I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1108 A New Myth
"May the God-King be mighty! We are willing to submit!"

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, the representatives of Byeonhan and Chenhan below the stage rushed to respond, afraid of leaving the God King with even the slightest impression of hesitation.

After all, having witnessed the outcome of Ma Hanchen's stubborn resistance, who would dare to utter a single word of dissent?

Don't you want to live?

“Very good.” Su Yao nodded in satisfaction. “From this day forward, the lands of Bianhan and Chenhan shall be incorporated into Guiyi County, under the jurisdiction of Haidong Prefecture. The leaders of each tribe shall be granted corresponding Han official titles according to their strength and population, and shall continue to lead their own tribes, but shall obey the orders of the governor and general of Haidong Prefecture, pay taxes on time, and send their sons to Luoyang to study.”

This order signifies that Su Yao did not adopt a policy of completely eradicating the local aristocratic power, but rather chose a strategy of both appeasement and assimilation. Granting them Han official positions both appeased these tribal leaders and integrated them into the Han bureaucratic system; requiring his son to be sent to Luoyang was to cultivate a pro-Han next generation of leaders.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, many of the previously anxious tribal chiefs below the stage breathed a sigh of relief, their faces filled with gratitude, and they kowtowed even more fervently: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty the Divine King! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty the Emperor! We will certainly fulfill our duties and forever serve the Great Han!"

Su Yao raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, his gaze sharpening: "However, the laws of Han are as firm as a mountain. If anyone outwardly obeys but inwardly defies them, oppresses the people, or harbors ulterior motives and harasses my Han people—" He paused, his voice icy, "Jin Yan's fate serves as a warning."

"We dare not! We would never dare!" came another chorus of assurances from below the stage.

Next came the elaborate ceremony of submission. The tribal leaders stepped forward one by one, presenting their land registers (Bianhan and Chenhan had many Qin Dynasty descendants with a relatively high level of civilization) and tribal tokens symbolizing their allegiance. Tian Chou, representing the Haidong Prefecture Governor's Office, received and registered these documents, and on the spot issued appointment documents jointly stamped by Empress Wannian and Su Yao. King Xiaogu, for his "initiative in advocating submission and meritorious service in the campaign," was officially appointed as the Loyal General of Haidong Prefecture, receiving the title of Marquis within the Passes, a truly prestigious position that drew envy from the other leaders.

The ceremony lasted nearly two hours before concluding. After the last leader withdrew, Su Yao looked at Tian Chou:
"Zitai, Haidong Prefecture has just been established, with three newly annexed counties. Everything is in need of rebuilding, and there are also undercurrents of activity. Stabilizing the local area, promoting Sinicization, registering households and equalizing the people, supervising the construction of ports, training the navy, and supervising various tribes are all complex matters that require the joint efforts of the two of you."

"Your Majesty and the King of Tang will certainly not fail your trust!" Tian Chou knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and looked solemn.

After doing all this, Su Yao took the two women and rode away on a Griffin, heading south.

Upon seeing this, all the tribes of the Three Han Kingdoms present prostrated themselves in worship until the golden figure completely disappeared into the sky before they dared to slowly rise.

In the days that followed, these three Han tribes gradually developed a common belief. The deity they worshipped all had the same image: a god wearing a red dragon-patterned robe, holding a golden pestle with lightning in his hand, and riding a golden griffin.

Initially, it was the elders of Baekje who painted the scene of Su Yao's descent on animal skins and hung them in the tribe's sacrificial tents. On the first and fifteenth of each month, they would lead their people in burning incense and kowtowing, praying to the "God King" for favorable weather and peace for the tribe. They remembered that it was this "God King" who brought Han farmers skilled in farming and blacksmiths skilled in blacksmithing, allowing their people, who previously relied solely on fishing, hunting, and rudimentary agriculture, to eat white rice and use sharp iron farm tools; it was this "God King" who pacified the warlike Mahan tribe, ending the suffering of raids on the border, and even allowing children to play safely in the fields. Before long, this faith spread throughout the Jinhan and Byeonhan tribes of Guiyi County. The Qin remnants of Chenhan, already carrying a sense of belonging to the Central Plains, saw that Su Yao could not only display divine power by "flying through the sky and disappearing into the earth" but also promote Han laws to bring peace and prosperity to the people. They spontaneously compared him to the legendary figures of Shennong and Yu the Great, calling him the "savior of the world." They recorded Su Yao's deeds of pacifying the three Han states on bamboo slips, taught them to their clansmen, and erected a stone tablet at the crossroads of their villages, inscribing it with the eight characters "Han and Tang spirit, benefiting the East Sea," so that future generations would forever remember this kindness.

The most touching stories are those of the Han Chinese who had been abducted by the Mahan Kingdom and later rescued by Su Yao. They had suffered greatly in the land of the Three Han Kingdoms, and it was Su Yao's arrival that gave them their freedom, land, and the opportunity to reunite with their families. These Han Chinese spontaneously organized themselves and built a small temple near Incheon Port. Inside the temple was a wooden statue of Su Yao, sculpted in his likeness. The statue was covered in black iron scales, holding a plow symbolizing the land in his left hand and a golden pestle symbolizing thunder in his right. The griffin beneath him stood tall with sharp eyes.

Furthermore, whenever the "God's Pilgrimage Day" arrives (the Sanhan tribes designated the day when Su Yao rode a griffin to inspect various places as the "God's Pilgrimage Day"), the temple is crowded with people praying for blessings. There are Han Chinese, Sanhan natives, and even merchants who have crossed the sea from Japan. They hold the grains they have grown and the cloth they have woven, and kneel devoutly in front of the god statue, telling about the changes in their lives and expressing their gratitude.

This power of faith even influenced the officials of Haidong Prefecture. When Tian Chou was inspecting Guiyi County, he saw a group of children surrounding a portrait of Su Yao in animal skin, singing a self-composed song: "Red-robed god, riding a golden eagle, bringing down thunder and lightning, pacifying the evil bandits. Dividing my fields, giving me a hoe, the Han dynasty shines upon Haidong."

Tian Chou stopped to listen, his eyes filled with emotion. He immediately ordered that the folk song be included in the "Gazetteer of Haidong Prefecture" and also had Su Yao's agricultural and sericulture policies and Sinicization policies compiled into easy-to-understand rhymes, which the tribal elders would then teach to their people.
But that's a story for later. At this point, Su Yao was naturally unaware of the cultural shock his trip had brought him. After swiftly pacifying the Korean Peninsula, he immediately turned his attention to Japan, which was further to the east.

Just days earlier, the naval advance team he had sent to occupy Tsushima Island finally brought back intelligence about his missing envoy.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the matter has been basically investigated and clarified."

On the simple pier of Tsushima Island, Taishi Ci reported to Su Yao and Wan Nian:

It turned out that as soon as the advance fleet arrived at Tsushima Island, it immediately began searching the island.

They found translators from the Three Han tribes to communicate with the local tribes on Tsushima Island, but they all said that they had not seen any trace of the Han envoy fleet since they saw the Han envoys sailing east three months ago.

But all of this could not escape the notice of the clever Han scouts. They soon discovered the wreckage of a Han ship suspected to have been shipwrecked on the coast of Tsushima Island. Moreover, based on the weathering, the wreckage appeared much closer to the day they arrived.

Therefore, the military commander of the advance team immediately led his troops to the door, questioned the local chief, and after a "friendly debate," found a missing member of the delegation—Deputy Envoy Jiang Qin—in a cave inhabited by the local tribe.

(End of this chapter)