Chapter 31

"Appointing Liu Yao as the Great General of the Northern Pacification of the Han Dynasty, with the right to establish his own office. Appointing Huang Zhong as the General of Vigorous Valor, Zhang Fei as the General of Pacifying the Rebellious, Taishi Ci as the General of Conquering the Barbarians, Gao Shun as the General of Suppressing the Bandits, and Tian Chou as the General of the Border. Furthermore, the taxes in Youzhou will be exempted for ten years." Liu Hong said loudly.

"Thank Your Majesty." Gao Shun was filled with excitement, not just for his own position as a general, but more importantly for the ten-year tax exemption in Youzhou. Under these conditions, Youzhou would surely develop more rapidly.

Standing below, He Jin and Yuan Feng, seeing that the matter was settled and there was no way to change it, did not dare to say anything more.

"If there are no other matters, let's adjourn the court." Liu Hong said. Seeing that no one had anything else to say, he walked straight to the palace, not even letting Zhang Rang follow him.

Liu Hong returned to the palace alone and carefully removed a small scroll from his sleeve. This scroll was exactly what Liu Yao had asked Gao Shun to deliver to Liu Hong. Liu Hong unfolded it and saw only one large character, which occupied the entire scroll.

"Chaos!!!!" A large character for "chaos" appeared before Liu Hong's eyes. "Chaos, my son, since you want chaos, then I, your father, will follow your wishes and turn the Han Dynasty upside down." Liu Hong said firmly. He then placed the scroll in the candle flame and burned it completely, leaving no trace.

In Luoyang, at the Cai residence, Cai Yong had just heard about Liu Yao's various achievements at the morning court and was already laughing uncontrollably. What more could he want with a disciple and future son-in-law who was both scholarly and martial? Moreover, Liu Yao was a man of great ambition, and becoming emperor was not impossible. In that case, his daughter Cai Yan might become the empress. Cai Yong was increasingly impressed with his own judgment.

As Cai Yong stepped into the house, he saw a slender figure pacing back and forth at the door, looking anxious. "Yan'er, why are you here?"

"Father." Cai Yan called out happily upon seeing Cai Yong, her anxious expression immediately dissipating as she grabbed Cai Yong. "Father, has Brother Yao won the battle? Has he come to Luoyang?"

Cai Yong, of course, knew his daughter's thoughts. "No, Yao'er is very busy now. How could he have time to return to Luoyang? This time, he only sent a subordinate to pay respects to His Majesty."

"Oh..." Cai Yan felt a bit disappointed upon hearing this.

"Ha ha." Cai Yong found his daughter's expression amusing. "Although he didn't come back, he did send a letter." Cai Yong took out a letter from somewhere. This letter was written by Liu Yao and given to Gao Shun to deliver to Cai Yan. After the court session, Gao Shun had approached Cai Yong and asked him to pass on the letter.

"Ah!!" Cai Yan's heart was filled with sweetness. She quickly snatched the letter and ran back to her room to read it in secret.

Cai Yong looked at Cai Yan with a satisfied smile, stroking his beard and muttering, "Yes, if two hearts are truly in love, why should they care about being together every day and night? What a beautiful poem. I didn't expect Yao'er to write such a wonderful poem."

Clearly, Cai Yong had already peeked at the letter Liu Yao wrote to Cai Yan on his way back. If Liu Yao knew, he might give this old man a good scolding.

Time flew by, and two months passed. This day was the last day of the year 181 AD.

In Youzhou, after more than a month's journey, Gao Shun finally returned to Youzhou with Liu Hong's imperial edict. Huang Zhong and the others, who had all received the title of general, were all beaming with joy, even though it was just a sixth-rank general with a miscellaneous title.

At this time, Youzhou had officially entered a period of development. On this day, the ransom from the Wuhuan had been fully delivered, and the four Wuhuan generals had been politely sent back. By this time, the four men were already emaciated, almost on the verge of death.

Among the ransom sent by the Wuhuan, what Liu Yao valued most were the five top-tier warhorses: one yellow, two black, one dark red, and one snow white. At this moment, Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci were already arguing over the ownership of the warhorses.

"I get to choose first. Three of the four Wuhuan captives were captured by me, so the ransom they exchanged should be chosen by me first." Zhang Fei pushed Taishi Ci while roaring.

"Nonsense. This time, I charged into the heart of the Wuhuan, killed so many of them, and captured so many horses and cattle. My contribution is the greatest, so I should choose first." Taishi Ci retorted.

Liu Yao couldn't help but laugh at the childish behavior of the two. After all, for generals, weapons and warhorses were the most important. Now, with no good weapons yet found, but top-tier warhorses right in front of them, neither of them wanted to miss this opportunity.

"Alright, both of you, calm down. Look at how composed Han Sheng is, unlike you two." Liu Yao pointed to Huang Zhong, who was standing quietly to the side.

The two immediately quieted down but looked at Huang Zhong with strange expressions. Liu Yao followed their gaze and saw that Huang Zhong was staring intently at the dark red horse, his eyes gleaming.

"Uh." Liu Yao felt like slapping himself and asked softly, "Han Sheng, do you like that one?"

"Ah, Lord." Huang Zhong, interrupted, noticed that everyone was looking at him with strange expressions and felt a bit embarrassed. He didn't hesitate, though, and said, "Cough, Lord, I fell in love with that horse as soon as I saw it. Please, Lord, grant it to me."

Liu Yao turned to look at Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci. "Do you two have any objections?"

"I don't like red. I want the pure black one." Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci both pointed to the two identical black horses and then looked at each other in surprise, saying in unison, "You like that one too!!!"

Both of them immediately felt depressed. If they had known this, they wouldn't have argued.

Liu Yao couldn't help but laugh at the two. "Alright, the two black horses are for you two. The dark red one is for Han Sheng."

"Thank you, Lord." The three of them bowed excitedly and rushed to their respective horses, mounting them with a kick and galloping around outside.

Seeing the three of them like children with new toys, Liu Yao couldn't help but smile. He then turned to Gao Shun. "Gongxiao, aren't you going to choose one?"

Gao Shun shook his head and said calmly, "No need, Lord. I am better at infantry combat, and my horsemanship is not outstanding. It's better to save it for future generals."

Liu Yao didn't mind. Gao Shun was that kind of person. He would speak up for what he wanted, but he wouldn't accept what he didn't need, even if it was forced upon him.

Seeing Zhang Fei and the others galloping around, Liu Yao was also inspired to choose one. He had his eye on the yellow warhorse from the beginning, which always looked so noble, fitting his status. Liu Yao stroked the horse's silk-like back, and the yellow horse snorted kindly at him.

At this moment, Huang Zhong and the others had finished playing and rode back. "Lord, these are truly top-tier warhorses." Zhang Fei called out happily, his face full of excitement.

"Ha ha. Fine horses for heroes, only you few deserve these fine horses." Liu Yao paused and then looked at the groom beside him. "Do these horses have names?" The groom was also sent by the Wuhuan and was the best at taking care of horses. These fine horses were under his care.

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