The Tyrant's First 18th Chapter: No Offspring Doesn't Count for Anything

  In the third year of Jian'an, in spring.

  Ever since Liu Xuan announced that he would be touring the various commanderies of the northwest, the imperial court had been making preparations for this event.

  The Emperor's going on a tour is a big deal. If it were in peaceful times, the preparation work would take at least a year, let alone now when the war is raging and the Emperor's safety is even more of a concern. When they heard that the Emperor only allowed General Huang Zhong to lead 500 men to follow him, most people disagreed.

  At least let Lü Bu bring the Hu Bao army with him to make them feel at ease.

  However, several people in the imperial court who knew Liu Xuan's true strength remained silent. For example, Cao Cao, Lü Bu or Xun Yu, they knew how powerful the Son of Heaven was, and even thought that even if the Son of Heaven himself wandered around alone, it was estimated that no one could hurt him.

  But the identity of the Son of Heaven is vastly different. The attendants who follow him are not there to protect the emperor, but rather to display his imperial status and position.

  Five hundred men, showing off their momentum was enough, so these people didn't mention any suggestions, but the leader unexpectedly chose that Huang Zhong, which did surprise everyone.

  Cao Cao thought that the Emperor's use of people seemed to have his own ideas, and it was not that he would use whoever was recommended by his subordinates. Sometimes, some unknown people were appointed, while those with a bit of talent and reputation were not taken into consideration, and it was unclear what standards the Emperor used to appoint people.

  "Could it be... that he's looking at that person's innate talent for cultivation?"

  It seems that the people chosen by the Emperor all have a natural talent for cultivation. Perhaps this is Liu Xuan's standard for choosing people.

  "It's not unreasonable to think that if the Son of Heaven really achieves immortality, he would naturally want to cultivate some immortal assistants, otherwise, constantly selecting talent would be enough to give him a headache."

  At this point, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel fortunate that he seemed to have a good destiny, at least able to enter the emperor's eyes, not only rising rapidly from then on, but also getting countless opportunities that people can't even dream of.

  He indulged in wild fancies here, while Lü Bu on the other side thought otherwise: "Judging from the Emperor's tone, it seems there won't be any battles this year. What a good opportunity to cultivate myself!"

  If it were in the past, Lü Bu would never have considered this matter, but now it's completely different. Since Liu Xuan ascended to the throne, the world seems to have changed suddenly. Everything he was familiar with has been overturned one after another, replaced by some brand new and unfamiliar things.

  Lü Bu needs time to digest and adapt... At the same time, he also starts thinking about whether the cultivation method can be passed on to his family members.

  Lü Bu was infatuated with his family, and Liu Xuan had known this for a long time. So when the court meeting dispersed and Lü Bu came to ask about the matter, Liu Xuan wasn't surprised at all.

  "Who is ready to be taught?"

  For a moment, it seemed that the Emperor's words might actually be acceptable? Originally, Lü Bu had thought that the Emperor would definitely not agree, after all, the cultivation method was so precious, and even if it were only passed on to him alone, it would already be an enormous favor.

  "This... I wish to instruct your wife and young daughter!"

  Lü Bu had no sons, currently only one daughter. According to the customs of that time, it would not be wrong to say that he had no descendants (Cai Yong once said in a memorial that he had no descendants when Cai Yan was already there), but Lü Bu did not take these things seriously, and his own daughter was also deeply loved, saying that she asked her husband to practice the art of longevity for herself, and most of the reason was still hoping that her own daughter could live forever.

  As for becoming stronger and more powerful, he didn't think much of it. A girl playing with swords and guns as a hobby was just that, couldn't be taken too seriously, and he didn't expect his own title as the greatest general in the land to be inherited by his daughter.

  "Oh! That's normal too, let Feng Xian go back and teach himself."

  This was all within his plan, after all, he had so many men under him, all of whom were hot-blooded and vigorous. Was it possible to let a group of old masters live forever without letting them have family by their side? Wouldn't such a large group of old masters get together and cause trouble every day?

  If that's all, it would be fine. But what Liu Xuan really fears is that a group of men will get together and burst out with bromance, which would be devastating.

  Besides, with the ties of family, these civil and military officials are equivalent to having a place to return to, and they will not have any disloyal thoughts. At the same time, when enemies come to attack, in order to protect their loved ones, they can also burst out with even greater strength - but this point is ineffective for Liu Bei.

  "Right, Feng Xian doesn't have to focus solely on teaching his own family members, he should also take some time to teach the Hu Bao Army!"

  Liu Xuan's words came out, and Lü Bu was directly stunned: "Your Majesty means..."

  "Yes, the Hu Bao army is now one of the few elite forces in the world, but for me, it's just a fledgling, and only when every soldier starts to cultivate and master the basic skills will it be considered a true elite force."

  Now that the war horses have been upgraded, the soldiers should also become stronger. He doesn't expect everyone to become as powerful as Lü Bu is now, but at least they shouldn't be useless like weeds.

  By that time, perhaps we won't need to send out too many troops. Just a few elite units like the Hu Bao and Hu Bao will be enough to sweep across the land - even if it's the Southern China of the Yellow Turban thieves, they probably won't be able to gain any advantage against an army composed entirely of cultivators.

  "Besides... who knows if that old devil from Nanhua won't also come up with something like this."

  Perhaps Nan Hua is not talented in governing the people, but Liu Xuan will never underestimate this guy when it comes to cultivation. After all, he has relied on his own ability to cultivate some skills on this Earth that does not have a high-end cultivation civilization, and can be considered one of the top existences on this planet. To say that he is not clever, Liu Xuan definitely won't believe it.

  What he could think of, Nan Hua might not have thought of. Although he didn't know how Nan Hua would solve the problem of allowing soldiers or generals to increase their strength within a short period of time, Liu Xuan also had to consider this possibility.

  Of course, he still has enough confidence in the gap between the two sides' strengths. Even if Nan Hua really had similar means, it would be absolutely incomparable to himself, so he will not adjust his strategic direction and continue to move forward step by step.

  While talking to Lü Bu, he raised his hand and gestured for Lü Bu to follow him.

  At this time, the court had just dispersed, and Liu Xuan sat on that hall for a good while. At this time, it was hard to sit again, so he strolled with Lü Bu in the imperial palace, walking through various palaces, discussing issues related to the overall military strength of the Han Dynasty.

  "Except for the Hu Ben Army, the Yu Lin Riding and the Hu Bao Riding will all start this year. Although this year is mainly focused on agricultural recovery, military preparations can never be put down."

  "If you need grain, the imperial court will provide it! If you lack military equipment, let the Ministry of Works manufacture them for you. Whether it's arrows, bows, crossbows or long spears and large swords, whatever you want will be given to you. However, within one year, you must ensure that all soldiers in the three armies complete their basic training!"

  Liu Xuan attaches the most importance to the combat effectiveness of the army, otherwise he would not have proposed a plan for 800,000 professional soldiers. In his view, the army should focus on fighting, and everything they do is based on the premise that they can win on the battlefield. Things like land reclamation and opening up wasteland are absolutely not things that the army should be doing.

  For this, he can let the imperial court support these troops, but on the condition that the combat effectiveness of the troops must satisfy him.

  The troops are too numerous and currently being reorganized, so it's impossible for all of them to practice at the same time. Therefore, they can only start with a few elite units.

  These troops have guaranteed quality soldiers and are personally guided by several of their own top generals. In a year, they should be able to achieve some results.

  "This is also the task of several major generals this year. In the end, I will see who has done the best and let him be in charge of leading troops to suppress bandits."

  Exterminate bandits, naturally it refers to the extermination of that Heavenly Master Dao's rebels. After all, the Yellow Turbans are now a bit far away and can't be reached for the time being. On the other hand, the Heavenly Master Dao is right beside us.

  But Lü Bu didn't care who he fought, as long as there was a battle to be had, allowing him to constantly grow stronger and show off his strength, he would be satisfied.

  "Your Majesty can rest assured that when you return from your inspection tour, you will definitely see a completely different Hu Bao Army!"

  Seeing Lü Bu's guarantee, Liu Xuan also nodded and walked to the garden - it was just early spring, the snow had not melted yet, and there was nothing good to see in this garden, but Liu Xuan didn't care, anyway, they were just taking a stroll, it was all the same wherever they went.

  He walked a bit and suddenly asked: "Isn't Feng Xian nearly forty years old this year?"

  Lü Bu was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the Emperor to ask this: "I am thirty-six years old." ("Minister, how old are you?" - Lü Bu's birth year is unknown, but roughly estimated to be around 35 or 36) "And only one daughter?"

  Lü Bu nodded: "There is only one daughter."

  Seeing his nonchalant appearance, Liu Xuan smiled: "Feng Xian is indeed open-minded. However, as long as you continue to improve your cultivation, having no children is not a big deal."

  Raising children is nothing but a continuation. However, once people have endless life, the importance of continuation infinitely decreases, and whether or not to have children depends on one's mood.

  It's just like Liu Xuan, who has been on the throne for some time and has also been married for a while. However, Empress Cai Yan's belly has never shown any signs of movement, which has worried many people in the court. Many officials have even suggested that the emperor take in a few more concubines, aren't they afraid that the emperor will ultimately have no heirs, affecting the imperial succession?

  Recently, due to many things to deal with, the officials in the court didn't pay attention to this matter. Until this year's plan was all settled and many civil and military officials had nothing much to do, they started to grasp this issue tightly. Just now at the imperial court meeting, led by Liu Ai, a group of ministers jumped out to discuss this matter with Liu Xuan.

  Even dragged in Fowan, an old man who had been quietly on the sidelines - because this old man had a daughter, just the right age.

  Liu Xuan didn't take it seriously, but he himself was an immortal and couldn't say so directly, so he pretended not to hear and ignored him.