Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 568 Trouble Begins with Xiao Qiang
"Ah!"

Cao Cao sneered and said, "Although Guan Yu is an arrogant and domineering man, he is not without strategy. He actually wants to force me to release Liu Bei by threatening to destroy everything!"

"I misjudged the situation, I hope the Prime Minister will forgive me!" Zhou Yu said with shame.

"nothing!"

Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Guan Yu's attempt to coerce our army is nothing more than relying on his own troops. If internal strife arises, his troops will collapse on their own, and he will not be able to threaten our army!"

Cao Cao was now relieved that he had adopted Liu Ye and Cheng Yu's strategy instead of solely relying on Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to surrender. After all, given Guan Yu's attitude, even if they submitted to him, they would still rebel later.

Thinking of the internal disintegration of Jingchu, Cao Cao said, "Send an urgent message to Jiang Gan, appointing Li Yan as Marquis of Luo County and Governor of Jiaozhou, with the title of General of Valiant Might."

"As ordered!"

Before the Guan Yu incident, Cao Cao, though wanting to win over Li Yan, wasn't very proactive, offering only the titles of Marquis of a Pavilion and Prefect of a Commandery. Now that Guan Yu wanted to force him into a fight to the death, Cao Cao decided to increase his leverage.

"Prime Minister, how should we respond to Guan Yu's request?" Lu Su asked.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "Tell Guan Yu first that I need a few days to think it over. I will tell Guan Yu later that I agree to let Liu Bei take back the two commanderies of Changsha and Guiyang, in order to wear down Guan Yu's spirit!"

"promise!"

He had already captured Changsha and Guiyang, and Cao Hong's troops had even entered Lingling. How could he possibly give up the prize that was already in his grasp just because Guan Yu threatened to perish with him? Therefore, Cao Cao would not agree to Guan Yu's demands unless it was absolutely necessary.

Not to mention that Cao Cao was trying to fool Guan Yu with talk of peace while sending Jiang Gan to Gong'an to persuade Li Yan to surrender.

At that time, Jiang Gan disguised himself as a merchant and traveled upstream for many days from Yiyang to Gong'an, where he visited Li Yan under the guise of a friend.

Public Security Bureau, Li Yanfu.

Li Yan sized up Jiang Gan, who looked like a merchant, and then said, "You are from Huai, and I am from Chu. We have never met before, so why are you talking about friends?"

"I'm sure you're a spy for Cao Cao's army. If you don't tell me your true purpose, don't blame me for having the jailers torture you!"

"Wait a minute!"

Seeing that Li Yan had seen through his identity right away, Jiang Gan quickly said, "To be honest, I am Jiang Gan, a clerk in the Prime Minister's office. I have important news to tell you, Military Advisor Li!"

"Jiang Gan?"

Li Yan softened his tone and questioned, "Cao Cao broke his promise, detained my lord, and seized my city. How dare you come here?"

Jiang Gan said, "The magistrate's wedding date has been set, and the wedding will take place soon. However, the counties of Jingchu are the land of the emperor, and now the prime minister has received an imperial edict to send his generals to take up their posts in Jingzhou."

"Your words can't even fool a three-year-old, yet you try to deceive me with such absurd words. Do you think I'm stupid?" Li Yan said sarcastically. "If that's all you have to say, then that's all I have to say!"

Seeing that Li Yan was not easy to deal with, Jiang Gan said, "To be honest, I have come here to offer you a fortune. Liu Bei is in Jinling and can hardly return west. Guan Yu is in Yiyang and is blocked by Zhou Yu. Now the Prime Minister himself has come to the scene and recently captured Changsha and Guiyang. You know all these things with your own eyes. So, what do you think about the future?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I have received great kindness from Liu Biao, and Guan Yu is like a brother to our lord. Both of us have the intention to save our lord."

Jiang Gan said, "Now that Jingchu is without a ruler, Guan Yu is acting arrogantly, and the strategist was humiliated by him before. If it is difficult for you to return west, won't Guan Yu take control of Jingchu? At that time, how will you, strategist, live with him?"

"If Your Excellency returns west to Gong'an, and the strategist previously recommended Prince Feng to succeed you, but Guan Yu rebuked him, how will Your Excellency treat the strategist?" Jiang Gan laughed. "I predict Your Excellency will doubt the strategist!" Upon hearing this, Li Yan's expression gradually turned serious. His previous recommendation of Liu Feng was essentially to avoid being affected by Liu Bei's imprisonment. Moreover, Liu Feng had a very good relationship with him; if Liu Feng could take the position, wouldn't his own status rise accordingly?

Looking back now, if Liu Bei had returned, Guan Yu would certainly have received much praise, but his position would likely have been shaken, or even that Liu Bei would have gradually neglected him.

Li Yan said calmly, "I am devoted to the public good, how could the magistrate doubt me for this? Besides, my relationship with the magistrate is very deep, unlike that of ordinary people."

"Everyone desires to do what is loyal and righteous. However, given the deep brotherly bond, Your Excellency will surely accept Guan Yu's opinion." Jiang Gan said, "The strategist has a clear conscience, but as far as Your Excellency is concerned, the strategist's decision to recommend Liu Feng for succession during a time of crisis is questionable!"

"The strategist is exceptionally talented and possesses the strategic vision of a national hero. Yet he suffers humiliation at the hands of a commoner, burdened by paperwork, unable to fully utilize his abilities. Isn't this a waste of his own potential?"

Li Yan remained silent for a long time before asking, "What is your intention, sir?"

"The world's situation is clearly divided: the north belongs to Tang, and the south to Han. Your Excellency is imprisoned in Jiangdong and will never be able to return to Gong'an. The situation in Jingchu is critical, and it will be annexed by the Prime Minister. Cao Cao has long admired you, strategist. Therefore, rather than suffer the humiliation at the hands of Guan Yu, you should serve the Prime Minister. You can then achieve merit and establish a career, and be ennobled and appointed as a general—it will be within your grasp!" Jiang Gan said.

Li Yan rose from the couch and said, "You have done me a great favor, how could I serve others!"

Seeing that Li Yan's resistance was weakening, Jiang Gan pressed his advantage, saying, "Now that you, my lord, are being held in Jiangdong by Cao Cao, we are using your lives to persuade you gentlemen to surrender. You gentlemen, considering your lord's life, have left the city to join Cao Cao. This is an act of loyalty and righteousness, so what's wrong with it?"

Jiang Gan persuaded him from two angles. First, he argued that with Liu Bei detained in Jiangdong by Cao Cao, Jingchu was leaderless and would inevitably be annexed. Furthermore, Li Yan had been loudly reprimanded by Guan Yu for recommending Liu Feng for the position. If Liu Bei were to return, Li Yan's position would be precarious, and he would gradually lose Liu Bei's trust.

Secondly, since Liu Bei was detained by Cao Cao, it was only natural for Li Yan to surrender to Cao Cao in order to save Liu Bei, and he should not be labeled as a traitor.

Jiang Gan observed Li Yan's expression and said, "If the strategist can submit to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister will appoint the strategist as the Marquis of Luo County, the Governor of Jiaozhou, and the General of Fenwei."

"If it is difficult for you to return to Gong'an, then why don't I surrender to Zhang Yu?" Li Yan asked after a long silence.

Jiang Gan waved his sleeve and laughed, saying, "Military Advisor, you are skilled in both civil and military affairs, and your governance is enlightened. You are a national hero. However, there are no fewer than a hundred people in China who can compare to you. I have heard that Pang Shiyuan of Nanjun has extraordinary talent, but he is only ordered to supervise the construction of ships. May I ask what position you could hold in China?"

"Therefore, the strategist's service to China is a waste of talent!"

Seeing Li Yan pondering in silence, Jiang Gan continued, "Considering the overall situation of the world, only Cao Cao can rival Zhang Yu!"

"Lord Cao, you bear the heavy responsibility of the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty, and your military strategy is no less than that of Han Xin and Bai Qi. Although we are now slightly weaker than the rest of China, we have strong naval forces, which are the foundation for defending against enemies north of the Yangtze River. Their cavalry, our naval forces—I hope you understand this!"

"Zhang Yu has declared himself emperor and is based in Chang'an. If we attack the southeast, Zhang Yu will not move, and the rest of the generals will not be in Cao Cao's hands. Moreover, with a military advisor to assist us, why should we worry about not being able to resist the Tang people?"

Jiang Gan said, "The Prime Minister appointed the Military Advisor as the Governor of Jiaozhou, which means he intends to use the Military Advisor to manage the Jiaoling region. If Governor Liu can use the Military Advisor, how could the Prime Minister not value the Military Advisor highly?"

"Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond" has always been Li Yan's motto. Now that the Jingchu Group has fallen, according to Jiang Gan, Li Yan's prospects in the southeast are definitely better than in the central plains. After all, China is full of talented people, and a group of people are waiting to rise to the top.

Of course, all of the above is based on the premise of a division between the North and South. If the Tang Dynasty had conquered the Southeast, none of this would have been possible!
Li Yan said, "What you say makes sense, sir, but this matter is of utmost importance. Please allow me to think it over carefully."

"promise!"

Jiang Gan knew when to stop, lest he make a fool of himself.

Li Yan pondered until late at night, then invited Jiang Gan to discuss the matter again. Jiang Gan seized upon the conflict between Li Yan and Guan Yu, and again urged Li Yan to surrender. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Li Yan ultimately chose to surrender to Cao Cao!

(End of this chapter)