As Liu Wen ordered someone to bring out the imperial edict, the banquet hall immediately became solemn.

All the tribal leaders stood up, their eyes filled with excitement.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Liu Wen solemnly picked up a scroll of imperial edict, then looked at the tribal leaders and proclaimed loudly, "By order of the Emperor of the Great Han, all tribes of the Southern Frontier shall receive this edict!"

"Your Majesty, we obey the imperial decree!!"

The tribal leaders, following the etiquette of the Han Dynasty, bowed deeply to the edict in Liu Wen's hand.

Liu Wen then slowly unfurled the imperial edict and loudly proclaimed, "The Yongluo tribe, step forward to receive your investiture!"

"Your subject is here!"

Upon hearing Liu Wen call out his name, a dark-skinned, burly middle-aged man stepped forward excitedly.

The Yongra tribe, located southeast of Bangkok Port, was one of the first tribes to make contact with the Han Chinese.

Originally, the tribe had only about three thousand people. However, through trade with the Han Dynasty in recent years, the tribe has obtained a large amount of food and various resources, which has improved the quality of life of the tribe's people and led to a surge in population.

Meanwhile, with the support of the Hong Kong-based navy, the Yongluo tribe was the first to join the cause, becoming the vanguard of the Han navy. Over the years, they have continuously waged war against the surrounding tribes and annexed many small and medium-sized tribes.

Today, the Yongluo tribe has become one of the largest tribes in the surrounding area, possessing not only vast territory but also a population of nearly 50,000 and 3,000 soldiers capable of fighting.

However, the Yongluo tribe also clearly knows that they have been able to develop to this point entirely thanks to the support of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the Yongluo tribe is one of the tribes most loyal to the Han Dynasty.

After glancing at the leader of the Yongluo tribe, Liu Wen read aloud, "The Yongluo tribe is loyal to the Han Dynasty and has repeatedly assisted the Han army in building ports, protecting merchant ships, and maintaining order. Their merits are outstanding. Therefore, the Yongluo tribe leader is hereby granted the surname Liu and is hereby enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yongluo. The land where his tribe is located will be his fiefdom..."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!!"

Upon hearing the contents of the edict, the leader of the Yongluo tribe was also very excited, and a blush appeared on his dark cheeks.

Although he didn't know much about the Han Dynasty, he did know the significance of a marquis in the Han Dynasty.

Now, not only have I been granted the title of Marquis, but I have also been given the surname Liu. This honor is rare even in the Han Dynasty.

With these two identities, he was already considered a citizen of the Han Dynasty, and the leader of the Yongluo tribe foresaw his future rise to prominence.

Liu Wen, holding the imperial edict, approached the leader of the Yongluo tribe and said with a smile, "Chief, His Majesty has bestowed upon you the imperial surname, which shows how highly he regards you. I hope that you will do your utmost to assist the Han Dynasty in governing this region well!"

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, my subjects and all my tribespeople are utterly loyal to the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty. At the slightest word from the Han Dynasty, we will go through fire and water, even unto death!"

"Very well! You are indeed worthy of being called loyal and brave men. In that case, in my opinion, why don't you change your name to Zhong (忠, meaning loyalty)?"

"Liu Zhong..." The leader of the Yongluo tribe murmured the name Liu Wen had given him, then said with a joyful expression, "Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Your Highness. Please rest assured, I will never fail Your Majesty and you in your high expectations, and I swear to serve the Han Dynasty to the death!"

"Haha, good, you can rest assured. His Majesty and the court have seen what you have done. As long as you follow along and do your job well, the Han Dynasty will never treat you unfairly!" Liu Wen laughed and made a timely promise.

"yes!"

Upon hearing Liu Wen's words, Liu Zhong beamed with joy, and then, amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, returned to the ranks.

Then, Liu Wen picked up the imperial edict and conferred titles upon the other tribal leaders present.

Based on the size of these tribes and their contributions to the Han Dynasty, they were granted titles such as Marquis, Earl, and Baron, and were also given Han surnames such as Liu, Wang, Ma, and Zhang.

The newly appointed tribal leaders were overjoyed, and they all swore an oath to be loyal to the Han Dynasty and obey its rule.

"Now that we are all on the same side, I will not hold back my words."

Just as everyone was happily congratulating each other, Liu Wen's words silenced them.

Liu Wen slowly glanced at the crowd, then looked at Liu Zhong, who was at the head of the group, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know how many tribal leaders our Great Han Dynasty notified for this investiture?"

"Your Highness, including your humble servants, there are over a hundred tribes of varying sizes in the surrounding area, all of whom have received notification from Governor Xun and the Han army!"

"So how many people came?" Liu Wen asked again.

Liu Zhong: "Twenty-four tribes have arrived!"

"Less than 30% have arrived!" Liu Wen narrowed his eyes. "It seems some people don't take the might of our Great Han Dynasty seriously!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhong was startled; he had dealt with the Han army quite a bit in the past.

In his impression, although the Han army was disciplined, kind, and never bullied others, its biggest weakness was the dignity of the Han Dynasty.

Anyone who dares to offend the majesty of the Han Dynasty, no matter who you are or where you are, will be killed by the Han army at all costs.

Now that these words had come from Prince Liu Wen's mouth, Liu Zhong knew that the Han army was definitely going to take action against the tribes that had not yet arrived.

After all, the Emperor of Han sent his son here for more than just to read out the imperial edict.

"Your Highness, those fellows defy the Emperor's authority and offend the Emperor's majesty. Your Majesty, I am willing to mobilize the entire army of my clan to fight on behalf of Heaven and punish their disloyalty!"

No one understood the strength of the Han army better than Liu Zhong, so after guessing Liu Wen's thoughts, Liu Zhong did not hesitate to express his attitude.

"Your Highness, I am also willing to raise the troops of my clan and fight on behalf of Heaven!"

"I am willing too!"

Seeing that Liu Zhong was the first to express his opinion, the other tribal leaders who had been granted titles followed suit.

In their view, Liu Zhong's tribe was entirely supported by the Han Dynasty.

Now that the Han Dynasty is preparing to wage war against those tribes that do not submit to its rule, those who follow behind will naturally also reap many benefits.

"Very well, you are indeed loyal ministers and generals of our great Han Dynasty. In that case, you should hurry back and gather your troops."

Rest assured, everyone, in this campaign, our Great Han will not only reward those who have made meritorious contributions, but also give away all the spoils of war to you without taking a single penny!

Furthermore, the imperial court would organize merchants to purchase these spoils at high prices.

"Here you go!!"

Upon hearing Liu Wen's promise, the tribal leaders were also very excited.

In the past, they waged wars against tribes deep in the mountains and forests in order to obtain more gems, medicinal herbs, spices and other items.

Now that they can borrow the power of the Han Dynasty to acquire more wealth, they are naturally eager to do so.