Late Han Zhao Tang

Although the road from Chang'an to Shu was over a thousand li long, the imperial edict was delivered to the southern expeditionary army in just six days by fast horses.

At that time, Xu Huang and Man Chong had just accepted the surrender of the Sun family. The more than 40,000 Shu soldiers disarmed and were temporarily protected by Tang soldiers, awaiting further imperial edicts from Chang'an. When the edicts reached the army, Sun Quan's reward of being enfeoffed as the Marquis of Hefei with 800 households was beyond everyone's expectations.

Zitong, within the Tang camp.

"Your Excellency led tens of thousands of troops to surrender, yet the Tang Emperor's reward is so meager—this is beyond my expectations!" Wu Jing said with deep remorse, "I will go to the capital to seek justice for Your Excellency!"

Sun Quan stared at the imperial edict on the table, feeling utterly dejected. He had considered that he might not be granted a fief of ten thousand households, but he never expected that Zhang Yu would only grant him a fief of eight hundred households, even though his younger brother and nephew held higher titles than him.

"No need!"

Sun Quan sighed helplessly and said, "As a ruler living under someone else's roof and a king of a fallen kingdom, how can I resist? The Tang emperor's edict has already made it clear that I have resisted the Central Plains many times. Now, as a slight punishment, I am only granted a fief of eight hundred households!"

Sun Quan now regrets not surrendering sooner, as he now doesn't even have a thousand households. When he discussed resistance with Fa Zheng, Fa Zheng was unmoved by the difference between a thousand and a hundred households, but now that he's been granted eight hundred households, he finally understands what it means to be miserable!

Of course, more importantly, Sun Quan did not expect Zhang Yu to act unpredictably and divide the fiefdom that was rightfully his among his brothers.

"But~"

Sun Quan interrupted Wu Jing, saying, "Things have come to this point, it is not appropriate to make any rash criticisms. If your words, Uncle, are heard by outsiders and reported to the Tang Emperor, we may be in grave danger!"

"As instructed by the imperial edict, I will depart for Chang'an tomorrow to pay my respects to the Tang Emperor!" Sun Quan said, choosing to accept the situation with a clear conscience.

"good!"

While chatting with Wu Jing, Fa Zheng came to the outside of the tent to request an audience.

"My lord, the military advisor is outside requesting an audience!" the attendant reported.

"Gone!"

Sun Quan waved his hand in refusal, saying, "Since you are now being treated as a guest, then all civil and military officials shall be kept out of sight from now on!"

Although Sun Quan was dissatisfied with the small amount of land he received, he was also clear-headed. Since he had chosen to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, he should be content to live a wealthy life and avoid causing trouble that could cost him his life. After all, he was only twenty years old and had a bright future ahead of him. Why risk losing more for a small gain, especially when his troops were under the control of the Tang army?

The news that Sun Quan refused to meet with his civil and military officials and that he refused Wu Jing's request for a fief quickly reached Xu Huang's ears.

Inside the main tent, Xu Huang sighed and said admiringly, "Sun Quan was able to bend and stretch, making him a hero of his generation. However, fate favored the Tang Dynasty, and Sun Quan was ultimately unable to achieve great things!"

"Sun Quan is respectful to the virtuous and kind to others, unlike his brother Sun Ce!" Guo Jia commented. "He is not dissatisfied with eight hundred households and is content with what he has, which shows that Sun Quan's character is extraordinary and cannot be compared with ordinary people!"

“Since Sun Quan has no complaints, we shall proceed with the relocation to Chang’an as scheduled tomorrow, with strict surveillance along the way. Any unusual activity shall be met with execution!” Xu Huang said.

"promise!"

Man Chong pointed to the imperial edict and said, "His Majesty's edict here appoints me as the governor of Yizhou and orders the commander-in-chief to withdraw the troops. I wonder when the commander-in-chief intends to leave Shu?"

Xu Huang said, "The southern expeditionary force numbers as many as eighty or ninety thousand. I intend to first order the troops from Yongzhou to return. At that time, the elite troops from Guanzhong will remain in Langzhong. Once Chengdu and Jiangzhou have fallen, and there are no more rebels in the prefecture, I will leave General Gao in Langzhong and lead my troops back to the capital." Man Chong smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Commander-in-Chief, to look after Langzhong. I will head south tomorrow to pacify the counties and prefectures of Shu as soon as possible!"

As he spoke, Man Chong recalled Zhang Yu's instructions and asked, "His Majesty said that after we have conquered Ba and Shu, in order to make Cao Cao and Liu Bei frighten them and withdraw their troops, he ordered our army to spread the news that we might send troops out of the Yangtze River. I wonder if the Commander-in-Chief has any plans?"

Xu Huang pointed at Guo Huai and said, "Bo Ji just offered a plan. Now that he is in charge of military affairs in the Three Ba ​​regions, let's listen to his words!"

Guo Huai followed Gao Shun in a secret crossing of Yinping, defeated Han Dang, and then marched north to occupy Zitong. After the Shu army surrendered, Xu Huang and Man Chong's armies arrived at Zitong and joined forces with Guo Huai's troops. Now, Guo Huai has been appointed by Zhang Yu as the Governor of Jiangzhou, in charge of the Shu navy's campaigns.

"I wonder what brilliant plan Boji has?" Man Chong asked with great interest.

Guo Huai pondered for a moment and said, "The Yangtze River is full of boats, and I intend to abandon them on the river."

“Boats can be used as warships, so why are they abandoned in the river to aid the enemy downstream?” Man Chong asked.

Guo Huai said, "Abandon the ships and make them block the river downstream. When the Wu-Chu allied forces see this, they will know that Shu has been captured. At that time, the morale of the people will be low, and the soldiers will not have the will to fight for long. The morale of the soldiers in Jiangling will be greatly boosted, and the siege of Jiangling will be lifted!"

Guo Huai truly deserves his place as a renowned general in history. Although he is not yet skilled in naval warfare, his strategic abilities are gradually becoming apparent. He now understands how to use the water flow to indirectly send the message of Shu's surrender downstream. Upon receiving this news, the Cao-Liu allied forces, knowing that their attempt to rescue Shu has failed, will cease their operations and withdraw their troops.

Man Chong pondered for a moment, then continued, "The Three Ba ​​regions are treacherous with their rivers and mountains, and are inhabited by barbarians. Bo Ji is in charge of the Ba region; how does he intend to pacify these barbarians?"

Seeing that Man Chong continued to examine him, Guo Huai pondered for a moment and said, "The land of Bachu has temporarily submitted, but the hearts of the various tribes are not in harmony. I think that in order to reassure the various tribes, we should summon the sons of the various barbarians to Jiangzhou, assign them official positions according to their talents, and place them in the army. This is ostensibly a promotion, but in reality, it is a hostage."

"color!"

Man Chong nodded and praised, "Bo Ji's military strategy is outstanding. With you in charge of Jiangzhou and overseeing the Three Ba ​​regions, the Han and the Yi peoples will surely be at peace."

As he spoke, Man Chong looked at Xu Huang and said, "I know the reason why His Majesty promoted Bo Ji!"

Man Chong repeatedly tested Guo Huai, not only to gain a deeper understanding of Guo Huai's talent and learning, but also because he was dissatisfied with Guo Huai's appointment as the governor of Jiangzhou, which took away his administrative power over the three Ba ​​regions.

Yizhou was composed of four major regions: Hanchuan, Sanba, Shuzhong, and Nanzhong. Today, Hanzhong and Shangyong were under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou, so Man Chong, as the governor of Yizhou, could only control Sanba, Shuzhong, and Nanzhong. However, Zhang Yu appointed Zhang Feng as the governor of Nanzhong and Guo Huai as the governor of Jiangzhou, thus fragmenting Yizhou into pieces.

As the governor of Yizhou, Man Chong was only allowed to govern the Shu region, which greatly limited his power and naturally made him unhappy. Especially since Bazhong borders Jingzhou, not allowing him to govern the Three Ba ​​regions meant he might be unable to participate in the subsequent eastern expedition.

However, Guo Huai's excellent handling of the situation has convinced Man Chong that Guo Huai has the ability to govern Sanba.

Seemingly understanding Man Chong's frustration, Xu Huang said with a smile, "Bo Ning has rendered great service in conquering Shu, and His Majesty will surely reward him with a generous title. If he can also greatly govern Shu, His Majesty will be overjoyed!"

Tian Feng flattered, "In Sichuan, powerful clans run rampant, and the laws are lax. To achieve great order, strict laws are essential. However, Commander Man is highly praised by His Majesty. He can govern the army on horseback and manage the people on foot. This is why His Majesty has entrusted Commander Man with the task of overseeing Sichuan!"

"You flatter me!"

Although Man Chong was proud of his achievements, he humbly said, "There are rampant rebels in Shu. I am only temporarily governing Shu for Your Majesty!"

P.S.: I wasn't in a good mood for this chapter, so I wrote less! (End of Chapter)