Southern foothills of the Qilian Mountains.

A cool mountain breeze blew by, and Liu Hong tightened the reins, slowing down the pace.

For him, who was used to the Luoyang Plain, this unfamiliar climate was pleasant, but it made him feel a little uncomfortable.

At this moment, the sky was a clear blue without a single cloud, and the sun shone brightly. Looking north from the mountains in front, the Qilian Mountains stretched out in the distance, their undulating ridges resembling a dark blue dragon lying across the northwest land.

Behind Liu Hong were the accompanying officers and ten thousand Imperial Guards cavalry, who lined up in long columns of five.

From the sky, the Imperial Guards cavalry, clad in red armor, resemble a long red dragon, echoing the Qilian Mountains to the north.

The Imperial Guardsmen, maneuvering their warhorses, followed closely behind the Emperor at a trot.

The fact that they could maintain such a neat formation while marching at this speed demonstrates the excellent qualities of the Imperial Guards, the most elite force in the land.

"Losing my Qilian Mountains will cause my livestock to cease to thrive!"

As he walked, Liu Hong couldn't help but softly recite a line of poetry from the Xiongnu people.

Back then, Huo Qubing led his army to open up the Hexi Corridor, successfully driving away all the Xiongnu people north of the Qilian Mountains. This caused the Xiongnu people to completely lose the fertile land on which they depended for survival, leading them to sing this mournful poem.

Now, he is leading his army deep into Qinghai, about to completely eliminate the Qiang people in the southern Qilian Mountains, which is of extraordinary significance.

After this battle, the Qilian Mountains will be completely incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty, and the Qiang rebellion that has plagued the Han Dynasty for over a century will finally come to an end.

"Zhicai, the first strategy we devised back then is about to be implemented!"

Recalling the first strategy he asked Xi Zhicai when he first ascended the throne, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel emotional.

Just then, a scout suddenly appeared at the front of the column. An officer in charge of the outpost immediately rode forward and asked a few questions before quickly returning to Liu Hong's side.

"Your Majesty, according to the scouts, Ma Yi's army of 80,000 men, including the Qiang, Xiaoyuezhi, and Baima clans, is less than 50 li away from the camp of Generals Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao."

Liu Hong hummed in agreement, nodded, and then asked, "Where are Yu Jin and Xu Huang now?"

"Generals Yu and Xu are still 130 li away from Ma Yi's army. Should we urge them to speed up their march?"

Liu Hong waved his hand: "No need. Let them slow down, lest they get too far from the main army and be taken advantage of by the enemy. With Zilong and Wenyuan in front, Ma Yi's army won't gain any advantage for the time being!"

Although the equipment and combat power of the Xiliang cavalry far surpassed those of Ma Yi's army, their numbers were significantly fewer.

Now, the Ma Yi army is in dire straits. If they launch a fierce counterattack, it will inevitably cause considerable losses to the 20,000 vanguards.

The officer said "Understood" and was about to ride away when Liu Hong called him back.

"Tell Yu Jin and Xu Huang to raise my banner; it would be best if it could attract Ma Yi back!"

At this point, Liu Hong's lips curled up slightly as he gave instructions as subtly as possible, trying to appear more calm and composed.

However, he could not suppress his excitement. The thought of leading his army to fight a decisive battle against the Qiang people made his fair face turn slightly red.

Liu Hong's excitement was not without reason; including this one, he had personally led three military campaigns.

The first time was the campaign against Goguryeo. It was said that the emperor personally led the expedition, but in reality, he simply led the army to Youzhou and then watched the whole thing from behind.

The second time was the decisive battle against the Xianbei outside Juyan City. This battle was basically a personal show by generals such as Lü Bu, Sun Jian, and Gongsun Zan, while he was just a mascot.

After all, he had always been regarded as someone no less than Emperor Xiaowu and Emperor Guangwu, yet he had never personally commanded a front-line army, which was undoubtedly a great regret.

As for this time, Liu Hong was initially prepared to act as a mascot, but when the army was leaving the camp, Huangfu Song suddenly found him and handed the entire army over to him for command.

In fact, when Liu Hong decided to follow the army in pursuit, Huangfu Song had already sensed the emperor's deep-seated desire to command the battle.

In Huangfu Song's view, since Ma Yi's army was already surrounded by the Han army, as long as the emperor did not personally lead the charge, victory was assured no matter how the battle was fought. It would be the same no matter who commanded the army, so he might as well let the emperor have some fun.

Watching the scout ride away, Liu Hong let out a soft breath, then instructed the messenger behind him: "Pass down the order, the army must speed up its march and rendezvous with the vanguard as soon as possible!"

"Here you go!"

The messenger agreed and rode off to relay Liu Hong's orders.

Soon, the army's marching speed increased significantly once again.

After a day of rapid march, the army was only a hundred miles away from the vanguard. Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Hong immediately ordered a halt to the march and to continue the pursuit the next day.

Then, with the help of the accompanying eunuchs, Liu Hong finally managed to dismount.

Outside the emperor's tent, Liu Hong's dozens of personal guards, their hands on their swords, patrolled the area around the tent, their sharp eyes scanning everyone who approached.

Just then, a military doctor, following two guards, arrived at the front of the tent. After the guards carefully searched and verified his identity, the doctor was allowed to enter.

Inside the tent, Liu Hong lay on the couch, while Zhang Rang, under the guidance of the military doctor, popped several blisters on his groin.

To be honest, although he has never stopped exercising over the years, he has become a bit complacent in the last two years. After just one day of racing, he has ended up like this, which is really embarrassing.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should slow down the march..." Zhang Rang said with a pained expression, looking at the several blisters on the Emperor's legs.

He had served the emperor for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever seen the emperor suffer so much.

"What? Do you want the soldiers to laugh at me?" Liu Hong asked Zhang Rang with displeasure.

"this……"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Zhang Rang lowered his head and dared not speak further. He knew that the emperor was a strong-willed person. Although he did not show it on the surface, he demanded the best in everything he did, and he would never slow down the army's march because of his own reasons.

"Attendant Zhang, there's no need to worry. His Majesty is in good health. He'll be fine in a day or two once the scabs have formed. Tomorrow, just place a soft cushion on the saddle!"

The military doctor who had changed Liu Hong's dressing also smiled and said to Zhang Rang.

Hearing this, Zhang Rang nodded in relief.