I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 989 The Central Plains Undergo Delightful Changes
In the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era (193 AD), spring arrived and flowers bloomed.

Su Yao's triumphant entourage left Chang'an and continued eastward.

The procession passed through the ancient Yaohan Road, traversed the majestic Hangu Pass, and entered the Luoyang Basin. The scenery along the way changed dramatically, and the wealth and prosperity of the area amazed the princes and envoys from the Western Regions.

The wide and smooth official road was bustling with carriages and horses. On both sides of the road, fertile fields stretched out in all directions, and villages were scattered like stars. Even the farmers by the roadside were dressed in precious silk clothes, which showed the wealth and power of the Central Plains.

"Oh my god, Father, look! What's that? It's huge and it's spinning around!"

Princess Ashley sat in the ornately decorated carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to look out with eyes full of wonder.

Following her daughter's pointing finger, Gui Shemi saw a huge wooden wheel, several meters tall, slowly turning in the river, powering the mill on the bank.

Such an ingenious mechanical device was something they had never seen before, not only in their Wusun region, but throughout the entire Western Regions.

Immediately, all the envoys from the Western Regions were drawn to this enormous object.

Only a few people who had been sent as envoys to the Parthian Empire and had seen the primitive windmills of Central Asia had some knowledge and guessed that this was probably an agricultural device.

"That's right, this is a water-powered millstone. Its principle is to use water to rotate the wheel and scrape water onto the shore. It is a machine that uses water power to drive the millstone to grind grain."

Jia Xu, who was accompanying them, stroked his beard and said:
"This is the latest achievement of our Imperial College of Technology, promoted by His Highness the Prince of Tang. The water system around the capital of our Great Han is well-developed, and there are hundreds of such waterwheels running day and night to irrigate farmland and grind flour for the people."

"hiss--"

"Such enormous machines, there are hundreds of them?!"

"His Highness the Tang King is actually skilled in mechanical arts?"

Upon hearing this, all the envoys from the Western Regions gasped in astonishment. Princess Ashley's eyes sparkled, and the envoy from Shule knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly before the waterwheel, exclaiming, "A masterpiece of nature! This is a miracle!"

The Western Regions, especially the oasis countries north and south of the Tarim Desert, have always suffered from drought. Water is their most precious resource. Now, seeing how the Han people can so cleverly utilize water power, they cannot help but feel awe.

At this opportune moment, Su Yao also stated that the Western Regions would also be subjects of the Han Dynasty in the future. Not only would water-powered waterwheels like these be promoted in the Western Regions, but large windmills powered by wind would also be brought back to help the local people make the most of their land and enjoy the advanced agricultural technology of the Han Dynasty.

In this way, the kingdoms of the Western Regions became increasingly wealthy, while the Han Dynasty was able to earn more money, grow more grain, and station more troops in the region. This was a win-win situation.

Upon hearing Su Yao's words, the princes and envoys from the Western Regions all showed expressions of longing, and one by one they stepped forward to pat their chests and pledge their loyalty.

Just as the host and guests were enjoying themselves, a commotion suddenly arose from the front of the procession. A troop of cavalry in bright armor galloped in, their leading general in a green robe, wielding a crescent-shaped broadsword. He dismounted and knelt on one knee before Su Yao's horse:
"Greetings, Your Majesty! This humble general has come on His Majesty's orders to welcome Your Highness's triumphant return!"

"Oh? Shouldn't Yun Chang be in Huainan? When did he arrive in the capital?"

Su Yao was slightly surprised.

He remembered that when he left, Guan Yu was in charge of overseeing the Huainan region. He never expected that Guan Yu would come to greet him when he returned.

“That’s how it is,” Guan Yu explained.

It turns out that while Su Yao was on his expedition, the Luoyang court wasn't just sitting idly by doing nothing.

Besides undertaking large-scale construction projects, expanding the capital, and building water conservancy projects throughout the country, his greatest achievement was the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion across the country.

That's right, the Yellow Turban Army.

Although Su Yao focused his attention on the various local lords when he unified the world.

However, the Yellow Turban Army at this time was also a force that could not be underestimated.

Not only were there still hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels in Qingxu, but the remnants of the Black Mountain rebellion in the Taihang Mountains were also restless, and even in Yingchuan and Runan near the capital, there were remnants of the Yellow Turban army active.

Although these Yellow Turban rebels were not a significant force, they roamed around, plundering the people and causing great trouble to local security while Su Yao was busy with his southern and northern campaigns.

Therefore, after Su Yao swept away the feudal forces across the country, developing the economy and eliminating bandits became the top priorities.

Therefore, after unification, Su Yao sent his trusted confidants, such as Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Gongsun Zan, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, to various parts of the country to serve as governors. This was to keep a close watch on the newly defeated warlord forces and to mobilize local forces to carry out large-scale bandit suppression missions across regions.

Logically speaking, although these Yellow Turban rebels were numerous and powerful, their fighting ability was hardly commendable. With these famous generals leading the troops, they could have been easily quelled.

However, Su Yao clearly did not do that, but instead decided on a plan that combined suppression and appeasement.

"In my opinion, most of these Yellow Turban soldiers are unfortunate people who can't survive. Let's try to avoid fighting and give them a way to live." "Those who are willing to surrender can be incorporated into the garrison and given wasteland to cultivate, so that they can become self-reliant."

Following this approach, the bandit suppression efforts progressed more slowly, but in return, a large number of displaced people were ultimately gained.

After suffering several major defeats in battles, the remaining Yellow Turban rebels, seeing no hope for their cause, increasingly chose to surrender.

Just as Su Yao was on his expedition to the Western Regions, the last named Yellow Turban Army force in the country finally gave up resistance as a whole. There were no more organized rebellious forces around the Central Plains. Only some of the Yue people in the south and the barbarians in the southwest occasionally caused some sporadic disturbances, but these no longer affected the overall situation, and the local garrisons could handle them on their own.

Therefore, after the country was pacified, the Grand General's Office, led by Huangfu Song, quickly learned from the lessons of the separatist rule of the feudal lords during the reign of Emperor Ling, and successively recalled the governors stationed in various places, and centralized military power in the central government.

Currently, the only ones still leading troops abroad are Taishi Ci in the southeast, who is fighting against the Yue tribes, and Zhang Liao, who is guarding the Xiongnu in the northern grasslands while also monitoring the various tribes of the Xianbei in the central region.

As for the other generals, they have all returned to the capital to report on their duties and await new appointments.

"I see," Su Yao nodded slightly. "Then how has His Majesty been lately?"

Guan Yu clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is in good health, and the entire court is eagerly awaiting your return. His Majesty has specially decreed that all prefectures and counties along the route must provide proper hospitality, and a ten-mile-long pavilion has been set up outside Luoyang City, where all civil and military officials have come out of the city to welcome His Highness the Prince of Tang and to give him a proper welcome!"

Upon hearing this, the envoys from the Western Regions in the group were once again astonished. Although they knew that Su Yao held a high position, they never expected to receive such a grand reception from the emperor.

The procession continued onward, and as they got closer to Luoyang, the scenery along the road became increasingly prosperous.

Not only are there more and more waterwheels in the fields, but there are also various large-scale windmills, and even precious oxen are very common here.

This contrasts sharply with the impoverished state of the area surrounding Luoyang three years ago, which had been ravaged by Dong Zhuo.

Clearly, the people living under the emperor's nose were the first to benefit from Su Yao's new policies and conquest.

They were not only the first to try out various new agricultural technologies and equipment, but most of the families settled here were staunch confidants who had followed Su Yao in his campaigns across the country. They had priority in enjoying the livestock captured from the grasslands, and in just a few years, the area around Luoyang recovered its former prosperity and even surpassed it.

On that wide cement road, caravans from all over the country came and went in an endless stream, and the post stations and villages along the way grew larger and larger.

Finally, when they were still more than ten miles from Luoyang, a dense crowd appeared ahead. Banners fluttered and colorful tents stood on both sides of the official road, as countless people spontaneously came to welcome the victorious soldiers.

"He's here! His Highness the Prince of Tang is back!"

"Look! Those are the envoys and prisoners from the Western Regions!"

A roar of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd, leaving the envoys from the Western Regions speechless with awe. They had never seen so many people gathered together, much less witnessed such fervent support from the populace for a general.

Princess Ashley peered through the carriage curtain at the cheering crowd outside, feeling both awe and trepidation. She turned to look at her father, Guishemi, whose expression was complex, filled with envy, disappointment, and even a hint of fear.

“Father,” Ashley called softly.

Gui Shemi came to her senses and said with a wry smile, "My little Ashley, it seems that your husband's prestige in the Central Plains is much higher than I imagined."

"Yes. Isn't that a good thing?"

Ashley looked at her father with some confusion.

Now, she is mentally prepared compared to the day Su Yao pinned her to the bed and bullied her.

Although that "devil" was indeed terrifying, there was no doubt that his power was beyond question, and he was a hero in the hearts of countless people.

If that's the case, then having such a man as the father of one's child doesn't seem so unacceptable.

But Ashley didn't expect that her father, who had been comforting her, now seemed to have changed his attitude.
"No, of course it's no good."

Gui Shemi squinted his eyes and said, word by word:

"A tall tree catches the wind. He's a prince from another clan, yet he commands a large army, his achievements are so great they threaten the emperor's authority, and he enjoys such popular support. What do you think the emperor will think?"

"If I were the emperor, I would be restless and sleepless, and would want to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"If you marry into the Tang royal family and one day he clashes with the emperor and something unexpected happens, my Wusun royal family will surely be implicated. How can this be a good thing?"

(End of this chapter)