Liu Yan's sudden death had no small impact on the balance of power in the Southwest.
With the support of his ministers, Liu Zhang inherited the throne, but some of the Shu State's power temporarily fell into the hands of Zhang Song and others. This displeased many, and undercurrents immediately began surging through the Shu State.
The Shu State had only recently been founded and had yet to develop a strong force of cohesion. Maintaining its internal balance would be a considerable test of Liu Zhang's political skill.
Zhang Lu, the King of Hanzhong, began stirring, and the situation in Shu grew turbulent once more.
The campaign against the Southwestern Yi had been progressing quite well, but Liu Zhang issued repeated decrees ordering the troops recalled to meet Zhang Lu's attack.
In the end, Zhang Song and the others firmly persuaded him against it.
If they recalled their troops now, they would have to face not only Zhang Lu and the Southwestern Yi, but also the Wu State's army. The situation would be even worse then. Besides, Zhang Lu could not possibly fight his way into the Shu State, so there was no need to worry.
While Shu was in turmoil, the region above it, Guanzhong, was equally chaotic.
As the old saying went, one mountain could not shelter two tigers.
The heart of Guanzhong was undoubtedly Chang'an, but there was only one Chang'an. How could it be divided between Ma Chao and Han Sui?
Ma Chao was stronger, so he occupied Chang'an.
Ma Chao was a junior, and Han Sui naturally refused to accept this. Yet he considered himself no match for Ma Chao, so he gathered Dong Zhuo's former officers in Hongnong and elsewhere, including Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu, to attack Ma Chao together.
Vast forces