Qin and Han dynasties; the Turks during the Sui and Tang dynasties; the Liao, Jin, and Mongol dynasties during the Song dynasty…

These barbarian tribes, existing around the Central Plains dynasties, came and went like a revolving lantern, one after another, and whenever the Central Plains dynasties fell into chaos, they would seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Just like Dianxian and Mayi today, despite the suppression and scheming of the Han Dynasty for so many years, they have still stubbornly persisted and even show signs of growing stronger, which makes Liu Hong feel inexplicably moved.

"Your Majesty, although Ma Yi has recently recruited many people and soldiers, it has not been long and the hearts of the people have not yet been won over."

Moreover, General Duan has also transferred 30,000 soldiers from the Dunhuang auxiliary camp to garrison Jincheng. Even if Ma Yi were to reluctantly send troops, it would be difficult for him to pose a threat to our Great Han!

Seeing the emperor's melancholy expression, Jia Xu stepped forward to comfort him.

Liu Hong nodded and said with a smile, "That's true. The Han Dynasty is not what it used to be. No matter how much trouble Ma Yi causes, he is destined to perish!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall confidently echoed his sentiments.

"By the way, why hasn't Mengde arrived yet?"

After exchanging a few jokes with everyone, Liu Hong looked around and asked a question.

Huang Zhong, barely suppressing a laugh, said, "Your Majesty, Mengde spent the night with those ten beautiful women last night; he must be exhausted!"

No sooner had Huang Zhong finished speaking than a guard came in from outside the hall to report: "Your Majesty, General Cao has come to pay his respects!"

Liu Hong chuckled lightly, "Heh~, let him in!"

"Here you go!"

The guard bowed and withdrew, and Liu Hong and everyone else in the hall looked up to see what was happening.

Cao Cao, bound hand and foot, walked towards them with slightly unsteady steps, followed closely by the ten strong "beauties".

From a distance, Cao Cao and the ten women walking together looked like a pack of wild beasts guarding a little lamb.

"Tsk tsk tsk~, Mengde is so lucky! With ten women like these by his side, he can not only enjoy the beauty of multiple women, but his own safety is also guaranteed!"

"Haha, that's true. Look at those ten women. Their steps are steady, and their arms are strong. Even ordinary strong men would find it hard to match them!"

"Mengde is so fortunate, it's truly enviable! Haha!"

As Cao Cao drew closer, the people in the hall could no longer help but make jokes and banter.

Even Liu Hong was amused by everyone's comments and couldn't stop smiling.

As Cao Cao walked to the front of the living room, he heard laughter coming from inside and immediately looked up.

When Cao Cao saw that everyone in the hall was looking at him with schadenfreude, his face immediately darkened.

Cao Cao, his face dark, looked at the ten women behind him and said, "You all wait outside!"

"It's you, sir!"

The ten women responded softly.

The extremely strange sound sent a chill down the spines of the guards outside the hall.

Cao Cao's lips twitched, and then he strode into the hall.

"Your subject Cao Cao pays his respects to Your Majesty!!"

"No need for formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Liu Hong glanced at Cao Cao with a smile in his eyes: "It seems Cao Aiqing had a good rest last night!"

"I am well, thanks to Your Majesty's kindness!"

Cao Cao thanked Liu Hong with gratitude, but his voice carried a hint of resentment, as if he were protesting.

"Mengde is my beloved general, so it's only right that I show him more care, haha!"

Liu Hong smiled and waved his hand, ignoring Cao Cao's protest.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's face immediately showed a look of utter despair, and his gaze toward Liu Hong became filled with sorrow.

"Alright, all of you, come with me to the city wall to see the burial site we've prepared for Tan Shihuai!"

Liu Hong ignored Cao Cao's mournful gaze, got up and walked outside, and the others hurriedly followed.

The ten strong women remained close behind Cao Cao, never leaving his side...