Chapter 55

Looking at the confusion filling the eyes of Li Ru and Dong Zhuo.

Gu Yi decided to explain the relationship between Zhang Lu and Liu Yan to the two of them clearly.

After listening, as vicious as Li Ru was, he instantly understood the potential for manipulation in this.

Zhang Lu had ambition, and he did not want to remain under Liu Yan.

Previously, it was only because he was weak and lacked the strength to defeat his uncle, Zhang Wei, and reclaim Hanzhong on his own.

That was why he had no choice but to pin his hopes on Liu Yan's help.

But now, Zhang Wei was dead, and Zhang Lu had become the leader of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in Hanzhong.

In that small territory of Hanzhong, it could almost be said that Zhang Lu had the final say.

The reason Zhang Lu and Liu Yan had not yet completely fallen out was twofold.

On one hand, it was because Zhang Lu's mother was in Yizhou and was Liu Yan's old lover.

On the other hand, it was because the title of Inspector of Yizhou held by Liu Yan had been conferred by the imperial court, making it officially legitimate.

If Zhang Lu were to rebel, it would be equivalent to declaring himself a traitor.

Then why did the historical Zhang Lu eventually become independent from Liu Yan's command?

Because Liu Yan's ambition to become Emperor had already been laid bare!

At that time, if Zhang Lu had openly declared independence, he would not have been called a traitor; instead, he would have been regarded as a loyal subject of the Han.

And that was exactly how it happened.

Historically, when Zhang Lu became independent from Liu Yan, Dong Zhuo had already passed away, and Li Jue and Guo Si were controlling the Han court.

Under the advice of Jia Xu.

The two of them conferred upon Zhang Lu the legitimate title of Administrator of Hanzhong.

They even gave him the status of a marquis as a gesture of goodwill.

Zhang Lu truly became the vanguard in opposing Liu Yan!

From this, it can be seen that with the help of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, Zhang Lu did not lack the strength to carve out a territory from Liu Yan's command;

what he lacked was merely an opportunity for independence.

And now.

Dong Zhuo was the most powerful warlord in the world and held the Han court in his hands.

If he could grant Zhang Lu a legitimate status and provide him with nominal support.

It could be said that there was a nearly one hundred percent chance Zhang Lu would rebel against Liu Yan!

At the same time, to remove any worries about his rear, Zhang Lu would do everything in his power to maintain his relationship with Dong Zhuo.

As for the Dong Zhuo faction, they only needed to pay the price of a legitimate imperial appointment for the Administrator of Hanzhong.

"Lin Zhi, this plan is excellent."

"But what if that scoundrel Zhang Lu cannot hold off Liu Yan?"

Dong Zhuo knew well that Liu Yan was no ordinary man.

And Zhang Lu was still just a greenhorn at this time.

Compared to Liu Yan, he was truly too immature.

To this, Gu Yi smiled and said:

"Zhang Lu's personal ability is not important."

"What is important is that, relying on the terrain of Hanzhong, even if Liu Yan is formidable, it would take him several years to conquer Hanzhong."

"In a few years, our army will have long since moved the capital to Chang'an, and a southern expedition will be an inevitable course of action."

"Whether it is Zhang Lu or Liu Yan, by then, they will both be under the blade of our army!"

As his voice fell.

A look of relief appeared on Dong Zhuo's face.

Indeed!

There was no need for Zhang Lu to defeat Liu Yan.

All that was needed was for him to cause Liu Yan great trouble.

Yizhou, the land of abundance, had an extremely superior geographical location.

But its unique terrain also brought it great trouble.

It was easy to defend but difficult to attack, which also meant that expansion from Yizhou was very troublesome.

Looking back at thousands of years of history, there was not a single faction that started in Yizhou and went on to unify the world.

The only one who could be cited was Liu Bang.

But it would be more accurate to say that Liu Bang used Hanzhong and Guanzhong as his base of operations rather than Yizhou.

Yizhou was merely his rear granary.

His political center of gravity was never placed in Yizhou from beginning to end.

Therefore.

The unique terrain of Yizhou destined it, at least at the current stage before a major technological explosion, to be a difficult place to serve as the dragon's rise for unifying the world.

However, Yizhou could serve as a rear granary, with all sorts of buffs stacked to the max.

Including the historical Longzhong Plan.

In reality, according to Zhuge Liang's original intention, Yizhou was to be the rear granary, and Jingzhou was to be the front line for the northern expedition.

That is to say, the military center of gravity was to be placed in Jingzhou.

But with Jingzhou gone, only Yizhou remained.

Helpless, Zhuge Liang could only cross the towering mountains again and again, using the strength of one province to launch a northern expedition against the several provinces of Cao Wei.

Now.

Liu Yan occupied Yizhou.

Not to mention whether he had the strength to swallow the world.

As long as Zhang Lu, entrenched in Hanzhong, rebelled, it would likely be enough to keep Liu Yan in a state of utter chaos.

Moreover, Gu Yi knew that Liu Yan was already a frail old man at this time.

In another two or three years, he would pass away due to illness.

None of the sons he left behind, Liu Mao and Liu Zhang, could compare to Liu Yan.

Having finalized the plan.

Dong Zhuo immediately dispatched an envoy to Hanzhong, preparing to confer upon Zhang Lu the titles of Administrator of Hanzhong and Marquis of Baishui!

This Marquis of Baishui corresponded to Baishui Pass.

As the gateway between the Shu region and Hanzhong, Baishui Pass belonged to Shu Commandery.

And yet, Dong Zhuo conferred upon Zhang Lu, the Administrator of Hanzhong, the title of Marquis of Baishui; the implication contained within was self-evident.

However.

Because this attempt to win over Zhang Lu involved many matters.

It required an eloquent (and skilled at brainwashing) person to serve as the envoy.

Under Gu Yi's recommendation.

Jia Xu, who had been living a leisurely life of slacking off recently, was appointed as the envoy.

(Jia Xu: "Gu Yi, you did this on purpose, didn't you? I really want to thank you!")