Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After Wang Jie finished reading the imperial edict, he did not attend the banquet and hurried back to his residence. Along the way, Li Tong was filled with confusion. Unable to suppress his doubts, he quickly took a few steps and quietly approached Wang Jie, speaking in a low voice and anxiously, "Sir Wang, this time you are new to Xiliang. Why are you behaving so differently from before? You acted so arrogantly in front of everyone today, which is truly worrying. You have seen with your own eyes that Xiliang is now a powerful army with many skilled soldiers and generals, and its power far exceeds that of our Chang'an court. If your actions anger Ma Chao and his son, the consequences will be unimaginable." Wang Jie pretended not to hear him, his face calm and silent. He did not reply, but continued to walk quickly towards his residence without stopping.

When he arrived at his residence, Li Tong's worries were still hard to calm down. He couldn't help but say again: "Lord Wang, we have few soldiers and generals, and now we are in the heart of Xiliang of the Ma family. It is inappropriate to be so arrogant. If the Ma family makes trouble for us, how should we deal with it?" At this time, Wang Jie just slowly stopped, raised his head slightly, and said solemnly: "General Li, you still don't fully understand my intentions. Now that Chang'an has just been stabilized, the emperor urgently needs to find out the true intentions of the Ma family. That's why he repeatedly attacked the Ma family outside the city. Test. Look at the appearance of those arrogant and fierce generals. They are ready to draw their swords at the slightest disagreement. How can this be the state of a minister? And Ma Teng is obviously taking advantage of his age. When Dong Zhuo was in power, he was just a general under his command. Now he seems to have no regard for the court. The angel came from afar, but he only sent his son to pay a visit, and did not take the angel's guard of honor seriously at all. If these arrogant and fierce soldiers are not given a warning, they will only become more and more arrogant. Is Xiliang still the land of the Ma family? Is it the emperor's?" Li Tong was speechless after Wang Jie's words, with an embarrassment on his face, but he still couldn't help but persuade: "Sir Wang, I know your good intentions. But don't you know the popular saying, you can't touch the tiger's butt. Now the Ma family is entrenched in Xiliang, and its power has been formed. If we make things worse and force these two people to rebel, it will be a real loss. With the current strength of Chang'an, it is simply unable to resist the Ma family's military force. "Wang Jie frowned slightly, pondered for a moment and said: "General Li, what can I do? "I'm not aware of the risks involved. But the Emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed. We must ascertain the Ma family's attitude. If they harbor rebellious intentions, the court can prepare early. Now we can only take a risk and hope that the Ma family will restrain themselves and refrain from any drastic actions." Li Tong sighed helplessly and said, "I hope so, but this is truly a huge gamble. If we lose, the consequences will be disastrous." Wang Jie gazed resolutely into the distance and said, "For the sake of the court, for the sake of the Emperor, some risks must be taken. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

At that moment, a guard hurried in with a report: "Sir, an old friend from Luoyang has arrived to visit." Wang Jie had already spotted Xun Yu, the Commander-in-Chief, while reading the imperial edict, and a surge of annoyance welled up within him. He wondered, Xun Yu should have been serving his country wholeheartedly in Luoyang, so why was he now in Xiliang? Furthermore, Ma Chao had colluded with Dong Zhuo in his past, aiding and abetting his tyranny. So, Xun Yu's presence here meant he was also colluding with Ma Chao and the others? These thoughts swirled in Wang Jie's mind, and he was suddenly filled with discontent. However, Xun Yu was, after all, his senior, a benevolent minister whom he idolized, and it was difficult for Wang Jie to refuse his personal visit. So, he pondered for a moment and said to the guard, "Let him in." But Wang Jie did not make any gesture of welcome. He just sat in his seat with an indifferent look on his face.

Xun Yu had been apprehensive all the way here. After the guards informed him, he had rushed here in a hurry. Upon hearing that Wang Jie had agreed to meet, he hurried even further, following the guards. As he entered the hall, Li Tong hurriedly bowed respectfully. "Lord Xun, I never expected to meet you here again." However, Wang Jie didn't even raise his head from his seat, remaining as steady as a rock, as if nothing around him mattered to him. Xun Yu knew that Wang Jie had probably wronged him, but he did not rush to explain too much. He just said anxiously: "My dear brother, you came here as an angel this time. Are you trying to force the Ma family to rebel, or are you planning to summon the Ma family to serve the emperor?" Wang Jie seemed to have just noticed him at this time, but still did not stand up to salute. He said with a hint of anger: "Oh, could it be that Xun Lingjun rushed here in such a hurry to act as a lobbyist for the Ma family, or to test the strength of me, the emperor's envoy?" Xun Yu was stunned for a moment. He slowly raised his head, looked directly at Wang Jie, and said, "Brother, what exactly are you talking about?" Wang Jie was extremely angry. He slammed the table with a loud "bang", stood up suddenly, and shouted, "Xun Yu, Xun Yu, your Majesty, your Majesty, when we were in Luoyang, we students all regarded you as our idol and followed your example. We all wanted to be as successful as you and serve our country. But we never expected that you would stoop to the rebellion and help Ma Teng and his son to rebel with Dong Zhuo. And now you appear in Wuwei City, and I don't know why."

Xun Yu sighed slightly when he heard Wang Jie's question. There seemed to be a thousand emotions and helplessness in that sigh. He looked solemn and slowly said: "My dear brother, you don't know. At that time, the emperor had no news at all, Dong Zhuo acted recklessly and rebelled, and the whole world fell into chaos. I left Luoyang to find the emperor. The journey was extremely difficult. I slept in the open air and experienced hardships. What I saw along the way were the misery and helplessness of the people. The scene of grief and suffering is still vivid in my mind. When I was in Chang'an, I met Ma Chao by chance. Although this man was once misunderstood to be involved with Dong Zhuo, I saw He was wholeheartedly devoted to the people, and his many actions were truly touching. At that time, the Emperor hadn't returned, yet the people were suffering in dire straits. Ma Chao sincerely invited me to Xiliang to handle internal affairs. After observing him, I found that he truly put the people first, wholeheartedly committed to protecting the country and its people. I thought, if I could bring a little peace to the people, why not? Although my heart was with the Emperor, doing something for the people while he was away was also my duty as a minister. My dear brother, please don't misunderstand me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jie frowned, his face stern. He said, "Even so, the Emperor has resolutely raised the banner of fighting against Dong Zhuo. If Ma Chao is truly as kind as you claim, why didn't you persuade Ma Chao to lead the army against Dong Zhuo? Instead, it would make people think that Ma Chao is aiding and abetting Zhou's tyranny. At worst, you could abandon Ma Chao and return to the court to serve the Emperor. That would be the right path."

Xun Yu shook his head slightly, his expression solemn and awe-inspiring, as he slowly replied, "My dear brother, you are mistaken. During the campaign against Dong Zhuo, foreign invaders seized the opportunity to invade the border, and the land of Western Liang was instantly engulfed in flames of war. If it weren't for Ma Chao and his son, who led the soldiers in a bloody battle, risking their lives, Western Liang would have long since ceased to exist for the Han. While the campaign against Dong Zhuo was certainly important, it was indeed a struggle and intrigue within the court, but the invasion of foreign invaders was a matter of practical significance for the survival and prosperity of the nation.

Even if Ma Chao didn't actively aid the emperor in his campaign against Dong Zhuo, he certainly wasn't an open enemy of the emperor either. So how could he be said to be aiding and abetting Zhou's tyranny? My dear brother, please consider this carefully. The current situation is complex and volatile, and it's impossible to generalize based on a single perspective. Ma Chao is a man of courage and resolve, with a heart of justice. Though young and impetuous, he possesses a strong sense of justice and responsibility. In Xiliang, he protected the people and showed them unwavering care. He is far from a man who would disregard justice for selfish ends. This is a tremendous blessing for the people of Xiliang. In these turbulent times, we must consider the full scope and deliberate, not hastily judging others' actions based on fleeting perspectives.

Wang Jie's anger gradually dissipated as he listened to Xun Yu's well-reasoned words. He understood Xun Yu's good intentions, and his attitude softened slightly. He frowned slightly, staring intently at Xun Yu, and asked, "Lord, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Xun Yu looked at Wang Jie, a trace of worry in his eyes. He asked Wang Jie again, "Brother, think about it. If you are so arrogant and coercive, and if you really force the Ma family to rebel, the consequences will be unimaginable. It will be more trouble than gain. Have you carefully considered the pros and cons?"