I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 815: Ma Teng surrenders completely, and the outside world is in turmoil (Combined Chapter)

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

On the plain halfway between Pingcheng and Yingzui Gorge, Ma Xiu's army was galloping wildly in the night.

Ma Xiu was riding on his horse, feeling anxious.

There was a raging wildfire in the distance, and he could see it from dozens of miles away. This was completely inconsistent with the plan his father had talked about before.

Ma Xiu didn't know what was happening ahead, but he had a bad feeling in his heart and urged the army to hurry up.

He hoped to see his father's army, or at least get some clues about the battle between the two armies ahead.

However, even though he thought he was close enough, he could see nothing except the pitch-black night and the background of the mountain covered in flames.

Matthew became increasingly uneasy, and he kept urging his soldiers to speed up, but it was dark at night, the road was difficult to travel on, and the soldiers' physical strength was rapidly depleting.

He could only barely maintain order in the team, praying in his heart that his father Ma Teng would be safe.

Just when he was extremely anxious, there was a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves coming from the front.

At this moment, Ma Xiu immediately became alert and waved his hand to signal the entire army to stop and prepare to meet the enemy. However, when he saw clearly who was coming, he suddenly felt relieved - it was his father Ma Teng's personal soldiers!
However, before he could be happy, he saw the soldier running away in a panic, jumping off his horse, kneeling beside Ma Xiu and saying:
"Major General, Major General—something terrible has happened!"

"General Su Yao personally led the army to launch a surprise attack. Our army was ambushed in Yingzui Gorge and suffered heavy losses. The entire army was annihilated. The lord... the lord has surrendered!"

"What?!" Ma Xiu was struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze, his mind going blank.

He never expected that after he rushed day and night to provide support, what he received was the news that his father had surrendered.

"Impossible, impossible!"

"Father set up an ambush in the canyon, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. How could he be defeated so easily?"

"Besides, my father is such a hero, how could he surrender like this?"

"Even if he surrenders, can Su Yao accept it?"

Matthew grabbed the guard by the collar and shouted:
"You lied to me, you lied to me!"

"Tell me quickly, is this Su Yao's evil plan?"

And the answer is of course no.

Let’s talk about what happened not long ago, in General Su Yao’s tent.

Faced with Su Yao's questioning, Ma Teng was speechless for a moment, sweating profusely, and didn't know how to answer.

Who instigated him to rebel?

If he said that he was the only one who did it, then judging from the general's current attitude, he would probably not be able to escape death.

But if he pushed it to those Central Plains families, he would have to consider leaving some way out for himself.

After this defeat, Ma Teng felt that no matter how generous the general was, he would not give him the opportunity to govern another place again.

Even if he was demoted to a commoner, it would be unlikely to let him go home.

After all, he still had his son Ma Chao and others leading troops outside his hometown in Liangzhou.

Therefore, the best outcome would probably be to find him an unskillful job in the court and keep him under supervision.

In this way, if he offends those Central Plains families, he will probably suffer the consequences in the future.

Ma Teng was torn between his own conscience and his own desires. Just as he was hesitating and not knowing what to do, suddenly, Fu Gan stood up.

Military Advisor Ma Teng, who had a goatee and looked mature despite his young age, looked calm and bowed deeply to Su Yao:
"General, this is all because I failed to fulfill my duty of persuasion and admonishment, causing General Ma to go astray and make a big mistake. I am willing to take the blame on behalf of the master. Please punish me and don't make things difficult for General Ma."

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng was shocked and quickly looked up at Fu Gan, his eyes full of complicated expressions.

He didn't expect that Fu Gan would stand up at this moment and take the initiative to take responsibility.

You know, just a while ago, I was speaking bad words to him in despair and resented him, but I didn't expect that this young man would let go of the past and repay me with kindness.

Immediately, Ma Teng's eyes became moist.

However, Su Yao did not believe Fu Gan's words:

"You are a loyal fellow, willing to share the Lord's worries."

"But starting a rebellion is a serious crime. How can you just take the blame for it?"

"As a local lord with a large army under his command, doesn't Ma Teng have his own brain? He was easily misled, which shows that he is not a wise man."

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng cried out in fear and accused the general of many crimes. He said that he was indeed confused and unworthy of his position, and was willing to be punished. He asked the general to remove him from his post.

Ma Teng's trembling apology and his tearful begging for mercy did indeed look somewhat pitiful.

However, no matter what he said, Su Yao remained silent.

"."Ma Teng was desperate.

It’s over. This great general won’t really want me to die.

If that's the case, why should he go to all that trouble?

"General, I, I can write a letter of persuasion for surrender!"

Ma Teng suddenly said:

"My son Ma Xiu is coming from Pingcheng with his troops. I can write a letter to persuade him to surrender."

"And my son Ma Chao is now in Xiliang. I can also write a letter to persuade him to submit to the imperial court."

"They are all very filial children. As long as the general promises not to harm them, I think they will obey me."

Ma Teng spoke urgently and looked at Su Yao with hope in his eyes, as if he had grasped the last straw.

However, Su Yao, who had been silent the whole time, almost burst out laughing.

He didn't know what happened to Ma Xiu, but in history, Ma Chao's eldest son really killed the entire family of Cao Cao who were held hostage.

You may not necessarily say that Ma Chao is born to be a rebellious person, but if you want to persuade Liang Province to surrender, it is definitely not enough to just capture Ma Teng.

As for Matthew who was on his way.
"Do you think I can't handle him myself?"

"Besides, you, Ma Teng, colluded with the princes to raise an army and rebel, causing great suffering to the people. How can such a crime be offset by just a few letters of persuasion?"

Ma Teng despaired after hearing this. He lowered his head dejectedly, waiting for his fate, and began to imagine that he hoped it would be a less painful death.
At this moment, Fu Gan suddenly had an idea.

He knew very well that Su Yao was currently working hard to rectify the power of the aristocratic families in the Central Plains, and Su Yao had just asked who was behind Ma Teng's uprising. This might be a turning point.

"General, please understand! Since accepting the amnesty, General Ma has always been loyal to the court and has never had any second thoughts."

"We led our army to Bingzhou this time because we were ordered by the then Dong Zhuo court. As a subject, you have no choice but to obey orders."

"Moreover, many officials in Bingzhou and the noble families in the Central Plains have written to invite General Ma to lead troops to Beijing. The letters all say that you are a traitor who intends to overthrow the court. General Ma was not careful for a moment and believed these slanders, which led to such a big mistake. I hope that the general will forgive him this time for his sincerity."

Fu Gan's words were like a bright light in the darkness, giving Ma Teng a glimmer of hope. He quickly raised his head and shouted, "Right, right, right!"

"Oh? There are officials from Bingzhou from the Central Plains family?"

Su Yao's expression finally relaxed:

"Do you have any evidence for what you said? Are you just making up stories to avoid responsibility?"

When Ma Teng heard Su Yao's words, he was immediately delighted. He realized that he was finally on the right track. He quickly stood up and said anxiously:
"General, everything I said is true. I have kept the correspondence between me and those officials and noble families in Yunzhong County. These letters are enough to prove that what I said is true. I am willing to present these letters to you, General, to show my loyalty."

"Good good."

Su Yao laughed:
"Since there is evidence, I will believe you this time." After that, Su Yao called Guan Yu and ordered him to lead his troops, together with some of Ma Teng's personal soldiers and surrendered soldiers, to go north to Yunzhong tomorrow to collect evidence and be responsible for taking over the Bingzhou territory.

Ma Teng slid to his knees quickly enough and was valuable enough for Su Yao to spare his life. He asked him to write a personal letter and sent someone to deliver it to Ma Xiu urgently, asking him to surrender and incorporate his troops into his group.

But on the other hand, Su Yao will not easily forgive those fence-sitters outside Bingzhou Pass.

"The governors of Yunzhong, Dingxiang, Wuyuan, and Shuofang are incompetent and capricious. They should be dismissed immediately and brought back to the capital to await punishment!"

Su Yao's eyes were sharp, and everyone nodded in agreement without any objection.

This is a matter of course. They understand Su Yao's decision. If it were them, the punishment would probably be even more severe.

The reason is simple. These four counties outside the Great Wall had all been lost during the Xiongnu rebellion several years ago, and the territory was lost. It was thanks to Su Yao's activeness that he attacked the royal court directly and put down the Xiongnu rebellion, and the court was able to rebuild its rule over the four counties.

Although Su Yao had no power to decide on the selection of the prefect at that time, there is no doubt that these people's ability to rule the territory was inseparable from Su Yao's efforts.

However, facing Ma Teng's invasion, even though Su Yao, on behalf of the court, repeatedly ordered them to resist the enemy and hold their ground, the four county governors still surrendered without firing a single shot. According to Ma Teng, some even took the initiative to invite them to collude.

They must pay the price!

A few days later, at the Yunzhong County Magistrate's Mansion.

"What did you say?!"

"General Su Yao personally led the Northern Expedition, and Envoy Ma's army was completely annihilated???"

Governor Li Xuan's eyes widened with disbelief, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a "click" and shattered into pieces.

The soldier who came to report the news knelt on the ground, trembling, and repeated in a trembling voice:
"My Lord, it is absolutely true!"

"General Ma's army tried to ambush Su Yao in Eagle's Beak Gorge, but was counterattacked. The entire gorge was a sea of ​​fire. His army was almost completely wiped out, and General Ma himself was defeated and captured..."

"How could this happen? How could this happen?"

Governor Li Xuan muttered to himself, his face lost all color, and he slumped to the ground.

His mind was in a mess. He originally thought that Su Yao was stirring up trouble in the Central Plains, causing unrest in the world and everyone was calling for his death. His regime would not last long.

However, the land of Yunzhong was far outside the Great Wall and Su Yao was out of reach. Facing the powerful Ma Teng, he decisively surrendered to him, which was an extremely wise decision.

Even if Ma Teng cannot enter the pass in one fell swoop, he can at least hold out against Su Yao's army for a while, giving him the opportunity to play both sides in this chaotic world.

But who would have thought that Ma Teng would suffer a crushing defeat so quickly? What should he do?

"Governor, I heard that the great general Su Yao has issued a strict order, saying that he will bring you and the other three county governors back to the capital for questioning. The soldiers who came to escort you are not far from Yunzhong City..." The soldier continued cautiously, with a hint of fear in his voice.

"It's over, it's all over..." Prefect Li Xuan closed his eyes in despair, his heart filled with regret and fear.

He didn't expect that because of a moment's thought, he colluded with Ma Teng and betrayed the court, and now the retribution came so quickly.

He knew without thinking that Su Yao would never let a traitor like him go easily, and severe punishment would surely await him.

"Don't panic, sir!"

At this time, military advisor Gu Ming stood up:

"I heard that General Su Yao has already set out to return to the capital. The only ones who left the border now are his subordinates, who are accompanied by only a few thousand cavalry and infantry, most of whom are surrendered soldiers."

"In that case, what do we have to fear?"

Immediately, his military advisor suggested that the governor should contact other governors of the four counties outside the Great Wall as soon as possible, explain the situation, defend the city to the death, advance and retreat together, and at the same time borrow troops from the Hu people to severely attack Su Yao's separate force while the enemy has not yet arrived.

Military advisor Gu Ming's words were like a shot of adrenaline, rekindling a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the desperate governor Li Xuan.

He suddenly opened his eyes and gritted his teeth:

"Okay! Let's do as you say. Su Yao is too much of a bully. How can we just sit there and wait for death?"

Li Xuan acted quickly. He immediately summoned his trusted officials and generals in the county and explained to them the current serious situation and the military advisor's strategy.

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other, feeling somewhat uneasy.

The counties outside the Great Wall are not as good as those inside the Great Wall, especially the Yunzhong counties that had just been rebuilt, with few soldiers and generals. There were only a thousand or so civilians guarding the city, and 300 of them were private soldiers recruited by the prefect Li Xuan from his hometown.

But at the same time, precisely because of the presence of those 300 private soldiers, Li Xuan was able to successfully control the Yunzhong County Government. Under his coercion and inducement, all the officials had no choice but to express their willingness to follow his arrangements.

Afterwards, Li Xuan personally wrote several letters and sent them at high speed to Dingxiang, Wuyuan and Shuofang counties, explaining to other governors the aggressive nature of Su Yao's attack and his own plans, and earnestly appealed to them to put aside their past grudges and jointly resist Su Yao's army.

At the same time, he also ordered people to carry large sums of money and gifts to contact the leaders of the various Hu tribes under his rule, and to make contact with those leaders in order to persuade them to send troops to help.

Li Xuan attached great importance to these Hu people.

He was well aware that his thousand-strong garrison was not up to the task, and the real main force still depended on these Hu people.

There are not many Han people outside the Great Wall now, but the Hu people have lived here for generations. They are numerous, brave and good at fighting, and they are all cavalry.

As long as he has the help of these Hu people, while he is defending the city, he can let the Hu cavalry harass the supply lines of the officers and soldiers and cut off their retreat. That would be great things to look forward to.

While waiting for a reply, Li Xuan stepped up the defense preparations for Yunzhong City.

He first recruited as many young and middle-aged men in the city as possible, incorporated them into the army, and strengthened training; at the same time, he counted and stored food, weapons and other supplies in the city to ensure self-sufficiency during the long siege.

On the city wall, soldiers patrolled day and night, vigilantly watching the movements outside the city. The atmosphere was extremely tense.

A few days passed and replies came one after another from the three counties of Dingxiang, Wuyuan and Shuofang.

What made Li Xuan feel relieved was that the other three prefects expressed their willingness to fight the enemy together with him. They also knew that if they did not unite, only destruction would await them.

As a result, the four counties began to share their resources, support each other, and jointly formulate defense strategies.

In the negotiations with the Hu tribes, Li Xuan achieved fruitful results.

I have to say, this incident actually subverted his cognition.

Before taking office here, he always thought that these Hu people were barbaric and unruly and difficult to govern.

However, when he actually took office, he found that he seemed to have taken things for granted before.

These Hu people are more obedient than imagined. As long as they are given corresponding benefits, they will cooperate very well and be used for one's own purposes.

This was the case this time. After they heard the news of the attack by the rebels in the Central Plains, they did not bargain much. Instead, they were all happy to hear about the war and took the initiative to express their willingness to defend their hometown.

Soon, groups of Hu cavalrymen wearing leather armor, carrying bows and arrows, and holding scimitars arrived near Yunzhong City one after another. There were thousands of them. After some of them entered the city to supplement the garrison, the rest camped outside the city, forming a corner with Yunzhong City.

There was also a group of brave Hu cavalry who went around the rear, ready to cut off the connection between Yunzhong and Yanmen at any time.

Watching these scenes, Governor Li Xuan's heart was filled with emotion and he suddenly felt heroic. He felt that this time he might really be able to turn the tide and make Su Yao, who looked down on him, suffer a great loss.

However, his confidence did not last long.

Soon, he discovered that there was a small disturbance among the Hu tribes that obeyed his orders.

"what?!"

"Is there a big Su character flag among the people coming here?"

"That traitorous general is actually Governor Su???"

"hiss--"

"Something's wrong, something's wrong!"

In places beyond the sight of Prefect Li Xuan, rumors began to ferment among the Hu people's tribes.

The tribal leaders all changed their expressions.
(End of this chapter)