Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

In the year 186 AD, the third year of the Zhongping era, at the end of June.

Zhuo County, Liu Mansion Study.

It was late at night, and only an oil lamp was lit in the study.

The glow of the oil lamp flickered in the study, casting Liu Ce's long shadow. Liu Ce wasn't asleep; he sat at his desk, chin in hand, lost in thought—or rather, deep in contemplation about "how to properly repay a debt of gratitude."

On the table lay a map, with several circles drawn on it in vermilion ink: the Xianbei royal court, the Goguryeo capital, the various prefectures of Youzhou...

But Liu Ce's mind wasn't on the war—the war had already been arranged, the four armies were each fulfilling their duties, the strategists had devised all the plans, and the generals were eager to get started. He was thinking about something else.

"Destroy the Wuhuan..." Liu Ce tapped the table with his fingers. "If we also destroy the Xianbei and Goguryeo... or at least subdue them..."

His eyes gradually brightened: "Then Liu Hong's reputation in later historical records should be better, right?"

Liu Ce stood up and paced around the study.

The black armor hung on the shelf, gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

"My cheap imperial brother," Liu Ce shook his head and laughed, "has a terrible reputation in history. The posthumous title 'Ling' sounds almost the same as 'Hun' (昏, meaning twilight)."

"Emperor Ling, Emperor Ling of Han..." He murmured the posthumous title, shook his head, "He was licentious and immoral, sold official positions, caused the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and squandered the Han Dynasty's wealth—this assessment is indeed not unjust."

If the troubles in the northern frontier were completely resolved in my hands, wouldn't that earn me some credit with the emperor? At the very least, it would earn me some points, right? Perhaps future historians would turn it into, "Although there were flaws, my contribution to the stability of the northern frontier is undeniable..."

"At least the posthumous title could sound nicer? Emperor Wei of Han? Emperor... of Han? It's better than 'Ling'."

Liu Ce recalled the bits and pieces of his interactions with Liu Hong over the past two years.

Their first meeting was at the investiture ceremony in August of 184. At that time, he had just quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion and was leading the heads of several Yellow Turban leaders into Luoyang...

Although this guy does love to have fun, love money, and love women, he's been very good to me.

Marquis of Champion, General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, with a fief of 13,000 households, and the authority to command troops... Liu Hong was very generous with his gifts. Although there were reasons such as Zhang Rang accepting money to do favors, Liu Hong needing weapons, and Zhang Rang's genuine military achievements, these were not the only reasons.

But they are indeed very generous.

"Although this younger brother of the emperor isn't exactly a respectable figure," Liu Ce stroked his chin, "although we're essentially using each other—he needs me as a mouthpiece to stabilize the north, and I need him to give me a title so I can get things done..."

"Liu Hong, you could say he's muddleheaded, he really is, spending his days in the West Garden nude swimming hall and selling official positions; but you could also say he's stupid, he's not stupid at all."

He gave him official positions and power—although the military power in Ji Province was taken away last month, that was the usual practice of the court, and a general could not be allowed to manage the military affairs of two provinces indefinitely. Moreover, Liu Hong specially sent a eunuch to convey a message, saying, "Bo Lue, don't worry, I'm just doing this for the court officials. In reality, you can still manage things in Ji Province if anything happens—managing things for the Liu family."

More importantly, Liu Hong never doubted him.

Liu Hong seemed to genuinely treat him like his own younger brother, with every memorial he submitted being filled with phrases like "Your Majesty, you've worked hard," "Your Majesty, take care," "If Your Majesty needs anything, just tell me," and "Your Majesty, do a good job and bring honor to the Liu family..."

"This guy may be a jerk, but he's alright with his own people," Liu Ce concluded.

He sat back down at his desk, picked up his pen, and wrote on the paper:

Objective: To subdue or destroy the Xianbei and Goguryeo.

Objectives: 1. To ensure the safety of Youzhou; 2. To boost Liu Hong's political achievements; 3. To repay a favor.

Expected outcome: Improved historical evaluation in later generations; and a less unfavorable posthumous title (at least not "Ling").

After finishing writing, Liu Ce chuckled as he looked at the line of words on the paper.

"What am I doing? A time traveler worrying about the emperor's historical reputation?" He shook his head and said, "But since I'm here, and since I've received favors from them, I should at least repay them."

As for himself...

Liu Ce got up and walked to the wall, looking at the official seals hanging there—the seal of General of the Cavalry, the seal of Governor of Youzhou, and the seal of Marquis of Champion, all in a row of gleaming gold.

"I am already General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, and Marquis of Champion, with a fief of 13,000 households and the authority to command troops... If I achieve even greater merit, what reward can Liu Hong possibly give me?"

Increasing the fiefdom? Sure, but it's pointless—Youzhou is self-sufficient now, and the output of his fiefdom isn't even enough to fill a gap in his teeth.

Expand power? If we expand it any further, some people will lose sleep.

King?

Liu Ce paused, pen in hand.

In the Han Dynasty, only those with the surname Liu could be kings. He was a member of the imperial clan, so theoretically he could be. But if he were actually granted the title of king, wouldn't the court officials be in uproar?

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." Liu Ce threw down his pen. "Being granted the title of king is too conspicuous and will easily make me a target of public criticism. Real power is more practical. Governor of Youzhou and General of Chariots and Cavalry are enough. Things will work out in the end. Let's focus on winning the war first."

He paced back and forth in his study, going over the battle plan in his mind again.

Xu Da ambushed the main force of the Xianbei, Xue Rengui intercepted Goguryeo, Zhang Liao guarded Youzhou, and Xu Da himself went straight to the royal court...

"It should be fine." Liu Ce nodded. "The Xianbei have 80,000 cavalry and the Goguryeo have 20,000 infantry. They look intimidating, but they are all a rabble. My side is full of elite troops, with superior equipment, superior tactics, and intelligence support from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If we lose this battle, I, Liu Bolue, will write my name backwards."

...

The next day, early in the morning.

Outside Zhuoxian County, a sea of ​​people thronged—not ordinary people watching the spectacle, but an army about to depart for battle.

Xu Da's 20,000 cavalrymen were arranged in a square formation, all clad in gleaming armor that shimmered in the morning sun, resembling a moving metal forest. The warhorses snorted and pawed the ground restlessly with their hooves.

Xue Rengui's 24,000-strong mixed infantry and cavalry force stood on the other side—a dark mass of Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, the gleaming broadswords of the Modao Battalion, the taut bowstrings of the Jinshe Battalion, and the mountain of heavy armor of the Trap Camp...

Just by looking at their formation, you can tell this is an army capable of fighting tough battles.

Liu Ce's own force was the smallest—the Eight Hundred Dragon Cavalry. Although few in number, they were the best equipped. All of them wore bright armor, wielded broadswords, and carried composite bows. Their horses were also the best, carefully selected from captured Wuhuan warhorses.

Such a large-scale mobilization should, in theory, cause a great stir.

But the people of Youzhou had long been used to it—Liu Ce would go on military exercises every few days, and the people would go back to farming and doing business as usual, and there were even fewer people watching the spectacle.