Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 108 Exterminate Your Entire Clan, Liu Bei Intimidates Ma Teng by Erasing His Letter (Please Follow and Vote)
After returning to his camp, Ma Chao went straight into the main tent to find Ma Teng, and then dismissed the officers and soldiers in the tent, asking directly, "Father, was General Yan, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, coerced by you and Han Sui? Aren't we the rebels?"

Ma Teng was immediately startled and shouted, "We are a righteous army sent by General Yan to punish the eunuchs. How could we be rebels? Where did you hear these rumors? If you dare to spread rumors and disrupt the morale of my army, I will execute you to uphold military law!"

Instead of answering, Ma Chao asked, "Your brother Xiu is at Han Sui's residence as a hostage, isn't he?"

"What hostage? What are you talking about?" Ma Teng's face darkened. "General Han and I are working together to restore the Han Dynasty. Your younger brother, Xiu, should naturally be closer to General Han's son. Even if someone is to be a hostage, it should be you, the eldest son, who should be the hostage. When did it become your younger brother's turn? Stop talking nonsense!"

“That’s not right.” Ma Chao lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, “Father, you’re still lying to me! Lord Yan was forced to become General of Chariots and Cavalry because he was held hostage by the rebels. You were originally a Lieutenant General of Liangzhou, but because Li Xiangru, the Prefect of Longxi, killed Geng Bi, the Governor of Liangzhou, and Wang Guo, Han Sui, and others killed the Prefect Fu Xie, you were forced to raise an army and join the rebels. Don’t treat me like a child! I’m thirteen!”

Ma Teng's expression changed, and he hurriedly walked to the entrance of the main tent. He lifted the tent flap and glanced warily to his left and right before quickly returning. He lowered his voice and shouted, "You brat, you were captured by Zhao Yun for several days and did not return. But today you suddenly return and start spouting nonsense as soon as you get back to the camp. Do you want to kill your relatives in Ji County?"

Ma Chao snorted, "Still saying you're not lying to me? If you weren't coerced, why would Han Sui have killed all my relatives in Ji County just because of a few words of nonsense? Father, I'm thirteen now, you shouldn't keep it from me anymore!"

Looking at Ma Chao's stubborn face, Ma Teng sighed: "Alright, although I don't know where you got this information from, what you said is indeed correct. This is why I was initially unwilling to let you come with me on the expedition. If something happens to me, you can stay in Ji County and manage things."

Afterwards, Ma Teng told Ma Chao everything, including why Han Sui had been so eager to appoint Ma Teng as the vanguard.

"Han Sui, you old scoundrel, I swear I will kill you!" Ma Chao glared angrily and then suggested, "I think Liu Yongzhou is quite benevolent. If Father abandons the darkness and embraces the light, Liu Yongzhou will certainly not break his promise. Zhao Yun, who captured me alive, is Liu Yongzhou's sworn brother. He is an extraordinary hero and is still unmarried. Father, you can marry my sister to Zhao Yun. With the two families united by marriage, they can help each other. In the future, Father will have no worries in Yongzhou."

Ma Teng exclaimed in surprise, "You've met Liu Bei?"

Ma Chao nodded: "Today is the day Liu Yongzhou released me to return. Liu Yongzhou also intended to take me as his disciple, but I did not agree. If I had known earlier that you were lying to me, Father, I would not have refused."

Ma Teng was increasingly surprised as he listened: "Although you are brave and strong, why would Liu Yongzhou take you as his disciple?"

Ma Chao said with a smug look, "Liu Yongzhou said I have the appearance of a celestial being, as handsome as brocade, and am a descendant of General Fubo. Moreover, Liu Yongzhou's teacher, Lord Lu, also studied under Ji Changgong of the Ma family in Fufeng. What's wrong with Liu Yongzhou taking me as his disciple?"

Ma Teng really wanted to say, "You actually believed a few words of praise? Aren't you worried that Liu Bei is lying to you?" But seeing Ma Chao repeatedly referring to Liu Yongzhou with such respect, he swallowed his words.

Ma Chao was young and his interests were more focused on appearances.

Regardless of whether Liu Bei was deceiving Ma Chao, what he outwardly showed was his appreciation and high regard for Ma Chao, so Ma Chao would naturally speak well of Liu Bei.

Ma Teng is an adult and focuses more on balancing interests.

Now, Liu Bei has not only promised Zuo Fengyi, but also intends to take Ma Chao as his disciple. Ma Teng also has the opportunity to form a marriage alliance. No matter how you look at it, Ma Teng is not at a disadvantage.

In contrast, following Han Sui meant that not only were his family members constantly in danger, but even Ma Teng himself didn't know if he would have a tomorrow, and his future was bleak.

"Let me think it over carefully."

Ma Teng did not make a decision immediately, as it involved his life and fortune, and he could not afford to be careless.

the other side.

Upon learning that Ma Teng had neither attacked the city nor sent reinforcements to Chencang in the past few days, Han Sui's face instantly turned ashen.

"That Ma Teng is indeed untrustworthy. We must find an opportunity to get rid of him to avoid future troubles."

For Han Sui, anything that threatened his existence needed to be eliminated.

Just like Bian Zhang, who was coerced along with Han Sui in the past, he was also killed by Han Sui because he threatened Han Sui.

For Han Sui, this was already commonplace.

Just then, the young general Hou Xuan entered and reported: "General, I just went to Ma Teng's camp to inquire about the situation. Ma Teng's son was captured by Dou Jiang a few days ago, but he has been released today."

Upon hearing this, Han Sui's face turned even uglier.

Hou Xuan whispered a suggestion: "General, Ma Teng shows signs of colluding with the enemy. Why not hold a banquet in the camp, invite him to the banquet, and then take away his military power, so as to prevent Ma Teng from taking the opportunity to rebel when facing Liu Bei?"

Han Sui weighed the matter for a long time and shook his head, saying, "No. Ma Teng is deeply loved by the army. If we cannot wipe out his confidants in one fell swoop, it will only make him turn to Liu Bei. Moreover, Ma Teng's family is in Ji County. If he dares to rebel, I will exterminate his entire clan. We are exhausted from our long journey. We can rest tonight and tomorrow morning I will urge Ma Teng to challenge us to battle."

There was a pause.

Han Sui then instructed, "Our camp is not yet firmly established, and Ma Teng cannot be trusted. We must be careful tonight to prevent Liu Bei from sending troops to raid our camp."

After instructing Hou Xuan, Han Sui was still not at ease, so he personally led his troops to inspect the camp's deployment before returning to his main tent to rest.

Having survived the chaos of Xiliang to this day, Han Sui had long been accustomed to being extremely cautious. The reason why Bian Zhang, Beigong Boyu, and Li Wenhou were able to be taken away by Han Sui in one fell swoop was because the three of them were careless.

That night.

Moon stars are rare.

Zhang Fei led the central army ahead, taking advantage of the moonlight to sneak to the outside of Han Sui's camp. After glancing at the defensive deployment of Han Sui's camp, Zhang Fei couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Han Sui is indeed cautious."

Since we're already here, we have no choice but to raid this camp.

Even if the opponent was prepared, Zhang Fei was confident.

Zhang Fei ordered his soldiers to move the deer antlers, then spurred his horse forward and charged in, his roar like that of a tiger or leopard echoing through Han Sui's camp.

"Zhang Fei, the military commander of Yongzhou Army, is here! You traitors, surrender at once!"

The soldiers behind him also shouted and yelled, following Zhang Fei as they charged in.

"How dare you, thief!"

Han Sui stormed out of his tent in a rage.

Han Sui had gone to bed very late to inspect the camp, thinking that the Yongzhou army would retreat in the face of the strong defenses of the camp. However, he did not expect that the Yongzhou army would ignore the defenses!

Such behavior is no less than Zhang Fei directly stepping on Han Sui's face to mock him: "Does having precautions mean I wouldn't dare to raid the camp?"

"Line up immediately! Wipe out this traitor!"

Because he was prepared, Han Sui was able to muster a capable army to deal with the raid.

Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, Li Kan, and Zhang Heng all rushed out and quickly surrounded Zhang Fei.

"Hahaha, Han Sui, you old scoundrel, since you're prepared, I'm not playing with you anymore!" Zhang Fei charged all the way to the front of the central command tent, then suddenly shouted a sarcastic remark and immediately turned his troops around to retreat.

Hearing Zhang Fei's deliberately sarcastic tone, Han Sui's face turned green with anger: "You think you can come and go as you please? Do you really think my tens of thousands of soldiers are just chickens and dogs? Leave this traitor here!"

Han Sui was already annoyed by Ma Teng's matter, and now Zhang Fei had repeatedly humiliated him by getting close to his face. His anger had soared to the extreme.

Besides Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, Li Kan, and Zhang Heng, other generals such as Liang Xing, Cheng Yi, Ma Wan, and Yang Qiu also gathered their respective troops to surround Zhang Fei. Seeing that Han Sui had a large and powerful force, Zhang Fei did not linger in battle and led his men to quickly withdraw.

Seeing Han Sui's army relentlessly pursuing them, Zhang Fei's lips curled into a mocking smile once more: "The art of war says, 'Do not pursue a retreating army.' Han Sui has been fighting for many years; he shouldn't be ignorant of military strategy. I've been underestimated by Han Sui."

"Do not pursue retreating enemy troops" means that enemy troops that are retreating normally should not be easily pursued, lest they fall into an enemy ambush.

Normally, Han Sui wouldn't make such a mistake.

But tonight, Han Sui was first annoyed by Ma Teng's inaction, and then by Zhang Fei's blatant taunts. In addition, confident in his superior numbers, Han Sui, in a fit of rage, didn't think too much and only wanted to keep Zhang Fei there.

Just as Han Sui's army was focused on pursuing Zhang Fei, they suddenly heard a drumbeat from the right and saw a troop of soldiers rush out from the side. It was Guan Yu's army, which had been lying in ambush outside Han Sui's camp to meet Zhang Fei.

"Guan Yu, the Colonel of the Yongzhou Army, is here. Why don't you traitors quickly lay down your weapons and surrender?"

With a roar, Guan Yu rode forward on his horse, his Red Rabbit fierce as a tiger, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade deadly with every strike, invincible in every encounter.

Zhang Heng was the first to be hit, and he and his horse were killed by Guan Yu with a single blow!

"not human!"

Zhang Heng's troops, severely impacted, scattered in terror, fearing that if they were too slow, Guan Yu would kill them with a single blow.

Then Zhang Fei turned his horse around and called for his soldiers to counterattack. He charged straight at Cheng Yi, who was in the closest pursuit. Caught off guard, Cheng Yi tried to parry, but Zhang Fei knocked him away with a spear.

Even when riding his steed, Wuzhui, Zhang Fei did not slow down, carrying him straight through Han Sui's army as if it were empty!

But for a moment.

Han Sui's army was routed by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and Hou Xuan's generals were horrified and hurriedly turned their horses back to camp.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Inside the main tent, Han Sui pointed at Hou Xuan and other generals and cursed them incessantly.

Zhang Fei's raid on the camp didn't cause many casualties, but when they went out to chase after Zhang Fei, they lost Zhang Heng and Cheng Yi, and several thousand fleeing soldiers disappeared without a trace.

The initial defeat in military might further fueled Han Sui's already resentful anger.

Hou Xuan and the others all lowered their heads and dared not speak until Han Sui was tired of cursing. Hou Xuan then said indignantly, "We are fighting with the enemy soldiers, but Ma Teng is holding back his troops. It is truly hateful!"

The others also chimed in with resentment, all shifting the blame onto Ma Teng.

Seeing this, Han Sui also made up his mind.

Since everyone believes Ma Teng is guilty, killing Ma Teng will not cause panic if he refuses to fight tomorrow.

"Let us rest for today. Tomorrow I will personally supervise Ma Teng into battle!"

However, what Han Sui did not know was that Liu Bei had not only planned a raid on the camp, but also ordered Zhang Liao and Xu Huang to bypass Chencang and set up camp behind Han Sui.

It wasn't until the next morning that Han Sui received the news, and he was immediately alarmed: "Liu Bei has taken advantage of our weakness to set up camp behind our rear, leaving our army vulnerable to attack from both sides. What should we do?"

Han Sui could no longer worry about urging Ma Teng to go into battle.

Given the current situation, it's clear that Liu Bei never intended to deal with Ma Teng; otherwise, he wouldn't have directly divided his troops to bypass Han Sui and establish a camp behind his territory.

Li Kan suggested, "Ma Teng's stance is currently unclear, and our army is besieged from both sides. It would be better to feign sending envoys to seek peace, and then take advantage of the chaos to attack Lu Fang and others after they cause trouble in Liu Bei's rear."

This time, when Han Sui marched into Chencang, he was not alone. There were also powerful bandits in the Three Auxiliary Regions who were dissatisfied with Liu Bei and wanted to take the opportunity to rise up in rebellion.

Han Sui's original plan was to send Ma Teng as the vanguard to launch a rapid attack on Chencang, forcing Liu Bei to send troops to its rescue, and then confront Liu Bei in Chencang, creating an opportunity for Lu Fang and others.

Unexpectedly, Ma Teng held back his troops first, then Han Sui suffered another defeat, and this morning Liu Bei preemptively established a camp in the rear.

Liu Bei's fighting style was too swift, leaving Han Sui unable to cope.

Left with no other choice, Han Sui had to adopt Li Kan's plan and send Yang Qiu as an envoy to feign seeking peace with Liu Bei.

However, to Han Sui's surprise and anger, Yang Qiu was shot back by a hail of arrows by the guards at the gate of Liu Bei's camp as soon as he arrived. If Yang Qiu had not hidden in the belly of a horse, he would have been shot to death on the spot.

Even so, Yang Qiu's arm was pierced by a sharp arrow!

On the other hand, consider Ma Teng's side.

Liu Bei, however, rode out on horseback wearing only a single garment and invited Ma Teng to have a conversation.

Seeing that Liu Bei had no armor, Ma Teng also went out lightly dressed and on horseback.

The two men's horses met head to head, and they each held their reins and spoke to each other.

Liu Bei smiled gently and, trying to establish a connection, said, "General, you are a descendant of General Fubo, and my teacher also studied under Master Ma Jichang. I have a deep connection with the Ma family of Fufeng. General, we should not be at each other's throats."

“I love your son Ma Chao very much and intend to take him as my student. I recently told Ma Chao about this, but he was worried that his parents and brothers would be in danger, so he declined. If you, General, are willing to abandon your evil ways and save our families from war, and allow Ma Chao to become my student, I will be content for the rest of my life.”

Liu Bei's repeated overtures left Ma Teng with mixed feelings.

Ma Teng sighed, "Although I am willing, my family members are all being held hostage by Han Sui, so I have no choice but to do it."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Since you, General, are willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, you should make a quick decision. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. Han Sui already suspects you. If I were to use the trick of erasing the letter, altering the ambiguous words and key parts myself before sending it back to you, and deliberately letting Han Sui know about it, how would you prove yourself then?"

Ma Teng's expression changed drastically.

Given Han Sui's personality, if that were truly the case, Ma Teng wouldn't be able to explain it even if he had ten mouths!

Seeing this, Liu Bei said again, "Last night I not only raided Han Sui's camp, but I also set up a camp behind Han Sui's camp. Tonight at midnight, I will attack Han Sui's camp again, leaving only the Anding direction for him to escape. If you are willing to help me, I will keep my promise. If Han Sui escapes to Anding, you can also annex the forces of Hanyang. Why worry about not being able to protect your family? Think about it carefully, General."

Ma Teng's camp is located south of Han Sui's main camp. If Ma Teng is willing to help Liu Bei, attacking Han Sui's main camp tonight would be a situation of surrounding three sides while leaving one side undefended.

Ma Teng looked at Liu Bei with a complicated expression: "What if I pretend to agree and attack Liu Yongzhou with Han Sui tonight? I already know about Liu Yongzhou's plan to erase the letter, so I will definitely be on guard."

Liu Bei laughed loudly: "General, you jest. Even without the plan to erase the letter, how could your rabble possibly withstand the might of my Yongzhou army? If you help me, I will guarantee your future; if you betray me, I will exterminate your entire clan. If you don't believe me, General, you are welcome to try!"

(End of this chapter)