Inside the Imperial Guard Camp, five thousand youths were divided into fifty groups and gathered on the training ground.
Everyone stood there with solemn expressions, looking at their respective team leaders in front of them, or more accurately, at the list in their team leaders' hands.
On the high platform, Huangfu Gui, Xi Zhicai, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, Wang Yue and others looked at the young people below with regret in their eyes.
"Sigh... let them begin!!"
Seeing that it was almost time, Huangfu Gui sighed and then nodded slightly to Xu Rong beside him.
"yes!"
Xu Rong nodded, then stood up and walked to the front of the platform, slowly scanning the crowd with his gaze.
"Fellow students!!"
Upon hearing Xu Rong's shout, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Everyone knew that what was coming had finally arrived, and all eyes turned to Xu Rong.
"Eight months have passed since the Imperial Guard Camp opened... These eight months have been tough and difficult... I have witnessed your growth and progress."
"You are indeed the most outstanding youths of our Great Han Dynasty, but... you are still far from meeting His Majesty's requirements! According to His Majesty's orders... those youths of the Imperial Guard who achieve satisfactory results will remain, while those who perform poorly will be eliminated..."
As Xu Rong finished speaking, most of the boys showed a hint of disappointment and nervousness on their faces.
"Attention!!"
Upon hearing Xu Rong's loud shout, everyone once again straightened their heads and looked straight ahead.
"Alright! Now, each group leader will announce the list of those eliminated!"
The drill ground fell silent, and the group leaders picked up their lists and began to read them aloud.
At the front of the tenth group's queue, the group leader glanced at the list in his hand, and then looked at a boy at the back of the queue.
"Chen Li!"
When Chen Li heard his name called by the team leader, he was stunned for a moment and stood there with a look of astonishment on his face.
He was an illegitimate son of the Chen family of Yingchuan. He had worked hard to enter the Imperial Guard, hoping that he could become a member of the emperor's personal guard and make contributions, thus gaining the attention and recognition of his family.
During training, he gritted his teeth and persevered, never falling behind! While his results weren't the best, they certainly weren't the worst either. He just couldn't understand what he had done wrong to be the first to be eliminated!
"Chen Li, step forward!!"
Seeing Chen Li standing there motionless, the leader of the tenth group frowned and loudly called out his name again.
"yes!!"
Chen Li then came to his senses, stepped forward, and walked to the side, his face revealing his disappointment and dejection.
At the same time, the other boys, like Chen Li, whose names were called, all lowered their heads and stood out of the line, gathering on the open space to the right!
In the end, more than 3,000 teenagers stepped out of the ranks and stood aside, while those who were lucky enough to stay behind turned to look at their comrades who had trained hard together, their eyes filled with reluctance.
After the eliminations were over, Xu Rong stood up again and went to the front of the platform to look at Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Dian Wei and others who were still in the same place.
Xu Rong then shouted loudly, "Imperial Guard!! All personnel, attention!! Right turn!!"
"Whoosh! Smack!"
Everyone rotated their bodies ninety degrees in unison, and then faced their eliminated comrades.
"You once lived under the same roof, ate from the same pot, and trained together for the glory of your team... But... the reality is cruel. His Majesty cannot bear to see those who lack ability lose their lives on the battlefield in the future, so... you have no choice but to eliminate them!!"
Xu Rong gathered his strength and shouted, "Now!! Salute to your departing comrades and brothers!!"
"salute!!"
Immediately, Yuan Shao shouted, and Cao Cao and the others clenched their right fists and then pounded them heavily on their chests.
"Bang!"
The eliminated teenagers returned the favor in the same way.
The two sides looked at each other, seeing familiar faces and hearing Xu Rong's speech. Everyone was overwhelmed with emotion, and many even had tears in their eyes and their noses tingling.
Although it was tough and difficult here, they just couldn't bear to leave. They couldn't bear to leave the strict instructors, the comrades they trained with, the opponents they had fought so hard to defeat, the cold, hard bed, they just couldn't bear to leave...
What they were most reluctant to part with was the glory they had once shared and the oath they had made before the emperor.
"Sigh... these kids are at the most innocent and passionate stage of their lives!!"
Looking at the boys on the training ground, Huangfu Gui on the high platform couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes! They are all promising talents, it's such a pity to eliminate them like this!"
Zhu Jun, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.
Just as Huangfu Gui, Zhu Jun, and the others were feeling sentimental, Song Dian, a young eunuch, hurriedly arrived. Zhang Xiu, dressed in the attire of a Yulin Lang (Imperial Guard), held a white dragon spear and followed behind Song Dian.
"I greet the Imperial Guard General and all the instructors!"
Song Dian approached Huangfu Gui and the others with a respectful expression.
"You're too kind! May I ask what brings you here, Attendant Song?"
Huangfu Gui smiled as he looked at Song Dian, but his gaze was fixed on Zhang Xiu behind Song Dian.
"General Huangfu, His Majesty has ordered me to come and read the imperial edict!"
As he spoke, Song Dian took out a brightly lit imperial edict and held it in his hand.
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