Chương 392: Taking too big a step can easily lead to nonsense.

Liu Ce leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

He smiled, stood up, walked to the window, and said slowly:

"What you all say makes sense. Heading south allows us to press on with full force; maintaining our composure ensures we'll be safe."

He turned around, looked at the crowd, and said:

"I choose to play it safe."

He explained:

"Our current situation is that we have most of the north under our control. Youzhou, Jizhou, Bingzhou, Sili, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, and Liangzhou—nine provinces! Such a large area needs time to be digested."

"The people in these areas have not yet fully submitted to us. Those prefects who surrendered still have their own agendas. And those surrendered soldiers who have been incorporated into our ranks have not yet fully integrated into our army."

"Those surrendered lords need time to be reformed; those newly recovered prefectures and counties need time to be governed; those surrendered soldiers need time to be reorganized."

"Just think about it, how many officials would be needed to govern these nine states? How much food and supplies would be needed to pacify them? How many troops would be needed to guard them?"

"If we rashly head south at this time, and something goes wrong in the rear, we won't be able to take care of both sides, which will only make things worse."

He paused, then smiled and said:

"Our current strength is already the strongest in the world. As long as we can maintain our composure, those four southern states will be ours sooner or later. Instead of rushing into battle, we should let them fall into chaos on their own. When they have internal problems, we can then strike, which will be much more effective."

"Let's secure our rear first and take it slow. Taking too big a step can lead to trouble. We're not in a hurry, and we can't rush it."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Li Jing said, "What my lord says is absolutely right. We should proceed cautiously before attacking, and we will be absolutely certain of success."

Guo Jia also said, "My lord, this saying, 'If you take too big a step, you'll easily tear your balls,' may be a bit crude, but the principle is sound."

Liu Ce smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Alright, it's settled then. For the next period of time, we'll focus on governance. We'll handle the arrangements for officials in each prefecture and county, land surveys, resettlement of displaced people, and reorganization of surrendered soldiers, one by one."

"Once all of this is settled, we can discuss heading south."

Everyone responded in unison.

The meeting ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Liu Ce stood alone in front of the map, looking at the various prefectures and counties marked on it.

From Youzhou to Liangzhou, from Bingzhou to Xuzhou, most of the land has been covered by red markers.

Only Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou in the south remain undeveloped.

almost.

He was thinking to himself.

Once the rear is stabilized, it's time to head south.

At that time, the world will truly be unified.

...

After the meeting, Cheng Yaojin approached Liu Ce.

He chuckled, a mysterious look on his face, and said:

"My lord, I have something to tell you."

Liu Ce couldn't help but laugh at his sly look.

"What is it? Tell me."

Cheng Yaojin lowered his voice and recounted his encounter with Feng Yu on the road.

From seeing the carriage to stopping it, to persuading her to return to Luoyang, to "doing ideological work" along the way, until finally Feng Yu agreed to become his concubine, he told her everything in detail.

Liu Ce was stunned after hearing this.

Looking at Cheng Yaojin's "praise me!" expression, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Old Cheng, are you... trying to find me a wife?"

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head and chuckled:

"My lord, that girl is truly beautiful! I, Old Cheng, have only ever seen a few princesses, and I've never seen anyone so gorgeous! Moreover, she has a wonderful temperament—gentle, generous, and well-educated. She would be an excellent match for you, my lord!"

"Besides, that brat Lu Bing found Yin Ying for our lord, and Shen Wansan found Mi Zhen and Gan Mei for our lord. If I, Old Cheng, do nothing, wouldn't that make me seem uncaring about our lord?"

Liu Ce was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by his words.

But I was also quite touched. These rough guys, although usually carefree, really cared about me.

He patted Cheng Yaojin on the shoulder:

"Alright, I understand. Since they've been brought here, let's arrange for them to come into the manor. Old Cheng, thank you for your thoughtfulness. And you've handled this well. I'll reward you later."

Cheng Yaojin was so happy he couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank you, my lord! Rest assured, my lord, from now on, when I, Old Cheng, go out, I'll keep an eye out for you! If I come across such a good thing again, I'll definitely bring it back for you! I'll go arrange it right away!"

He ran off happily.

Liu Ce watched his retreating figure, then shook his head with a smile.

Old Cheng, he really put his heart into it.

Turn around and walk away.

Cheng Yaojin watched his retreating figure, thinking smugly: Hehe, let's see how that kid Lu Bing can show off to me now!

I, Lao Cheng, am a man who knows how to get things done!

...

When Cheng Yaojin came out of the Prince of Yan's mansion, he was in high spirits and rode his horse around the streets as if he wanted to walk sideways.

He couldn't wait to tell Feng Yu the good news and make her happy too.

So he mounted his horse, spurred it on, cracked his whip, and led a few guards straight to Feng Yu's old residence in Luoyang.

Feng Yu's old house is in the south of the city. It is a courtyard of medium size with blue bricks and gray tiles, and it is kept quite tidy.

After she returned to Luoyang with Cheng Yaojin, she lived here.

When Cheng Yaojin arrived, Feng Yu was sitting in the courtyard, clutching a handkerchief in her hand.

Ever since she returned to Luoyang with Cheng Yaojin, she has been feeling very uneasy.

During the day, she stares blankly out the window; at night, she tosses and turns, unable to sleep. She longs for a stable place to rely on, yet fears that Prince Yan will look down on her and all her efforts will be in vain.

These past few days she's been thinking about this every day, unable to eat or sleep properly, and even the lotus seed soup brought by the maid has gone cold without her touching it.

The maidservant, feeling sorry for her, brought over a cup of tea: "Miss, you've been sitting all morning, please rest."

Feng Yu took the tea, took a sip, then put it down, sighed, and said, "How can I possibly rest..."

Just as I was pondering this, I heard Cheng Yaojin's loud voice coming from the courtyard.

"Miss Feng! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Cheng Yaojin's loud voice boomed in from the courtyard gate, startling the sparrows perched in the trees, which then fluttered away.

Feng Yu's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the teacup.

She quickly led her maid out to greet him, and saw Cheng Yaojin stride in, his face beaming with a wide smile that stretched almost to his ears.

"Miss Feng! It's done!" Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh, his voice so loud it could be heard throughout the street.

"I told the lord about you, and he agreed on the spot! You can move into the Prince of Yan's residence! From now on, you can live there peacefully, and no one will dare to bully you!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

Her lips couldn't help but curl upwards, and her eyes lit up.

It felt like I was bathed in sunshine, feeling warm and cozy.

But then a sense of tension arose. That was the Prince of Yan's mansion, the residence of the most powerful person in the world.

Will I, an orphan with no one to rely on, be able to adapt once I go in?

But she also knew that in this chaotic world, with her father gone, she wouldn't be able to survive without a powerful backer, given her looks.

Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan, is the best choice in the world.