Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

That afternoon, Zhu Fu locked himself in his study, ground the ink, laid out the paper, and carefully wrote two replies.

One letter was addressed to his father, Zhu Jun, filled with filial piety and heartfelt sincerity.

To My Dear Father:

The son received his father's letter and finally felt relieved after months of worry. He was at ease knowing his father was safe and sound in Luoyang.

The son, heeding his father's words, would never dare to do anything so foolish as to be ungrateful. He had already discussed the matter with the officials in the manor, and the entire household would submit to His Highness the Prince of Yan.

My son has taken stock of Jiaozhou's household registration, treasury, and military forces, and they are all ready to be deployed by Your Highness at any time.

Father, rest assured, your son will not bring shame upon you, nor will he cause any trouble for His Highness the Prince of Yan.

Once things are settled in Jiaozhou, I will go to Luoyang to visit my father.

Zhu Fu bows deeply.

The other letter was to Liu Ce, written with utmost respect and sincerity, the flattery perfectly executed without being greasy at all:

"Your subject Zhu Fu kowtows to Your Highness, the Prince of Yan!"

Your Highness has punished the traitors, brought peace to the land, saved the people from suffering, and restored the might of the Han Dynasty. I have long admired this, but I am far away in Lingnan and have no way to submit to Your Highness.

I have just received a letter from my father, informing me of Your Highness's benevolence and permission for my submission. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay you!

Your Majesty, I hereby submit to Your Majesty all the counties, households, treasuries, troops, and provisions under my control in Jiaozhou! Your Majesty, along with all the officials and soldiers of the Jiaozhou Governor's Office, are willing to serve Your Majesty to the death and have no other intentions!

The remaining counties that do not obey my control, I request Your Highness to send troops to deal with them.

Your Majesty, I will certainly obey your orders, pacify the people, guard the southern border, and never cause you any trouble!

Your subject, Zhu Fu, bows deeply and respectfully!

After finishing writing, Zhu Fu carefully stamped the seal of the Governor of Jiaozhou, blew on the ink to dry it, folded it up, and put it into an envelope.

He then summoned the old confidant who had delivered the letter, solemnly handed him the two letters, and prepared a cart full of Lingnan specialties—pearls, spices, ivory, and tortoiseshell—to take back to Luoyang and deliver to Zhu Jun and Liu Ce.

"Go back and tell my father to rest assured that I will handle the affairs in Jiaozhou perfectly, and I will never let him down or cause any trouble for His Highness Prince Yan!" Zhu Fu patted his chest and declared, his face full of ease.

The messenger received the order and, early the next morning, set off for Luoyang with the letter and gifts.

After seeing the messenger off, Zhu Fu stood at the entrance of the governor's mansion and let out a long sigh of relief.

He gazed at the northern sky and smiled as he spoke to his chief secretary beside him:

"Alright, that's good now. We don't have to live in fear every day anymore. With His Highness Prince Yan, life in Jiaozhou will only get better and better from now on!"

The chief clerk smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Excellency is wise. His Highness the Prince of Yan is benevolent; Jiaozhou has finally found a patron."

...

Luoyang, the Prince of Yan's residence.

In the council hall, Liu Ce sat in the main seat, surrounded by civil and military officials.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, Li Jing, Yue Fei, Qi Jiguang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao and others were all present.

Lu Bing presented Zhu Fu's reply.

Liu Ce took it, opened it, and began to read.

As I looked at it, the corners of my mouth turned up.

After reading it, he handed the letter to Fang Xuanling and others for circulation, and said with a smile:

"Good! Zhu Fu understands the bigger picture and knows the general trend. His father Zhu Jun's letter wasn't written in vain; this move was the right one!"

After everyone had read the reply, they all expressed their opinions.

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and smiled, "It's a good thing that Zhu Fu is willing to submit. However, he only controls a small part of Jiaozhou's counties, and many places are still occupied by powerful clans and barbarians, which requires the court to send troops to deal with them."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "That's right. Jiaozhou is remote and the people are complex. Zhu Fu alone probably can't keep things under control. We need to send someone capable."

Guo Jia, fanning himself with a feather fan, added, "Jiaozhou is plagued by miasma, which the northern soldiers are not accustomed to. It would be best to send a general familiar with the southern climate to avoid non-combat casualties."

Li Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Jiaozhou has many rivers, so a navy would be useful. Qi Jiguang's Qi Family Army is skilled in naval warfare, so we can send them."

Yue Fei stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "My lord, this humble general is willing to go! I have served in the south before and am familiar with the climate; I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhang Liao also volunteered for the battle.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said calmly, "Brother, this humble general is willing to go south. Although Jiaozhou is far away, this humble general will surely pacify it."

Zhang Fei exclaimed, "Brother, I want to go too! I've been wanting to go south for ages!"

Zhang Liao also clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This humble general is also willing to go!"

Liu Ce looked at everyone, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"Yue Fei, heed my command!"

Yue Fei stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the commander-in-chief, leading your more than 10,000 troops south to recapture Jiaozhou. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhang Liao will each lead 10,000 soldiers to accompany you, making a total of more than 40,000 men, to recapture Jiaozhou south."

"Jiaozhou is remote and plagued by miasma. You must take care of the soldiers' health and prevent them from falling ill before the battle even begins. Once you arrive in Jiaozhou, first join forces with Zhu Fu to stabilize the situation, and then gradually subdue those unruly clans and barbarians."

"Persuade those who can surrender to do so; those who are ungrateful should be subdued by beating. Remember, the people of Jiaozhou are also subjects of the Han Dynasty. Do not kill innocent people indiscriminately, and do not disturb the peace."

Yue Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a loud voice, "This humble general obeys! I will certainly recover Jiaozhou and live up to the lord's expectations!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said in a deep voice, "Brother, rest assured. With me here, Jiaozhou will not be able to turn upside down."

Zhang Fei patted his chest and declared, "Brother, I, Old Zhang, guarantee I'll teach those unruly local tyrants in Jiaozhou to a pulp!"

Zhang Liao calmly replied, "This humble general will certainly cooperate with General Yue to complete the mission."

Liu Ce smiled and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, and prepare well. Once Jiaozhou is taken, the world will truly be at peace."

Everyone responded in unison, and the council hall was filled with excitement.

Liu Ce leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

......

A few days later, outside Luoyang, an army of more than 40,000 men stood in formation, ready to depart.

Yue Fei, clad in full armor, sat on his horse, his gaze resolute.

Behind him were Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhang Liao, and behind them were countless soldiers.

Liu Ce came to see Yue Fei off in person, patting him on the shoulder and saying:

"Pengju, Jiaozhou is now in your hands. Remember my words: stability is paramount."

Yue Fei clasped his hands and said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother! Just wait for the good news! When we come back, Jiaozhou will be ours!"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said, "Take care, brother!"

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Rest assured, my lord!"

Liu Ce smiled and waved, saying, "Let's go!"

The massive army marched south.

Standing at the city gate, Liu Ce watched the troops gradually disappear into the distance, pondering to himself: After Jiaozhou is captured, only Yizhou and Yangzhou remain. Next year, with a swift attack on Yangzhou and a persuasion from Yizhou, the world will truly be at peace.

He turned and walked back, a smile on his lips.