I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 11 Secret Order

The first court meeting after Liu Shan ascended the throne ended in a victory for the Dongzhou faction.

Li Yan not only thwarted Zhuge Liang's ambition to monopolize military power in Yizhou, but also effortlessly helped the newly enthroned Liu Shan resolve the rebellion, allowing the Dongzhou faction to gain the upper hand over the Jingzhou faction in front of the new emperor.

"Haha, I originally thought His Majesty would favor Zhuge Liang, but I didn't expect him to reject his petition in public. It seems that Zhuge Liang is not that important to His Majesty."

After the court session ended, Li Yan invited his close ministers to his residence to discuss matters.

"The Grand Commandant is both the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor by the late emperor. He is on equal footing with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, so His Majesty naturally trusts him greatly."

"To quell the rebellion in the south without losing a single soldier, Du Jun is truly a divine being."

"Prime Minister Zhuge is known as the 'Sleeping Dragon,' and his wisdom and strategy are unparalleled, but even he cannot match the foundation and prestige of the General in Yizhou."

"Even His Majesty knows that the Han Dynasty is currently weak and needs to recuperate. Yet Prime Minister Zhuge still proposed to send troops. This is a foolish move."

"It seems that Prime Minister Zhuge has become a power-hungry minister."

Li Yan was very pleased with the flattery from his ministers, and he picked up his teacup and drank with them.

"But then again, why did the commander entrust Zhang Yi with the important task of serving as the governor of Yizhou?"

Zhang Yi was a native of Yizhou, and it was he who persuaded Liu Zhang to surrender.

"I chose Zhang Yi for two reasons."

"Firstly, Zhang Yi was from Yizhou. He once served as the Prefect of Ba Commandery and the General of the Treasury, in charge of agriculture and familiar with internal affairs. He had also led troops and was skilled in both literature and martial arts. He would surely be able to restrain Yong Kai."

"Secondly, although I was appointed by the late emperor as a minister to entrust the care of the young emperor, I have neither military power nor the authority to establish my own government or discuss matters with the three officials. How can I be considered an equal to Zhuge Liang?"

"By winning over Zhang Yi, we are actually uniting with the powerful families of Yizhou to gain a foothold in the imperial court."

Among the three factions in Shu Han, the Dongzhou faction was not weak, possessing both literary and military talents and a wealth of capable individuals.

When Fazheng was still alive, the Dongzhou faction was highly regarded by Liu Bei.

However, the Dongzhou faction had a fatal weakness: they were outsiders, neither Liu Bei's confidants nor founding members who held real power, nor did they have the deep roots of the Yizhou faction in the local area.

Once trust is lost, it is very difficult to recover.

Therefore, Li Yan thought of winning over the local gentry of Yizhou to counter the Jingzhou faction led by Zhuge Liang.

"I think His Majesty is intentionally suppressing Prime Minister Zhuge Liang in order to achieve the goal of balancing the court," Wang Lian said, stroking his beard. "Sun Quan was only eighteen years old when he took control of Jiangdong."

Li Yan shook his head after hearing this.

Liu Shan was just a seventeen-year-old boy who had studied under Yin Mo for two years. How could he possibly understand the art of checks and balances for an emperor?

"Sun Quan was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official at the age of fifteen and served as the magistrate of Yangxian County. Later, he was recommended as an outstanding talent and served as the acting Commandant of Fengyi. At the age of seventeen, he followed Sun Ce to fight against Liu Xun and Huang Zu. He was exceptionally intelligent and brave, and no ordinary person could compare to him."

Li Yan did not intend to belittle Liu Shan; it was simply that Sun Quan's resume was too outstanding.

He shattered Cao Cao's dream of unifying the world with the Battle of Red Cliffs right from the start.

At the peak, another Battle of Yiling was fought, Jingzhou was recovered, and Jiangdong was dominated.

Among the second generation of the three families of Wei, Shu, and Wu, he was the youngest to inherit the family business and begin to distinguish himself.

The group was having a pleasant conversation when a servant came to report.

"A report is hereby issued to the Capital Garrison Commander Zhang Yi, the General of the Treasury, who requests an audience."

Zhang Yi's visit surprised Li Yan.

"Please come immediately!"

Wang Lian smiled and said, "Zhang Yi has come here to express his gratitude to the Capital Army for their support."

Li Yan needs the support of the Yizhou faction, and the Yizhou faction also needs Li Yan's help.

Only by reaching a cooperation agreement can the two sides have the power to rival Zhuge Liang in Yizhou.

Zhang Yi strode into the main hall through the central gate and bowed to Li Yan.

"Zhang Yi paid his respects to the military commander."

"My residence is not the imperial court. Your Highness, there is no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."

With a smile on his face, Li Yan had someone lead Zhang Yi to a seat on the right.

"During the period of national mourning, it is inappropriate to drink alcohol. I will offer tea in lieu of wine to honor the descendants of the emperor."

"Thank you, General Xie."

After a cup of tea, Li Yan asked Zhang Yi the purpose of his visit.

He originally thought Zhang Yi had come to express his gratitude, and he had already prepared a persona of "knowing people and making good use of them".

"Commander, Yong Kai has rebelled, and the situation in the south is dire. Various forces are intertwined, and we must stabilize the situation as soon as possible."

"Zhang Yi has come here to ask the commander to immediately write a letter to Yong Kai. I will take this letter with me and go directly to Yizhou to take up my post. I will reason with him and use both kindness and force to persuade him to surrender."

"The situation is urgent, and I apologize for the inconvenience caused. I hope you will forgive me, Commander."

Li Yan waved his hand and said, "It's all for the sake of the Han Dynasty and its people. The General of the Central Army is dedicated to his duties and is truly admirable."

Although Li Yan remained outwardly calm as he changed his title from "Successor of the Emperor" to "General of the Central Army," the change in address revealed his displeasure.

I recommended you for the position of prefect, and you didn't even offer a word of gratitude or politeness. You are so inconsiderate.

Despite his displeasure, Li Yan still ordered someone to prepare pen and ink, and wrote six letters in one go, handing them to Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi accepted it with both hands and bowed to Li Yan.

"Thank you, Commander. Time is of the essence. Zhang Yi should immediately go back and pack his belongings. We will depart for Yizhou County tomorrow to assume our new post."

Then he bowed to the crowd and left Li Yan's residence.

"He is a capable minister."

After seeing Zhang Yi off, Li Yan sighed, "With Zhang Yi here, what worries do we have about the injustices in the south?"

Wang Lian stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "If we can pacify the south without bloodshed this time, Zhang Yi will be indispensable. But I am worried that Yong Kai is usually domineering and will ignore your advice and act willfully. If he does so, Zhang Yi's mission will be in danger."

Li Yan sneered.

He once led only 5,000 soldiers from his own county to quell internal rebellions on several occasions.

They also defeated Gao Ding, the Yi chieftain of Yuexi County, and relieved Xindao County.

In his view, Yong Kai only dared to challenge the imperial court because he relied on Gao Ding and other former defeated generals.

If Yong Kai dares to ignore his advice, he will definitely lead his troops to quell the rebellion himself.

At that time, with military power and merits in hand, he can naturally return to Chengdu, the political center, and put his abilities to use.

Inside the Chengdu Imperial Palace, two officials dressed in military attire sneaked into the emperor's study in the dead of night.

"Chen Hu (Zheng Chuo) pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Liu Shan was handling official business when he suddenly heard that Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo had arrived, and he stopped writing.

"Please rise, generals, and take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After taking his seat, Liu Shan smiled and stood up to approach the two men. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said solemnly, "Liu Shan was able to ascend the throne entirely thanks to the two generals' clever capture of Huang Yuan. Please accept Liu Shan's bow."

The emperor lowered himself to bow, and Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo were flattered and hurriedly jumped up and knelt down.

"Your Majesty's strategy in capturing Huang Yuan alive was crucial. We dare not claim credit for it. How could we possibly deserve Your Majesty's condescension?"

"Get up, get up."

Liu Shan helped the two up, then returned to his seat, and the three of them sat down again.

"Today, as I ascend the throne, all the generals have received rewards, except for two generals. Do you know why?"

The two looked at each other, both puzzled.

Logically, since they captured the rebels, the emperor should reward them for their merits.

Even if they cannot be promoted or given a higher rank, they should still be rewarded with gold and silver.

But the two of them didn't get a single penny.

"It is our duty as subjects to relieve Your Majesty's worries and difficulties. Even without any reward, we should fight bravely to repay the country's kindness."

Chen Hu was the first to react, and spoke with righteous indignation.

Zheng Chuo, who was not good with words, nodded in agreement without hesitation.

"General Chen is right."

Liu Shan could tell that the two men were not acting against their conscience, and said, "I am not neglecting the two generals, but I have an important matter to entrust to you. After the matter is accomplished, you will be rewarded together."

"Please give the order, Your Majesty, and we will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"The two generals must be quite familiar with the soldiers of the Imperial Guard since they captured Huang Yuan alive this time."

Chen Hu and Zheng Chuo did not understand his meaning, but they were both military commanders, and generals knew their troops inside and out.

"I know all the officials well, and I can call all the soldiers by name," Chen Hu said confidently.

"Very well, now I bestow upon the two generals golden orders to select eight hundred elite troops from the Imperial Guard camp, and then to carry out an important mission under the command of Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yun."

"The two generals must remember this."

"We must act secretly and follow the plan."