Soldiers come to the world

Yecheng, here is the second capital established by Cao Cao. After Chibi was defeated and returned to the Central Plains, Cao Cao stayed in Xuchang in order to provoke the struggle between Sun and Liu.

As the remnants of the Yuan family withdrew to Liaodong, Zhang Liao and Cao Chun pacified Youzhou, and peace returned to Hebei. In March, Cao Cao returned to Yedu again, rewarding the three armies in Ping Hebei, and awarding and commending Zhang Liao and Cao Chun for their contributions. .

Also in March, the former general and Huaili Hou Ma Teng led [-] nephews and cavalry into the court to participate in the sacrifice of the ancestor Ma Yuan, but was detained in Yecheng by Cao Cao.

Cao Cao appointed Ma Teng as Weiwei, his son Ma Chao as partial general, commanded the army instead of Ma Teng, and stationed himself in the same place, and made his second son Ma Xiu the captain of Fengche, and his third son Ma Tie the capital of cavalry. Wei, the rest of the family members all moved to Yecheng.

So far, among the four strategies offered by Xun You, except for Jiangxia's strategy and Cao Cao's failure to adopt it, the other Hebei, Xiliang and Jiangdong strategies have all succeeded, gradually calming down the once chaotic situation.

It was late April, and the confrontation between Jiangxia and Jiangdong in Chaisang had come to an end, and Yecheng had also entered the late spring season, the trees turned from light green to green, and the green apricots on the branches grew to the size of a thumb. There was still plenty of sunshine, but It's not as bright and warm as it was in March, but it's a little hotter, the air is no longer cool, and there is already a hint of early summer.

As far as Yecheng is concerned, the defeat of Chibi is no longer talked about by people. Although it has only been less than half a year, it seems to have happened many years ago, and not many people care about it. Everyone seems to be tired of wars and hegemony. All kinds of gossip about officials and official marriages involving women are being talked about in the brothels and brothels. This is the eternal topic.

In a small tavern at the entrance of Dongwangwu Lane in Yecheng, there were not many customers, half of the seats were empty, and in a corner near by, Li Fu was drinking alone.

He did not go to Liaodong with him. Due to internal strife in Yuan's army, Yan Rou in Youzhou seized power, and the pro-Jingzhou faction lost power. Yan Rou wanted to execute Li Fu. With Guo Song's secret help, Li Fu escaped from Ji County and returned to the Yecheng. [

He got Liu Jing's order to stay in Ye City temporarily and prepare to join Liu Min. Although Liu Jing didn't blame Li Fu for his ineffectiveness in Liaodong, Li Fu was in a very bad mood and kept blaming himself.

When everyone was discussing whether to accept Youzhou Yan Rou, he expressed his approval. It was his approval that led Yuan's army to finally decide to use Youzhou as its foundation, and also led to the final internal strife.

If he opposed going to Youzhou at that time, then Yuan Jun would use Hejian County as the foundation and sweep the entire Hebei Province. It was his mistake that made Yuan's revival fail. In the brothel, he drank his sorrows with wine and indulged in sensuality.

When Li Fu was about to pick up the jug and pour the wine again, he pressed his hip jug with one hand, "You drank too much!"

The voice was very familiar, Li Fu raised his head, and in front of him stood a man of medium build, dressed in a white coarse cloth robe, with a leather belt around his waist, a long sword, and a dustproof hat on his head. In typical ranger attire, he had dark skin and bright and sharp eyes. When Li Fu took a closer look, he was so startled that he cried out, "Why are you?"

The person in front of him was his old partner Liu Min. The former white-faced scholar had turned into a travel-laden ranger, which made him a little unbelievable. Liu Min smiled slightly and sat down opposite Li Fu. Poured a glass of wine and asked with a smile, "How long has Brother Zixian been in Yecheng?"

"It's been a month and a half!"

Li Fu sighed, he was startled suddenly, looked at Liu Min again, and asked in surprise, "How did you become so black?"

Liu Min smiled wryly and said, "After staying in the north for four or five months, is it normal for your skin to be darker?"

Li Fu laughed out loud. For some reason, when he saw Liu Min, he seemed to see his relatives. The melancholy in his heart was swept away. He quickly pointed to the inside, "Go inside and talk!"

Li Fu ordered the bartender to bring the food and wine into the back room, ordered a few more dishes, and the two sat down. Li Fu then told the story of Yuan Jun's infighting. Liu Min frowned slightly and said, "I heard that Yan Rou was killed by Zhang Liao. Yuan Jun has already retreated to Liaodong, why didn't brother Zixian go with him?"

Li Fu shook his head, "I received the order from Zhoumu not to go to Liaodong for the time being. In fact, I can understand Zhoumu's meaning. Yuan Jun has the intention of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge. Cao Cao will not let Yuan Jun go, and he will do it sooner or later. At that time, Yuan Jun They will come to beg us, so don’t worry for now.”

Li Fu sat up straight again, and asked curiously, "Tell me about your affairs! How about going to Xiliang Army as an envoy?"

Liu Min sighed, "Don't mention it, I went to see Ma Teng with full confidence, but I was not even allowed in, just two words: no see! I have only seen his eldest son Ma Chao in Xiliang for a few months, so I understand more or less A little inside."

Liu Min drank the wine in the glass, and then said bitterly: "Cao Cao has been plotting against Ma Teng for many years, and he secretly supported Han Sui and Ma Teng to fight against each other. The two armies have been fighting for many years, and Cao Cao ordered to guard Zhong Yao from Chang'an was a good man to persuade him to make peace. He also blamed Ma Teng for his own opinion. He agreed to Cao Cao's call and became an official in Beijing. He left his eldest son Ma Chao to guard Liangzhou. He himself became a hostage. The army's plan to contain Cao's army also fell through."[

No wonder Liu Min was aggrieved. Ma Teng actually controlled a large territory. Apart from Xiliang, his power had expanded eastward to Dashanguan. Even Anding County and Guangwei County were Ma Teng's territory. The warlords all worship Ma Teng as their main force, and they have tens of thousands of armored cavalry.

Ma Teng's conditions are much better than those in Jingzhou, but Ma Teng does not have the courage of his own master, and dare not challenge Cao Cao openly. 』, such a good opportunity, Ma Teng did not dare to take the opportunity to raise troops, march into Guanzhong, and attack Yecheng.

Li Fu felt the dissatisfaction in Liu Min's heart, and asked with a smile: "Then why did my brother come to Yecheng again?".

Liu Min finally had a smile on his face. He raised his glass and said, "Although I failed to contact Ma Teng, I succeeded in contacting Ma Chao. Ma Teng refused to have anything to do with Jingzhou, but Ma Chao was very interested. There must be gains, and now that I think about it, Ma Teng's entry to Beijing may not be a bad thing."

Speaking of this, Liu Min lowered his voice and said, "I came to Beijing this time because I was entrusted by Ma Chao to meet his father. Ma Chao hoped that Ma Teng would formally hand over the army to him."

"Didn't Ma Teng really hand over the army to his son?" Li Fu asked puzzled.

Liu Min nodded, "Now Ma Chao is only leading the army on behalf of his father, and Ma Teng has never officially announced the transfer of general power to his son, so some Longyou warlords don't like it very much, and some old military leaders don't listen to Ma Chao's general orders. Ma Chao's military power is constrained, and every time he mobilizes troops, he needs to discuss with these veteran military leaders, so he is very passive."

Li Fu sneered, "Find an opportunity to discuss the military situation, and kill these thorns, won't the problem be solved?"

"I also suggest the same, but Xiliang's army recognizes their status. These generals use their allegiance to Ma Teng as an excuse to stand on their own feet and kill them as teachers. Therefore, Ma Chao needs his father to formally hand over the military power, and then he can kill people with righteousness. , the soldiers below can talk about it.”

Li Fu nodded silently, which made sense, and he asked again: "When will my brother go to Ma Teng's residence?"

"I'm going now, we'll talk about it later in the evening."

Li Fu rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "You can't go like this, Cao Cao sent people to closely monitor Ma Teng, this time I will help you enter the mansion."

Although Cao Cao tricked Ma Teng into Yedu with tricks, he took good care of Ma Teng in terms of supplies. He not only rewarded Ma Teng with the third most famous house in Yecheng, but also gave more servants to his servants. , generously rewarded, and rewarded Ma Teng with a large manor covering an area of ​​[-] hectares outside the city, so that Ma Teng could enjoy all the fine clothes and food, and not think about Xiliang.

Ma Teng's beautiful house is located in the east of the city. It is a mansion covering an area of ​​[-] mu. It once belonged to the royal family of the Han Dynasty. Mu of small lake, the scenery is quiet and beautiful.

It is this lake water that makes this house recognized as the No.3 house in Yedu, second only to the prime minister's mansion and Xun Yu's mansion. However, although the house is beautiful, it is not free to live in. There is an open space outside the west gate of the mansion. Inexplicably forming a community, people come and go every day, and it is extremely lively. Of course, Ma Teng knows that someone among them is watching his mansion.

Not only the external surveillance, but even the hundreds of maids and servants in the mansion were assigned to him by Cao Cao. Who knows how many watchers there are, and even Ma Teng is worried about his newly married third-bedroom concubine. , Suspicious all day long, already has a kind of psychological obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Of course, Ma Teng also has people he absolutely trusts, that is his two sons, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie, and his nephew Ma Dai, these three are his only trusted confidants.

At noon, a group of knights rushed forward, about twenty riders, the momentum was swift and violent, stirring up billows of yellow dust, it could be seen that they were all extremely capable knights.

These knights were all dressed in the short uniforms of the servants of Ma Teng. They were Ma Teng's farm servants. In fact, they were all Ma Teng's personal guards. This was the condition Cao Cao agreed to. Five thousand cavalry returned to Liangzhou, and only three hundred remained. The personal soldiers are usually stationed in the manor outside the city, serving as soldiers to protect the farmer's family, and Ma Dai is in command.

Although there were only 300 cavalry, they were the elite cavalry of the Xiliang Army. They were extremely powerful and could fight ten against one. Therefore, Cao Cao ordered that these 20 cavalry should not exceed [-] each time they entered the city.

The leading knight was about 30 years old, with a serious expression, eight feet tall, and unusually long arms. He was wielding a [-]-pound Yanling broadsword. This man was Ma Dai, Ma Teng's nephew. Behind him was a man wearing an octagonal hat. , dressed like an accountant, he is of medium build, dark skin, bright eyes, but it is Liu Min.

This is Li Fu's arrangement. When Liu Min came to Ma Teng directly, he would be watched by the watchers. He went to Ma Teng through the manor Ma Dai, which was much more concealed.

Everyone got off their horses outside the main entrance, and a family member came forward to lead the horses. A housekeeper greeted them with a smile, and asked, "Why is Mr. Dai so free today?"

Ma Dai knew that this person was Cao Cao's eyeliner, so he asked coldly, "Is my uncle here?"

"Of course the master is here. He's drinking in the backyard. Does Mr. Dai have anything to do with him?" the butler asked with a half-smile.

Ma Dai glanced at him in disgust, and had no choice but to hold back the unhappiness in his heart and said: "I have found out that the manor's accounts were not up to date last time, and I have come to ask my uncle to report the accounts."

"So that's the case, please wait a moment, Mr. Dai, I will report to the master!" The butler turned to Liu Min, took a deep look at him, and turned away.

Ma Dai turned his head and whispered to Liu Min, "Follow me closely!"

Ma Teng is about fifty years old this year. He is eight feet three, with big arms and a round waist. He is as tall as a mountain. He has a wide face and a high nose, deep eyes, and a big beard. But as he got older, he no longer had the ambitions of his youth, and began to be greedy for beauty and enjoyment.

This time he actually knew that Cao Cao was luring him to Beijing, but he wavered and rejected Jingzhou Liu Jing's solicitation. Under the persuasion of Zhong Yao's envoy Zhang Ji, he finally decided to accept Cao Cao's offer Zhao'an, go to Beijing as an official.

Being in a high position, living in a beautiful house, enjoying beautiful servants and rich food, this kind of life makes Ma Teng very satisfied, but Cao Cao's supervision of him all the time makes him dissatisfied, and his mood is so contradictory.

At this time, Ma Teng was drinking and having fun in the pavilion by the lake as usual, surrounded by three beautiful concubines, and more than a dozen maidservants were waiting on him. Xixi made him feel relaxed and happy.

At this time, a servant girl reported at the door: "Report to the master, Mr. Dai is here, and said to report to the master!"

Mr. Dai is Ma Teng's nephew, Ma Dai, who came to Beijing with Ma Teng. He was not appointed an official, so Ma Teng asked him to manage the farm outside the city. In fact, he was Ma Teng's external eyes and ears.

Of course Ma Teng knew that the so-called reimbursement was just an agreement between them. In fact, he reported something urgent to himself, so he immediately ordered: "Take him to my study!"

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