Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 387: The Han Dynasty is rising! Ma-Cao alliance!
Looking at the old woman's face full of earnestness and sincerity, Liu Xie was silent and speechless.

He didn't know how to express his feelings at the moment. Countless words were choked in his throat. In the end, he could only say: "There will be such a day."

"I will ensure that the people and subjects of the Han Dynasty have enough food to eat and enough education to study, and they will no longer suffer from war."

“That day won’t be too far away.”

Liu Xie reached out and touched Zhaodi's little face, took a deep look at the spirit tablet, then said goodbye and left.

Sitting in the carriage returning to Yecheng, Liu Xie fell into deep thought as he watched the setting sun in the distance.

The situation of Zhaodi's family is by no means an isolated case. There are many such widows and orphans and many people suffering from hardships in the Han Dynasty.

All he could do was to resolve the war as quickly as possible, free the Han Dynasty from the chaos of war, and then concentrate on developing people's livelihood.

He is determined to create a truly harmonious and prosperous world!

……

A month goes by in a blink of an eye.

After entering December, the weather gradually became colder, but this did not have much impact on the court's troops.

In this expedition, Zhang Liao will be the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Sima Yi will be the military advisor, and Lu Bu, Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun will be the generals, with a total of 80,000 troops.

The strength of Ma Chao's Xiliang Army should not be underestimated, so in addition to Lu Bu, Liu Xie also sent Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci out.

Outside Yecheng.

Today is the day when the army officially sets out. The weather is exceptionally clear and cloudless. A total of 80,000 troops are standing outside Yecheng, ready to go.

The so-called major affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.

When an army goes out to war, it must kill three animals and six livestock as a sacrifice to heaven. This is an essential process and link.

Outside the city, a temple for sacrifice had been prepared, with various offerings including livestock and other animals placed on it.

There was a divine fire burning brightly in the altar, with curling green smoke rising straight into the sky and rising into the heavens with the wind.

Invite the saints from the nine heavens and ten directions, and even from the underworld and Fengdu.

Although Liu Xie did not lead the troops personally this time, as the emperor, it was naturally him who would hold incense and go forward to offer sacrifices and swear an oath for the army to go to war.

After the sacrifice, Gao Lan knelt in front of Liu Xie with a sword in his hand, and held the emperor's sword high above his head with both hands.

"Your Majesty, please draw your sword!"

Gao Lan bowed his head respectfully and spoke in a deep voice.

Liu Xie's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard that. He reached out to grab the hilt of the sword and slowly pulled it out. The light reflected from the sword was as bright as the sun!

Show off your edge!

Liu Xie stood on the altar holding a sword, wearing a majestic and noble black dragon robe, his eyes full of sharpness.

The Han dragon flag erected on the altar fluttered in the wind.

Countless troops below the stage stood in silence.

Zhang Liao, Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and all the other generals were in the audience, each of them had an extraordinary aura and a murderous look on their faces, just waiting for the emperor's order to be given!

"Three armies, listen to my orders!"

Liu Xie said, pointing his sword to the west.

"Go out and fight the enemy!!!"

Wherever the sword points, the iron hoof will go.

Then there were thousands of troops galloping, and it seemed as if thunder was shaking between heaven and earth, and a strong wind was sweeping the earth!

The wind is blowing!
……

Sizhou, Chang'an.

The news that Ma Teng had returned to the army had already spread.

Upon learning that the old general was tortured by Lu Bu and had to stay in bed, many of Ma Teng's former subordinates in the Xiliang Army were outraged.

However, all these emotions were suppressed by Ma Chao, and the army began to prepare to deal with the attacks from Lu Bu and Yuan Xi.

Because the news that the imperial court had labeled Ma Chao a traitor had spread throughout the world, a crusade was inevitable and there would eventually be a war between the two sides.

During this period, a letter from Jingzhou arrived in Chang'an after traveling thousands of miles and was handed to Ma Chao.

Inside the Chinese army camp.

After Ma Chao finished reading the letter in his hand, his eyes fell on the scholar in front of him, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does Cao Mengde want to form an alliance with this general?"

"Exactly."

The scholar smiled and said, "The general is a loyal and righteous man, but he was labeled a traitor by the false emperor and Lu Bu. It is really infuriating."

"My master has long admired the name of General Shenwei Tian. Now he heard that the false emperor's court is going to send troops to attack the general, so he wants to form an alliance with the general."

"After all, the power of the Pseudo-Emperor's court cannot be underestimated. Although the General's Xiliang Army is unrivaled in the world, I'm afraid it can't stand alone."

The scholar spoke eloquently and calmly.

However, after hearing this, Ma Chao sneered, slammed the letter in his hand on the table, pointed at him and scolded: "How insolent!"

"Your Majesty in Yecheng is the real emperor, but now he is being held hostage by two villains, Lu Bu and Yuan Xi. When did he become the fake emperor you are talking about?"

"Cao Mengde pretended to be the emperor, and now he is trying to win over this general to serve the fake emperor with him. This is simply wishful thinking!"

Ma Chao ruthlessly rejected the scholar's proposal.

And gave him a scolding.

Although forming an alliance is a good thing, he is doing it under the banner of clearing the emperor's side and eliminating treacherous ministers. If he forms an alliance with Cao Cao, it would be tantamount to ruining his own reputation.

"The general's words are wrong!"

The scholar shook his head and said solemnly: "The so-called emperor in Yecheng is just a fake emperor. The real emperor is now in Jingzhou."

"It's a pity that the world has been deceived by the false emperor, causing the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty to fall into disrepair and the true emperor to fall into trouble."

"General, since you are the descendant of General Fubo, you should distinguish the true from the false. How could you believe the false emperor?"

Every word the scholar said was sincere and earnest.

However, Ma Chao stood up with a face full of anger and said: "You are so bold, you dare to say such a nonsense!"

"If it weren't for the fact that this general never kills envoys, I would definitely make you lose your head today!"

"Someone! Get him out of here!"

Ma Chao didn't waste any more time talking to the scholar and ordered his guards to drive him out of the tent. At this time Pang De just walked into the tent.

Seeing the scholar being carried out by the guards, he couldn't help but ask in confusion: "General, who was that person just now?"

"He's just a lobbyist sent by Cao thief."

Ma Chao waved his hands and snorted, "Cao the thief wants me to join hands with him to fight against the imperial court and support the fake emperor of Jingzhou. How can I let him do that?"

"Even if I am defeated by Lu Bu and die at the hands of that villain, I will never form an alliance with Cao Cao!"

Ma Chao's words were so powerful that many generals in the tent showed admiration on their faces.

"As expected of a general."

Pang De also said with admiration, and then took out a military intelligence from his arms and reported to him: "General, there is news from Jizhou that Lu Bu's troops set out ten days ago and have now arrived in Bingzhou and are heading to Sizhou."

"This time, Lu Bu is leading the army himself, with a total of 80,000 soldiers and horses. They come with ill intentions."

Pound repeated the news with a serious look.

The imperial court had a strong army and had defeated a powerful opponent like Yuan Shao. Lu Bu was the most powerful general in the world. This time, they sent 80,000 troops and Lu Bu led them personally, which shows how seriously they took this war.

"It's winter again..."

Upon hearing the news, Ma Chao's expression changed slightly, and a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

It was no secret to him that the imperial court's troops were good at fighting in winter. He had already witnessed this when the imperial court sent troops to attack Bingzhou and eliminate Gao Gan.

As far as he knew, the imperial court equipped every soldier in the army with various warm clothes woven from wool, which enabled them to fight in winter.

"Humph, many of our soldiers are of Qiang origin, and they are also good at making clothes with fur."

"Thinking of defeating me through the weather is simply wishful thinking!"

Ma Chao thought secretly in his heart.

The Qiang people have long had the habit of using fur to make warm clothing, and almost everyone has a sheepskin coat to resist the cold.

Although sheepskin coats may have limited effect in winter warfare, they are definitely not as defenseless as the high-ranking officials’ army.

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"I see."

Thinking of this, Ma Chao looked at Pang De and ordered: "Let the army guard Tongguan well, Lu Bu will not be able to attack it."

As the imperial capital, Chang'an's geographical location is undoubtedly superior. As long as Tongguan to the east is guarded, no matter how many enemy troops there are, they will not be able to attack.

"Yes, General."

Pang De accepted the order respectfully, and then after a slight hesitation, he asked, "The old general has been in bed for a long time recuperating from his injuries. I wonder if his condition has improved recently?"

It has been quite some time since Ma Teng returned to Chang'an, but he still feels a little strange that he is bedridden and unable to see anyone after such a long time.

"Yes, how is the old general's injury?"

"Damn Lu Bu, he is so cruel!"

"The old general has really suffered a lot..."

"General, let's go check it out."

Upon hearing this, other generals in the tent also asked questions.

Ma Chao's mouth twitched slightly, but he still said with a heavy face: "Father's injury has not improved. It is not appropriate to visit him now. Let him continue to recuperate."

After hearing this, the generals had no choice but to give up.

After Ma Chao ordered his generals to prepare for war, he left the tent. Pang De looked at his back and frowned.

A deep sense of doubt arose in my heart.

He had recently asked the soldier who first came to report the arrival of the diplomatic corps in Chang'an, and the soldier said that the old general did not look like he was being tortured.

Then why did you stay in bed for so long to recover?

……

Chang'an, General's Mansion.

After leaving the military camp, Ma Chao rode his horse back to Chang'an City, walked all the way to his mansion, and then walked into the study.

Inside the study, there was a scribe waiting.

It was the messenger sent by Cao Cao.

The other party looked at Ma Chao who walked into the study and asked with a smile: "General, you asked me to leave, but you asked the soldiers to bring me here. I wonder why?"

"If I form an alliance with Cao Mengde, what can he give me?"

Since there were no outsiders around, Ma Chao put away his previous attitude in the military camp and asked directly: "Tell me your conditions."

There were many people outside before, and he certainly couldn't negotiate with the other party in front of his subordinates, so he just drove them away.

Some things cannot be brought to the table.

The scholar chuckled and said, "I don't understand what the general said. Didn't the general say before that he supported the false emperor in Yecheng?"

"Stop talking in circles!"

Ma Chao knocked on the table impatiently and said coldly: "Whether the emperor of Yecheng is real or fake, I don't care."

"What I want is to split the land and be crowned king!"

"Cao Mengde also has the emperor in his hands. As long as he can agree to my condition and let the emperor of Jingzhou issue an edict to confer me the title of King of Liang, I will agree to join forces with him."

What difference does it make to him whether the emperor of Yecheng is real or fake? As the saying goes, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, and the one who wins in the end is the real emperor.

Hearing this, the scholar also stopped laughing and said thoughtfully: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by me alone. I need to go back and ask the lord for instructions."

How could he agree to such a thing as dividing the land and becoming a king? At least he didn't have the right to decide.

"I didn't ask you to agree now."

Ma Chao said nonchalantly: "Lü Bu has already led his troops to attack me. Go back and tell Cao Mengde that if he wants me to support the Emperor of Jingzhou, he should send troops to help me contain him. This is the premise for me to join forces with him."

"After all, he is fickle and likes to backstab his allies. Sun Quan and Liu Cong are examples of this. I need to see his sincerity."

"As for whether or not to join forces with him in the end, it depends on whether he can let me become the King of Liang. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ma Chao knew very well why Cao Cao wanted to win him over; it was simply because he had his eyes on the troops in his hands.

Cao Cao alone is not capable of competing with the imperial court; he can only do so by joining forces with him.

This is also the reason why he dares to make such conditions.

After hearing Ma Chao's conditions, the scholar frowned and pondered for a long time, and finally said slowly: "I will convey the general's words to my master truthfully."

After saying this, he bowed to Ma Chao.

Then strode away.

After he left, Ma Chao returned to the desk, picked up his pen and quickly wrote a letter. Then he called a confidant and handed the letter to him.

"Send this letter to Bingzhou and give it to Lu Bu."

Ma Chao ordered.

The confidant was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help asking, "General, send the letter to... Lu Bu?"

The imperial court is sending troops to attack them right now. What's the difference between sending a letter to them at this time and seeking death?
"Don't ask so many questions, just go."

Although Ma Chao was somewhat impatient, he still said, "When two armies are fighting, they don't kill envoys. Don't worry too much."

"If anything happens, I will take care of your wife and children."

The confidant gritted his teeth, clasped his fists heavily to Ma Chao, then put the secret letter in his arms and hurriedly left the study.

Only then did Ma Chao breathe a sigh of relief and smile.

There was a gleam of pride in his eyes.

"When two emperors fight, I will benefit. I will side with whoever offers the highest price!"

In the letter, he revealed the news that Cao Cao was trying to win him over, intending to use it as a bargaining chip to try again for the opportunity to be crowned king.

After all, if he could be crowned king by the true emperor, it would definitely be better than turning around to support the false emperor of Jingzhou, and would not arouse opposition from his soldiers.

He believed that the Emperor of Yecheng would no longer sit still after learning that he was going to join forces with Cao Cao, and would definitely find a way to win him over.

Because if he joined forces with Cao Cao to fight against the imperial court and support the false emperor of Jingzhou, once the imperial court was defeated, the Han Dynasty would be stolen by a fake emperor.

He didn't believe that the Emperor of Yecheng could remain indifferent to this!

(End of this chapter)