Liu Jin heard these words, let out a soft 'oh,' and scrutinized him once more.
His imposing physique was no less than Guan Yu's, so it was no wonder his strength was so formidable.
However, Lü Bu was still relatively young at the moment, and the immense aura emanating from him was terrifying; it was unclear if he was at his peak.
He felt a bit hesitant, considering extending an olive branch to recruit him for his own use, to cultivate him into a trusted confidant.
He wondered if he could rein in the other party's unruly nature.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided to treat him courteously, to see if he could genuinely move Lü Bu. As for whether he could be cultivated into a trusted confidant, that could be discussed later.
Even if it didn't work out, he would let him go, to stab Dong Zhuo in the back.
Liu Jin, with a benevolent expression, patted Lü Bu's shoulder and said with a smile!
"Indeed, you possess a valiant and skilled fighting spirit. Keep up the good work, General thinks highly of you."
"If you perform exceptionally, General will surely recommend you to the imperial court."
Lü Bu was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Could it be that Liu Jin had taken a liking to him? His legs trembled slightly, and he almost couldn't resist immediately bowing down and pledging his undying loyalty.
However, he still suppressed it and quickly said respectfully!
"Thank you, Lord, for your high regard. This subordinate will certainly serve diligently."
Liu Jin nodded with a smile, then instructed Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others to consolidate the troops in the army and unify their command, lest any more problems arise.
Upon returning to the main tent, Liu Jin prepared to lie down on the bed and sleep again, as he had been woken up early in the morning and felt a bit listless.
The moment he lay down, footsteps were heard outside the tent again.
Liu Jin's face showed a helpless expression, and he sat up from under the covers again.
Zhao Teng pushed open the tent flap, walked in, and said in a clear voice!
"Reporting to Lord!"
Liu Jin's spirits lifted upon seeing Zhao Teng's arrival.
He knew that he had sent Zhao Teng here in advance to investigate the movements of the surrounding bandits. Now that he had returned, he should have some intelligence.
He quickly asked!
"De Hu, have you perhaps investigated the surrounding bandits?"
Zhao Teng nodded and immediately reported the intelligence he had gathered during this time!
"Lord, there is a band of bandits in the Wuyuan Commandery territory. Their strength is not very strong, estimated to be around a thousand people, all gathered in the Qingping Mountain area. They can be easily suppressed."
"The only troublesome area is Shang Commandery, which is a gathering place for surrounding bandits. There are dozens of bandit groups, large and small. The powerful ones command several thousand troops, while the weaker ones also have a few hundred."
"Some bandits even dare to attack and conquer cities, carve out their own territories, and call themselves various Generals or kings."
"Even the commandery troops of Shangdang Commandery appear somewhat powerless against these bandits and are simply unable to suppress them."
"After all, these bandits occasionally coordinate their actions, sometimes mobilizing several thousand cavalry. Although their strength is not exceptional, they come and go like the wind, raiding and then fleeing, making it very difficult for government troops to suppress them."
After hearing this, Liu Jin's brows furrowed slightly. He had known before coming that the bandits here were extremely rampant.
It seemed he had underestimated these people. They dared to attack and conquer cities and declare themselves kings, which was indeed somewhat arrogant.
However, it was also within reason. Bing Province itself was in chaos, and the imperial court's administrative ability was very weak, even lacking any prestige.
And these bandits had dominated this area for several years, even decades, still living very comfortably, so their courage had also grown significantly. It was quite normal for them to call themselves Generals or marquises.
Little did they know that in next year's You Province rebellion, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju would even dare to declare themselves Sons of Heaven and defy the imperial court, their arrogance even more rampant than these bandits.
Getting back to the main topic, if he wanted to suppress the Xiongnu, it seemed he would first have to free up his hands to deal with the internal bandits.
If he went on an expedition and they caused trouble in the rear, it would not be a good thing.
He immediately ordered his personal guards to send someone to invite officials above the rank of Qian Shi to the main tent to discuss matters.
A moment later, footsteps outside the tent began to sound continuously. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Tian Feng, Cheng Yu, and others walked in one after another.
There were already more than a dozen people seated in the military tent, all Generals and strategists of the army.
After seeing everyone assembled, Liu Jin did not beat around the bush but spoke in a clear voice!
"I have invited you all here to discuss one matter: to first pacify the bandits within Shang Commandery and Wuyuan Commandery, stabilize the internal situation, comfort the common people, and then dispatch troops to suppress the various Xiongnu tribes."
Everyone nodded upon hearing this. They had already discussed this strategy before coming: to pacify the internal before dealing with the external.
After seeing that everyone understood, Liu Jin informed them of the previously gathered information, including the specific strength of the bandits and their gathering places.
All the Generals frowned upon hearing this, appearing somewhat surprised. They had not expected the number of bandits here to be so large, having already formed a considerable scale.
Lü Bu, sitting among the crowd, seemed relatively unconcerned upon hearing this. As a man who grew up in the borderlands, he was intimately familiar with bandits.
If one day he didn't hear any news of bandits, he would actually be somewhat surprised.
Because in the borderlands, in addition to frequent raids by foreign tribes, there were also bandits who plundered and pillaged, causing harm that was no less than, and even sometimes worse than, that of the foreign tribes.
After seeing that everyone understood, Liu Jin began to select the Generals for the expedition from the crowd. After some thought, he spoke in a clear voice!
"Zhao Yun will lead his two thousand troops to suppress the Wuyuan Commandery bandits. It is imperative to eliminate them all within one month."
Upon receiving the order, Zhao Yun immediately stood up and bowed!
"This subordinate obeys."
The eyes of the other Generals showed anticipation. Although suppressing bandits was not a great achievement, a mosquito, no matter how small, was still meat. Being able to get something was not bad.
Liu Jin looked at their expectant eyes and chuckled, his clear voice continuing!
"Guan Yu, Wu Xing, Zhang Fei, Lü Bu, and others will lead their respective troops and follow General to Shang Commandery to suppress the surrounding bandits and bring peace to the region."
"As for the rest, they will lead their respective troops to guard Wuyuan Commandery, drill the soldiers, and investigate the movements of the various Xiongnu tribes."
Everyone who received the order stood up, clasped their hands, and said in a clear voice!
"We respectfully obey Lord's command."
Liu Jin nodded and immediately ordered everyone to go and assemble their respective troops and prepare provisions. Without further delay, the army would depart today.
The sound of the bugle soon rang out. Guan Yu's three thousand cavalry, Lü Bu's one thousand troops, Zhang Fei's two thousand troops, and Wu Xing's two thousand divine archers, a total of eight thousand soldiers.
They soon left the military camp and headed south along the road towards Shang Commandery.
A few days later!
The army had arrived in the territory of Shang Commandery and was currently resting in a valley.
The sun hung in the sky, its scorching rays shining down.