I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 956: Post-war enjoyment and troubles (combined chapter)

Who is Ma Mengqi?
In Liang Province, Ma Chao was able to take over his father's team in Liang Province at the age of only seventeen or eighteen. This was not due to blood ties, but because he had been strong and brave since childhood, and was deeply respected by the local Qiang tribe in Wuwei.

Especially last year, Ma Chao was ordered to lead the army and personally participate in the general's campaign against Yizhou, and he made many military achievements. Not only was he promoted to General of the Central Army, he also brought back a lot of treasures as rewards, which made his name even more famous.

Therefore, knowing that Ma Chao was not easy to deal with, Han Sui was so wary and sent eight times the number of troops as Yan Xing to pursue him.

However, even such a famous person as Ma Chao was injured and almost killed by Yan Xing in a one-on-one battle.

This shocked the people and Qiang people of Jincheng County, and they were extremely proud of their own warrior.

At this time when people were needed, Han Sui not only did not hold them accountable, but instead arranged marriages to win them over in an attempt to consolidate his rule.

"It takes some skill to be able to kill Ma Mengqi." Su Yao said calmly.

It has to be said that this story is slightly different from the history he knew.

In history, Yan Xing did not have any outstanding military achievements after the battle with Ma Chao.

However, he finally persuaded Han Sui to surrender to the court. After Han Sui rejected his request, the two gradually turned against each other. Later, he went to Cao Cao alone and was granted the title of Marquis. As a result, his second half of life was definitely a success compared to Ma Chao.

Is it true that this man, who was also little-known and was once on par with Ma Chao, ended up being "unknown" simply because he lacked a stage to showcase himself?

Su Yao was not sure, but now he no longer cared about it.

History is history, and reality is reality.

"Everyone, get up."

Su Yao sheathed his sword, dismounted and walked towards Han Sui's body.

He bent over and picked up the blood-stained sword, weighing it in his hand:
"Han Wenyue was also a great hero. Since he committed suicide, he should be buried with honor. As for you, Yan Xing..."

Yan Xing's whole body was tense, his forehead pressed to the ground, waiting for the verdict of fate.

"Give you two choices."

Su Yao placed the tip of the knife against Yan Xing's shoulder socket:
"Either go down now and accompany your father-in-law to perform filial duties, or join my army and contribute to the great cause of the Western Expedition."

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, Yan Xing's eyes widened immediately, and even the Liangzhou Governor Wei Duan was slightly shocked.

Considering the harsh words Su Yao had said before and the decisive killings he had committed along the way, the reason why Wei Duan followed him so eagerly was because he was worried that this young and energetic general would become arrogant after his victory and commit some acts of indiscriminate killing or insulting the dead.

That would certainly be a relief for a while, but it would inevitably lead to disunity in Liangzhou.

But apparently, this great general seemed to be not only brave but also politically wise.
"Hurry up and thank the general!"

Wei Duan saw Yan Xing standing there in a daze, and hurriedly urged him in a low voice. Yan Xing finally woke up as if from a dream, and kowtowed heavily: "I am willing to follow the general, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Su Yao nodded slightly, turned around and said to Xu Huang, "Pass the order down, Jincheng has been captured, Han Sui has been executed, and those who surrender will not be killed. Send someone to inform Lu Bu and Ma Chao to stop attacking Tianshui and quickly come to Jincheng to join forces."

"promise!"

Xu Huang immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order, while the Liangzhou soldiers around him kowtowed one after another. For a moment, shouts of "Long live the general" rang out one after another.

Su Yao turned to Wei Duan and said, "Wei Governor, the government affairs of Liangzhou will be handed over to you. The first thing to do is to appease the people, restore order, and prepare for the westward expedition as soon as possible."

This was Wei Duan's job, so he immediately accepted the order and hurriedly took his men down to clean up the mess.

The time passed quickly afterwards.

The news of Han Sui's death spread throughout the city. Although some people were still resisting stubbornly and unwilling to surrender, and some soldiers and hooligans in the city took advantage of the chaos to smash, loot and burn, they were no longer a force to be reckoned with.

When the sun rose, the sounds of fighting in Jincheng had completely subsided.

Su Yao stood on the high city wall, overlooking this important town in Hexi.

In the morning light, smoke from cooking fires rose from the city, and some brave people had already gone out to the streets to see what was happening.

The petty officials in the city ran through the streets beating gongs, announcing the general's order: "The people in the city should stay at their jobs and not take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble! Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to loot will be executed immediately!"

Seeing this scene, Su Yao finally felt relieved and could have a good sleep.

It feels great to have capable subordinates.

When Su Yao slept until the sun was setting, order in the city had been fully restored, and the extremely efficient Zhao Yun was already waiting outside the door, ready to report on his work.

"Oh? Zilong is here?"

When Su Yao opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the pretty faces of Hong'er and the Hu Ji sisters Alyssa and Alice.

That's right, this time when he went to the Western Regions, he also brought along these two Hu sisters from the Cheshi Kingdom, and accompanied them back to their hometown.

As for Hong'er, she volunteered to come along.

To be honest, Su Yao didn't want to bring him at first.

This trip to the Western Regions is for war, not tourism. The journey is long and exposed to wind and sun. How can Hong'er, a delicate little girl, endure such hardship?
Besides, she is not only a mother with a daughter, but also the head female official by Wannian's side. Why should she follow him around?
However, not only was Hong Er determined, but all the women in her "harem" actually agreed with her, saying:
"This journey is so long, how can my husband not have someone of his own to serve him?"

"That's right. You are the King of Tang of our Han Dynasty. If you don't even bring a personal maid, won't the Western Regions underestimate our prestige?"

Wannian personally made the decision: "Hong'er has always served my husband and is the most attentive and considerate. I feel relieved when she follows you."

Of course, this is what he said openly to Su Yao. Behind the scenes:

"Good Hong'er, you must keep a close eye on our His Majesty the King of Tang."

Wannian held Hong'er's hand and said earnestly:
"I don't know how long it will take to get to the Western Regions. I heard that there are many charming and seductive women there. You must keep a close eye on them and don't let them take advantage of the situation and bring back a bunch of foreign women."

In response to this, Hong'er naturally responded with a smile, as this coincided with her thoughts.

So, Hong'er followed Su Yao on the journey to the west.

Fortunately, Hong'er had followed Su Yao in many battles before, so she was not unfamiliar with the military life. She quickly adapted again and cooperated well with Alyssa and her sister. Even this time, when Su Yao made a sneak attack from behind, the three of them received the task and followed together.

For example, the Alyssa sisters had previously disguised themselves as high-class Western slaves to attract the attention of the leader of the Qiang stronghold and helped him capture the stronghold many times.

The versatile Hong'er even taught herself some nursing skills from Su Yao in Beijing. This time, Su Yao asked her to manage the medical team and the captured female relatives of the enemy soldiers. It can be said that she was very busy.

But obviously, Hong'er will not miss the most important thing.

Just like now, the owner’s food and daily life always come first.

Almost calculating the time for Su Yao to get up, Hong'er pushed away other things around her and went to the dormitory to wait. When she saw Su Yao open his eyes, she quickly handed him a warm towel. Sister Alyssa also hurriedly brought the toiletries. The three of them cooperated tacitly, so that their Highness the King of Tang could enjoy a life of having clothes and food provided for him even though he was far away from home.

What a corrupt old society.

Su Yao sighed in his heart while enjoying the service.

Then, his big hands began to wander towards Hong'er's body, and he seriously considered whether he should reward this little girl.

At this time, Hong'er smiled and moved away, telling him that General Zhao had been waiting outside the door for a long time.

Su Yao then retracted his mischievous hand and coughed lightly: "Then let Zilong come in first."

Soon, Zhao Yun pushed the door open and walked in, wearing silver armor and a white robe, looking very heroic. He saluted without looking away:
"Reporting to the general, Jincheng has been completely pacified. Governor Wei is comforting the people and counting the treasury. Our army suffered more than 300 casualties, and captured and incorporated more than 18,000 Liangzhou soldiers."

"In addition, Cheng Yin died in battle, and many of his subordinates and family members gathered outside the governor's mansion to cause trouble."

"Huh? What's going on?"

Su Yao frowned, took the military report presented by Zhao Yun and read it carefully, only to find that they had not noticed last night that Cheng Yin, the second leader of the Xiliang Army who was the first to surrender, had died in the chaos.

It was only after the battle that those people started to make a fuss. When they inquired, they found out that Yan Xing had defeated Cheng Yin in the chaos last night and abducted him in public. After that, Han Sui killed this man and then committed suicide in public.
It is said that it is inevitable for a general to die in battle. Since you, Cheng Yin, are not as skilled as others, there is nothing that can be done about your death. The court can just give you some more compensation and that will be the end of it. This is exactly how Wei Duan dealt with you.

But obviously, this is Liangzhou, where the people are tough and they cannot be easily dismissed.

"General Cheng made great contributions to the court, but died at the hands of the rebels. If the court does not severely punish the murderer, we will not give up!"

Cheng Yin's deputy general Li Kan led hundreds of his personal soldiers to surround the governor's mansion and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Some people even took advantage of the chaos and threatened to commit suicide to avenge the court if it treated them unfairly. The incident caused a sensation and many people in the city stopped to watch.

However, after receiving the report, Su Yao did not intervene directly.

After all, what was sent to him was Zhao Yun’s military report, not the report from the governor’s office.

He had already handed over the matter of maintaining public order to Wei Duan last night. If the situation was not too serious, he would not rush to intervene.

"Zilong, what do you think about this?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment, clasped his fists and said, "I think the key to this matter lies in the special identities of both parties."

"Although Cheng Yin was fickle, he finally surrendered to the imperial court. He was the first to surrender among all the generals who surrendered this time."

"Yan Xing is Han Sui's son-in-law, and he captured Cheng Yin himself. Although he didn't kill Cheng Yin, he died because of him. There was already a grievance between the two sides, and now seeing that he is under the command of the general, his dissatisfaction is naturally aggravated."

"If this is not handled properly, it may lead to a chain reaction."

Su Yao nodded slightly, very satisfied with Zhao Yun's timely report, and immediately ordered Wei Duan to be summoned.

Soon, the general's personal soldiers rushed to the governor's mansion with orders.

Seeing this, Wei Duan did not dare to delay and finally came out of the governor's mansion. After promising to deal with the matter fairly later, he rushed to the general's mansion with the visitor.

"I heard that Cheng Yin's former subordinates were causing trouble in the governor's mansion, but Governor Wei turned a blind eye. May I ask how he plans to deal with this matter?" Su Yao asked straight to the point.

To be honest, Su Yao was a little dissatisfied at first.

Can this kind of thing be delayed like this?
Why is Wei Duan so clueless?

He had tried his best to protect Yan Xing before. Could it be that the two of them had a private affair so he didn't want to step in to deal with it?
Or did he remember that he had let Yan Xing go last night and felt that he appreciated his talent, so he didn't dare to handle the matter on his own?

However, Wei Duan's next words surprised him and changed his mind a lot.

"General, please understand. This is not because I did nothing. It is because I discovered that there is something else going on."

Wei Duan immediately bowed and explained:

"If I have to say, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. Cheng Yin's death was caused by Han Sui, who has now committed suicide. I have also submitted a petition to the court to posthumously confer him with merit and provide generous compensation to his family. This matter should be put behind us."

"But Cheng Yin's old subordinates Li Kan and others refused to give in and insisted that Yan Xing pay with his life. This is obviously unreasonable."

"At first I thought they were taking advantage of the situation to seek higher positions and arrangements, but later I found out that someone was probably trying to sow discord in an attempt to destroy the unity within our army and obstruct our westward expedition."

"Oh? You mean those Western barbarians are behind this?"

Su Yao frowned:
"Do you have any evidence?"

"I am still investigating this, and there is no evidence."

Wei Duan wiped his sweat and said:
"However, it is well known to everyone in Liangzhou that Li Kan had close ties with the Western Regions' Hu merchants in the past. I think this is no accident. I have sent people to secretly monitor Li Kan and his confidants. I believe that evidence will be found soon."

Indeed, it was difficult to find any evidence of collusion in the chaotic post-war city in less than a day.

So, Su Yao nodded thoughtfully and said:

"In that case, let's hold off for now and give you some time. But——"

Su Yao then changed the subject:
"No matter what, Cheng Yin has made great contributions to the court. Now that he is dead, his affairs must be handled properly. Pass on my order to posthumously confer the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery on Cheng Yin, and to grant him an additional 100 kilograms of gold and 1,000 pieces of silk. His former subordinates and generals should not be treated unfairly. You draw up a list and give them all titles and rewards, and make sure that no one can find fault with them."

"As for Yan Xing." Su Yao pondered for a moment, "Let him go to my vanguard camp first to redeem himself for his crime."

Going to the vanguard camp means being assigned to the most dangerous place to fight to the death, which is one of the routine treatments in the army.

At the same time, this was also the reason why Su Yao asked Yan Xing to temporarily leave Jincheng, a place of trouble, to avoid further conflicts with Cheng Yin's old subordinates.

Wei Duan was overjoyed when he heard this: "Great General, you are wise! With this arrangement, if they still have complaints, they will be ungrateful!"

Then, Su Yao added, "Also, pass down the order to strictly investigate those who spread rumors and sow discord in the city. All Western Regions Hu merchants who secretly incited will be arrested and interrogated, and the mastermind behind the scenes must be found."

"Yes!" Wei Duan took the order and left.

After Wei Duan left, Su Yao said to Zhao Yun: "Zilong, you personally take people to appease Cheng Yin's former subordinates and tell them that the court will not mistreat meritorious officials, but will never tolerate anyone taking advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble. If anyone dares to cause trouble again, they will be punished by military law!"

In the next few days, under Su Yao's arrangement, Jincheng temporarily returned to peace.

Su Yao also had a rare opportunity to relax, enjoying the company of a beautiful woman while touring the magnificent scenery of the northwest.

However, this relaxation did not last for a few days.

Four days later, with the arrival of Ma Chao's troops, there was another uproar.
(End of this chapter)