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“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 235: The Hunt in Hanzhong
Is he harboring disloyal intentions?
Liu Yu knew his subordinate Qi Zhou pretty well; normally, he wouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Sending him to Yizhou was a nod to his cautious nature.
But now, for him to say Liu Yan has treasonous thoughts… that’s a serious accusation!
Qi Zhou added, “To be precise, he has ambitions on the throne.”
Liu Yu’s expression hardened, “Do you realize the weight of what you’re saying?”
Qi Zhou nodded, “I do, but it’s based on what I witnessed during my trip to Yizhou.”
Traveling from Mianzhu to Hanzhong, then Hanzhong to Chang’an, he reflected on all he had seen.
Li Meng, sent by Qiao Yan to assist him, acted like an ordinary teammate—mediocre but not a hindrance—so there’s no way Qiao could regret conferring the Grand General title on Liu Yan.
As for those two incidents, while surprising, they made sense.
The first fire was lit by an old acquaintance of Ren Qi, who sought justice and set ablaze the government storehouse in Yizhou, aiming to shift attention to Liu Yan’s unauthorized vehicle.
Unfortunately, they weren’t allowed close to the fire, and Qi Zhou didn’t grasp the deeper implications at first.
In a bind, the perpetrators had to drop clearer hints—
The letter they received.
It also revealed another piece of info.
Years ago, Dong Fu, who followed Liu Yan into Shu, prophesied that “Yizhou bears the aura of a Son of Heaven,” which led Liu Yan to abandon his post as Jiaozhou’s governor for Yizhou.
This meant Liu Yan’s aspirations to become the Han family’s emperor had been brewing for years.
But perhaps the first fire had already set off alarm bells for Liu Yan, prompting him to burn Dong Fu’s former residence to prevent any secrets from surfacing after the vehicles were torched.
By the time they arrived in Mianzhu, the critical place was reduced to ruins.
From Qi Zhou’s viewpoint, it was a classic case of hiding silver!
But it wasn’t surprising Liu Yan would act hastily like that.
Having a superstitious bent, he likely feared that Dong Fu, being a top diviner, could have tucked away evidence against him somewhere hidden.
So, if his descendants ever faced trouble, they might use that evidence to threaten Liu Yan.
And if they couldn’t find the thing?
With the mess out there, it might be better to burn it all down just in case!
Sadly, the problematic efforts to extinguish the storeroom fire and the destroyed house had already made him a target of suspicion.
Of course, that wasn’t enough.
Qi Zhou’s observations were merely speculations; he needed further proof.
Fortunately, since the messenger mentioned Dong Fu, he could seek out someone to inquire about Liu Yan’s actions before he took the post in Yizhou.
There were plenty of former officials from Luoyang still around in Chang’an.
After Liu Yu heard Qi Zhou’s words, he immediately summoned a few people.
“Dong Fu?” Chen Ji hesitated when Liu Yu brought up the name but recalled, “Yes, I know him.”
After some thought, he responded: “I can’t say he influenced Liu Junlang’s decisions, but his initial choice was indeed Jiaozhou—this can be confirmed by those who were in Luoyang at that time.”
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when the Zhang brothers were executed, Qiao Yan and Bi Lan arrived in Luoyang after this shift had already occurred, known only to a handful who were keenly aware of the court’s changes.
Chen Ji was one, and so was Yang Zan, who had arrived in Chang’an alongside Xun Shuang and Huang Wan.
“But to draw conclusions about Liu Yan based solely on that decision seems too hasty,” Yang Zan remarked while supporting Chen Ji’s point, adding, “The situation in Yizhou indeed required a governor far more than Jiaozhou.”
Yizhou’s governor, Qie Jian, had died at the hands of Ma Xiang and others, urgently needing a central figure to quell the uprising—be it due to the Son of Heaven’s aura or sheer necessity, Yizhou was undeniably more suitable than Jiaozhou.
“No, there’s another piece of evidence.” Just then, someone entered the hall, bowing to Liu Yu first before speaking.
The newcomer was Xianyu Yin, who had been designated by Liu Yu as a subordinate official in the Minor Palace.
After Qi Zhou relayed the news about Liu Yan’s potential ambitions to Liu Yu, he first brought in Xianyu Yin from his old post in Youzhou to gather opinions.
Xianyu Yin, brother of the current Guard Commander Xianyu Fu, also served under Liu Yu.
He pondered over the people he interacted with and quickly found artisans from Yizhou who had been taken in by the fabricators.
After the earlier chaos in Chang’an, most of the population had flowed from Guanzhong into Yizhou—that’s why Liu Yan had East State troops under his command.
The East State troops consisted of individuals who had relocated from Jing Province and Guanzhong into Yizhou.
But after the chaos of Dong Zhuo was quelled last August, the need to restore order in Chang’an meant they sent out many recruitment calls from October onward to rebuild palaces and make artifacts.
A portion of the Yizhou population inevitably heard about the scene in Chang’an, enchanted by the prospects under the Son of Heaven’s reign, and chose to migrate to Guanzhong to enjoy resettlement benefits.
Among them were artisans who had participated in crafting Liu Yan’s vehicles.
The making of Liu Yan’s grand carriage occurred during the turmoil following Emperor Ling’s death when the Central Plains were in chaos.
At that time, he never imagined he would face such threats from Chang’an one day, nor that his brazen actions would reach ears that should never have heard.
He surely never thought the craftsmen who participated in making those vehicles would turn up in Chang’an, but here they were.
When the craftsmen drew the vehicle’s blueprints based on their recollections, the onlookers’ expressions soured.
Those were undoubtedly the imperial design!
If it were just a vehicle or two, that’d be one thing, but according to the craftsman’s memories, Liu Yan had commissioned at least a hundred vehicles back then.
This implied—
He truly considered himself the Son of Heaven in Yizhou!
Did he still cling to that ambition?
That question seemed to have only one answer.
If he was just bewildered for a moment and had come to his senses, he wouldn’t have allowed those vehicles to be torched the night before he assumed the Grand General’s position—instead, he should’ve had them destroyed earlier.
Clearly, he still held onto hope!
Qi Zhou turned to the high seat where Liu Yu sat, asking, “Your Majesty, what shall we do now?”
Although Liu Yu initially didn’t aspire to become the Emperor, he was now crowned.
Being in a position comes with responsibility—that’s how it is.
At most, just as he had declared upon taking the throne, if one day he could find Liu Xie, he’d happily abdicate.
But as Liu Xie was still missing, what Liu Yu had to focus on was collaborating with Qiao Yan; one needed to stabilize the capital while the other swept across the lands to quell the rebel factions cutting up the realm.
In judging this situation, Liu Yan’s ambitions clearly marked him as an adversary.
But now that the Grand General position was handed to him, how should he manage the fallout and approach Liu Yan?
He certainly couldn’t just let him be, right?
“Mr. Wen You’s performance truly was brilliant.”
Qiao Yan looked at Li Ru, who reported the findings, feeling a sense of admiration.
She had shot him down from his horse back then,
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Letting Dong Zhuo lose this strategist was honestly the perfect decision.
With the way the other side gathers information and misleads people, if this had been put to use while Dong Zhuo was in Chang’an, it’d be nearly impossible for Qiao Yan to have Jia Xu hopping around like a frog, especially after capturing Chang’an and arranging the Son of Heaven’s whereabouts.
Thank goodness Li Ru wasn’t the type to die for Dong Zhuo, and he picked a good moment to come out of hiding.
Qiao Yan then asked, “But, doesn’t Mr. Wenyu worry that Zhao Wei’s chosen plan isn’t just to set the government storehouse on fire, but something else entirely?”
Li Ru chuckled confidently, “Well, what does the lord think? Besides letting us find Liu Yan’s treasonous intentions and eliminate the evidence, is there a better method? Kill us messengers?”
“Assassinating the envoy, such a straightforward act of treachery, would also be evidence for you to hold him accountable.”
He paused and summarized, “So, whether Zhao Wei uses brute force or clever tactics doesn’t actually change the outcome.”
Qiao Yan sighed, “If that’s the case, are you going to teach your apprentice or just be her bodyguard?”
Li Ru replied nonchalantly, “Your concern for your cousin is just another piece of intel I’ve gathered, using it flexibly.”
This, of course, was a lesson he taught Qiao Ting.
All in all, whether for the sake of teaching or fulfilling Qiao Yan’s mission, Li Ru’s performance was indeed impressive.
It was also because of his subtle presence in this entourage that when Qi Zhou brought the news to Liu Yu, Liu Yu chose to find more solid evidence rather than let Li Ru repeat everything he and Qi Zhou had seen.
This greatly reduced the chances of him being outed in public.
As for whether these fragmented pieces of information could lead Liu Yu to a definite judgment on Liu Yan, that was just a matter of time.
Liu Yan indeed had those treasonous thoughts and acted on them, considering that Yizhou was right next door to Guanzhong. Once they developed a recognition of this tendency, piling up proof wouldn’t be an impossible task.
Qiao Yan didn’t mind giving Liu Yan the position of Grand General, so why would she mind waiting a bit longer until she got her hands on the Grand Marshal position?
After all, it was still just February in the first year of Jian’an.
But now it seemed Liu Yu’s troops weren’t doing so hot in military skills, but their efficiency in sniffing out Liu Yan’s treachery was pretty decent.
Qiao Yan had to give them credit.
Only two days after Qi Zhou and Li Ru returned to Chang’an, Liu Yu, along with Chen Ji and others, revealed the surprising discovery from their decree to Yizhou.
Everyone in the court exchanged glances in disbelief.
No one expected the mission to Yizhou would end this way.
The position of Grand General was given to Liu Yan, but could this really count as a successful expression of cooperation with Yizhou?
When Qiao Yan let go of the Grand General position, she had mentioned that Liu Yan, being in Yizhou, had ambitions for regional independence; replacing him as Grand Marshal was to keep him in check, just a little.
But who would have thought, Liu Yan wasn’t just dreaming of regional independence; he was clearly itching for chaos in the central authority, hoping to profit from it.
Seeing Qiao Yan’s calm demeanor, showing no anger toward Liu Yan at this moment, everyone couldn’t help but think that she was probably ready for this situation long before.
After all, eight years ago, she had already penned that Discourse on Feudalism.
Today, while this Bingzhou Prefect was content with the position of General of Cavalry, that Yizhou Prefect was busy crafting a royal chariot fit for the Son of Heaven, plotting his rise from provincial governor to emperor, as if to reflect her conclusions from years ago.
Liu Yu spoke up, “Gentlemen, what thoughts do you have to share?”
When Qi Zhou asked him what should be done, Liu Yu felt the situation was indeed tricky.
The territory Liu Yan controlled in Yizhou was vast, and there were quite a number of troops. With the Qinling Mountains separating the two sides, remaining at peace was easier, but slipping into full-scale war would be costly for everyone.
Besides, with only a little over a month until spring planting, mobilizing a large number of people would surely worsen the negative effects.
Moreover, if they held Liu Yan accountable for this matter, would Liu Biao, who was also close by, react?
After all, he was a relative of the Han.
Would Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan to the east take the opportunity to attack Bingzhou?
That was bound to lead to losing more than one could gain.
Thus, Liu Yu thought long and hard, feeling like he was on a tiger he couldn’t dismount.
The title of Grand General had become a temporarily difficult assignment to reclaim.
That was how he thought, and everyone else did too.
In that moment, the court fell into silence.
It was Huang Wan who broke the silence: “I wonder if Liu Yan has confirmed that we know he harbors treasonous thoughts?”
Just as Zhao Wei knew, Huang Wan and Liu Yan were actually cousins.
But when Huang Wan referred to Liu Yan by name, everyone caught his underlying message.
He was now aligned with the Chang’an court and didn’t have to worry about his family ties with Liu Yan.
Rather than remain silent and avoid suspicion, he thought it was better to lay everything out plainly.
He added, “Since we’ve made this judgment, the matter is at hand and must be resolved. We can’t pretend nothing happened.”
This statement made his stance crystal clear.
If a fight was necessary, then they needed to fight.
After all, Liu Yu represented the legitimate authority and absolutely couldn’t let Liu Yan pull anything shady at this moment.
In simpler terms, yes, does Liu Yan have treasonous thoughts? Yes. Can he act on them? Probably not.
At most, giving him the Grand General title may just feel a bit prickly in the gut.
But before he could finish, Lu Zhi interrupted.
Lu Zhi said in a deep voice, “No, that can’t be said. Since Liu Yan has already burned down Dong Fu’s ancestral home to cover his ambitions for the throne, it’s clear he has been speculating about the envoys’ movements. At this point, staying on guard and appearing unbothered will only fuel his wolfish ambition.”
“Exactly!” Qiao Yan chimed in.
She was always decisive and firm in her stance.
With her emphatic “exactly,” everyone clearly understood where she stood.
She stepped forward, a fierce expression in her eyes, making it clear that, in facing this sudden situation, she had pulled herself from her previous muddle and evaluated the circumstances.
Then she said, “The eastern soldiers and those from Yizhou under Liu Yan have been at odds, clashing against one another, but with Liu Yan in command, this back-and-forth will be entirely under the provincial governor’s control. Sooner or later, the troops from Yizhou and the eastern provinces will belong to him. Once he utilizes the resources of the rich and prosperous populace, combined with astute intellect to devise great plans, he will undoubtedly become a calamity for us. This matter may seem harmless in the short term, but we cannot underestimate it.”
That’s the signal to go for it!
Having been through plenty of battles, everyone trusted her judgment.
What surprised them, though, was that in her next words, it didn’t seem like she wanted to attack Yizhou or start a war with Liu Yan.
She bowed to Liu Yu and said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to issue another imperial decree to both Liu Yan and Yizhou.”
“Zhang Lu from Hanzhong has remained unrepentant since being expelled from Wudu, hiding in Hanzhong, gathering clergymen from the Taishi Path, conspiring chaos. Now that Chang’an’s Son of Heaven has just established himself with a great amnesty for the world, his actions disrupt life for the people and turn order upside down—this is unforgivable.”
“Therefore—”
“The Son of Heaven has decreed: The Grand General and the General of Cavalry shall hunt in Hanzhong!”
