On this morning, as the sun rose, a procession of over 3,600 soldiers from the Imperial Guards and the Northern Army, clad in gleaming armor, shone brightly in the sunlight on the official road north of Luoyang.
At the front of the group, Huang Zhong, Ma Teng, Gongsun Zan, and Gongsun Du also advanced side by side.
A tall rider carrying a large red flag with black borders bearing Chinese characters walked in front of the four people, his face revealing an air of arrogance.
Behind the ranks, the soldiers on horseback also stood tall and looked ahead.
A member of the Imperial Guard from Luoyang also rode a fast horse and galloped toward Huang Zhong and his men.
Huang Zhong and his men at the front of the column saw the Imperial Guards rushing towards them from the direction of Luoyang. The four of them exchanged glances, thinking that the emperor must have sent some orders.
"Halt the march!!"
With a loud shout from Huang Zhong, the marching troops slowly came to a halt.
Upon getting closer, Huang Zhong and his companions recognized the newcomer as one of the emperor's personal guards.
"His Majesty has decreed that the four generals may delay their march and arrive in Luoyang in two hours!"
"We will obey His Majesty's decree!"
Although Huang Zhong and the other three were somewhat puzzled as to why the emperor had asked them to postpone their entry into the city, they did not ask any further questions.
After the Imperial Guard left, Huang Zhong ordered the entire army to slow down its march once again.
After the caravan had traveled for two hours, Luoyang was already in sight.
"Phew~, we're finally back!!"
Looking at the tall and magnificent city wall of Luoyang at the end of the road, Ma Teng couldn't help but exhale and a smile appeared on his face.
"Yes! They've been away for so long! I wonder how those kids are doing with their training!"
Huang Zhong, on horseback, couldn't help but think of the young men in the Imperial Guard.
Although Gongsun Du and Gongsun Zan did not speak, their faces showed undisguised excitement.
As early as when Huang Zhong and his men were more than 20 miles away from Luoyang, Liu Hong had already sent people to spread the news.
Upon learning of the triumphant return of the Imperial Guards' Northern Army, countless young people in the city excitedly rushed outside the city to witness the triumphant army's glory.
Even the Imperial Guard trainees were sent out by Liu Hong so that they could experience it for themselves.
Under the arrangement of Wang Yue and Song Feng, the young men of the Imperial Guard and the Tiger Guards responsible for maintaining order formed a human wall and lined up on both sides of the official road.
Behind them was a welcoming party composed of countless scholars, students of the Imperial Academy, academy students, young wandering knights, scions of noble families, and ordinary citizens of the city.
By this time, the roadside was packed with people, numbering over 30,000 at a glance. The crowd stretched for over a mile from south to north, and the streets leading to the South Palace were also crowded with people.
A temporary high platform was erected in front of the South Palace, and thousands of Imperial Guards stood guard around the square.
Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong, unusually, did not handle government affairs, but instead sat upright on the imperial throne in full military attire.
Chen Fan, Hu Guang, Yuan Feng, Cao Song, Xun Shuang, Yang Qiu, and other high-ranking officials in the court were also dressed in official robes and sat upright to the right of Liu Hong.
On the left are a group of young people dressed in fine clothes, including Xi Zhicai, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhou Yi, and Zhang Zhao.
Everyone, including Liu Hong, remained silent with solemn expressions, their eyes fixed on the outside of the hall.
One after another, Imperial Guardsmen entered and exited Deyang Palace, reporting to Liu Hong the latest movements of Huang Zhong and others.
"Your Majesty, our soldiers returning from the northern expedition are less than five li from Luoyang. Countless civilians have spontaneously formed welcoming crowds that have filled both sides of the roads inside and outside the city! Everyone is filled with excitement!"
"Okay! Let's investigate!"
"promise!"
Liu Hong couldn't help but smile, then looked at Chen Fan, who was sitting at the head of the table on his right.
"Grand Tutor! It seems that the people of our Han Dynasty are very welcoming to our victorious soldiers! Haha!"
"Indeed! Now, after decades, the Imperial Guards and the Northern Army have returned victorious once again! The people of the Han Dynasty are naturally proud and eager to witness the splendor of our mighty Han army!"
Hearing the emperor's hearty laughter, Chen Fan looked pleased, and everyone in the hall also wore a smile.
At this moment, a group of young students outside the city were all standing on tiptoe, constantly looking towards the north.
Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating the event, a large Chinese character flag slowly appeared in their sight.
"They're here! They're here...!"
Upon seeing the Han army flags, the crowd watching outside the city immediately stirred.
Everyone instinctively pushed forward, and the Tiger Guards and Imperial Guards youths responsible for maintaining order immediately joined hands to form a human wall, blocking the crowd on both sides of the official road.
"Ouch~, Zhongkang, hold on tight, don't lose me!!"
In the crowd, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Chu also held hands and squeezed forward. The commotion just now almost pushed Xiahou Yuan out of the way.
"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"
Xu Chu responded, then with a strong grip on Xiahou Yuan's hand, he lunged forward.
"Ouch~, be gentle, you're squeezing me too hard!"
With a forceful pull from Xu Chu, Xiahou Yuan felt a cracking sound in his palm and couldn't help but cry out in pain.
However, Xu Chu in front seemed not to hear, and continued to pull Xiahou Yuan forward. The three of them were in a more chaotic position than other places.
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