February 2nd, the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era.

Just as civil and military officials and civilians across the land began their busy new year, an imperial edict issued from the Deyang Palace instantly stirred up a wave of turmoil in the long-peaceful Han Dynasty.

The edict reads as follows: On the second day of the second month, a blue dragon rose into the sky in the east. I received the mandate of heaven and inherited the great throne. Having just donned the crown, I now know the people. Day and night, my thoughts are always on the well-being of the people, and I dare not slacken in the slightest.

Fortunately, Heaven has been kind and has spared me from misfortune, allowing the country to live in peace and the people to enjoy good health.

However, as the old saying goes, "Be mindful of danger even in times of peace." The enemies of the Han Dynasty still exist. If they cannot be eliminated, future generations will find it difficult to enjoy peace and prosperity.

Since I have received the mandate of Heaven, I will act on behalf of Heaven, strive to eliminate powerful enemies, and ensure the continuation of my descendants for ten thousand generations.

I hereby issue this edict, that all subjects of my Great Han shall obey my commands: the military shall prepare for war, officials for governance, scholars for literature, industry for production, and agriculture for cultivation; all shall be of one mind and work together, so that my descendants may enjoy lasting peace and tranquility…

—Imperial edict personally written by Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty.

The phrase "dragon raises its head," a term that only appeared after the Yuan dynasty, was written into the imperial edict by Liu Hong.

The phrase "dragon raises its head" originally meant: the winter gloom departs, spring arrives, and all things come to life.

However, in Liu Hong's edict, this word was given a new meaning.

Liu Hong's edict was not only an instruction to civil and military officials, but also a mobilization order to all levels of the Han Dynasty.

This is also the first nationwide mobilization order issued by Liu Hong in the 29 years since he ascended the throne.

In his view, this expedition to Rome was a great undertaking for all the people of the Han Dynasty, and everyone should participate in it.

Upon receiving Liu Hong's edict, the cabinet immediately made a copy and sent it to the printing press, where they began printing it overtime.

Soon, hundreds of Imperial Guard soldiers, carrying the imperial edict, spread out from Luoyang throughout the entire Han Dynasty.

The cabinet, the privy council, the six ministries, and all the government departments of the court, including the prefectures and counties, quickly began to operate.

Students of the Imperial Academy, young men of the Imperial Guard, students of various academies, workers in factories and workshops, farmers in the fields—all those who saw the emperor's edict responded to the emperor's call immediately and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this propaganda and production.

Since the northern expedition against Goguryeo twenty years ago, the war machine of the Han Dynasty has finally started operating at full power and high speed again.

Unlike before, technology is now more advanced and people's enthusiasm is much higher.

Everyone was preparing for the western expedition, and no one offered even the slightest opinion.

The officials responsible for coordinating the various matters were both busy and amazed.

They suddenly discovered that everything was progressing so smoothly, as if they had been preparing for this expedition for many years.

Soon, the cabinet and the Privy Council formulated a detailed plan for the western expedition and sent it to Liu Hong's desk.

According to the Privy Council's plan, the army to conquer Rome would consist of 500,000 men, including 200,000 naval personnel, 200,000 army personnel, and 100,000 cavalry.

The navy was drawn from the garrisons of Donglai, Kuaiji and Rinan counties and marched westward along the coastline.

Over the years, with the opening of maritime trade between the Han Dynasty and Rome, the Royal Trading Company has also set up fifty supply stations along the coast to replenish the supplies of merchants, adventurers, and escort fleets.

When these supply stations were established, Liu Hong intended to prepare for future naval expeditions, and the managers of those supply stations also established a large number of concessions or colonies in the local area.

It can be said that each supply station between the Han Dynasty and Rome was a huge granary.

These supply depots were more than enough to support 200,000 naval personnel sailing all the way to Rome.

The remaining 200,000 troops and 100,000 cavalry were drawn from garrisons in various regions.

As for the supply train, it was even larger. According to calculations by the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue, this expedition would require a total of 400,000 vehicles and approximately 5 million personnel.

These people will eventually settle in Rome and spread the Han dynasty there.

Fortunately, the industrial development of the Han Dynasty in recent years has greatly promoted the transportation industry and animal husbandry in the northern grasslands, which has ensured that there is enough delivery capacity.

In addition, the Han Dynasty's continuous encouragement of population growth and the constant improvement of medicine over the years have led to an explosive growth in the Han population, which has enabled the Han Dynasty to support such a large-scale expedition.

Looking at this massive plan, Liu Hong, who had been on the throne for many years, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

This plan, in terms of both scale and the achievements it will bring, far surpasses any previous period, and can be said to be unprecedented and unparalleled.

Now that he is about to complete one of the greatest undertakings, how could Liu Hong not be extremely excited?

However, the Privy Council also mentioned matters concerning India and Paran in this plan.

According to the Privy Council, these two places are now in ruins and can be easily wiped out when the army sets out on its campaign.

As for the final issues of governance and education, let's leave that to the next generation to deal with gradually.

The Privy Council's proposal coincided with Liu Hong's thoughts.

After all, a person's life is limited. All Liu Hong could do was eliminate all potential threats to the Han people, conquer a vast territory for them, and then leave it for future generations to digest and absorb.

Whether this process takes a hundred years or a thousand years, that's beyond Liu Hong's concern.

Subsequently, Liu Hong stamped his seal at the end of the plan, thus approving it.

With the approval of the expedition plan, troops stationed in various regions began to make active preparations.

Today, the total number of troops stationed throughout the Han Dynasty has increased to two million, of whom only a quarter have the opportunity to join the expeditionary force.

Therefore, all the soldiers were giving it their all, competing with their former comrades-in-arms for the chance to go on a distant expedition.

For a time, a grand martial arts competition was launched in military camps throughout the Han Dynasty.

By April, the large-scale competitions in various regions had come to an end, and the selected naval, army, and cavalry teams began to assemble.

With the soldier selection concluded, the most troublesome issue for the Privy Council finally arrived: the letters of request for battle submitted by the generals of various armies.

The Han Dynasty today is truly blessed with a galaxy of brilliant generals. The first generation, including Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Xu Rong, and Dong Zhuo, are still alive and well, even though they are old.

Although most of the generals of the same generation as the emperor, such as Lü Bu, Hua Xiong, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Dian Wei, and Zhang Xiu, were over forty years old, they were still at their peak.

Then came Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, and the younger ones after them.

These people were fiercely competing for command positions in the army; for a single vanguard position, nearly twenty generals vied for it.

Each of these people, taken individually, is a capable leader who can fight on the front lines and command respect in any region. Deciding who to send and who not to send them has become a major dilemma.