Although the Privy Council was nominally in charge of military affairs, Liu Hong still firmly held control of the Han army.

The arrogant and fierce soldiers in the army showed no respect to anyone except the current emperor.

Therefore, after receiving the requests for battle from Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo, Zhao Yun, and others, the Privy Council immediately sent them to the Deyang Palace for the Emperor to decide personally.

Looking at the resolute letters of request for battle from his subordinates, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He knew that with the talent under his command, conquering Rome would not be a problem, but there were only so many military positions available, making it a case of too many wolves and too few sheep.

Take Dong Zhuo for example. Although he is now retired at home, he still holds a noble title, which he earned through military merit.

If he were to go out and lead troops, he would at least be at the level of deputy commander-in-chief.

There were also figures with distinguished military achievements such as Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Xu Rong, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun, as well as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, who were stationed in Kushan.

I can't possibly let them share the same position, can I? How can we fight a war like that?

Of course, the most important thing is that these people have followed him since they were young, and now that they have finally achieved success, he can't show favoritism to them.

"Sigh, having too many talented people is a real problem!"

Looking at the large stack of letters of request for battle on his desk, Liu Hong couldn't help but rub his temples with a troubled expression.

Just then, Zhang Rang, with his white hair and beard, jogged in: "Your Majesty, Instructors Wang Yue and Tong Yuan request an audience."

What are they doing here?

Upon hearing that these two men were requesting an audience, Liu Hong was taken aback. Although they still held the title of instructors in the Imperial Guard, they had retired seven or eight years ago.

"Your Majesty, they said they came to request permission to fight!" Zhang Rang replied cautiously.

"Nonsense, they're both over seventy years old, what are they doing here getting involved?"

Hearing that Wang Yue and Tong Yuan also wanted to go to Rome, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"Your Majesty, that's what I advised as well, but the two old generals are adamant. They even said that as long as Your Majesty agrees, they'd be willing to serve as common soldiers. This is the last battle of the Han Dynasty against foreign invaders, and you absolutely must let them join..."

Zhang Rang relayed Wang Yue and Tong Yuan's words to Liu Hong with a troubled expression.

"Soldier..."

Upon hearing Zhang Rang's words, Liu Hong's brows twitched, and then he looked down at the letters of request for battle on the table and couldn't help but laugh.

"His Majesty……?"

Seeing Liu Hong suddenly burst into laughter, Zhang Rang was also somewhat taken aback.

Liu Hong smiled and waved his hand: "It's alright. Go tell Wang Yue and Tong Yuan that I have agreed to their request and they can be made into lowly soldiers!"

"Your Majesty, isn't this somewhat inappropriate...?"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's instructions, Zhang Rang was taken aback. Wang Yue and Tong Yuan were, after all, the chief instructors of the Imperial Guard in the past.

The generals in the army, including Lü Bu and Sun Jian, were almost all taught by them, so their status was self-evident.

His Majesty actually made these two powerful figures work as lowly soldiers. If word got out, it would inevitably draw criticism.

"There's nothing wrong with it, you can go!"

Seeing Zhang Rang standing there without moving, Liu Hong waved his hand and turned his gaze to the letters of request for battle on the table.

"Here you go!"

Seeing the emperor wave his hand, Zhang Rang didn't ask any more questions and bowed as he withdrew.

Outside the palace gates, Wang Yue and Tong Yuan, both with large, white hair, craned their necks, peering expectantly into the palace.

The Imperial Guards soldiers standing in front of the palace gates had a slight smirk on their faces as they glanced at the two of them from time to time.

Who would have thought that the two dignified chief instructors of the Imperial Guard would behave like two children expecting a gift today?

"Hey, here it comes!"

Upon seeing Zhang Rang walking out of the palace, Wang Yue and Tong Yuan hurriedly went to greet him.

"Attendant Zhang, what did His Majesty say?"

"His Majesty said that you two have made great contributions over the years, and since you have made a request, he will certainly not refuse. Therefore, he has agreed to your request to join the army..."

Zhang Rang also relayed the emperor's words to Wang Yue and Tong Yuan in a very tactful manner.

After all, you requested to join the army, and the emperor, mindful of your contributions, naturally granted your request.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Upon hearing Zhang Rang's words, Wang Yue and Tong Yuan couldn't help but beam with joy, but they didn't care at all about being soldiers.

Anyway, their purpose in coming here was to follow the army and see how the Han army accomplished this great feat. As for what positions they could hold, they didn't care at all.

Soon, the news that the emperor had ordered Wang Yue and Tong Yuan to join the army spread.

No one, whether in government or among the public, said anything about it.

After all, the image of the emperor as wise and powerful has been deeply ingrained in people's hearts, and he certainly wouldn't do something so heartless and ungrateful. This arrangement must have been made with the emperor's intentions.

When the news reached the army, the officers who had been fighting tooth and nail for command positions all fell silent.

Even Lü Bu wrote another letter requesting a lowly soldier's position, just so he could accompany the army on campaign.

With Lü Bu taking the lead, the other generals also lowered their expectations and stopped asking for anything else.

For everyone involved, this expedition was arguably the last major battle. To miss it would be a great regret in life, and compared to that, leading an army was not so important.

With the generals submitting another petition, the Privy Council finally breathed a sigh of relief and began personnel arrangements.

Finally, according to Liu Hong's wishes, Lü Bu was appointed as the commander of the expeditionary cavalry, with Dong Zhuo, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Xiahou Yuan, and other generals as his deputies.

Cao Cao was appointed as the commander of the infantry of the expeditionary force. When the army passed through the Kushan Mountains, he was put in charge of the army, with Yuan Shao, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Hua Xiong and other generals serving as his deputies.

As for the naval commander, Liu Hong recruited Yuan Shu, who was recuperating at home, to take the position.

Now, Yuan Shu, through more than a decade of maritime exploration, has successively discovered Luzon, as well as the islands of Southeast Asia and Indonesia, making him the undisputed number one navigator in the Han Dynasty.

He returned home to recruit people to search for the legendary southern continent because he had heard that there was a vast continent to the south of the Indonesian archipelago.

However, upon receiving the emperor's summons, Yuan Shu did not hesitate to put aside all his affairs and rush to the Privy Council to report for duty.

Although his years of seafaring experience had made Yuan Shu somewhat unaccustomed to the rules and regulations of the army, this time he put aside his discomfort and devoted himself wholeheartedly to this expedition.

Just as the emperor's edict said, we should unite as one and work together.