I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 814: One-track mind becomes two-sided, Ma Teng’s army is completely annihilated (Chapter 5K)

"Envoy, don't give up!"

In the Eagle Gorge valley, under the reflection of the blazing flames, Fu Gan looked pale, but he still held Ma Teng tightly:

"Cheer up, sir!"

"We still have thousands of soldiers and horses. As long as we work together, we still have a chance of survival. How can we give up so easily?"

Seeing that Ma Teng was in despair, Fu Gan tried his best to cheer him up.

Fu Gan knew very well that as the backbone of this army, Ma Teng's every move and every word had a profound impact on the morale and fighting spirit of the army.

Once Ma Teng loses his fighting spirit, this team, which is already in a desperate situation, will inevitably fall apart in an instant like a pile of loose sand and fall into an irretrievable situation.

At that time, don't even think about the future, because the raging fire before them will soon burn them all to ashes.

By then, no one will be able to survive!

However, standing on the slope, Ma Teng, who had witnessed how Su Yao slaughtered the front troops, could no longer muster up any courage:
"One person, he is alone!"

"That bastard was able to block our breakout by himself. He is no match for ten thousand men. How can we stand a chance?!"

Ma Teng pounded the ground angrily, his heart filled with regret.

It was such a single misstep that caused him everlasting regret. If he hadn't set an ambush here, whether he had faced the enemy head-on or just ran away, things wouldn't have come to this!

"Yancai misled me, Yancai misled me"

In this despair, Ma Teng's eyes gradually turned red, and he cursed resentfully:
"If I hadn't followed your advice and set up an ambush here, how could my army have ended up in such a situation?"

"You boasted before that you would be able to severely injure Su Yao, but now you have caused countless casualties to our army, and we are on the verge of destruction."

"Open your eyes and look at the mess and the dead brothers. This is all because of your incompetence!"

Fu Gan was stunned by Ma Teng's rapid-fire accusations. He moved his lips but was choked and unable to speak. He felt a chill in his heart.

Although Fu Gan looks mature and has a long goatee, giving him the appearance of a wise general, he is actually not yet of age.

The reason why he served in Ma Teng's army was, firstly, because he was recruited by Ma Teng and had no choice, and secondly, he was somewhat grateful to Ma Teng for his protection.

Let’s talk about Fu Gan. He was from Niyang in the north (now southeast of Yao County, Shaanxi Province). He was the son of Fu Xie, the prefect of Hanyang County in Liangzhou of the Han Dynasty.

His father was an upright person with the integrity of ancient people. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he followed the Left Central Guard General Huangfu Song to fight. His troops killed three Yellow Turban leaders, Bu Si, Zhang Bo, and Liang Zhongning, and he was credited with the greatest merit. However, his contribution was not rewarded because of the obstruction of Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants.

If it were someone else, they might become disheartened or wisely turn to the eunuchs, but Fu Xie was devoted to the country.

Especially in the second year, the rebellion of Bian Zhang and Han Sui in Liangzhou broke out. Due to the financial crisis of the court, officials headed by the Minister of Justice Cui Lie urged to abandon Liangzhou. Fu Xie made an impassioned speech in the court, insisting that Liangzhou was the barrier of Guanzhong. Giving up Liangzhou would lead to the crisis of the three prefectures, and the danger of the three prefectures would weaken the capital. If the left-lapel Hu people were allowed to obtain Liangzhou, the harm would surely be a scourge for generations, and he sternly said: "Only by beheading the Minister of Justice can the world be stable!"

In the end, thanks to Fu Xie's efforts, the emperor vetoed the resolution to abandon Liangzhou, and even later promoted Fu Xie to the position of prefect of Hanyang to defend the border.

It has to be said that although Emperor Ling of Han was licentious and immoral, there was nothing wrong with his decision.

Thanks to Fu Xie's loyalty and courage, more than a thousand years later, when the Qing Dynasty faced disputes over coastal defense and frontier defense, Li Hongzhang also had a firm argument.

If God blesses the Han Dynasty, Fu Xie's loyalty may bring long-term stability to the Han Dynasty.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and Fu Xie’s efforts were ultimately in vain.

A few years ago, in the fourth year of Zhongping (187), the governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, mobilized soldiers from six counties to fight against the Liangzhou rebels entrenched in Jincheng County. Geng Bi was stubborn and did not listen to Fu Xie's advice. Eventually, the army mutinied, Geng Bi died, Ma Teng defected, and Fu Xie was trapped in the isolated city.
At that time, facing the fierce troops of Wang Guo and Han Sui, Fu Xie fought desperately.

At that time, among the bandits outside the city there were several thousand Hu cavalry from the north. Knowing that Fu Xie was an upright man and that they had received his kindness, they could not bear to harm him, so they kowtowed together outside the city, begging Fu Xie to come out of the city and surrender, and they were willing to ensure his safe return to his hometown, Beidi County.

At that time, the young Fu Gan also shed tears and tried to persuade his father, saying that the emperor was incompetent and the eunuchs were in power, and that he was not welcome in the court.

Now that the situation is hopeless, we might as well accept the Huns' proposal for the time being, return home first, recruit warriors, and wait for a wise leader to emerge to save the country.

However, in the face of his son's persuasion, Fu Xie looked up to the sky and sighed: "The chaos in the world cannot support my noble ambitions, and how can I avoid the difficulties of eating and drinking? Where can I go? I must die like this."

It has to be said that his words are quite similar to Tan Sitong's famous saying in later generations: "Since ancient times, every revolution has involved bloodshed and sacrifice. Now it should start with our generation!" Of course, their results are naturally very similar.

After making arrangements for his funeral, Fu Xie led his remaining personal soldiers out of the city to fight a bloody battle, where he ultimately died on the battlefield. Only Fu Gan and a few trusted fellow villagers were left in Liangzhou.

Although Wang Guo and others did not harm Fu Gan after the city was broken, Fu Gan could not return home smoothly due to blocked roads and continuous war. Every step he took while staying in the turbulent Liangzhou was difficult.

Fortunately, the rebel leader Wang Guo was later killed in a mutiny led by Ma Teng and Han Sui. Ma Teng, who occupied Liangzhou, was grateful for Fu Xie's former loyalty and sympathized with Fu Gan's experience, so he protected him.

Naturally, Fu Gan did not let Ma Teng raise him in vain. As the descendant of a famous official, he showed his extraordinary talents at a young age and was soon appointed as Ma Teng's chief clerk, where he worked hard for him and offered him advice.

As a result, I never expected that I would be met with such harsh words.

Fu Gan took a deep breath, and the burning smell of the fire in the air suddenly sobered him up a bit:

"If you have any complaints, I will listen to them when things are safe, but the most urgent thing is to break out and survive. You must not sit here and wait for death!"

"Breakout?"

Ma Teng sneered, pointing at the soldiers in front who would rather kill each other than face Su Yao again, and said bluntly that this was absolutely impossible.

"Although Su Yao is strong, he is just one person. If he can't beat us, can't we avoid him?" Fu Gan stomped his feet.

"Hide?" Ma Teng was stunned, turned around and said, "You mean we should turn around?"

"That's right!"

Fu Gan nodded and quickly analyzed:

"The Eagle's Beak Gorge is a strategically located place. The reason why Su Yao was able to defend the pass alone was because he occupied the advantageous position at the entrance of the valley."

"But when we enter the valley, you should remember that the road over there is relatively open, and there are no fierce generals like Su Yao blocking the way."

"As long as we turn around and break out, fight our way back, and join up with the infantry in Pingcheng, we can block Su Yao in this valley."

"He's burning the mountain with a huge fire, and there's no more food or fodder. If we block the entrance to the valley, we may be able to turn defeat into victory!"

Fu Gan's words rekindled a glimmer of hope in Ma Teng's eyes.

That’s right, he also has his son Ma Xiu’s 20,000 infantrymen!

According to the original plan, once their ambush in the mountains started, they would light a beacon fire to sound a warning, and Ma Xiu in Pingcheng would lead his troops to attack and cooperate with them from inside and outside.

Now, although the plan has changed a little and they have become the ambushed party, the raging forest fire can be seen clearly by Pingcheng, so it seems that Ma Xiu has come to help.

As long as he fought back and joined up with Matthew's troops, he did have a chance of turning the tide.

The only problem is, in this chaotic situation, how can we get the troops to obey orders and turn around obediently?

Should I tell them that I was blocked at the intersection by someone and started killing people, and couldn't go home?

Not to mention whether the soldiers would collapse after hearing this, it was also a question whether he could convey the order in the chaos.

At this moment, Fu Gan, who had been prepared, took out a flag.

"The commander's flag? You're still carrying it with you???"

Ma Teng's eyes widened.

He didn't expect that in this chaos when many people couldn't even find their clothes, Fu Gan actually snatched back the general flag that was lost somewhere and hid it with him.

"Sir, now that the commander's flag is here, the army can gather its spirit. This is our last chance!"

After saying that, Fu Gan called on the soldiers nearby, tore his clothes, tied two spears together, raised the commander's flag, and then told everyone to shout that the road was blocked by a huge rock behind and there was no way to retreat, so the entire army turned around and broke through, fighting to the death.

After hearing this, Ma Teng finally came to his senses.

Although Su Yao's killing was horrific, due to the narrow mountain road, not many people actually saw the scene.

If the people in front give up, they give up. As long as the people behind can stand up and turn around to break through, they still have a chance.

Immediately, Ma Teng drew out his sword, raised it high, and shouted loudly:

"Soldiers! The rear has been blocked by a huge rock. There is no way to retreat! The only way for us to survive is to fight our way back to the valley entrance!"

"The entire army will turn around. Those who leave the valley first will be rewarded heavily, and those who dare to retreat will be killed without mercy!" In the chaos, Ma Teng's military orders could not be conveyed smoothly.

After all, the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level are now basically out of touch with their own troops, and it is difficult to rebuild command.

However, fortunately, after the initial battle royale, the survivors had gathered on this road, and no complicated commands were required except for advancing and retreating.

In the direction of the general's flag, Ma Teng's personal soldiers turned around one by one, then shouted to break through forward, while drawing their swords to hack at the disobedient soldiers.

Under this brutal killing, the soldiers finally realized that there was no way to retreat. Under the pressure of fear and survival instinct, they turned around and moved in the direction of the commander's flag.

Although the team was still in chaos, although the soldiers were staggering, and although they were still terrified, the survivors gritted their teeth and persisted, running desperately towards the valley entrance in the direction of Pingcheng.

Along the way, they left behind countless corpses, and the blood dyed the ground beneath their feet red.

Finally, the valley entrance came into view. The soldiers who had escaped first fell to their knees one after another, and some even couldn't help kissing the ground beneath their feet.

then
"Guan Yu is here. You can choose whether to surrender or die."

Outside the valley entrance, the night was as dark as ink. In the light of the fire, one Han knight after another walked out of the shadows.

Guan Yu, who was in the lead, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, looked very majestic. Zhang Fei, who was beside him, holding the Snake Spear, also looked murderous.

This scene instantly crushed the morale of Ma Teng's army.

It has to be said that in despair, most people were blind. Faced with the threat of fire and butcher knives, these soldiers fled on instinct and had no time to think about what they would face if they ran out of the valley.

Although Ma Teng had anticipated that there would be a fierce battle, when he actually saw Guan Yu and those Han knights who were ready for battle, he couldn't help but feel a surge of despair in his heart that the game was over.

How can these defeated soldiers, who have thrown away their armor and weapons and cannot even get a weapon each, compete with the well-equipped and high-spirited Han army before them?

"Surrender, sir."

Just when Ma Teng was anxious and desperate, Fu Gan felt relieved.

"What? Surrender?!"

Ma Teng turned to look at Fu Gan, his eyes full of disbelief:
"You just urged me to fight to the death, why are you urging me to surrender now?"

Fu Gan shook his head: "It's different now."

"Envoy, I advised you to fight to the death before because we are trapped in the valley. Su Yao is alone in the valley and there is no chance for us to survive. If we don't fight to the death and break through, we will all die in the sea of ​​fire."

"But now that General Guan is willing to surrender, why should he die in vain?"

“To die???”

Ma Teng clenched his sword so tightly that his hands bled.

He could understand what Fu Gan said.

He now doesn't believe that these defeated soldiers can really break out.

But surrender?

After having a glimmer of hope, Ma Teng found it very difficult to make the decision.

"Sir, the ancients said, 'Those who follow the way will prosper, and those who go against virtue will perish.' Even if General Su Yao has many faults, he is still the emperor and represents the legitimacy of the court. He has a strong army and strict laws and regulations. If we try to compete with him, it will be like hitting a rock with an egg."

Ma Teng was afraid, but he kept his eyes closed and said nothing. Fu Gan continued:

"Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about these Liangzhou men and General Ma Xiu, right?"

"He doesn't know the truth now and is on his way to get support. If we are all wiped out here, where will he go?"

"The only solution now is to surrender as soon as possible, respect the legitimate government, offer troops, and make a gesture. This will save everyone's lives and give General Ma Xiu a chance to live."

"That's it, that's all!"

After hesitating for a moment, Ma Teng finally sighed:
"Surrender, order surrender!"

As Ma Teng's order to surrender spread, the frightened soldiers in Taniguchi all showed a hint of joy on their faces:
"Surrender, surrender!"

"We are saved, we are saved!"

The soldiers felt relieved. They dropped their broken weapons and collapsed to the ground, with expressions of relief on their faces at having survived the disaster.

Ma Teng led several of his personal soldiers and Fu Gan, and slowly walked towards Guan Yu's Han army, personally expressing his intention to surrender to Guan Yu.

"Wise choice."

Guan Yu brushed his beard and nodded with a smile:

"Since you have surrendered, you must change your ways and serve the court well in the future."

Ma Teng clasped his fists and said in a deep voice: "General Guan, rest assured. Now that I have surrendered, I will never have second thoughts."

"I just ask the general to keep his promise and ask the general to treat my soldiers well."

Guan Yu nodded slightly, his eyes swept over the exhausted soldiers behind Ma Teng, and said:

"This general always keeps his word and will keep them safe."

Guan Yu's behavior here was not considered to be overstepping his authority, because Su Yao had already instructed them about this.

The reason why he and Zhang Fei did not charge into the valley and attack from the front and back with Su Yao, but instead left such a large open space, was to leave room for Ma Teng to surrender.

Su Yao, who has experience in aftermath, naturally would not expect to be able to recruit Ma Chao and others in Xiliang by capturing Ma Teng, but the remaining nearly 30,000 soldiers under Ma Teng's command are real combat power, and it would be best if he could use them.

Su Yao did not forget that there were still a lot of things to be resolved in his hometown. Using war to promote surrender and ending the war here in one go was obviously more in line with his goal.

So, after Ma Teng surrendered, Guan Yu ordered people to properly settle these surrendered soldiers. The surrendered soldiers were divided into different teams and led by Han army generals to designated camps for rest.

As they walked along, they looked back from time to time and looked at the blazing mountain fire. The surrendered soldiers felt mixed emotions, including relief for surviving the disaster and sorrow for suffering a devastating defeat.

And Ma Teng, the once powerful figure in Liangzhou, now lowered his head, his face full of pain.

No one could have imagined that in just over an hour, his army of more than 8,000 would be wiped out.

Although Su Yao was extremely brave and invincible, the number of people he killed directly by blocking the road was probably no more than two hundred.

Even more people died on the road, some were burned by fire, some were choked to death by poisonous words, and some were trampled and killed by their teammates.

There are only about 3,000 people who are lucky enough to survive and surrender with him.

The tragic scene of corpses scattered all over the valley and the river of blood, coupled with the constant praise of Su Yao's martial arts by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others, made Ma Teng feel even more ashamed.

However, he did not have much time to reminisce painfully.

Ma Teng, Fu Gan and other senior generals were soon arranged by Guan Yu to be near Su Yao's tent, waiting for the general's personal decision.

"The general has arrived!"

When Ma Teng saw Su Yao, he was stunned at first, and then he did not have time to marvel at the youth and bravery of this great general. He bowed his head and said:
"General, I was confused for a while and was deceived by a villain. I believed the slander that you were a traitor to the country and mistakenly thought that you were a traitor to the country, so I started an army to attack you. Now I know that you are loyal to the country, and I am also loyal to the Han Dynasty. I hope that you will be magnanimous and forgive me this time!"

Ma Teng's words were sincere and heartfelt, but everyone knew that they were just polite remarks, just to give everyone a way out and make him look better.

According to normal procedures, Su Yao should have waved his hand and magnanimously said that he would let bygones be bygones, let Ma Teng stand up, and then said a few words to comfort him, demonstrating his magnanimity and demeanor as a general.

However, Su Yao did not do so. Instead, he asked out of the blue:
"Are these the slanders of a villain?"

"Then tell me, who was behind this and persuaded you to do such a treasonous thing?"

"Ah this."

Suddenly, Ma Teng, who was kneeling on the ground, felt a chill on his back and sweat poured down like rain.

There seems to be something wrong with this script.

(End of this chapter)