The imperial cause at the end of the Han Dynasty was not one of partial peace.

Chapter 95 Subduing the Mountain Yue and Befriending the Lu Clan

Faced with the Han army's naval forces blocking their path from the front and their cavalry pursuing them from behind, Zhang Ya was furious.

"Impossible!" He grabbed his bodyguard by the collar, almost roaring, "Did Liu Bei fall from the sky? He has his iron cavalry under Yichun City and his navy downstream—how did he get here?!"

"How could he get here so fast!?"

"How can he be everywhere?!"

The guard was clearly innocent; he was being pulled so hard he could hardly breathe, and he struggled desperately, pointing outside the tent: "It's absolutely true! Commander, you—you should see for yourself!"

Zhang Ya shook off her guards and strode out of the tent. Several leaders followed closely behind.

He mounted his horse and, with more than ten guards, rode up the low hill behind the camp, gazing into the distance from there.

Then, his breathing stopped instantly.

On the Yuan River, a massive fleet of ships was sailing upstream in a grand and majestic manner.

Leading the way was a massive warship, its prow covered in iron and painted vermilion, its mast soaring into the clouds. A huge red banner stood at the bow, the river wind whipping it open, displaying six bold characters in vermilion ink: "Liu, Prefect of Changsha of the Han Dynasty."

Following the warships, nearly a hundred warships of all sizes, including fighting ships, small boats, and grain transport vessels, lined up in formation, their sails billowing and their prows stretching for miles.

On both sides of the ship, three thousand naval soldiers, fully armored and armed, stood in formation along the gunwales, their spears gleaming coldly in the sun.

Every few steps along the ship's side, a red flag was erected, stretching endlessly like a fiery dragon winding its way across the river.

On the lead warship, a man stood at the bow with his hand on his sword, a crimson cloak billowing in the wind behind him.

Although their faces were obscured by distance, their upright, pine-like figures and their domineering aura could be felt even from miles away.

Liu Bei.

Zhang Ya felt her legs go weak and she almost fell off the horse.

His mind was buzzing, with only one thought echoing wildly—how did he get here? How did he get here!

On land, there were iron cavalry; on water, there were warships. He himself had been utterly defeated by Zhao Yun at the walls of Yichun and fled south for over fifty li in panic. He thought he had escaped danger, but he never expected that Liu Bei himself would actually go upstream from the lower reaches of the Yuan River and cut off his last escape route.

This is simply divine and omnipotent in military strategy!

Zhang Ya suddenly remembered that last year when she was in Yuzhang, she had heard a former subordinate of the Black Mountain tribe who had fled from Hebei talk about Liu Bei.

The man said that Liu Bei's military tactics were "skilled in attacking from the highest heavens," meaning you could never guess where he would appear from. You might think he was in front of you, but he would attack from behind; you might think he was on land, but he would emerge from the water.

Fighting him is like fighting a ghost; he's everywhere, yet nowhere to be seen. By the time you finally spot him, a knife is already at your throat.

At the time, Zhang Ya assumed that the former Black Mountain troops were just scared out of their wits and were exaggerating and making alarmist claims.

But now, he truly understands that feeling.

"The skillful attacker moves high in the heavens, the skillful defender hides deep in the earth." He had heard someone recite this saying before; it was from Sun Tzu's Art of War.

He didn't understand at the time and even laughed at those scholars for being pedantic. He said that war is war, and there's no such thing as the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths.

Now he understands.

The crimson banners above the Yuan River, the iron cavalry on the mountain paths, the scarlet banners blocking every escape route—this is the heavens above, this is omnipresence.

"General!" Zhang Yue cried out urgently from the side, "Hurry! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

Zhang Ya came to her senses and was about to turn her horse around when she saw another commotion coming from another direction.

He turned around abruptly and saw red flags being raised again from the forest along the mountain path to the north.

Wen Chou's Xuanjia Iron Cavalry had somehow managed to flank the enemy and were now cutting off their escape route to the north.

Another scout galloped in with a report, tears streaming down his face: "General! Zhao Yun's cavalry has caught up again! They're less than ten li away!"

With Liu Bei personally leading his navy to cut off the Yuan River in front, Zhao Yun's elite cavalry relentlessly pursuing them from behind, and Wen Chou's iron cavalry blocking their flanks, the three-pronged encirclement, advancing by both land and water, had turned the Yangqi Ridge Valley, which was no more than twenty li in circumference, into a death cell with iron walls on all sides.

Zhang Ya felt ice-cold all over, and felt only absurdity and ridiculousness.

His boastful words, "As long as Liu Bei is not here, what do we have to fear?" now felt like slaps to his own face.

Now Liu Xuande has not only arrived, but he has also laid a net of heaven and earth as soon as he appeared, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, surrounding him completely!

Liu Bei stood at the bow of the warship, his hand on his sword, the crimson banner fluttering in the river wind.

Gazing at the bandits fleeing in panic along both banks of the Yuan River, a surge of heroic spirit welled up within him. With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Pass on the order!"

"Zhao Yun leads the Jing Sai cavalry from north to south, Wen Chou leads the Xuanjia cavalry from west to east, the navy approaches the shore, and the infantry lands. They are surrounded on three sides, leaving only a breach at the Yuan River to the south! They will bind themselves and surrender here!"

Standing beside Liu Bei, Tian Feng said, "My lord, the three-pronged encirclement strategy has now succeeded. We are now like catching a turtle in a jar. This traitor will be beheaded today."

Liu Bei shook his head slightly. If it were just about defeating the enemy, he would never have been asked to personally lead his troops here.

Zhao Yun led over a thousand iron cavalry, moving swiftly like a storm, and was able to crush this rebel army with overwhelming force.

Liu Bei, filled with righteous indignation, said, "Yuanhao, the key to this battle is not defeating the rebels, but winning their hearts. The Yellow Turbans of Yuzhang are mostly people forced to join the rebels by hunger and cold. Now that Zhang Ya has been defeated, the rest will surely collapse."

"Therefore, an order should be issued to the three armies: those who surrender will be spared death, and those who were coerced into joining will not be questioned. All those who abandon their weapons and return to farming will be pardoned."

Tian Feng showed an expression of appreciation. He had followed Liu Bei for five years and knew that his lord's most outstanding qualities were not his brilliant military strategy, but his heroic spirit and benevolent heart!

In times of war, others think about how many heads have been taken and how much armor and weapons have been captured, but the lord thinks about the post-war resettlement, the return of displaced people, and the hearts and minds of the people.

Without this heroic spirit, benevolence, and righteousness, the chaotic world at the end of the Han Dynasty would have been utterly dark, devoid of any light.

Without this romantic and heroic ambition, how could he have distinguished himself from ordinary ambitious lords and attracted heroes from all over the world to follow him?

Liu Bei turned around, a smile playing on his lips: "Yuan Hao understands me best."

Then he raised his hand, gesturing for Tian Feng to follow him into the cabin.

Inside the cabin, a map was laid out on the table.

Liu Bei pointed to the continuous mountain range in the southern part of Yuzhang County, where place names such as "Wugong Mountain", "Wanzai Ridge" and "Shanggaodong" were marked. He outlined the direction of the mountain range with ink lines and circled more than ten large and small mountain Yue settlements with cinnabar.

"Zhang Ya's troops are nothing but a minor nuisance," Liu Bei said calmly, surveying the landscape. "Twenty thousand rabble can be crushed in a single battle. However, the root of the problem in Yuzhang lies not in Zhang Ya, but in these deep mountains and valleys."

He pointed heavily on the map: "Since I took office, whenever I arrive in a place, I always observe its mountains and rivers and study its local customs and traditions."

"Yuzhang is located at the junction of Jing and Yang, bordering the three rivers and bordering the five lakes. It is a place with deep mountains and dense forests, and has been a place where the Yue people have lived since ancient times."

"The imperial court established Yuzhang Prefecture here, and it has been more than 300 years since then, but the Yue people in the mountains have never been truly assimilated."

"When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the Yue people of the mountains seized the opportunity to rise up, joining forces with bandits to attack and destroy cities. Zhang Ya was able to run rampant in Yuzhang for several years because of these Yue people."

Tian Feng stroked his beard and nodded, then asked, "Does Your Excellency intend to use this opportunity of pursuing Zhang Ya to penetrate deep into the mountains and wipe out the Yue tribes of Yuzhang in one fell swoop?"

"Exactly! We don't need to wipe out the Yue people in Yuzhang, but at least we must completely eliminate them in the Yichun area." Liu Bei was very excited and said, "After Zhang Ya's defeat and death, the defeated soldiers will surely scatter into the mountains and forests and seek refuge with the Yue people there. If our army stops at the city of Yichun and only suppresses the bandits without pacifying the Yue people, within a year, there will be a second Zhang Ya and a third Zhang Ya."

"Instead of waging war year after year and exhausting ourselves, we should seize this opportunity to penetrate deep into the region, using both suppression and appeasement to bring this mountainous area under the complete control of the Han dynasty's prefectures and counties."

"In this battle, we must not only encircle and annihilate Zhang Ya, but also take advantage of the momentum of pursuing the fleeing enemy to advance our troops directly into the heart of the Yue region. We must eliminate their ringleaders and appease the good people, so that the Yue people in the mountains will know the majesty of the Han Dynasty and will no longer be used by bandits. Only in this way can Yuzhang enjoy long-term peace and stability, and the eastern border of Changsha be free from worries about the rear."

Tian Feng was deeply moved, but as a strategist, he did not forget the most important matter amidst his excitement.

"Your Excellency's grand plan is well-considered. However, recruiting surrendered rebels and settling displaced people requires money and provisions everywhere. Fifteen thousand soldiers are already costing a fortune every day; if tens of thousands more displaced soldiers are added, where will the money and provisions come from?"

Liu Bei calmly replied, "Yuanhao, there's no need to worry about money and provisions. You and I have already made plans for this. Rice in Changsha is harvested twice a year, and now that June is almost over, the early rice is ripe. The county's agricultural official just sent a messenger the other day to report that over 80,000 hectares of fertile land have yielded a bumper harvest of early rice, and the summer tax revenue is expected to be no less than 800,000 bushels of grain."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Therefore, Changsha may lack money and grain, but its rice reserves are more than sufficient!"

"This abundant harvest of rice is enough to allow Changsha to recruit no fewer than 30,000 refugees."

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng's eyes lit up, and he said, "If that's the case, these refugees will not only not be a burden on Changsha, but will actually help Changsha increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "This matter is exactly what you and I have been thinking about."

"Industry and commerce in Changsha are booming. Salt and wine officials and commercial tax supervisors have been established, and there are brocade weaving bureaus, iron smelting workshops, celadon kilns, and paper mills."

The workshops across the region are working day and night, but the biggest shortage is manpower. Since last year, the Zhen family alone has recruited over two thousand weavers, kiln workers, and blacksmiths, but it's still far from enough.

"The Changsha Brocade Bureau is mostly completed, but over a hundred looms remain idle, suffering from a lack of operators. This art of brocade weaving is not something everyone can master; what is most lacking are intelligent and virtuous weavers. Young girls in their late teens and early twenties, with their dexterity and delicate skin, are the most suitable. To prevent calluses on their hands from damaging the brocade threads, weavers even need to soak their hands in milk."

"And then there are the celadon kilns. Twelve kilns have been built on Tongguan Mountain, but only six are actually in operation. The other six are still sealed with clay due to a lack of kiln workers. Each kiln requires dozens of people, including kiln workers, painters, porters, and carpenters, to operate. Twelve kilns would require over a thousand people. It can be said that there is a shortage of manpower everywhere."

"If we can incorporate the young and strong among the refugees into workshops and teach them skills, we can not only solve the livelihood problems of the refugees, but also enrich the industry and commerce of Changsha, achieving two goals at once."

This was Liu Bei's long-planned vision: once agriculture was highly developed, there would be a large surplus of grain to support a sufficient number of artisans and develop handicrafts.

The Battle of Yichun, following the summer harvest, brought his vision to life.

Tian Feng shared the same idea as Liu Bei and Ju Shou. He then pointed to the location of Yichun on the map and said, "If Your Excellency intends to use this place to greatly promote industry and commerce, then Yichun is indeed a blessed land."

"Yichun is located on the upper reaches of the Yuan River, and its waterways connect it to the two prefectures of Yuzhang and Changsha. Although the area is mountainous and densely forested, it is rich in resources. Before coming here, I specifically consulted the ancient books. The Wugong Mountain and Wanzai Ridge area has copper and iron mines, and its reserves are the most abundant in the world."

"During the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, Liu Bi, the King of Wu, took advantage of the copper mines in Yuzhang Commandery to attract fugitives from all over the country to mint coins and boil seawater in the east to make salt, so there were no taxes and the national treasury was abundant."

"The mountains there are also many clays, which are fine and smooth, and are probably even better than those from Tongguan Mountain for firing pottery and porcelain."

"If Your Excellency can take advantage of this campaign against the Yue tribes to bring this mountainous region under your control, you can establish an ironworks, open porcelain kilns, and build workshops in Yichun. At that time, with Changsha and Yichun working together, iron smelting, porcelain firing, brocade weaving, and papermaking will flourish, and all industries will thrive. Within a few years, the wealth of Jingnan will be the greatest in the world."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was greatly encouraged. There were no taxes in the land, yet the national treasury was abundant! This was the highest ideal pursued by the rulers of the Central Plains for thousands of years.

Liu Bei certainly hoped to exempt the people from taxes, that is, to abolish the poll tax!

Yuzhang was undoubtedly one of the keys to his success, as it was a capital of copper and iron, and a capital of porcelain!

If we add Changsha's agriculture, brocade weaving, and papermaking techniques, it is no exaggeration to say that this area was the wealthiest in the world.

This is also the significance of Liu Bei's development of Jiangnan. When he was vying for power in the Central Plains, he had a stable rear that could provide him with a continuous supply of provisions.

Just like when Emperor Gaozu left Hangu Pass to compete with Xiang Yu for supremacy in the Central Plains, Xiao He was in charge of the country from the rear, providing a constant supply of provisions.

However, if it were someone like Yuan Shu or Cao Cao who raised an army directly in the Central Plains, there would be a serious problem. Although they would occupy the center of the world, the battles for control of the Central Plains would still take place on their own territory, which would result in the lack of a stable central government.

This is also one of the important reasons why Cao Cao often ran out of food during his campaigns and was unable to unify the country.

Liu Bei didn't even need to attack Yuzhang county by county. As long as he won over the hearts of the people of Yuzhang, and Zhuge Xuan took office as the governor of Yuzhang, the two sides would naturally be of one mind and support each other.

In order to consolidate his rule over Yuzhang and defend against the Yue tribes, Jiangdong, and Jingbei, Zhuge Xuan would naturally rely on Liu Bei and Changsha.

As Liu Bei was discussing grand plans with Tian Qi, a messenger knelt on one knee outside the cabin door, his voice excited: "My lord! Victory from the front! General Zhao has decisively defeated Zhang Ya's central army, and several thousand enemy soldiers have surrendered! Zhang Ya has fled alone, heading deep into Wugong Mountain!"

Liu Bei and Tian Feng exchanged a glance and both clapped their hands and laughed.

"Good!" Liu Bei strode to the cabin door and looked towards Yangqi Ridge. He saw red flags covering the valley floor and the sounds of battle gradually subsiding.

Countless defeated soldiers abandoned their weapons, knelt down with their heads in their hands, and covered the entire valley in a dark mass.

The Han army's infantry and cavalry were methodically gathering the surrendered soldiers and counting the spoils. Occasionally, sporadic shouts of battle could be heard from the distant mountains and forests, as small groups of cavalry pursued and wiped out the remaining bandits.

"Zhang Ya has escaped alone; he's nothing to worry about." Liu Bei withdrew his gaze, his tone calm. "Order Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Wen Chou to pursue him slowly. Let him escape; he'll be a good guide for our army!"

"Wugong Mountain, Wanzai Ridge, and Shanggaodong—these mountains and valleys have been entrenched for hundreds of years, their paths rarely glimpsed by outsiders." (Zhang Ya)

They will surely seek refuge with the Yue people in the mountains. Our army will follow closely behind, taking advantage of the situation to penetrate deep into these mountains and raze the Yue strongholds one by one!

In the following days, the sounds of battle shook the southern valleys of Yuzhang as Liu Bei's three armies swept through the Yue tribes like autumn leaves in the wind.

Southerners are not skilled in archery and horsemanship, and the Yue people in the mountains have never seen armored cavalry wielding spears.

When those crimson banners suddenly emerged from the forest, and when the thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed endlessly through the valleys, the Yue people in the mountain villages along the way were all terrified.

Zhao Yun led his cavalry ahead, not rushing to attack the strongholds. As per Liu Bei's instructions, he would first use diplomatic means before military force, sending messengers with proclamations to each stronghold he arrived at.

The proclamation was written in simple and easy-to-understand language, and its gist was: Liu Fujun, the Prefect of Changsha of the Han Dynasty, has been ordered by the Emperor to punish the disloyal. Zhang Ya has been defeated, and his remaining followers have all surrendered.

The Yue people in the mountains are not bandits. If they submit to us, all past transgressions will be forgiven.

The Prefect has petitioned the court to include all Yue people who have submitted to the court in the Changsha household register, so that they can pay taxes and perform corvée labor in the same way as the Han people. Their children can attend school, and young adults can work as craftsmen in workshops.

If they remain obstinate and resist the royal army, wherever the army goes, the stronghold will be destroyed and people will die, and it will be too late to regret it.

Some tribes chose to submit, as these Yue people were not born liking to stay in the deep mountains and forests. Especially after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the mountains were repeatedly harassed by bandits, and the able-bodied were forced to join the bandits, while the old and weak starved to death in the ravines.

Now, the Han governor not only did not pursue the crime of following the rebels, but also promised them land and workshops. Some tribes that only wanted to live a peaceful life knew that their few hundred people could not withstand thousands of elite Han infantry and cavalry, so they all knelt down and surrendered.

However, there are also those who are stubborn and incorrigible.

Deep within Wanzai Ridge lies a mountain stronghold called "Tonggudong." Its chieftain, Panhu, claims to be a descendant of the King of Yue and has gathered over two thousand people to defend the stronghold, refusing to surrender.

Instead of surrendering, he took in the messenger sent by Zhang Ya to make contact, and declared that he would fight the Han army to the bitter end.

So Guan Yu led his elite troops to press on the border.

Thousands of infantry and cavalry surrounded the bandits. Wen Chou, as the vanguard, strode to the entrance of the narrow path in front of the stronghold, looked up at the walls, and shouted sternly: "Listen up, Yue people in the stronghold! I am Wen Chou, the cavalry commander under Liu Fujun, the Prefect of Changsha! Zhang Ya has been defeated, and Yuzhang has been pacified! If you are willing to surrender, the Prefect is benevolent and will forgive your past transgressions! If you remain obstinate, when my army breaks through the stronghold, we will all perish, and it will be too late for regrets!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the stockade wall. Panhu himself stood on the wall, taunting in broken Chinese, "What Lord Liu? We've lived on this mountain for generations, even the Emperor of Han can't touch us! If you have the guts, come and attack our stockade. If Tonggudong is afraid of you, then we are not worthy of being called descendants of the King of Yue!"

Wen, uttering these words of shame, drew his sword and shouted sternly, "My men! Attack the stronghold!"

He personally led fifty elite Xuanjia soldiers, clad in heavy armor, wielding large shields and carrying ring-pommel swords, and charged fiercely towards the gate of the stronghold along the narrow, winding path.

The Yue soldiers on the stockade wall immediately opened fire with arrows. The arrows rained down, striking the large shields held high by Wen Chou and his men with a series of crackling sounds.

However, the Xuanjia elite warriors' shields were made of iron with cowhide lining, capable of blocking the Han army's powerful crossbows with a strength of three stones! The ordinary soft bows and bamboo arrows of the Yue people could not penetrate them at all.

Braving the rain of arrows and stepping over the rocks, Wen Chou charged ahead to the gate of the stronghold.

Dozens of elite soldiers swung their blades wildly, quickly cutting a gap in the wooden gate. Wen Chou led his men in, charging through. Wielding a ring-pommel sword, he slashed left and right, scattering the Yue people blocking his way, and charged straight at Panhu atop the wall.

Panhu saw Wen Chou charging towards him like a god of death descending upon the world, and he was so frightened that he turned and fled. But there was only one main road in the mountain stronghold, and he had nowhere to escape. Wen Chou caught up with him in a few steps and beheaded him with a single stroke.

"The chieftain is dead! Those who surrender will be spared!" Wen Chou roared, holding up Pan Hu's head.

Seeing that their leader was dead, the Yue people in the village dared not resist any longer. They all dropped their weapons, knelt down, and begged for their lives.

This mountain stronghold, with a population of two thousand, is already a well-known large stronghold among the Yue people.

With Tonggudong breached, the mountain strongholds and villages around Wugong Mountain and Wanzailing were terrified and no one dared to put up a stubborn resistance.

Within a month, Zhao Yun and Wen Chou's two cavalry forces swept across the continuous mountain ranges south of Yichun, captured more than ten mountain strongholds, took seven Yue chieftains prisoner, and persuaded more than 5,000 Yue households, totaling more than 30,000 people, to surrender.

Liu Bei personally went to the foot of Wugong Mountain south of Yichun City to appease the Yue people who had submitted to him.

He set up a large tent at the foot of the mountain and ordered the officials of the county's agricultural bureau to register each household and include the surrendered Yue people in the Changsha household register. He also ordered the medical officials to treat the wounded and sick, and the granary officials to allocate grain to relieve famine.

Those Yue people who have lived deep in the mountains for generations and have never seen the majesty of the Han dynasty have never received such treatment.

Holding the millet distributed by the prefectural government and wearing the cloth allocated by the government, they were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

An elderly man with white hair and beard knelt before the tent and spoke in a trembling voice, a mixture of Vietnamese and broken Chinese: “I have lived for seventy years and have seen Han soldiers come into the mountains countless times. Every time they come, they either kill or set fires, and then they leave after looting the grain.”

"Only Lord Liu has come to save us, not to kill us. Lord Liu, I am willing to lead my entire clan to submit to you, and we will never cause trouble again."

Liu Bei personally helped the old man up and gently comforted him, saying, "Old man, there's no need for such formalities. I am honored to be the governor of this region, and the people under my jurisdiction, whether Han or Yue, are all loyal subjects of the court. Now that Zhang Ya has been defeated, there are no more bandits in the mountains."

"After you return to the mountains, you can tell your clansmen that the prefectural government has designated unclaimed wasteland in Liling and Chaling counties. Those who wish to cultivate the land will be granted fifty mu of land, and will be provided with grain, seeds, and farming tools, with a one-year rent-free period. Those who wish to join the workshops will be sent to Changsha by the prefectural government to be taught skills and will receive a monthly salary. From now on, they will no longer have to be confined to the mountains and forests, enduring hunger and thirst."

Upon hearing this, the old man prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Outside the tent, the surrendered Yue people also knelt down, shouting "Long live Lord Liu!" The cries echoed through the valley for a long time.

After accepting the surrender of more than 5,000 households of the Yue tribes, Liu Bei swore an oath and returned in triumph.

These 5,000 captives are enough to greatly increase the population of the two counties. At this rate, with an annual increase of 30,000 people, Changsha's population can be restored to its peak of over one million in just a few years.

When news of Liu Bei's army's triumphant return reached Yichun, Lu Lun was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes.

He personally led the elders of the city thirty li outside the city to welcome Liu Bei's army. He knelt before them, weeping, and said, "Your Excellency's kindness is not only a blessing for Yichun County, but for the entire Yuzhang Prefecture. If not for Your Excellency's rescue, Yichun would have fallen in a matter of days, and all its people would have been slaughtered by the rebels. Your Excellency traveled hundreds of li across the border to save the people from this dire situation—who in the world can match such righteousness?"

Liu Bei helped Lu Lun up with both hands and said gently, "Gongjie, there's no need for this. It is the duty of the counties of Han to help each other. Moreover, Yichun is adjacent to Changsha, and we are interdependent. If I sit idly by, the bandits will surely invade Changsha in the future. Saving Yichun today is also protecting my hometown of Changsha."

Despite saying this, Lu Ji understood that the laws of the Han Dynasty were strict, and the governor could not leave the territory of the prefecture without the emperor's order.

Liu Bei's decision to send troops this time was at the risk of being held accountable by the imperial court.

The people of Yichun will never forget this kindness, nor will the scholars of Yuzhang.

Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, was deeply moved and sent a messenger with a handwritten letter, which read: "Your Excellency saved my nephew from a perilous city. I will never forget this kindness and virtue. Although the Lu family is located in Jiangdong, we wish to form an eternal alliance with Your Excellency. In the future, if Your Excellency needs us, the Lu family will certainly not stand idly by."