Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

"Thank you, Ning'er."

He said sincerely, "Having these two things will indeed save me a lot of trouble. If those hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban remnants in Ji Province can be properly settled, it will be a good thing for You Province and for them."

Zhang Ning leaned against Liu Ce's chest and whispered, "My husband promised my father to treat the former Yellow Turban rebels well. I believe you."

After embracing for a moment, Liu Ce let go and laughed, "Then can you help me write a letter of surrender? In your capacity as the Holy Maiden of the Way of Peace?"

"it is good."

Zhang Ning sat down at her desk, spread out the paper, ground the ink, and picked up her brush. Her handwriting was elegant yet vigorous, and the content was sincere and heartfelt, roughly meaning:

To my fellow Yellow Turban brothers in Ji Province:

I am Zhang Ning, daughter of the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, and Holy Maiden of the Way of Great Peace. Today, I present this letter to you all, bearing my father's tokens: the Nine-Section Staff and the Yellow Turban Token.

My father started the rebellion to save the people from suffering and to establish a peaceful world. However, fate was unkind; my father was defeated and killed, and the Yellow Turban cause suffered a setback. I know the hardships my brothers are going through, hiding in the mountains, barely having enough to eat, and living in constant fear.

Liu Ce, the General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, and Marquis of Champion, is benevolent and wise. Since governing Youzhou, he has resettled displaced people, reclaimed wasteland, and constructed water conservancy projects, gradually bringing peace to the people. I have already married the Marquis as his concubine, and I have personally witnessed that the Marquis truly has the ambition to bring peace to the world and the heart to seek the well-being of the people.

Brothers, our father's dying wish does not necessarily have to be fulfilled in the name of the Yellow Turbans. If we find a wise ruler, why not change course? Today, in the name of the Holy Maiden and bearing our father's token, I urge you all to submit to Youzhou and work together for a great cause. The Marquis promises that all who submit will be treated equally, given land and houses, and live in peace and prosperity.

Do not let our father's last wishes be forgotten, and do not let our brothers suffer the pain of displacement again.

Zhang Ning bowed his head.

October of the first year of Zhongping

After finishing writing, Zhang Ning blew the ink dry and stamped it with her own small seal—the "Saintess Seal" given to her by Zhang Jiao.

Liu Ce picked up the letter, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction: "Well written."

Then he leaned over and kissed Zhang Ning on the forehead: "You've worked hard, Ning'er. You go and rest first, I'll go and make the arrangements."

Zhang Ning blushed, nodded, and left the study.

Liu Ce carefully put away the letter and tokens, and without even taking a nap, he went straight out to the governor's mansion.

When Liu Ce arrived at the governor's mansion on horseback, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were already handling official business.

Upon seeing Liu Ce arrive, the two men stood up and bowed.

"Sit down, sit down."

Liu Ce waved his hand and plopped down in the main seat. "Have you had breakfast? If not, I'll have the kitchen send some over."

"I've already used it," Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

Liu Ce said mysteriously, "Go and summon Shen Wansan, Cheng Yaojin, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yuanshao to the study for a meeting."

Soon, everyone had arrived.

In the study, Liu Ce sat in the main seat, with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Shen Wansan on his left, and Cheng Yaojin, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yuanshao on his right.

"Everyone."

Liu Ce cleared his throat and said, "There is a way to deal with the remaining Yellow Turban rebels in Ji Province."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "My lord, what method is it?"

Liu Ce smiled slightly and took out a long package and a square package from the table behind him.

He first opened the long package, revealing the nine-section staff inside.

"This is..." Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up.

"A token of peace, a nine-section staff," Liu Ce said.

He then opened the square package, revealing a brass token.

Upon seeing these two items, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao were so excited that they stood up immediately and exclaimed, "The Peace Symbol 'Nine-Section Staff'! The 'Yellow Turban Token'!"

Liu Ce nodded and smiled, "That's right. With these two items, plus the letter of surrender written by Ning'er in the name of the Yellow Turban Holy Maiden, wouldn't Zhang Yan be a piece of cake?"

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head and said, "My lord, is this stick and this iron plate really that effective?"

Zhou Cang excitedly said, "General Cheng, you are unaware! This nine-section staff is the token of the Great Teacher of Virtue; seeing the staff is like seeing the Great Teacher of Virtue himself! This Yellow Turban token can command all Yellow Turban soldiers! Zhang Yan would absolutely not dare disobey upon seeing these two items!"

Pei Yuanshao nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, yes, yes! And there's also a letter from the Holy Maiden. If Zhang Yan doesn't comply, she'll be betraying the Great Teacher of Virtue and the Way of Peace!"

Cheng Yaojin suddenly realized: "I see! Then this mission is a sure thing!"

Liu Ce looked at Cheng Yaojin and chuckled inwardly.

The reason he sent Cheng Yaojin was not because Cheng Yaojin was capable, although Cheng Yaojin was indeed "quite good at fighting," but because Cheng Yaojin had the skill of "Lucky General."

In the original history, Cheng Yaojin was a famously lucky general, always managing to turn misfortune into good fortune and achieve unexpected success. Sending him to persuade them to surrender might yield some pleasant surprises.

"Knowing virtue,"

Liu Ce said to Cheng Yaojin, "Take these two items and this letter, lead three hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, and take Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao with five hundred Yellow Turban Warriors to Jizhou to persuade Zhang Yan to surrender."

Cheng Yaojin patted his chest: "Don't worry, my lord! Leave it to me, Cheng Yaojin!"

Liu Ce then said to Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, "You two should cooperate. When you see Zhang Yan and his former subordinates, you should know what to say and do."

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao also clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Your subordinates will certainly not fail in the trust placed in you by our lord!"

Liu Ce then explained some details, and then said, "Make your preparations. We'll depart in three days. Remember, safety comes first. If you can negotiate, then negotiate. If you can't reach an agreement, don't force it. We'll discuss it further when we get back."

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

After Cheng Yaojin and his men left, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui frowned.

"My lord,"

Fang Xuanling spoke first, saying, "If Zhang Yan leads his troops to surrender, that's a population of six or seven hundred thousand. Our current grain supplies probably won't last until next year's spring planting."

Du Ruhui added, "Moreover, these remnants of the Yellow Turbans mostly brought their families, including many elderly, weak, women, and children, which increased their consumption even more. Even if they brought some provisions, it would be a drop in the ocean."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce also frowned.

This is indeed a problem.

He counted on his fingers: Youzhou currently has more than 800,000 shi of grain in storage, more than 1 million shi of Yellow Turban legacy, and 2 million shi of support from the Zhen family.

The current population of Youzhou, including the previously resettled refugees, exceeds two million. Another six or seven hundred thousand more...

"It's definitely not enough," Liu Ce sighed.

He just took inventory a while ago:

There are more than 800,000 shi of grain on the surface (Zhuojun's reserves + this year's new harvest).

The secret warehouse contains over a million shi (a portion of the Yellow Turban legacy).

The Zhen family agreed to provide two million shi of grain as support.

There was also over a million shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain "enthusiastically" given by the powerful and wealthy families of Youzhou.

The total was less than five million shi (a unit of dry measure).

It sounds like a lot, but Youzhou already has over a million refugees to feed, an army to feed, and officials to feed. If we add another 600,000 mouths to feed...

"The minimum ration for survival is one jin of grain per person per day, which is 365 jin per year, or about three shi." (On average, a person consumes about 5 jin per day, or about 1.5 shi per month. 1 shi = 10 dou = 100 sheng.)

Liu Ce quickly calculated in his mind, "Nearly two million refugees, requiring six million shi of grain a year. We only have a little over four million shi, leaving a shortfall of about two million shi..."

Liu Ce paced back and forth in the study, his mind racing.

Open source and cost reduction? The work-for-relief project for displaced people cannot be stopped, otherwise chaos will ensue.

Military training cannot be reduced, otherwise combat effectiveness will decline. Therefore, the only option is to find new sources of training.

As he was thinking, Liu Ce suddenly had a flash of inspiration.