Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

He Jin coughed and said, "Well... the Marquis of Champion is indeed a capable fighter. But he's in Youzhou, how can he possibly take care of Bingzhou? And what about Bingzhou...?"

Yuan Kui's mind raced at this moment.

The old fox squinted, stroked his beard, and his mind raced with calculations. Liu Ce's power was expanding too fast and should indeed be curbed, but now that the Xianbei and Goguryeo were invading, it was a perfect opportunity. The various Xianbei tribes had joined forces with Goguryeo, and an army of 100,000 was coming to invade... It was just the right time to send Liu Ce.

If he wins, all his soldiers will be wiped out; if he loses, it would be best if he dies on the battlefield; if he doesn't die, it would be a good opportunity to punish him...

That's perfect!

Yuan Wei quickly stepped forward, wearing an expression of "sharing the nation's burdens," and bowed to Liu Hong, saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Lu's words are absolutely right! Now, there is no other way! We can only ask the Marquis of Champion to send troops to defend against the enemy! He has been guarding Youzhou for a long time, is familiar with the border terrain, and his soldiers are brave and invincible. They will surely be able to stop the combined forces of the Xianbei and Goguryeo!"

These words sound grand and dignified, but those in the know understand—they're pushing Liu Ce into a fire pit.

But the other ministers didn't care about any of that; they just wanted to solve the problem.

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes!"

Previously wary of Liu Ce's power, the aristocratic officials now couldn't wait to praise him to the skies, saying, "The Marquis of Champion is loyal and steadfast, and as His Majesty's brother, he certainly won't stand idly by while Youzhou and Bingzhou are plundered!"

"Your Majesty, issue an imperial decree immediately, granting the Marquis of Champion full authority over the troops in the northern frontier, and also allocating him with provisions! As long as he takes action, a great victory is assured!"

At this moment, Liu Hong had no time to think about balancing power. His mind was filled with thoughts of Youzhou and Bingzhou—those were his money bags! How much gold and silver did the trade in Youzhou's fine salt, wine, and paper contribute to his Western Garden every year? Although Bingzhou was poorer, it also had mineral resources! If they were robbed, he would lose his fine salt, wine, and paper. How would he survive then?

He slapped his thigh immediately: "Issue the imperial decree! Issue the decree quickly! Order Liu Ce to have full command of all troops in Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou! Tell him to send troops immediately and drive back the Xianbei and Goguryeo barbarians! If he wins, I will reward him with a thousand taels of gold and promote him to a higher rank!"

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Grain and provisions... The national treasury is empty because of the suppression of the rebellion in Liangzhou, and the money in the Western Garden cannot be touched! Issue an edict to increase the grain levy for the border troops in the four prefectures of You, Bing, Qing, and Ji by three liters per mu! Also, transfer 30% from the local treasuries and send it to the northern frontier!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi became anxious.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!" he cried urgently. "The people are already suffering; adding more taxes will only breed resentment! The Western Garden has accumulated tens of millions in wealth; it should be used to pay the army's expenses to stabilize morale!"

Liu Hong's face darkened, and he waved his hand to interrupt: "My mind is made up! No need for further words!"

What a joke! Xiyuan's money is his private stash. It's not easy for him to save up money. How could he possibly touch it?

Fearing he might be a step too late, he urged, "Where are the people who drafted the decree? Hurry! Send it to Zhuoxian and the other prefectures by express courier! If Liu Ce is a step too late, and Youzhou and Bingzhou are lost, I'll skin you alive!"

The person drafting the decree quickly spread out yellow silk and prepared to grind ink. His hands trembled so much he could barely hold the brush, and he finally finished writing and affixed the imperial seal.

Two imperial edicts were issued: one to Liu Ce, ordering him to take command of the troops in three prefectures and send them out to defend against the enemy; the other was sent to each prefecture, ordering them to increase the collection of grain and provisions.

It was sent out by express courier, covering a distance of 800 li.

The ministers also breathed a sigh of relief—at least the blame had been shifted.

Regardless of what you think in your heart, at least on the surface, the problem is "solved".

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As for whether Liu Ce can withstand the 100,000-strong allied army... that depends on his ability. If he can, everyone can continue to enjoy their lives in Luoyang; if he can't... well, we'll see.

Looking at the sun outside the palace, Liu Hong's heart was pounding with anxiety. He kept muttering to himself, "Bolue, my good brother, you must hold on! Don't let the barbarians seize Youzhou and Bingzhou! Otherwise, I won't be able to enjoy myself anymore..."

His tone and expression were just like a gambler who had bet everything he had.

...

One week later, deep in the grasslands.

Liu Ce was unaware of the drama unfolding in Luoyang, and even if he had, he would have simply laughed it off. He was currently busy with one thing: raiding the Xianbei stronghold.

The three thousand elite cavalrymen of Jingse have been brought out. This cavalry force truly lives up to its reputation as an elite reward from the system; all are heavily armored, and their warhorses are tall and powerful, making them like a moving city wall when they charge.

Liu Ce was accompanied by Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Luo Cheng, and Taishi Ci. The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun scout ahead, the Eight Hundred Dragon Cavalry guarded the central army, and the Three Thousand Jingse Iron Cavalry brought up the rear. Although their numbers were small, their combat power was off the charts.

More importantly, there was no problem with food supplies.

Liu Ce's system space is filled with supplies: food, fodder, water, salt, medicine... whatever you need.

Therefore, this army marched extremely fast, without waiting for logistics or finding supplies. When they were hungry, they would take food from their spatial storage, and when their horses were tired, they would change horses.

(Liu Ce: My troops are unimpeded! Unimpeded!!!)

In seven days, they had penetrated deep into the grasslands and captured six Xianbei tribes along the way.

Now, it's the seventh one.

This is a medium-sized tribe with about five thousand people, including four or five hundred soldiers. The tribe lives by the water, with tents densely packed together and herds of cattle and sheep grazing nearby.

Most of the able-bodied men were transferred south, leaving behind mostly the elderly, women, children, and a small number of cavalrymen to guard the homes.

They never expected that the Han army would penetrate deep into the grasslands—logically, the Han army was defending the borders, how could they possibly have come to the heart of the grasslands?

So when Liu Ce's army came into view, the tribesmen thought it was some Xianbei tribe coming to visit.

Until I could clearly see the flag—the large black banner with the character "Liu" in gold, and the distinctive Han army armor.

"Enemy attack!!!"

The piercing alarm sounded, and the tribe was thrown into chaos.

The men grabbed bows and arrows and scimitars and charged out, while the women and children hid in the tents, and the old man, trembling, tried to reach for his horse...

But it was too late.

"Dragon Cavalry, left flank! Jingse Iron Cavalry, right flank! Yanyun Eighteen Riders, infiltrate!" Liu Ce, seated on his black horse, pointed his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, "Kill! Leave no one alive!"

"kill!!!"

More than 3,800 cavalrymen descended the mountain like tigers and pounced on the tribe.

Liu Ce took the lead, his black horse as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed to the edge of the tribe.

A Xianbei man had just drawn his bow and hadn't even had a chance to release an arrow when he was swept away by the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, his chest caved in, and he died on the spot.

Dian Wei's twin halberds danced like a whirlwind, leaving men and horses in his wake. Xu Chu's broadsword cleaved, each swing sending up a shower of blood. Luo Cheng's silver spear moved like a dragon, targeting vital points like the throat and heart. Taishi Ci's twin halberds flew, his arrows never missing their mark.

The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun were even more terrifying—eighteen men, eighteen curved swords, moving through the crowd like ghosts, specifically targeting tribal leaders and warriors; with a flash of sword light, a head would inevitably fall.