I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 859: The princes pay homage to each other, and the house is full of beauties (Chapter 5K2)

"Prime Minister?"

"And the King of Hejian and the King of Changshan, why are you here?!"

In the secret room, Ju Shou, Shen Pei and others were all shocked, their eyes moving back and forth between Wang Rou and the King of Hejian and the King of Changshan. Tian Feng and Cui Lie's son-in-law also widened their eyes, their faces full of confusion.

They could never have imagined that in this secret room deep in the house, not only was Wang Rou, who they thought had long been killed in the chaos, there was also two dignified princes.

How did they get trapped in this secret room?
How did the general find this place directly?
Everyone was shocked and confused.

"Harmful!"

"Traitor, traitor!"

Wang Rou sighed and explained slowly.

It turned out that when Han Fu rebelled, he wanted to let Liu Yu of Youzhou become emperor in order to gain the reputation of righteousness.

But unfortunately, Liu Yu did not accept it, so Han Fu, at the suggestion of Min Chun, turned his attention to the local princes of Jizhou.

Gaoyi is located in Changshan, so the first person he looked for was naturally the local King of Changshan, Liu Hao.

However, the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the early years affected Changshan. Liu Hong abandoned the country and fled. He only returned with a lick of honor after the chaos was settled. His prestige was really insufficient, so he was only the next best choice and was controlled first as a backup pawn.

As for Hejian King Liu Xi, he remained calm during the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Jizhou, or at least did not run away, so he could be praised for this and became one of Han Fu's ideal "puppet" candidates.

However, the biggest problem was naturally that Hejian Xiang Wang Rou was too close to Su Yao and would not listen to his orders at all.

Therefore, the first thing Han Fu did after raising his army was to send troops to destroy Wang Rou and "invite" King Hejian to come.

Although the process was not smooth, he finally achieved his goal.

Wang Rou was defeated and captured. Because of his relationship with Su Yao, Han Fu considered him a rare treasure and secretly imprisoned him here together with the King of Hejian.

If everything went well, Han Fu would probably use Wang Rou to threaten Su Yao at the right time. At the same time, after forcing Su Yao's invasion to repel, he would immediately push forward Hejian King Liu Xi and issue an edict in his name, ordering the princes of the world to jointly fight against the court, in an attempt to realize his ambition of separatist rule or even usurping the throne.

But obviously, Han Fu, Min Chun and others had never expected that their dreams of great achievements would be shattered so quickly.

Su Yao's army was unstoppable and swept in like a storm.

First, an army of 200,000 was defeated, and then the noble families in the city suddenly launched an attack.

As a result, before they could even put their preparations into practice, they were already in a desperate situation and had no chance to perform.

Wang Rou smiled bitterly in the secret room and continued:
"After Han Fu imprisoned us, he began to plot a rebellion, waiting for the right opportunity to put his plot into action. However, he never expected that he was no match for the general."

"Today, there were constant shouts and cries of killing outside, and we were trapped here. Although I didn't know the details, I could guess that the situation was extremely unfavorable to Han Fu. I just didn't expect that the general would personally lead the troops to break into the city and rescue us."

Then, Hejian King Liu Xi stepped forward and bowed deeply to Su Yao:
"I will never forget the grace of the general who saved my life. If it weren't for the general, I, the King of Changshan, and the Prime Minister Wang would have died at the hands of Han Fu, and the Han Dynasty would have faced a greater crisis."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much for saving my life, General!"

King Liu Hong of Changshan also hurriedly followed suit and saluted, his eyes full of gratitude.

Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Tian Feng and others were listening on the side and were more and more shocked.

They could never have imagined that Su Yao was able to grasp Han Fu's conspiracy, which even they, the family members and officials, were unaware of, and he went straight in here after entering the mansion.

Is this a result of keen insight and accurate judgment, or is it that even Han Fu's confidants have been infiltrated by Su Yao?
For a moment, everyone felt that this general was unfathomable.

But in fact, this is naturally all thanks to the mini-map system.

Although the secret room is blocked by fog, it cannot be seen at a glance.

However, as soon as Su Yao stepped into the mansion, he discovered this hidden and unexplored area from the structure of the County Magistrate's Mansion.

How could Su Yao not know that there was something fishy going on here?
However, Su Yao would not reveal this detail.

"No need to be polite."

Su Yao extended his hand to support the King of Hejian and the King of Changshan, signaling them to stand up:

"As a Han minister, it is my duty to eradicate treacherous officials and support the country. Now that Han Fu is dead, Jizhou is in ruins. I hope you can join hands with me to overcome the difficulties and rebuild this land."

Hejian King Liu Xi's eyes were full of admiration, and he nodded immediately and said:

"General, you are right. I am willing to do my best to help the people of Jizhou. As long as you have any orders, I will never say no."

"Yes, yes, Xiao Wang is the same."

King Liu Hong of Changshan also followed suit and expressed his determination to follow Su Yao.

Su Yao secretly laughed at the statements of these two people, knowing that they were probably more worried about their own power.

This is indeed true.

After all, there was the precedent of Wang Mang deposing dozens of princes. They both respected and feared Su Yao, a general who commanded a large army, made many outstanding achievements and held great power.

In this chaotic world, strength is everything. With Su Yao's current power in Jizhou and influence in the imperial court, he is enough to determine the rise and fall and survival of their fiefdom.

Su Yao knew the truth clearly, but he didn't point it out.

Indeed, Su Yao had some ideas about these Liu princes of the Han Dynasty, but now was obviously not the time.

So, after Su Yao said a few polite words, he ordered his men to take the two princes and Wang Rou downstairs to rest first, and treat them well to calm them down.

After the King of Hejian, the King of Changshan and Wang Rou were taken away, Su Yao turned and looked at Ju Shou, Shen Pei and others, and his expression became stern.

"Although you have made great contributions by surrendering the city, you also committed a serious crime by helping Han Fu rebel. However, I will not implicate you any further because I am concerned that you have returned to the right path and the people in the city have suffered from the war for a long time."

"However, the rules cannot be abolished when rebuilding Jizhou."

Seeing this, Ju Su stepped forward and said, "The general is very understanding of justice. We are willing to follow all arrangements to atone for our previous sins."

Immediately afterwards, Shen Pei, Tian Feng and others also knelt on the ground to show their loyalty.

Su Yao nodded:

"From now on, you will assist Xun You in investigating the assets of the aristocratic families in Jizhou, and then split and relocate some of the families as previously discussed. You must not slack off in the slightest."

"As for the officials who participated in the rebellion, they will be registered one by one and await the court's disposal."

From this moment on, all Jizhou officials under Han Fu were dismissed on the spot and awaited further arrangements.

Seeing everyone's panic and bitterness, Su Yao paused and decided to give them some reassurance first:
"Don't worry for now, everyone."

“The law is merciless, but punishment is never the goal.”

"As long as you sincerely repent and do your best in the reconstruction of Jizhou, the court will consider the situation. This general has always been clear about rewards and punishments, and those who have made contributions will not be buried."

"Are you serious, General?!"

Suddenly, the dismissed official's eyes widened.

"That's the way it is."

Su Yao smiled:
"I, the general, keep my word. How could I deceive you? I will give you some tasks tomorrow. You will each perform your duties and do your best."

"If you do a good job, you can be reinstated after the migration is complete, or even make further progress."

Su Yao's words immediately caused a burst of exclamations.

"The general is so magnanimous. We will repay his kindness with all our heart and soul!"

Ju Shou and others were filled with excitement and quickly expressed their opinions. The dismissed officials also echoed them with sincere words.

In response, Su Yao nodded slightly, with a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

"General, why is this different from what you said before?" Dian Wei said, scratching his head.

After everyone thanked and left, only Su Yao and Zhao Dian were left in the secret room. Dian Wei finally couldn't help but ask:
"Are you going to let them off so easily? These people all followed that traitor Han Fu before."

"I think the general didn't intend to kill them all from the beginning, did he?"

"Zilong knows me too."

Su Yao smiled and explained:

"There are many talented people in Jizhou, and Han Fu has no ability to judge people. If I kill them all with one blow, wouldn't it be a pity?"

"But there are also some rules for how to use these people."

Su Yao walked to a corner of the secret room, reached out and gently stroked the cold wall, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "Although we are now more well-off, this general does not intend to support so many idle people."

"Youzhou and Jizhou are the models we have conquered. I will never allow the rebels in the future to surrender just because they cannot win the battle, and then suddenly change their ways and continue to live freely and at ease, or even live better than before under the so-called benevolent government."

"These people must be made to understand that there is a price to pay for making mistakes, and this price is to pay it back with double the effort and prove their loyalty and value through work and labor."

"This is not only an examination of these surrendered people, but also a way to prevent more people from taking chances and clear the way for future wars."

"The general is wise."

Zhao Yun cupped his hands:

"The situation in Jizhou has just been settled, and there is a lot of work to be done. Although we have brought a lot of people, most of them are good at fighting in battles, and they are not as familiar with local governance as these local officials. If we can subdue them and use them for our own benefit, it will be of great benefit to restoring the people's livelihood in Jizhou, stabilizing the situation, and even confiscating local assets."

“It’s just that, will these people really do their best?”

Dian Wei nodded thoughtfully:
"Zilong also said that we didn't bring many officials with us. What if they were up to something?"

"Since I dare to use it, I have my own way."

Su Yao raised his hand to interrupt Dian Wei's words, with a confident smile on his face:

"Xun You is very thoughtful. He will be responsible for finding those who try to pretend to obey but actually disobey while investigating the family's assets."

"And at the same time, a wave of reinforcements is on the way."

"When they arrive, they will be in charge, and the local officials of Jizhou will be in charge, and we will be able to ensure that this matter will be worry-free."

"Reinforcements?!"

Dian Wei and Zhao Yun looked at each other, bewildered:
"What reinforcements?"

"Could it be someone from Youzhou?"

Su Yao shook his head and laughed: "You will know tomorrow."

After saying that, Su Yao turned around and strode out of the secret room.

At this time, the moon was shining brightly in the sky outside, but the county magistrate's mansion was still ablaze with fire.

The mess of corpses and blood during the day was no longer visible at this time. The soldiers were lighting torches and supervising the servants in the county magistrate's mansion to continue to clean up the scene diligently.

Su Yao took a look, nodded, and after giving a few instructions to Zhao Yun and Dian Wei, he followed the guidance of the steward in the mansion to the bedroom that had already been arranged, preparing to quickly spend the night and prepare for tomorrow's events.

However, before he opened the door, Su Yao heard bursts of women's moans and cries.

Su Yao opened the door curiously, and another burst of fragrance wafted into his nose.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen young beauties were frightened when they saw the hot-blooded Su Yao coming in. They lined up in a panic with their heads drooping.

Even the knowledgeable Su Yao was amazed by this scene.

"What are you guys up to?" Su Yao asked, turning around.

Behind him, the new "general manager" of the county governor's office, a slightly fat, flattering middle-aged man, stepped forward and explained with his waist bent:

"General, these people are the beauties that Han Fu collected during his lifetime and the gifts from the aristocratic families in the city."

"Now that Han Fu is dead, these beauties have no one to take care of them. I thought that the general was tired from riding and needed someone to serve him, so I brought them here. I hope the general will accept them."

The middle-aged man had a smile on his face and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

The imperial army was besieging the city, and Han Fu's life was in danger. The wealthy families in the city organized themselves to find a way out. Naturally, the servants in the county magistrate's mansion had to plan for their future as well. This man was one of them.

His surname is Sun and his given name is Cheng. He is a small manager in the palace, in charge of various miscellaneous chores in the palace.

Today, Ju Shou and Shen Pei attacked the county government and forced Han Fu to death. The former general manager chose to die loyal to Han Fu, and the government office was immediately in chaos.

At that time, the servants in the mansion were in chaos, like headless flies.

Some of them were busy escaping, some were looking for places to hide, and there were also quite a few people who usually bullied others and took advantage of the chaos to steal and rob, desperately trying to enrich themselves.

At this moment, Sun Cheng keenly sensed this excellent opportunity to change his destiny.

He immediately called over several of his strong servants and first took control of the warehouse where the valuables were stored in the mansion to prevent those with ill intentions from looting.

Afterwards, he took his men to run around the mansion, shouting and stopping those who took advantage of the chaos to do evil, and at the same time gathering together the servants who were at odds with the former steward or had a lower status in the mansion and were eager to change the status quo, to deal with the changes together.

"Envoy Han is dead, and the general will be here any day. The only way for us to keep ourselves and our families safe is to follow the general's footsteps!"

Sun Cheng stood in the middle of the courtyard and shouted loudly to the servants who had gathered around him.

The servants were confused and didn't know what to do.

Sun Chengze took the initiative and went straight to the pavilion in the back house to communicate face to face with the person in charge of the aristocratic family's personal soldiers who were blocking the scene there.

It can be said that the two sides hit it off immediately.

The number of family soldiers left in the mansion by Ju Shou and Shen Pei was very small, and they could only barely guard the tower. They were already worried about the chaos in the mansion, and now that someone was willing to take responsibility, they naturally wanted it more than they could.

So, very quickly, when Shen Pei, Ju Shou, Min Chun and others were chasing and blocking them in the city, this Steward Sun took control of the overall situation in the mansion, obtained the reputation of being righteous, and led his men and the personal soldiers of the aristocratic families to maintain order in the mansion.

Sun Cheng was even more active and took the initiative to take on many complicated tasks, arranging everything in an orderly manner, no matter how big or small.

Not only did he command everyone to clean up the blood and debris in the mansion, he also personally counted the supplies in the warehouse and registered them, looking like he was doing his best to serve the new force.

And of course, his actions paid off.

When Ju Shou, Shen Pei and others returned to the mansion to welcome Su Yao, they saw that the mansion had been well managed by this man. They were immediately impressed and appointed him as the temporary general manager. They determined to entertain the great general Su Yao no matter what.

"The general is a young hero, and there is no need to deny his power. If you dare to make the slightest mistake, I will make sure you die!"

Sun Cheng naturally kept the instructions and warnings of the adults in mind.

In fact, Sun Chengdu knew it very well without them telling him.

According to legend, the great general Su Yao was a ruthless and cruel man who beheaded people at will, and wherever he went, rivers of blood flowed.

Whether he could keep his head and status depended entirely on whether he could serve this master well tonight.

For this reason, Sun Cheng not only prepared the best wine and food in advance, but also cleaned the best room in the mansion spotlessly.

Now, seeing Ju Shou and others coming, he asked each of them about the general's preferences with a serious look on his face.

However, the conclusion he reached was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Although the general was a military man from a nearby county, he was decisive in killing, hated evil and was ruthless to the powerful and wealthy. However, he was surprisingly sympathetic to the people, had a frugal character, often ate and lived with the soldiers, and had no great pursuit of luxury.

This made Sun Cheng feel uneasy. It seemed that the path of fine wine, delicious food and luxurious decoration was not feasible. But if he could not satisfy the general, his newly acquired position as the chief steward would be fleeting.

"The general loves to kill people. But I can't just put a few criminals in his room and let him kill them for fun, right?"

"Doesn't this man have any other hobbies?!"

"Butler, how about the beauty?"

A shrill voice sounded behind Sun Cheng, interrupting his thoughts.

Sun Cheng turned around and saw a clever servant in the mansion who was fond of inquiring, looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Beauty?" Sun Cheng looked confused and couldn't make up his mind.

"Yes."

The young man talked freely:
"There are many rumors about the general among the people."

"He is a young man with a fondness for show, a love of friendship, and a love of fine horses and beautiful maids."

"It is said that he loves women, and in the capital he often rides on a tall white horse and carries a beautiful maid in red to stroll around the streets for fun."

"Moreover, whenever he conquered a place, he would often capture its beauties, such as Xiongnu princesses, Xianbei and Wuhuan maids, who were always by his side. Even the current emperor was obtained by him after he openly proposed to the previous emperor after a great victory."

"I think it's true that he likes beauties. Think about it, sir, which hero doesn't like to have beauties by his side? The general is so majestic, so it's natural that he can't do without beauties around him."

"Now we have many beauties in our mansion that Han Fu has collected. Even if we can't say they are as beautiful as fairies, each of them is so beautiful that it can make fish sink to the bottom of the water and geese fall to the ground."

"If you let them perform well in front of the general, play and sing some melodious songs, and dance a few graceful dances, maybe the general will be happy and look at you differently. In the future, you will be able to get whatever you want in this county governor's mansion and even in the whole Jizhou!"

As the servant spoke, he gestured with great excitement, as if he had already seen Sun Cheng's rapid rise to fame.

(End of this chapter)