I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 109 Harmony
After Liu Xun slapped Wang Shi, she indeed quieted down and stopped making a fuss.

"Liu Miao was right after all!"

Liu Xun had never realized that a slap could be so effective!
Without Wang's interference, Liu Xun slept well and the next day took over the Yue tribes from Zhang Zhao, reorganizing them into an army according to plan.

Just like last time, Liu Xun's retainers and officials quickly returned looking dejected, and knelt down at Liu Xun's feet, crying incessantly!

"Prefect! Those Yue tribesmen really dare to beat us up!"

Liu Xun was dissatisfied, and recalling Liu Miao's teachings, he immediately became indignant: "Those mountain tribes have neither weapons nor armor, what reason are you trying to reason with them?"

"Anyone who causes trouble again, kill them!"

"If they're still not convinced, then we'll take one out of ten men! One out of every ten men will kill them. Wouldn't that intimidate them?"

Liu Xun's method really worked!
The mountain people, who were initially in turmoil, finally dared not resist under Liu Xun's iron-fisted suppression, which was driven by a desire for quick results.

For a moment, these mountain tribesmen also regretted it.

If I had known, I would have agreed to Liu Miao's request to register the people as citizens. It would have been better than being treated like livestock by Liu Xun.

After Liu Xun reorganized these troops, he was unable to produce any military rations.

He went to ask Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao for more grain, and the two of them immediately led Liu Xun to the granary, which was completely empty.

"Now that all the grain in Danyang's granary has been lent to the people for seed breeding, where would we find any surplus grain for you?"

"This year's grain supply is already insufficient, and there is no more grain to supply the prefect!"

Liu Xun asked angrily, "Where did Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu's soldiers get their food?"

"Their grain was given to Liu Yangzhou by the General of the Rear, and then Liu Yangzhou handed it over to them. If you are not satisfied, you can ask the General of the Rear for it!"

Liu Xun knew this was just an excuse, but he still dared not offend Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao, or engage in a battle with Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and others. In the end, he could only helplessly write to Yuan Shu, requesting that Yuan Shu allocate a batch of grain for him.

"What is Liu Zitai doing?"

Yuan Shu was very displeased when he saw the letter from Liu Xun!

Even after going to Danyang, a prefecture that had not suffered from war, they still had to ask for their own food.
It's worth noting that Liu Miao was gone for so long, yet he didn't mention it to Yuan Shu at all. Instead, he braved the pressure to conquer Danyang and drive out Zhou Xin!
As for the things given to Liu Miao... Yuan Shu believed that those were all gifts he bestowed upon Liu Miao, so how could they be considered as requests made by Liu Miao?

I can give it to you as a reward! But you can't ask me for it!

Yuan Shu flatly rejected Liu Xun's request to transport grain and also began to doubt Liu Xun's abilities.

Liu Miao went to Jiangdong empty-handed and immediately conquered the large Danyang Commandery! How come you, Liu Xun, after going to Jiangdong, turned around and asked me for grain?
Although Liu Xun also wrote about his difficulties in the letter, such as Gu Yong controlling domestic affairs and Zhou Yu commanding the military...

But again!

If Liu Miao could govern them, why can't you, Liu Xun?
Moreover, in Yuan Shu's eyes, wasn't it a normal way to govern by entrusting internal affairs to local powerful families and seeking their help?

Liu Xun's inability to obtain grain was ultimately his own fault!
Since it's his own problem, why should Yuan Shu solve it for him?

"He's such a worry! Look how good Zhongshan is! Sigh..."

……

When Liu Xun received Yuan Shu's letter of rejection, he could not believe it.

"Am I not a close advisor to the General of the Rear? Why does the General of the Rear provide support to Liu Miao but give me nothing?"

Liu Xun was filled with grievances, but grievances alone would not solve the problem.

Reorganizing the army requires feeding the soldiers.

Now that Gu Yong controls the tax revenue, even if Liu Xun is wealthy, how can he possibly support this mountain army with his own money?

Moreover, Liu Xun's brutal methods in reorganizing this Yue army in the mountains had already aroused resentment among the Yue people.

If we can't feed them soon, a mutiny could happen any day now!

Helpless, Liu Xun could only send his generals out to "find food".

The so-called foraging for food is actually plunder.

Liu Xun's gaze fell upon the Yue tribes who were still lurking in the mountains and had not yet been wiped out by the Han army.

But Liu Xun forgot that his troops were all Yue people from the mountains, and they had not yet truly submitted to him. How could they possibly risk their lives for Liu Xun and fight against their own compatriots?

In just one battle, not only did they fail to achieve any results, but many of the Yue soldiers who had already been reorganized also escaped!

Liu Xun had no other choice but to write to Zhou Yu, requesting that Zhou Yu send troops to join him in attacking the Shanyue!
Zhou Yu readily agreed and led his troops over, stopping them next to Liu Xun.

However, Zhou Yu did not order his soldiers to go into the mountains to suppress the bandits. Instead, he trained day and night in the camp, and occasionally cooked sheep and slaughtered cattle. Even when he went into the mountains, he only went to find some wild game to supplement the soldiers' meals and conserve their energy!
In contrast, Liu Xun's troops...

There were far more soldiers who wanted to desert than those who wanted to fight. Moreover, due to insufficient food supplies, soldiers would often return to camp exhausted and hungry after a long day of labor, only to be told that there was no food left...

During this period, many soldiers mutinied, but all of them were bloodily suppressed by Liu Xun.

Liu Xun then asked Zhou Yu for more provisions, but Zhou Yu turned him away, citing a food shortage. "If there's a food shortage, why does the smell of meat often waft from your camp?" Liu Xun asked.

"Being able to eat meat is our own skill! If you are capable, you can go hunting in the mountains!"

Liu Xun was furious: "Zhou Yu! Are you really going to stand by and watch us die? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the General of the Rear?"

"What a joke! Each army has its own resources! Why should we give you our supplies? Even if the General finds out about this, do you think he will punish me?"

Liu Xun was at his wit's end!
Because he dared not offend prominent families and scholars, Liu Xun was not allowed to get involved in government affairs.

Being unable to access government affairs meant being unable to receive money and provisions.

Without money and provisions, they cannot support the army.

Unable to support the army, they could only suffer such humiliation from Zhou Yu when borrowing grain!

Liu Xun suddenly understood Liu Miao a little.

If Liu Miao is facing the same situation as me, then lying down and staying at home to cultivate his mind and body doesn't seem like a bad thing.
However, Liu Xun was not willing to admit defeat!
At least until he received Wang's letter of divorce... Liu Xun was able to hold on!
------

After being slapped by Liu Xun, Wang Shi never understood what was going on.

It wasn't until she sat there for a whole day that Wang realized what had happened.

"Liu Xun is a descendant of the Han imperial family, and my Wang family is also a daughter of the Langya Wang family. Although my Langya Wang family is not a prominent family, we should not be humiliated by him like this!"

Wang Shi had her servants pack her luggage, clearly indicating that she was prepared to return to Langya regardless of her reputation, rather than suffer such a humiliating disgrace by Liu Xun's side!
The news that Lady Wang was about to leave caused great turmoil among Liu Xun's retainers, who rushed to chase after her, but Lady Wang refused to listen.

Just as they were about to reach the ferry, the arrival of a six-foot-long, two-wheeled, vermilion carriage, the personal carriage of the governor, forced Wang to stop and pay her respects.

"Why would Liu Yangzhou, who is so busy with state affairs, come to see a woman like me?"

However, it was not Liu Miao, the governor of Yangzhou, who came down from there, but rather Liu Miao's wife, Lady Yuan.

Wang had previously interacted with Liu Miao's female relatives, so she knew Yuan and quickly bowed.

"Meet Madam."

After getting out of the car, Madam Yuan tried to puff out her chest, attempting to project an imposing aura: "Where are you going?"

"Langya".

He uttered only two words, but the aura he naturally possessed was so immense that it instantly made Yuan feel breathless, and she stopped trying to look down on him and invite humiliation.

Remembering the rhetoric someone had taught her, Madam Yuan asked, "What brings you back to Langya from so far away?"

Wang had been miserable and resentful these past few days, and when Yuan asked her about it, she told Yuan everything about her affair with Liu Xun's concubine.

Upon hearing this, Madam Yuan's true feelings were revealed, and her fiery temper flared up instantly: "How can there be such a man?"

Upon hearing this, Wang immediately felt a sense of resonance.

Then, remembering that Lady Yuan was also Liu Miao's principal wife, he suddenly wanted to confide in her: "Has Liu Yangzhou ever behaved in such a way?"

"Dare he?"

However, Madam Yuan quickly rubbed her buttocks nervously and said, "I have hit him... but he definitely wouldn't dare to favor his concubine over his wife! Although they are both quite good... but if he really dares to do that, I will definitely divorce him!"

"Heli?"

Madam Wang couldn't believe it: "Is Madam so resolute?"

"Of course!"

Yuan herself was being stubborn, but she tried to persuade Wang, saying, "If you leave like this and go back to your parents' home, everyone will definitely think that you have made some mistake! It would be better to go back and teach that lowly concubine a lesson, explain everything clearly, and make a big fuss before you leave!"

Wang suddenly realized that Yuan was right!

Even though he was the one who was wronged, he returned to Langya without saying a word. Everyone in the world would probably think it was his fault, and he would inadvertently help Liu Xun and his concubine, Lady Sima, get together!

Wang followed the carriage back to Jinling, and immediately ordered Sima to be tied up and severely beaten. At the same time, she wrote a divorce agreement detailing Liu Xun's various faults and made it public!
Don't let the family scandal be publicized!

The Later Han dynasty valued reputation above all else!
With the issuance of the divorce agreement by Wang, Liu Xun's official career came to an end!

So when Liu Xun heard about this, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell into a coma in the camp!
The Yue people under his command tried to escape, but Zhou Yu led his troops to stop them all and promised them the same conditions as before, demanding their submission.

These mountain tribesmen were initially unwilling to pay attention to the government, but Liu Xun's actions made them realize that there were indeed people in the government who dared to kill them! Therefore, they all agreed to the previous conditions, willing to cultivate crops and no longer make a living by plundering.

Liu Miao then wrote down Liu Xun's actions in a letter and delivered it to Yuan Shu.

“I said before, why did Liu Xun have to shout for war when he came to Jiangdong? Look, if he hadn’t played the villain this time, would we have been able to get so many Yue tribes to obediently accept reform?”

Liu Xun is a good person!
Especially after Liu Miao went to comfort Lady Wang because of this matter, he felt even more that Liu Xun was a very good person!

Such a good person, it would be against my conscience not to praise him to Yuan Shu!
(End of this chapter)