Subsequently, Liu Hong and the four ministers held detailed discussions on the construction of the new city.
Suddenly, Hu Guang spoke up and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, what should this new city be named?"
Hu Guang's meaning was clear: since it had been decided to include that area in the territory of the Han Dynasty, the best way to assert sovereignty was for the Han court to rename the area.
Liu Hong smiled and looked at the four of them, "How about we name it Chengde?"
Chengde?
The four people in the hall exchanged glances and began to ponder the meaning behind Liu Hong's naming.
Cao Song kept muttering the words "Chengde" to himself, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he said excitedly:
"Chengde, inheriting the virtue of Heaven and benefiting all people, what a good name, what a good name!"
Upon hearing Cao Song's words, the other three realized that there seemed to be such a meaning.
Li Ying said, "Inheriting the might of the Han Dynasty, suppressing the barbarians of all directions with virtue, and subduing people with virtue, it is indeed a good name!"
Hu Guang and Yuan Feng also cited classical texts and clarified the facts, each expressing their own opinions, using extremely complimentary and laudatory language. In short, they all said that the name Chengde is good and wonderful!
Liu Hong, standing to the side, looked at the four ministers in front of him with some astonishment. He had only borrowed the name from the future, yet these old men could still imagine so much.
Just like those so-called masters in later generations, who would casually prick a few times on a piece of paper with a syringe, drawing cheers from all sides, there would always be someone who could come up with a set of arguments for in-depth analysis.
So the root of this story is here?
Thinking of this, Liu Hong couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "I had no intention of doing this, but you all have imagined it too much!"
Cao Song then asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, after Chengde is completed, to which prefecture will it belong?"
Upon hearing Cao Song's question, Liu Hong replied without hesitation, "It will not belong to any prefecture, but will be directly under the administration of the imperial court! The imperial court will directly appoint officials and dispatch troops!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Hu Guang and the other three all agreed with Liu Hong's proposal.
Chengde New City is a major military town that will become commercialized in the next few years, and its importance is self-evident. It is indeed inappropriate to hand it over to the local government for management.
Subsequently, Li Ying, Hu Guang, Yuan Feng, and Cao Song racked their brains and made detailed plans and predictions from the perspectives of military, politics, economy, and future development.
Liu Hong also benefited greatly from listening to the four ministers' eloquent speeches.
About an hour later, all the issues concerning the construction of the new city had been discussed and resolved. Then, the most important and crucial question was presented to everyone.
That was the Northern Wuhuan.
Li Ying spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, if we are to build a new city in Chengde, then Huangfu Song's actions need to be changed!"
Liu Hong nodded and said in a deep voice, "Yes! The Grand Commandant is right. Originally, in order to balance the power of the Northern and Southern Wuhuan, we were only going to support the Southern Wuhuan. But now we need him to fight a brilliant annihilation battle to deter them!"
"Your Majesty is right! Only through a military victory can our Great Han seize the initiative!"
Li Ying agreed with the emperor's words and then said, "However, this will leave the five thousand cavalrymen led by Huangfu Song somewhat stretched thin!"
"Send two thousand Imperial Guards and two thousand Northern Army soldiers on this trip!"
"Your Majesty, is this inappropriate?"
Upon hearing that the Emperor actually intended to dispatch the Imperial Guards and the Northern Army, Li Ying looked at Liu Hong with a worried expression.
After all, the Imperial Guards and the Northern Army were responsible for the safety of the Emperor and the capital, and under normal circumstances, they could not be moved lightly!
Li Ying's biggest concern was that both armies were the emperor's elite forces, and Huangfu Song, as a local general, would have difficulty commanding them.
"Hehe~ There's nothing wrong with it!"
In response to Li Ying's concerns, Liu Hong laughed and said, "They are all troops of the Han Dynasty. I will personally issue the order, and they will all be under the command of Huangfu Song. Grand Commandant, there is no need to worry!"
"In that case, let's do as His Majesty wishes!"
Having said that, Li Ying no longer insisted.
After some discussion, the two imperial edicts for the expedition issued by the Ministry of Personnel were handed over to Wang Yue, the General of the Imperial Guards, and Song Feng, the Commander of the Imperial Guards.
In an instant, the Imperial Guards and the Northern Army were in an uproar.
Upon learning this news, the generals immediately approached Wang Yue and Song Feng to request permission to lead an expedition against the Northern Wuhuan.
Faced with a group of young generals eagerly volunteering for battle, Wang Yue and Song Feng were at their wits' end.
Just as the two were at a loss for what to do, four imperial edicts personally signed by Liu Hong were delivered to Huang Zhong, Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, and Gongsun Du.
Upon receiving the imperial edict to lead the expedition, the four men excitedly summoned their respective subordinates and, as required by the emperor, assembled them all at the drill ground of the Imperial Guard Camp.
Seeing the neatly arrayed Imperial Guards and Northern Army soldiers in front of the reviewing stand in the center of the training ground, the young men standing behind them were filled with envy and longing, especially Cao Cao in the crowd, whose eyes were filled with fervor.
"His Majesty has arrived!!"
With a loud shout from the eunuch, all the soldiers and boys lined up in front of the reviewing stand turned their heads to look.
As Liu Hong's carriage came into view, their gazes followed the emperor's carriage slowly.
Before long, the emperor's carriage stopped 100 meters away from the reviewing stand.
Seeing the stopped carriage, the soldiers and boys couldn't help but breathe faster.
The moment Liu Hong lifted the carriage curtain and appeared in everyone's sight, it inevitably caused an uproar.
Because in their eyes, the emperor was actually wearing military attire today. The fact that the emperor appeared before them in military uniform showed how much he valued them.
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!!"
As Ma Teng shouted first at the front of the formation, the rest of the crowd joined in with a loud shout.
A smile appeared on Liu Hong's face as he walked towards the reviewing stand, raising his right hand to wave to his soldiers.
On the reviewing stand, Liu Hong looked at the soldiers and the group of teenagers below who were constantly shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and nodded in satisfaction.
Liu Hong then stretched out his hands and pressed them down. In an instant, everyone stopped shouting and looked up at Liu Hong on the stage with burning eyes.
With the Emperor's Sword hanging at his waist, Liu Hong wore gilded armor tailor-made for him by Mo Shang and others. Under the sunlight, the armor shone brightly, making him appear majestic and sacred.
This reminded those present of a rumor that had been circulating in the palace not long ago.
It is said that in the palace, someone saw the emperor suddenly travel to the heavens one day, and his body was radiating seven-colored divine light, as if a god had descended to earth.
For a moment, the gazes of all the soldiers and young men present toward Liu Hong were filled with deep awe and a touch of fanaticism!
Liu Hong, standing on the stage, nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the expressions on the faces of the audience.
Clearly, his outfit today had a significant visual impact.
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