Those slaves who had resigned themselves to their fate, upon hearing the story of their companions, no longer looked at their so-called masters with the same awe and submission as before.

After a day of fermentation, the conflict between the Qiang chieftains and the slaves became increasingly acute. Slaves were killed one after another for a single glance, and some slaves tried to rebel, but were quickly suppressed by the chieftains' guards.

Just as the Qiang chieftains in the city were filled with anxiety, they all received an invitation from the prefect's office, saying that the government could help them find a way to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Upon hearing that the government had a solution, everyone rushed towards the prefect's residence without hesitation.

As a result, the governor's mansion was packed with people, and all the powerful Qiang people of Jincheng had gathered there.

Just as everyone was getting anxious, Fu Xie and Fan Chou slowly walked into the hall and appeared before them.

A group of powerful figures stepped forward and bowed to the two of them.

"We have met Prefect Fu and Commandant Fan!"

Fu Xie nodded, glanced around at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Now that you're all here, I'm sure you all understand the purpose of inviting you here today!"

The crowd quickly replied in unison, "We understand, and we beg the Prefect to assist us!"

Fu Xie smiled and nodded, then said loudly, "Very well, I won't waste any more words. Originally, the affairs of you and your slaves were not under the jurisdiction of the government, but since they caused trouble and set fires, the government has no choice but to intervene!"

"In order to prevent any further incidents as much as possible, I have a method. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

"Please speak, Prefect!" the powerful figures said in unison once again.

"Very well, then I will explain my method."

Fu Xie then glanced at the powerful figures in the hall and said in a deep voice, "First, the government can purchase the slaves in your possession and bring them under its jurisdiction. Of course, the government will not force those who are unwilling to sell."

Secondly, even after selling slaves to the government, you can still engage in slave trading, but you need to report to the government for registration and investigation of the slaves' origins. If necessary, you can also purchase slaves from the government. Only in this way can the government step in to manage them for you.

Third, slaves must no longer be killed or beaten arbitrarily; any unrest must be resolved by the government.

"this...."

After listening to Fu Xie's methods, the Qiang people hesitated for a moment, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

After careful consideration, they found nothing wrong with it.

The first point had little impact on them, and their current slave supply was unstable, so they did need to replenish their stock with new slaves. Besides, selling them to the government would be a way of getting rid of these hot potatoes.

As for the second and third points, they didn't take them seriously at all. Their understanding of reporting to the government was simply to inform them of how many slaves they had bought from where. Although they couldn't kill slaves at will, they had plenty of ways to kill those who disobeyed.

"We are willing to abide by the governor's laws!"

Everyone agreed with Fu Xie's conditions.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Fu Xie smiled and then said loudly, "Very well, then everyone can go back first. Those who are willing to sell, bring your slaves here and sell them to the government. Those who are unwilling, must still be registered by the government!"

"We'll take our leave!"

Then the Qiang chieftains walked out one after another. Beigong Boyu and Bian Zhang in the crowd also frowned. Although they felt that something was wrong, they couldn't figure out what it was for the time being.

"Prefect Fu's methods are truly brilliant; I admire them!"

After all the Qiang chieftains had left, Fan Chou couldn't help but flatter Fu Xie.

"Heh~ Commander Fan, you flatter me! What's with all the talk of methods? Everything can be planned, can't it?"

Fu Xie smiled meaningfully. It's always better to start something than to start something new. Now that the powerful families have agreed to let the government intervene in the slave issue, it seems like everything is for their own good.

At first, I said it was for better protection, but as time goes on, Fu Xie has plenty of ways to extend his reach further and control the slaves in their hands. At that time, these Qiang chieftains will be completely free of threat.

Moreover, the fact that slaves were under the jurisdiction of the government greatly facilitated the future encroachment on the Qiang territory.

Meanwhile, the captain, disguised as a Qiang slave, returned to Jincheng with his men and the loot they had collected, and with the letter in hand, he found Cheng Yu.

"Sir, this operation yielded a total of approximately fifty million coins in valuables! Here are the details of these valuables for your perusal!"

As they were talking, the captain took out a list and handed it to Cheng Yu.

After reviewing the details, Cheng Yu nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Take 10% as a reward to the brothers who participated in this operation, and use the rest to recruit manpower to head to the Western Regions!"

"Thank you, sir!"

The captain was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed in thanks.

"By the way, sir, I also found a secret letter in the home of a powerful family!"

After the initial joy, the captain remembered the letter, quickly took it out, and handed it to Cheng Yu.

"They actually set their sights on Juyan?"

Cheng Yu had anticipated the salt and refined iron issues, but he hadn't expected the Juyan matter.

After a moment of thought, Cheng Yu vaguely understood their intentions. Juyan was a vassal state of the Han Dynasty, and it bordered Jiuquan, Zhangye, and the Northern Xiongnu territory.

If chaos breaks out there, it will inevitably affect the imperial court. Once Duan Jiong's army is transferred away from Jincheng, the Eastern Qiang and even other tribes will surely take the opportunity to launch another attack, dragging the Han Dynasty back into the quagmire of war.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!