Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Yue Fei smiled and raised his hand to calm him down: "Yide, don't be in such a hurry. You'll have your turn to fight. Let me finish explaining the situation first."

He continued pointing to the map, breaking down the remaining counties and prefectures as well:

"And then there's Nanhai County. Zhu Fu wanted to put his own people there, and he appointed a bunch of his fellow townsmen as officials. But that place is far from Guangxin, and the mountains are full of Li and Liao tribes and local powerful clans. His decrees can only circulate around Panyu County. Once they leave the city, no one listens to them."

"In Hepu County, the local powerful clans and the Yi people are intertwined, and it is connected to Jiaozhi County by land and water. Shi Xie has already extended his reach into the area, and Zhu Fu has no say at all."

"Yulin Prefecture is even worse. The imperial court has never been able to control it and can only barely keep an eye on its capital, Bushan County. The rest of the area is entirely ruled by powerful clans and Yi people, who completely ignore Zhu Fu."

"The two prefectures of Jiuzhen and Rinan are even more outrageous. Jiuzhen is connected to Jiaozhi by mountains and rivers, and is full of Luoyue people. They have always been in cahoots with Shi Xie, and they rebel more often than they eat. Even the court can't control them, and Zhu Fu can't even get close to them."

"Rinan Commandery is in an even worse state. Decades ago, the natives of Xianglin County established the Kingdom of Linyi. The borders of the Han Dynasty have shrunk back, leaving only a few isolated cities in the north. They are constantly invaded and are basically in a semi-independent state. The imperial decrees cannot reach that place."

After the speech, the entire situation of Jiaozhou was laid bare.

Yue Fei then added the most crucial sentence:

"To put it bluntly, Zhu Fu only got the position of governor of Jiaozhou because of his father Zhu Jun's influence; he himself has absolutely no military or political talent."

"After taking office, he knew only how to appoint relatives and cronies, using a bunch of cruel officials from his hometown, and levying exorbitant taxes. He had already offended all the local powerful families and common people. His foundation of rule was as thin as a sheet of paper."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious: "On the other hand, Shi Xie, relying on his family's wealth in Jiaozhi and their century-long accumulation of resources, and being a kind and generous man, not only won over the hearts of the locals but also attracted several hundred scholars who had fled from the Central Plains to seek refuge there."

"He is now the de facto spiritual leader and core of power in Jiaozhou. Even if ten Zhu Fu were tied together, they couldn't defeat him with a single finger."

The three people inside the tent understood perfectly and nodded in agreement.

Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "General Yue's analysis is thorough. It seems that our real opponent in the south is not Zhu Fu, but Shi Xie of Jiaozhi."

Zhang Liao nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. Zhu Fu is just an empty shell. Once we get to Guangxin, he won't even have the thought of resisting. What we really need to work on is taking over the Jiaozhi and other prefectures controlled by Shi Xie, as well as those unruly barbarian tribes."

Yue Fei smiled, raised his hand to press down, and finalized the strategy:

"After we arrive in Cangwu County, our first step will be to take over Guangxin City and control the entire Cangwu County. Then we'll send Zhu Fu directly to Luoyang. This kid is incompetent and loves to cause trouble. Keeping him here is a hidden danger. Sending him away will save us a lot of trouble."

"The second step is to have Wen Yuan lead 10,000 troops eastward to take over Nanhai County, first eliminating the threat from the east and stabilizing the coastal passage."

"The third step is, once we've captured Nanhai Commandery, our entire army will advance westward, successively taking Hepu, Yulin, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, and Rinan Commanderies, thus completely reclaiming the entire territory of Jiaozhou!"

The three men clasped their hands in unison and replied, "Your humble servant obeys! We will follow Commander Yue's orders!"

With the strategy decided, the group then meticulously discussed the marching route, the allocation of provisions, and the details of miasma prevention on the map, until late into the night before returning to their respective camps to rest.

Before leaving, Zhang Fei muttered to himself, "This Jiaozhou is even hotter than our Zhuojun; I'm constantly sweating."

Guan Yu said calmly, "A calm mind brings coolness."

Zhang Fei rolled his eyes: "Second brother, that's easy for you to say when you're not the one suffering."

...

Time flies by.

February, 191 AD.

Yue Fei led his 40,000-strong army to Guangxin City in Cangwu County without incident.

Guangxin City was the seat of the Jiaozhou Prefectural Government. It was located on the banks of the Yu River. The city walls were not high, but they were quite sturdy.

Two rows of soldiers stood at the city gate, their armor crooked and worn, clearly indicating they hadn't seen much combat.

Zhu Fu had already received the news and, along with the civil and military officials of Cangwu County, stood in neat rows at the city gate, waiting to welcome the army.

He was wearing a brand-new official robe and an official hat.

Ever since receiving his father Zhu Jun's letter, he had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Han army. In this wretched place of Jiaozhou, he had long been driven to the point of being unable to stay any longer by Shi Xie.

The local powerful clans disobeyed orders, and the barbarian tribes caused trouble every day. The governor was in a cowardly position, living in constant fear that he would be beheaded one day.

Now that the Han army has arrived, he can finally put down this burden and return to Luoyang to enjoy his retirement.

Upon seeing Yue Fei's army arrive, Zhu Fu quickly went to greet them, bowing respectfully to Yue Fei, Guan Yu, and the others, his voice tinged with urgency and a hint of flattery:

"Zhu Fu greets Commander Yue! Greetings to all the generals! I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival. The treasury, household registers, and the seals of the governor's office in Guangxin City are all ready and waiting for your handover!"

Yue Fei dismounted and bowed respectfully to Zhu Fu, demonstrating impeccable manners.

"You're too kind, Magistrate Zhu. We are here on the orders of His Highness the Prince of Yan to take over Jiaozhou and stabilize the southern border. We are grateful to have you waiting here for us."

Zhu Fu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No trouble at all! Commander Yue has come from afar, please come into the city!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group led their army into Guangxin City.

Yue Fei was strict in disciplining his troops. After his 40,000-strong army entered the city, they did not commit any offenses against the people, not even touching the doors of the common people's homes.

The soldiers marched in formation through the streets, their steps perfectly synchronized, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, yet not one of them looked around.

The people of Guangxin, who had been worried, immediately felt relieved.

They had assumed that with the change of regime, chaos and war were inevitable, but they were surprised to find that this army was so disciplined, far superior to the soldiers under Zhu Fu.

Some bolder people even stood on the roadside to watch the spectacle, pointing and gossiping.

"These soldiers are truly spirited!" "Of course, they're the soldiers of the Prince of Yan; how could they be anything less?"

...

The handover went smoothly over the next few days.

Zhu Fu didn't cause any trouble and handed over all the assets of the Jiaozhou Prefectural Governor's Office.

Household registers, government treasury ledgers, and military deployment maps were piled up in stacks, filling half a room.

Yue Fei had the items checked one by one and found that although Zhu Fu was not very capable, he dared not falsify the accounts.

After taking over the defense and administration of the entire Cangwu Prefecture, Yue Fei directly arranged for a team of personal guards to politely "escort" Zhu Fu and his family and clansmen to Luoyang.

Zhu Fu was eager to leave, and before leaving, he thanked Yue Fei profusely, saying "Take care, General Yue" and "All the generals have worked hard," his smile impossible to hide.