Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 688: Conquering Xiliang
"Haha, Military Advisor Wen Ruo is the best. You are such a good person. By the way, does your son have a wife? I, Zhu, just had a daughter at the beginning of the year. Let's get married..."

Zhu Ye grabbed Xun Yu's shoulders with such strength that Xun Yu grimaced in pain.

Guan Yu felt secretly regretful when he saw that Zhu Ye had taken the lead. He secretly glanced at Cui Jun and Xun You, and wondered whether he should become relatives with these two people so that they could speak for him?
But on second thought, he really couldn't say such words. He held them in his throat for a long time, his face turning three points redder, but he finally gave up.

Liu He scolded Zhu Ye with a smile, "Come on, you've strangled Wen Ruo to the point of hurting him, but you still won't let go. Your daughter and Wen Ruo's eldest son were born in the same year and month, so they are a perfect match. But you sold your daughter so easily for a military achievement. You're such a frivolous father. We can talk about this later. Since Wen Ruo also thinks the time has come to conquer Xiliang, let's discuss the expedition."

Seeing that Liu He agreed, Guan Yu hurriedly said: "I want to fight. If I can't get the heads of Han Sui and Yan Xing back, I am willing to replace them with my own head!"

Zhu Ye was not to be outdone: "The same goes for my little brother!"

Liu He saw that both of them were determined to win. No matter which one he agreed to or not, it would be difficult to deal with. Even if Guan Yu was the commander-in-chief and Zhu Ye was the deputy general, although they would definitely agree, when the battle came later, with Guan Yu's temper and his current overwhelming desire to fight, he, as the commander-in-chief, might do the work of the deputy general or even the vanguard. Wouldn't Zhu Ye make a big fuss when he came back then?

Just as I was hesitating, Gong Saner came to report.

"Your Majesty, General Ma Chao, along with Pang De, Ma Dai, Ma Xiu, and Ma Tie, are outside the palace seeking an audience."

Liu He was stunned: "Oh? Why are they here?"

Cui Jun said, "They must have known that Generals Guan and Zhu had come to the capital, and they thought that Your Majesty had summoned them to deal with Han Sui. After all, Han Sui had just been so bold as to attack Guanzhong, so it was reasonable for Your Majesty to attack them now. The Ma family and Han Sui have a deep hatred, so they must have come to ask for the position of vanguard."

Liu He nodded and said, "In that case, let them come in."

Not long after, Gong Saner came with Ma Chao and four others.

"Come on and see Your Majesty!"

"Please stand up, my dear minister. I wonder why you suddenly come to the palace?"

When Ma Chao heard this and saw Guan Yu and Zhu Ye beside him, he became even more delighted.

"I beg Your Majesty to send troops to the west to wipe out the traitor Han Sui. I am willing to serve as a vanguard and sacrifice my life to repay the country and avenge my family. I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission!"

"I beg your Majesty to grant me your permission!"

Liu He gave him a false hand and said, "You should get up first. My second brother and I are discussing this matter. Since you are here, it is just in time. The traitor Liu Yan proclaimed himself emperor, which is really a great rebellion. Han Sui is the traitor's supporter. Xiliang is the gateway to the north of Yizhou. If we want to take Yizhou, we must first conquer Xiliang. Therefore, I have decided to send troops and vow to cut off Han Sui's head."

Ma Chao and his five companions were overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Ye suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Ma Chao: "Haha, Mengqi, your spear skills are very powerful and fierce, which is very different from Zilong's cleverness and agility. It suits my hammer skills. I heard that your spear skills have improved rapidly since you came to Luoyang. So, if my brother sends me to the battle, you can be my vanguard general, how about it?"

Ma Chao was unaware of what they had discussed before. When he heard what Zhu Ye said, he thought that Liu He had already appointed Zhu Ye as the commander-in-chief. If Zhu Ye wanted him to be the vanguard, how could Ma Chao refuse?
"That's great. Thank you so much for your trust, General Zhu. I will definitely live up to your trust!"

"Hey, fifth brother, what you did is not right." Guan Yu walked over.

"You only have 500 Thunder God Cavalry under your command. Apart from that, there are no other cavalry. Meng Qi is a first-rate rider and is good at commanding cavalry in battle. Wouldn't it be a great waste of his talent to let him be your vanguard? Guan's Purple Gold Dragon Cavalry is the best in the world. It would be best if Meng Qi could be my deputy general and go to Xiliang to fight."

Ma Chao and others were now completely confused. They had no idea which of the two was the main commander of the Western Expedition. They didn't know who to speak for, so they could only look to Liu He for help.

Liu He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Second brother, fifth brother, stop fighting. If you continue to fight, I will make sure that neither of you can go."

His words were a perfect hit, and Guan Yu and Zhu Ye immediately kept silent. Zhu Ye ran to Xun Yu and winked at him secretly. Guan Yu couldn't save face, so he could only half-close his eyes, stroke his long beard, and pretend to be obedient and indifferent. However, the glances he gave Liu He from time to time still betrayed his inner thoughts.

Liu He was very helpless and turned to Cui Jun and asked: "Zhou Ping, what suggestions do you have?"

When he asked this question, Guan Yu and Zhu Ye immediately turned their eyes to him, making Cui Jun feel uneasy. However, he was not an ordinary person after all, and he quickly came up with an idea.

"Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with Xiliang, and I don't have a plan for the moment. However, the other two matters are more urgent than Xiliang."

Liu He was a little puzzled: "Which two things?"

Cui Jun said: "First, the one-year period agreed with Cao Cao has come to an end. According to the agreement, the court should send troops to take over Yuzhou."

"Secondly, when you ordered Budugen to lead the army, Your Majesty said that if he could drive away the Xiongnu cavalry and kill the Xiongnu Right Wise King, he would be named the Great Chanyu of the Xianbei. Now that this has been accomplished, in order to demonstrate the majesty of the court, Your Majesty should also issue an edict."

"These two things?" Liu He became even more confused after hearing this.

These two things should indeed be done, but although they cannot be called trivial matters, they cannot be compared with the Western Expedition.

However, Liu He changed his mind and saw the murderous looks in Guan Yu and Zhu Ye's eyes, and he immediately understood.

"Alas, it's hard for Zhou Ping. No matter who you support as the commander, it's not appropriate. If it's the fourth brother, it's fine. With the tempers of the second and fifth brothers, if they can't fulfill their wishes, although they won't really get angry with their sworn brothers, I'm afraid Cui Jun, the middleman, will be in trouble."

He said slowly, "The matter of Yuzhou is not urgent for the time being. Although the agreement is limited to one year, the army is about to be sent to Xiliang, and the emperor's uncle has just appeased Liu Biao of Jingzhou. If the court sends a large army to take over Yuzhou at this time, Jingzhou and Yuzhou are adjacent to each other, and it is hard to guarantee that Liu Biao will not be suspicious. Moreover, Cao Cao is quite sensible this time and knows how to advance and retreat. He withdrew the troops entering Xuzhou. We can give him some face and postpone taking over Yuzhou for the time being, so that he can deal with Han Sui wholeheartedly."

"Your Majesty is wise. This is the most appropriate way to deal with it," Cui Jun praised.

"As for Budugen... since the court had made this agreement with him before, it should be done. Zhouping should be responsible for it."

After Liu He finished speaking, Cui Jun immediately asked: "If Qianman and Kuitou are resentful because of this, should we send troops to suppress the bandits?"

When they heard that there was another war to fight, Guan Yu and Zhu Ye's eyes lit up.

But Liu He said, "No need. The imperial court is now powerful. Qianman and Kuitou are not as strong as Budugen. Even if they try their best, they only have 50,000 or 60,000 cavalry. How can they have the courage to go against the imperial court? I have conferred the title of Lord Budugen. If they are angry, they will only go to Budugen to prove that they are more suitable to be the Great Chanyu."

"Your Majesty, please make the decision. I will obey your command." Cui Jun bowed and stepped back.

Liu He looked at him meaningfully and thought, "It seems that Cui Jun has learned a lot from his father Cui Lie in recent years. He knows more and more about being an official. He must be loyal to the country and avoid offending important ministers. Haha, it seems that Cui Lie is indeed like that. But I hope Zhou Ping stops here and must not become the second Cui Lie, otherwise he will be of no use to me."

This thought flashed through his mind, and Cui Jun suddenly spoke again: "However, I think that Your Majesty can add a clause in the imperial edict to Qianman and Kuitou, that whoever of them can retrieve Kebineng's head will also be rewarded."

When Liu He heard this, a smile appeared on his face: "Well, this is a good idea, let's do it. If they can kill Kebineng, I can make him the General of Andong and the Marquis of Yangle County."

He thought to himself: "It seems that although Zhou Ping has become more tactful, he is still loyal to the country and only cares about me."

Thinking of this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Zhu Ye was not willing to give in: "Hey, now that these two matters have been settled, shouldn't Big Brother decide on the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition?"

Liu He's smile suddenly froze.

Xun Yu looked at Liu He's expression, thought for a moment, and then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that will not only resolve the dispute between the two generals, but will also help us win the battle and pacify Xiliang."

Liu He was overjoyed: "Wen Ruo, please tell me quickly."

"This is my plan..."

(End of this chapter)