Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

At noon, on the plain south of Lulong Pass.

The battlefield was incredibly brutal—or rather, spectacular. The bodies of over ten thousand Wuhuan cavalrymen lay scattered on the ground, their warhorses either dead or wounded and neighing in agony, weapons strewn everywhere, and blood staining the grass red.

Liu Ce rode his horse around the battlefield, followed by Dian Wei and several personal guards.

As he watched, he clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk tsk, this battle was fought like harvesting leeks. The Wuhuan people must be crazy to insist on having this 'last supper'."

Dian Wei grinned and said, "Brother, this is all thanks to your strategy. First, you lured them with benefits, then suddenly attacked, leaving them no time to react."

"The main problem is that they're too greedy," Liu Ce said, shaking his head. "They can't resist the sight of grain. What's that called? People die for wealth, birds die for food."

...

Liu Ce stood on a small earthen mound, watching the soldiers below clean up the battlefield.

The corpses of the Wuhuan cavalry lay scattered across the ground, some still in their charging postures, others reduced to mangled pieces. Some warhorses lay neighing beside their masters, while others dragged their wounded legs and ran wildly across the battlefield.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and... barbecue?

Liu Ce sniffed and saw several soldiers in the distance roasting horse meat over a fire, their faces turning black.

"Who told them to roast horse meat?!" he roared.

A military officer rushed over and said, "My lord, these...these horses are all injured and can't be saved. The brothers are hungry..."

"Even if you're hungry, you can't grill here!" Liu Ce said, rubbing his forehead. "Save the horses you can, and the ones you can't... take them somewhere else to deal with! This battlefield isn't even cleaned up yet, and you're having a barbecue party? Is that appropriate?"

The military commander shrank back, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go right away..."

...

Jia Xu strolled over slowly, holding a small notebook in his hand, a sly smile on his face, and said, "My lord, the battle results are in."

Liu Ce turned around and said, "Speak."

"More than 10,000 Wuhuan cavalrymen were annihilated." Jia Xu opened his notebook. "Six thousand four hundred and fifty-three usable warhorses were captured. The rest of the warhorses either had their legs cut off or were hit by arrows and could not be saved."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Warhorses are good things, and we in Youzhou are in dire need of them. More than six thousand are enough to form two cavalry battalions."

Jia Xu paused for a moment, then continued, "Our troops suffered 187 lightly wounded, 35 seriously wounded, and 17 killed in action."

The smile on Liu Ce's face vanished when he heard the number of casualties.

Seventeen people.

It may not sound like many, but to him, each one was a soldier he had personally trained and equipped well.

"What types of soldiers were killed in action?" he asked in a deep voice.

"They were mostly infantry," Jia Xu sighed. "When the Wuhuan cavalry charged, some of the Mo Dao battalion brothers didn't have time to form ranks, and a few archers from the Jin She battalion were a step too slow in their retreat..."

Liu Ce understood that even with the Mo Dao formation, infantry would inevitably suffer casualties during a cavalry charge. Seventeen dead might not sound like many, but each one was a living, breathing human being.

Liu Ce remained silent for a while.

Then he raised his head, his voice not loud, but every word resounding: "Send the remains of the fallen soldiers back to Zhuoxian for proper burial. They should be given a grand funeral, their names inscribed on the tombstones, so that future generations will know why they died. The compensation should be paid at the highest standard—the parents of the fallen brothers will be supported by the state government until old age; their children will be supported by the state government until adulthood; their wives, if they wish to remarry, will receive a dowry, and if they do not wish to remarry, they will receive monthly allowances."

He stared at Jia Xu and said, "Wenhe, you will personally oversee this matter when we get back. Anyone who dares to withhold the pension, no matter who it is, I, Liu Bolue, will execute them without mercy!"

Jia Xu bowed respectfully and said, "My lord is benevolent and righteous. I will personally oversee the matter and never let the heroes be disheartened."

"And the wounded soldiers," Liu Ce added, "those with minor injuries will receive treatment with the army, while those with serious injuries will be sent back to Zhuoxian and handed over to Mr. Zhang Zhongjing. Their salaries will continue to be paid during their recovery period."

"Yes."

Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, Liu Ce sighed, "The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand. We've won, and we're happy; but these soldiers are dead, and how heartbroken their families must be."

Jia Xu comforted him, saying, "Our lord is kind-hearted. But that's how war is; people always die."

"I know," Liu Ce waved his hand, "I was just expressing my feelings. Alright, tell the soldiers to hurry up and clean up the battlefield, get it clean before dark. Bury all the bodies, don't leave them to rot in the wilderness—even though they were the enemy, the dead should be respected."

"My lord is merciful," Jia Xu noted.

"Mercy?" Liu Ce shook his head and said, "I just don't want a plague."

He turned and walked towards the camp, but after a few steps he turned back and said, "By the way, those roasted horse meat... never mind, let them eat it, but don't let them eat it on the battlefield, keep them away."

Jia Xu suppressed a laugh and said, "Your subordinate understands."

...

At dusk, in the central command tent

A dozen or so candles were lit in the tent, making it brightly lit.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed—the battle was over, and we won, and won beautifully.

The military officers were all beaming with joy, boasting to each other about how many people they had killed that day.

Cheng Yaojin had the loudest voice: "I, Old Cheng, have slain forty-five men today! With a single swing of my Mo Dao, I cleaved them and their horses in two—it was incredibly satisfying!"

Lu Bu sneered, "Thirty-seven? What's thirty-seven? I killed seventy-six, one with each halberd, like a string of candied hawthorns."

Zhao Yun laughed and said, "Fengxian is brave and valiant; I admire him. I have killed sixty-three of them today."

Huang Zhong stroked his beard: "I'm old, not like you young people. I shot fifty-eight, every arrow piercing the chest."

The generals chatted animatedly, each offering their own opinion.

Liu Ce walked in, and everyone immediately fell silent.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, with Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Xue Rengui, Xu Da, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Jia Xu, and others sitting in two rows below him, each with a look of excitement after victory on their faces.

"Gentlemen," Liu Ce tapped the table, "today's battle was brilliantly fought!"

"It's all thanks to our lord's wisdom!" the generals exclaimed in unison.

This wasn't entirely flattery. From luring the enemy with a banquet to launching a sudden attack, from ambushing and outflanking to the Iron Pagoda covering the rear, the entire plan was meticulously executed, with each step linked to the next.

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "It's because everyone fought well. However, the war is not over yet."

The generals' eyes lit up.