After finalizing the arrangements for the resettlement of Ma Yi and other Qiang nobles, Liu Hong issued an edict ordering Ma Yi to lead a large army to surrender to the Han army camp.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Ma Yi immediately led the remaining 70,000 troops to the scene within two days.

The fifteenth day of the fifth month in the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era.

Ma Yi was dressed in a Han-style long robe, with a three-foot-long white silk ribbon around his neck, and he held in his hands the tribe's population register and the seal bestowed upon him by the Han Dynasty court.

Behind Ma Yi were a group of Qiang noble leaders and leaders of various tribes such as the Yuezhi and Baima. Like Ma Yi, they all wore white silk ribbons around their necks, signifying that they were at the mercy of the Han army.

All of these people stood outside the gate with their heads bowed and their expressions respectful.

Behind them were more than 74,000 soldiers from various units who had laid down their weapons.

Soon, the gates of the Han army camp opened wide, and the first to emerge were 20,000 Northern Army soldiers, followed by 20,000 Liangzhou Army soldiers and 20,000 Bingzhou Army soldiers.

These soldiers stood guard every five steps, on both sides of the surrendering army.

The distinctive armor, sharp weapons, and the chilling aura emanating from the Han soldiers terrified Ma Yi and his men.

With the Han army so well-equipped, even if there were 80,000 more Han soldiers, let alone fewer than 80,000, they still wouldn't be enough to kill.

There was a time when they could rely on their military strength to continuously extract benefits from the Han Dynasty, but now, the Han Dynasty has become an inviolable force.

All these changes were due to the appearance of a young emperor.

In just over a decade, the Han Dynasty rose to become a force to be reckoned with. What kind of extraordinary talent and strategy could have enabled this?

For a moment, Ma Yi felt an unexpected sense of awe towards this Han emperor he had never met before.

"His Majesty has arrived!!"

With a shout, Ma Yi stopped his random thoughts and quickly looked up to focus.

A troop of Imperial Guards cavalry slowly approached from within the camp.

Ma Yi immediately spotted the imposing young man in golden armor who was being guarded in the center.

"Is this the emperor of the Han Dynasty?"

"Truly an outstanding man, exuding supreme majesty!"

Behind Ma Yi, the noble leaders couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

In their eyes, the golden-armored emperor on horseback was as radiant as the sun in the sky, inspiring awe.

When Liu Hong was less than a hundred paces away from them, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

Soon, the Imperial Guards soldiers, escorting Liu Hong, arrived at a distance of ten paces from Ma Yi and stopped.

"This humble man, Ma Yi, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty. May His Majesty live ten thousand years, and may the Great Han Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

As soon as Liu Honggang stopped, Ma Yi shouted loudly and then immediately knelt down in a deep bow.

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Han Dynasty!!"

The noble leaders all knelt down, followed by the soldiers behind them.

The sight of tens of thousands of people kneeling in worship was something even Emperor Liu Hong rarely encountered.

As Liu Hong rode on horseback, looking at the people kneeling before him, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

"Get up, all of you!"

Liu Hong's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of Ma Yi and the other noble leaders.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

After everyone expressed their gratitude, they respectfully stood up.

Ma Yi stepped forward and bowed to Liu Hong: "Your Majesty, I have long admired the rule of the Han Dynasty and have always longed to serve under its rule."

"Now I wish to bring all my people and the land beneath my feet to the Han Dynasty, to become a part of the Han Dynasty forever. I hope Your Majesty will have mercy and accept us..."

"We beg Your Majesty's mercy!!"

The noble leaders also began to pray.

Liu Hong smiled broadly: "Your request is sincere, and I will grant it!"

With that, Liu Hong jumped off his horse and took the yellow book and seal from Ma Yi's hands.

Thus, this expedition officially came to a close, and the last hidden danger of the Han Dynasty was completely resolved.

"May the Han Dynasty live ten thousand years!!"

At the same time, the Han soldiers around them raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

The shouts of tens of thousands of soldiers echoed the sound of the waves on the west coast of the South China Sea, one wave after another, lasting for a long time.

Emperor Liu Hong couldn't help but join his soldiers in shouting.

The enthusiastic cheers lasted for a full fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

Then, Liu Hong looked at Ma Yi with a smile and said, "I have arranged two places for you to settle down."

First, we will go to Luoyang, where I have prepared a house for each of you, as well as enough money for the rest of your lives.

Secondly, there is the area north of the vast desert. Although it is colder there, it is still a fertile land.

"If you go there, I will leave some soldiers behind for you and bestow titles upon you. I will also provide you with some assistance in terms of weapons and equipment to the best of my ability, so that you can establish a new life for yourselves."

"Your Majesty, I choose to go north of the vast sea!"

Upon hearing the two options Liu Hong offered, Ma Yi chose the second one without hesitation.

Aside from Ma Yi's own reluctance to leave behind his past life as a local tyrant, the main reason was that he understood from Liu Hong's words that he was to go to the north of the Han Sea.

Seeing that Ma Yi was so cooperative, Liu Hong nodded and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

After some questioning, all the noble leaders agreed to go north of the vast sea and establish a new place to live.

In their view, being a wealthy man in Luoyang could only guarantee their temporary riches; the old way of life was still better.

Although it meant starting all over again, with the help of the big man, it was nothing.

Subsequently, Liu Hong generously bestowed upon Ma Yi the title of King of the North, and the other noble leaders were also granted titles such as Marquis and Earl according to their past status and position.

As for Ma Yi and the descendants of the noble leaders, they went to Luoyang to study.

After a period of incorporation and reorganization, Liu Hong ordered 20,000 soldiers to be selected from among the surrendered troops and left to Ma Yi and others. Then, the Bingzhou army escorted them towards the Han Sea.

However, Liu Hong did not rush to return to the capital. Instead, he chose to stay and direct the migration of the Qiang people and other herders.

Zhu Jun and Xu Rong, who were in charge of leading 80,000 infantrymen, led their troops south, heading straight for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Now that Qinghai has been taken over, Liu Hong will naturally not leave large swathes of Tibet vacant any longer.

Although these two places don't offer much practical benefit or development value to the Han Dynasty at present, they at least fulfilled Liu Hong's original intention of completing the territorial puzzle.