People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 603 Trust
A sense of crisis of death instantly swept over his body, and Ma Teng immediately realized that his situation had become extremely dangerous. Now that Liangzhou was in turmoil, how could a hostage like him end up well?

Although Xu Chen's expression was very calm and no one could tell his inner joy or anger, this made Ma Teng tremble even more.

The unknown is always the most terrifying, especially when the other party has the power of life and death and he has already angered the other party. The only thing Ma Teng can be sure of is that Xu Chen will definitely not be in a happy mood.

If I were to encounter such a situation, the first thing I would do is to kill the hostage immediately to vent my anger and establish my authority.

When he thought of this, Ma Teng couldn't help but want to curse Ma Chao, this idiot. He was so impatient to start the rebellion. Was he afraid that he would die too slowly?

Of course Ma Teng is not stupid. After thinking about it for a while, he immediately realized what Ma Chao was planning.

While feeling angry and heartbroken by Haodaer's cold-blooded determination, Ma Teng also felt extremely tired in his heart. If possible, he would be willing to be a loyal dog of the court, but this was not something he could choose at all.

He was making compromises here just to keep his family going, but Ma Chao in the rear of Liang Province was doing whatever he wanted, regardless of his life or death. This inevitably made Ma Teng disheartened. If Ma Chao were in front of him now, he really wanted to ask this grown-up son whether he still had his father in his eyes.

The room was silent. Tian Shitou had no expression on his face. Xu Chen also said nothing. He just watched Ma Teng, whose expression changed drastically.

When Xu Chen first heard the news, he was indeed a little surprised, but when he thought that the person who did such a thing was Ma Chao, one of the most filial sons in the Three Kingdoms, he felt relieved.

It can only be said that it is difficult for people to escape the trajectory of their own destiny, and Ma Teng was destined to be betrayed by his son.

After thinking for a while, Xu Chen sighed slightly: "This is a bit difficult for me. The situation is irreversible. The military will definitely be furious. If they ask me to deal with it severely, what do you think I should do?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. He was really going to be tricked by Haodaer this time.

At this time, it would not be surprising if the imperial court wanted to kill or chop him up.

Of course, he was not willing to die just like that. Although he volunteered to be the hostage, he never thought about really dying. He needed to save himself anyway.

Without hesitation, he immediately stood up, plopped down on his knees, and then expressed his sincerity in a righteous manner.

"This was all caused by my unfilial son Ma Chao. Even I never expected it to turn out like this, but my heart has never changed. If I had not sincerely submitted, I would not have taken the initiative to surrender. I only hope that the prime minister will take this sincerity seriously!"

Xu Chen sighed, then walked forward to help Ma Teng up, and then said: "I know Shoucheng's sincerity, but the reality of the Liangzhou incident cannot be ignored. No matter how wronged Shoucheng is, I am afraid that people in our court will inevitably criticize him, and some of them will inevitably hold grudges against Shoucheng."

Ma Teng fell silent for a moment. He knew that Xu Chen's words were not meant to be threatening or exaggerated. After all, the purpose of hostages was to take the blame.

Even if someone in the court called for his death later, he would have no place to complain, because Ma was at fault first.

After thinking for a while, Ma Teng gritted his teeth and said, "This matter was caused by my son, so I have the responsibility to calm everything down. If the Prime Minister can trust me, I am willing to return to Liangzhou immediately to calm down the matter and personally capture that unfilial son and bring him to the Prime Minister to atone for his sins!"

After standing up, Ma Teng's eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of murderous intent. Of course, this murderous intent was not directed at Xu Chen.

Seeing him like this, Xu Chen immediately understood that what was going to happen was a ruthless father-son game. However, he did not immediately agree to Ma Teng's proposal, but sat back and pondered, obviously considering whether to believe Ma Teng.

Of course, he could let Ma Teng go and let him return to Liangzhou, but who knows whether Ma Teng would see that something big had happened and simply turn against him? After all, the person who did this was Ma Teng's son, and there was no guarantee that he would go down a path of no return in order to protect his son.

Ma Teng stood silently, just waiting for Xu Chen's decision.

In fact, he did not hold out much hope. After all, if it were him, the situation would have been like this. There would be no reason to let the hostages go, and it would not be surprising to even execute the hostages to vent his anger.

Not to mention that he and Xu Chen have not established any trust relationship, so the possibility of Xu Chen letting him go is even lower.

At this moment, he could only face his fate calmly. He would accept it whether he was killed or cut into pieces. However, at this moment, he could not feel any resentment towards Xu Chen and Xuan Xia. Instead, he was filled with disappointment towards Ma Chao.

After a long while, Ma Teng was a little dazed, and Xu Chen finally spoke and made a decision.

"No matter how others discuss or speculate about this matter, at least I trust Shoucheng. Since Shoucheng is willing to personally settle the incident, why shouldn't I give him a chance?"

Hearing this, Ma Teng was stunned for a moment, then he raised his head and saw Xu Chen's smiling face.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of blood in his heart, an impulse of dying for his friend. Northwestern men value friendship the most, and Xu Chen was still willing to believe him at this time, which inevitably moved him.

Of course, not everyone's trust has such great power. It also depends on one's identity. If it were someone else, Ma Teng would not even raise his eyelids to take a second look.

"The Prime Minister has placed so much trust in me that I will definitely live up to his expectations. After returning from this trip, if I cannot quell the incident and capture Ma Chao, I will bring his head to me!" Ma Teng immediately clasped his fists heavily and issued a military order.

Xu Chen nodded and smiled: "In this case, Shoucheng should return first. I will send Zhao Yun to lead 10,000 elite cavalry to accompany you. If you need anything, Zhao Yun can cooperate with you. I will wait for your good news."

Ma Teng said nothing more. It would be redundant to say anything at this time. After clasping his fists again, he turned around and left.

After Ma Teng left here completely, only Xu Chen and Tian Shitou were left in the room.

At this time, Tian Shitou could no longer hold back and said, "Master, is it appropriate to let Ma Teng go back like this? If he goes back and turns hostile and joins his son in chaos, it will only make the situation more serious."

Xu Chen smiled faintly and said, "Why not? Even if he goes back and turns hostile, what can the Xiliang army do with him? Can he stop the Yellow Turbans?"

Tian Shitou shook his head and said, "Of course it's not possible, but..."

Xu Chen added: "There is nothing to worry about. Even if Ma Teng rebels, it will not make the situation worse. But if he really wants to calm the situation, this matter may be easily resolved. In this case, it will be worth it."

(End of this chapter)