Led by Huang Zhong, Gongsun Du, Gongsun Zan, and Ma Teng, the well-equipped Imperial Guards and four thousand soldiers of the Northern Army gathered north of Luoyang.
Since Liu Hong took control of the Imperial Guards and the capital region troops, in addition to sending and promoting a large number of young officers, he has spent a lot of money to build these two forces that are exclusively his own.
The four thousand soldiers now in charge of the northern expedition have been equipped with superior warhorses transferred from the three prefectures of You, Bing, and Liang.
Each person had a standard crossbow meticulously crafted by the Research and Manufacturing Bureau hanging on their right waist, a standard long sword made of fine iron hanging on their left waist, and a standard long spear slung on their back.
In particular, the armor worn by these four thousand soldiers was extremely well protected, whether at the neck, shoulders, chest, or joints. The golden armor plates shone brightly in the sunlight, making the entire army look like heavenly soldiers descending to earth.
The armor worn by the soldiers was the Mingguang Armor, which Liu Hong had long ago ordered the craftsmen of the Research and Manufacturing Bureau and the Imperial Household Department to meticulously craft through a standardized assembly line.
The Mingguang Armor was difficult to forge and very expensive. Because he was worried that it would affect other research in the Research and Manufacturing Department, Liu Hong did not urge them too much. So after several months of careful work, only a little over five thousand sets were made.
Now that these four thousand soldiers are about to embark on a northern expedition, Liu Hong waved his hand and brought out these bright armors, one for each soldier.
Besides its excellent defensive capabilities, the main reason why the Mingguang Armor is so popular is because it looks incredibly cool. Such a cool suit of armor undoubtedly has a strong appeal to those passionate young people.
Countless scholars, commoners, students, and wandering knights flocked to the scene, eager to witness the splendor of the emperor's personal guard and the elite troops of the Han Dynasty.
The crowd watching the proud and spirited Han soldiers couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Such a mighty and powerful army is truly admirable!"
Among the crowd, some young students and wandering knights looked at the soldiers on horseback with shining eyes, and couldn't help but feel longing.
At this moment, they couldn't help but fantasize about what it would be like to one day wear such majestic and imposing armor, ride a powerful warhorse, and gallop through enemy lines. How glorious that would be! Even if it meant dying, it would be worth it.
The Imperial Guard and the Northern Army were respectively the emperor's personal guard and the army responsible for protecting the safety of the capital region.
They are rarely mobilized unless there is a national war or a particularly serious crisis.
Even the last time Liu Hong sent Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng to the grasslands to collect debts, he only sent them secretly.
However, this time the emperor mobilized nearly a third of his forces to fight against the Northern Wuhuan. Despite such a large-scale mobilization, not a single civil or military official in the court stood up to object.
They all knew that the main reason for this expedition against the Northern Wuhuan, besides demonstrating the might of the Han Dynasty, was because there was coal there.
Only by frightening the Northern Wuhuan people can the powerful families associated with them feel secure in purchasing and transporting coal, and in return, the powerful families will reap huge benefits.
As the last squad of Imperial Guards arrived, Huang Zhong, appointed by Liu Hong as the commander-in-chief, looked at Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, and Gongsun Du beside him.
"Bo Gui, Shou Cheng, and Sheng Ji, have you all assembled yet?"
Gongsun Du nodded. "Reporting to General Huang, my troops have completed their assembly!"
Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng, who were standing to the side, did not answer, but simply nodded slightly. It seemed that the two of them were still very dissatisfied with Huang Zhong.
"Set off!!"
Huang Zhong merely glanced at Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng, then gave a loud shout and led the team northward.
Gongsun Du, who was standing nearby, quickly spurred his horse to catch up.
Among the young generals recruited by Liu Hong, only two of them had experience in expeditions to the grasslands. According to their guesses, the commander-in-chief this time should be one of the two of them, but the emperor chose Huang Zhong, who had never led troops before.
This inevitably made Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng feel somewhat uncomfortable, but since it was the emperor's appointment, they naturally dared not question it too much, much less disobey it.
Seeing Huang Zhong walking ahead, Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng exchanged a glance and quickly led their respective subordinates to follow closely behind.
Just as these four thousand soldiers set off, the caravans organized by powerful families to purchase coal also arrived and followed closely behind, choosing to travel north with them.
Although they might not be able to keep up with the cavalry's marching speed, with the deterrent effect of this army, the bandits along the way would probably not dare to show their faces again, and they would feel much more at ease.
Not long after the group left, and before the crowd had dispersed, a fast horse galloped in from the northwest.
The messenger on horseback saw a large group of people at the city gate not far away, and excitedly shouted:
"A great victory!! A great victory for our army!!"
"A great victory? Where was the great victory? Our troops have only just set out, haven't they?"
Upon hearing the messenger's shout, the people gathered at the city gate all paused for a moment, then turned to look in unison.
A messenger, looking travel-worn, came rushing in, and the crowd on the periphery quickly made way for him.
Upon approaching, the messenger reined in his horse, then took out Duan Jiong's battle report and raised it high with one hand.
The messenger, his face flushed, shouted:
"The various tribes of Dongqiang dared to offend the might of our great Han Dynasty. Marquis Dingbian was ordered to lead an army to suppress them. Our army of 6,000 men fought a decisive battle against the 7,000 men of the various tribes of Dongqiang within Dongqiang territory."
The seven thousand troops of the Eastern Qiang tribes have been completely annihilated by our army!
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