Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

In a little while.

"Brother," she suddenly said, "sometimes I really envy Lady Zhaoji."

Liu Ce's heart tightened: "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"

"She can marry you openly and honestly."

He Lian's voice was very soft, "And I... can only do it secretly."

Liu Ce remained silent.

There is no solution to this problem.

He Lian is the Empress, and as long as Liu Hong is alive, she can only be the Empress forever.

Even if Liu Hong is dead, she is still the Empress Dowager and cannot remarry.

"but,"

He Lian raised her head and smiled. "I'm already very content with this. At least... in this room, I'm not the Empress, and you're not the Marquis of Champion."

Liu Ce hugged her tightly.

After a brief moment of tenderness, He Lian got up and put on her armor.

After donning her armor, she reverted to her dignified and majestic queen persona.

"I should go," she said. "I've been out for too long; the palace will become suspicious."

As she reached the door, she glanced back at Liu Ce, her expression complex.

"Brother, take care."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left.

Liu Ce stared blankly at the ceiling.

This life is... both exciting and dangerous.

In the governor's mansion in Jinyang City, Bingzhou, Governor Zhang Yi was handling official business.

A servant came in to report: "My lord, the imperial envoy has arrived."

Zhang Yi didn't even look up: "What is it?"

"They said they needed to recruit someone."

"Who?"

"Lü Bu".

Zhang Yi paused for a moment, then looked up: "Lü Bu? That minor military commander (made up, it's unclear what his rank was at this time)?"

He had an impression of Lü Bu; he was quite tall and supposedly quite skilled in martial arts, but he was just a minor military officer, nothing more.

"Just let him go." Zhang Yi waved his hand. "Take the imperial envoy to the military camp to look for him."

The servant obeyed and left.

In the military camp, Lü Bu was training his soldiers.

He is in his early twenties, nine feet tall, and somewhat handsome, but his eyes are a bit fierce.

"Lord Lü! Someone is looking for you!"

Lu Bu put down his halberd and went over to take a look. He saw a man in official robes with two guards behind him.

"You are Lü Bu?" The imperial envoy sized him up.

"Exactly."

"Accept the imperial decree."

Lu Bu was stunned for a moment, then quickly knelt down in the direction of Luoyang.

The envoy unfurled the imperial edict and read aloud:

"An imperial edict was issued in the eighth month of autumn in the first year of the Zhongping era:"

I, by the mandate of Heaven, rule over all lands. I have heard that Lü Bu, the military commander of Bingzhou, is brave and strong, skilled in riding and archery, and renowned for his agility. Now, Liu Ce, the Marquis of Champion and General of Chariots and Cavalry, is to be stationed in Youzhou. The borders are fraught with danger, and military affairs are extremely difficult. Youzhou is vulnerable to the barbarian invasions and needs a brave general to assist in its defense. Therefore, I hereby appoint Lü Bu as an aide under Liu Ce, under his command, to assist in quelling the border troubles.

Buyi shall immediately proceed to Luoyang by express courier to await his orders, without delay. Any delay will be punished according to military law.

The Lord will carry it out.

Lu Bu was completely stunned after hearing this.

Liu Ce, the Marquis of Champion?

The Marquis who burned down Changshe, killed Bo Cai in battle, and defeated Zhang Bao in a one-on-one duel?

Liu Ce, whom His Majesty personally referred to as "Imperial Brother" and who was granted the titles of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and General of the Cavalry?

He wants to transfer me to his command?

"Lord Lü, receive the imperial decree," the messenger reminded him with a smile.

Lu Bu then came to his senses, kowtowed, and accepted the imperial edict with both hands, his voice trembling slightly:

"This humble general... Lü Bu obeys the decree! Thank you for Your Majesty's great favor. This humble general will obey the decree and dare not disobey!"

After the messenger left, Lü Bu remained kneeling on the ground, staring at the imperial edict in his hand, unable to believe it was real.

Colleagues gathered around, chattering amongst themselves:

"Fengxian, congratulations!"

"Fengxian, this is going to be a great thing!"

"Under the command of the Champion Marquis! A bright future awaits!"

"Under the command of the Marquis of Champion! That's quite something!"

"I've heard that the Marquis of Champion treats his subordinates extremely well; the four generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Dian Zhi are all his sworn brothers!"

Lu Bu stood up, gripped the imperial edict tightly, and his eyes gleamed.

He came from a humble background and, despite his abilities, he was never successful in Bingzhou and could only serve as a military officer.

Now the opportunity has finally arrived!

Champion Marquis Liu Ce... that's his idol!

Lu Bu grinned at those around him:

"That's it! That's it!"

"Pack your things! We're leaving for Luoyang tomorrow!"

At the same time, in Yangdi, Yingchuan, at Guo Jia's home.

Guo Jia had just turned sixteen this year. He was thin and pale. He had always been in poor health and suffered from a cough.

But his eyes were bright, revealing a cleverness.

He had just received the imperial edict and seen the messenger off when he sat in the courtyard, staring at the edict for a long time.

"Champion Marquis Liu Ce..." Guo Jia muttered to himself, "Interesting."

He remembered Liu Ce.

Some time ago, news came from Luoyang that the Marquis of Champion had written two poems at Zuichunlou, which shocked the literary world.

Later, he uttered the four phrases "to establish a heart for heaven and earth" at the Cai residence, which were regarded as the Confucian classics.

It's rare to find a military general with such excellent poetry and prose.

Even more unusually, this man was deeply trusted by His Majesty and was granted the titles of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, General of the Cavalry, and Governor of Youzhou at a young age.

Now they want to conscript me to his command?

He stood up and paced around the yard.

Should we go or not?

Logically speaking, one should not refuse a summons from the imperial court.

But he is in poor health, and Youzhou is a harsh and cold place; he might not be able to endure it.

but……

Guo Jia recalled the rumors about Liu Ce: the fire attack with only 100,000 troops, his one-on-one duel with Zhang Bao, the fall of Guangzong in a single night...

This person doesn't seem to play by the rules when it comes to fighting.

"Interesting." Guo Jia laughed. "Let's go take a look. There's no point in staying in Yingchuan anyway."

He decided to go to Luoyang.

When Jia Xu received the imperial edict, he was studying at his hometown in Wuwei.

He is in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

But his eyes are deep-set, and he always looks at people with a scrutinizing gaze.

After reading the imperial edict, Jia Xu remained silent for a long time.

He had heard of Liu Ce, the champion.

A rising star who emerged during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he is said to be highly favored by the Emperor.

Are you to be conscripted to Youzhou?

Jia Xu's first reaction was to refuse.

He is cautious and dislikes taking risks.

Youzhou is too chaotic; the Xianbei and Wuhuan could attack at any time, so it's not safe.

However, the imperial edict was stamped with the imperial seal, and not going would be considered disobeying the imperial decree.

Jia Xu sighed and began packing his luggage.

Go ahead and see how things go.

If that champion is unreliable, then we'll find a way to get out of this mess.

(Liu Ce: It has to be you, Jia Wenhe)

When Huang Zhong received the imperial edict in Nanyang, he was teaching his son Huang Xu how to shoot arrows.

He is in his thirties, the prime of his life.

He was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and also had excellent swordsmanship; he was very famous in the Changsha area.

"Liu Ce, the Marquis of Champion?" Huang Zhong was a little surprised.

He knew Liu Ce; after all, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had caused such a huge uproar that Liu Ce's military exploits had long been known throughout the land.

But he didn't expect that the champion would specifically ask for him.

"Father, are you going?" Huang Xu asked.

He is fourteen years old this year and is in poor health, often getting sick.

Huang Zhong looked at his son and hesitated.

Going to Youzhou is a long journey. Can my son's body handle it?

But the imperial edict could not be disobeyed.

"Let's go." Huang Zhong finally decided, "Xu'er, I'll take you to Luoyang. There are many doctors in Luoyang; perhaps they can cure your illness."