The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

February of the eleventh year of Jian'an (206 AD).

Zhou Yu returned from Chenliu and offered Sun Quan a plan for a marriage alliance: "Your sister is quick-witted and fierce. If she becomes His Majesty's consort, she can secure the harem."

When Sun Quan sent his envoy to say, "My brother once said before his death, 'For internal affairs, consult Zhang Gong; for external affairs, consult Gongjin.' Now that Zhang Gong is no longer here, I can decide internal affairs myself," Zhou Yu was already thinking about how to prevent Sun Quan from being tricked by Xun Yu and others.

In the end, Zhou Yu chose the strategy of "not letting close relatives interfere with distant ones." No matter how cunning Xun Yu and others were, they could never surpass Sun Quan's sister in terms of personal relationships.

The fact that the general's sister was a member of the royal family was not uncommon among the emperors of the Han Dynasty, so Sun Quan was immediately interested when Zhou Yu mentioned it.

However, considering his younger sister's personality, Sun Quan hesitated: "My sister has been spoiled since childhood. It might be inappropriate for her to become a noble person."

However, the reason Zhou Yu advised Sun Quan to marry off his sister was because he valued Sun Xiaomei's bold nature. If she were to become timid and submissive after entering the harem, she would not be a noblewoman but a hostage.

He then advised, “Although you have entered Xuchang, there are many who do not respect you, and some will surely go to the palace to slander you. In chaotic times, severe punishments are necessary. Empress Fu is weak-willed and needs a strong and capable lady to assist her. Your sister has the martial spirit of her brothers and a hundred maids, all of whom are skilled in swordsmanship. If your sister were to become a noble lady, who in the harem would dare to slander you?”

Sun Quan had already intended to do so, so after Zhou Yu gave him this reason, he no longer hesitated and hurriedly sent an envoy back to Jiangdong to bring Sun Xiaomei and a hundred maids to Xuchang and send them to the palace.

The decision was made to make Sun Xiaomei a concubine rather than depose her, so this move did not encounter any opposition from the civil and military officials in the court. Even Xun Yu and others could only turn a blind eye.

Suddenly, a noblewoman with a martial spirit and a hundred skilled swordswomen appeared in the palace, changing the original gentle atmosphere and making it more solemn and murderous.

Consort Sun even demanded that Liu Xie share a bed with her every day in order to give birth to a prince as soon as possible, while the other consorts and Empress Fu could not even see Liu Xie.

Although Consort Sun was also beautiful, she had been practicing martial arts for many years and was used to being lawless, so much so that in Liu Xie's eyes, Consort Sun was no different from a tigress.

In addition, Consort Sun was determined to give birth to a prince and made excessive demands every day. In less than a month, Liu Xie went from being mentally and physically exhausted, and he could barely walk.

Although Liu Xie was furious, he was helpless.

This is something that can't be discussed openly. You can't just tell others that Consort Sun's demands are too high and that the emperor is powerless to meet them.
It was already shameful enough that Liu Xie was a puppet; it would be even more shameful if this were to be revealed.

Therefore, Liu Xie could only force himself to endure it.

Fortunately, after two months of effort, Liu Xie finally got Consort Sun pregnant.

After being tormented for two months, Liu Xie looked as if he had aged twenty years.

Compared to Cao Cao's daughter, who received a good education and ultimately favored Liu Xie, Consort Sun did not have the concept of following her husband after marriage, nor was she as loyal and righteous as Sun Shangxiang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Instead, she was more like Sun Quan's daughter, Da Hu, who was arrogant and self-centered.

Those hundred maids were all strong women, and they were no weaker than ordinary men in a fight, which made it impossible for anyone in the harem to say a word against Consort Sun.

Now that Consort Sun is pregnant with the prince, no one dares to provoke her.

Zhou Yu's strategy of maintaining neutrality over close relatives proved quite effective. It not only helped Sun Quan gain deeper control over Liu Xie but also prevented Xun Yu and others from secretly sending people to approach Liu Xie. Consort Sun, on the other hand, wouldn't reason with anyone who dared to trespass. If she discovered anyone harboring ill intentions, she would first have her maids stage an accident to frame them, then accuse them of harassing a palace maid.

Even after Consort Sun became pregnant with the prince, she still insisted that Liu Xie sleep in the same bed with her every day, and even deliberately gave Liu Xie sweet treats so that he could taste the power.

He continued to whisper in Sun Quan's ear every day, always defending him and speaking out for him. For example, he said that with internal and external troubles, Sun Quan was walking on thin ice every day, fearing that Liu Xie would be taken away by Cao Cao.

After several months of whispering in his ear, Liu Xie gradually began to think that "Sun Quan is in a difficult position," "at the age of twenty-four, he has to shoulder responsibilities like Huo Guang in the past," and "I cannot cause trouble for Sun Quan."

Although Sun Quan has not yet grown into the capable emperor he would become twenty years later, he can still barely establish himself in Xuchang, the central city of the Han Dynasty.

With Zhou Yu's strategy of "not sowing discord between strangers and relatives," Sun Quan was able to remain more composed even when facing the hypocrisy and deceit of Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao, and others.

Because all sides were secretly accumulating power to control the people and officials of the various counties, no major wars occurred in the eleventh year of Jian'an, except for small-scale disturbances.

In Bingzhou, Pang Tong, the governor of Bingzhou, did not disappoint Liu Bei's expectations.

Bingzhou was devastated by numerous wars, and with the large-scale migration of various ethnic groups such as the Xiongnu, as well as Han Chinese who fled to avoid taxes, or were captured, and the domineering and arrogant leaders of a few tribes who held their own armies, Bingzhou was extremely chaotic, except for Shangdang, which Zhao Yun had once governed.

After Pang Tong temporarily took over as governor of Bingzhou, he set about resolving the issues of ethnic minorities such as the Xiongnu.

First, he formally summoned the powerful clans and wealthy families from various tribes, and then recruited them as his advisors on the grounds that he had just arrived in Bingzhou and urgently needed talented people. He also sent able-bodied men to serve as his "righteous followers".

When ethnic minorities like these joined the Han Dynasty, they were all given the title of "righteous followers," so the various tribes did not suspect anything.

Pang Tong then used the excuse of Bingzhou's lack of soldiers to recruit his brave and strong men to serve as soldiers. He then claimed that Liu Bei wanted to personally comfort the families of the soldiers and select the most intelligent ones to attend school, so he moved all the soldiers' families to Quliang City.

Some powerful clans saw through Pang Tong's sinister intentions and not only refused to carry out his military orders but also gathered troops to resist. However, Pang Tong was not a pedantic scholar who only knew how to dabble in literature.

If they won't listen to reason, then force is the only option.

Those who disobeyed orders were immediately punished by Pang Tong's troops. He beheaded over a thousand people, recruited over ten thousand, and sent tens of thousands of soldiers and their families to Quliang City.

After being intimidated by Pang Tong's ruthless methods, the various Chanyus of Bingzhou no longer dared to resist and submitted to him. They also ordered the tribespeople to engage in production in accordance with Pang Tong's decrees, effectively registering them as households.

With Pang Tong's encouragement of agriculture and sericulture, these originally minority groups, who had previously avoided production, herding, and plundering, also transitioned to an agricultural civilization.

It was impossible to kill all the Hu people who had migrated to Bingzhou. If they were left unchecked, they would cause trouble in Bingzhou. It was rare to find someone like Pang Tong who could tame these Hu people so well and even be praised by them.

Pang Tong made a great contribution to the complete assimilation of the Hu people of Bingzhou into Han Chinese.

By the beginning of Jian'an 12 (207 AD), the situation in Bingzhou had greatly improved. The territory was peaceful and orderly, and both Han Chinese and righteous followers gradually began to live and work in peace and contentment. (End of Chapter)