Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Liu Ce ignored all that and kept shouting as he walked until he arrived at the rear hall of Deyang Palace.

Pushing open the door, I saw a small figure standing there trembling with fear.

Liu Xie.

The nine-year-old child, dressed in an ill-fitting dragon robe, was thin and small, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

Liu Ce walked over and stood in front of Liu Xie.

Liu Xie looked up at him, his eyes filled with fear, nervousness, and a little bit of anticipation.

He bowed respectfully and said:

"I...I have met with the Imperial Uncle."

Liu Ce walked up to him and looked down at him.

A nine-year-old child should be running around and playing in the mud outside.

However, Dong Zhuo forced him onto the dragon throne, making him a puppet emperor for almost half a year.

Liu Ce squatted down to be at eye level with him and asked with a smile:

"Nephew, how have you been lately?"

Liu Xie said softly, "Very...very good. General Xu Da treats me very well."

Liu Ce nodded and then asked:

"Being an emperor under Dong Zhuo's puppet rule must be unpleasant, right?"

Liu Xie paused for a moment, then nodded.

It really hurts.

Confined to the palace every day, he had no say in anything; Dong Zhuo could do whatever he wanted, so he was just a figurehead.

In those eyes, there was clearly grievance, fear, and unspeakable sadness.

Liu Ce smiled.

He reached out and patted Liu Xie's head, saying:

"If it's not pleasant, then don't do it."

Liu Xie was stunned.

He looked up at Liu Ce, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Stop...stop doing it?"

Liu Ce nodded and said with a smile:

"Yes, stop doing it. You're just a kid, being carried around like this every day is exhausting. From now on, you can follow your royal uncle, eat and drink well, play whenever you want, and sleep whenever you want, isn't that better?"

Liu Xie was stunned for a long time.

Then he smiled.

That smile was the innocent smile a nine-year-old child should have.

He nodded vigorously and said:

"good!"

Although Liu Xie was only nine years old, he was not stupid.

Being an emperor meant living in constant fear, knowing you could be killed at any moment.

Not being an emperor would actually allow me to live a peaceful and stable life.

He understood the situation perfectly.

Liu Ce laughed heartily and patted his head again, saying:

"Alright, don't be afraid. With your royal uncle around, no one will dare to bully you."

Liu Xie nodded emphatically.

As he was leaving, Liu Ce patted him on the head:

"Stay put. In a few days, your royal uncle will arrange for you to reunite with your brother. Your brother Liu Bian is also in Youzhou. You two brothers will have plenty of time to play together in the future."

Liu Xie's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Really?"

"Really. Uncle keeps his word."

A smile appeared on Liu Xie's face.

After chatting for a while longer, Liu Ce got up and left.

As I walked out of Deyang Palace, the sunset was ablaze with color.

Liu Ce stood in the square in front of the palace, looking at the magnificent palace, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Seven years have passed.

From 183 to 190, a full seven years.

From a Han dynasty nobleman who bought his way into office, to the governor of Zhuojun... and now to the King of Yan, the ruler of three provinces, and the most powerful warlord in the land.

He fought the Yellow Turbans, pacified the Wuhuan, slaughtered the Xianbei, destroyed Goguryeo... and even beheaded Dong Zhuo...

He governed the north so well that people no longer picked up lost items on the road and left their doors unlocked at night.

Now, he has also captured Luoyang and Chang'an.

Who in the world can stop him?

Only he himself knows how many roads he has traveled, how many battles he has fought, and how many people he has lost.

But it was worth it.

Because this world will finally belong to the Liu family, not the dying Han dynasty, but the Liu of Liu Ce.

He turned around and strode out of the palace.

Behind me, the outline of Deyang Palace gradually blurred in the setting sun.

...

After leaving the palace, Liu Ce went straight back to his former residence in Luoyang, which is now called "Luoyang Yan Prince's Residence".

This mansion was a gift from Liu Hong when he was granted the title of Marquis of Champion. It occupies a large area and has all kinds of pavilions and towers, but it is a bit old.

Only a few old servants were left to guard the mansion, but now, they've finally come in handy again.

Although Liu Ce hadn't lived there for several years, Liu Hong had specially assigned people to maintain it before his death. Later, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital, it's unclear whether he forgot about it or dared not touch it, but the mansion remained empty without a single hair missing.

When Liu Ce entered the courtyard, he felt quite emotional looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar place. The last time he was here was when he was granted the title of Prince of Yan, and several years had passed in the blink of an eye.

The household was already bustling with activity.

Steward Wang and his men tidied up the council hall perfectly, mopping the floor so smooth you could see your reflection, and wiping the tables until they shone brightly.

The most eye-catching thing was the wall, which was covered with a huge map, from Youzhou to Jiangdong, from Liangzhou to Jiaozhou, with each prefecture and county clearly marked, not even the small county towns were left out.

It was all clearly marked who occupied which territory, how many troops they had, and the status of their supplies.

Mountains and rivers, passes and cities—every stroke of the pen represents the hard work of the intelligence department.

As soon as it got dark, everyone who was supposed to come arrived.

Li Jing, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Li Ji, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Xue Rengui, Su Lie, Xu Da, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Lü Bu, Yuchi Gong, Yuwen Chengdu, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Xu Huang...

A large group of people sat in the room.

The civil officials were dressed in scholar's robes, and the military generals were clad in armor. They were all full of energy, and their mere presence exuded a murderous aura.

Those who didn't know better might think this was a pre-war mobilization meeting, but it was just a regular meeting.

Once everyone was seated, Liu Ce picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly began to speak:

"Gentlemen, Dong Zhuo is dead. We have taken Hulao Pass, Luoyang, Hangu Pass, and Chang'an, and we have also incorporated all the allied warlords. Most of the north is now in our hands."

He put down his teacup, glanced at everyone, and said with a smile:

"I called you here for one thing: where should we attack next? How should we pacify this world? Share your thoughts."

The words had barely left his mouth...

"Snapped!"

Zhang Fei was the first to jump up, slap his thigh, and shout at the top of his lungs:

"Brother! That goes without saying! We have a strong army and many fierce generals. Let's march straight south! First, we'll wipe out all those messy forces in the south, then take Yizhou and Jingzhou, and unify the world!"

He patted his chest, his face beaming with excitement, spittle flying as he spoke:

"I, Old Zhang, will be the vanguard! I guarantee I'll be the first to charge! Anyone who dares to stop me, I'll pierce them with my spear!"

Cheng Yaojin joined in the commotion, gesturing wildly and shouting:

"Yide is right! My lord, I, Lao Cheng, am also willing to be the vanguard! Those warlords who seize power, if they dare to utter a single word of dissent, I'll chop their heads off with one swing of my axe!"

He counted on his fingers:

"Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou... I, Old Cheng, will wipe them all out in less than six months with a single axe stroke!"

The two started arguing, and the hall instantly became lively.