I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 957 Taking revenge for personal gain
"Is Ma Meng up?"

Jincheng, the sun sets.

On this day, Su Yao had just returned from hiking in the mountains outside the city with his friends. As soon as he arrived at the city gate, he saw Zhao Yun coming hurriedly to report that Ma Chao's troops had arrived outside the city and were now waiting in the military camp.

"He's quite quick. Let him come to the city to see me."

After Su Yao finished speaking, he whipped his horse whip and prepared to enter the city. At this time, Zhao Yun stopped him and said:
"General, there is one more thing before this: when General Ma came, Captain Yan was leading the patrol, and the two of them..."

Su Yao was stunned and asked with a smile: "We almost got into a fight?"

Zhao Yun smiled bitterly: "It's more than just almost."

"Captain Yan led his team to patrol Nanshan. When I saw him on the top of the city wall, he was being chased by Ma Chao's troops. Fortunately, he ran fast and arrived at the foot of the city first. I hurried out to dissuade him, so he didn't die on the spot."

"It's really a narrow road for enemies to meet each other." Su Yao shook his head and smiled.

It must be said that with the precedent of Li Kan and others in the city taking the opportunity to cause trouble, Su Yao had foreseen the conflict between Yan Xing and Ma Chao, so he transferred Yan Xing to the vanguard camp and assigned him to garrison outside the city.

But obviously, the word "fate" is really indescribable.

In this way, the two of them happened to run into each other.

"That kid Ma Chao actually shouted for war and killing as soon as he met us? Doesn't he know that killing colleagues without permission is a serious crime?" Su Yao dismounted and handed the reins to his personal soldiers.

Zhao Yun sighed, "Ma Mengqi is young and hot-headed. He almost lost his life at the hands of Yan Xing last time, and he is obviously ashamed of it. As soon as he saw Yan Xing this time, he said that he was a remnant of Han Sui and must be eliminated as soon as possible. Captain Yan argued that he had surrendered to the court, but General Ma didn't listen at all and said that he was pretending to surrender."

Internal strife and killing among generals and their colleagues is an extremely vicious and unacceptable thing in later generations, but it was common during the Han Dynasty.

Ultimately, it was because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty respected Confucianism alone, and Gongyang Confucianism was particularly popular.

Gongyang Confucianism is extraordinary. It is not the Confucian thought of later generations that was poisoned by Neo-Confucianism and distorted by countless emperors. Instead, it emphasizes the concept of "great revenge", advocates that "the revenge of nine generations can still be avenged", encourages blood revenge, and advocates that individuals achieve justice through drastic means.

Under the influence of this kind of thinking, the common people, scholars and officials of the Han Dynasty often took pleasure in settling scores and would never let go of any grievance.

The imperial court not only turned a blind eye to this, but some of them were even praised as models, respected by scholars, and used as a stepping stone for official career advancement.

For example, several decades ago, there was a man named Yang Qiu from Yuyang, Youzhou. Because his mother was insulted by a local county official, he gathered dozens of people to kill his entire family and wipe out his clan.

Such a tragic incident of extermination of an entire family shocked the world for a time. However, Yang Qiu was not held accountable. Instead, he rose to prominence because of it. He was promoted to Shangshu Shilang when he was first selected as a filial and honest official. He then rose through the ranks and was promoted to the positions of Sili Xiaowei, Shangshu Ling, and Weiwei.

There was also a woman named Zhao E from Jiuquan. Her father was killed by the local tyrant Li Shou, so her family members sharpened their knives and were ready to take revenge at any time. However, as luck would have it, her three brothers were all killed by an epidemic, so Zhao E vowed to kill the villain.

Finally, Zhao E's hard work paid off and she succeeded in killing her enemy. It made a sensation in the world. When people all over the country heard about this, they were all moved and praised Zhao E for her noble character.

Instead of punishing this vicious act of private murder without the permission of the government, the imperial court highly praised her, carved a stone tablet and erected a monument to highlight the Zhao family's status. Even Zhang Huan, the Minister of Rites at the time, admired Zhao E's deeds and presented her with twenty pieces of silk in his personal name. Liang Kuan, the Imperial Secretary, even wrote a book to recount Zhao E's deeds and composed a biography of her.

In such an atmosphere, revenge may become a trend among the Han people. "I will kill your whole family after I gain power" is not just an empty angry remark, but a real threat.

For example, during the Three Kingdoms period, Fa Zheng of Shu Han was a typical example of this.

Fa Zheng was a man who would never let go of any grievance. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, after he gained power, he would "take revenge on even the smallest favor or the smallest grievance", and even killed several scholars who had slandered him. How upright and wise was Zhuge Liang? However, even though he knew that it was illegal, he acquiesced because "Fa Zheng was a loyal follower and should not be taken lightly", and the world did not take it seriously and just killed him.

This was the case with all the scholars and common people, and conflicts in the army due to personal grievances were even more frequent.

The Western Liang border troops were already unruly, and Ma Chao grew up in a culture where Han and Qiang people lived together. He was also at the youngest and most energetic age. How could he let Yan Xing go easily?
But obviously, Su Yao today will never encourage this kind of private fighting trend.

"Where are they now?" Su Yao asked.

Zhao Yun replied, "Captain Yan has returned to the camp to bandage his wounds, and I have arranged for General Ma to rest temporarily in the military camp outside the city."

Su Yao nodded: "Send the order and ask Ma Chao to come see me immediately. Also, call Yan Xing as well."

Soon, Ma Chao and Yan Xing arrived at the general's mansion one after another.

When the two met, their eyes were like swords clashing, sparks flying.

Ma Chao was dressed in silver armor, looking very heroic. He could not hide the anger in his eyes when he clasped his fists and saluted: "Ma Chao, the humble general, pays respect to the King of Tang and the general!"

Yan Xingze looked a little pale, with a bandage wrapped around his right arm. He knelt on one knee and said, "I, Yan Xing, pay my respects to the King of Tang and the General."

Su Yao sat behind the desk, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them: "I heard you almost had a fight outside the city?"

Ma Chao immediately raised his head and said angrily, "Your Highness! This man is Han Sui's son-in-law. He not only led the people to hunt me down, killing many of my brothers, but also nearly took my life. Now that Han Sui rebelled and died, he led the people to surrender. He must have falsely surrendered and infiltrated our army. He deserves death! I beg you to kill this villain immediately!"

Yan Xing gave a bitter smile, did not argue, just lowered his head and said nothing.

Su Yao closed his eyes slightly, was silent for a while, and slowly spoke: "Mengqi, I know you have a grudge against him, but now Yan Ming (Yan Xing's name) is holding my Han flag, but you are leading your troops to chase him. Do you have any respect for military law?"

Ma Chao raised his head and said, "I am willing to be punished! But if this thief is not eliminated, our army will not be at peace!"

"How dare you!" Su Yao slammed the table. "Yan Xing has already surrendered to the imperial court, and I personally tried to pacify him. Are you questioning my decision?"

Ma Chao then realized that he had spoken out of turn and quickly knelt down: "I dare not!"

Su Yao said in a deep voice: "I don't care about the personal grudges between you. But now is the time for the Western Expedition. Anyone who dares to sacrifice public interests for personal interests will be punished by military law!"

He stood up and walked in front of the two men: "Mengqi, you are brave and good at fighting, and you have a bright future. Don't ruin yourself because of a momentary impulse. Yanming, since you have surrendered, you should put the overall situation first and put aside the past grudges for the time being. How do you think?"

The two men took a deep breath, nodded their heads and said yes, but it was clear that the hostility in their eyes had not completely disappeared.

After the two men left, Zhao Yun said worriedly, "General, these two have deep resentment. I'm afraid..."

"I'm afraid there will be more trouble."

Su Yao took over the conversation, tapped the table with his fingers a few times, and said:

"So, they want revenge, don't they? I will give them a chance. In three days, I will ask them to come to the training ground outside the city. I will personally set up a fighting ring for them!"

(End of this chapter)