In the days that followed, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhang Zhao and others assisted Chu Qian in first dividing the fifty-two cities of Yizhou into prefectures and counties, and then assigning the officials who had come with him to serve as county magistrates in each county.

He then assigned the students who had accompanied him to various counties and set up schools to teach Parthians Chinese.

The craftsmen were also assigned to various regions to set up factories and workshops such as ironworks, glass factories, paper mills, and textile mills.

Of course, the core members of these factories were all Han Chinese or people who had joined the Han nationality, while the Parthians could only do some production line work.

The Han Dynasty was not like the Tang Dynasty; it was not generous enough to casually teach its technology to outsiders. After all, there were some things that had to be guarded against.

As for the people from the major families, they were assigned to various mining teams sent by the Research and Development Bureau to search for oil.

After all, the Han Dynasty is already pushing forward with its industrialization process, and it may enter the industrial age at any time. Making preparations in advance can only be beneficial and not harmful.

Tian Feng and the others also meticulously divided their respective tasks.

Tian Feng was in charge of people's livelihood in Yizhou, and was responsible for managing the local people's basic needs such as food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Ju Shou was in charge of the construction work in Illinois, including local infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges.

Zhang Zhao was in charge of judicial work and managed local security and administrative affairs.

Meanwhile, Chu Qian continued to oversee the various plans for Parthia. Generals such as Cheng Pu and Huang Gai expanded the Parthian army to 20,000 men and transferred 2,000 naval soldiers to serve as junior and middle-ranking officers, firmly keeping military power in their own hands.

With the addition of these capable individuals, and the joint efforts of many officials and students, everything in Illinois is developing rapidly in the direction expected.

...

February 2nd, the eleventh year of the Kaiyuan era.

A fleet of merchant ships flying the flag of the Han Dynasty sailed along the ancient Suez Canal and entered a port in an Egyptian province.

This fleet consisted of more than fifty ships of various sizes. The lead ship was seventy meters long and fifteen meters wide, and its size was comparable to the ship that Chu Qian had used when he went on his mission.

The sheer size of the ship alarmed everyone in the port.

The person in charge of this port is named Elinkay, and his family is the Elin family, one of the three major families in the Egyptian province.

Upon learning that a massive ship from the Han Dynasty had arrived at the port, Ailinka, the eldest son of the Ailinka family, hurriedly led his men to the dock.

In his view, anyone who could own such a huge ship must have a very high status in the Han Dynasty, and it was very necessary to befriend them.

Just as Elinkey and his men arrived at the dock, the huge ship also came to a stop.

Three men dressed in Han-style silk robes disembarked first. These three men were none other than the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

After seeing the three people clearly, Ailinkai's eyes lit up.

Especially Liu Bei, who was the leader, had a face like jade and lips like red rouge. His unusual earlobes made Ailinkai realize that this man was extraordinary.

As soon as the three of them stood still, Ailinkai greeted them with a smile.

Ailinkai, following the etiquette of a burly man, bowed to the three men and said, "My name is Ailinkai. May I ask your honorable names?"

Although Ailinkai's Mandarin is not very fluent, it is still understandable to most people.

"My name is Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande!"

Liu Bei quickly returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, and his words were also very polite.

"Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang!"

"Zhang Fei, courtesy name Yide!"

Unlike Liu Bei's politeness, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's attitudes were lukewarm.

Of course, it's not that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were impolite.

Rather, it was a way of treating people that the three of them had discussed before setting off.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were responsible for offending people, while Liu Bei played the good guy, thus building relationships.

Seeing this, Ailinkai also looked at Liu Bei, who had a friendly expression, and asked, "Brother Xuande, what is the purpose of your visit...?"

Liu Bei replied with a smile, "Responding to His Majesty's call, I have come to our brotherly nation to exchange goods and build a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship!"

Hearing Liu Bei's official-sounding words, Ailinkai couldn't help but have a thought, which further confirmed his guess that the person in front of him must have an extraordinary identity in the Han Dynasty.

Ailinkai then tentatively asked, "Then, Brother Xuande, are you passing through this port, or...?"

"On the way down, the guide kept telling me that this province of Egypt was the most prosperous place in Rome, which made me yearn to go there. If possible, I might even stay here permanently!"

"Haha, Brother Xuande, rest assured, this place will certainly not disappoint you!"

Hearing Liu Bei's praise of the Egyptian province, Ailinka smiled happily.

"Through Brother Ailin, I can see that this place is indeed a prosperous and courteous land!"

Liu Bei also flattered Elingai at the opportune moment. In his view, this port was a major transshipment and supply port leading to Rome, and its daily revenue must be extraordinary.

The man in front of me, Ailinkai, looks to be only in his early twenties, yet he is in charge here. His family background must be extraordinary, and he is one of my targets for befriending him.

However, Liu Bei also knew that too much of a good thing could be bad. Although he was very easygoing in his words and actions, he did not take too much initiative.

His behavior only confirmed Ailinkai's desire to befriend him.

In particular, the unintentional noble air that Liu Bei exuded in his every move made him even more certain that the man before him must belong to the nobility of the Han Dynasty, and even be among the top ranks.

After exchanging a few casual words, Ailinkai tentatively asked, "Brother Xuande, I've heard that the imperial surname of the Han Dynasty is Liu, and your surname is also Liu. What's the connection between that...?"

Upon hearing Ailinkai's question, Liu Bei was immediately delighted.

I've been waiting for this question for so long.

Liu Bei put away his smile and said with a serious expression, "To be honest, Brother Ailin, I am from the Han Dynasty royal family. My ancestor was Prince Jing of Zhongshan, the son of Emperor Jing of Han. According to seniority, he was the younger brother of the current emperor."

Even before setting off, Liu Bei's status as a member of the imperial clan had been recognized by Liu Hong, who then had the clan official rewrite his family genealogy.

Therefore, the pride Liu Bei felt when introducing himself to others was entirely from the bottom of his heart.

"I never imagined that Brother Xuande was a member of the imperial family. My apologies for my lack of respect!"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's self-introduction, Ailinkai quickly bowed again, his expression becoming more respectful.

A member of the Han imperial family and the younger brother of the current emperor—this status, not to mention in the province of Egypt, would place him at the very top of the hierarchy, even in the entire Roman Empire.