Chapter 16: The Prefect of Youzhou

The army advanced south from Guangyang, sweeping away the Yellow Turbans within Youzhou. As the clearing operations were nearing completion, Liu Zhan led his troops straight to the Youzhou government. He arranged for the army to camp in the wild, and he, along with several guards, entered the city to meet the Youzhou Prefect Liu Yan.

Recently, Liu Yan had received a report from Liu Zhan, stating: The city of Zhongshan was besieged by the Yellow Turbans, and Liu Zhan's troops happened to be passing through. At a critical moment for Zhongshan, Liu Zhan's forces, though outnumbered, successfully annihilated the enemy and rescued Zhongshan from danger.

Liu Yan was overjoyed upon reading the report. Liu Zhan was truly a fierce general, managing to defeat tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans with such a small force.

In recent days, Liu Yan had received news that Youzhou was also being harassed by the Yellow Turbans, which was a pressing concern for him.

Moreover, he had just learned that the Yellow Turbans had rebelled nationwide, and the capital was in imminent danger. The court demanded that all regions organize forces to eliminate these rebellious Yellow Turbans.

With urgent requests coming from various places, including Qingzhou, Liu Yan was contemplating how to handle the situation.

Just then, he received another report from Liu Zhan. Liu Zhan's troops had swept through Youzhou, fighting continuously, and the Yellow Turbans in northern Youzhou had been nearly eradicated. Liu Yan was ecstatic!

Such a fierce general should be recruited into his own service, especially during such a critical time. There was ample reason for it! Yes, this is the perfect time. Having such a general under his command would mean Liu Yan's own achievements would be enhanced by Liu Zhan's successes. The timing was very favorable.

Resolved, Liu Yan was thrilled to hear that Liu Zhan had arrived in Youzhou after sweeping away the Yellow Turban bandits. He eagerly instructed, "Quickly, bring Sima Liu in!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Zhan introduced himself and presented his family tree. Liu Yan looked at it and saw that they were indeed relatives, though somewhat distant.

It turned out that Liu Zhan, whose courtesy name was Zituo, was a descendant of the King Jing of Zhongshan. He was the great-grandson of the Marquis of Fengling, Liu Buyi; the grandson of the Marquis of Jichuan, Liu Hui; and the son of Liu Ye. Liu Zhan had previously served in Liaoxi and was later reassigned to the border.

Liu Zhan explained that after the two generations of the Marquis of Fengling and the Marquis of Jichuan, his branch of the family had completely fallen from grace. His father Liu Ye had told him that his uncle Liu Xiong had two sons, Liu Hong and Liu Kang. Liu Hong had been in poor health from a young age and had been injured by excessive medication, leaving no descendants. Before Liu Hong died, Liu Ye visited him and was told that their home had been robbed, and the family records had been stolen.

Liu Yan took this seriously and said he would write to the imperial family to keep a record of this matter.

Since they were family, Liu Yan felt it was even more reason to retain Liu Zhan. He revealed his intention.

"Brother, the Yellow Turban rebellion has caused turmoil throughout the Han Empire. In this time of national crisis, it is a great opportunity for military officers like you to fight and serve the court. I think you should stay here and not return. I appoint you as the Youzhou Colonel to continue leading the army in the fight against the Yellow Turban rebels."

"Thank you for your patronage, Sir. I will fight bravely and serve the court."

Liu Zhan quickly stepped forward and offered a gift to thank Prefect Liu Yan for his promotion. It was a folding fan that Liu Zhan had made himself.

Liu Yan had never seen such an item before. Liu Zhan demonstrated how it worked. With a flick of his hand, the fan's surface opened up with a whoosh and was then presented to Liu Yan.

Liu Yan's eyes widened in amazement. The fan was indeed quite ingenious, and upon closer inspection, it had more to offer.

"This item is something I made in my spare time, called a folding fan. It's very suitable for scholars and refined individuals to complement their status. If a famous person or high-ranking official were holding a palm-leaf fan, wouldn't that be rather out of place?"