Chương 439: Taking Over the Entire Territory of Jiaozhou

The envoy brought ivory, pearls, spices, and several elephants as tribute, expressing his willingness to submit to the Han Dynasty, pay tribute annually, and never again harass the border.

When Yue Fei met the envoy, he said calmly, "Go back and tell your so-called king to quickly dissolve that Lin Yi Kingdom and return to the Han Dynasty, otherwise, our army will march south and raze your capital to the ground."

The messenger turned pale with fright and nodded repeatedly, wishing he could run back and report the news right away.

...

For the next month or so, Yue Fei led his army through the seven prefectures of Jiaozhou.

To appease the people, rectify official corruption, and appoint officials.

Wherever he went, Yue Fei would first open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the disaster victims.

Those people who had been oppressed by powerful clans received grain... They were all moved to tears, some even kneeling on the ground and kowtowing, calling out "Your Honor, the Upright and Just Ruler!"

Yue Fei helped them up and said, "Don't kneel before me, it was His Highness the Prince of Yan who sent me."

The people kowtowed to the north again, chanting "Long live His Highness the Prince of Yan".

Yue Fei selected a group of talented officers from the army to temporarily serve as county magistrates, until official officials from Luoyang arrived to take over.

Those powerful clans that oppress the people and those barbarian tribes that cause trouble should be dealt with or appeased.

Those who are willing to submit will be registered and made to pay tribute on time; those who are unwilling to submit will be wiped out.

The next step was to suppress the bandits.

Jiaozhou is a place with high mountains and dense forests, and bandits are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

Yue Fei dispatched troops to suppress the bandits in various places, and in less than a month, he wiped out all the bandit dens, big and small.

...

When Guan Yu was taking stock of the treasury in Jiaozhi County, he discovered that Shi Xie had amassed a considerable fortune.

The warehouse was filled with gold and silver treasures, enough food to last for two years, and plenty of weapons and armor.

He had them all registered and recorded, preparing to transport them back to Luoyang.

Zhang Fei quelled a rebellion in Jiuzhen County, defeating several rebellious barbarian tribes and bringing them to their knees.

He rode his horse around the village and addressed the trembling tribal chiefs:

"If you behave well from now on and pay your tribute on time, no one will harm you. If you disobey..."

He brandished the spear in his hand, "My spear doesn't discriminate."

The leaders were so frightened that they nodded repeatedly, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

While inspecting the border in Rinan Commandery, Zhang Liao looked south and said to his deputy, "This place is too remote; the court can't manage it all. No wonder trouble is brewing. We need to station more troops here, or sooner or later, there will be more unrest."

The lieutenant nodded in agreement.

The entire Jiaozhou region, from north to south and from east to west, was completely and firmly in the hands of Yue Fei and his men under the control of the Han Dynasty.

From the moment the troops marched south to the complete pacification of the entire Jiaozhou region, it took no more than six months.

...

In the commander's tent of Guangxin City.

Yue Fei was writing a victory report to Liu Ce in Luoyang, his face full of smiles.

Similar to Qi Jiguang's writing, it is meticulously and clearly described the process of pacifying Jiaozhou: the date of arrival at Guangxin, the date of capture of Nanhai, the date of attack on Hepu and Yulin, the date of capture of Jiaozhi, and the date of subjugation of Jiuzhen and Rinan. The number of prisoners and the amount of spoils are all clearly stated.

In his report of victory, he wrote clearly: the entire territory of Jiaozhou has been recovered, all seven prefectures are now under control, and there is no more war in the southern border. We have lived up to the trust placed in us by our lord.

After finishing writing, he blew on the ink to dry it, folded it neatly, put it in an envelope, and summoned his personal guard: "Send this to Luoyang by express courier, 800 li away!"

...

May, 191 AD.

In the backyard of the Prince of Yan's Mansion in Luoyang, the warm spring sunshine bathed the ground, and the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom. The pink and white petals crowded the branches, and when the wind blew, they fell all over the courtyard, like a rain of petals.

Liu Ce was sitting on a cushion next to the stone table with his legs crossed, squinting in the sun.

On the stone table were freshly cut fruits and warmed sweet wine, and a maidservant gently fanned the table. Life was so leisurely and carefree.

The ladies were playing pitch-pot, while nearby children were chasing each other and chattering noisily, making a scene reminiscent of a fairyland.

Zhang Ning was holding an arrow, squinting one eye, aiming at the mouth of the pot, and then threw it with a "whoosh." With a "clang," the arrow landed steadily in the pot.

"Hey, I hit it!" Zhang Ning clapped his hands with a smile, then turned back to the other ladies and proudly raised his chin.

"How about that? My aim isn't any worse than yours, is it?"

Cai Yan smiled and shook her head, picked up an arrow, and with an elegant gesture, threw it into the pot.

She smiled slightly and didn't say anything, but her composure was more lethal than Zhang Ning's loud and boisterous manner.

Zhen Jiang followed suit and also made a shot.

When Zhen Mi threw the arrow, her hand trembled slightly, and the arrow bounced off the rim of the pot. She exclaimed "Ouch!" and covered her mouth to laugh.

Nearby, children were chasing and playing on the grass.

Liu Chen and his younger siblings were chasing a butterfly, running until they were covered in sweat.

Liu Heng followed behind, calling out "Wait for me!" He tripped and fell on his bottom, but he didn't cry. He got up and kept running.

Liu Ce watched this scene with a sense of satisfaction.

He picked up the sweet wine, took a sip, and couldn't help but joke:

"Your pitch-pot skills are almost as good as Zhang Fei's spear throwing on the battlefield. Your accuracy is getting better and better. Let him compete with you another day and see if his spear is more accurate or your arrows are more accurate."

Zhang Ning turned and glared at him: "Husband, are you praising us or insulting us? Yide's spear, if thrown, could pierce a person right through; we don't have that kind of strength!"

The ladies laughed upon hearing this, their voices sweet and melodious, which made Liu Ce even happier.

Liu Ce chuckled and said, "Praise, of course I praise you. You guys are much more accurate than Yide. He sometimes misses when throwing his spear, but your arrows go in every single time. Impressive, impressive."

Zhen Jiang chimed in with a smile, "My husband has such a sweet tongue; I wonder where he learned it from."

"It's innate, a natural talent," Liu Ce said seriously.

The women burst into laughter at his antics.

Cai Yan covered her mouth and laughed, "If Yide heard what you said, husband, he'd probably come looking for us with his eighteen-foot spear to challenge us to a duel."

Liu Ce laughed loudly, "He wouldn't dare! If he dares to come, I'll make him wash the stables by himself for a month."

He was about to make another joke when he heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the courtyard gate.

Lu Bing rushed in like a rabbit, carrying a series of tightly sealed letters.

He was dressed impeccably in his flying fish costume, but his smile was practically overflowing, and he shouted in a loud voice from afar:

"My lord! Great news! A piece of extraordinary joy! Victory in Jiaozhou! Yue Fei and his men have captured the entire territory of Jiaozhou!"

Liu Ce paused in his wine glass, his eyes lit up instantly, and he jumped up from his chair without even bothering to brush off the petals that had fallen on him.

"Oh?! Bring it here so I can take a look!"

Lu Bing rushed over in three strides and handed the letter to Liu Ce.