Chapter 54

Actually, all the warlords in the late Han should thank Liu Yan.

If it weren't for the system of abolishing the inspector and establishing the governor proposed by Liu Yan, they would undoubtedly have to spend more time and energy if they wanted to accumulate strength.

When Liu Yan chose Yizhou, Dong Zhuo had already noticed that this old boy was not right.

Yizhou is far from the Central Plains, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, it is simply an excellent place for separatism!

And when this old boy Liu Yan arrived in Yizhou.

Just in the second year, the Hanzhong official road collapse incident occurred.

This clearly showed that he wanted to break free from the shackles of the Han central government and live his own stable little life.

The late Emperor Liu Hong was already seriously ill at that time, and had no heart or strength to sanction Liu Yan.

After Liu Hong died, He Jin and the Ten Eunuchs fought fiercely for power.

Everyone defaulted to forgetting Liu Yan, who was in Yizhou.

Only Dong Zhuo had always been on guard against this old boy.

Before he led his troops into Luoyang, he had already sent many spies to Yizhou to investigate all the intelligence related to Liu Yan.

Sure enough.

This fellow Liu Yan secretly built many carriages that violated the rules and regulations, and his heart of disobedience was already clear.

But for Dong Zhuo, this was actually not a big problem.

After all, he himself was the biggest rebellious minister in the Han court!

But the key to the problem is…

Even if this fellow Liu Yan really wants to be emperor, he cannot be emperor now!

Even Dong Zhuo is currently only the Prime Minister of the Great Han.

If Liu Yan declares himself emperor, where will Old Dong’s face go?

The authority of the Han court will drop to the extreme in a "whoosh."

There might be some handsome guys curious, the Han court is already in such a mess, what authority is there?

In reality.

Although this broken ship of the Han dynasty is about to sink.

But before it completely sinks, it is still a behemoth.

For example, Cao Cao in history, after learning the news of Yuan Shu declaring himself emperor, immediately set off to conquer Yuan Shu at the fastest speed.

Although the food and grass in the Cao camp were already on the verge of being cut off at that time, Cao Cao could not wait for even a moment longer.

Why is this?

It is because the position Cao Cao held on his head was the Han Minister of Works! (Promoted to Prime Minister before the Battle of Red Cliffs)

Behind him is the great banner of the Han dynasty.

Yuan Shu openly declared himself emperor.

It is not just challenging the authority of the Han dynasty.

It is also challenging the legal legitimacy of the person who "holds the emperor to command the warlords"!

And now.

Changing to Liu Yan, it is the same principle.

If Liu Yan declares himself emperor, it is not just slapping the Han court in the face, but also openly trampling Dong Zhuo’s prestige under his feet!

"No, we must not let this old boy Liu Yan declare himself emperor just like that."

"Wenyou, Linzhi, do you have any good methods?"

Dong Zhuo hurriedly asked Li Ru and Gu Yi for advice.

Regarding the military strength of the two sides, if they were to duel on a plain, one Dong Zhuo fighting three Liu Yans would probably not be a problem!

But…

Yizhou is too easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Under Liu Yan’s creation, it is even as hard as a turtle shell.

The road to Shu is difficult, difficult to ascend to the blue sky.

This sentence is not a joke in this era.

This old boy Liu Yan is relying on the natural dangers of Shu that he dares to put on a posture of intending to launch a Northern Expedition.

"My Lord, actually there is no need to move troops against Liu Yan for the time being."

"Liu Yan putting on this posture is exactly to test the attitude of the Lord and the imperial court."

"If left alone, he will soon put it into practice for the sake of declaring himself emperor."

"But… if turmoil occurs within Yizhou, where will Liu Yan have the energy and face to engage in that declaring-himself-emperor business?"

Being said this by Gu Yi, a hint of shock flashed across the faces of Dong Zhuo and Li Ru.

That old boy Liu Yan is not an ordinary person.

Ever since he entered Yizhou, he immediately adopted a bloody policy to quickly integrate the interior of Yizhou.

Most of those who dared to oppose him in Yizhou have already died.

Under such circumstances, how could turmoil occur within Yizhou for no reason?

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru, after all, do not understand the detailed situation of Yizhou.

They can only infer the degree of Liu Yan’s rule in Yizhou through the words and phrases in the intelligence.

But Gu Yi is different!

Knowing this history well, he knows that this fellow Liu Yan did not realize his emperor dream until the time of his death.

Why is this?

It is because Zhang Lu, who was entrenched in Hanzhong, burned the plank road to Shu and openly declared independence with the Hanzhong army and civilians!

In fact, Liu Yan should be fully responsible for Zhang Lu’s independence.

Originally, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in Hanzhong was founded by Zhang Lu’s grandfather, Zhang Daoling.

The Zhang family can be considered the true local emperors in this one-third of an acre of Hanzhong.

But it is very embarrassing that Zhang Lu’s father, Zhang Heng, could not defeat Zhang Lu’s uncle, Zhang Wei, in the struggle within the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

Resulting in the young Zhang Lu having to flee to Shu for refuge.

After Liu Yan entered Shu, Zhang Lu immediately leaned towards Liu Yan.

And by virtue of the old lover relationship between his mother and Liu Yan, he was deeply valued by Liu Yan.

Thus, Zhang Lu obtained military support from Liu Yan and led his army into Hanzhong to counterattack his uncle Zhang Wei.

The Five Pecks of Rice Sect had long been miserable under Zhang Wei’s leadership.

Upon learning the news of Zhang Lu’s arrival, there were countless people who defected before the battle.

Just like that, Zhang Lu regained control of Hanzhong and killed his uncle Zhang Wei.

But Zhang Lu is also a person with ambition.

How could he always be under Liu Yan?

He began to be at odds with Liu Yan.

In history, just when Liu Yan intended to declare himself emperor.

Zhang Lu openly declared independence, dealing a fatal blow to Liu Yan’s emperor-declaring cause!

It is the so-called "Rice thieves are in chaos, I must protect myself for Yizhou."

But in the end, the chaos of Zhang Lu was actually brewed by Liu Yan himself.

…….