Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 117 Apology
"If a soldier does not advance when the drums sound, does not stop when the gongs sound, does not raise his flag, and does not lower it, this is called disobeying orders, and the offender shall be executed!"

"Those who do not respond to being called by name, fail to arrive on time, or fail to appear on schedule will be subject to changes in military regulations. This is called 'disrespectful military conduct,' and those who violate this rule will be executed!"

"If the weapons used are broken, the bows and crossbows are without arrowheads, the swords and halberds are dull, and the flags are tattered, this is considered deceiving the army, and those who violate this rule shall be executed!"

"Wherever they go, they oppress the people and force women into sexual acts. This is a treacherous army, and those who violate it shall be beheaded!"

"..."

A group of burly men who failed their initial assessment and were demoted from Longxianglang to Hubenlang were diligently reciting military law.

While reciting, he would hold a tree branch or stick in his hand and poke at the crooked, barely recognizable Chinese characters on the sandy ground specially cleared by the emperor for practicing calligraphy.

Liu Shan, who had just shared venison with a group of valiant warriors on the banks of the Wei River, reined in his horse and returned to Wuzhangyuan amidst these chantings.

He dismounted, glanced briefly at the group of Tiger Warriors writing on the sand, and then handed the white-hoofed black reins to Liu Tao.

Afterwards, they headed towards the eastern wall of Wuzhangyuan, with Zhao Guang and a group of Longxianglang following closely behind, surrounding and protecting them.

There was no particular purpose; I had just learned that the Prime Minister's army was approaching Chang'an, and I wanted to get a better view of where the Prime Minister was.

Although I can't see anything.

"It's safe here. There's no need for so many people to follow me. Go and rest for a while." Liu Shan arrived at the wooden pavilion on the east wall of Wuzhangyuan and found a folding chair to sit down.

Zhao Guang obeyed the order and only selected ten Longxianglang to guard the wooden pavilion from a distance, while the other ninety-odd men were all dismissed, left to study, rest, and play on their own.

In fact, although a major battle is imminent, the people on Wuzhangyuan no longer feel the tension they have felt for the past few months.

The two thousand elite guards who remained here now seemed quite relaxed.

Apart from daily garrison duty, drills every three days, and inspections every ten days, they have time to play and study, seemingly balancing work and rest.

Liu Shan sat under the wooden pavilion for half an hour.

My eyes were glazed over. At first, I was thinking about something, but gradually my mind went blank.

He stared blankly eastward, towards Chang'an.

For more than three months, he was either fighting or preparing for war, and learning how to fight.

Or he might mingle with the soldiers, build a deeper emotional connection with them, and strive to create the image of an emperor on horseback.

Or perhaps it was to criticize some civil officials who were ignorant of the people's suffering and who were like "why don't they eat meat porridge?", thus establishing a new image of the emperor.

Or they could start making some minor but manageable changes or inventions.

On a micro, personal level, it means training in horsemanship and archery, and trying every possible way to make oneself healthier and stronger.

In short, it was as if an invisible hand was pushing him from behind, making it impossible for him to stop being the emperor for even a moment.

It's rare to have such leisure time these days.

You don't have to do anything, you don't have to think about anything.

However, he felt somewhat lost and uneasy, unable to enjoy this moment of leisure.

The focus of the war shifted from the Wuzhangyuan he stood on to Chang'an.

The fortress on Middle-earth, with its foundations already laid several feet deep, has now been halted, and there is no longer any need to continue its construction.

Even the wasteland on the east bank of the Xieshui River has been cultivated by the captives for more than 10,000 mu.

Some people were continuing to till the land, some were planting beans in the fields, and others were operating waterwheels on the riverbank.

All of this would lead someone unaware of the situation to believe that Guanzhong had already fallen entirely into the hands of the Han Dynasty.

But the truth is that the Han prime minister was leading a large army past Sima Yi's camp, deep into Chang'an, risking being attacked from both sides, and preparing to fight Sima Yi to the death under the walls of Chang'an.

However, this Han emperor, hindered by various risks and the dissuasion of his ministers, hesitated on this Wuzhangyuan.

Although Chang'an had a prime minister, Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Wang Ping, and an army of 40,000.

Sima Yi's troops were nothing more than a group of defeated generals and scattered soldiers.

It's fair to say that the advantage lies with me.

But back then, when Cao Cao fought the Battle of Red Cliffs, didn't he also harbor the ambition of unifying the world?
When Zhaolie personally led the expedition to Yiling, wasn't that a case of the strong bullying the weak?
So the closer it got to the final moment, the more confident Liu Shan felt about victory, the more uneasy he became.

But there was nothing they could do to help, so they could only sit there idly.

Just now, after galloping down the plateau, besides greeting Zhuge Qiao and Huang Chong and eagerly inquiring about the Prime Minister's whereabouts,

Then there's the deer hunt, with the saying, "I caught a deer before, and I've caught a deer again."

Let the soldiers spread the word; it will surely boost morale.

Just then, a series of "thump" sounds reached Liu Shan's ears, pulling him back to reality from his daze.

Looking to the side, I saw that it was a leather ball that had been kicked onto the roof of a wooden house in the camp.

Meanwhile, on a football field not far from the camp, the young players, including the Dragon and Tiger Warriors, gathered together to play, all looked intently toward this spot.

"Pijiang, fetch two bolts of Shu brocade." Liu Shan stood up and walked towards the court, giving the order to Zhao Guang behind him as he went.

Upon arriving at the stadium, Liu Shan waved his hand dramatically:
"Today's prize is two bolts of Shu brocade!"
"The first to score five goals wins one."

"The team will then share one more horse!"

The players on the field erupted in cheers.

The game started shortly afterward.

Liu Shan sat quietly in the audience.

However, this game of Taju was not his invention; it has existed since ancient times.

It was already one of the physical training programs in the military hundreds of years ago.

The saying goes, "Cuju (ancient Chinese football) is a military exercise, used to train soldiers and identify talent; it's all about play and training. Now, the soldiers have nothing to do, so they can play Cuju."

When Huo Qubing was fighting in the border regions, "his soldiers were short of food and some could not even stand up, but his generals were still playing football in the fields."

However, this sport declined more and more as the chaos continued, to the point that many people had neither seen nor heard of it.

Seeing that his soldiers spent their days resting, either sleeping, gambling, playing with abstract objects, or making glue, Liu Shan recently hired craftsmen to make several leather balls by covering them with leather on the outside and stuffing them with fur on the inside.

Then, some personal belongings and valuable items such as silk and Shu brocade were taken out as prizes to hold the first Cuju (ancient Chinese football) competition.

A lowly soldier named Wang Wugou scored the first goal of the match, and Liu Shan personally came down to the field, waving his hand to bestow upon him a bolt of Shu brocade.

After that, the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) activity quickly became popular in the army.

It serves as a form of rest and entertainment, as well as a way to train the soldiers' physical strength and endurance, and to enhance camaraderie and teamwork. Liu Shan was naturally happy to encourage his soldiers to play it when they had free time.

Even for the poor prisoners, laborers, and slaves, Liu Shan set up several ball courts in their camps and provided them with a few balls.

He also ordered the officer in charge of the prisoner-of-war camp to find hardworking laborers to form a team, and to organize a football match at the end of the month. As a prize, the winner would be given a piece of silk cloth, which is half a bolt of cloth.

In a force of tens of thousands, there are always a few who want to play around. Since they work hard, they should obey management. They can be selected to become grassroots managers in the labor camps and prisoner-of-war camps to reduce management costs.

Not long after, Zhao Guang, who had personally taken to the field, scored the first goal, and a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the stadium.

"His Majesty……"

Just then, the voice of Ma Bing, the chief of the military affairs department, suddenly came from behind Liu Shan. However, the voice was too soft and was drowned out by the cheers from the stadium, so Liu Shan could not hear it clearly.

"Your Majesty..." Ma Bing's voice came again.

"What is it?" Liu Shan only heard Ma Bing's voice at this moment, and he could also hear the unease in the man's tone.

He turned his body and shifted his gaze.

But Ma Bing looked somewhat flustered, his lips were pale, as if he was worried about something.

Before the man could speak again, Liu Shan suddenly realized: "Bo Duan, is it your uncle who has come to apologize?"

Ma Bing was startled and immediately bowed his head.

"Your Majesty...yes."

Liu Shan stood with his hands behind his back, expressionless.

He wanted to say something, but in front of Ma Liang's son, he couldn't say anything hurtful. He simply gestured for him to bring his men up.

Fifteen minutes later, a cage cart appeared in Liu Shan's sight.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, with disheveled hair and wearing shackles, knelt on the vehicle.

"Who brought him here?" Liu Shan asked.

"Your Majesty, it is the Infantry Commandant, the Registrar of the Chancellor's Household Department," Zhao Guang replied.

Liu Shan nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him.

He was a captain of infantry and a clerk in the Prime Minister's household administration, which is Xiang Lang.

In the original timeline, this uncle of Xiang Chong, the Commander of the Central Army, protected Ma Su's escape and failed to report it. He was eventually dismissed from his post by the furious Prime Minister and only returned to court to serve several years later.

Now, this person has taken Ma Su to the front line in a prison cart to plead guilty. It is unknown whether this was Ma Su's own idea or the idea he gave to Ma Su.

After all, it's always the front lines that escort prisoners back to the rear; you've never heard of escorting prisoners from the rear to the front lines.
Clearly, seeing the great victory at the front and that Ma Su's mistake had not caused irreparable consequences, they wanted to see if they could find a way to save Ma Su's life.

But... isn't it too late?
Slowly walking to the prison cart, Liu Shan remained silent, scrutinizing the disgraced Han official with a complex expression.

Ma Su, who was supposed to be there to apologize, stared blankly at the emperor for a long time before finally realizing that he had come to apologize:
"Your Majesty, I am a sinful subject... Your Majesty, I am bound by shackles and cannot perform the full ceremony. I humbly beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Since he was already kneeling in the cage, there was no need for any etiquette. However, before he could finish speaking, tears were already streaming down his face, which was quite unbearable.

Liu Shan remained silent.

I really don’t know what to say.

I also want to ask him, if he has the guts to disobey the Prime Minister's orders and the guts to abandon his army and flee in the face of battle, why doesn't he have the guts to die to atone for his sins?
“I have always heard that the Prime Minister regards you as his son, and you regard the Prime Minister as your father.”

"Why do you disobey the Prime Minister's orders? Why do you abandon your troops and flee? Do you think you have lived up to the Prime Minister's trust in you?"

With tears streaming down his face, Ma Su turned his head away in shame, not daring to look at the emperor again.

Liu Shan stopped looking at Ma Su, turned his back, and gazed in the direction of Chang'an. After a moment, he spoke coldly:
"Logically speaking, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. I have never heard of anyone being beheaded or executed because of a defeat. Even Yu Jin, after returning to the puppet state of Wei, only died of illness due to shame and anger."

"Abandoning the army and fleeing during a major defeat is not a capital offense that must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others. After all, in critical moments, preserving one's life and making plans later is indeed a helpless move."

Upon hearing this, Ma Su finally stopped crying and turned to look at the emperor.

Whether it was the psychological effect of the emperor's personal command of the campaign and his series of victories or something else, he felt that the emperor's back was broader, taller, and more majestic than he remembered.

The emperor's words seemed to suggest that this defeated general could live, but he felt no hope of survival. Instead, his body slumped again, his face filled with even more regret, and tears streamed down his face again, but silently.

The emperor's cold voice rang out again:
"But you, first disobeyed the Prime Minister's orders, then suffered a defeat, and then abandoned your army and fled. It would have been fine if you had abandoned your army and fled, but instead of regrouping your troops in the rear, or going directly to the Prime Minister to apologize, you fled and hid for more than two months."

"You have spent many years with the Prime Minister, and when it comes to understanding him, I am afraid I am far inferior to you."

"How do you think the impartial prime minister will ultimately deal with you?"

"The only option is death," Ma Su said weakly.

To be honest, if he hadn't been blinded by the fear of certain death, he might not have done a series of foolish things that made him utterly unforgivable.

"So, you come before me to plead guilty because you think I might spare your life, is that right?" Liu Shan asked.

"This guilty subject dares not!" Ma Su answered loudly.

"If you spare my life, what about the laws of the state and the military?"

"What can be done about those Han soldiers who died because of the crimes of the wicked ministers?!"
"This sinful subject...this sinful subject knows he will surely die, and knows that even his death will not be enough to atone for the sins of the world!"
"I dare not commit suicide until now because... because I am worried that Li Yan and his group from Dongzhou will impeach the Prime Minister because of my sins!"
"Only by having the prime minister personally punish the guilty officials can the prime minister's prestige be preserved and the laws of the country and the military be enforced in an orderly manner."

"This sinful subject... deserves only death! I would never dare to beg for my life before Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan, who was facing east, sighed softly.

It's unclear whether Ma Su was trying to advance by retreating, or if he truly knew he was doomed.

But what he said does make some sense.

If he had truly committed suicide, then the Prime Minister's mistake of "defying the majority to appoint Ma Su," which led to the loss of Jieting, would have been completely established, leaving him no chance to "execute Ma Su with tears in his eyes" to demonstrate his impartiality.

The Dongzhou faction, led by Li Yan, and some Yizhou factions in the court will definitely use this as grounds to impeach the Prime Minister. Although it may not have any effect, it will certainly damage the Prime Minister's prestige.

But then again, now that half of Longyou has been secured, the Han Dynasty has also taken half of Guanzhong.

If Chang'an were also captured, Ma Su's defeat would not have caused devastating damage to the Han Dynasty, and the loss of prestige would likely be offset by the great achievement of conquering Longyou and returning the old capital.

However, it is foreseeable that impeachments by Li Yan and others who wanted to undermine the prime minister's position would be inevitable upon their return to court.

Someone will surely try to test whether this emperor, who has achieved great military merit, also wants to reclaim some power from the prime minister.

"Then what is your purpose in coming here to apologize to me now?" Liu Shan asked.

"Your Majesty... This sinful subject... This sinful subject has heard that Your Majesty and the Prime Minister intend to seize Chang'an in one fell swoop."

"I just wanted... to see Chang'an one last time before I was executed, to see His Majesty return to the old capital, so that when I am in the afterlife... when I plead guilty to the late Emperor and the soldiers who died because of me, I can tell them that the Han Dynasty has returned to its old capital..."

...

Noon.

East of the reed marshes.

Sima Yi, along with his brothers Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, were the first to return to their camp.

When the generals saw Sima Yi, they asked why the Shu bandits had attacked Guanqiu Jian's camp overnight, but the General of Chariots and Cavalry had not ordered his troops to attack them.
Why didn't you return to camp quickly in the morning, and instead delayed until now?

Some officers requested permission to take advantage of the Shu bandits' current exhaustion and quickly break camp to attack the Shu bandits at the Fengshui camp.

"No rush, it's not too late to wait for Chen Gui and Zhou Tai's army to return," Sima Yi replied.

He then revealed his "long-term strategy" to deplete all the grain and fodder that the Shu bandits had accumulated over the years.

The generals were then at ease.

However, just when the generals were at ease and Sima Yi was calm and confident, the scouts sent out to investigate the movements of the Shu army brought back news that surprised and puzzled them.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, scouts spotted them from four or five miles away... they seem to be the Shu bandits entering and leaving our Fengshui camp!"

(End of this chapter)