Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The scholars greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries incessantly;

The military generals were straightforward and direct. Yan Liang and Wen Chou stared at Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, while Yuwen Chengdu's Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd attracted even more attention.

Zhang Fei moved closer to Yuwen Chengdu, staring at his gleaming golden weapon:

"General Yuwen, how heavy are you...?"

"Three hundred and twenty catties," Yuwen Chengdu said calmly.

"Wow!" Zhang Fei's eyes widened. "It's heavier than my eighteen-foot spear! Shall we have a contest another day?"

"I'm available anytime."

The two locked eyes, sparks flying.

Liu Ce quickly smoothed things over: "There will be plenty of opportunities to compete in the future. Let's go into the city first!"

After entering the city, Liu Ce first arranged for Cai Yan and Ren Hongchang to go to his residence in Zhuo County—the Liu Mansion.

"Yan'er, Hongchang, you two rest first," Liu Ce said gently. "I'll be back after I finish my official business."

Cai Yan nodded: "General, please go ahead and attend to your duties."

Ren Hongchang also bowed and said, "Yes."

Then Liu Ce quickly arranged for Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Yu Jin, Zhang He and others to go down and rest, arranging a place for each of them to stay—fortunately, there were many empty houses in Zhuo County, otherwise there really wouldn't be enough room for them.

Liu Bo, the steward of the Liu family, had been waiting at the door. Upon seeing Liu Ce, tears streamed down his face.

"Young Master! You're finally back!"

This Uncle Liu was an old servant of the Liu family, who had watched Liu Ce grow up since he was a child. Although the current Liu Ce was a time traveler, he still had deep feelings for this loyal old steward.

"Uncle Liu, I'm back." Liu Ce smiled and helped him up. "Is everything alright at home?"

"Good! All good!" Uncle Liu wiped away his tears. "I'm just looking forward to the young master's return."

After settling Cai Yan and the others in, Liu Ce rushed to the prefect's residence without stopping.

Everyone who was supposed to be there was present in the council chamber.

The officials of Zhuojun sat on the left: Prefectural Assistant Zhao Peng, Commandant Wang Xiu, and Chief Clerk Zhou Yi.

Liu Ce's old guard sat on the right: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin.

The newly arrived core members sat in the middle: Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yuwen Chengdu.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat and first had the officials of Zhuojun report on their work.

Prefect Zhao Peng stood up, picked up the bamboo slips, and began to read:

"My lord, as you instructed, the land survey of the entire Zhuojun region has been completed. The total arable land..."

Wang Xiu continued, "The 'work-for-relief' program has been implemented very well. We organized 100,000 refugees to participate in building city walls, digging irrigation canals, and repairing bridges and roads. They were provided with meals and received five copper coins a day for their work. Now, the city walls of Zhuoxian have been raised by three feet, and the moat has been widened by five feet; the main roads in all counties have also been repaired."

Zhou Yi concluded by saying, "The registration of refugees has been completed. A total of over one million refugees have been received and dispersed to various counties. Among them, over half a million are able-bodied men, of whom 30,000 have been recruited into the army and are currently undergoing training; the remaining people have been assigned to various engineering teams."

After listening, Liu Ce nodded: "Thank you all for your hard work."

Zhao Peng and his two companions breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed their lord was satisfied.

But what they said next made the atmosphere heavy.

Commandant Wang Xiu said in a deep voice, "My lord, Zhuojun is good, but the other places in Youzhou... are in dire straits."

"How bad was it?" Liu Ce asked.

Wang Xiu smiled bitterly: "If Ji Province, where the Yellow Turban Rebellion was most severe, was filled with starving corpses, then the other parts of You Province... were almost like hell on earth."

He described in detail: "People starving to death were everywhere, and villagers ate tree bark and grass roots. Tragedy of exchanging children to eat each other was common."

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes seized the opportunity to plunder southwards, and mountain bandits and brigands ran rampant, leaving most counties and prefectures essentially paralyzed.

Chief Clerk Zhou Yi added, "Besides our Zhuojun, of the other prefectures in Youzhou, only two or three are still functioning normally. Officials have either fled or died, and the people have either fled. In some counties, you can't even find anyone in charge."

The council chamber was silent.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Liu Ce was silent for a moment before speaking: "Pass on my order: notify all those who are still in charge in each prefecture of Youzhou that the governor's office is located in Zhuo County, Zhuo Prefecture. Tell them to come to Zhuo County to report any matters."

Zhao Peng and the other two were taken aback: "My lord, this..."

"Given the current situation in Youzhou, it's inappropriate to place the governor's office in Ji County," Liu Ce explained.

"Ji County is in Guangyang Commandery, and the situation there is far worse than in Zhuo Commandery. We have a foundation in Zhuo Commandery, so starting governance from here will be much more effective."

The three thought about it and agreed, then accepted the order and left.

After the officials of Zhuojun left, only Liu Ce's core group remained in the hall.

Qin Qiong stood up and took out an account book from his pocket:

"My lord, there is something I need to report."

"explain."

"The Yellow Turban Army's assets have all been transported back," Qin Qiong said in a low voice. "They have over 500 million coins, 30,000 gold coins, and over 1 million shi of grain."

"How much?" Liu Ce thought he had misheard.

Qin Qiong repeated: "More than 500 million coins, 30,000 gold, and more than 1 million shi of grain."

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Five hundred million coins! Thirty thousand gold coins, and over a million bushels of grain!

Everyone looked at Liu Ce with complicated expressions.

Liu Ce knew what they were thinking—where did all this money and grain come from?

He cleared his throat and began to explain:

"These are the legacy of the Yellow Turban Army. Before the Battle of Guangzong, Zhang Jiao knew his days were numbered, so he secretly spoke with me and handed these over to me on the condition that I marry his daughter Zhang Ning, protect the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army, and bury the three brothers together."

He briefly recounted their secret conversation that night, omitting some details—such as Zhang Jiao's prediction that he was the "Purple Star".

After he finished speaking, the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long silence, Fang Xuanling finally spoke: "My lord, who else... knows about this?"

"Besides those present, there are Zhang Ning, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yuanshao," Liu Ce said. "The others know nothing about it."

Du Ruhui nodded: "This matter must be kept secret. If it gets out, people will think that our lord is colluding with the Yellow Turbans, which will lead to endless trouble."

"That's why I'm saying this today."

Liu Ce looked at everyone and said, "Those of you here are either my sworn brothers or trusted confidants. I believe in you all."

These words were spoken sincerely, and everyone felt a warmth in their hearts.

Guan Yu was the first to declare: "Brother, rest assured, I will never reveal this matter to anyone."

Zhang Fei patted his chest and said, "Me too!"

Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin all gave their guarantees.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui bowed and said, "Our lord trusts us, and we will certainly live up to your expectations."

Yuwen spoke the least Chengdu dialect, just a few words: "This humble general understands."

Liu Ce said, "With this money and grain, we will have the confidence to govern Youzhou. But remember, tell the outside world that this is the spoils of war from the suppression of the Yellow Turbans, plus His Majesty's reward and the Zhen family's assistance—in short, it has nothing to do with Zhang Jiao."

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.