Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

It was already evening when I left the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

As the sun sets, its afterglow shines on the glazed tiles of the North Palace, turning them into a golden expanse.

Liu Ce looked at the sunset on the horizon and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally finished..."

This day was exhausting, from morning till night, even more tiring than fighting a war.

But it's worth it.

From this day forward, he is Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan.

The rightful King of Yan.

With this identity, things will be much easier in the future.

Now we can legitimately intervene in Bingzhou and Jizhou.

We can be more assertive in confronting powerful families and maternal relatives.

Even... when the world descends into chaos in the future, we can fight with even greater confidence.

But that's a story for another time.

Now, all he wants to do is go home and get a good night's sleep.

Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Zhao Yun, and Lu Bing emerged from the side hall and came up behind him.

"Brother," Zhao Yun said in a low voice, "the carriage is ready. Shall we return to the manor?"

Liu Ce turned around, looked at his four loyal subordinates, and smiled, saying:

"Let's go home. Tonight... it's just the two of us, let's have a good drink."

"We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"promise!!!"

The carriage drove out of the palace, across Zhuque Avenue, and headed towards the Prince of Yan's residence.

People were cheering along both sides of the street.

...

A few days later, Liu Ce attended his first formal court assembly after being enfeoffed as a king.

Liu Ce had witnessed firsthand what it meant for "civil officials to argue less than military officials to fight, but to fight for much longer."

The topic of this court assembly was very specific: how should the newly conquered Goguryeo territory be planned and organized into administrative units—should it be established as prefectures or counties?

It sounds like a technical issue, but in reality, it's a very complex matter.

Should we establish a prefecture or a county?

Don't be fooled by the slight difference in wording; there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

If a prefecture is established, a whole prefecture-level team must be set up: governor, deputy governor, chief administrator, various clerks and officials... and the staffing will increase rapidly.

Setting up a prefecture is much simpler: a prefect, a prefectural assistant, a prefectural commandant, plus a few subordinate officials, and you're all set.

Inside the Deyang Palace, civil and military officials stood in rows.

Liu Ce is now standing at the very front of the military officers' ranks—he is a prince, so his position is half a body length ahead of General He Jin.

He Jin stood to the side, his face not looking too good, but there was nothing he could do.

Who can blame him when he's a prince?

"My esteemed ministers," Liu Hong began lazily, seated on the dragon throne, "Goguryeo has been pacified, and its territory needs officials to govern it. Today, let's discuss whether to establish a prefecture or a county."

As soon as he finished speaking, representatives from prominent families stepped forward one after another.

Yang Ci was the first to speak, saying, "Your Majesty, although Goguryeo is a small country, its territory spans over a thousand li from east to west and eight or nine hundred li from north to south, with a population of several hundred thousand. If we establish prefectures, it may be difficult to govern it effectively. I believe that we should establish 'Lelang Prefecture' or 'Liaodong Prefecture,' and appoint governors, vice governors, chief administrators, and various clerks to ensure stable rule."

These words sounded grand and dignified, but Liu Ce understood immediately—establishing a prefecture meant more staff, more official positions, and more lucrative opportunities.

A prefecture-level unit would have one governor (with a salary of 2,000 shi), one deputy governor and one chief administrator (with a salary of 600 shi), and a dozen or so clerks and officials (with salaries ranging from 400 to 200 shi). In addition, there would be subordinate officials and assistants at all levels, which would allow for at least several dozen official positions with ranks.

Who were these official positions given to? Of course, they were given to the sons of prominent families.

Yuan Wei quickly added, "What Lord Yang said is absolutely right. Goguryeo has just submitted and needs a large army to guard it and capable officials to govern it. If we establish a prefecture, we can station several hundred soldiers there and assign them to various counties to protect the borders and keep the people safe. If we only establish prefectures, we will only have a thousand soldiers and a dozen officials, which may not be enough to pacify the region."

Another reason—establishing a prefecture allows for the establishment of a prefecture's army, and the military power can be shared.

Other powerful ministers echoed this sentiment:

"Only by establishing prefectures can the might of our great Han Dynasty be truly displayed!"

"Although Goguryeo was small, it was still a country; how can it be regarded as a prefecture?"

"Establishing prefectures and appointing officials is a testament to Your Majesty's benevolence..."

The powerful ministers were all eagerly discussing the matter, their minds racing with their calculations: once a province was established, they could place their own sons in official positions. Although Goguryeo was poor, even a small gain was still a gain!

Liu Ce watched the group perform with a cold eye.

Liu Ce's ears were filled with classical allusions and archaic language. He secretly picked at his ear, muttering to himself, "Can't these people just be direct? All they want is to fill a few more official positions, right?"

He knew perfectly well: Goguryeo, a place over a thousand li from east to west? That's the straight-line distance; the actual controlled area was less than half of that. A population of several hundred thousand? That was pre-war data; now, after the war, with the dead and the fleeing, they'd be lucky to have three hundred thousand.

Establishing a prefecture? It would be a complete waste of resources and increase the financial burden—of course, the powerful families don't care about the financial burden; what they care about is how many of their own people they can place there.

After the aristocratic families had finished speaking, Liu Ce stepped forward.

Before he could speak, the group of military officers behind him straightened their backs—the prince was about to speak!

"Your Majesty, I have a objection." Liu Ce cupped his hands and said clearly, "The land of Goguryeo is only a little over a thousand li from east to west and only eight or nine hundred li from north to south, and the area under our actual control is even smaller. Although its population numbered in the hundreds of thousands before the war, many were killed, wounded, or fled after this war, and now there are only about three hundred thousand left."

He paused, then looked at Yang Ci and said, "What you say, Lord Yang, is probably an exaggeration. If we establish provinces on this scale, then each of the thirteen provinces of our Great Han Dynasty could be divided into three or five 'Goguryeo' states. In that case, provinces would cease to be provinces, and the system would fall into chaos."

Yang Ci's expression changed slightly.

Liu Ce continued, "Moreover, Goguryeo has only recently submitted, and the people's hearts are not yet settled. We should prioritize simplifying administration and pacifying the people. Establishing a prefecture with one governor, one commandant, and several officials is sufficient. If we establish a province, we would need to add an inspector and a full set of officials, making the organization bloated and only increasing the burden on the people."

"As for military command," he turned to Yuan Wei, "Goguryeo borders the sea to the east and the remnants of the Xianbei to the north, so it certainly needs to station troops. However, the number of troops should be determined by actual needs, and has nothing to do with the administrative divisions of prefectures and counties. I am in Youzhou and can deploy troops to garrison it; why is it necessary to establish separate prefectural troops?"

This statement is well-reasoned and refutes all the high-sounding reasons given by the aristocratic families.

The military officers all nodded in agreement.

Huangfu Song stepped forward to support him, saying, "What the Prince of Yan says is quite right! Goguryeo is a tiny place; a prefecture is enough! To establish a province? That would be a waste of the court's money and resources, supporting idle people!"

Zhu Jun also said, "Military achievements are earned by soldiers with their own swords and spears. Governance should prioritize effectiveness and not become an excuse for some to install their cronies."

Although Lu Zhi preferred civil officials, he sided with Liu Ce this time: "This old minister believes that the Prince of Yan has considered all aspects. The newly annexed territories should be appeased as the main focus, and the institutions should be simple rather than complex."

The military officers all echoed:

"Exactly! A place the size of a palm, and they even have a state?"

"If we add another state, how many more idle people will we have to support?"

"The imperial court's money doesn't just fall from the sky!"