Upon hearing Cheng Yu's question, the person in charge was taken aback.
"Does Shangguan mean that Liu Yan knew all along that someone was watching him, which is why he was so cautious in everything he did?"
Cheng Yu nodded: "That's right. The reason he drove all the servants out of the mansion was either to sever ties with those people, or he was preparing to do something else!"
The official in charge nodded: "Shangguan's words make sense, but I wonder what Liu Yan plans to do?"
Cheng Yu sneered: "Liu Yan may seem meticulous and cautious, but he's actually incredibly stupid. Doesn't he realize that once he's on this pirate ship, it's not so easy to get off?"
"Shangguan is right!"
Cheng Yu then continued, "Now, Liu Yan's remaining confidants are all his trusted men. Send people to find out their situation and keep a close eye on them!"
"promise!!"
On the other hand, news of Liu Yan's sudden expulsion of the servants in his mansion had already reached the ears of Bei Gong Boyu and others, making them wary.
Inside the residence of Beigong Boyu, more than a dozen powerful Qiang people from Jincheng gathered together.
Sitting at the head of the table, Beigong Boyu glanced around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "What do you all think of Liu Yan's sudden stunt?"
"When Liu Yan first came to Jincheng, he repeatedly sought our help. Now he has suddenly expelled all the servants from his mansion. I fear he has ulterior motives!"
"Yes, it seems that Liu Yan is preparing to break away from us!"
"Is he planning to betray us for personal gain...?"
The Qiang chieftains in the hall were also discussing amongst themselves, and their words clearly showed their dissatisfaction with Liu Yan.
Bei Gong Boyu frowned, then looked at Bian Zhang, who was sitting at the head of the table, and asked, "What does Wen Yun think?"
Bian Zhang said, "What you all say makes sense. Although Liu Yan is ambitious, he always prioritizes self-preservation and is unlikely to achieve great things!"
Bei Gong Boyu nodded: "Wen Yun's words make sense. Now that Liu Yan sees Duan Jiong in charge of Jincheng, he probably thinks we can't succeed, so he's doing this!"
"What should we do then?"
"Yes, without Liu Yan's protection, we're likely to face many troubles in the future!"
The powerful figures below also spoke up, their words filled with resentment.
Jincheng is located on the border of Liangzhou. Most of the people living here are Qiang people who have come from the interior. Although it is nominally under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, the court officials were mostly from Shandong gentry families in the past, and they did not pay much attention to the Qiang people.
Even during the reign of Emperor An of Han, many officials proposed abandoning Liangzhou, which shows that in the eyes of the Shandong gentry, Liangzhou had become a place that was neither beneficial to gain nor harmful to abandon.
This led to a lack of fairness in the handling of the conflict between the Han and Qiang people by successive local officials in Liangzhou. Furthermore, many officials from the border counties colluded with local powerful families in Liangzhou to oppress ordinary Qiang people.
As a result, rebellions continued in Liangzhou for many years, and the local powerful families would simply push the blame for the Qiang people's rebellion onto the officials and the imperial court, while they continued to act as local tyrants in Liangzhou.
This cycle repeated itself, gradually dragging the Han Dynasty into the quagmire of the Western Qiang. Over the years, it consumed a great deal of money and grain. It can be said that the decline of the Han Dynasty's national strength was directly related to the Qiang rebellion.
The Qiang rebellion was inextricably linked to these powerful figures in Liangzhou.
In Liu Hong's eyes, Liangzhou was the starting point of his westward expansion and hegemony, and how could he easily abandon the land of his ancestors?
That is why Liu Hong discussed the Western Qiang issue with Xi Zhicai when he was in Hejian.
To resolve the Qiang rebellion, the first step was to deal with these local powerful clans, a strategy Liu Hong had devised long ago.
Therefore, in the first year of Jianning, after Duan Jiong quelled the rebellion of various Qiang tribes, Liu Hong did not recall the troops that had quelled the rebellion to Luoyang as previous emperors had done. Instead, he ordered Duan Jiong to lead more than 30,000 cavalry and infantry as a standing force to guard Liangzhou.
Most importantly, in the past two years, the officials sent by the imperial court to Liangzhou have stopped breaking the law as they used to. In fact, many officials have even arrested people on charges of bribery after they have been bribed.
In addition, since Fu Xie took office as the governor of Jincheng, he has introduced a number of policies to treat the Qiang people well, and personally led them to resume production and learn the Chinese language. The Qiang people who have received real benefits have begun to settle down.
Fu Xie's prestige among the Qiang people is growing day by day, and with the butcher Duan Jiong in charge, the local powerful families in Liangzhou have all become law-abiding and dare not act recklessly as before.
But all of this is just a facade. These Qiang chieftains are constantly longing for their carefree lives of the past.
Therefore, after Liu Yan took office as the governor of Liangzhou, the powerful clans of Liangzhou, led by Beigong Boyu, saw an opportunity and attempted to use Liu Yan's position as governor to replace Fu Xie and others.
However, Liu Yan now intends to sever ties with them, how can they tolerate this?
"Hmph~, now that Liu Yan is here, he thinks he can leave? He's dreaming!"
Bei Gong Boyu, sitting at the head of the table, snorted coldly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Beigong Boyu.
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Beigong Boyu said, "Do you all know how to get Liu Yan to stand up and rebel against the court?"
Bian Zhang said, "This... is naturally a capital offense known to be certain death!"
"Then what is a capital offense...?" Bei Gong Boyu asked in return.
Bian Zhang said, "Liu Yan is a member of the imperial clan. Apart from treason, it's difficult for him to be executed for ordinary crimes..."
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