Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 167 Who Says Women Can't Conquer the World?

Outside Yangping Pass, the autumn wind rustles.

Wei Xiaobao gathered some dry branches from the surrounding area, tied them into two bundles with rope, and attached them to the back of the two horses. He then stuffed the bundles with dry grass, lit them, and let the horses charge towards Yangping Pass.

Unable to bear witnessing this cruel scene, Ma Yunlu turned around and listened to the sound of horses' hooves fading into the distance.

Wei Xiaobao clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two warhorses and said, "Brothers, I really have no other choice but to sacrifice you today. When we return to Yangping Pass in the future, I will definitely erect a monument for you in your memory."

With his back to Wei Xiaobao, Ma Yunlu asked, "Xiaobao, will your plan work? Don't waste the lives of two horses for nothing?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure either, but there's so much gunpowder buried at Yangping Pass. As long as one place is ignited, it should be effective."

Zhang Lu led his troops away from Yangping Pass and sped towards Hanzhong. The soldiers left behind to defend the pass were exhausted from marching for days. Suddenly, they heard someone shout that two fireballs were approaching outside. They thought that Zhao Yun had returned to attack Yangping Pass.

The soldiers prepared to defend the pass and wait for Zhang Lu to come to their rescue, but they saw the fireball getting closer and closer, and a small team had already left the city to block it.

The horse was terrified, and with flames constantly burning its rear, it ran forward with all its might, and there was no way to stop it. In the blink of an eye, it arrived at Yangping Pass.

Ma Yunlu was still worried about whether Wei Xiaobao's sudden idea would work when he suddenly heard a loud noise behind him.

boom!
Then came a series of loud bangs!
Boom boom boom!
The sound was like a muffled thunderclap on a summer afternoon, suddenly exploding in his ears, but it was louder than any thunder Ma Yunlu had ever heard before.

Ma Yunlu felt her hair and body hair stand on end from the noise. Even though she had followed Ma Teng in battle for many years, she couldn't help but panic, lose her footing, and almost fall into Wei Xiaobao's arms.

Not only was Ma Yunlu startled, but Wei Xiaobao was also taken aback. The gunpowder from more than two thousand years ago was in no way inferior to the noise of Xiao Xuanzi's red-clothed cannon, and even the surrounding hillsides began to tumble with loose stones.

Ma Yunlu looked back at Yangping Pass, but there was still a pass there. In the firelight, the stone walls and wooden fences that had originally blocked the two mountains had long since disappeared, leaving only a pile of dilapidated ruins blocking the valley.

If even such hard materials as stone and wood have been reduced to dust, then the flesh and blood beings inside Yangping Pass must have long since vanished into thin air.

Wei Xiaobao patted his chest and said, "Damn it, this thing is so powerful. Luckily, Zhou Yu and his gang didn't use this gunpowder against us."

Ma Yunlu was speechless, staring blankly at the pile of ruins.

Wei Xiaobao pulled Ma Yunlu backwards, saying, "Let's go, now we can go back and report. But we have to walk back to Chencang, we can't delay any longer."

Even after walking for a while, Ma Yunlu could still see the firelight behind her. By now, she had calmed down considerably and turned to ask Wei Xiaobao, "Do you have a lot of this gunpowder?"

Wei Xiaobao didn't understand Ma Yunlu's meaning, so he shook his head and said, "I'm not quite sure. I've been in Tianshui for a while now, and I learned the gunpowder technique from the Sun family in Jiangdong. As for how much the strategist ordered to be made, how much was used, and how much is left, I have no idea. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Ma Yunlu, having already consummated her marriage with Wei Xiaobao, naturally spoke frankly: "I'm worried that Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang will use this gunpowder to attack Tianshui."

Wei Xiaobao laughed heartily: "Don't worry, how could so many of these things be made in such a short time? I'm afraid the bombing of Yangping Pass has already used up all our resources. In fact, destroying Yangping Pass and cutting off the connection between Tianshui and Hanzhong was not only something you were unhappy about, but also something that Brother Liu Bei and the strategist had no other choice to do."

"Without this road, if we want to attack Hanzhong in the future, our only option will be to send troops from Shangyong." Ma Yunlu said, "Then you still want to blow up Yangping Pass?"

"I've already said we have no other choice. There are wars going on everywhere in Xiliang right now. If Cao Cao takes the opportunity to come back and attack again, we will only be able to defend ourselves. Even if Xiliang is pacified in the future, the strategist will still have to launch a northern expedition to attack Cao Cao. So the best outcome is to keep as few troops as possible stationed in Xiliang."

Ma Yunlu asked, "How do you think Liu Bei will treat my father?"

Wei Xiaobao thought for a moment and said, "If we can eliminate Han Sui, I think I'll let your father become the governor of Liangzhou, in charge of military and political affairs in the northwest. He can suppress the Qiang rebellion while developing production to provide the court with military food and troops."

"really?"

"That's for sure. Your father wasn't very ambitious, unlike other feudal lords who were always thinking about hiding from the world."

"Are you looking down on my father?"

Wei Xiaobao gave an awkward smile. That was his father-in-law; how could he look down on him? However, Ma Teng was cautious but lacked decisiveness.

“This is not a compliment; I am praising your father’s loyalty to the Han Dynasty. However, if your father were to be appointed as the first governor of Liangzhou, your elder brother’s ambition would probably swell.”

Ma Yunlu nodded and said, "Yes, that's what I'm worried about too. My eldest brother's ambitions have never been limited to Xiliang. Plus, my third brother is always encouraging him behind his back. I'm afraid that one day the two of them will really do something outrageous."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Don't worry about that. The strategist is incredibly resourceful and will definitely think of this. Even if your father is appointed as the governor of Liangzhou, the position of prefect of Chang'an will probably be filled by someone else, and the Ma family army will not be stationed in Chang'an."

Ma Yunlu sighed and said, "I know that too, after all, we still have to be careful."

“Once the matter in Xiliang is resolved, I will probably have to return to Xuchang. At that time, you will no longer be able to return to Xiliang, and you don’t need to worry about what will happen in the future.”

Ma Yunlu felt a lump in her throat as she thought about having to part with her father and brothers in the future.

Seeing that she was in low spirits, Wei Xiaobao comforted her, "Don't worry, I won't bully you. You have several sisters in Xuchang, so you won't be all alone when you go there."

"Pooh!"

Ma Yunlu already knew that Wei Xiaobao had many wives, and when he suddenly brought it up, she spat and continued, "I have no interest in scheming and fighting for favor with women every day. Even if I went to Xuchang with you, I would volunteer to fight on the front lines. I have absolutely no interest in those frivolous affairs."

Wei Xiaobao knew that Ma Yunlu was used to life on horseback, so he wouldn't stop her.

Thinking about leading troops into battle in the future, with Ma Yunlu by his side, Wei Xiaobao actually felt quite happy.

Suddenly remembering Ma Yunlu's female cavalry regiment, Wei Xiaobao asked, "If you come with me to Xiliang, what will happen to your female soldiers?"

"We'll see when the time comes. We don't even know when we'll be able to recapture Wuwei!"

(End of this chapter)