All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Chapter 32 Undercurrents in the County

After several rounds of drinks, the Xiongnu chieftains in the hall were already completely drunk, swaying back and forth, belting out pastoral songs from the grasslands. Their off-key singing, mixed with the smell of alcohol and meat, drifted far away in the flickering lamplight. Rows and rows of empty wine jars lay on the table, and gnawed bones were scattered on the floor. The dancers had long since left, leaving only a few musicians, listlessly plucking the strings of their instruments.

Gao Zidan held the wine bowl, drinking one cup after another. The strong liquor burned his throat, but it did nothing to diminish the clarity in his eyes. He drank more than anyone else, and was more uninhibited than anyone else. His face was adorned with just the right amount of drunkenness. He would occasionally raise his glass and laugh with the others, but his mind was clearer than ever before.

He remembered clearly that the last time he drank with Gao Yang, Gao Jiong, and Dugu Xin in Zhongyang, he only drank three jars of aged Fenjiu. But today, he had already emptied five jars with Liu Yao and the other leaders. Yet he didn't utter a single drunken word, nor did he reveal the slightest flaw. He maintained just the right amount of warmth and respect, and even the drunkenness in his eyes was perfectly controlled.

Because he knew clearly that the Liu Yao in front of him was no longer the grassland man who had saved him in the snowstorm at the border crossing, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Follow me from now on, and no one will dare to bully you."

Liu Yao is now a powerful warlord who controls Xihe Commandery, commands three thousand elite cavalry, and is about to be appointed as the prefect of the imperial court. Power is the strongest liquor; it can make people forget kindness and change their hearts. In the main hall of the commandery, filled with Xiongnu people, any slip of the tongue, any inappropriate glance, could be the source of disaster. He must be more drunk than everyone else, and he must also be more sober than everyone else.

Liu Yao was also completely drunk. His burly body swayed, and he grabbed Gao Zidan's wrist, his rough hand squeezing it painfully. He leaned close to Gao Zidan's ear, his breath reeking of alcohol, his tongue tied, yet he spoke each word with utmost seriousness, as if afraid of being overheard:

"Brother Gao... I have something to say to you from the bottom of my heart... I've never said this to anyone else before..."

Gao Zidan tilted her head slightly, feigning drunkenness, and mumbled a reply, her voice slightly hoarse from the alcohol: "Please speak, Chanyu, I'm listening."

"Back then... back in Youzhou, I saved you..." Liu Yao let out a long hiccup, a complex look flashing in his cloudy eyes. "I wasn't being kind... I thought back then, you're from the Gao clan of Bohai, connected to Liu Bang, the Duke of Liao, and Zhou Bo... keeping you alive could get us some benefits... some grain, some ironware, some things we don't have on the grasslands..."

Gao Zidan's heart sank slightly, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened, but she still wore a simple and honest smile on her face, and listened quietly without saying a word.

"But later... later I let you go, and sent two of my most clever brothers to follow you..." Liu Yao continued, his voice growing softer, "I originally wanted to see how your talks with Zhou Bo went, to see if there were any loopholes... but I never expected... your horsemanship is so bad, and you walk so slowly... those two brothers reached the border river mouth first, and I discovered that Zhou Bo's camp was so empty... he didn't put any effort into defense at all, the border river mouth was so empty..."

He slapped Gao Zidan's shoulder hard, almost knocking him to the ground, then burst into laughter, tears welling in his eyes: "So! In the end, I was able to take over Xihe County and become the prefect, all thanks to you, Brother Gao! If you hadn't led my men to find out Zhou Bo's background, I wouldn't be where I am today!"

Gao Zidan could only smile awkwardly, raise her wine bowl, and clink it against his again, the rims of the bowls striking each other with a crisp sound: "Your Excellency is too kind. It is all thanks to Your Excellency's wisdom and martial prowess, and your brilliant military strategy. I was merely there by chance; how could I dare to claim credit?"

He didn't respond or press further. Some things are better left unsaid; saying them aloud might hurt feelings or ruin the bigger picture.

The banquet lasted until late into the night.

Liu Yao was so drunk he was unconscious, and was carried back to his inner room by two guards, staggering as they went. Before leaving, he mumbled instructions to his men to arrange the best accommodations in the prefectural government for Gao Zidan, and to select two of the most beautiful maids to serve the young master well.

Upon hearing this, Gao Zidan immediately waved her hand, politely declining the maid's service: "Thank you for your kindness, Chanyu, but I have never liked being served by others. Han Xin alone is enough."

Liu Yao nodded drunkenly, didn't insist, waved his hand, and was carried away.

Supported by Han Xin's arm, Gao Zidan staggered out of the noisy hall. The early spring wind blew against her face, carrying a biting chill, swirling fallen leaves that drifted by. This chill instantly cleared her muddled mind.

"Young lord, watch your step," Han Xin whispered, reaching out to steady him. "Liu Yao's words are surprisingly frank."

"Honest?" Gao Zidan sneered, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear. "He's drunk, that's why he dares to tell these truths. If he were sober, he would never admit that he saved me to use me as a bargaining chip."

"Then we..."

"It's alright." Gao Zidan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the dark courtyard. "The alliance is already set. Even if he has other plans in mind, he won't easily go back on his word. After all, he's still waiting for the 80,000 strings of cash from Bingzhou every year. Without that money, his 3,000 cavalry will disband sooner or later."

The night was deep, and red lanterns hung in the corridors of the prefectural government building, casting long, swaying shadows of the two men. The clerk leading the way kept his head down and remained silent, leading them through several secluded courtyards before finally stopping in front of an exquisite mansion.

"Young Master Gao, this is your residence," the clerk said, bowing respectfully. "The servants in the courtyard have all been arranged. Please feel free to call upon me if you need anything."

Gao Zidan nodded and led Han Xin inside. The courtyard was spotless. The bedding, tables, and chairs inside were all newly replaced, and the charcoal fire was burning brightly, showing that it had been carefully prepared. However, he had no mind to look closely at the moment. After a quick wash, he went to bed and slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, Gao Zidan was awakened by the chirping of birds in the yard.

He rubbed his throbbing temples and got up to wash. Just after breakfast, he heard a series of chaotic footsteps outside the courtyard gate. Then, a middle-aged man in a blue official robe with a haggard face, accompanied by more than a dozen subordinates in black robes, burst in, crying and sobbing.

Leading the group was none other than the Prefect of Xihe County. Upon seeing Gao Zidan, he immediately knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with sobs, barely able to speak: "Registrar Gao! You've finally come! You must do us justice! Do justice for the people of Xihe!"

The officials behind him also knelt down, wailing and lamenting, their cries shattering the tranquility of the courtyard.

"Recorder Gao, help! Those Huns are too barbaric!"

"They bully others on the streets every day, forcing people to buy things, harassing women, and we can't control them at all!"

"We beg Registrar Gao to petition the court to send in the imperial army to drive them back! We simply cannot survive!"

Gao Zidan frowned, quickly raising her hand to help the prefect up, her tone earnest: "Prefect, you are my superior, how could I possibly accept such a great honor!"

Wiping away his tears, he got up from the ground, still looking worried and anxious: "Recorder Gao, you are the envoy of Lord Ji, representing him. You are our magistrate! You don't know! Ever since Liu Yao occupied the city, we officials have been living in constant fear, afraid that if we say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, we will lose our heads. The people are suffering even more, with every household staying indoors. The once bustling streets are now almost deserted."

He paused, then cautiously took half a step forward and asked in a low voice, "I wonder when the imperial court will send troops to recapture Xihe? We and all the people of the prefecture are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royal army!"

Gao Zidan picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and felt the warm tea slide down his throat, dispelling the morning chill. He put down the teacup, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said, word by word, "The matter of recapture is something the court will arrange itself; it cannot be accomplished overnight. However, there is something I must make clear to you first, lest you harbor any illusions."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "Liu Yao, the Chanyu of Yongming, has been appointed as the Prefect of Xihe by the imperial court. From this day forward, he will officially take charge of the military and political affairs of Xihe. From now on, you will all be subordinates of Prefect Liu, and all official duties must be carried out under his command."

These words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly silencing the courtyard.

The prefect and his subordinates looked at each other in dismay. Their crying stopped abruptly, replaced by expressions of terror and despair, as if the sky had fallen.

"What?!" the prefectural magistrate exclaimed, his voice trembling. "The court... the court actually appointed him as prefect? ​​How is that possible! He's a Xiongnu!"

"It's over...it's all over..." A young subordinate slumped to the ground, his face ashen. "From now on, we'll be serving under the Xiongnu. How are we going to survive?!"

"My official hat... my future..." another subordinate muttered to himself, utterly dejected.

In an instant, the wailing rang out again, even more mournful than before. Everyone beat their chests and stamped their feet, crying and lamenting as if their parents had died.

Gao Zidan watched coldly without saying a word.

After they had finished crying and making a scene, Gao Zidan cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Alright, stop crying. Crying won't solve anything. May I ask, Your Excellency, what is the annual revenue of Xihe County? Give me a precise figure."

Upon hearing this, the prefect's eyes flickered for a moment. He quickly wiped away his tears, feigning extreme distress, and rubbed his hands, saying, "Reporting to Young Master Gao, this... this is really hard to say. As you know, the treasury was burned down a few days ago, and most of the account books and household registers from previous years were destroyed. We are currently working overtime to recalculate. A rough estimate... a rough estimate, the annual revenue is about 40,000 strings of cash."

"Forty thousand strings of cash?"

Gao Zidan slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump and spill scalding tea all over the table. The smile on his face vanished instantly, his eyes turning icy cold as he stared intently at the prefect, his anger flaring:

"How dare you! Do you really think I'm some ignorant Hun?!"

The prefectural magistrate trembled at his angry shout, his face turning deathly pale. He knelt down again with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Recorder Gao, please calm down! Recorder Gao, please calm down! I wouldn't dare lie! These are truly the figures we've calculated so far; there's not a single falsehood!"

"Dare not lie?" Gao Zidan sneered, stood up, and walked step by step to him, looking down at him with a condescending air. Her tone was full of sarcasm. "Our dynasty's system prioritizes agriculture over commerce. Since the reign of Emperor Yuanwu of the previous dynasty, a state-run market system has been implemented. Salt, iron, wine, casting, government mines, government workshops, government granaries, and government post stations are all highly profitable for the court. Agricultural and commercial taxes are both levied at one-tenth, plus the income from government-mandated projects. Even the barren border prefectures would earn far more than this!"

"Before I came, I had already reviewed the account books of Xihe County for the past five years from the Bingzhou Governor's Office. The state records clearly state that Xihe County's annual revenue last year was 90,000 strings of cash! This figure is a shrunken number that you reported to the state after layers of corruption and exploitation of the people! Especially after Xiang Xu came, you said that natural disasters and man-made calamities have been decreasing year by year. Do you think I don't know what's going on?"

His voice grew increasingly harsh, each word like a hammer blow striking the prefect's heart: "And now you've gone and cut it in half again! Forty thousand strings of cash? Do you think I'm young and easily fooled, or do you think I'm like Liu Yao, ignorant of the administration of the Central Plains, and can be easily deceived by you?"

The prefectural magistrate lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a leaf, not daring to lift his head. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his clothes. He never imagined that this seemingly refined young man would be so knowledgeable about the details of Xihe Prefecture, even having reviewed the prefecture's account books beforehand. He had originally planned to fool this Han Chinese outsider, and then the Xiongnu Chanyu who was unfamiliar with accounts, so he could continue to embezzle large sums of money and grain from the prefecture as before. He never expected to be exposed so quickly.

Seeing his utterly terrified state, Gao Zidan snorted inwardly and, without beating around the bush, went straight to the point, stating her conditions:

"I won't waste my breath on you. The imperial court will allocate 80,000 strings of cash to Yongming Prefecture every year. This money will come from the prefecture's revenue, and you will be fully responsible for delivering it to Liu Yao in full every month. As for the remaining funds and provisions, we'll wait for orders from the state later."

He paused, his eyes growing colder, his tone carrying an undeniable warning: "But let me make this clear beforehand: if you can't produce the 80,000 strings of cash by the appointed time, and you anger Liu Yao, causing him to unleash his troops to plunder, or if the matter escalates to the Bingzhou governor's office, you'll bear the consequences. Don't say I didn't warn you; whoever caused the mess will have to take responsibility."

The prefectural magistrate was initially terrified and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Recorder Gao, the prefecture only brought in 90,000 strings of cash last year, and this year we've suffered from war. The prefectural officials also need 20,000 to 30,000 strings in salary. How can we possibly give the Xiongnu 80,000 strings? You're sending us to our deaths!"

"I don't care!" Gao Zidan remained firm. "Whether you return some of what you embezzled, or cover it up yourselves, I'll tell Liu Yao that if you can't produce it, I'll chop off your heads. If Xihe County falls into chaos, Lord Ji will also take your lives, understand?"

Upon hearing this, the prefect dared not speak further and immediately kowtowed repeatedly, drawing blood from his forehead: "This humble official understands! This humble official understands! I will definitely gather the supplies on time, I will absolutely not dare to delay! I will absolutely not dare to delay!"

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. Immediately afterwards, a gruff-voiced Hun soldier shouted "Greetings!" His voice pierced through the courtyard wall and clearly entered the courtyard:

"The Prefect has arrived!"