Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 220 The Xuanwu Gate Incident Belonging to Li Yan
Guan Xing, Zhao Guang, Mi Wei, Chen Hu, and other generals protected the emperor from behind, and intentionally or unintentionally, together with a group of powerful and brave soldiers, they completely blocked Li Yan's way back to Xuanwu Gate in Jiangzhou.

Li Yan's entourage, along with his personal guards, were now completely blocked by the Dragon and Tiger Warriors, preventing them from contacting Li Yan.

Li Yan looked around and saw that he was surrounded. There was no way to go except to the West Han River Wharf.

By now, he understood perfectly well that this emperor, whose prestige had soared after the great victory of the Northern Expedition, had come to demand an explanation.

Then she looked at her eldest son.

But when their eyes met, Hao Da'er looked away and hurriedly lowered his head. His face was still ashen, just like when they first met.

Thinking of the letters he had exchanged with his eldest son over the past few months, and the fact that his eldest son had not replied to a single letter for months.

For a moment, he was unsure whether the emperor had coerced or lured his eldest son into leaving the city, or whether his eldest son had voluntarily pledged allegiance to the emperor and was preparing to sacrifice his own family for the greater good.

A cool river breeze blows.

Although it was already late autumn and the sweltering heat had subsided, the governor of Jiangzhou was still sweating profusely, feeling as if he were being pricked by needles.

However, it's not just about heat.

At least his heart is now ice-cold.

"Your Majesty, the southern city of Jiangzhou was built by me, and its defenses were constructed by me. It is as solid as a rock. Even if a million Wu bandits suddenly attack, they can be blocked and repelled by Your Majesty."

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have not made any tours or enjoyed any sights. Today, since we have the opportunity, why not appoint me as Your Majesty's guide and accompany Your Majesty on a boat trip around Jiangzhou?"

"I want this old minister to know whether the Tongguan Pass of the pseudo-Wei is more fortified, which is said to be a natural barrier, or whether my Jiangzhou is better protected by mountains and rivers."

Li Yan forced a smile, raised his voice to volunteer, and his tone revealed an eagerness and unbridled joy.

Those who were kept at a distance by the imperial guards and could not see Li Yan's expression did not find this strange. They only thought that their former general seemed to be in a very good mood today, having seen his eldest son and then the emperor.

Seeing that Li Yan had saved face for him, Liu Shan laughed and nodded, "Very good, very good. I find this Jiangzhou city quite magnificent, and I was just thinking of taking a tour of the surrounding area."

He immediately stepped forward and took Li Yan's hand, and the scene suddenly became tender and affectionate:

"Since I ascended the throne, Minister Li has served the country by guarding the border in Yong'an for four years and then by building defenses in Jiangzhou for two years. As I was young and confined to the inner palace, I was unable to meet Minister Li even once."

"Today I finally meet you, but you look so much more haggard than when the late emperor entrusted you with his care. Your hair and beard are all gray."

Speaking of this place, Liu Shan immediately pointed towards the large city of Jiangzhou:

"This impregnable city was built in just two years, which shows that Minister Li has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the country."

"If it weren't for Minister Li's efforts in ensuring that the soldiers on the front lines in Jiangzhou had sufficient troops and food, and that the supply lines were never cut off, I would not be where I am today, and the country would not be where it is today."

"The achievement of taking Guanzhong and returning the old capital could not have been accomplished without Your Majesty's personal expedition. Your humble servant Yan only contributed a small amount of effort and dared not claim credit for it. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's high praise."

Li Yan's military advisor Hu Zhong, military supervisor Cheng Fan, and others could not see what was happening ahead, but upon hearing of such a harmonious scene between the emperor and his ministers, they all became excited after exchanging glances.

If we were to ask who was the most frustrated during this Northern Expedition, it would undoubtedly be the more than 20,000 soldiers under Li Yan who were stationed in the counties surrounding Jiangzhou.

They watched helplessly as their peers were ennobled for their merits, bringing glory to their ancestors and receiving special treatment and generous rewards from the emperor, while they could neither fight nor fight, and received nothing but a few appeasement-style rewards.

Regardless of whether they usually have the determination and will to fight for their country.

After seeing others rise rapidly in rank due to their military achievements in the Northern Expedition, many of Li Yan's generals and officers, whether or not they were his confidants, felt the same way as Li Yan: that they were not being given the opportunity to shine and that the court was treating them unfairly.

They felt wronged.

The soldiers of Jiangzhou were indignant and developed resentment towards the imperial court. The instigation by Li Yan, the governor of Jiangzhou, and his leading role in criticizing and slandering the court played an indispensable role.

But now that the emperor himself has arrived in Jiangzhou and is getting along well with Governor Li Yan, his followers suddenly forget their previous dissatisfaction and criticisms of the court.

Before long, all the prominent generals and officers in Jiangzhou City learned of the Emperor's sudden arrival in Jiangzhou. They hurriedly put aside their duties and rushed to the city gates to meet him.

However, when they arrived outside the city, they saw the man in ordinary clothes who appeared to be the emperor walking hand in hand with the minister who had been entrusted with the care of the young emperor along with the prime minister, slowly making their way to the dock.

The officers who arrived later, unaware of what had happened between the emperor and their commanders, all wanted to step forward to see the emperor, claiming they wanted to go to the emperor's side and speak up for their commanders in person.

General Guan Xing, leading dozens of Tiger-Ben Guards, blocked the generals' path, preventing them from advancing.

"I want to see His Majesty!"

"We all want to see His Majesty!"

"Don't block our way, let us pass!"

"When your grandpa was fighting for the late emperor, you brat were still drinking milk. What are you so proud of?!"

The generals were in an uproar.

Some people even dared to shove the Tiger Warrior.

"How dare you be so disrespectful! The Tiger Guards are the Emperor's personal guards, representing the majesty of the Imperial Family. Your disrespect towards the Tiger Guards is disrespect towards the Imperial Family. Do you wish to have your entire clan exterminated?!"

Cen Shu, the Salt Commissioner in charge of the salt production in the Sanba region, stepped forward and berated the generals.

Although his official post was in Jiangzhou, he was not part of Li Yan's faction, but was directly under the central government, just like the officials in charge of brocade, iron, and copper.

At this moment, Li Yan's halberds, drums, and guards recounted the conversation between the emperor and Li Yan to the generals.

All the generals were stunned.

"His Majesty still remembers Lord Jun."

"Indeed, Your Excellency, you and Prime Minister Zhuge were both entrusted with important ministers by the late Emperor. Now that Prime Minister Zhuge is stationed in Guanzhong and has left affairs in Shu to be handled, can't we only entrust them to Your Excellency?"

"That makes sense...that makes sense!"

The generals suddenly became somewhat excited.

"But... didn't you keep complaining before that Prime Minister Zhuge was wielding too much power, causing His Majesty to neglect him? How come His Majesty and you are so close now?"

The air suddenly became quiet.

Many people finally realized what was going on after hearing this.

"Could it be... that His Majesty is using a trick to deceive us?"

Do you know Han Xin?

"Who doesn't know? What's wrong?"

"Do you know about Yunmengyou?"

"What cloud dream tour?" someone asked in confusion.

The man scoffed and replied, "Hmph, back then Han Xin was the King of Chu of Han, and Liu Bang pretended to travel to Yunmeng and met with the princes in Chen County."

"Who knew that as soon as Han Xin boarded the imperial boat, he saw spears and halberds lined both banks, and the gleam of armor reached the sky. This was no place for a reunion; it was clearly a trap to ensnare a tiger!"

"You mean, His Majesty is Liu Bang, and you, my lord, are Han Xin?"

"So...this West Han River and the Yangtze River before us is the Yunmeng Marshland?"

"What if, once you, my lord, board His Majesty's pirate ship, his elite troops swarm in and capture you, taking you to Chengdu to be placed under house arrest?!"

"If they catch them again, kill them in Changxin Palace?!"

"Huh?!" Everyone was finally taken aback upon hearing this.

“You scoundrel! Your Excellency has done us a great favor. We have not yet repaid this favor. How can we sit idly by and watch Your Excellency be captured by the Emperor and taken to Chengdu like Han Xin?!”

"If you dare do that, I'll rebel..."

"Hush...Are you all stupid dogs? His Majesty's personal expedition is precisely to reclaim the power that belongs to him from Zhuge Liang. Now that Zhuge Liang is far away in Guanzhong, it is the time to rely on you, my lord, who is also a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, to counter him!"

The generals under Li Yan were immediately puzzled and looked at each other in confusion.

They then began whispering among themselves.

Time passed by breath by breath.

The generals became more and more excited as they spoke, and the more they thought their words made sense. They believed that their day of advancement was just around the corner.

"His Majesty's visit here must be for an eastern expedition. Isn't this giving us an opportunity to make a name for ourselves?"

"Indeed, we missed the Northern Expedition; we cannot afford to miss the Eastern Expedition!"

The emperor boarded the boat.

Li Yan followed.

The boats and ships left the dock.

Heading east along the Xihan River.

The distance of several miles was covered in an instant, and the boat entered the great river.

After that, the boats headed west and went up the Yangtze River.

On the city wall of Jiangzhou, Li Yan's generals had just breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this scene, and their hearts suddenly jumped into their throats again.

Once the boats enter the great river and travel upstream, they will be on their way back to Chengdu.

"Quickly...prepare the boat!"

"Bring out the Long Whale!"

"You dogs, do you want to die?!" General Wang Chong was shocked to see the Changjing ship being launched.

The group numbered in the hundreds, and included all sorts of people; not everyone had received Li Yan's favor.

Some people supported Li Yan because they felt indebted to him, while others opposed him out of resentment.

Wang Lei's son, Wang Chong, was an opponent.

Liu Zhang invited the late emperor to enter Shu to attack Zhang Lu. Wang Lei, an official of Yizhou, hung upside down on the city gate and advised Liu Zhang that he should not let the wolf into the house. Liu Zhang did not listen, so Wang Lei committed suicide at the city gate to remonstrate with his death.

Unlike Wang Lei, who died remonstrating against the government, Li Yan took the initiative to open the city gates and surrender. For this reason, he extremely disliked Wang Lei's son and repeatedly made things difficult for him.

The Long Whale and more than ten warships set sail.

Unable to stop it, Wang Chong hurriedly summoned Cen Shu.

"Oh no! Quick... quick, prepare the boat!" Cen Shu was also shocked when he saw this.

Before long, more than ten warships set sail from the dock.

...

The Great River.

The fleet is sailing upstream.

On a three-story ship.

Liu Shan and Li Yan were talking and laughing, but when they received news that a fleet of ships had set sail from Jiangzhou Wharf, they finally composed themselves.

After half an hour of wasted time, all the tender and affectionate moments had come to an end.

"Li Qing, do you know your crime?" Liu Shan suddenly changed the subject, asking calmly and gently.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows your crime." Li Yan stopped being stubborn and left his seat. He walked slowly to the emperor's desk, knelt down, and prostrated himself.

A strange light flashed in Liu Shan's eyes. He hadn't expected Li Yan to be so sensible.

I thought Li Yan would only confess when Meng Guang brought out the letter Li Yan wrote to Li Feng and confronted him.

But Meng Guang clearly had no intention of letting Li Yan off the hook, and launched into a tirade of abuse:
"Li Zhengfang!"

"You have been entrusted with the heavy responsibility by the late emperor and received his dying wish. How dare you harbor any rebellious ambitions of holding military power and becoming powerful yourself?!"
"How can I face the late emperor in the afterlife?!"

"How can we face the world in the annals of history?!"

"If it weren't for His Majesty's extraordinary talent, divine wisdom, and ability to personally defeat Cao Zhen!"
"Your father and son have been more than a month late in transporting grain, causing the army to go without food and the soldiers to suffer from hunger and exhaustion!"

"Does Your Majesty wish to be driven into peril, to perish in the jaws of a tiger along with 100,000 men?!"

"As for this Jiangzhou City... what an impregnable fortress, what a natural stronghold to rely on!"
"Are you defending against Sun Wu, or against Chengdu, or against His Majesty's royal army?!"
"After the recapture of Guanzhong and the return of the old capital, what merit do you, Li Zhengfang, have to deserve this?!"
"How dare you presume to cede five prefectures to establish Bazhou? How dare you request the Prime Minister to appoint you as governor? Do you not wish to carve up the territory and establish a separatist regime?!"
"You harbor treacherous ambitions, a crime deserving of death!"

Li Yan, who had been kneeling on the ground and appearing quite submissive before the emperor, raised his head and glared at Meng Guang upon hearing this string of evidence, saying disdainfully:
Who are you?
"A mere dog, how dare it bark and howl in front of me, Li Zheng!"

Meng Guang was not intimidated: "I am the Imperial Censor of the Great Han Dynasty, with the power to impeach all officials. You are the one who created the Shu Code. Knowing the law and breaking it is an even greater crime, and you should be executed without mercy!"

"Hmph!" Li Yan sneered disdainfully.

As a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, he was arrogant and haughty, even more so than Wei Yan. How could he possibly submit to a mere censor?
Meng Guang, who was getting more and more temperamental with age, was furious when he saw this. He immediately pulled out the letter that Li Yan had written to Li Feng from his sleeve and threw it on the ground.

"--Snapped!"

Li Yan glanced at it and knew it was his own handwriting; the content was self-evident.

“Your crimes are written by your own hand!” Meng Guang rebuked.

Looking at his own handwritten letter, Li Yan thought of his beloved eldest son, and a chill suddenly ran through him. His face turned deathly pale, and after a long while, he bowed again to the emperor to plead guilty.

"Your Majesty...I am guilty, I confess my guilt."

Just then, Zhao Tong approached the emperor and whispered a few words in his ear.

Liu Shan nodded.

The Jiangzhou navy caught up.

The four-story ship, the Whale, has set sail.

Chen Hu had already stopped the Long Whale.

Wang Chong and Cen Shu's fleet blocked the Changjing and more than ten of its accompanying warships downstream.

This shows that Li Yan, who had guarded the border for many years, had personal favors towards many mid- to high-ranking military officers.

If they act rashly and demote or kill him, regardless of whether they can produce evidence, it will arouse suspicion among the soldiers of Jiangzhou.

At a time when war has just broken out, doing so would undoubtedly be detrimental to the country.

Li Yan's letter certainly didn't contain any mention of treason.

It was just some petty scheming for power and profit, and teaching Li Feng to cover up his mistake of being late.

The biggest crime revealed in the letter is that Li Yan was worried about the defeat at the front and feared that his son might be captured and killed by the enemy on the battlefield, so he deliberately made his son travel slowly.

As for ulterior motives and treasonous crimes, there is simply no way to talk about them.

What Meng Guang just said... cannot be verified.

As a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, Li Yan could not be directly executed or stripped of his official position based on the charges listed by Meng Guang, unless he had caused substantial damage to the country.

Because in the eyes of the Dongzhou faction scholars led by Li Yan, this was a fabricated charge.

However, it is absolutely unacceptable not to deal with Li Yan.

This is a time bomb that could explode at any time or for any reason.

Even if he had no intention of betraying the Han dynasty, even if he only wanted to compete with the prime minister for power, and even if he was once a man of both literary and military talent, Liu Shan ultimately did not want to leave such an uncontrollable factor in Jiangzhou any longer.

"In the past, King Cheng established the position of Baofu, and during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Deng Yu was appointed as Taifu. Both were to honor and respect outstanding talents and righteous men, and they were certainly respected."

"I hereby appoint General Li Qing, former Governor of Jiangzhou, as Grand Tutor and Commander of the Guards, and dismiss him from all affairs in Jiangzhou, so that he may return to Chengdu to govern."

"I hope that Minister Li will prioritize national affairs and not act impulsively. To repel external threats, we must first secure the internal stability. I do not necessarily have to go to war with Wu, but securing the internal stability is something I must do upon arriving in Jiangzhou. I hope that Minister Li can understand my good intentions."

"I also hope that Li Qing will not make things difficult for Guosheng."

“Guosheng is talented and virtuous, and is both a loyal minister and a filial son.”

"I have high hopes for Guosheng, and I hope that Minister Li will not make a mistake and implicate Guosheng."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan sighed sadly and bowed his head in agreement.

(End of this chapter)