Chapter 425 Liu Fan’s Confidence
All the princes in the world were carrying out reforms vigorously, except Liu Fan, whose progress was a little slower.
Liu Fan was also very conflicted at this time.
Unlike Cao Cao and other princes, Tian Ze fully supported their reforms and would not even take the initiative to attack them, just to let them reform with peace of mind.
The problem Liu Fan faces is that Tian Ze’s next target will be him.
The crisis is close at hand.
Yizhou’s natural barrier is an advantage, but also a huge burden.
The reason why he was targeted was because of the difficult natural defenses of Yizhou. Tian Ze would not allow him to grow stronger and would definitely take over Yizhou quickly.
On the surface, Liu Fan had full confidence in defending Yizhou, but only he himself knew how confident he was.
Reform at this time would not only increase our strength in the short term, but would also worsen our relationship with the powerful families in Yizhou.
After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Fan naturally did not dare to carry out drastic reforms.
He did not have the indomitable will of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Although he had the ambition to rule the world, he did not have the courage to give up everything for it.
For the sake of that slim chance, Yuan Shao could give up several states that were within his reach without hesitation. If it were Liu Fan, he would probably not be able to do that.
Liu Fan was a fairly good prince, but only fairly good.
Compared with other princes, they are not in the same league at all.
So even though he knew that without reform, there would be no chance of counterattacking Tian Ze and seizing the world, Liu Fan still gave up.
But Liu Fan also has his own decisiveness.
Although he was unable to reform, he could support Liu Bei.
"Ziqiao, what do you think? Did Brother Xuande agree?" When Liu Fan saw Zhang Song coming back from his diplomatic mission to Jingzhou, he couldn't wait to ask.
Zhang Song nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Xuande has already agreed. If Tian Ze leads his army south, he will immediately send troops west to Yizhou to prepare for any eventuality."
Liu Fan sent him to Jingzhou not only to deepen the relationship with Liu Bei, but also to provide insurance for Yizhou.
Liu Fan heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "That's good. Have the seal and map been handed over to Lord Xuande?"
Zhang Song nodded again, then took out a seal from his sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, I personally handed all the tokens to Lord Xuande. This is the token that Lord Xuande asked me to hand over to Your Majesty."
"With this token, your majesty's army can move freely in Jingzhou, and the locals will do their best to cooperate in the supply of food and fodder."
When Liu Fan heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. He took the seal and said with a smile, "Brother Xuande is really a kind person."
Zhang Song looked at Liu Fan with complicated eyes and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
I am afraid of comparison in everything.
Compared with Liu Yan, Liu Biao and others, Liu Fan is already very outstanding.
But after meeting Liu Bei, Zhang Song finally realized how big the world was and what a wise king was.
In every aspect, Liu Bei was much stronger than Liu Fan.
Zhang Song knew very well that it was not that Liu Fan was bad, but that Liu Bei was too strong.
In Liu Bei, Zhang Song saw the shadow of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang; the two were too similar.
After being treated so well by Liu Bei, Zhang Song felt extremely moved and wanted to be loyal to his wise master. He told him everything he knew without reservation.
But Zhang Song still didn't take that last step.
Because Liu Fan is not Liu Zhang.
Liu Fan also treated him very well and entrusted him with important tasks.
Therefore, even though he was loyal to Liu Bei, Zhang Song finally said to Liu Bei with red eyes: "I only regret that I didn't meet you first! I have promised my body to my lord. If there is an afterlife, I will serve you like a dog and a horse." Li Yan frowned at this time: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to trust Liu Xuande so much."
"Liu Xuande is a hidden dragon. If he wants to seize Yizhou, then..."
The token that Liu Fan gave to Liu Bei was not ordinary. It was a military token that could mobilize many troops in Yizhou and a detailed topographic map of Yizhou.
Relying on these two things, as long as Liu Bei coveted Yizhou, he could easily pass through many dangerous official checkpoints and fortresses and go straight to the capital city.
This move was completely equivalent to being defenseless against Liu Bei.
In Li Yan's opinion, this situation was quite unwise.
This should not be the case even if the two sides are allies who trust each other.
Allies are just allies.
With interests at stake, it is uncertain whether the allies can remain stable.
What's more, one has entrusted his entire life and property to his allies.
"Zheng Fang, you worry too much." Liu Fan did not get angry when he heard this, but explained in a soft voice.
He could see Li Yan's worry, and he also understood that Li Yan was thinking about him.
Liu Fan has always treated such loyal ministers, who are capable and far-sighted, well.
"Liu Xuande, Cao Mengde, Yuan Benchu, and Sun Bofu, they dared to carry out drastic reforms and cut off their own arms at this time. Such courage is beyond my reach." Liu Fan said with a slightly gloomy and ashamed look.
“But that’s what makes me feel at ease.”
"Why?" Li Yan asked.
"Because they have ambitions to conquer the world." Liu Fan said in a deep voice.
"They would rather take such a big risk to try for that glimmer of hope. A short-term gain will never sway them."
"Yizhou is certainly very important to Liu Xuande. However, it is not that important to the world. Liu Xuande will not give up the world for Yizhou." Liu Fan affirmed.
"Tian Ze invaded, Liu Xuande entered Shu, he certainly wouldn't dare to act recklessly."
"Because only when I am here can Yizhou be stable. Once Liu Xuande makes trouble, Tian Ze will be the only one who benefits."
Li Yan nodded slightly, but still a little worried, "What if Tian Ze withdraws his troops and Liu Xuande is unwilling to leave, or even takes the opportunity to attack Chengdu?"
Liu Fan smiled faintly: "Aren't you still here?"
"We have many elite soldiers and generals in Shu. Liu Xuande will never be able to take Chengdu easily."
"If there is any unusual movement, do you think Tian Chengshou will just sit there and watch?"
"As long as I am still here, Liu Xuande will never touch Yizhou." Liu Fan said in a firm voice.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Song and others couldn't help but look at Liu Fan in surprise.
They all knew that Tian Ze was good at strategy and overall situation, but they never thought that he could see things so far and thoroughly, and almost hit the nail on the head.
In the original historical trajectory, Liu Bei dared to attack Yizhou because Cao Cao’s strength was not strong enough to take Yizhou.
Cao Cao had too many concerns: an unstable rear, a short lifespan, a long battle line, and the restraint of Eastern Wu.
But Tian Ze in this time and space is different. He has the absolute strength to do this.
Therefore, as long as Tian Ze remained strong, Liu Bei would not have any ideas about Yizhou, because he could not afford the risk of turmoil in Yizhou.
Tian Ze is both the biggest threat and a major support for Liu Fan to gain a foothold in Yizhou.
Liu Fan had seen through everything long ago, so he was so confident in recruiting Liu Bei.
(End of this chapter)
