Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The garrison in Shouchun was already demoralized, so how could they be a match for the Han army?

They crumbled at the first touch, abandoning their armor and fleeing in all directions.

Some knelt down to surrender, some jumped over the wall to escape, and some hid in a corner, trembling with fear.

In less than two hours, Shouchun City was captured.

Xu Chu led his men and stormed directly into the prefect's residence.

After searching around without finding Chen Wen, they finally discovered a trembling figure under the bed in the bedroom.

Xu Chu flung open the bed, grabbed Chen Wen by the collar, and dragged him out like a chick.

Chen Wen was so frightened that he trembled all over, his face as white as paper.

"Spare me! Spare me!"

Xu Chu rolled his eyes: "Didn't you say you'd live and die with Shouchun? Are you chickening out already?"

Chen Wen couldn't speak, he just trembled.

Xu Chu tied him up tightly and brought him before Liu Ce.

Chen Wen was brought before Liu Ce, his head bowed, trembling all over, not daring to lift his head.

Liu Ce looked at him and said coldly, "I considered your governance of Jiujiang and Danyang to be acceptable, and I gave you a chance to surrender and spare your family's lives. You insisted on resisting to the end, and now that the city has fallen and you've been captured, what else do you have to say?"

Chen Wen's face was ashen, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and lowered his head.

Liu Ce waved his hand: "Forget it, don't kill him. Put him in the Gongde Forest with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, let him reflect on his actions and learn how to be a proper subject of the Han Dynasty."

"Yes, sir!" The guard responded and dragged the limp Chen Wen away.

With this, the entire territory of Yangzhou was pacified, and all thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty were now unified.

Liu Ce led his army slowly into Shouchun City.

He immediately ordered: Strict military discipline must be maintained, and no one should be violated in any way. Anyone who dares to plunder the people will be executed on the spot!

The people of Shouchun were initially filled with anxiety, fearing that they would suffer after the city fell.

But they discovered that after the Han army entered the city, they did not commit any offenses, not even touching the doors of the people's homes.

People flocked to the streets to welcome them, their cheers deafening.

Some civilians even tried to stuff food and drinks into the soldiers' hands. The soldiers smiled and declined, but the civilians insisted, and in the end, they had no choice but to accept them.

Standing atop the city wall of Shouchun, Liu Ce gazed at the distant, rolling mountains and rivers, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

For more than a year.

From raising an army in Youzhou to unifying the world today, he has experienced...

Finally, he ended this chaotic era, bringing the fragmented Han Dynasty back to unity.

Guo Jia, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Xu Chu... all the civil and military officials who had followed him in his campaigns were also moved to tears, too excited to speak.

They had fought alongside Liu Ce for so long, and finally this day had come.

"My lord!"

Guo Jia stepped forward, bowed deeply to Liu Ce, and said in a choked voice, "Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord! The world is unified, and the people are united! This chaotic world is finally over!"

"Congratulations, my lord! The world is unified! May the Han Dynasty triumph!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down in unison, their voices shaking the city walls.

Liu Ce looked at the kneeling crowd below, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke, his voice carrying throughout the entire city wall:

"Gentlemen! The unification of the world is not the end, but the beginning! From this day forward, there will be no more war, no more displacement! I want all the people of the world to have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, to live in peace and prosperity! I want the banner of the Han Dynasty to be planted in every corner of the world!"

"Long live the Great Han! Long live the Prince of Yan!"

Cheers rose and fell, echoing throughout Shouchun City, throughout Yangzhou, and throughout the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty.

...

Half a month later, in Luoyang.

Lu Bing had already returned to Luoyang, carrying with him a "special mission": to bring the two Qiao sisters into the mansion.

Lu Bing is always efficient in his work.

He sent people to Wan County in advance to bring the Qiao Ying and Qiao Qian sisters to Luoyang.

They were served the best food and drink along the way, and no one dared to neglect them in the slightest.

After arriving in Luoyang, he first settled the two sisters in the post station to rest, and then took them straight to the backyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion.

Lu Bing led the way, with the two girls following behind, feeling both nervous and expectant.

They had long heard of the illustrious reputation of Prince Liu Ce of Yan, and now that they were being sent to the Prince's residence, they had no idea what the future held for them.

Upon entering the backyard, Lu Bing found Cai Yan and the others.

Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, Du Xiuniang, Zou Yu, Zhen Jiang, Zhen Tuo, Zhen Dao, Zhen Rong, Zhen Mi, Mi Zhen, Gan Mei, He Lian, Yin Ying, Feng Yu, and Cai Wan—sixteen ladies—are enjoying flowers, drinking tea, and playing cards in the backyard.

Since becoming pregnant, their lives have become even more leisurely, with them spending their days resting, chatting, and playing with their babies.

The ladies were stunned when they saw Lu Bing leading two beautiful girls in.

Zhang Ning was the first to speak, asking, "Lu Bing, who are these two girls? Where did you pick them up from?"

Lu Bing quickly bowed and explained with a smile:

"Ladies, these two are the daughters of the Qiao family in Wan County. The eldest daughter is Qiao Ying, and the second daughter is Qiao Qian. When the main road passed through Wan County, Prefect Lu Kang of Lujiang arranged for them to come here. Now that our lord is still on his way back, I have brought the two young ladies here first to be placed under the care of the Princess."

After some explanation, Cai Yan and the others understood the reason.

Zhen Jiang looked at Qiao Ying and Qiao Qian and exclaimed in admiration, "What beautiful girls! Their skin is as white as jade, and their features are so delicate. My husband's taste is getting better and better."

Cai Yan smiled and stepped forward, taking Qiao Ying's hand and saying softly:

"Don't be nervous, sister. Once you've entered this door, you're family. Your husband hasn't returned yet, so please stay here for now. We'll make arrangements once he's back."

Qiao Ying blushed and gave a proper curtsy:

"Greetings, sisters."

Qiao Qian also bowed, her voice soft: "Hello, sisters."

He Lian walked over, took Qiao Qian's hand, looked her up and down, and smiled:

"This girl is so beautiful, like a flower. Your husband is so lucky."

The ladies showered the Qiao sisters with compliments, making them blush.

But they also realized that these ladies were all kind and showed no sign of exclusion, and their anxiety gradually dissipated.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Lu Bing smiled and took his leave: "Ladies, I shall take my leave now. My lord will probably not be back for another month, so please take care of the two young ladies in the meantime."

Cai Yan nodded and said, "Don't worry, we won't mistreat them."

After Lu Bing left, the ladies pulled the Qiao sisters down to sit and asked them all sorts of questions.

How old are you? What do you like to eat? What talents do you have? Who else is in your family? Qiao Ying and Qiao Qian answered one by one, their voices soft and their manners proper, clearly showing that they were ladies from well-to-do families.

Zhang Ning, holding Qiao Ying's hand, said with a smile, "Little sister, you'll be living the high life with us from now on! Your husband is the most doting man; you won't regret it if you stay with him!"