A Victorious Return and Scattered Wealth
Having led the punitive war to an overwhelming victory, Yuan Shu and the battle-hardened veterans who had secured that triumph alongside him returned to the Han lands brimming with confidence, thoroughly savoring their success. It wasn't simply that the war had ended in victory. There was the thirst for honor in having taken part in a conflict that concluded with such a decisive win for the Han, the relief and joy of having survived, the elation of victory, and... the staggering rewards gained as compensation for that success.
Yuan Shu, perhaps because he was already filthy rich, distributed the spoils with an open hand. Wealth, grain, slaves. Though they had marched through the north and won, he had forbidden merciless pillaging. Instead, he had kept his word to reward them generously afterward. From Yuan Shu's perspective it wasn't exactly a bad deal. Winning the loyalty of soldiers forged in real combat was an investment that would pay off later, and it wasn't as if he was ever going to run short on cash. Besides, after doling out huge sums, bribing the Ten Attendants handsomely, and still setting aside more than enough tribute for Emperor Ling—that greedy ruler who loved playing merchant and never seemed to have enough wealth—the victory had been so crushing that Yuan Shu's own share remained enormous.
Even with such a staggering amount of riches, a man might still grow greedy, but...
"You spend it when you need to so it comes back bigger later. No point getting greedy over petty stuff like this! Loot like this? I can get it anytime I want."
Yuan Shu felt no attachment to it. His family's accumulated fortune already overflowed, and as a young man he knew he could seize victories and rewards like these whenever he chose. He possessed the confidence that this level of wealth was always within reach. With money to burn and fame soaring to the heavens, what else was there to covet? He wasn't about to launch a rebellion tomorrow, and in this era obsessing over riches only invited disaster. When it was time to give, you gave generously.
In any case, the sight of Yuan Shu and his army marching toward their assigned territory after sealing the war with a historic triumph was more than enough to draw crowds. Their overwhelming majesty deterred even the greediest bandits—the kind who would sell their own mothers for gold—from daring any reckless moves. As a result, even more people flocked to see them. To be precise, there were still a few foolish, brainless bandits who didn't value their lives and were blinded by gold and treasure. But Yuan Shu, who had found the battle's ending rather dull, thought this was perfect timing. He brutally tore every last one of them apart and hung their corpses up as warnings. After that, no one else dared cause trouble.
Still, since it had all happened beyond the border, one could assume the barbarians were simply weak. Now that he had witnessed the truth for himself, no challengers remained. The mere appearance of that legion forced even the bandits to tread carefully, so Yuan Shu had unintentionally stabilized public order in Youzhou for the time being. That influence would likely linger at least until he served as county magistrate here. And if bandits did run wild, it was obvious that a bored Yuan Shu would leap at the chance to crush them.
At any rate, the fighting was over. All that remained was to stay at his post for a while, handle the duties of a county magistrate, and wait for a dull promotion.
"Tsk. It's going to be boring for a while."
That said, he had no intention of simply holing up inside the county seat.
"Revealing a little weakness at the right moment is an effective way to lower their guard. There's no reason to pour excessive effort into land we won't occupy forever."
Jia Xu's words neatly scratched the exact itch of Yuan Shu's thinking. After all, the Ten Attendants would be delighted by both the achievements and the bribes, yet they would still feel uneasy about someone like Yuan Shu—who had piled up such merits—coming to the capital and wielding influence. In the end, he could only be sent out as a provincial official. Since Yuan Shu himself had planned to take a provincial post from the beginning, it made no difference. Moreover, the territory he intended to claim as his own during the coming chaos was not Youzhou, so he had no reason to invest heavily here. They would probably toss him some powerless honorary title rather than anything substantial. What mattered most to them was preserving their own power and the emperor's favor. They had no desire to create more rivals like Yuan Shu. A man backed by the formidable Yuan family and already proven by real results might become an even greater threat than their current rival, Grand General He Jin.
Therefore, Yuan Shu planned to focus on idling for the time being. Like the rascal he was, he would dump the county's affairs on his subordinates...
"Uhahaha! This is a bit of a shame! I was looking forward to charging alongside you, but it looks like we won't get the chance for now!"
At that moment, a voice carrying a distinctive accent sounded beside Yuan Shu. It was an unusual way of speaking one rarely heard, paired with an unfamiliar face that perfectly matched the tone. The man had not originally been part of Yuan Shu's inner circle. That was only natural. He was someone who had surrendered during this northern expedition and newly joined the army.
Yuan Shu's fierce blade had not spared even the Xiongnu. Among them was a fool who had underestimated the Han and launched the first attack—the Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu. After Modu Chanyu, the Xiongnu had splintered and never regained their former strength. The Southern Xiongnu held the greatest power among the fragments, so the Northern Chanyu had attacked Yuan Shu dreaming of reversing that decline and reviving his great ancestors' glory. The result needed no explanation: total annihilation.
Though their forces had been weaker than the Southern Xiongnu's, tens of thousands had gathered, yet fewer than a few dozen escaped with their lives. The sheer terror of that outcome left the Southern Xiongnu trembling. When the Northern remnants seemed ready to run wild and began raiding the Southern Xiongnu's subject tribes, the Southern side immediately promised surrender and unconditional cooperation, sending a hostage. That hostage was the man now before them.
Qubi—younger brother of Kangju, a member of the Southern Xiongnu royal family, current Right Wise King, and a future Chanyu himself—had been sent as the hostage. There was also the consideration that Qubi's considerable ability and noble blood might complicate the succession if he remained. In any case, his bloodline made him a fitting choice for a political hostage.
So the troublesome Qubi had arrived with a small group of warriors to live as a hostage, yet he harbored no particular complaints. The steppe operated under far harsher laws of the jungle than the Han. Staying behind would have meant constant checks and suppression, and with the Xiongnu already fractured there was no deep-seated grudge. On the contrary, he even felt goodwill and admiration toward Yuan Shu, who had achieved such tremendous merits, always stood at the vanguard, personally butchered enemies, and led the army with his own hands.
Yuan Shu had been wondering how best to make use of the captives he had taken, and this seemed perfect timing. While the barbarians would obey Yuan Shu—who had torn apart every foreign tribe—when it came to properly managing the northern barbarian forces beyond mere obedience, a man of their own blood was ideal.
"Kukuku, there'll be another chance to put him to use later," Xiang Yu bellowed from the side in Yuan Shu's place. "This Han country comes with way too many threats attached anyway!"
Unlike the generals—Pang De, Ji Ling, Yan Xing, Hu Che'er, and the rest—who had earned merits, returned alive and well, and now basked in rosy thoughts about their lord's strength and bright future...
The trio of Xiang Yu, Richard, and Choe Jun-gyeong still looked far from satisfied. They cared nothing for merits or promotion. What they truly enjoyed was clashing with worthy foes until their blood sang or tearing through enemy lines while drenched in the thick stench of gore. Personalities truly befitting their monstrous strength. From another perspective they were simply lunatics.
Anyway... Yuan Shu's gaze fell on the huge crowd of commoners who had gathered. He had no intention of bothering much with county administration, but neither did he plan to exploit the people pointlessly while he ruled. What would be the point? No matter how hard he squeezed them, he wouldn't even recover a fraction of his own wealth. There would be no profit, only a worse reputation.
Perhaps for that reason, what caught his eye was the sight of the common people, who clearly did not seem to be living well no matter how one looked at them. Yuan Shu grinned, then abruptly grabbed a huge handful of the piled-up riches and goods and scattered them with a grand sweep. It was pure instinct. He wanted the people who had merely been murmuring among themselves to erupt into mad cheers! Exactly as expected of a rascal who lived by his whims.
Matching Yuan Shu's lead, Jia Xu signaled the people nearby with her eyes and began scattering wealth first.
'Let's scatter it together.'
'Us too??'
'Of course.'
As the generals flung it about vigorously and ordered the soldiers to do the same, the whole area quickly turned into a festive uproar. The money given to those struggling to survive carried real magic. Since it was all Yuan Shu's money anyway, the soldiers scattered it enthusiastically, happy to indulge in a little luxury at someone else's expense. In fact, since they were fellow commoners, those soldiers who knew the pain of hunger even shared food—though it was only the preserved combat rations they had plundered from the barbarians.
Then Jia Xu shouted "Long live the Han and the Emperor!" The generals, soldiers, and spectators caught up in the heat joined the cheer. The roars and applause were loud enough to deafen the ears, filling the city and still echoing through the mountains. Yuan Shu threw his head back and laughed heartily. How could he not enjoy cheers that praised both him and the achievements he had wrought? Honor like this was always welcome.
"Hahaha! Now it finally feels like we've won and come home! Cheer louder—!!"
And... nearby, a certain trio watched Yuan Shu with eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.