Li Yan

Li Yan’s attempt to hide his failure to supply Kong Ming’s army becomes a direct challenge to the Shu government’s military leadership: he invents a warning of invasion and spreads rumors that Kong Ming is plotting rebellion. Kong Ming investigates, exposes the scheme, and secures Li Yan’s removal from office, though not his execution. The episode also links the practical vulnerability of military supply to the political struggle over who controls Shu’s campaign against Cao Cao.

Position in Shu’s Government

Li Yan serves as an adviser under the second ruler of Shu and belongs to the circle of officials responsible for sustaining Kong Ming’s military effort. The account identifies him as one of the council advisers chosen by the ruler’s father, a connection that later matters when the court considers his punishment. His son, Li Feng, is also taken on as an adviser after the affair, distinguishing Li Yan’s fall from the continued presence of his family in government.

Li Yan’s role unfolds against Kong Ming’s repeated efforts to attack Wei in the name of restoring the Han. Kong Ming presents that campaign as an obligation dating back to the charge entrusted to him by Xuande. His continued commitment meets the practical requirement of keeping the army supplied: when Li Yan fails to deliver supplies, the campaign cannot simply proceed as planned.

Supply Failure and Fabricated Warning

After returning to Hanzhong, Kong Ming faces rumors that he has abandoned the invasion because he is hoarding supplies for a rebellion. Asked why he withdrew, he explains that Li Yan had sent a note warning of a possible Wu invasion. The apparent military alert had provided the stated reason for retreat; Kong Ming then realizes he has been deceived and that the rumors form part of a plot against him.

Kong Ming investigates rather than accepting the accusations at face value. His inquiry establishes that Li Yan was supposed to send supplies but failed to do so. To cover up that failure, Li Yan fabricated the note about a Wu threat and started the rumors that redirected suspicion toward Kong Ming. The deception thus joins a logistical failure to a political maneuver: a false report makes the army’s withdrawal seem necessary while portraying its commander as disloyal.

Exposure and Punishment

Once the second ruler is informed, he orders Li Yan’s execution. The order is reconsidered when the ruler remembers that his father selected Li Yan as one of his council advisers. Instead of putting him to death, the court strips him of all official posts and reduces him to the rank of a commoner.

The outcome is a marked fall in status, but the text does not report a death sentence being carried out. Kong Ming takes Li Yan’s son Li Feng as an adviser and rests the army for three years to restore supplies and rebuild its military strength. The episode therefore ends with Li Yan removed from office, his son entering service, and the campaign paused while its material basis is repaired.

Narrative and Political Significance

Li Yan’s story makes the supply of an army a political as well as military matter. His failure to deliver provisions helps stop the campaign; the fabricated note and rumors then turn that interruption into an accusation against Kong Ming. The investigation reverses the charge by revealing that the adviser who invoked a possible external threat was himself responsible for concealing the supply failure.

The episode also places personal obligation and institutional authority in tension. The ruler initially orders execution, but his father’s earlier appointment of Li Yan prompts a lesser punishment. Meanwhile, Kong Ming’s stated purpose remains the restoration of the Han, and the three-year pause delays rather than ends that aim. In the novel’s wider account of a divided empire, the affair shows how an internal breach of trust can constrain a campaign as decisively as an opposing army.