Chương 25: was quite fruitful.

Jizhou, Guangzong, the Yellow Turban Army camp.

Zhang Jiao was looking at a newly delivered bamboo scroll report of victory, his smile stretching almost to his ears.

He slapped his thigh as he flipped through the pages:

"If I had known that starting early would go so smoothly, why would I have waited for the auspicious time of the Jiazi year!"

Because Tang Zhou betrayed him, Zhang Jiao was forced to act ahead of schedule. He was already very worried, fearing that he would fail due to insufficient preparation.

Unexpectedly, the government officials in various prefectures and counties reacted slower than an old woman walking, and the Yellow Turban Army swept through the enemy lines almost unimpeded!

At this moment, he held in his hand the victory reports sent by Yanzhou and Yuzhou, which were either "capture of a certain county" or "government troops fleeing at the mere sight of them", making him so happy that he rubbed his hands together.

"Heaven is dead? I think the Han dynasty's fate is truly sealed!"

Just as she was enjoying herself, her third brother, Zhang Liang, burst in, his face beaming with barely suppressed laughter.

"Brother! Fantastic good news has also arrived from Youzhou!"

Zhang Jiao quickly put down the bamboo slips:

"How's Youzhou doing? Didn't they say just a couple of days ago that those two old bastards, Guo Xun and Liu Wei, were putting up a stubborn resistance?"

Zhang Liang excitedly reported:

"Dead! All dead! Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao were incredibly fierce. They not only killed Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, and Liu Wei, the prefect of Guangyang, but also captured the county seat of Ji in one fell swoop!"

"Our Yellow Turban banner is flying high above the capital of Youzhou right now!"

He walked up to the map and pointed slightly north.

"Cheng Yuanzhi's troops have already marched south, and I reckon they're currently launching a fierce attack on Zhuojun! If Zhuojun falls, the entire northern part of Youzhou will be our territory!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiao was so excited that he stood up and patted Zhang Liang hard on the shoulder.

"Excellent! Excellent! Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao are lucky lads! Once they take Zhuojun, I'll personally award them the top credit!"

He walked to the entrance of the main tent, looked at the vast Yellow Turban army outside, and felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"At this rate, capturing Luoyang and taking the emperor alive seems like a real possibility!"

……

Liu Ce completely ignored the imperial court's order to "hold firm and wait for reinforcements," and instead focused on "taking the initiative to suppress bandits and generate revenue."

Inside the governor's mansion, Liu Ce looked at the latest list of spoils brought back by Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and others, his eyes crinkling into slits with laughter.

"Zilong, how much did you make this time?"

Zhao Yun reported meticulously:

"Brother, we have wiped out three more remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and seized approximately eight million coins and fifty thousand bushels of grain."

"A considerable amount of gold and silver from aristocratic families that was looted by the Yellow Turbans has been secretly transported back to the imperial treasury as you instructed."

"Brother, you didn't see it. Those Yellow Turban rebels look like a bunch of weaklings, but they're nothing but a pile of rubbish! I, Old Zhang, can scare them all to death with just one shout!" Zhang Fei shouted from the side.

"Although we have captured a lot, there are even more people who have been displaced. As instructed by my elder brother, I have distributed some of the grain and fodder to the poor to win over the people and persuade them to come to Zhuojun, where there is land to be distributed," Guan Yu added calmly.

"Yun Chang did the right thing. When we eat meat, we should let the common people have some soup. Yi De, don't just focus on killing people, learn from him!" Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction.

"Yun Chang, you've been reading the 'Spring and Autumn Annals' quite well lately, you're even starting to use your brain," Liu Ce said to Guan Yu with a smile.

He was calculating in his mind: in this chaotic world, you need soldiers, power, and money.

The Yellow Turban Army robbed so many landlords and wealthy people, now it's just a good deal for me.

Only by using these captured funds to pay military expenses, recruit refugees, and manufacture weapons can the snowball grow bigger and bigger.

He said to his several valiant generals, "Brothers, well done! This is what we call 'using war to sustain war'."

"Next, only a few counties will remain in Youzhou. You will continue to lead your troops out for 'training.' Remember the old rules: those who resist stubbornly will be wiped out; those who surrender will be reorganized; and all that ill-gotten wealth, bring it all back!"

A week later.

The council hall of the prefect's residence was filled with an atmosphere of weariness and excitement unique to the post-war period.

Zhao Yun, still clasped in his armor, clasped his hands and reported to Liu Ce:

"My lord, I have not failed you! The remaining Yellow Turbans in all counties and prefectures of Youzhou have been wiped out, and all the money and grain seized have been registered and transported back to the treasury."

He paused, a rare smile appearing on his lips.

"Our army suffered very few casualties in this operation, which can be described as a great victory."

Liu Ce stood up from his seat and personally patted Zhao Yun on the shoulder.

"Zilong, you've done a great job! Well done! Have all the brothers settled in?"

After receiving a positive reply, Liu Ce sat back down with a sense of relief, turning his gaze to the Prefectural Magistrate Zhao, who was holding a thick stack of account books and whose fingers were trembling slightly with excitement.

"Old Zhao, stop praising it like it's a treasure, tell me quickly, how much did we actually make this time?"

Liu Ce tried his best to keep his tone calm, but his slightly forward-leaning posture betrayed his anticipation.

The other people in the hall, such as generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Dian Wei, also looked over with bated breath.

Old Zhao cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calmer, but it still trembled.

"Reporting to... Reporting to our lord! According to preliminary statistics, the total amount seized in this campaign to eliminate the Yellow Turbans throughout the prefecture is..."

Every time he announced a number, he would secretly glance at Liu Ce and the others' reactions.

"Copper coins, over three hundred million coins!"

Before the words were even finished, Zhang Fei gasped, Dian Wei started counting on his fingers, and Guan Yu's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze in mid-air.

"Ten thousand taels of gold! Thirty thousand taels of silver!"

Even the usually composed Zhao Yun widened his eyes slightly.

"A preliminary inventory of various pearls, jade artifacts, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings reveals... thirty-six boxes!"

Several people let out a few uncontrollable gasps of surprise.

"As for provisions..." Old Zhao took a deep breath and gave the most realistic figure, "More than one million shi of grain!"

"How much...?"

Liu Ce felt a buzzing in his head.

He knew that "bandit suppression" could make him rich, but he never expected to make such a huge fortune! Three hundred million coins! One million bushels of grain!

He almost jumped up from his chair, but managed to suppress the impulse at the last moment. He just pinched his thigh hard with the hand under the table, roaring inwardly.

"After all this time since I transmigrated, besides what the system gave me, I've finally achieved one of my small goals!"

On the surface, Liu Ce simply nodded slightly and spoke in a tone that sounded as calm as possible.

"Okay, I understand. You've all worked hard these past few days."

But the sudden gleam in his eyes and the slight flush on his cheeks were already clearly seen by the shrewd people below.

Guan Yu coughed lightly, concealing his smile; Zhang Fei grinned as if he wanted to shout, but Qin Qiong quietly tugged at his sleeve.

Old Zhao wiped his sweat and smiled apologetically, thinking to himself: My lord's ability to maintain composure is still a bit immature, but... it's fucking awesome!

After discussing some trivial matters such as compensating the wounded and the dead, reorganizing the surrendered soldiers, and settling the displaced people, Liu Ce adjourned the meeting.

The crowd bowed and withdrew, their faces beaming with undisguised joy.

Zhang Fei, Cheng Yaojin, and Dian Wei hooked their arms around each other's necks, shouting that they had to drink to their hearts' content that night; Guan Yu, Qin Qiong, and Zhao Yun discussed in hushed tones how much the military pay would expand their army.

Liu Ce returned to his study alone, closed the door, and finally relaxed completely. He slumped into his chair without any regard for his image and grinned foolishly at the air for a while.