Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 628: Reaching the Han Empire
The bandit leader's eyes flashed with hesitation, but greed soon overcame reason. He shouted: "Humph! Do you think you can get rid of us with such a small amount of money? Hand over all your belongings, otherwise don't blame us for being rude!" Jia Changsheng's heart sank slightly. He knew that these bandits would not cry until they saw the coffin. He decided to teach them a little lesson, so he took out a jade pendant from his bosom and said to the bandit leader: "Do you recognize this? This is my token of loyalty in the Southern Song Dynasty. If you dare to be rude to me today, you will be surrounded and suppressed by the court in the future."

The bandit leader was shocked when he heard this, but he still pretended to be calm. A small thug beside him came up and whispered something in his ear. It turned out that this small thug had heard some rumors about Jia Changsheng in the martial arts world and knew that he was no ordinary person. The bandit leader's face changed slightly, and his attitude suddenly softened a lot. He laughed dryly a few times and said, "It turns out to be Master Jia. We are blind to recognize a great man. Since Master Jia is willing to give some money, we will not embarrass Master Jia. Please hurry up and get on with your journey." Jia Changsheng smiled slightly, asked the guards to take out some silver and throw it to the bandits, and then led the team to move forward.

After crossing the mountains and forests, they entered a vast plain. However, the journey on the plain was not easy. It was summer, the sun was scorching, and the heat was unbearable. The horses and personnel in the team were suffering, and many people began to fall down from heat stroke. Seeing this, Jia Changsheng immediately ordered to stop advancing and find water and a cool place to rest. They searched around the plain and finally found a dry riverbed. Jia Changsheng directed everyone to dig under the riverbed. Fortunately, they dug up groundwater soon. Everyone cheered and took water to drink to relieve their thirst.

After a short rest, they continued on their way. But new troubles came one after another. The road ahead was washed away by the recent heavy rain, forming a muddy swamp. Jia Changsheng looked at the swamp with a frown. He knew that it was extremely dangerous to force his way through, but taking a detour would waste a lot of time. After pondering for a moment, he decided to let the guards cut down the surrounding trees and make a simple raft to pass through the swamp. The guards immediately took action. Although the sun was high and their clothes were soaked with sweat, they had no complaints and worked together to cut down trees and make rafts.

After some efforts, the raft was finally completed. Jia Changsheng led the team to carefully ride the raft slowly on the swamp. However, there are many dangers hidden in the swamp. From time to time, huge mud whirlpools appear, trying to drag the raft into them. Jia Changsheng always stays alert and directs the guards to paddle hard with wooden oars to avoid the whirlpools. At this tense moment, a huge water python suddenly jumped out of the swamp, opening its bloody mouth and rushing towards the raft. The guards were terrified, but Jia Changsheng was not afraid of danger. He quickly drew out the sword at his waist, shouted, and stabbed at the water python. After a fierce fight, Jia Changsheng finally killed the water python, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued to move forward in the swamp with difficulty.

After going through untold hardships, they finally walked out of the swamp and entered the territory of the Han Empire. Jia Changsheng looked at this strange but opportunity-filled land with a lot of emotion in his heart. He knew that on this land, he was about to start a new journey.

After entering the Han Empire, Jia Changsheng went straight to Youzhou. He knew that in this chaotic world, if he wanted to make a difference, he had to first seek an official position, and then gradually develop his power. However, in the current Han Empire, the government was corrupt and the practice of selling official positions was prevalent. Although Jia Changsheng disdained such behavior, he could only temporarily succumb in order to realize his ambitions.

He brought a large amount of gold and silver to the capital of Youzhou. Outside the lobby of the capital, he saw many people who came to buy official positions. These people were of all kinds. Some were wealthy businessmen who wanted to exchange money for power; some were local tyrants who hoped to use official positions to consolidate their status. Jia Changsheng sighed in his heart, he knew that the decline of the Han Empire was inevitable.

He walked into the lobby and found the official in charge of selling official positions. The official was a middle-aged man with a bloated body and a greasy face. When he saw Jia Changsheng coming in, a trace of greed immediately flashed in his eyes. Jia Changsheng walked straight up to him, bowed and said, "Sir, I am a visitor from afar. I have long heard of the prestige of the Han Dynasty. I want to seek an official position in Youzhou and serve the Han Dynasty. I wonder if you have a suitable position?" The official looked Jia Changsheng up and down, and said with a fake smile, "Huh! It's not so easy to be an official in Youzhou. However, you look like a sincere person. I do have a few vacancies here, but the price is not cheap."

Jia Changsheng knew that the official was deliberately making things difficult and wanted to get more money. He smiled slightly, took out a gold ingot from his arms, put it on the table, and said, "Sir, this is just a small gift. If you can help me get the position I want, I will reward you handsomely." When the official saw the gold, his eyes lit up and his attitude suddenly became attentive. He smiled and said, "Haha, no problem, no problem. Which position do you want?" After thinking for a moment, Jia Changsheng said, "I want to seek a position as a clerk in the Youzhou Administration. I wonder if you can help me?" The official was shocked when he heard it. He knew that although the Youzhou Administration was not a high-ranking position, it had great power and was responsible for assisting the governor in handling state affairs. He hesitated for a moment and said, "There is a lot of competition for this position. However, since you are so sincere, I will do my best for you. It's just that the price..." Jia Changsheng immediately understood, took out a few more gold ingots and put them on the table, saying, "Don't worry, sir, as long as I can get this position, money is not a problem."

The official nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, you go back and wait for the news. I will handle the formalities for you as soon as possible." Jia Changsheng thanked the official and walked out of the hall. He knew that this was just his first step in the Han Empire. Next, he had to give full play to his talents in this position, make friends with various forces, gradually expand his influence, and make full preparations for the upcoming chaos and disputes.

While waiting for the appointment, Jia Changsheng was not idle. He visited Youzhou City to learn about the local customs, political situation and the distribution of various forces. He found that although Youzhou City was calm on the surface, it was actually undercurrents. Various forces were fighting against each other, fighting openly and secretly for limited resources and power. The people were struggling to survive in this turbulent situation and their lives were miserable.

Jia Changsheng secretly vowed in his heart that he must change this situation. He used his own money to open a porridge factory in the city to help the poor people. His move won the gratitude and praise of many people, and his reputation gradually spread in Youzhou City. At the same time, he also actively made friends with some officials and local tyrants with a sense of justice, explaining his ideas and ambitions for governing the country to them, hoping to get their support.

Finally, after a few days of waiting, Jia Changsheng was successfully appointed as the governor of Youzhou. He wore an official uniform and walked into the Youzhou government, starting his official career in the Han Empire. He knew that the road ahead was still full of challenges, but he was full of confidence that he would be able to carve out a world of his own in this troubled time. Jia Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking solemnly at the direction of Youzhou in the distance of the Han Empire. He knew that the shadow of the troubled times was gradually looming, and relying on his own weak strength, it was nothing but a foolish dream to want to firmly control the Han Dynasty in this turmoil. So he secretly sent a message to summon his confidants scattered all over the country to come to Youzhou in the Han Empire, which would be the key place for them to plan for the future and turn the tide.

In the northwest frontier, there was a general named Zhao Lin, whose cavalry was powerful. When he received Jia Changsheng's order, he was leading his troops to fight against the invading foreigners. The beacon fires on the frontier reflected the red sky, and the shouts of killing were deafening. Zhao Lin handed over the command to his deputy without hesitation, selected several confidants, rode fast horses, and galloped towards Youzhou. They crossed the vast Gobi Desert, and the strong wind swept the sand and stones, hitting their faces like a knife. The sun was high and water was scarce. Every time they walked forward, it seemed like they were brushing shoulders with the god of death. Sometimes, they would encounter sandstorms, and the world was instantly buried in yellow sand. They could only rely on the instinct of the horses and the faith in their hearts to grope forward. After finally walking out of the Gobi Desert, they stepped into the steep mountains. The mountain road was rugged and the snow was deep. The horses slipped from time to time, and they would fall into the valley if they were not careful. Zhao Lin and others had no choice but to dismount and climb on foot, leading their horses, without even noticing that their hands and feet were frostbitten.

In the southern water town, counselor Sun Yu immediately packed his bags and set off from the prosperous Yangzhou after receiving the news. He hired a small boat and went north along the canal. However, the canal was not a peaceful waterway at that time. Thieves swarmed along the way, set up checkpoints and charged fees, and would be attacked if they did not obey. Sun Yu's boat was intercepted many times, and he relied on his extraordinary wisdom and eloquence to escape danger again and again. Once, he encountered a group of fierce pirates. He calmly talked with the leader of the pirates, analyzed the situation in the world, pointed out Jia Changsheng's ambitions and the bright prospects of joining them, and the leader of the pirates was moved. Not only did he let him go, but he also gave him dry food and wine. But more often, he had to hide his identity, disguise himself, and quietly pass through the blockade at night. When crossing the Yellow River, he encountered turbulent waves again. The boatman was afraid and unwilling to take risks. Sun Yu personally took the helm. Relying on his understanding of hydrology, he struggled forward in the stormy waves, and the boat was almost destroyed and people died several times.

In the heart of the Central Plains, Chen Ying, the leader of the secret agents responsible for intelligence gathering, also embarked on a journey to Youzhou. His actions were more covert because all parties were closely monitoring the movements of intelligence personnel. Chen Ying hid during the day and went out at night, shuttling between towns and villages. He had to avoid the eyes of hostile forces and deal with various emergencies on the way. When passing by a small town affected by the war, he found that the city gate had been blocked and the city walls were covered with soldiers. Chen Ying looked around and found an abandoned tunnel and ventured in. The tunnel was dark and damp, filled with a foul smell, and there were many unknown dangers. He groped forward carefully, encountered collapsed sections of the road many times, and could only climb over them with his agility. After finally getting out of the tunnel, he fell into a swamp again. The quagmire was deep, and every step took a huge amount of physical strength. If you were not careful, you would be swallowed by the swamp. Chen Ying broke off a branch and tried to move forward. Step by step, he finally got out of the danger of the swamp.

These confidants, with absolute loyalty to Jia Changsheng, went through untold hardships and overcame numerous obstacles. Some of them fell ill on the way, but gritted their teeth and persevered; some lost their companions, but endured the grief and continued to move forward; some had their property robbed, and were penniless, but relied on begging and survival skills to get closer to Youzhou.

Finally, on a sunny morning, Zhao Lin was the first to step into Youzhou, exhausted and frosted. His horse was exhausted and fell outside the city gate, but his eyes were still firm. Then, Sun Yu's boat slowly approached the shore. He was ragged and haggard, but he could not hide the wisdom in his eyes. Then, Chen Ying appeared in the streets of Youzhou like a ghost, and he silently looked for Jia Changsheng.

When they gathered in front of Jia Changsheng, all of them knelt on one knee and shouted in unison: "We are willing to go through fire and water for our lord, and we will do anything for him!" Jia Changsheng looked at these confidants who had come through hardships, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He knew that they were his most precious wealth and his hope to control the Han Dynasty in troubled times. At this moment, their arrival injected a powerful force into Youzhou in this troubled time, and also made the grand blueprint in Jia Changsheng's heart clearer and more tangible. On this land, they will carefully plan, store food and grass, train the army, make friends with heroes, and deal with the upcoming troubled times with fearless courage and peerless wisdom. Move forward bravely towards the ultimate goal of controlling the Han Dynasty, even if the road ahead is full of thorns, they will never retreat a step, and they will definitely engrave their immortal legend in this long river of history.

Jia Changsheng looked deeply at his confidants gathered together, and slowly said: "Everyone, although the Yellow Turban Rebellion has been quelled, the danger to the Han Dynasty has not dissipated. The day when Dong Zhuo will enter the capital is imminent. This is a critical moment for us to control the fate of the Han Dynasty. We must be extremely cautious and plan carefully."

Everyone in the hall was listening attentively with a solemn expression. Advisor Li Su was the first to bow and say, "My lord, although the Yellow Turbans have been pacified, the world is in chaos. The powerful people in each state and county have their own troops, and people's livelihood is in decline. The people are suffering. Moreover, in the court, eunuchs and relatives of the emperor are fighting for power and profit, and neither of them will give in, causing the government to fall apart. These are all factors that we need to consider in detail."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, his expression solemn: "That's right. At present, the troops we have are not enough to compete with the forces of all parties. The most urgent task is to expand our armaments. Zhao Feng, you have been in the army for a long time. Can you tell me how to recruit and train new soldiers so that we can improve our combat effectiveness in the short term?"

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