Chapter 62: Liu Pan

My Lord, a letter from Chengdu.

Cheng Yu, son of Cheng Ji, walked into the room, holding a letter respectfully in both hands, and placed it upon the desk before Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang, who had been engrossed in reading, looked up at the sound and turned his gaze to Cheng Yu.

Because of Cheng Ji's unwavering loyalty, Liu Zhang had appointed him as the Administrator of Ba Commandery. As for Cheng Yu, when he was held hostage by the Di chieftain Pu Chang, he had remained steadfastly devoted to his public duty and refused to champion the rebel Zhang Xiu. Upon learning of this, Liu Zhang appointed Cheng Yu as a clerk in the Prefecture Office.

Zixiwen, is the wound on your face feeling any better? Liu Zhang asked with concern, looking at the redness and swelling on Cheng Yu's face.

Hearing Liu Zhang's caring words, Cheng Yu replied respectfully, Reporting to My Lord, the wound is much better, though it will still take some time for the swelling to completely subside.

At this, Cheng Yu opened his mouth, pointing to the missing teeth with a self-deprecating smile, Only these teeth will never grow back.

A mere trifle. Once we reach Chengdu, I shall have someone fix it for you, Liu Zhang offered a solution, quite fond of this fiercely loyal young man.

Thank you, My Lord. Cheng Yu cupped his hands in gratitude and then withdrew.

After Cheng Yu left, Liu Zhang did not immediately read the letter from Chengdu. Instead, he gazed out the window toward the mighty Yangtze River, surging majestically and flowing endlessly toward the east.

He had set out from Jiangzhou that morning and was now on his way back to Chengdu.

The affairs of Ba Commandery had come to a temporary close. This pacification of the rebels had gone surprisingly smoothly, and his post-pacification measures in Ba Commandery had successfully won over the hearts of many local gentry.

He could not help but review his various administrative measures for Ba Commandery, pondering whether there were any omissions.

He had placed Cheng Ji, a fiercely loyal minister, in the post of Administrator of Ba Commandery. That city of Jiangzhou—where Li Yan would later serve as the Governor of Jiangzhou, the premier stronghold of Ba Commandery—was naturally as secure as Mount Tai.

As for dividing Ba Commandery into the two commanderies of Badong and Baxi, he had entrusted them to Li Jing and Meng Biao, two renowned scholars of Ba Commandery. Sitting securely in the lands of Ba and Shu, if he were to ostracize the local scholars as Liu Yan had done, how could he ever accomplish the grand enterprise of his ambition?

Thus, even toward Sheng Dao, the fellow who had rebelled and then switched back, he showed magnanimity by allowing him to continue serving as the Magistrate of Liangping, all to win the allegiance of the people of Ba Commandery.

He suddenly chuckled and shook his head. Liu Yan's suppression of the Ba-Shu gentry had not been entirely a bad thing; it allowed him, with just a tiny show of favor, to have all the Ba Commandery gentry kowtowing in submission.

Of course, he did not entirely trust the Ba Commandery gentry. Employing local figures so extensively right now was simply because the chaos in Ba Commandery had just been settled, and he needed to rely on the locals to clean up the aftermath, pacify the region, and thereby win over popular support.

He had kept several hidden cards for Ba Commandery. The General of the Household Who Pacifies the East, Gao Pei, had been stationed in Jiangzhou to maintain order; Deng Xian still guarded Baidi; and Liangjiang was entrusted to Leng Bao for defense.

Upon careful reflection, all the critical locations in Ba Commandery were manned by his own people. In that case, the Three Bas were firmly within his grasp.

There should be no omissions left. Liu Zhang set his mind at ease and unfolded the letter from Chengdu.

It brought news of the rice-cult rebel Zhang Lu.

After briefly reviewing Wang Shang's report on the situation in Hanzhong, it stated that Pang Le and Li Yi, whom he had dispatched to relieve the garrison in Hanzhong, had sent back word: Zhang Lu was holding out at the Yangping Pass, offering the excuse that the camps within the city were not yet established, and refused to let Pang Le and Li Yi enter Hanzhong.

Just as in history, upon succeeding to the governorship of Yizhou, Zhang Lu would disobey the orders sent from Chengdu and act on his own authority.

Liu Zhang calculated that in a few more days, a fierce clash would likely erupt between Zhang Lu and the duo of Pang Le and Li Yi.

On one side was Zhang Lu, who would later carve out an independent regime in Hanzhong; on the other was the direct military force of Zhao Wei, his inner confidant and threat.

If Zhang Lu were defeated, Hanzhong would naturally fall back into his hands. Compared to Zhang Lu, Pang Le and Li Yi were somewhat more manageable and controllable.

If Pang Le and Li Yi were defeated, the hidden threat posed by Zhao Wei would be greatly diminished.

If it resulted in mutual destruction, it would be a double win for him, with Zhang Lu and Zhao Wei each suffering a defeat.

Regardless of the outcome, he would remain firmly seated on the fishing platform. This was the advantage of thoroughly knowing history—being able to foresee events in advance.

Feeling the river breeze brush past his ear, Liu Zhang wore a smile of relief, grateful that his past life had left him with a deep interest in the Three Kingdoms era.

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Hearing Zhang Song belittle him as a barbarian, Zhang Yun nearly leaped to his feet, but ultimately forced himself back down, though his angry gaze remained fixed squarely on Zhang Song.

With the civil and military officials of Jingzhou gathered here, even with wrath burning in his heart, it was not the place to vent it.

Seeing this, Liu Pan, who stood beside Zhang Yun, as the nephew of Liu Biao, naturally would not allow this Zhang Song from Shu to act so arrogantly.

He stepped forward and questioned Zhang Song, What is the purpose of the gentleman's visit here?

By order of my lord, the Governor of Yizhou, I have come to inquire of Governor Liu regarding a matter.

Liu Pan bypassed the matter Zhang Song wished to raise, seized upon the title Governor of Yizhou, and mocked him, Where did this Governor of Yizhou come from? If I recall correctly, didn't the previous Governor of Yizhou pass away this year?

The former Governor of Yizhou did indeed pass away from illness, but my elder brother made a journey to the imperial court and, by the decree of His Majesty, has established my lord, Liu Jiyu, as the Governor of Yizhou. Zhang Song answered honestly, invoking the imperial court of the Han while mentally calculating the countermoves Liu Pan might deploy.

What imperial court? Who in the world does not know that the court is controlled by the two bandits Li Jue and Guo Si? To accept the appointment in the name of bandits—can such a thing be done? Liu Pan sneered, mocking the legitimacy of Liu Zhang's position as Governor of Yizhou, a triumphant expression on his face as if he had stepped on Liu Zhang's tail.

Hearing this, Zhang Song was dumbfounded, looking at Liu Pan as though gazing at an utterly clueless donkey.

He had anticipated a hundred possible lines of cross-examination from Liu Pan and had prepared fitting rebuttals for every single one, yet he never imagined that Liu Pan would utter such preposterous words.

Not only was Zhang Song stunned by Liu Pan's words, but Liu Biao, sitting at the head of the hall, and the civil officials opposite Liu Pan all wore expressions as if they had seen ghosts.

Seeing Zhang Song struck speechless by his words and frozen in a dull stare, Liu Pan could not help feeling a surge of glee, the corners of his mouth turning down into a triumphant smirk.

His eyes drifted upward toward the ceiling, ignoring the warning glances being cast at him by the civil officials opposite. Every single one of those glances conveyed the exact same silent warning: *Stop talking. Stop speaking.*

Kuai Yue, sitting among the civil officials, was frantic with anxiety. This military brute Liu Pan was truly stupid beyond measure; he had actually dared to question the legitimacy of Liu Zhang's title as Governor of Yizhou—a topic that was utterly untouchable—yet Liu Pan had blurted it out with reckless abandon.

He felt a pang of regret. He should not have allowed these rough military men into the hall today; not only had they failed to intimidate Zhang Song, but they had practically handed him a knife.

Oh? Zhang Song recovered quickly, readily climbing up the ladder Liu Pan had handed him, and asked with a profound and meaningful counter-inquiry, I wonder, then, whence came Governor Liu's title of Governor of Jingzhou? And whence came his previous title of Inspector of Jingzhou?

He covertly pursued the origins of Liu Biao's titles. Liu Biao's title of Inspector of Jingzhou had come from a memorial submitted by Dong Zhuo; as for his title of Governor of Jingzhou, it was obtained after Dong Zhuo was slain in the third year of Chuping, when Li Jue and Guo Si occupied Chang'an, and Liu Biao had dispatched an envoy bearing tribute.

In this situation, everyone had manure in their trousers. Since Liu Pan had first fished out the manure from his lord's trousers, Zhang Song did not mind reaching into Liu Biao's trousers to see whose manure was bigger. Liu Biao's title of Inspector of Jingzhou was obtained from Dong Zhuo, a national traitor who threw the realm into chaos; by comparison, Liu Zhang would certainly not lose out to Liu Biao.

As these words left his mouth, even though Liu Pan's mind was slow to turn, he quickly understood Zhang Song's meaning. He wiped the triumphant expression from his face, lowered his head, and cast a stealthy glance upward toward Liu Biao.

Yet he saw that Liu Biao's eyelids were drooping; relying on his decades of self-cultivation, he showed no outward sign of displeasure.

However, as his nephew, Liu Pan knew that the master of the great land of Jingzhou was already burning with inner fury.

He immediately bowed his head deeply, like an ostrich, not daring to make another sound.

It was naturally bestowed by the Son of Heaven, just as the Governor of Yizhou obtained the decree of the Son of Heaven to assume his post, Liu Xian, the Bureau Chief, stepped forward to smooth over the awkward situation.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. He could not allow the opposing military generals to speak anymore; otherwise, today's gathering would end in an utter mess.