Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment before looking at the hall and asking, "What do you all think of this matter?"
The civil and military officials in the court nodded in agreement.
Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song both had a certain foundation in the court, and there were quite a few people who supported them.
Especially with the endorsement of the Grand General, naturally no one would jump out to object, unless they didn't want to get along in the court.
Seeing that the civil and military officials in the court all agreed to appoint the two as commanders with imperial authority, Liu Hong had no intention of wasting words and immediately declared in a clear voice, "Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, you two step forward and receive your orders!"
"Effective immediately, I appoint you two as Left Route Zhonglang General and North Route Zhonglang General, leading tens of thousands of troops to quell the Yellow Turban."
Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, among the crowd, although their expressions were relatively calm, showing the dignity of high officials, their hearts were somewhat excited.
That was a commander with imperial authority; if they could quell the Yellow Turban, being enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed as a general would be no problem.
The two immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, your subjects will certainly do their utmost to quell the Yellow Turban as soon as possible and bring peace to the Han Dynasty."
Liu Hong nodded slightly, then looked at the other civil and military officials in the court, and asked indifferently, "Does anyone else have anything to report? If not, court is adjourned today."
The civil and military officials in the court whispered among themselves for a while, having nothing to report.
Seeing this, Liu Hong immediately prepared to wave his hand, signaling everyone to begin adjourning court.
Just then, urgent footsteps were heard from outside the hall, followed by a loud shout, "Report!"
"Urgent news from Youzhou!"
The civil and military officials in the hall trembled upon hearing this, all having a bad feeling.
Now was the time when the Yellow Turban was rampant in various places, and the urgent report from outside was not good news; could it be that Youzhou had also lost cities and territory?
Even the Grand General showed a hint of a sigh in his eyes, not expecting that before the army had even set out, a report of defeat had arrived, which could easily affect the morale of the army.
He wondered whether this expedition would be a good or bad thing.
If Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi were defeated, as their recommender, he would not escape blame; even if he wasn't demoted, he would probably fall out of favor with His Majesty.
Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, had originally finalized the strategy, and quelling the Yellow Turban was only a matter of time, so he was in a rather good mood.
Now, hearing this urgent report, his stable mood instantly became filled with apprehension.
The civil and military officials in the court looked sharply towards the outside of the hall, many praying for good news, not bad news.
Otherwise, His Majesty would surely fly into a rage again, scolding them mercilessly.
The imperial guard who walked in, seeing the gazes of all the officials in the court fixed on him, couldn't help but feel apprehensive, even finding it difficult to move.
This group of people before him were all high officials in the court, capable of shaking the entire Luoyang city with a stomp of their foot.
Just then, a solemn and majestic voice echoed, "What urgent report is there from Youzhou? Report the news to me!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial guard immediately knelt on one knee, cupped his fists, and declared loudly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Wen Shu, the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery in Youzhou, and other officials have jointly submitted a memorial."
"Cheng Yuanzhi, one of the thirty-six Qu Shuai of the Yellow Turban, led an army of fifty thousand to besiege Zhuo Commandery city. Wen Shu led the soldiers of the commandery to defend the city."
"His subordinate general, Liu Jin, led the army, achieving continuous victories and annihilating them outside the city."
"A total of over thirty thousand enemies were slain, nearly ten thousand were captured, the Yellow Turban in Zhuo Commandery was swept away, and even the Yellow Turban leader Cheng Yuanzhi was killed on the spot."
As soon as this news broke, the civil and military officials in the court widened their eyes, filled with surprise.
They hadn't expected this news not to be a report of defeat, but rather an unprecedented great victory; with the commandery's forces, they had managed to annihilate forty thousand in Zhuo Commandery.
Everyone's faces were filled with excitement; with this good news, His Majesty would surely not be angry, and they no longer had to worry or be afraid.
Even He Jin, the Grand General at the head, subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that it was a great victory, which could not only boost morale but also reassure His Majesty.
Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, still had a somewhat gloomy expression and didn't react for a moment; he had originally intended to curse loudly and dismiss all the officials in Youzhou.
But then he heard that it was a great victory, with a total of over forty thousand enemies annihilated, and even the Yellow Turban leader Cheng Yuanzhi killed.
His gloomy face instantly turned joyful, and laughter slowly emerged, "Hahahaha!"
"Wen Shu and that Liu Jin performed very well; I am very pleased."
The officials in the hall saw His Majesty laughing heartily and completely relaxed.
Since the Yellow Turban rebellion two months ago, His Majesty had always worn a sullen face, looking at everyone as if they owed him millions.
After a hearty laugh, Liu Hong returned to normal, his face still majestic, and he looked at the people in the hall, saying gently, "Since the Yellow Turban rebellion, this is the first report of victory to arrive, and also the first time such a splendid great victory has been won."
"Since this is the foremost merit, please tell me how I should reward them."
He Jin, the Grand General, did not hesitate, immediately stepped forward, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, since the founding of our Han Dynasty, rewards have always been given for merit and punishments for transgressions. To annihilate over forty thousand enemies, Wen Shu, the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery, is worthy of being enfeoffed as a marquis, demonstrating Your Majesty's boundless grace."
"This way, it can encourage officials in various regions to bravely kill enemies and serve the court."
Upon hearing this, all the officials in the court nodded; enfeoffing a marquis was not unexpected.
After all, Wen Shu was a high official of two thousand shi, had some foundation in the court, and now had achieved military merit; enfeoffing him as a marquis was indeed no problem.
Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, nodded upon hearing this, also agreeing.
His majestic voice slowly came out, "Since that is the case, then enfeoff Wen Shu as Tinghou (Marquis of Pavilion) of Loyalty, with a fief of a thousand households."
He then looked at Liu Jin, who was mentioned in the battle report, which somewhat surprised him. He hadn't expected this brave and skilled general to be merely a Military Marquis; his official position was indeed a bit low and didn't quite catch his attention.
He immediately glossed over this matter, leaving it to his subordinate officials to handle.
However, he later added a few large characters, stating that he was a member of the Han Dynasty imperial clan, a descendant of Liu Liang, the King of Zhao.
He became very interested, not expecting such a prodigy to emerge from the imperial clan.
The King of Zhao's lineage was very close to the imperial family; they had once assisted Emperor Guangwu in restoring the Han Dynasty and rebuilding the empire.
Thinking of this, Liu Hong decided to mention it in the court; at the very least, it could provide some support, and as long as he performed outstandingly, he could be greatly reused in the future.
In his heart, members of the imperial clan were still relatively reliable; as long as there were those with outstanding abilities, he was willing to promote them.
With a gentle cough, Liu Hong's voice continued, "That Liu Jin, as the commanding general, achieved continuous victories and rendered immense meritorious service in this great battle."
"I have decided to promote him to Commandant, and he shall lead his troops to rendezvous with Lu Zhi's forces, obeying orders to encircle and suppress the Yellow Turban in the north."
"What do you all think?"