Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Finally, she nodded slightly.

"This humble woman... is willing."

Cheng Yaojin was so happy he almost jumped off his horse.

"Excellent! That's wonderful! Miss Feng, don't worry, with me, Old Cheng, here, I guarantee you'll enter the Prince of Yan's residence in style!"

Feng Yu blushed, lowered her head, but couldn't help but smile.

She didn't know if this step was right or wrong.

But she knew that General Cheng genuinely cared for her.

The carriage continued on its way.

Feng Yu leaned against the car window, watching the fields and villages flash by outside, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Cheng Yaojin, meanwhile, was already happily planning how to boast to Liu Ce when he got back.

...

Luoyang, the Prince of Yan's residence.

Liu Ce had just finished reviewing the documents and was rubbing his temples to catch his breath.

The past few days have been filled with a mountain of official business, with news reports coming in one after another from various places.

The recovered prefectures and counties need to be governed, the surrendered troops need to be reorganized, the people need to be appeased, and the surrendered lords need to be dealt with...

There are so many things to do that it's overwhelming.

Yin Ying poured him tea, her movements gentle and silent.

I've been living a pretty comfortable life lately.

The four provinces of Guandong have been recovered, Liangzhou has been pacified, and progress is being made steadily in various places.

The surrendered lords were settled in their residences in Luoyang and did not cause any trouble for the time being.

Liu Ce was feeling quite pleased with himself when he saw Lu Bing carrying a thick booklet, tiptoeing in.

Upon entering, he first gave a proper bow and said:

"My lord, are you busy?"

Liu Ce raised his eyelids slightly and waved his hand, saying:

"Just finished. So, what's up now?"

Lu Bing took two steps forward, placed the booklet on the table, and lowered his voice to get straight to the point:

"My lord, it's about Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and those other warlords who surrendered."

Liu Ce raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? What happened to them?"

Lu Bing curled his lip, his face full of disdain, and said:

"These people were brought to Luoyang after they surrendered, and they're currently being housed in a residence there. They're anything but well-behaved."

He began to recount:

"Especially the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, they always acted like they came from a family of high-ranking officials. They demanded eight dishes and a soup at every meal, and would throw their plates if even one dish was missing. When they saw our patrolmen, they were always rude and would curse us, calling us 'you peasants'..."

"They're also secretly colluding with their former subordinates, with people going to their house every day. Although we're keeping an eye on them, we can't guarantee there won't be any trouble one day."

As he spoke, he curled his lip, looking disdainful, and said:

"To be honest, my lord, that Yuan Shu is always shouting, 'I am the legitimate son of a family that has held high office for four generations. It would be an insult to him to keep him locked up in Luoyang.' Yuan Shao keeps his airs and doesn't say anything, but you can tell from his eyes that he's up to no good."

He looked up at Liu Ce and said:

"I'm just here to ask, what should we do with these people? We can't just keep letting them act like royalty, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered for a long time.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are indeed a troublesome group.

Kill them. They've already surrendered; it wouldn't be good to be branded as someone who kills surrendered prisoners.

If we don't kill them, they'll definitely cause trouble if we let them go.

Keeping them is a waste of food, and they're restless, causing you trouble every day.

What should we do?

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Got it."

Lu Bing quickly stepped forward and said, "Please speak, my lord."

Liu Ce smiled and said, "This is easy. We'll build a special prison, and we'll call it... Gongdelin Prison."

Lu Bing was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and said:

"Gongdelin? My lord, that name sounds rather benevolent, not like a prison. What's it used for?"

"It's specifically used to detain and reform these war criminals," Liu Ce explained with a smile, making it crystal clear in plain language.

"To put it bluntly, these people are war criminals who used to hold military power, wreak havoc in the region, and instigate civil war. If we kill them, they have already surrendered, and it would be bad to be branded as killing surrendered soldiers; if we release them, they will definitely cause trouble when they go out, which is even worse. If we keep them, it's a waste of food and they're a nuisance."

He paused and said:

"So this Gongdelin (merit forest) is tailor-made for them. It's not about killing them, nor is it about raising them like lords. It's about locking them up for reform!"

Lu Bing listened intently and asked, "Transformation?"

"Yes! Reform!" Liu Ce slammed his hand on the table. "To put it bluntly, it's about making these guys who used to ride roughshod over the people reflect on the messes they've made. They need to learn the laws of the Han Dynasty, learn how to be human, and stop thinking about causing internal strife all the time."

He began to explain in detail:

"In prison, cells are assigned according to the number of people. Leaders like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu must be separated into different cells. This is to prevent them from forming cliques and plotting together."

"Set aside a fixed time each day for them to study and write self-reflection reports. Write down all the bad things they've done in the past, the things they've done to wrong the people, and read them aloud every day."

"Arrange some farm work for them, let them plant crops, sweep the yard... let them experience the life of ordinary people, instead of being lazy and ignorant of the five grains, thinking they are so noble."

"Those who have a good attitude towards reform and sincerely admit their mistakes can receive more lenient treatment. They can have better food and more freedom of movement."

"Those who are incorrigible and cause trouble every day will remain locked up. We'll talk about it again when they come to their senses."

Lu Bing's eyes lit up when he heard this.

He slapped his thigh and said:

"My lord, this move is brilliant! You avoid the infamy of killing surrendered soldiers, keep these troublemakers firmly under control, and even make them reflect on their actions! Absolutely brilliant!"

He immediately stated:

"I'll make the arrangements right away and find a suitable place to build it!"

"Don't rush, there's something else." Liu Ce waved his hand with a smile and added.

Lu Bing stopped and said, "Please speak, my lord."

Liu Ce said leisurely:

"These guys are all arrogant and have terrible tempers. If they get together, they're bound to argue, fight, or even come to blows."

He looked at Lu Bing and smiled meaningfully, saying:

"If a conflict really breaks out, don't rush to stop them. First, offer them 'morality' and 'reason' so they can 'reason' with you, and then persuade them with morality and reason. After they have persuaded them with morality and reason, we can send a doctor over to treat their injuries, just make sure they don't actually die."

Lu Bing paused for a moment, then asked, "'Moral' and 'reason'?"

Liu Ce smiled and nodded, then deliberately dragged out his question:

"By the way, Wenfu, do you know what 'morality' and 'reason' are?"

Who is Lu Bing?

Having followed Liu Ce every day, he had long since figured out his lord's meme-making routines.

He immediately suppressed a laugh, bent down even lower, and replied in a serious tone:

"I know, I know, I understand perfectly!"

He explained in a very serious tone:

"It's just a brick with the character '德' (virtue) carved on it; and a hardwood stick with the character '理' (reason) written on it. If they want to reason, they'll need these two things first, right, my lord?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the two locked eyes.

Liu Ce's lips curled up wildly as he desperately tried to suppress his laughter.

Lu Bing's face turned bright red, and his shoulders shrugged as he managed to suppress a laugh.