Before long, the county's best cooks were brought before Lu Yan, trembling with fear.
"First, give us a hundred roast suckling pigs, then fifty beggar's chickens, a hundred catties of braised beef, and a hundred catties of braised pig's trotters..."
Lu Yan recited the names of the dishes, his spittle flying like rain.
The surrounding constables were dumbfounded, their mouths practically watering.
"Oh right, and wine! Daughter's Red, the finest Daughter's Red, bring as much as you can! I'm going to drink my fill today!"
"My lord, the reserves of Daughter's Red wine in Shannan County are not large, I'm afraid..."
A cook cautiously offered a reminder.
"Not much? If not much, we'll get it from Qingshui County!"
"I don't care, there has to be enough Daughter's Red wine tonight!"
"Anyone who dares to spoil my fun will learn a lesson I won't forget!"
"Han Sheng, go to our restaurant and bring over a few more singers and dancers. Tonight must be lively!"
Han Sheng grinned: "Don't worry, sir, I guarantee the brothers will be so happy they won't want to leave!"
As night fell, the county government office was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
The soldiers, beaming with joy, sat around the table, waiting for the feast to begin.
Lu Yan sat in the main seat, looking at the group of brothers who had risked their lives for him, his heart filled with heroic ambition.
"Brothers, we have won a great victory today, annihilating the barbarians! This is all thanks to you! Cheers!"
Lu Yan raised the wine jar and said loudly.
"cheers!"
The soldiers shouted in unison and drank the wine in the jar in one gulp.
Lu Yan downed the wine in the jar in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and laughed heartily:
"That's great! That's great! Brothers, eat and drink to your heart's content! We won't leave until we're drunk!"
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere became even more lively.
Lu Fei stood up unsteadily, holding his wine glass.
He walked up to Lu Yan and said indistinctly:
"My lord, I...I, Lu Fei, offer you a toast! To be able to follow you is...is the greatest honor of my life!"
After downing a glass of wine, Lu Fei continued:
"Without you, there would be no Shannan County as it is today, there would be no... there would be no us today!"
Everyone present nodded in agreement.
Yes, they understand best the hardships and toil Lu Yan has endured over the years.
He personally oversaw everything from suppressing bandits and developing commerce to training the army.
If it weren't for this man.
They wouldn't have the peaceful life they have today.
How could I have achieved fame and fortune today?
The underground generals were even more excited.
One by one, they patted their chests, their faces flushed, and declared:
"I will follow Lord Lu for the rest of my life! If I disobey, may I be struck by lightning!"
Zhang Xun also stood up excitedly, his face flushed, and said loudly:
"My lord, the barbarian tribes have been pacified, Shannan County is well-established, and the construction of the sub-county is imminent."
“It is no longer appropriate to call it a ‘county’ anymore, as it cannot effectively govern Shannan.”
"In my opinion, it would be better to... better to..."
Zhang Xun hesitated, as if there was something he couldn't bring himself to say.
"Not as good as what? Zhang Xun, when did you become so indecisive?"
Lu Yan glanced at him sideways and said somewhat impatiently.
"Why not...why not call it a 'country'!"
Zhang Xun finally mustered up the courage to speak his mind.
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
"To call oneself a country?!"
Lu Yan almost spat out his drink, choking and turning his face red.
"Zhang Xun, have you gone mad?"
"You dare to establish a country in this tiny place?"
"Are you tired of living and trying to rebel?!"
Zhang Xun quickly waved his hand, sweat beading on his forehead:
"My lord, that's not what I meant!"
"What I mean is that Shannan County is now militarily strong and incredibly wealthy, almost like a small country!"
"Calling it 'country' will show off our strength and scare those fools so they won't dare utter a word!"
Han Sheng echoed:
"My lord, Zhang Xun is right!"
"Our Shannan County is now stronger than some small countries! It's only natural for us to call ourselves a 'country'!"
Lu Yan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
These guys, after drinking a few cups of horse piss, they've forgotten who they are!
To call it a country?
Damn it, how could they even think of that!
If this gets back to the imperial court, wouldn't they accuse him of treason?
"Alright, alright, stop talking!"
Lu Yan waved his hand impatiently.
"We'll talk about the title of king later! Now, let's drink!"
Seeing that Lu Yan seemed somewhat unhappy, the generals dared not bring up the matter again and could only obediently drink and eat meat.
Lu Yan began to ponder this in his mind.
Shannan County is so powerful now that other counties in other prefectures have to take a backseat!
Even tiny, insignificant countries can't compare to us!
It's shameful to still call it a "county".
Although Zhang Xun and Han Sheng are bold, what they said isn't wrong.
Calling us "country" directly is more befitting of our strength and will also scare away those who are blind to our true power!
However, calling it a "country" now is a bit too high-profile.
We have to wait for those old fogies in the imperial court to give their approval.
Putting aside the matter of calling it a "country," let's just talk about how we defeated the barbarians this time!
If that empress knew, she'd see the results of our Shannan County's battles.
Look at how prosperous and thriving their lives are!
I bet those people in the imperial court won't reward us handsomely.
Perhaps, they might even upgrade Shannan County to a prefecture and appoint me as its governor!
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