Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Teng was the first to break the silence. He slowly swept his gaze over the crowd and said in a voice as resonant as a bell, "You all have come thousands of miles to lead the crowd here. Thank you for all the hard work you've put in."

Upon hearing this, everyone was immediately terrified. They all hurriedly stood up, lowered their heads, and said in unison: "We dare not! We are so proud to come here to pay our respects. It is a great honor for us that Your Majesty summons us personally. Why should we say it is a hardship?" The voices were uniform and loud, echoing in the spacious tent.

The Xiongnu envoy smiled broadly, bowed, and said, "General, you are truly humiliating us. To be able to personally visit Xiliang and witness the majesty of you and General Shenweitian is truly a blessing we have cultivated for several lifetimes. How dare we complain about hardship?"

The Jie leader quickly echoed, "Yes, my Lord. You are renowned throughout Xiliang. It is only natural for us to come and listen to your teachings. I dare not complain about the hardship."

The Di leader spoke earnestly, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Excellency is highly respected, commanding Xiliang, and your divine might is feared by all. Our coming to pay you a visit is a blessing from heaven, a truly auspicious occasion. How could we find it arduous?"

For a while, all kinds of flattering words came one after another and never stopped.

Ma Teng straightened his body slightly and said solemnly: "Since I took charge of Xiliang, the affairs have been complicated and my energy is really limited. Now, all the conquests in various places are handled by my son Ma Chao himself. My son Ma Chao is wise and brave, with outstanding military achievements, and is capable of taking on this task. Now we are gathered here because my son is bravely taking the lead. In the future, if there are any matters or conquests, my son will be in charge, and I will never interfere." As soon as these words came out, everyone undoubtedly knew clearly that Ma Teng had handed over the military power of Xiliang to Ma Chao, and he only took care of internal affairs and no longer asked about military affairs.

Upon hearing this, everyone sat up straight, their expressions solemn, ready to listen to Ma Chao's teachings. Their eyes turned to Ma Chao, with a mixture of awe and expectation in their eyes.

Ma Chao, however, did not show any good looks to the crowd. His face was gloomy, his eyes were like torches, and he spoke with a chilling majesty: "Since my Ma family took control of Xiliang for the Han Dynasty, there was Han Sui, that ruthless traitor, who acted recklessly and stirred up trouble, bringing chaos and chaos to the entire Xiliang. Now the eight cavalrymen on the field have all been traitors. You and I know the right and wrong of this. Back then, I led the army, relying on the might of the awe-inspiring Xiliang cavalry under the command of Prime Minister Dong, fighting bloody battles on the battlefield, experiencing countless life and death situations. "It was only through this fierce battle that peace and tranquility were finally restored to Xiliang. I'm sure everyone here knows all about this past clearly and clearly." As soon as Ma Chao finished speaking, the eight Xiliang warriors who had attacked him all flushed red in the face, stepped forward in shame, and trembling in unison, declared, "Lu and I were coerced into joining the bandits. In a moment of confusion, we offended the mighty General Tian. We truly deserve death. Fortunately, the General has been magnanimous, forgiving us and still entrusting us with this important task. We will not hesitate, even if it means risking our lives."

Ma Chao waved his hand slightly and said, "Generals, please step forward. I have no intention of pursuing this matter; I am merely stating a fact." Upon hearing this, the generals remained terrified, their faces pale, their eyes filled with anxiety and fear. Some of them were covered in sweat, their lips trembling slightly, and others were shaking uncontrollably. They stared at Ma Chao with trepidation, as if they were facing an untouchable god of war.

Ma Chao's eyes narrowed slightly, and there was a chilling sharpness in his eyes. He said coldly: "What, do you want to say something else?" The generals hurriedly returned to their seats like frightened rabbits, and did not dare to make a sound.

Ma Chao continued, "Later, the Eastern Qiang Mi Tang besieged our Wuwei City. To avenge this, I joined forces with my brother Cheliji, leader of the Western Qiang." Cheliji smiled and nodded in greeting. Ma Chao also smiled slightly and continued, "We have finally defeated the Mi Tang army and resolved the ongoing conflict among the Eastern Qiang. Leaders of the Ehe and Shaoge tribes, leader of the Shaodang Qiang, what do you agree with?"

The three leaders hurried out and knelt respectfully on the ground, their foreheads pressed to the ground, chanting, "Thanks to the mighty power of General Tian, ​​we have been able to escape the violent rule of the tyrant Mi Tang. Today, the lives of all the people of Dong Qiang have greatly improved, with ample food and clothing, all thanks to the general's mighty power and kindness. The general's kindness is like a rebirth, and we will never forget it."

Ma Chao then interjected, "Is the current Protectorate of the Qiang serving the people fairly? Are they oppressing the Qiang people?"

The three leaders shook their heads like rattles and spoke hurriedly, "General, this is a very appropriate arrangement. The Protectorate of the Qiang can be said to be the foundation of our Eastern Qiang's stability. When General Pang De was here, he used both kindness and power, and all the tribes submitted wholeheartedly. Now General Pang Rou has come. General Pang Rou is not greedy for money or lustful. He is upright and fair, and always puts justice first. Everyone in the Eastern Qiang admires him and praises his kindness. Our admiration for the general is like a surging river, endless and unending."

Ma Chao nodded slightly and said, "Alright, you all should join us now. No need for all the polite words."

Upon hearing this, the three leaders were as if they had been pardoned. They quickly wiped the cold sweat from their heads and returned to their seats in fear and trepidation. They were still frightened and secretly shocked by Ma Chao's majesty, and they didn't even dare to breathe.

Ma Chao continued, "When we were campaigning against the Eastern Qiang, the Xiongnu Chanyu and his forces, divided into two groups, wreaked havoc in Western Liang, burning, killing, looting, and committing all manner of atrocities. I personally led my army to defeat the forces of Left Wise King Liu Bao in Beidi Commandery, and then in Western Liang, defeating Chanyu Yu Fuluo. Our army also slew the Xiongnu Chanyu Yu Fuluo in battle." At this point, Ma Chao's gaze pierced the envoys of Left Wise King Liu Bao's forces and demanded, "Envoys of Left Wise King Liu Bao, is this true?"

The envoy from Zuo Xian Wang's army was so frightened that his face turned pale. He tumbled out of his seat, trembling all over and knelt repeatedly. He cried out in a voice that was filled with tears: "General, your might is so great that we, the Zuo Xian Wang's army, have deeply sensed it. We have come here to bring you a gift and express our respect for you."

Ma Chao's eyes widened in anger as he shouted, "You have utterly invaded the Han Dynasty, disturbed our borders, and harmed our people. Now you are offering me gifts, demonstrating your cowardice. Sooner or later, I will send my army to annihilate you and make you pay for your evil deeds!"

The Xiongnu envoys were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "General, you are so powerful! How dare we offend you? I hope you will have mercy on us Xiongnu! The situation is difficult right now, and many people in our tribe are freezing to death. I hope you will show me mercy."

Ma Chao interrupted them impatiently and said, "Go back to your seats and stop talking. This is all your one-sided story. Wait a minute, I will come and explain it to you later." The Xiongnu envoy crawled back to his seat as if he had been granted amnesty, and collapsed there, still in shock.

Ma Chao continued, "This autumn, the Jie and Di peoples invaded Xiliang and started a rebellion, burning, killing, and looting. Their actions were extremely abhorrent. In anger, I dispatched troops from Longxi, splitting them into two groups and defeating both tribes with lightning speed. Are their envoys here?"

The two envoys hurried out in fear and trepidation, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly: "Di people's envoys, Jie people's envoys, listen to the general's instructions."

Ma Chao's eyes were fierce as he shouted, "You two tribes are few in number, your people are uncivilized, and you are already weak, yet you dare to challenge the might of the Han Dynasty so easily. I originally wanted to kill you all to prevent future troubles, but I don't want too many innocent people to die tragically. I will keep your heads for now. Remember, go back and tell your Jie and Di kings that if you dare to cause trouble again, and any illegal behavior is reported to Wuwei City, don't blame me, Ma Chao, for personally leading the army to plow through your homes and kill you all without leaving a single one alive!"

The two envoys were so frightened that they forgot to reply for a moment. Ma Chao frowned and shouted angrily, "What? Didn't you hear clearly?" The two envoys woke up as if from a dream, kowtowed and said repeatedly, "I heard clearly, I heard clearly."

Ma Chao said, "Alright, let's go back to our seats." The Di envoy hurriedly stood up and prepared to return to his seat. The Jie envoy, however, had already collapsed to the ground, sweat dripping from his face, his limbs limp. Unable to stand up, he turned to the Di envoy for help. Helpless, the Di envoy bent down and helped him up again. The two men, supporting each other, staggered back to their seats.

Ma Chao continued, his brows raised, his eyes wide, his face brimming with fury. "Western Liang is a borderland, home to a vast intermingling of tribes, large and small. But we, the Han, have always been benevolent and virtuous, never easily attacking weak tribes like yours, always upholding an attitude of tolerance and harmony. Yet, you, knowing no bounds of death, refuse to repent, repeatedly attacking our Han people in the Central Plains, disturbing the peace of our borderlands and displacing our people." At this point, he slammed the table, stood up, and roared, "Today, I declare this: Anyone who invades the Central Plains again will be killed without mercy, their entire clan exterminated, leaving no one alive! Your tribe will pay the most severe and painful price for your evil deeds!"

The envoys from various tribes and the generals who had just taken their seats were all shocked by Ma Chao's imposing presence. Their faces turned pale, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and their eyes were filled with awe and fear.

The two leaders, Ehe and Shaoge, were the first to stand up, bowed, and said in trembling voices, "The general's power is so great that it shakes heaven and earth. We are willing to swear allegiance to him until death and will never dare to offend his might again."

The envoys from other tribes followed suit, shouting in unison: "We pledge our loyalty to the general and will never commit this offense again!"

For a moment, shouts resounded throughout the entire tent, and Ma Chao's reputation was deeply engraved in everyone's hearts at this moment.