Chapter 55: Sweeping Across Nanyang

"It's quite simple. Next, we must quickly forge a large number of weapons and armor, and also develop the wastelands I've selected as soon as possible."

"Dig wells, plow the fields, sow the seeds—these things must be done without delay."

"All these tasks must be completed before the conscription ends," Liu Xie instructed solemnly.

In the days that followed, the entire city of Wan was bustling with activity.

On one side, Hu Che'er organized the masses for recruitment; on the other, Jia Xu oversaw the people as they tilled and sowed the fields.

As for Zhang Xiu, he devoted all his efforts to forging vast quantities of armor and weapons.

Meanwhile, Liu Xie remained at the governor’s office, calmly commanding the grand affairs.

What surprised Liu Xie was that, in just three days of conscription, nearly sixty thousand people had come to enlist—and the number continued to grow, with the pace only accelerating.

"Young master, good news! Our recruitment has reached ninety thousand, and people are still pouring in." Hu Che'er strode in one day, speaking in haste.

"Oh? Over ninety thousand?" Liu Xie said. "If I remember correctly, there are still three days left before conscription ends, aren’t there?"

Indeed, it had only been twelve days, and already ninety thousand men had joined. To be honest, this exceeded Liu Xie's expectations.

He had known that Wan had a large population, but conscription required able-bodied young men. Where had so many come from?

"It's true, young master. Now, besides the locals of Wan, many outsiders have also come for the sake of your reputation. I estimate that by the end of conscription, our numbers might reach one hundred and twenty or even one hundred and thirty thousand," Hu Che'er explained.

Liu Xie nodded lightly. That made sense—outsiders were coming to enlist as well. After all, Wan was thriving under his rule. At the very least, following Liu Xie meant having food to eat.

Thus, in many counties under Nanyang’s governance, those who could not feed themselves came by reputation to join the army.

"It seems it’s time for us to set out," Liu Xie took a deep breath.

His original plan had been to wait until the end of conscription, but the situation was quickly evolving beyond his expectations.

"Lord Zhang, how many sets of armor have you completed?" Liu Xie turned to Zhang Xiu.

"Reporting, young master, we’ve worked day and night. By now, we have nearly fifty thousand sets of weapons and armor ready."

"Good. Then equip all of them."

"General Hu, we already have ninety thousand men, don’t we? Give them all to me. I will lead them out of Wan," Liu Xie declared.

This statement left Zhang Xiu and the others momentarily stunned.

"Uh… young master, you mean you’re taking them out of Wan?" Zhang Xiu asked.

Liu Xie nodded calmly. "Surely you haven’t forgotten what I said before. From now on, we will seize control of all Nanyang. Nanyang will no longer be under anyone’s jurisdiction, not even Jingzhou’s. Now, although we hold Wan, the other twenty-two counties of Nanyang must also come under our command."

Indeed, Liu Xie intended to lead ninety thousand men to reclaim every county of Nanyang, thereby asserting his control over the whole region.

"But young master, though we have ninety thousand, they are untrained. Even if equipped with armor, at heart they are still commoners with little fighting strength," Zhang Xiu protested anxiously.

It was true—soldiers needed at least some training before they could take the field.

But Liu Xie only smiled, exuding confidence. "Lord Zhang, you worry too much. Do you really think we’ll face a great battle in reclaiming these counties?"

At these words, Zhang Xiu and the others exchanged glances.

"Very well. I promise, within a month, we will have complete control over Nanyang," Liu Xie said with utmost confidence.

The others voiced no further objections, placing all trust in Liu Xie’s plans.

Thus, Liu Xie prepared to lead the newly enlisted ninety thousand men on their expedition.

Before setting out, he had already issued proclamations to the county seats—Wan would henceforth rule all of Nanyang, and the army would soon arrive.

News of this spread rapidly through the counties, and also reached Liu Biao in Xiangyang.

A man named Liu Shiban had arrived in Wan, joining Zhang Xiu and the others in their bid for Nanyang’s independence.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao was near apoplectic with rage. After all, Nanyang was the largest commandery in Jingzhou, and indeed in all the Three Kingdoms. Losing it would cripple Jingzhou’s power.

At the Jingzhou Inspector’s Office in Xiangyang, a crowd filled the hall. Behind the desk sat Liu Biao, his face dark as iron.

"Gentlemen, I trust you’ve all heard about the events in Nanyang. Let us discuss—how should we respond?" Liu Biao sought counsel.

"Lord Inspector, we must send troops at once to reclaim Nanyang. We cannot allow them to secede," said Kuai Liang, Liu Biao’s chief secretary.

"My lord, that would be unwise," another objected. "Zhang Xiu is formidable, and his general Hu Che’er is a warrior of peerless might. More importantly, he is counseled by Jia Xu. When they rebelled against Cao Cao, the general Dian Wei and Cao Cao’s own son fell to their hands. We must proceed with caution."

Thus, the civil and military officials offered differing advice, though all agreed on the need to retake Nanyang. The real question was, how?

All knew of Zhang Xiu’s prowess, Hu Che’er’s valor, and Jia Xu’s wit. But no one knew the true identity of Liu Shiban.

"My lord, we must reclaim Nanyang and send troops, but the question is, whom should we send?"

That was the crux of the matter—who among them could deal with Zhang Xiu and his allies?

Liu Biao hesitated for some time, scanning the faces below him. At last, his gaze settled on a burly general—Cai Mao.

"General Cai, would you be willing to undertake this mission?" Liu Biao asked gently.

Liu Biao trusted Cai Mao deeply; the Cai family’s influence in Jingzhou was considerable and had often aided Liu Biao in the past. At such a moment, he wanted to send his most trusted man.

"I am willing!" Cai Mao stepped forward without hesitation.

"Very well, General Cai. I grant you fifty thousand troops—depart immediately to reclaim Nanyang," Liu Biao ordered.

Cai Mao voiced no objection; he deemed fifty thousand more than sufficient.

Meanwhile, as Jingzhou mobilized, on the other side, Cao Ren and Cao Hong had returned with the battered remnants of their forces to Xuchang.

In the chancellor’s residence, the two knelt on the floor, their faces grim. Before them stood Cao Cao, equally somber.

"You two—defeated again, aren’t you?" Cao Cao berated them coldly.

"Chancellor, tens of thousands of Wan’s commoners charged out of the city, and there were those twenty men in black as well. We… we were no match for them," Cao Ren recounted the events in detail.

To everyone’s surprise, Cao Cao did not erupt in anger, but grew even calmer.

"Chancellor, why would Wan’s commoners take up arms? It doesn’t make sense. Was it Zhang Xiu who incited them? But how could he command so many, and why would they obey?" asked the strategist Xun Yu.

Indeed, Cao Cao had not lost his temper because he sensed something amiss. With commoners aiding in battle, their defeat was inevitable.

"I believe the key is not the commoners, but those twenty men in black. Where did they come from? Could they have been the ones to rouse the people?" Guo Jia conjectured.

Cao Cao pondered for a long while, finally taking a deep breath to steady his emotions.

"Send scouts to Wan to investigate—let’s see what’s really going on," he commanded, now calm.

"By the way, has Liu Xie been found?" he suddenly asked.

Liu Xie had been missing for months, and Cao Cao was growing uneasy at the lack of news.

"Chancellor, those searching have yet to find a trace," came the reply. "If I may, perhaps we should turn our attention to subduing Yuan Shu. The people do not yet know that His Majesty has vanished from the palace. If we issue an imperial edict now, it will still carry weight. Yuan Shu has proclaimed himself emperor—we cannot ignore such treason."

Xun Yu had shifted the topic to Yuan Shu’s usurpation.

Cao Cao considered, then nodded silently. "Very well. Issue the edict to punish the traitor. Summon the lords of the realm to unite against Yuan Shu," he decided. He had originally intended to subdue Nanyang first, but now saw that it was not feasible in the short term. It would be better to deal with Yuan Shu’s rebellion first.

Meanwhile, Liu Xie pressed on with his campaign to bring all of Nanyang’s counties under his rule—and the pace was even swifter than he had anticipated.

Some counties put up brief resistance, but in the face of Liu Xie’s army of over ninety thousand, they were quickly subdued. More often, upon hearing of Liu Xie’s approach, the county gates were opened in surrender.

The reason for surrender was not fear of the overwhelming force, but rather the promise of food.

Everyone knew that wherever Liu Xie went, he would lead them in opening up new lands for farming—ensuring everyone had enough to eat.

Though many county magistrates were reluctant to submit, they could not oppose the will of the people and had no choice but to yield.

Of course, the people still did not know that this man who brought them full bellies was in fact the Son of Heaven, Liu Xie. They only knew he was someone who could provide for them.

"Young master, of the twenty-three counties in Nanyang, we have already taken twenty-one. Only Xinye and Nanzhao remain," reported a member of the Wolf Shadow Squad.

Liu Xie nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Take those as well within two days. And in every newly taken territory, begin land development projects at once."

To secure the people’s loyalty and facilitate future control, Liu Xie would dispatch experienced hands from Wan to each newly acquired county—those skilled in well-digging and land reclamation.