Chapter 3: Forced Rebellion

  Late at night, Huang Quan rushed to the provincial governor's mansion in a state of dishevelment. He had just arrived in Chengdu and Liu Zhang had not assigned him an official residence. Since news of his falling out with Zhao Zhi had spread, no inn dared to take them in. It wasn't until very late that Huang Quan finally settled down at the home of a merchant relative.

  "Huang Quan pays his respects to your lordship." Huang Quan bowed to Liu Zhang.

  Liu Zhang waved his hand and stood up, saying: "No need to be polite, Gong Heng. I know you are loyal and righteous, but there are evil people around me, so I have summoned you to Chengdu with an important task. If you find it difficult or are afraid, I won't force you, and will let you return to Langzhong."

  Huang Quan was slightly surprised by Liu Zhang's straightforwardness, but in fact he had already guessed some clues this time. Today, Liu Zhang publicly detained Zhao Zhi, which is equivalent to tearing his face with Zhao Wei. At this time, inviting himself into the mansion was naturally to deal with Zhao Wei. As one of the two major ministers who held heavy troops, it was certainly full of danger to deal with him, and a slight mistake would lead to death and extinction.

  But Huang Quan, having heard Liu Zhang's words, did not retreat. Instead, his heart grew hot and he took a step forward: "Huang Quan is willing to serve the lord, to rush into boiling water or walk through fire, without hesitation."

  "Good." Liu Zhang said loudly: "With the help of Gong Heng, major events can be settled. I will inform Gong Heng of my plan now. Zhao Wei has been cultivating his own party, abusing power and plotting evil deeds, and the evidence is solid. My only concern is that Zhao Wei holds a strong military force, and Chengdu, which was developed by my father over many years, is temporarily out of reach of Zhao Wei's grasp."

  However, Zhao Wei controlled most of the southern part of Yizhou, with more than 50,000 troops and countless followers. Recently, Zhao Wei began to deploy his trusted personnel in Fucheng, apparently intending to use Fucheng as a springboard to slowly infiltrate Chengdu.

  Northern Brazil's governor, Pang Xi, and Zhao Wei were both appointed as assistant ministers by the former emperor, but the current official doesn't trust him. Zhao Wei monopolizes power, while Pang Xi turns a blind eye, clearly wanting to sit back and watch the battle between tigers, like a wall grass that bends with the wind. Therefore, the top priority now is to grasp military power.

  I have already imagined the worst outcome, that Zhao Wei will gather his party members and lead a large army to openly rebel. At that time, the 10,000 soldiers in Chengdu will be unable to withstand them, so I want to send you to Guanghan to integrate the troops from Dongzhou. The troops from Dongzhou are the elite of the three auxiliary refugees who were taken in by my late father, they are brave and strong but also unruly and difficult to control. You have limited experience, so you must use both kindness and severity, the treasury and grain stores can be used at your discretion, and the appointment and dismissal of officials below the rank of commander will be up to you. Do you have confidence?

  Huang Quan was shocked in his heart. It is said that Liu Zhang, the governor of Yi Province, is weak and incompetent, but today he saw him, and it turned out to be so decisive and ruthless. Since my lord has such courage, as a minister, why should I not sacrifice myself? Huang Quan said with a sigh: "Please rest assured, Lord, Huang Quan will never betray your trust."

  "Alright, you set off immediately, the sooner the Eastern State's troops are integrated, the better."

  "Yes."

  After Huang Quan left, Wang Lü anxiously said to Liu Zhang: "My lord, I still think our plan is too risky. Not to mention whether Huang Gong can integrate the Eastern State army, but my lord going to Fu City in person isn't putting yourself in danger?"

  Liu Zhang said in a cold voice, "Wang Lei, you have advised many times before. As a civil official, being cautious and prudent is your strong point, but it cannot be applied to military affairs. Zhao Wei is getting more and more powerful day by day, while the current official is like a fish in a winter pond, with the water getting shallower and shallower, and will eventually be squeezed out of any living space by Zhao Wei. Therefore, the sooner Zhao Wei rebels, the better."

  But now is not the best time for Zhao Wei to rebel, this official still controls more than 20,000 troops and firmly grasps the Chengdu area. Zhao Wei must still want to hide his light and accumulate strength. He doesn't rebel, we force him to rebel. Isn't he stretching out his hand to touch Fucheng? I'll go and pull out his fingernails. If he still doesn't rebel, I'll cut off his grain supplies.

  Liu Yan was right about at least one thing, the grain and fodder for all troops were uniformly supplied by Chengdu, so the lifeline of Zhao Wei's 50,000-strong army was in Liu Zhang's hands, which is also why Zhao Wei dared not rebel.

  Jiangzhou, Zhao Wei slammed a sheepskin scroll on the table, furious, "How dare he! I'm fighting at the front, while Liu Zhang is detaining my brother in the back and asking me to return to Chengdu to report for duty. Clearly, he's up to no good."

  Bao Le Dao said: "That's right, General. You absolutely cannot go to Chengdu. Liu Zhang is wary of you and wants to take action against you."

  Zhang Wei angrily said: "But since the day before yesterday, Liu Zhang's men have cut off our army's grain supply. Now our army's grain is not enough for half a month's use. If I don't return to Chengdu, won't tens of thousands of troops starve to death? What's strange is that Liu Zhang has always been weak and timid, how can he suddenly attack his own general?"

  Another one said to Li Yi: "Liu Zhang is too deceitful, General. Why don't we just rebel?"

  Zhao Yun waved his hand and said: "Everything is not ready, the grain and grass have no continuation, what can we use to fight back? The attitude of the governor of Bashan, Pang Xi, is unclear. He has 20,000 troops under him. If he stands on Liu Zhang's side, it will be difficult to predict victory or defeat."

  "Can't we just wait for him to die?" Pang Le asked urgently.

  Li Yi suddenly smiled slyly and said: "General, I have an idea, with multiple measures in place, we can ensure complete safety."

  "Oh, tell us about it." Zhao Wei and Pang Le both pricked up their ears to listen.

  "General, if we were to rebel against Liu Zhang now, our army has the upper hand and Chengdu would not be able to withstand our forces. The only concerns are three: Firstly, the governor of Baxi, Pang Xi, holds a position similar to yours and has 20,000 elite soldiers under his command, whose actions can be crucial. However, Pang Xi is a man who often takes sides with the winner for personal gain. If we were to rebel, he would likely think of helping the victor to maximize his benefits. Therefore, if we persuade him, he will definitely hold back his troops."

  Zhao Wei nodded in agreement, thinking deeply about the situation with Pang Xi. He signaled to Li Yi to continue, and Li Yi went on: "The second concern is the issue of food and fodder. Food and fodder are the foundation of an army, and Liu Zhang thinks that by controlling the food and fodder in Chengdu, he can control our army's lifeline. However, this is not the case. The officials who have surrendered to General Pang are scattered throughout southern Yi Province, where there are many wealthy landowners. As long as the general gives the order, we will have an endless supply of money and food, at least enough to support us until we defeat Liu Zhang."

  Thirdly, external problems. If we send troops to Chengdu, it is likely that Jingzhou will intervene, and the five streams of barbarians are also eyeing the southern part of Yizhou. These two forces may attack our rear when our army goes out, which is a concern. However, Liu Zhang had previously been at odds with Jingzhou. As long as the general writes a letter, Liu Biao will know the severity and be more likely to support the general's takeover of Yizhou. The five streams barbarians are even more short-sighted, and as long as the general promises them wealth and silk, they can ensure that Jiangzhou is not a concern.

  "With these three concerns resolved, General's occupation of Yizhou is almost a foregone conclusion."

  Li You spoke eloquently, and Zhao Yun nodded repeatedly, saying loudly: "Zheng Tai is indeed my Zhang Liang. When I capture Yizhou, you and Pang Tong will both be promoted to Zhonglang General."

  "Thank you, sir." Li Yi and Pang Le knelt down together, victory seemed to be in sight, the two had changed their way of addressing each other.

  Chengdu Governor Liu Zhang gathered his civil and military officials to discuss the matter, looking around at everyone. He spoke calmly: "I invited Zhao Wei to enter Chengdu, but he has been slow to arrive. What do you think is on his mind?"

  In the hall, many civil and military officials were discussing and debating. Chengdu County Magistrate Yu An stepped forward and said: "Your Excellency, as the saying goes, 'when a general is outside, there are orders that cannot be accepted.' General Zhao has not entered the city to report back, it's likely that the war situation is urgent, or perhaps he is unwell, but for now, nothing can be known."

  Liu Zhang sneered inwardly, Zhao Wei indeed claimed to be ill and did not attend court. I didn't even mention you, but you knew it, and secretly remembered the name Yu An in his heart. He also said: "This official also thinks that General Zhao has made great contributions with hard work. Since General Zhao is unwell and cannot travel far, this official will personally go to Fu City to welcome him. What do you think?"

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