The earthquake destroyed five county towns in Zhao County, and nearly fifteen other surrounding counties suffered varying degrees of damage. The number of people affected reached 800,000, with more than 40,000 dying directly.

Fortunately, the imperial court reacted quickly, recruiting a large number of folk healers in addition to the 30,000 students of the medical school, which prevented more people from dying from injuries.

In addition, the local government granaries and official granaries had ample grain reserves, and the tragic scenes of widespread suffering and cannibalism commonly seen in historical records did not occur.

After leaving Zhao County, Liu Hong did not rush back to Luoyang, but instead went to other counties in Zhao Prefecture to check on the post-disaster reconstruction.

In every county they visited, Liu Hong and his soldiers received a warm welcome from the local people.

Hundreds of thousands of rescue workers remain in the disaster area to help the victims rebuild their homes.

Around the disaster-stricken counties, various factories and workshops have begun to be built, and people can start working in the factories once their houses are repaired.

When meeting with disaster victims and officials, Liu Hong followed the example of the old man from later generations and left behind the four words "Adversity strengthens a nation".

Liu Hong taught the people and officials to be self-reliant and fight actively in the face of disasters, and put forward the concept of national cohesion.

This disaster caused great losses, directly emptying the treasuries and granaries of Zhao County and several surrounding counties, and reducing the national treasury reserves by 20%.

But for Liu Hong, the unseen gain was even greater, because this disaster deeply imprinted the nation's memory of overcoming difficulties into the minds of the people.

On June 1, after inspecting the last disaster-stricken county, Liu Hong led his army on the road back to Luoyang. Following behind Liu Hong were more than a dozen copies of the "Letter to the People" sent by all the disaster victims.

Upon learning that the emperor was setting off to return to the capital, Luoyang erupted in jubilation.

Because Chang Le Palace and the imperial court have announced that after the emperor returns to the capital, preparations for the empress's investiture ceremony will begin immediately.

In the past, the emperor's marriage and the establishment of an empress were not matters of great concern to the common people, but the current emperor is an exception.

In the past, it was because the people did not know the emperor. What did the affairs of the royal family have to do with us ordinary people?

But things are different now. With newspapers and storytellers in various places, not to mention Luoyang, even the people of the entire Sili region and the surrounding prefectures and counties, who doesn't know the Emperor's name?

Because of reverence, there is concern. The emperor coming of age, getting married, and having children is a major event concerning the future of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, the emperor's lifelong marriage was of great concern not only to the empress dowager, the holy mother, and the old ministers in the court, but also to the common people.

Without the imperial court issuing any orders, the people themselves began to make preparations, with each household taking out their treasured red cloth and starting to cut clothes.

In the words of the common people, it meant that everyone should wear red to celebrate the emperor.

In no time, all the red cloth and various festive items in the cloth shops in Luoyang were snapped up.

Not only the royal textile and dyeing factories, but also workshops in the surrounding areas received a large number of orders for red cloth. The workers in the factories and workshops worked overtime day and night, but the supply still could not meet the demand.

At this moment, after several years of accumulation, the people's spending power completely shocked everyone.

Countless merchants and workshop owners also desperately spent large sums of money to hire craftsmen and begin researching better and faster textile and dyeing techniques.

The emperor's marriage indirectly stimulated the development of the local textile and dyeing industries.

The empress hasn't even been appointed yet, and people are already preparing for your wedding. This made Liu Hong both amused and exasperated.

June 15th.

At the North Gate of Luoyang, the bustling crowds packed the open spaces on both sides of the official road so tightly that no one could get through, and the long queues stretched for more than ten miles.

The same was true inside the city; the roads from the North Gate to the South Palace were also crowded with people.

Among the crowd were farmers, craftsmen, students, merchants, as well as the elderly and children.

The civil and military officials, led by Chen Fan, also wore court robes and stood at the city gate according to their respective ranks.

The Imperial Guards, Tiger Guards, and Northern Army, who were the first to return from the disaster area, stood like javelins on both sides of the official road.

The Xiahou brothers and Xu Chu, this troublesome trio, have matured a lot after more than a year of training and this disaster relief effort, and now stand upright in their respective positions.

Suddenly, a huge cheer came from ahead, growing louder and louder, like a tsunami, surging towards the city gate. People looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising from the end of the road to the north.

Before long, the dust settled, and a large banner with red background and black characters appeared in the sight of the people and civil and military officials.

Beneath the great banner, the emperor, whom they had been waiting for, dressed in gilded armor and riding a pure white steed, slowly approached the crowd with imposing grandeur.

The soldiers on the northern expedition, clad in bright armor, followed the emperor with their heads held high.

"Welcome back Your Majesty in triumph!!"

As the emperor drew closer, a tremendous cheer rose into the sky.

The sun in the sky seemed to be startled and hid behind the clouds.

Liu Hong, returning victorious, also stretched out his hand with a big smile and waved to the people on both sides of the road.

Whenever Liu Hong looked in a certain direction, it would cause a commotion.

Seeing the majestic emperor, the young women in the crowd screamed repeatedly. If it weren't for the soldiers protecting them, they might have dared to pounce on him.

It took Liu Hong and his soldiers more than half an hour to walk the short ten-mile distance to reach the city gate.

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

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