With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Liu Xie waved his hand, "Xingba, all the injuries you have sustained are for me and for the Han Dynasty, so don't refuse."

Gan Ning had no choice but to remove his armor. The wounds on Gan Ning's body were shocking to behold, crisscrossing and tearing at the skin and flesh, with blood still seeping out in many places.

Several knife wounds were clearly visible, some of which looked extremely gruesome, as if they had been viciously torn apart by a wild beast, leaving the flesh and blood mangled.

Looking at Gan Ning's wounds, everyone's faces were full of admiration, and their eyes were filled with amazement and praise.

Some nodded repeatedly, their expressions solemn; others frowned, seemingly empathizing with the pain Gan Ning had endured.

Others looked excited, their lips trembling, and they couldn't help but whisper their praises.

Gan Ning, this tough and resolute man, had his eyes instantly well up with tears the moment Liu Xie personally examined his wounds.

Gan Ning pressed his lips together, struggling to suppress his inner excitement. He looked at the emperor, his eyes filled with gratitude and loyalty, and a low, hoarse voice came from his throat: "Your Majesty..."

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he held them back, a sight that evoked both heartache and admiration.

After a careful inspection, Liu Xie was a little angry. "You are too careless. Many wounds have not been treated at all. Zilong, bring my medicine box."

As the saying goes, it's always good to have many skills.

Whenever Liu Xie went on a military expedition, he would always bring his medicine kit.

Liu Xie quickly got into the zone, and even though there were many onlookers around, he was not affected at all.

Gan Ning gritted his teeth and held back his tears, remaining silent. When Liu Xie asked him if he wanted anesthesia, Gan Ning said, "Your Majesty, do as you see fit. Even if you cut me open, I won't utter a sound."

At this moment, the emperor is Gan Ning's best anesthetic!

Everyone watched in silence, deeply moved by the emperor's earnest treatment of Gan Ning's wounds.

Liu Xie moved swiftly and skillfully, and soon the wound was treated.

Next, Liu Xie naturally rewarded those who had contributed to the victory, appointing Gan Ning as General Who Guards the South and Lu Xun as Governor of Yangzhou.

Lu Xun's promotion was incredibly fast, like a rocket. Before, he was just an assistant to Gan Ning, but suddenly he became a powerful regional official guarding Jiangdong.

Liu Bei looked at Lu Xun with envy. This young man, only twenty-four years old, had a meteoric rise in his official career.

While admiring him, Liu Bei could also learn something from this. On the one hand, the emperor valued talent, not just reputation and seniority. Even if someone was just a young person, he would give them important positions. This was Liu Xie's boldness.

In addition, Lu Xun had worked diligently and faithfully to the emperor all these years, which was something that made Liu Bei feel ashamed.

Subsequently, Liu Xie proposed another point: "From this day forward, the Inspectorate shall be renamed the Inspectorate Commissioner. Every year, all officials in various regions shall be subject to at least one inspection. Whether they are prefects or governors, their terms of office shall be five years from now on. After five years, they shall be reassigned."

This momentous decision surprised everyone.

Liu Xie made this decision not on a whim, but after careful consideration.

The reason why warlords carved up the land during chaotic times was that these governors or prefects had too much power in their own territories and had been in power for too long. They made all the decisions themselves, and while accumulating power, their ambitions also swelled rapidly.

If there were time limits on the term of office, the situation would be different; it would be as if these people were under a tight rein.

If anyone wants to rebel, they must act quickly during their term of office; otherwise, the court will transfer them away when their term expires.

Only those with great power and ambition dare to cause trouble; ordinary people wouldn't.

Zhuge Liang remained silent for a while, then nodded vigorously. He was completely convinced by the emperor's decision.

The court could respond immediately to any disturbances anywhere, and a term of office was only five years, which greatly increased the difficulty of separatist regimes.

The five-year term was a decision made by Liu Xie based on the experience of later generations.

If the term of office is too short, it will be difficult to carry out the work; if the term of office is too long, it will be detrimental to the rule of the court.

Whether you're a prefect or a governor, as long as you work diligently, that's enough.

If someone establishes themselves in a local area for decades, and the local people only recognize them and not the imperial court, then that's troublesome.

Liu Xie made the decision decisively, and no one stood up to object. Anyone who objected would be seen as having ulterior motives.

Finally, Liu Xie asked for everyone's opinion: "Sun Quan has established a separatist regime and has now been captured. What do you all think should be done with him?"

Cao Cao was the first to speak, “Your Majesty, Sun Quan has seized power and wreaked havoc on the world. This man must not be allowed to live. Moreover, he has killed envoys sent by the court several times. Wang Kui and Mi Heng both died at his hands.”

Xun You added: "Zhang Hong was appointed Governor of Yangzhou by the court, but he also died at the hands of Sun Quan. Sun Quan disregarded the court and showed contempt for the emperor's authority. His crimes were inescapable, and his entire family should be executed."

Lu Su stood out from the crowd, frowning and sighing repeatedly. Liu Xie nodded to him, "Zijing, tell me your opinion."

Lu Su shook his head, looking somewhat flustered. "Your Majesty... I haven't decided yet."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Say what you think, be frank, it doesn't matter if you're wrong."

After considering it for a moment, Lu Su mustered his courage and replied, "I think we should not kill him. Not only should we not kill him, Your Majesty should also give Sun Quan an important position."

This was the first time Lu Su had addressed Sun Quan by his given name. There was no other way; Sun Quan had already been stripped of his official position and title, so it was no longer appropriate to address him as the Marquis of Wu.

"Lu Su, do you still harbor selfish motives and feel sorry for your former master?" Cao Cao snorted and questioned.

Lu Su hurriedly shook his head, "I have no selfish motives. Although Your Majesty has captured Chaisang, you have not completely pacified Jiangdong. In many places, Sun Quan still has a lot of influence. If you can spare his life and let Sun Quan serve the court, Your Majesty can pacify Jiangdong smoothly and successfully, and it will also be easier to win people's hearts and gather talents."

Cao Cao sneered, "Jiangdong is currently leaderless. No one can stop the court from pacifying Jiangdong. Even without Sun Quan, we can still take over everything here."

Lu Su's face flushed slightly with excitement. "What the Prime Minister says is indeed reasonable. However, the Sun family has been in Jiangdong for three generations and has many followers. Take Lü Meng and Xu Sheng, for example. If Your Majesty were to exterminate Sun Quan's entire clan, they would surely be disheartened and might not submit to the court." With that, Lu Su mustered his courage and looked at the Emperor. "Your Majesty has the ambition to encompass the world and the heart to embrace all under heaven. Even if Sun Quan has committed a grave error, he has already lost and is now under Your Majesty's control. What would Your Majesty gain by killing him? If Your Majesty does not kill him, you can not only demonstrate your magnanimity to the world but also gain the genuine allegiance of people like Lü Meng. Why not do it?"

Liu Xie was somewhat tempted and asked, "Zijing, can you guarantee that Sun Quan will not change his mind again? Can you guarantee that Lü Meng, Xu Sheng, and others will truly submit to me?"

Lu Su nodded vigorously, "Your subject guarantees it!"

Liu Xie nodded. "I had originally decided to exterminate Sun Quan's entire clan, but if you can make him truly submit and have people like Lü Meng pledge their loyalty to me, I can show leniency."

Lu Su breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had submitted to the imperial court, he still felt guilty towards Jiangdong.

Lu Su was willing to try, and this was the most important thing he could do for Jiangdong.

With heavy and complicated feelings, Lu Su came to the prison to persuade Sun Quan.

Lu Su's steps were slightly heavy, and his eyes revealed a sense of struggle and helplessness.

Sun Quan looked at Lu Su with some doubt in his eyes when he saw him enter.

Lu Meng, Xu Sheng, and the others were also imprisoned with Sun Quan. When they saw Lu Su, their expressions changed, and they all showed contempt. Lu Meng even gave a cold snort.

Lu Su took a deep breath and slowly said, "After many years of companionship, I know General Sun's great talent and ambition. However, the overall situation is now settled, and as you have seen, His Majesty's military might is invincible."

Sun Quan said sternly, "What a fine General Sun! It would be more satisfying to just call me by my name."

Lu Su lowered his head slightly, his voice trembling: "If you refuse to surrender, His Majesty may become angry and implicate your family. You will regret it then! His Majesty has already decided to exterminate your entire clan."

Sun Quan suddenly stood up, glaring angrily: "Do you think I'm a coward who fears death?"

Lu Su shook his head. "I have followed you, General, for many years and know that you are not a coward. But what about your family and relatives? Can you bear to let them die with you?"

"How about this, I'll let the general meet your family first, and then you can make a decision."

Sun Quan was emotional and resentful, but Lu Su was genuinely concerned for him.

After Lu Su consulted with Liu Xie and received permission, he brought Wu Guotai, Bu Lianshi, and others to meet with Sun Quan.

Such a large family, upon seeing Sun Quan, inevitably wept bitterly, a heartbreaking scene.

Sun Quan was a filial son. Seeing that Lady Wu was very old, his younger sister Sun Shangxiang was still young, and his own wives and concubines were all in tears, their faces full of reluctance, even though Sun Quan had a heart of stone, he felt as if a thousand arrows were piercing his heart at this moment.

During their brief family reunion, Lu Su approached Lü Meng and Xu Sheng and said earnestly, "I know you are dissatisfied with me, and that is what I deserve. I don't ask for your forgiveness. I just want to say that Jiangdong has not been saved. Are you going to bear watching General Sun's entire family be killed? You can't even protect your lord's family. Don't you feel ashamed, ministers?"

Lu Su's words shook Lü Meng and Xu Sheng, and they were also deeply moved by the sight of Sun Quan's family shedding tears of sorrow.

Lu Su continued, “Although His Majesty is benevolent, he is also decisive enough. If I cannot persuade you to surrender, His Majesty will not show any mercy. Perhaps, His Majesty will even give General Sun’s wife and daughters to others. Can you really bear to do that?”

In ancient times, it was a customary practice for the victors to take the wives and daughters of the defeated as spoils of war.

"Whether you hate me or blame me, none of that matters. What matters is whether you want General Sun's entire family to be killed, with not a single one dying a peaceful death?"

Lu Meng lowered his head, and Xu Sheng also remained silent.

Lu Su then earnestly advised, "You are all intelligent people, so I don't need to waste my breath. The situation is beyond saving. Even if you were given another 100,000 troops, the outcome would still be the same. So, please help me persuade him. Death is not terrible, but it is not necessarily the best choice. Besides, the court is the most important thing. Even if you die, you will not leave behind a good name."

In the end, both Lü Meng and Xu Sheng were persuaded.

Everyone tried to persuade Sun Quan, and after a painful internal struggle, Sun Quan finally lowered his proud head.

Upon receiving this result, Liu Xie was very pleased. He said to Zhuge Liang, "Kongming, if it were just Sun Quan alone, I would not have hesitated at all. However, Lu Su gave me a binding persuasion. I must say, Lu Su is very clever."

Zhuge Liang also smiled, "Lu Su is not only very clever, but this move is also very brilliant. He has tied Lü Meng, Xu Sheng and others to Sun Quan, making it very difficult for Your Majesty to kill Sun Quan."

Liu Xie sighed, "Yes, killing Sun Quan is easy, and pacifying Jiangdong is not difficult either. What is difficult is that there are so many talented people in Jiangdong. I really can't bear to do it."

After a while, Zhuge Liang became worried again, "Although they have surrendered, it is difficult to guarantee that Lü Meng and the others will be completely loyal to Your Majesty in a short time. Does Your Majesty have any countermeasures?"

Liu Xie said, "To capture the thief, capture the king. I intend to keep Sun Quan's entire family in the capital. Furthermore..."

Liu Xie pointed eastward, "From now on, let Sun Quan and Gan Ning be with the navy, fight alongside them, and help me expand the sea frontier!"

"Does His Majesty not wish to grant Sun Quan a fiefdom?"

Liu Xie shook his head. "To be honest, I don't fully trust Sun Quan right now. Rather than giving him a fiefdom and having to send people to monitor him, it would be better to send them all out to sea and let them cause trouble."

Zhuge Liang suddenly laughed, "Is Your Majesty treating Sun Quan like a kite? No matter how he flies, the string is always in your hands."

With Sun Quan's family remaining in the capital and Gan Ning leading the Jinfan Army by his side, even if Sun Quan harbored disloyal thoughts, he would find it difficult to have the confidence to rebel.

When the news of Sun Quan's surrender to the imperial court spread, it shook the entire Jiangdong region.

Under Sun Quan's persuasion, the garrison troops in other parts of Jiangdong gradually gave up their thoughts of resistance, and the imperial army successfully took over the entire Jiangdong.

Another month later, Shi Xie also sent an envoy to Chaisang to pay his respects to Liu Xie.

Jiaozhou, which is the area of ​​Guangdong and Guangxi in later times, was very prosperous in later times. The GDP of Guangdong Province alone could be equivalent to the annual GDP of the entire Russia. However, during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods, Jiaozhou was very backward.

Jiaozhou is mountainous and transportation is extremely inconvenient. In recent years, the Central Plains have been in turmoil, and many people have fled to Jiaozhou, which has become a haven from the war.

Regardless, Liu Xie believed that Jiaozhou was an indispensable part of the Han Dynasty's territory! (End of Chapter)