Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2551 The Six Noble Ladies of the Eastern Yi, of the Yaqiade Clan

Upon hearing Zhuo Qing's voice, Wang Yu opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the stack of scrolls, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

Conquering land is easy, but winning hearts and minds is difficult. Military crushing is only the first step. To truly bring the Eastern Yi into the territory and eliminate estrangement and hatred, a multi-pronged approach is needed.

Marriage has always been one of the most direct and effective bonds.

"Bring it here."

"Yes." Zhuo Qing gently placed the tray on one side of the imperial desk, and then carefully unfurled the scrolls one by one, roughly arranging them in front of Wang Yu according to the family's power and geographical distribution.

In an instant, a portrait of Eastern barbarian ladies seemed to unfold on the imperial desk.

The women in the painting are either sitting or standing, each with a different posture. They are all dressed in gorgeous clothes and have beautiful faces, clearly beauties carefully selected from various parts of Dongyi.

Some of them have gentle eyes and brows, possessing the softness of women from the Central Plains; others have high noses, exuding the heroic spirit of nomadic peoples from the grasslands; still others have makeup and clothing with distinct tribal characteristics, creating a unique exotic charm.

As a semi-nomadic, semi-agricultural Dongyi people, and heavily influenced by Central Plains culture, this region truly showcases the diverse styles of women from the Dongyi, Central Plains, and even the Northern Di.

However, Wang Yu's gaze did not linger long on those meticulously painted faces.

His gaze fell more on the tiny characters attached to each portrait.

That was the woman's origins, family background, her father's and brothers' official positions, the family's influence in the local area, and even the family's stance and performance in this war.

"Yelü Yan was originally a distant branch of the royal family of the Eastern Yi. Her father, Yelü Lin, became one of the prefects of Zhongping Road. After the defeat, he led his people to surrender and made meritorious contributions in pacifying the local area. This woman is fluent in Chinese and skilled in riding and archery..."

"Xiao Guanyin was a woman from the prominent Xiao clan of Zhongping Road. She was of the same clan but a different branch as Xiao Yunyao, the former queen of Dongyi. During the war, her father surrendered to the Han..."

"Xiao Yanyan, a woman from the prominent Xiao family of Zhongping Road, is of the same clan but different lineage as the late Queen Xiao Yunyao of Dongyi. Although she did not actively assist in the war, she also did not offer any significant resistance..."

"Li Yunrui, daughter of the Li family of Beiping Road. When Emperor Xuan Ye conquered Huanglong Prefecture, the Li family split into three, with one branch returning to the Han Dynasty. Later, she helped the Han Dynasty persuade Yi Sun-sin, a captured general of the Eastern Yi navy, to surrender..."

"Wang Chudong, a member of the Wang clan of Dongping Road, is the younger sister of Wang Changluo, a famous prime minister of the Eastern Yi. The Wang clan has been scholars for generations, and many members of the clan have become civil officials. They have always been highly respected among the scholars of the Eastern Yi..."

"Helen, of the Yaqiad clan of the Eastern Yi, is from the same clan as the captured Eastern Yi generals Leonidas and Lesander. She is renowned for her beauty and is known as the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Yi..."

Wang Yu's fingers slowly traced the words, his mind corresponding to the landscape and power distribution of various regions in Dongyi.

He was not just choosing beautiful women, but also the family power, geographical location, resources and wealth, and political symbolism they represented.

Although Yelü Yan was a distant branch of the royal family, his symbolic significance outweighed his actual power. Choosing him could demonstrate magnanimity and appease the sentiments of the former royal family.

If one wants to rule the Eastern Yi, the Yelü family is an issue that cannot be bypassed. Not to mention after winning this battle, even before winning this battle, Wang Yu already had a large number of civil and military officials from the Yelü clan under his command, such as Yelü Zongzhen and Yelü Pang.

Xiao Guanyin and Xiao Yanyan are of the same clan as Xiao Shunyi in the palace. Choosing them can further strengthen the bond with the Xiao family.

This family, among the Dongyi, was second only to the Yelü family, and even above the five great families of Wang, Li, Ku, Ba, and Sha, making it of great significance to the stability of the Dongyi.

In particular, among the five major families of the Eastern Yi, the Ku and Sha families were nearly wiped out, the Ba family was not yet extinct but was close to extinction, the Wang family suffered heavy losses, and the Li family split into three. Behind this, although the majority of the credit goes to the Han Dynasty, a small part is also due to the influence of the Japanese Empire and the Manchus.

This outcome has both advantages and disadvantages for the Han Dynasty.

Leaving these powerful clans behind would certainly allow the Han Dynasty to establish a basic rule in the shortest possible time, but similarly, these clans would inevitably face some degree of constraint from them in the local areas in the future.

Now, these powerful clans are either dead or half-dead. Although there is no unified structure in each region, and it is impossible to stabilize the entire region by winning over one family, the absence of these powerful local forces is actually more conducive to future rule.

As for Li Yunrui and Wang Chudong, although the Wang and Li families, once the five great families of Dongyi, have suffered heavy losses, even a broken ship has some nails left, so they can still be of use.

Regarding the Dongyi, the Han Dynasty could not exclude them from its rule. The two large families that suffered heavy losses were just right for the Han Dynasty.

Compared to these five, Helen is much less valuable.

The bigger reason for keeping her was to help the Han Dynasty gradually win over the Yaqiyad family.

To date, Leonidas and Lesander have not yet returned to the Han Dynasty and are still stubbornly holding on in prison.

Besides, there's Kratos outside. Although Nar might not be useful, he can be left as a lead-in.

In the future, it might be helpful in this matter; something is better than nothing.

Even if it's truly useless, it can still be kept as a vase in the palace. With 103 points of charm, it's still pleasing to the eye as a vase.

Wang Yu's gaze swept over the thirty-six portraits one by one, except for occasionally lingering on a particular portrait for a moment, he just glanced at most of them.

This isn't about choosing a concubine, or at least not entirely; the real issue is the underlying political motives.

When these women entered the palace, their families would gain honor and a certain level of security. However, at the same time, they also placed their own bargaining chips at the emperor's side, becoming more closely bound to the fate of the empire.

Wang Yu looked at them for a long time, and finally, he used a red brush to lightly dot the corners of six of the portraits.

"These six women shall have their family backgrounds and conduct reviewed by the Inner Palace Secretariat. If there are no major issues, they shall be brought into the palace on an auspicious day. Their ranks... Except for Yelü, who is to be granted the title of Jieyu, the rest shall be initially granted the title of Meiren. They shall reside in the gardens of the Northern Palace and be instructed by the relevant officials to teach them palace rules and etiquette."

"Furthermore, issue an imperial edict to these six families, recognizing their merit in assimilation and granting them corresponding titles, rewards, land, and houses as a sign of imperial favor. Instruct the Ministry of Rites that the ceremony must be grand, but must not exceed the prescribed limits."

"This servant obeys the decree." Zhuo Qing respectfully replied, carefully putting away the portrait that had been selected. He already understood that the families of these six noble ladies would likely play a more important role in the pacification and governance of the Eastern Yi region in the future.

After dealing with the matter, Wang Yu turned his gaze back to the window.

Marriage alliances were just one of the means; there were still many things to do, such as registering households, implementing Han-style systems, promoting education, and resettling people to strengthen border areas.

Although the war against the Eastern Yi was won, the real conquest and integration may have only just begun.

On the road to imperial expansion, every step requires careful consideration and a combination of soft and hard tactics.