My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

In the winter of the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), in Chengdu, Yizhou.

Chengdu was shrouded in continuous rain at the end of the year.

Liu Yan sat in his study, a secret letter lying open before him. It was sent by Ji Xuanyuan from Shuntian, its words earnest yet carrying immense weight.

He has watched it three times, and each time it stirred something within him.

The letter stated that Sun Jian was dead and Jiangdong was pacified.

The fate of the world is entirely in the hands of the imperial court.

I urge Your Excellency to make a decision soon and not miss this opportunity.

At the end of the letter, he added a note: "Your sons Fan and Dan are doing well in Shuntian. Please do not worry about them."

Liu Yan put down the letter, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Liu Fan and Liu Dan, his eldest and second sons. These two fiery-tempered children never listened to him. When they wanted to participate in Ma Teng's rebellion, he had tried desperately to dissuade them. But they wouldn't listen. Later, when the plot failed and they were captured, he thought they were doomed. But Ji Xuanyuan spared their lives, and they remained alive for several years.

Over the years, he outwardly maintained a polite relationship with Ji Xuanyuan, but secretly he was always on edge. He knew that the lives of those two children were in Ji Xuanyuan's hands. Now, Ji Xuanyuan had finally spoken.

Liu Yan sat in his study, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hands, but he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word. His gaze passed over the window, landing on the bare old locust tree in the courtyard, and he remained silent. Outside the window, the rain fell in fine threads, pattering softly on the tiles.

Since his serious illness in the first year of Jian'an, his health had deteriorated significantly. Although the physician sent by Ji Xuanyuan saved his life, the illness had ultimately damaged his very foundation. Now, he was pale and emaciated, no longer possessing the vigor and spirit of his youth.

"Father," Liu Zhang said softly as he entered, "Mr. Xun Yu has arrived in Chengdu and is staying at the post station."

Liu Yan put down the bamboo slips and nodded: "Understood."

Liu Zhang hesitated and said, "Father, Xun Yu has come here surely to discuss the surrender of Yizhou. Do you really intend to hand over Yizhou to Ji Xuanyuan?"

Liu Yan looked at him, his gaze calm as still water: "Zhang'er, do you think your father has any other choice?"

Liu Zhang opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Liu Yan stood up, walked to the window, gazed at the old locust tree in the courtyard, and slowly said, "When I entered Shu, I intended to carve out a territory and achieve great things. But now, the seven northern provinces are settled, Sun Jian of Jiangdong has been defeated and killed, Liu Qi of Jingzhou has surrendered, and the fate of the world is entirely in Ji Xuanyuan's hands. Although Yizhou is dangerous, how long can it be held?"

He turned to look at Liu Zhang: "Besides, your eldest and second brothers are still in Ji Xuanyuan's hands. If I don't submit now, I'm afraid their lives will be in danger."

Liu Zhang lowered his head and said nothing more.

Liu Yan returned to his desk, took out a secret letter from the drawer, and handed it to Liu Zhang: "This is a letter from the Prime Minister himself. Take it and show it to Mr. Xun Yu. Tell him that I am willing to submit to the court, only asking to preserve the interests of the Liu family and the powerful clans of Yizhou."

Liu Zhang took the letter and hesitated, then asked, "Father, will Ji Xuanyuan agree?"

Liu Yan smiled slightly: "He will. Because he knows that Yizhou can only be secured by me."

The following day, at the Governor's Mansion of Yizhou.

Xun Yu, dressed in a blue robe, calmly entered the mansion.

He exchanged greetings with Liu Yan, and they took their seats as host and guest. A maidservant served tea and then left. Only the two of them remained in the hall.

Liu Yan looked at Xun Yu and got straight to the point: "Wenruo, have you come here for matters concerning Yizhou?"

Xun Yu nodded: "Your Excellency is wise. The Prime Minister's intention is that the empire should be unified under the court. Yizhou is a land of plenty, and its people are prosperous. If they can be of one mind with the court, the empire can be stabilized. If..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Liu Yan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If the Prime Minister desires Yizhou, I can give it to him. But I have two conditions."

Xun Yu said, "Please speak, my lord."

Liu Yan held up one finger: "First, preserve the Liu family. My descendants must not be implicated because of my surrender."

Xun Yu nodded: "The Prime Minister has already made a promise. If you, my lord, submit to the court, the Liu family will remain as before. Your sons, Fan and Dan, may also return to Yizhou to reunite with you."

A glint of joy flashed in Liu Yan's eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He raised a second finger: "Second, preserve the powerful families of Yizhou. These families have been established for generations, their roots run deep. If the Prime Minister wishes to purge them, I would rather die in battle than surrender."

Xun Yu smiled slightly: "Rest assured, my lord. The Prime Minister said that as long as the powerful families of Yizhou submit to the court, everything will remain the same. Their official positions will not be changed, and their land will not be confiscated. What the Prime Minister wants is a stable Yizhou, not a ruin."

Liu Yan stared at him for a long time, and after confirming that he was not lying, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Very well." He stood up, walked to Xun Yu, and bowed deeply. "Liu Yan of Yizhou is willing to submit to the imperial court."

Xun Yu quickly helped him up, and said with a smile, "My lord, you are truly wise and righteous; I admire you!"

Several days later, in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion of Yizhou.

Liu Yan summoned the civil and military officials of Yizhou and announced his submission to the imperial court.

Below the hall, representatives of the powerful families of Yizhou, prefects of various counties, and military generals sat in a dense crowd. Everyone had a solemn expression and whispered among themselves.

"I heard the Prime Minister is sending someone to take over Yizhou?"

"Is Lord Liu really going to surrender?"

"What do we do?"

Liu Yan stood up, and the hall fell silent. He looked around at everyone and slowly began to speak:

"Gentlemen, I have gathered you all here today for only one thing—from this day forward, Yizhou shall submit to the imperial court."

These words caused an uproar in the hall.

Liu Yan waved his hand to stop the discussion and continued, "I know you gentlemen are uneasy. You fear the court will purge the aristocratic families, and you fear the Prime Minister will seize your inheritances. But I must tell you—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each face: "The Prime Minister has said that the aristocratic families of Yizhou will remain as before. Their official positions will not be changed, and their land will not be confiscated. What the Prime Minister wants is a stable Yizhou, not ruins."

The hall gradually quieted down.

Liu Yan continued, "I am over sixty years old and nearing my end. I have no regrets in this life. I only hope that the people of Yizhou can enjoy a few days of peace. The Prime Minister is a man of great talent and ambition. The north has been pacified and Jiangdong has been subdued. It is only a matter of time before the world is unified. If Yizhou can submit at this time, it can ensure the wealth and honor of its entire family; if it insists on resisting, you all should know the fate of Yuan Shao, Han Sui, and Sun Jian."

The hall was deathly silent.

After a long silence, Wang Shang, the Prefect of Shu Commandery, rose, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your Excellency is deeply righteous and wise; I admire you greatly! Shu Commandery is willing to follow Your Excellency in submitting to the Imperial Court!"

Immediately afterwards, He Zong, the prefect of Jianwei, Pang Xi, the prefect of Bazhou, and others stood up and expressed their willingness to submit. Those aristocratic families who had been hesitant before, seeing that the situation was hopeless, also expressed their support.

Seeing this scene, Liu Yan finally felt a great weight lifted from his heart.

In the winter of the third year of Jian'an, in Yizhou, at the north gate of Chengdu.

Banners fluttered and war drums thundered. Zhao Yun led 30,000 elite Jingnan Army troops to Chengdu.

Liu Yan led the civil and military officials of Yizhou out of the city to welcome them. Looking at the brightly armored and menacing army, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Zhao Yun dismounted, clasped his hands, and said, "Lord Liu, this humble general is Zhao Yun. I have been ordered by the Prime Minister to lead troops into Shu to assist you in stabilizing the situation."

Liu Yan quickly returned the greeting: "General Zhao, you have come from afar and must be tired. The whole of Yizhou welcomes you, General."

Zhao Yun smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the civil and military officials of Yizhou, and said loudly, "Gentlemen, rest assured. The Prime Minister has ordered that I have come here only to assist the Governor and will not interfere in the affairs of Yizhou. The Governor shall remain in charge of the affairs of Yizhou. I will only be responsible for defense and protecting the borders and the people."

Upon hearing this, everyone in Yizhou, both civil and military, breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Yun led his army into the city, maintaining strict discipline and committing no offenses against the people. The common folk lined the streets to welcome them, and those aristocratic families who had initially worried that the court would take the opportunity to purge the city gradually felt at ease.

Several days later, at the Governor's Mansion of Yizhou.

Liu Yan and Zhao Yun sat facing each other, discussing the defense of Yizhou.

"General Zhao," Liu Yan said, "the defense of Yizhou has always been the responsibility of my generals. Now that you have entered Shu, what will become of your military power...?"

Zhao Yun said, "Rest assured, my lord. The Prime Minister has ordered that the defense of Yizhou shall still be the responsibility of your former troops. I will only lead three thousand men to garrison Chengdu, and the rest of the troops will be stationed outside the city. If you need me, my lord, I will be at your disposal at any time."

Liu Yan was taken aback: "Does the Prime Minister truly trust me so much?"

Zhao Yun smiled slightly: "The Prime Minister said that the lord is a member of the Han imperial family, highly respected, and has a long-standing relationship with him. He trusts the lord."

Liu Yan remained silent for a long time, then sighed deeply: "I have no way to repay the Prime Minister's great kindness."

Zhao Yun said, "My lord, there's no need for such formalities. The Prime Minister only hopes that you will take care of your health and enjoy your later years. As for your sons, Fan and Dan—"

He took out a letter from his bosom and handed it over with both hands: "The Prime Minister said that once Yizhou is stable, he will send the two young masters back to Yizhou to reunite with the Governor."

Liu Yan took the letter, his hand trembling slightly. He unfolded it and read: "To Your Excellency: My sons Fan and Dan are doing well in Shuntian. Once the affairs of Yizhou are settled, I will send someone to escort them back, to fulfill the bond between father and son. Respectfully yours, Xuanyuan."

After reading the letter, Liu Yan burst into tears.

"Prime Minister..." he murmured, "I owe the Prime Minister far too much in my life."

In the twelfth month of the third year of Jian'an, in Shuntian, at Tiance Prefecture.

Ji Xuanyuan sat in his study, a secret report from Yizhou spread out before him. After reading it, he smiled slightly and handed the report to Guo Jia.

"Fengxiao, Yizhou is pacified."

Guo Jia took the document, scanned it quickly, and his peach blossom eyes curved into a smile: "Congratulations, my lord! With Yizhou's surrender, we now control two-thirds of the empire. Now, only Cao Cao and Liu Bei remain."

Ji Xuanyuan nodded, his gaze deep and thoughtful: "There's no rush with Cao Cao. Liu Bei can't cause much trouble in Jiaozhou either. Let them catch their breath first, and we can make our move after we've consolidated our control over Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and Yizhou."

He paused, then continued, "Issue the order to enfeoff Liu Yan as the Marquis of Shu, with a fief of ten thousand households, and retain his position as Governor of Yi Province. Xun Yu will remain in Yi Province to assist Liu Yan in governing the country. Zhao Yun will lead troops to garrison Chengdu to protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people."

Guo Jia clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

Ji Xuanyuan gazed out the window, his eyes fixed on the distance. Outside, winter snow swirled, blanketing the entire city of Shuntian. In the distance, the glazed tiles of the imperial palace gleamed in the snowy light.

The world is finally about to be unified.