I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1048 A Grand Reward of Beauties
In the early morning, as dawn broke and the dry, hot wind blew, Mahhud was finally escorted back to the city.

At this moment, the people who had already heard the news flocked to the scene. They crowded along the roadside, separated from the Han army, but still insisted on raining down all sorts of rotten vegetables, mud balls, and gravel on the traitor.

"kill him!"

"Avenge the old city lord!"

"Devil! Executioner!"

Curses and angry shouts merged into waves of sound, almost overturning the prison van.

Amidst the public outrage, Su Yao quickly grasped the truth and, without hesitation, had Mahhud escorted back to the city square at noon that same day.

"Upon investigation, it was found that Mahhud and others colluded with foreign enemies to persecute loyal and virtuous people, and the evidence of their crimes is conclusive."

"According to the law—he should be executed!"

At Su Yao's command, before Mahahud could beg for mercy again, the executioner swiftly beheaded him.

As the bloodied head rolled to the ground with terrified eyes, the onlookers erupted in deafening cheers, while the nobles who had once colluded with him turned ashen-faced and knelt down to beg for mercy.

"As for you," Su Yao glanced at the trembling traitors and sneered, "If you want to live, show some sincerity."

Soon, these nobles eagerly offered their family fortunes, expressing their willingness to fully support the Han army. Su Yao accepted them all without hesitation, and at the same time took the opportunity to announce:
"From this day forward, taxes in the city shall be halved! All land and property seized by Mahahud shall be returned to their rightful owners!"

"Long live the Holy Lord!"

"Long live the big man!"

This move won over the hearts of the people, and the remaining neutral nobles, small and medium-sized landowners, and merchants in the city came to pay their respects and pledge their loyalty.

Taking advantage of the situation, Su Yao selected a respected elder from among these people to serve as the acting city lord. At the same time, he ordered people to distribute the grain and fodder that Mahahud had stockpiled to the poor, further spreading the good name of the "Holy Lord" far and wide.

At the same time, he would certainly not mistreat his own brothers.

Su Yao then ordered his men to register the remaining seized goods and to issue rewards to the meritorious soldiers, with a substantial bonus for those who made outstanding contributions.

For example, Zhang Liao and Yufuluo each gained a beautiful concubine from Mahhud.

Looking at the beautiful women of various kinds standing before him, Yufuluo laughed heartily and picked one up, while Zhang Liao frowned, revealing a troubled expression:

"General, this..."

"What? Wen Yuan thinks it's not enough?" Su Yao raised an eyebrow.

"The general will not dare!"

Zhang Liao quickly clasped his hands and said, "Although Bahram was defeated, the main force of Parthia still exists. Now is not the time for us to enjoy ourselves. Besides, there is the matter of military discipline."

"What are you talking about?"

Su Yao waved his hand: "We're not forcibly taking women; these are the fruits of our soldiers' blood and sweat."

"Moreover, after chasing for two days, the brothers' physical strength has reached its limit, and they should rest for two days to relax."

Zhang Liao wanted to persuade him further, but Su Yao had already turned and walked towards the trembling beauties:
"Listen up, I'm giving you two choices now—"

"Either follow our general and warriors and live a life of comfort and privilege; or stay in the city and fend for yourself. You can leave now."

The beauties looked at each other in bewilderment, and soon one of the bolder ones rushed towards Zhang Liao: "General, save me! I am willing to serve you!"

Zhang Liao was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm, while Su Yao laughed heartily: "Wen Yuan, the girl is being so proactive, why are you still refusing?"

Amidst Yufuluo's jeers, Zhang Liao finally blushed and accepted the beauty. As he prepared to leave, Zhang Liao still couldn't understand why the Great General had suddenly changed his mind.
During the Central Plains War, although the general often rewarded his soldiers with beautiful women, he never acted so forcefully.

More often than not, they are quite chivalrous and respect personal wishes.

But he didn't know that Su Yao was determined to settle these soldiers on the western expedition here.

After all, when it comes to consolidating rule and cultural integration, nothing is better than intermarriage.

However, in Gandhara, although he intended to promote it, he soon discovered that few of his soldiers took the initiative to get married. Most of them preferred to spend a fortune on prostitutes in the city rather than marry local women.

The reason is simple: most of these soldiers were thinking of returning home in glory after making great achievements. Who would want to settle down in this foreign land?

But Su Yao knew very well that if he couldn't establish himself here and didn't have anyone's support, no matter how great his achievements were, he would eventually drift along like duckweed.

Therefore, he decided to take the most direct approach—first, his senior generals needed to set an example by actively accepting local women, even if they were just concubines, so that they could establish themselves here and leave behind the bloodline of the Han people.

That night, at a grand victory banquet, Su Yao distributed all the captured beauties in one go, and then issued an imperial edict.

"All soldiers who have rendered meritorious service in this battle may choose a local woman as their wife or concubine. Those who wish to settle here may also be granted additional privileges such as land and houses and up to ten years of tax exemption, depending on their merits and official rank."

"Not only that, even the wife's family members in the area received preferential treatment such as tax reductions."

The order caused an uproar in the army. Many soldiers looked troubled and whispered among themselves. Seeing this, Su Yao put down his wine cup and looked around at the crowd:
"What? You think these women from the Western Regions aren't beautiful enough?"

A centurion, mustering his courage, said, "General, the brothers are all thinking of going home after the war."

"Go back to your hometown?" Su Yao sneered. "Do you know how long it takes to get from Luoyang to here? It would take more than half a year to get there by horseback! After we finish the battle, we'll be stationed here for a while. Do the math, by the time you get back, even your sons will probably know how to ride a horse!"

He stood up, his voice suddenly rising: "Besides, what do you think I conquered this land for? Just to keep your descendants forever trapped in that small piece of land in the Central Plains?"

Zhang Liao seemed to be deep in thought, while Yufuluo slapped the table and exclaimed, "Well said! Wherever my Xiongnu warriors go, that's where our home is!"

Su Yao nodded in satisfaction: "The Chanyu is right! You lack this pioneering spirit. Think about it, everyone, settling down here means you can enjoy the court's rewards and have your descendants flourish. Isn't that a good thing?"

He walked to the map, his finger tracing the vast territory, then pointed outside the city: "Look at this land, how much larger is it than the Central Plains? Don't you want your descendants to become nobles on this land?"

These words finally moved many soldiers. Someone muttered quietly, "I've heard that women from the Western Regions are skilled in singing and dancing."

"Hahaha!" Su Yao laughed loudly, "That's right!"

"Moreover, not only that, as long as you settle down here, for every child born to your local wives and concubines when you return, I will reward you handsomely, and the imperial court will subsidize your children until they reach adulthood."

"In this way, even if you decide to return in the future, with the rewards and preferential treatment from the imperial court, as long as our Great Han Dynasty stands, your descendants who remain here will be the new masters of this land!"

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, the flames of ambition gradually ignited in the eyes of the soldiers.

Su Yao's words completely dispelled their worries.

Some even secretly plotted to make meritorious contributions so that they could acquire a beautiful concubine in every city they visited.

Anyway, the imperial court will take care of the children. Even if I go back after finishing this battle, I might be able to leave behind a dozen or so children here.

Where else can you find such a good deal?

This is what true branching out is all about!
So, at the victory banquet that night, the soldiers toasted Su Yao one after another, expressing their loyalty.

Needless to say, the morale of the troops was boosted that night, and when Su Yao's announcement was released the next day, the whole city was in an uproar.

The army of matchmakers nearly wore down the threshold of Governor Su Yao's mansion.
(End of this chapter)