Once settled on the throne, Zhong Yu talked with the officials to soothe their worries before sending them home.
While the army he had accompanying him was resting in the camp.
As for rewards and titles, he would be giving a speech in two days, needing careful consideration.
The loyal subjects to the Yu Empire would be treated in kind, with some of the officials even getting a fiefdom.
All the officials were beaming out of the palace.
Some formed groups and celebrated at a local tavern, eager to know what they’d get.
Zhong Yu watched them leave with derision. ‘I wonder, will I show the same loyalty if I were in Emperor Ling’s stead?’
He had the system providing men with absolute loyalty, not sycophants like Emperor Ling.
‘The question is, are the men loyal to the system or to me? It is worth pursuing this.’ Zhong Yu pondered.
With the Han Dynasty’s central power under his thumb, it was the hub that Luoyang used to send resources and control the rest of the regions.
It meant that the Great Han had no choice but accept him as their ruler, in the name of their late lord, Emperor Ling.
He reckoned half a year would be enough to send men to every city and root out any pockets of resistance loyal to the Great Han.
Only then could he say the small world of Three Kingdoms was his.
Though hardly enough for him, he came here for fortune, though getting some elite figures wouldn’t hurt in the least.
He dived these elites into three. Political talents were those specialized in handling the government.
The technical talents were the blacksmiths, healers, and various artisans.
These two types of talent were the most time consuming to train, time he lacked in the main world. It was better to go headhunting in the Three Kingdoms.
While the last were veterans and ruthless men trained in the art of war. Such discipline and experience meant time and resources, with a very low survival rate.
He had conscripted so many people as cannon fodder all this time so he could temper them into a few hundred thousand veterans. So when the time came, he’d only spend a fortune on the system to get them to his main world, not their full price.
Now that the Great Han was mostly over with, what was left were pockets or resistance, not large wars. Which means there were no battles to breed elites but skirmishes.
It was at odds with his goals and had to come up with something to incite big wars. With Han done with, he had to focus outside it.
Which was the strongest tribe? Xianbei? They occupied the north of Han, hundreds of thousands of men in armor that had plagued the north of Han for decades.
They were a good whetstone providing large wars but also breeding superior soldiers for when he went to the main world.
With a goal in mind, Zhong Yu stuck to it, sitting in the carriage for so long, he felt tired and took a nap on the jade seats.
Three days later, Zhong Yu stood above the people on the platform, facing the officials.
In the midst of compliments, Zhong Yu read out the decree the scholars of Han carefully wrote.
He expressed his desire to replace the Han Dynasty in offering justice to the people, hoping the heavens would protect his lineage for thousands of years.
Not that Zhong Yu believed it a whit. Just like how world hoppers looked down on the natives, he knew what power truly meant in this world.
And since he could cross the worlds as he wanted, he considered himself above the heavens.
He was planning to make all the world’s ants under his boot, so how could he swear allegiance to one of those same wills?
But since he was in the growing phase, he’d have to fake it lest he incurred its wrath.
This was the baffling self-confidence a world hopper had, and even more so for the likes of Zhong Yu.
So despite the disdain he held, Zhong Yu contained it as he finished reading the declaration.
Then he gestures to the eunuch to start the awarding ceremony, the long awaited part of the day for the officials.
The first was Liu Hong, of course, making him Duke of Pei, ruling seven counties.
Emperor Ling was ecstatic, falling back at the eunuch’s gesture.
The second was Wang Yun, Secretary of State, given three counties and supervising a dozen fiefdoms.
The third was Yuan Kui, the patriarch of the Yuan clan, also given three counties. But that was it, lest his power grew unchecked.
…
Once the ceremony was over, everyone had found themselves with land and a title richer, now returning home to celebrate.
Zhong Yu, tired of it all, retired to his chambers to sleep in peace now that troubles were gone.
In the morning, the new feudal lord was in the hall, thanking Zhong Yu once more for his sincerity and trust, vowing to protect the Yu Empire.
After some more back and forth empty pleasantries, Zhong Yu said, “The empire is firm, but the world is far from having achieved peace. I am organizing an imperial army, to include the world’s heroes and defend the world with me, spreading justice and peace. “
He watched the vassals and when one was about to speak:
“This isn’t up for discussion. This is me informing you and understanding my meaning so it will be easier for you to carry it out.”
