"Do you think Young Son lacks the ability to pacify Guanzhong?" Huan Wen froze, then immediately narrowed his eyes and asked.
"No," Liu Cheng replied gravely. "I believe the situation in Guanzhong is complicated and the people's loyalties unsettled. Unless you take command here in person, my lord, not even an immortal could hold it steady."
Huan Wen nodded, then shook his head again, seeming to grow serious. "Has the situation in Guanzhong deteriorated that far? Why make such an ominous pronouncement?"
"My lord." Unexpectedly, it was Wang Meng who took up the question. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and explained patiently. "Within Guanzhong, three major powers remain: the Fu Di, Quchi, and the Liangzhou Zhang Clan. Outside it, the Xiongnu people watch hungrily from the north. And although Bing Province still separates us from the Murong Xianbei, now that they possess Hebei, there is no reason they would not take Long and then covet Shu... Pacifying Guanzhong would be difficult indeed."
Huan Wen nodded repeatedly as he listened. He was just about to speak when Huan Chong stepped forward ahead of him. "Elder Brother, I believe Yulong and Jing Lue are absolutely right. Guanzhong truly is beyond my ability to pacify."
"Listen to their nonsense! When I took over Jingzhou, and when your second brother took over Jiang Province, didn't people say we couldn't pacify those regions too?" Huan Wen waved a hand with a smile, then turned back to Wang Meng. "Jing Lue, if things are as you say, why did we attack Guanzhong in the first place? Surely taking Chang'an and driving out the Di people couldn't have made the situation worse?"
"You see clearly, my lord." Ignoring Xi Chao's gaze beside him, Wang Meng answered with a smile. "That brings us to the