The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 165: Ma Chao, the Three Filial Sons

The capital of Wuwei County was Guzang, the county magistrate's office.

At this moment, Ma Teng had also received an order from Xun You asking him to lead his troops to the west of Jincheng Valley, which is near Lingju County, to block the Qiang people's retreat.

"You want me to fight the Qiang people head-on?"

Ma Teng questioned Wei Kang with Xun You's letter.

"Wei Qing! That's not what you and I said before!"

"It was clearly stated that I only needed to lead the troops after the imperial army arrived and occupy a few passes at will, but no one told me to fight against the main force of the Qiang people!"

If the Qiang entered from Yuzhong, east of Jincheng, the one who would bear the direct counterattack of the Qiang would be Lü Bu who had rushed there. Ma Teng only needed to put up a symbolic resistance in Lingju, west of Jincheng.

But now the Qiang people entered Jincheng from the west, which means that the main force of the Qiang people is on the west side!
If Ma Teng could defeat the main force of the Qiang people by himself, why would the court need to send a large army? Now that he suddenly heard that the court wanted him to lead troops to fight against the main force of the Qiang people, how could Ma Teng be willing?

"This...is indeed a situation that was not anticipated before."

Wei Kang also knew the pressure that Ma Teng was under.

However, since the Qiang people's attack plan has changed, the court's battle plan must also be adjusted accordingly.

Only by letting Ma Teng lead his troops to block Lingju can these Qiang people be captured in one fell swoop and the court's strategic goal be achieved.

If Ma Teng is unwilling, I'm afraid all the efforts will be wasted!

Wei Kang lowered his head and thought hard, knowing that he had reached a point where one wrong move would lead to a complete loss.

……

"Ma Liangzhou's words are a bit too serious."

Fa Zheng and Meng Da were also by his side.

Fa Zheng took the map directly and motioned Ma Teng to look at the terrain in the Lingju area.

"The valleys in Jincheng are like a carrying pole that is thin at both ends and thick in the middle."

"Yuzhong and Lingju are its two exits on the east and west."

"Therefore, the terrain of Lingju is actually wide in the west and narrow in the east, which is completely beneficial for our army to display its power!"

"The court wants Ma Liangzhou to lead his troops to Lingju, but it does not want Ma Liangzhou to actually fight against the main force of the Qiang people."

"In this case, as long as Ma Liangzhou sets up a large camp on the flat land northwest of Lingju and builds a few beacons in the direction of Jincheng, as soon as he finds traces of the Qiang people fleeing, he can lead the cavalry to harass and intercept them, and prevent the Qiang people from leaving the valley. In this way, he has completed the important task entrusted by the court!"

To put it simply, the terrain of Lingju is like a horn that is wide in the west and narrow in the east.

Ma Teng would have accomplished his mission as long as he built a military camp on the flat ground in the west, kept a close eye on the movements of the Qiang people in the east, and prevented them from escaping from the valley.

The Qiang people were good at fighting in the mountains but not on plains.

With the cavalry under Ma Teng, it would be easy to defeat the Qiang people in the wilderness west of Lingju and prevent them from escaping.

If it were arranged like this, Ma Teng's losses would actually be minimized.

After listening to Fa Zheng's strategy, Wei Kang looked at Fa Zheng with admiration and gratitude.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that Jia Xu had given him such a treasure... To be honest, it was a waste of talent for someone like Fa Zheng to stay in the Shangshu Tai and slowly gain experience!
Meng Da, who was standing by, also assured Ma Teng: "If we follow Xiaozhi's arrangement, at most 3,000 cavalrymen will be able to prevent the Qiang people from appearing on the main road!"

"If Ma Liangzhou doesn't believe me, I can sign a military order in public! If you fail, I, Meng Da, will definitely bring my head to you!"

On the other hand, Meng Da may not be as good as Fa Zheng in strategy, but he is slightly better in bravery. The young and energetic Meng Da wants to issue a military order to guarantee the success of his friend Fa Zheng and the court.

Ma Teng: “This…”

Under the hopeful gazes of the three people, Ma Teng chose to dodge.

"Let's discuss this matter later. I will go there in person to explore the terrain of Lingju some other day and then make plans."

Fa Zheng and Meng Da were both a little disappointed when they heard this.

The two of them wanted to say something else, but were interrupted by Wei Kang.

"Ma Liangzhou will make his own decision. After all, you two are young and don't understand the reasoning. Please leave first."

Fa Zheng, who came out of the county governor's mansion, had a gloomy face: "What truth do I not understand? It's obviously Ma Teng..."

"filial piety!"

Meng Da interrupted Fa Zheng's complaints and indicated that the guards around him were all Ma Teng's men and should not speak ill of Ma Teng here.

When they reached their own residence, Fa Zheng continued to complain: "It was just that Ma Teng was afraid of pushing the Qiang people into a corner and insisted on attacking the camp, which wasted his troops! How could it be that I don't understand reason again?"

Meng Da pointed at Fa Zheng with a headache and said, "Xiaozhi, Xiaozhi, you are very smart in some aspects, but how can you be so stupid in others?"

"Ma Teng is not submissive to the imperial court after all. He is even a vassal independent of the imperial court! If it weren't for suppressing the Qiang invasion, do you think he would have withdrawn from Jincheng? You still want to order him around now, which is really a bit too much."

Fa Zheng: "I went too far?"

A few blue veins popped out on his fair face.

"Zijing! Do you know how many Qiang people there are this time?"

"Thirty thousand! A full thirty thousand!"

"And these 30,000 are only young and strong people, not including women and children!"

"If we can completely wipe them out, it will be a huge achievement, do you know?"

"Even though the former Xinfeng Marquis (Duan Xing) wasted several years in Liangzhou and had the merit of conquering the Eastern Qiang, he only managed to defeat over 38,600 enemy heads!"

"But even so, Xinfeng Hou still became a county marquis with this achievement! He has a fief of 10,000 households!"

Fa Zheng didn't understand: "Even if Ma Teng is already a governor of a province with a salary of 2,000 stones and doesn't want to be rewarded, doesn't he know that after killing all the Qiang people, Liang Province and Longyou can be almost completely pacified?"

"Even for the sake of this stability, shouldn't he fight to the death and block the Qiang people near Jincheng?"

……

Meng Da scratched his head, not knowing how to explain to Fa Zheng.

"Xiaozhi, if everyone in this world does the right thing, will the world still be like this?"

Meng Da tried to explain Ma Teng's mentality in a way that Fa Zheng could understand. "What is the reason that Ma Teng is able to be independent of the imperial court now? Isn't it still the strong military force in his hands?"

"As long as this force is there, Ma Teng will still have weight."

"But if all these soldiers are wiped out, what good will it do even if he wins merit and pacifies Liangzhou?"

"Xiaozhi, don't forget... Even though he was so famous and was promoted to the Marquis of Xinfeng, one of the Three Dukes after entering the court, he ended up committing suicide by taking poison in prison."

"For Ma Teng, preserving his troops is far more important than pacifying the Qiang invasion. Do you understand?"

Fa Zheng doesn’t understand!

But this does not mean that Fa Zheng is aware of a problem -

"In other words, Ma Teng will not send troops? What he said just now about going to explore the terrain another day was just a perfunctory answer to me?"

"Most likely."

"Oh!"

Fa Zheng slammed his fist on the table.

You bastard, you are not worthy of being my advisor!!!
Just after this noise, Meng Da suddenly became alert.

Because there was also a noise coming from the door of the two of them!
Meng Da signaled Fa Zheng to keep quiet.

Pulling out a dagger from his waist, Meng Da walked to the door with the blade in hand and suddenly pulled the door open!

A figure fell in.

However, this person's lower body was obviously very stable. He just staggered a few times but did not fall.

Fa Zheng and Meng Da took a closer look and realized that it was Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng.

"This……"

The two looked at each other.

He had just finished saying bad things about Ma Teng, and his son heard it all.

This made the two of them a little confused about what to do...

"Meng Qi..."

Meng Da carefully persuaded Ma Chao not to tell Ma Teng about his conversation with Fa Zheng, so as to prevent Ma Teng from going crazy and killing people.

"I won't tell Dad!"

Unexpectedly, before Meng Da opened his mouth, Ma Chao took the lead in making a promise.

Not only did he make a promise, he also took the initiative to propose: "Since father is unwilling to send troops, why don't I lead the troops to Lingju!"

Fa Zheng smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "With your qualifications, I'm afraid you can't command the soldiers under your father's command."

Ma Chao: "Then I will go and steal my father's military token!"

"..."

It is truly a great act of filial piety.

Using his father's foundation to seek fame and fortune, Ma Teng has given himself a living father!

Meng Da advised: "If you do this, you may end up with an enemy of your father. You must not be so reckless. It is best..."

"Meng Qi!"

Fa Zheng's eyes lit up and he pressed heavily on Ma Chao's shoulders with both palms.

"Just do it!"

Meng Da kicked Fa Zheng from behind, signaling him not to provoke other people's father-son relationships.

But how could anyone try to sow discord between Ma Chao and Ma Teng, the father and son?

Ma Chao immediately raised his arms and said: "My father is indecisive and not a manly person!"

"Now that the title of nobility is right before my eyes, how can I remain indifferent?"

"I will steal my father's military token tonight, and then lead 3,000 cavalrymen to Lingju! When a general is away from his master, he is not subject to his orders! I don't believe that he can still fight me on the battlefield after I have led the troops out."

filial piety!
So filial!

Meng Da covered his face.

In the past, he thought Fa Zheng was extreme enough. But he never expected that there would be someone stronger than the strong. Ma Mengqi was beyond Meng Da's cognition and wanted to steal his father's military token and sneak away...

And what's worse is that -

Fa Zheng was also overjoyed after hearing Ma Chao's plan: "Good! That's it! By then, even if your father really wants to meet you on the battlefield, I will have a way to help you defeat him!"

"filial piety!!!"

Meng Da's voice was close to a roar!
Damn it!
At this moment, Meng Da deeply regretted allowing Fa Zheng and Ma Chao to meet.

If these two get together in the future, I'm afraid they will never stop until they turn the world upside down, right?
Fa Zheng too... He is obviously the descendant of a famous scholar, but he is so unstable, it's really infuriating!

Fa Zheng didn't care at all when Meng Da yelled at him.

As the saying goes: If you are not of the same kind, you will not enter the same door.

"Zijing, stop talking so much nonsense! Let me ask you, after Mengqi gets the military token, will you go or not?"

"Go! Why don't you go!"

Meng Da's expression changed immediately.

"How can I miss such a great opportunity to make achievements? I will pack my luggage now, wait for me!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)