I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 931: Rebellion in Yizhou

The first month of the third year of Kaiyuan.

In Mianzhu, the capital of Yizhou, there is no New Year atmosphere at all and everyone is on edge.

The news that the imperial army had raided Yangping Pass was like a dark cloud covering the sky, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

Soldiers in Yizhou were frequently mobilized, messengers were coming and going constantly, and soldiers from various counties and barbarian warriors were mobilizing rapidly.

However, what they didn't expect was
"Zhang Lu is dead?!"

"So fast? How is this possible?!"

In the governor's mansion, when Liu Yan was discussing countermeasures with his advisers, the urgent report from the scout shocked everyone.

"We will conquer Hanzhong within a few days?"

"Could it be that General Su Yao has come in person?"

Zhang Su's face turned pale, and he shuddered at the thought of the various rumors about General Su Yao.

"Nonsense!"

Liu Yan slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding:
"Hanzhong is a strong city with deep moats. Zhang Lu has tens of thousands of soldiers. There are both dangerous passes and difficult mountain roads. Even if General Su Yao came in person, he would not be so vulnerable!"

The scout knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Your Excellency, please be wise. According to the defeated soldiers, the four armies of the imperial court have been dispatched at the same time, and there are also internal forces who have surrendered. Lu Bu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and many other generals have surrounded them. Master Zhang and Zhang Lu are simply unable to resist!"

"What? Four armies?!"

Liu Yan hurriedly snatched the battle report and looked at it nervously.

Liu Yan unfolded the battle report, his fingers trembling. It detailed the marching routes of the four armies of the imperial court:
Ma Chao marched south from Wudu to take Yangping Pass, Lu Bu divided his troops into two groups and crossed the Qinling Mountains, while Zhang Fei advanced westward along the Han River. What was even more terrifying was that the end of the battle report mentioned that it was rumored that "the general personally led the central army and may have passed Chencang!"

"Su Su Yao came in person?!" Liu Yan's voice trembled, and the bamboo slips fell to the ground with a click.

At this point, how could Liu Yan not know that the delaying tactic of sending envoys before was completely useless, and the Nationalist General Su Yao had already made up his mind to deal with him.

Otherwise, how could such a large army be mobilized so quickly?
For a time, this news made everyone in the hall panic.

The counselor Wu Yi hurriedly suggested: "Sir, now that Hanzhong has been lost, our army should immediately strengthen the defense of Baishui, Jiameng and Jianmen Pass, and never let the imperial army march straight in!"

The natural defenses of Yizhou depend entirely on the surrounding mountains.

In addition to Jiangguan in the Three Gorges in the east, there are four passes, namely Baishui, Yangping, Jiameng and Jianmen, on the Jinniu Ancient Road in the mountains of northern Sichuan.

These four passes are the biggest barriers in Shu. Once they are breached by the army, they will no longer have the chance to resist the northern cavalry in the flat basin.

Liu Yan was a mature and wise man who naturally understood the pros and cons of the situation. He immediately gave orders, ordering all the reserve troops to rush to the front line to strengthen the defense.

However, Liu Yan's stubborn attitude made Liu Fan so anxious that he stamped his feet and cried:

"Father! Now that things have come to this, why are you still so stubborn?"

"Men like Dong Zhuo, Liu Yu and the Yuan family are no match for the general."

"How can Yizhou, a small province with a weak population, fight against the whole world?"

"The best plan for now is to submit a petition to apologize as soon as possible, otherwise the imperial army will be unstoppable and it will be too late to regret when they are at the gates of the city!"

"Shut up!" Liu Yan was so angry that he drew his sword and pointed it at his son. "Rebellious son! You have been disrupting the morale of our army since you came back from Luoyang. Could it be that you have been bribed by that thief Su?!"

Everyone in the hall tried to dissuade them in a hurry. Zhang Su even rushed forward and hugged Liu Yan's arm: "Please calm down, sir! The eldest son is also very filial!"

Liu Fan knelt on the ground and cried, "I have personally witnessed the might of the Luoyang army. The Divine Arm Crossbow has a range of 300 steps, and the Thunderbolt Chariot destroyed the city like dust. What's even more terrifying is that Su Yao can lead the thunder to destroy the city. The gate of Shouchun was shattered with one blow! Father, we can't hold it!" "You are misleading the people with your lies!" Liu Yan kicked his son over and shouted to his left and right, "Lock up this rebellious son! Send an order to the three armies, anyone who dares to talk about surrender will be killed immediately!"

Liu Yan's attitude is extremely firm. Where does such confidence come from?

Because Liu Yan firmly believed in the will of heaven, he believed the rumors that there was an emperor in Yizhou.

In his opinion, the current predicament was a sign that God would give a man a great responsibility, and the man surnamed Su came at the right time to help him accomplish his great cause.

In this battle, he, who is blessed with great destiny, will surely achieve a resounding victory.

Our ancestor Guangwu was able to save the situation when a meteorite fell from the sky and instantly destroyed Wang Mang’s million-strong army, thus turning the tide.

Now that Liu Yan carries the "Aura of the Emperor of Yizhou", how could he be defeated by Su Yao?
"Su Yao, you bastard, dare to violate the natural defenses of Yizhou. I will use the fire of heaven to burn you, the rat!"

However, compared to Liu Yan, whose eyes turned red in despair, the others were not so fanatical.

That night, there was an undercurrent in Mianzhu City.

No, it can't even be called an undercurrent, it's almost an obvious connection.

First of all, the prison, which should have been quiet and gloomy, was brightly lit and full of people.

One after another, local officials from Yizhou came to visit the eldest son Liu Fan who was imprisoned there. The prison warden not only pretended to be deaf and dumb, but also kindly served hot tea to these visitors.

The jailer stroked the heavy gold cake in his sleeve, looked at Liu Fan talking in a low voice with the officials, and sneered in his heart.

What is the general trend? What is the popular support?

Even a small person like him can see it clearly, but some adults are still dreaming.

In prison, those shrewd visitors were planning their future affairs and thinking about changing their jobs.

In the governor's mansion, Zhang Su was also making preparations just in case.

He brought in the military commander Zhao Wei for an urgent secret meeting:
"Brother Zhao, Envoy Liu insisted on disobeying orders. We will..."

Zhao Wei pressed his hands and took a deep breath: "Liu Yan is old and confused, but we must not be buried with him alone. I have secretly contacted Yan Yan, the lieutenant of Ba County, and we will open the city and surrender as soon as the imperial army arrives."

Zhang Su was delighted when he heard this: "Captain Yan is a powerful man in Ba County. If we can get his help, great things can be accomplished!"

Zhao Wei pondered and said, "But Ba County is still far away from the core of Shu. If we can capture Baishui and Jiameng, the imperial army will be able to march straight to Mianzhu, and the people of Yizhou will suffer less."

Zhang Su nodded, then smiled bitterly: "These two passes are the lifeline of Yizhou, and the guards are all your trusted confidants. How easy is it to take them down?"

In the next few days, they were helpless in the situation. Liu Yan stepped up preparations for war while sending envoys to contact the various tribes of the Southern Barbarians, promising a large sum of money for help.

However, they did not expect that the speed at which the imperial army advanced was far beyond their expectations.

Zhang Fei on the Micang Road had just left the valley when Jiameng Pass on the Jinniu Road had already been conquered by Lu Bu.

"what happened?!"

"Doesn't Yang Huai have nearly 20,000 guards?!"

"How come it was broken so quickly again?!"

Upon hearing the bad news, Liu Yan's hands finally couldn't help but start shaking.

(End of this chapter)