North of Luoyang, a troop of Imperial Guards, carrying an edict drafted by the Imperial Secretariat and stamped with the Emperor's seal, escorted a batch of supplies allocated from the national treasury to Youzhou!
"Tsk tsk tsk! General Huangfu is truly remarkable, annihilating seven thousand enemy soldiers in a single battle! He only suffered a loss of a little over five hundred men!"
"Yes! General Huangfu was ennobled after one battle, achieving great merit and fame!"
"And that Lü Bu, he's a true young hero, reaching heights that others can never achieve in their entire lives at such a young age!!"
"Yes! I also heard that his hometown was massacred by the Xiongnu, and he once ventured alone into the grasslands, killing hundreds of Xiongnu people! Truly admirable!!"
"No wonder he built a mound of corpses around those barbarians!!"
Outside Luoyang, watching the departing procession bestowing rewards, everyone felt a mix of envy and admiration for Huangfu Song and Lü Bu, and sighed with emotion.
Bingzhou Camp
After Lü Bu's great victory, Zhang Huan initially hesitated for a long time about whether to report Lü Bu's victory to the court.
The construction of the Jingguan (a mound of stones) could be a big or small undertaking. If the imperial court approved it, it would be a great achievement; if not, it would be troublesome!
However, upon hearing that the Emperor had issued an urgent edict to Huangfu Song and dispatched four thousand of the Emperor's personal guards to assist him in annihilating the Northern Wuhuan people as soon as possible, and combining this with the Emperor's secret letter, Zhang Huan keenly perceived the court's attitude.
Zhang Huan then sent a report of Lü Bu's support operation to Luoyang as a victory.
Zhang Huan, Lü Bu, Ding Yuan, Gao Shun, and several others gathered in the central command tent.
"Judging by the days, more than ten days have passed since the good news was sent. I suppose... the imperial court should have replied by now!"
Ding Yuan, sitting at the lower end of the table, looked at Zhang Huan, who was sitting in the commander's seat, his words and expression carrying a hint of worry.
"Hmm~, it should be soon...!"
Zhang Huan's expression was somewhat heavy, and his slightly furrowed brows revealed his unease.
Zhang Huan received news of the great victory in Youzhou several days ago. Now that the northwest and northeast regions of the Han Dynasty are safe, the imperial court's instructions should have arrived by now, according to the emperor's secret letter!
Ding Yuan pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Could something have happened in Luoyang...?"
Lu Bu, however, remained calm and said in a deep voice, "With His Majesty here, what could possibly happen...?"
Lu Bu seemed indifferent to Ding Yuan's concerns, clearly having great confidence in the emperor. In his view, the emperor was wise and powerful, and there was nothing the emperor could not solve.
"No, no, no, what I mean is, could it be that Fengxian's actions disrupted His Majesty's plans...? You know... building a mound of skulls is tantamount to declaring war! After all, the Emperor's plan is to use the steppe people to annihilate them...!"
Ding Yuan did not refute Lü Bu's words, but instead expressed his concerns.
“Jianyang’s words make sense! The Emperor cherishes his soldiers and does not want to increase casualties. Building a mound of skulls can certainly boost the morale of our Han army and people, but it also puts His Majesty in a dilemma!”
The problem Ding Yuan mentioned was exactly what Zhang Huan was most worried about.
Building a mound of skulls is fine, but it would be inappropriate to spread the news of victory now, since the emperor's plan is to use some resources to wipe them out.
Now that the mound of Jingguan has been built, the eyes of the Han army and people are all on this place. The Han army has no choice but to send troops!
After all, the emperor had already sent him a secret message, instructing him on how to eliminate the Jie people, yet he still reported the construction of the Jingguan (a mound of corpses) to the emperor as a victory!
From a normal person's perspective, this is no longer about seeking credit; to put it more seriously, it is clearly about coercing the emperor to change his plans.
On the surface, the emperor might not say anything! He might even bestow rewards, but the consequences of this matter...
Thinking to the end, Zhang Huan couldn't help but sigh. What he was most worried about was not the reprimand, but the fear that it would arouse the emperor's displeasure and suspicion.
"Alas, this is all my fault for being so vain! I was too eager to prove my Bingzhou army to others, but I overlooked the biggest problem!!"
As he spoke, Zhang Huan glanced at Lü Bu with an apologetic look in his eyes.
He was old, but it didn't matter. However, if Lü Bu aroused the emperor's displeasure and suspicion because of this, then Lü Bu's bright future would be completely ruined, and all of this would be his own doing!
As Zhang Huan finished speaking, Lü Bu's expression shifted, and he understood Zhang Huan's concerns.
Immediately, Lü Bulang said, "General, you are overthinking it. I believe His Majesty is so wise that he would not have any unnecessary thoughts!"
Thinking of the halberd bestowed upon him by the emperor, Lü Bu still had full confidence in the emperor. He did not believe that the emperor was the kind of person who was mean-spirited and ungrateful, or even cunning and treacherous.
"Hmm~, Fengxian is right! Perhaps I'm overthinking it..."
Although Zhang Huan and Liu Hong hadn't had much contact, based on their correspondence over the past year, Zhang Huan felt that Liu Hong wasn't the kind of suspicious person.
"Report!!"
Just as Zhang Huan and the others were worrying, a messenger suddenly rushed in.
"What is it?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhang Huan's expression shifted.
"Reporting to the General, a letter has arrived from Luoyang, saying that His Majesty suddenly fell into a coma half a month ago..."
"What?! His Majesty is unconscious?"
Before the messenger could finish speaking, the expressions of the four people in the tent all changed.
Lü Bu immediately stepped forward, grabbed the messenger by the collar, stared at him with bloodshot eyes, and said sternly:
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