The Shence Guard was coming back, so Luo Chong had to prepare a welcoming ceremony for the soldiers who had been away on campaign for a year, along with their rewards.
Those who had distinguished themselves would be promoted in rank and granted farmland; those who had died in battle would receive compensation and proper burials; and those who had survived would be celebrated and given leave. As for the leave, Luo Chong had already planned it out, including their assignments afterward.
On the very day he received the news, Luo Chong issued orders to Lu Guangzhu in Weishan Commandery: post notices celebrating the Shence Guard's triumphant return from the Northern Expedition and asking idle civilians to come to the docks the next day to welcome them. They also had to prepare a communal feast for the Shence Guard, so the soldiers could enjoy a proper meal after returning home. In addition, Luo Chong ordered people to build a temporary Triumphal Arch out of wood at the docks. Banners were hung across it, and it was filled with flowers, making the whole affair quite ceremonial.
As the notices went up and the Triumphal Arch took shape, word of the Shence Guard's impending return spread far and wide. Weishan Commandery was naturally the first to hear, after which the news quickly traveled by water and land throughout the Eight Commanderies of Hanyang.
This was hardly strange. Luo Chong had not ordered anyone to keep it secret. On the contrary, he had told them to publicize it with notices and had ostentatiously built a Triumphal Arch. Naturally, he wanted as many people as possible to know.
Their own tribe had won a victory, gained new territory, and captured so many slaves, while the Shence Guard itself had suffered little loss. However one