dognovel Chapter 480 Internal power struggle within the Dongzhou faction! Liu Bei takes control of Yizhou?
Chapter 480 Internal power struggle within the Dongzhou faction! Liu Bei takes control of Yizhou?
After Jiang Wan brought back the good news that Li Yan was willing to surrender to Liu Bei, Liu Bei immediately changed his target, withdrew his troops from Luocheng, and headed towards Jiangzhou in the south of Yizhou.
Zhang Ren requested permission from Wang Lei, the magistrate of Luocheng, to pursue the enemy, but Wang Lei refused.
It wasn't that Wang Lei had any selfish motives.
Instead, the reinforcements led by Lei Tong and Wu Lan are about to arrive in Luocheng from Chengdu.
At this critical juncture, pursuing Liu Bei without authorization would be tantamount to disobeying Liu Zhang's order to "defend Luocheng".
After Zhang Song's death, the situation of the local people in Yizhou became increasingly difficult.
As a local bigwig in Yizhou who consistently ranks among the top three in official positions, Wang Lei has to consider the interests of the entire faction in every word and deed.
Helpless, Zhang Ren had no choice but to abandon his plan to pursue Liu Bei.
Yan Yan is skilled in defense and is a local strongman in Jiangzhou, so it's unlikely that Liu Bei will be able to conquer Jiangzhou smoothly.
……
Jiangzhou
Upon learning of Liu Bei's impending attack, Yan Yan sharpened his sword, ready to engage Liu Bei in a fierce battle.
People like Yan Yan had absolutely no interest in joining Liu Bei's cause.
He is now the governor of Jiangzhou, a local resident, and the undisputed local tyrant of Jiangzhou.
After surrendering to Liu Bei, what could Liu Bei possibly offer him?
Liu Bei was an ambitious man, unlike Liu Zhang, who was content with the status quo.
Even if Yan Yan surrenders, he will not be able to enter the core decision-making level.
In order to consolidate power and expand his influence, Liu Bei might even try to replace the governor of Jiangzhou with his own people.
Therefore, surrendering to Liu Bei was truly of no value to Yan Yan.
Only by defeating Liu Bei and maintaining the status quo in Jiangzhou can Yan Yan's interests be best served.
The two armies soon went to war.
With Guan Yu wounded, Zhang Fei naturally became the main force on Liu Bei's side.
But Yan Yan was quite fierce, leading from the front and fighting bravely against the enemy.
Even Zhang Fei was unable to climb the city wall of Jiangzhou.
"Hahaha, the butcher of Zhuojun is nothing special."
Yan Yan laughed heartily, his eyes filled with contempt for Zhang Fei.
Strangely, Zhang Fei, who should have been furious, was not angry at all, and even personally sounded the horn to signal a retreat.
In the following days, Zhang Fei continued to attack the city.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang secretly took a side path to flank Jiangzhou City and launched a surprise attack.
Yan Yan was greatly alarmed.
Although they managed to repel Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang's army in time, some of their supplies were burned by Liu Bei's troops who had invaded the city.
The morale of the Jiangzhou garrison suffered a significant drop as a result.
However, Yan Yan soon received good news from Mianzhu.
The scout excitedly reported to Yan Yan:
"Reporting to the General, Prefect Li Yan is on his way. He has specially led the troops from Mianzhu to support you!"
Before he could finish speaking, the guards beside Yan Yan cheered:
"Great! It's Prefect Li Yan! We're saved!"
Yan Yan also had a smile on her face.
It seems that when faced with matters of principle, both the Dongzhou faction and the locals of Yizhou can temporarily set aside their past differences and fight bravely against the enemy.
Li Yan's arrival gave Yan Yan immense confidence.
Three days later, Li Yan arrived in Jiangzhou.
Yan Yan warmly welcomed Li Yan.
Suddenly, shouts came from below the city walls, and Zhang Fei once again led his troops to attack.
Yan Yan was furious and said:
"That damned butcher from Zhuojun, he's learned nothing! I'll capture him alive!"
Li Yan smiled and said:
"General, you may leave. I will defend the city in your stead."
Li Yan's smile was very deceptive, and Yan Yan was moved by Li Yan's arrival with his army to help, so he had no suspicion that Li Yan was up to something.
He turned and led the garrison to meet Zhang Fei in battle.
But just as Yan Yan's troops were engaged in fierce fighting with Zhang Fei.
Li Yan suddenly ordered the Mianzhu army to capture Yan Yan alive!
In his panic, Yan Yan was swept away by Zhang Fei's spear.
Fortunately, he survived and did not die on the spot.
Even so, he became Zhang Fei's prisoner.
Yan Yan was heartbroken by Li Yan's betrayal.
Liu Bei quickly comforted Yan Yan and even personally untied him, thus performing Liu Bei's version of "releasing Yan Yan out of righteousness".
Yan Yan, who was forced to surrender, became a general under Liu Bei.
How high their loyalty is, nobody knows.
As for Li Yan, he was immediately treated as an honored guest by Liu Bei.
However, Li Yan's surrender was also due to the efforts of Fa Zheng and Jiang Wan.
Especially Fa Zheng; without his secret mediation, Li Yan wouldn't have made such a quick decision.
……
News of the fall of Jiangzhou and Mianzhu quickly reached Chengdu.
Jiangzhou is alright; it's quite a distance from Chengdu.
However, Mianzhu has always been an important barrier protecting Chengdu.
Under normal circumstances, if Mianzhu were lost, the fall of the entire Yizhou region would not be far off.
For details, please refer to Zhuge Zhan.
Provincial Governor's Office
Liu Zhang was speechless, sitting blankly in his seat for a long time.
Wu Yi, sitting to the left, also had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Wu Yi read the battle report: Yan Yan fought bravely, and Li Yan betrayed him.
If we really want to determine who is responsible, the Dongzhou faction is definitely entirely to blame.
But Liu Zhang wasn't stupid either. After Zhang Song died, the locals in Yizhou fought their own battles, and the Dongzhou faction became the dominant force.
The act of holding Dongzhou accountable has a perspective reminiscent of Liu Xie holding Cao Cao accountable.
However, as the leader of the Dongzhou faction, Wu Yi understood that there were major problems within the faction.
Li Yan's surrender was an extremely dangerous sign.
Will Lei Tong, Wu Lan, and others who went to Luocheng follow suit and defect to Liu Bei's camp like Li Yan?
If such a thing were to actually happen, it would truly be the end of the world for Wu Yi!
Faction leaders whose top officials leave one after another are not much better off than commanders without any troops!
Meeting Liu Zhang's suspicious gaze, Wu Yi patted his chest and said:
"My lord, as long as I, Wu Yi, am still alive, I will definitely ensure that Chengdu does not fall into enemy hands!"
Liu Zhang nodded noncommittally.
The current Liu Zhang is much weaker than the Liu Zhang of the original history.
Let Wu Yi say whatever he wants; Liu Zhang really doesn't have much power to resist.
After leaving the governor's mansion, Wu Yi angrily summoned Fa Zheng to his residence and questioned him:
"Fa Xiaozhi, were you the one who instigated Li Yan's surrender?"
Fa Zheng smiled and said:
"Why do you say that, General?"
"Fa was just doing what he was supposed to do for the benefit of everyone."
"you!"
Wu Yi was furious.
Fa Zheng then spoke at the opportune moment:
"I have a plan that can ensure the General and the Wu family's long-term wealth and prosperity."
"After Liu Bei takes control of Yizhou, General, you can marry your sister to Liu Bei to form a marriage alliance."
"At the same time, create public opinion that your younger sister is destined to be empress."
"In this way, the general will become a relative of the empress, and the Wu family can indirectly control Yizhou. Why not do it?"
Wu Yi fell silent.
Although he is not good with words, he understands all the principles in his heart.
Fa Zheng's words sounded nice, but in reality, he was trying to give him face.
The influence of maternal relatives varies, ranging from strong to weak.
Powerful maternal relatives: Huo Guang, Wang Mang—they were all incredibly powerful.
Although their ending wasn't good, at least they had their glory days.
A weak maternal relative is practically nothing more than a high-class mascot, a puppet on a string.
But in any case, Wu Yi understood that he couldn't hold onto his position as leader of the Dongzhou faction...
……
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