Standing before the Deyang Palace, looking at the five hundred Imperial Guards soldiers lined up neatly in the square, Liu Hong revealed a proud expression. These were his most loyal soldiers.
Liu Hong then took a step and slowly descended the steps, followed closely by Jian Shuo and a dozen eunuchs.
The eyes of all the Imperial Guards soldiers followed the Emperor's movements.
Before long, Liu Hong slowly walked up to the group of Imperial Guards soldiers.
Liu Hong stared intently at the Imperial Guards soldiers before him, his expression cold and stern, and asked in a loud, deliberate voice, enunciating each word clearly:
"Tell me, who are you people?"
"Serving as the nation's wings, as numerous as a forest, they are called the Feathered Forest."
"To be soldiers of the Han dynasty, to be the emperor's henchmen!!"
Upon hearing the emperor's question, the five hundred Imperial Guards soldiers in the square gripped their weapons tightly and responded to their emperor with a loud shout.
Hearing the uniform reply from the Imperial Guards, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction.
"I have summoned you here today to give you a task!"
"Please give your orders, Your Majesty!!"
Liu Hong glanced around at everyone and said loudly:
"I intend to send you to the surrounding kingdoms to read my edicts, proclaim the might of the Han Dynasty, and make them submit to the Han Dynasty. This journey may be very dangerous. Are you afraid?"
"Don't be afraid!!"
The Imperial Guards shouted in unison, their eyes showing no fear whatsoever.
"Excellent!! You are truly worthy of being sons of the Han people. I am proud to have such personal guards as you!"
Looking at the resolute faces of the soldiers before him, Liu Hong couldn't help but be moved.
"I swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!!"
The emperor's personal praise and recognition thrilled all the Imperial Guards soldiers present.
Then Liu Hong asked loudly, "Do all the soldiers still remember Ban Dingyuan?"
"Remember!!"
Ban Dingyuan is a figure praised by every Han Chinese man, and the Imperial Guards, as the emperor's personal troops, are naturally well-known to them.
Liu Hong looked at the soldiers with a serious expression and said loudly:
“Your journey represents not only me, but also hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of millions of people of the Han Dynasty.”
When faced with the weapons of those who refuse to submit, we shall not fear death! Even in death, we shall defend the honor and dignity of our great Han Dynasty!
If you die fighting for the Han Dynasty, even if it means going thousands of miles beyond the Great Wall, I and your comrades will take up arms and go to avenge you!
"We swear to defend the dignity of the Han Dynasty to the death!"
As soon as Liu Hong finished speaking, a member of the Imperial Guard leading the team immediately raised his weapon and shouted loudly.
"We swear to defend the dignity of the Han Dynasty to the death!!"
Five hundred Imperial Guards followed closely behind, raising their weapons and shouting loudly.
The loud shouts echoed across the square of Deyang Palace. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and the blood-red cloaks behind the soldiers fluttered in the wind, creating a series of sounds that added to the solemn atmosphere.
A moment later, Liu Hong stretched out his arms and pressed down, and the shouts of the five hundred soldiers came to an abrupt end.
As the soldiers' shouts ceased, Liu Hong turned to look at Jian Shuo beside him.
"Jian Shuo!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Jian Shuo, who was standing nearby, quickly bowed and came to Liu Hong's side.
Liu Hong glanced at the soldiers and the dozen or so eunuchs, and said loudly:
“Go tell Lü Qiang to give each of them a reward of 10,000 coins, 5 bolts of silk, 10 boxes of refined salt, and 5 jars of imperial wine.”
At the same time, it is essential to write down the names and family information of every soldier and eunuch present.
If anyone sacrifices their life for the country, their family and children must be properly taken care of!
"promise!!"
Upon hearing Liu Hong's instructions, Jian Shuo responded loudly and then quickly ran back.
"We thank Your Majesty for your divine grace!!"
Upon hearing the emperor's bestowal of rewards and the arrangements for their funerals, everyone present bowed to Liu Hong with gratitude.
Liu Hong nodded solemnly and looked at the Imperial Guards and the dozen or so eunuchs present.
"Alright... Go on, I'll be waiting for you to return!"
"promise!!"
The crowd responded in unison, and then the dozen or so eunuchs holding the imperial edicts stood in front of the Imperial Guards soldiers and chose their respective escort teams.
Soon, a dozen or so Imperial Guards escorted the dozen or so eunuchs away from Luoyang, heading towards the Western Regions, Eastern Qiang, Western Qiang, Yuezhi, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, Three Han, Goguryeo, as well as the southeast and southwest.
Not long after the Imperial Guards escorted the eunuchs away from Luoyang, the contents of those imperial edicts were circulated out of the palace.
The emperor's forceful demand that vassal states offer women to the Han Dynasty to serve as concubines for his officials and generals immediately caused an uproar.
People were shocked by the emperor's domineering remarks, and countless young people echoed his sentiments, feeling that only such remarks were in line with the strength of the Han Dynasty.
Of course... those imperial edicts also aroused many people's longing for the emperor and their desire to serve under him, because those were the women the emperor wanted for his officials and generals.
Such an understanding and caring emperor is worthy of their dying for!
All the officials in the court began to write memorials of gratitude to Liu Hong, praising the emperor's benevolence.
Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong sat quietly at his desk, lost in thought. All the things he had said to Xi Zhicai earlier, all the excuses he had made, were just a prelude and a cover-up.
On the surface, he issued such an edict to seek revenge, to avenge the humiliation suffered by his ancestors, and to cultivate the vengeful character of the Han men.
At the same time, it also puts into practice his saying: "Even a feud spanning ten generations can be avenged."
Some hatreds cannot be forgotten. If our ancestors could not resolve them, then we, their descendants, are responsible for sending those people to meet our ancestors.
However, his real purpose was to subtly change and manipulate people's thoughts. This time, Liu Hong can be said to have used everyone, including Xi Zhicai.
This was Liu Hong's planned ideological "infiltration" scheme.
In Liu Hong's view, the most attractive things in the world are nothing more than power, wealth, and beautiful women.
Ideological education, loyalty, national and global perspectives, and all that nonsense about integration are just supplementary means.
Only when all his civil and military officials obtained and enjoyed power, wealth, and beautiful women from that foreign land can people's greed be aroused.
Greed is the greatest driving force. Only a greedy nation will constantly think about developing and growing stronger, and only in this way can it stand at the top of the world.
In fact, looking at the history of the rise of the Chinese nation, it is basically a history of blood and tears of the surrounding ethnic groups.
Because our ancestors were greedy, wanting to cultivate more land and ensure a better life for their descendants, they expanded from a small place to the vast territory we have today.
This time, forcing foreign tribes to offer their women was merely the beginning of his plan.
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