Just as he had done when he summoned Lü Bu and the others, Liu Hong once again explained to Dong Zhuo and the others his intention in drawing this map.
Facing this group of men from Xiliang, Liu Hong made no attempt to instill great power chauvinism in them, letting them know what imperial hegemony was and its various benefits.
Looking at the vast map of the Han Dynasty that encompassed all directions, and feeling the emperor's ambition that surpassed even that of Emperor Wu, Dong Zhuo and his men all bowed in submission.
The phrase "all of this is Han territory" filled Dong Zhuo and his associates with an unprecedented feeling.
The feeling is like following the emperor, expanding the territory, establishing an unprecedented and everlasting great cause, and laying a paradise for future generations to live happily ever after.
This feeling drove them to yearn for war, for iron and blood, and for dying on the battlefield.
Even in the afternoon, Dong Zhuo and his entourage, who had just emerged from Deyang Palace, could not hide their excitement.
Dong Zhuo raised his head slightly, his gaze drifting into the distance, and suddenly said, "The foreign races are useless to keep alive; they should all be exterminated!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others standing nearby were also stunned when they saw the cold glint in Dong Zhuo's eyes.
Li Jue then laughed and said, "Yes, Zhongying is right. The foreign races are useless to keep alive and should all be exterminated!"
Dong Zhuo turned and glared at Li Jue, saying coldly, "I'm serious!"
"I'm serious!"
Li Jue was still smiling.
"And us too!"
Guo Si, Fan Chou, and the others also laughed.
In late September, the five thousand youths who had passed the Imperial Guard's assessment all arrived in Luoyang, awaiting the official opening of the camp.
Wang Yue, the chief instructor of the Imperial Guard, returned to Luoyang with the 6,000 recruited youths from Hejian and the 6,000 from Guanzhong.
Liu Hong, acting unilaterally, incorporated these 12,000 soldiers into the Northern Army, thus initiating the reorganization of the Northern Army's five battalions.
Deyang Palace.
Liu Hong held a roster and carefully flipped through it. The roster clearly recorded the names, backgrounds, and skill evaluations of all the new recruits of the Imperial Guard.
Apart from the Xiahou brothers and Xu Chu, Liu Hong did not find any familiar faces on the roster.
But Liu Hong wasn't too disappointed. Although this year's Imperial Guard lineup wasn't as impressive as the previous one, they had all come through rigorous testing, so their skills were certainly not bad.
Most importantly, these new recruits are mostly from respectable families and small and medium-sized landowners. With them as the backbone of the future Han army, the loyalty of the army can be guaranteed.
On the first day of the tenth lunar month, the Imperial Guard officially opened.
Five thousand new cadets, arranged by the Imperial Guards, stood in orderly fashion on the training ground, gazing at the high platform in front of them, each with a hint of excitement on their face.
Looking around, there were many familiar faces, such as Chen Li and others who were eliminated last year, who have returned here once again.
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Just then, a powerful voice reached everyone's ears, and the new trainees immediately turned to look.
Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian, Dian Wei, and other members of the first class of two thousand students marched in formation towards them, led by a group of Imperial Guards.
"Amazing!!"
How did they do it?
Seeing the veteran trainees' synchronized steps, all the newcomers couldn't help but gasp, their eyes filled with shock and envy.
"Don't be envious, it won't be long before you're like that too!" Chen Li and the other eliminated contestants laughed as they looked at the stunned expressions on the newcomers' faces.
"Um!"
The newcomers nodded emphatically upon hearing this.
Soon, the first cohort of trainees stood still ten meters away from the new trainees, then turned right and gazed at the high platform in front of them.
The entire training ground fell silent instantly, with both new and veteran students waiting...
Outside the Imperial Guard Camp, a long procession was heading towards the camp gate.
Leading the procession was Liu Hong's imperial carriage, followed by instructors from the Imperial Guard, including Huangfu Gui, Li Ying, Wang Yue, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, and Zhang Xiu.
Next came the officers of various armies, including those of Lü Bu, Huangfu Song, and Dong Zhuo.
As they approached the camp gate, Lü Bu and his men looked up and saw two pillars on either side of the gate, each inscribed with:
"The strength of a nation lies in its military, and the strength of a military lies in its youth!"
Upon entering the camp, directly opposite the gate are two enormous human figure sculptures, each with a stone tablet in front of it.
After seeing the inscription on the stone tablet, everyone felt a deep sense of awe and respect for the two sculptures.
These two sculptures actually depict Wei Qing, a general during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, and Huo Qubing, a general of the Flying Cavalry.
The main reason Liu Hong ordered the statues of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to be erected in the Imperial Guard Camp was not only to set idols for these young people, but also to demonstrate his own ambition.
"His Majesty has arrived!!"
At the eunuch's shout, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and the other first-year students all turned their heads to look, and the new students on the other side followed suit, looking at the slowly approaching imperial carriage.
As the emperor's carriage drew closer, the boys' breathing became heavier.
The carriage stopped two hundred meters away from the boys. Under their expectant gazes, Liu Hong, dressed in crimson-gold armor and with the Emperor's Sword hanging at his waist, slowly stepped down from the carriage.
The moment they saw the emperor's attire, the young men present began to breathe rapidly with excitement.
Looking at the two rows of formations ahead, Liu Hong nodded slightly, then placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, his face serious, and slowly walked towards the high platform.
"Thump~ thump~ thump~"
The hearts of the crowd beat in unison with the emperor's every step.
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