"Immediately issue an order to the Ministry of Personnel: Zhang Qiao has rendered meritorious service in leading the army. He shall be promoted to General Who Subdues the Barbarians, with a salary of one thousand shi (a unit of grain). All other officers and soldiers shall be rewarded according to their merits!"

"promise!"

Song Dian then took the victory report from Liu Hong and left Deyang Palace, running towards the Ministry of Personnel.

Soon, an imperial edict drafted by the Imperial Secretariat and stamped with the Emperor's seal was sent away from Luoyang, escorted by several Imperial Guards, heading northwest.

News of the great victory in the Northwest quickly spread throughout Luoyang and outwards.

Now, the emperor has only been on the throne for a year, and the northwest has already achieved two great victories. In addition, the four thousand soldiers who have just set off for the northern expedition have not only made the people clearly understand the emperor's civil and military achievements, but also further boosted their confidence.

Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong was carefully reading a secret letter that Fu Xie had sent him.

After reading Fu Xie's message, Liu Hong also showed a relaxed smile. This time, Duan Jiong's expedition to Dongqiang was a preliminary success for the Fire Seed Plan that he, Xi Zhicai and Fu Xie had devised.

Now all I need to do is wait for the fire buried inside Dongqiang to ignite.

Liu Hong then took out paper and pen and began to send messages to Duan Jiong and Fu Xie. The Eastern Qiang were the foundation for the Han Dynasty to pacify the Qiang region and the Western Regions in the future, and further arrangements needed to be made.

Dunhuang, located in the northwesternmost part of Liangzhou, connects the Western Regions to the west and the Hexi Corridor to the east. It was the most important town for the Han Dynasty to connect with and control the Western Regions.

West of Dunhuang, in the vast desert, a team of three hundred people trudged through the sandstorm towards Dunhuang.

The troops were dressed in the uniforms of the county and state soldiers. Li Jue, who was at the front of the troops, shaded his eyes with his hand and stared intently. At this moment, the outline of the Dunhuang city wall was already visible.

Li Jue shouted excitedly, "Brothers, Dunhuang City is just ahead! Haha~ I, Li Jue, am back!!"

Haha~ Uh~

Just as Li Jue opened his mouth to laugh, a gust of north wind suddenly swept in, and the sand it whipped up was blown into Li Jue's mouth, causing his eyes to roll back and almost making him fall off his horse.

Then I quickly took out the water bag and gulped it down into my mouth.

"Cough~ Ugh~"

Spitting out the sand that had been poured into his mouth, Li Jue stuck out his tongue and licked his slightly chapped lips.

The commotion Li Jue caused made Lan Zhi, who was standing to the side, unable to help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.

Li Jue glared fiercely at Lan Zhi, but ignored her. Instead, he led his men toward Dunhuang and sent out a scout team to inform the city's garrison.

On the other side, outside Dunhuang City, Xun You, having learned of Li Jue's return, personally came to wait and welcome him. Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu, who had returned the day before, stood beside Xun You, behind them were some officials and military officers from the city, and further back were some merchants who had already arrived!

Before long, Li Jue and his entourage appeared in everyone's sight, and Li Jue also noticed the crowd welcoming them at the city gate. This scene made Li Jue feel a sense of pride.

This was the first time I had ever received such a grand welcome, especially since the leader of the procession was none other than the governor of a prefecture.

When the procession was about two hundred meters from the city gate of Dunhuang, Li Jue quickly dismounted and strode towards Xun You and the others.

"Haha~ It's just the annihilation of a few bandits, why should Prefect Xun go to such lengths to welcome us personally?"

Looking at the faces before him, some familiar and some unfamiliar, Li Jue couldn't help but step forward and greet Xun You, who was at the head of the group, with a smile and a fist and palm salute.

Xun You returned the greeting with a cupped hand and laughed, "Hehe~ Commander Li has been leading the army on an expedition for more than a month, and he has worked very hard in the desert. We should do the same!"

Moreover, Commander Li's expedition has quelled the bandits and reopened the trade route between our Han Dynasty and the Western Regions. This is a great achievement, and even His Majesty would be very pleased to know it, and would certainly reward him handsomely!

Li Jue waved his hand modestly, "Haha~ It's just a small matter, nothing to mention. I dare not presume to ask for Your Majesty's reward!"

Li Jue's performance made everyone present roll their eyes. Although Li Jue appeared humble on the surface, everyone could see his smugness, but no one dared to call him out on it.

"Haha~ Li Sima, welcome back in triumph! You must have suffered quite a bit on this trip, right? Your complexion is much darker than when you left!"

Zhang Ji, who was standing next to Xun You, also stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Jue, and greeted him with a smile.

"Sigh... yeah, that desert is such a horrible place. It's unbearably hot during the day and incredibly cold at night. I don't know how those people survive!"

Recalling the month-long journey and hardships endured in the desert, Li Jue couldn't help but complain about the living conditions of those bandits.

"So, those people from the Western Regions also lived in that kind of place?"

Upon hearing Li Jue's words, an official behind Xun You couldn't help but ask a question.

Xun You, standing to the side, laughed and said, "That's not true. The Western Regions still have many rivers and oases, and are rich in various resources, many of which are scarce in our Han Dynasty. It's just that we have had little contact with them in the past hundred years!"

Li Jue nodded. "Prefect Xun is right. The people of the Western Regions do indeed have a great many good things!"

Xun You and Li Jue's words immediately made the eyes of the merchants behind them light up. It seemed that this trip to the Western Regions to trade would definitely make them a fortune.

"This humble general greets Commander Li!"

After Li Jue and Zhang Ji exchanged a few pleasantries, Zhang Xiu stepped forward and bowed to Li Jue.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!