In September, with winter approaching, Liu Hong's army finally returned to Luoyang.

After the army marched to a place twenty miles north of Luoyang, its marching speed slowed down.

At this time, the official road was already crowded with people from all directions who had come to welcome the emperor's triumphant return.

The emperor personally went to the battlefield, defeated the Xianbei, and drove them out forever. Afterwards, he held a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven at Langjuxu Mountain, and finally arrived at the Hanhai.

This series of actions not only eliminated the threat posed by the grasslands to the Han border, but also opened up a vast new territory for the Han.

In a short period of time, the current emperor accomplished what no emperor of previous dynasties had ever done.

Therefore, in the eyes of the people who already deeply revered the emperor, the current emperor was absolutely ordained by Heaven, and they felt extremely proud and honored to live under his rule.

"Long live Your Majesty!!"

As the emperor's carriage approached, the people who were the first to see him erupted in a huge cheer.

The people shouted with all their might, and the deafening cheers spread from north to south towards the south of Luoyang. The cheers rose one wave after another, and the same sound echoed across the entire land for a long time.

Feeling the cheers of the people, Liu Hong, who was on the vehicle, immediately stood up and waved to the people on both sides of the road.

"Ah~, His Majesty is looking at me!"

"Long live the Emperor!!"

Seeing the emperor waving to them, many people couldn't help but scream, and some were even moved to tears.

Lu Bu, Cao Cao, and others in the procession felt an unparalleled sense of honor as they watched the emperor standing on the chariot, receiving cheers from the people.

The experience of drinking together on the shore of Hanhai Lake during this expedition fostered a sense of collective responsibility and a spirit of "advancing and retreating together, and striving together."

This sense of collective consciousness is especially important in the military. As long as this consciousness exists, the entire army will become an invincible force.

Especially those young people who are determined to join the army, they are like blank sheets of paper, and they can easily accept this consciousness and firmly believe in it until death.

Amidst deafening cheers, Liu Hong led his triumphant army to the city gate.

Grand Secretary Chen Fan, along with civil and military officials, waited respectfully at the city gate.

Upon seeing the emperor's carriage approaching, Chen Fan also stepped forward to pay his respects, leaning on his cane.

"Your Majesty, I, along with all the officials, respectfully welcome Your Majesty's triumphant return

"Welcome back in triumph, Your Majesty!!"

The officials following behind Chen Fan also stepped forward and bowed in unison.

Standing on the carriage frame, Liu Hong gestured with his hands, saying, "Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

The officials shouted in unison, then stood on both sides, making way for a road into the city.

Liu Hong also specially ordered someone to help Chen Fan into his carriage and stand beside him, and together they walked into the city.

During the time he was away from Luoyang, important officials such as Cao Song and Xun Shuang all followed him to Hanhai, and many political affairs fell on Chen Fan's shoulders.

If it weren't for Chen Fan's presence in Luoyang, diligently maintaining the stability of the court, I wouldn't have been able to make such arrangements with such peace of mind.

Therefore, Liu Hong also adopted the proper attitude, allowing Chen Fan to join him in receiving the cheers of the people.

After the entry ceremony, Liu Hong ordered a banquet to be held in the palace the next day to entertain the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions in this great battle.

As dusk approached, nearly a thousand invited soldiers, dressed in black uniforms, arrived at the palace gates.

Perhaps because it was their first time attending a royal banquet, even those soldiers who had never flinched when killing on the battlefield couldn't help but feel a little nervous after entering the palace.

Compared to the soldiers, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and others appeared much calmer.

However, beneath their calm expressions, they still felt a sense of excitement and anticipation.

They also knew that, in addition to celebrating the victory, the most important part of this palace banquet was to hold an award ceremony for the soldiers who had made great contributions in battle.

This is the ceremony that all the soldiers look forward to the most.

Soon, all the invited soldiers arrived at the square in front of Deyang Hall, guided by palace attendants.

Besides the soldiers, the important officials of the cabinet and the six ministries also sat in the front row.

After taking their seats, all the soldiers sitting next to each other stood tall and remained silent, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Not long after everyone waited, Zhang Rang came out of Deyang.

"Your Majesty and the Empress have arrived!!"

With a shout from Zhang Rang, Liu Hong led Song Yue out of the hall, followed by a palace maid carrying the eldest prince.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Empress!!"

Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, everyone present stood up and bowed in greeting.

Liu Hong raised his hands to help them up, saying, "Gentlemen, you may rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress!"

With Liu Hong and Song Yue seated, the palace banquet officially began.

Since it was a royal banquet, the invited soldiers naturally regarded themselves as one of the emperor's own people.

Therefore, all the soldiers who attended the banquet also prepared a gift for the eldest prince.

However, since they were all military personnel, the gifts they gave were all military-related.

Some are exquisitely crafted weapon models, some are military strategy sand table puzzles, and some are various spoils of war captured on the battlefield.

These gifts, though not valuable in themselves, represented the soldiers' recognition and expectations of the Crown Prince.

Liu Hong accepted all the gifts from his subordinates.

After a brief address, Liu Hong began to award medals bestowed by the royal family to the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions in battle.

"Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, Sun Jian, Dian Wei!"

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Lü Bu and the others sitting at the table quickly stood up and respectfully approached Liu Hong.

With the improvement of the medal system, the design of medals is now based on various auspicious beasts, and different sizes of medals represent different meanings.

The medals awarded by Liu Hong to Lü Bu, Sun Jian, and others were red medals with black tigers emerging from the mountains, signifying the most valiant and courageous generals in the army.

Seeing the medals that the emperor himself pinned on their chests, Lü Bu, Sun Jian, and the others all showed joy.

Only a handful of people at this banquet received such a medal.

The fact that they received this medal signifies that their bravery has been recognized to the highest degree, and is an unparalleled honor.

After awarding medals to Lü Bu and the others, Liu Hong then awarded medals in the shape of a blue dragon, representing the commanders, to Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and other generals.

Generals such as Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, and Gongsun Du were awarded medals shaped like eagles.

The remaining soldiers were also given gifts.