Thus, the entire army of the Northern Expedition, with a tacit understanding, advanced at an extremely slow pace.
Along the way, every time they passed through a county town, Liu Hong would order a halt and then lead his men to inspect the local development.
As the saying goes, only the people inside a house know whether it leaks or not; similarly, only the common people know whether a country is doing well or not.
After several days of visiting the people, Liu Hong gained a deeper understanding of the new policies and reforms of the Han Dynasty and the further demands of the people.
At the same time, Liu Hong also began to plan the specific framework for the next five-year plan.
As for the specific details of the new five-year plan, Liu Hong left them all to Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhang Zhao, Zhong Yao, Zhou Yi and others who accompanied him to discuss and draft it.
After a slow march of ten days, the Northern Expedition passed through Julu and Anping, finally arriving in the territory of Hejian.
Upon learning that the emperor was about to arrive in Hejian, the people of Hejian were immediately in an uproar.
It was now October 25th, and the weather in Hejian, which was near Youzhou, was already extremely cold.
Snow began to fall heavily from the sky at some unknown time.
At this time, the roadsides in front of the south gate of Hejian were already crowded with people who came to welcome the emperor.
Hejian is the current emperor's vassal state, and these people now consider themselves the emperor's maternal relatives. Naturally, they showed the greatest enthusiasm for the emperor returning to his maternal home.
The howling north wind, the falling snowflakes, and the cold weather could not dampen the people's warm hearts.
The official road, which was originally covered with snow, was cleared by the people themselves, creating a passageway for fifteen days.
The vanguard and the central army, which arrived first in Hejian, also dispatched 5,000 Hejian soldiers, who stood guard on both sides of the road in bright armor.
At this moment, the snow was still falling, and the officials and people of Hejian were covered with a layer of white frost.
But they were completely oblivious to all of this, still staring wide-eyed at the south.
Before long, amidst everyone's anticipation, a red banner with a golden dragon, symbolizing the emperor, appeared in everyone's sight and slowly approached Hejian.
As the banner became clearer, the welcoming procession outside the city grew increasingly quiet, with only the whistling wind remaining.
Looking out at the familiar yet somewhat blurry scene from the carriage, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
Liu Hong was especially moved by the people who had transformed into snowmen.
As the procession walked along the path cleared by the local people, Liu Hong dismounted from his carriage and mounted his chestnut horse, slowly making himself visible to them, and headed towards Hejian.
Many of the old men from Hejian who had served the Marquis's household couldn't help but shed tears as they looked at Liu Hong, who had now grown into a young man.
"Welcome, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
As Liu Hong approached, a huge cheer suddenly erupted from the welcoming party.
Immediately afterwards, from near to far, all the people, officials, and soldiers cheered together, and the whole world echoed with the same sound for a long time.
The members of the personal guard, including Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei, who were following behind Liu Hong, couldn't help but feel an unparalleled sense of glory as they watched the emperor sitting upright on his horse, receiving cheers from the crowd.
Amidst deafening cheers, Liu Hong led his personal guard battalion and ten thousand Imperial Guard soldiers into Hejian City. Subsequently, the transport, engineering, and medical teams following behind were also properly accommodated.
Walking on the smooth streets of Hejian City, looking at the shops lining both sides of the street and the people who always wore happy smiles, Liu Hong felt extremely satisfied.
After entering the city, Liu Hong met with Prefect Li Yu and local officials at the Prefect's residence.
Li Yu, who had once been Liu Hong's local official, led a group of subordinates with a nervous expression to report to Liu Hong on all the political affairs within Hejian.
This included the construction of official granaries, industrial development, schools, water conservancy, roads, and bridges, almost all of which were synchronized with Luoyang.
Whether it was the imperial court's five-year plan, various reforms, or commerce and trade, the officials of Hejian always actively and tirelessly implemented them.
After listening to the report, Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction.
"You have all done a great job. I am very relieved to entrust Hejian to you. I hope that you will continue to do so in the future and bring benefits to the people of this region."
"Your Majesty, we will certainly do our utmost and live up to your expectations."
Upon hearing the emperor's praise and recognition, Li Yu and the officials at all levels in Hejian were overjoyed.
Then, in front of everyone, Liu Hong bestowed titles and rewards upon all the officials of Hejian, both high and low.
"Your Majesty, some wealthy merchants from Hejian City wish to come and pay their respects, hoping to catch a glimpse of Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty will grant them an audience?"
In his excitement, Li Yu also reported the demands of those wealthy merchants to Liu Hong.
In the past, it was something that merchants would never have dared to dream of, but now that the emperor values industry and commerce, they have seen a glimmer of hope.
Therefore, before Liu Hong arrived in Hejian, they donated a large amount of money and grain to the Hejian government, hoping to pay homage to the emperor.
Liu Hong smiled and nodded: "Let them in."
Soon, local merchants, led by Zhang Qian, also arrived at the prefectural governor's mansion with utmost respect.
"We pay our respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, and may the Han Dynasty live ten thousand years."
No need for formalities.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After exchanging greetings, the group of merchants suppressed their excitement and stood quietly in front of Liu Hong.
Seeing the tense expressions on the faces of the crowd, Liu Hong asked with a smile, "Have you all come here to see me because of some difficulty? Or do you have any opinions about the current state of industry and commerce?"
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