Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Teng was deeply moved by Li Ru's earnest and deeply inspiring words. He now firmly resolved to follow Li Ru's advice. After all, in today's world, if one blindly pursued loyal support for the imperial court, who could predict the ultimate outcome? The Ma family had served the court for generations, but what if, in the end, they met with a tragic end, their entire family and their entire clan wiped out? Wouldn't all their efforts have been for nothing? In that case, it would be better to summon up their own courage and give it a try. If successful, it would be a monumental achievement, a renaissance of dynasties and the conquest of the empire. Even if they failed, it would still be a remarkable achievement, far better than retiring to the fate of a seemingly august court, only to be mercilessly purged and punished, leading to a tragic end.

Although Ma Teng felt that Li Ru's plan was somewhat illusory and its chances of success seemed slim, he also felt a sense of awe and lingering fear at the thought of the Han Dynasty's 400-year history, a legacy still lingering to this day. However, when it came to the fate of himself and his entire family, he gritted his teeth and made the decision with a solemn and difficult expression.

Li Ru looked at Ma Teng quietly. He saw that Ma Teng's brows were slightly furrowed and he subconsciously twirled his beard, as if he was deep in thought. Li Ru couldn't help but chuckle at this and then said, "Lord Shoucheng, now that you have made up your mind to accomplish this great cause, are you still worried?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng slowly raised his head, a hint of doubt in his eyes. He said, "That being said, are we just going to stay where we are, motionless, without making the necessary preparations? If so, wouldn't that be tantamount to doing nothing? How can we help Chao'er's operations at the front?"

Li Ru waved his hand gently, his expression confident and calm. He said slowly and unhurriedly, "Don't bother Lord Shoucheng with this. As long as you are determined and unwavering in what we are planning, I will take care of all the remaining matters. What's more, you have brought with you a full 10 Western Liang cavalry. Such a strong force is truly capable of making great achievements in the current situation. After we ascend the tent tomorrow, I will make careful arrangements and everything will be under control."

Ma Teng looked up at Li Ru and saw his face brimming with confidence and determination, as if everything was under control. Meanwhile, he himself was already flustered, like a headless fly, completely bewildered. Helplessly, Ma Teng could only bow slightly and say, "Then I'll trouble you to take care of everything, sir."

Li Ru raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a faint smile, and said softly: "Relax, Lord Shoucheng, go back and have a good sleep. Tomorrow, I, Li Ru, will give you a satisfactory explanation."

Ma Teng left with a trembling heart, but how could he sleep? Back in his tent, he lay there in a daze, his mind racing over the complex situation, but he couldn't make any sense of it.

In a trance, he drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he seemed to see Ma Chao loyally supporting the emperor, helping him secure his throne and leading to the revival of the Han Dynasty. But behind this seemingly happy scene, a horrific scene unfolded: his entire family was ruthlessly executed by the emperor. The horrific scene made Ma Teng break out in a cold sweat even in his dream.

Not long after, the dream suddenly shifted, revealing the Ma family's decision to establish themselves as kings, waging a thrilling war against various factions. However, the war went extremely badly, and in the end, not only did they fail to achieve hegemony, but even their foundation in Xiliang was completely destroyed. The entire family perished. The sight of corpses strewn across the fields and blood flowing like rivers made Ma Teng groan in agony even in his sleep.

After a while, the dream changed again. This time he seemed to see his son Ma Chao wearing a dragon robe and ascending the throne. His majestic appearance seemed as if he had really become the master of the world.

Ma Teng continued to wander through this bizarre, ever-changing dreamscape, unable to sleep the entire night, buffeted by the constant barrage of huge, absurd dreams. Never before had Ma Teng considered so many complex and thorny matters so deeply and meticulously, yet now it was as if someone had forced so many intentions, so many complex matters, into his mind, leaving him completely delirious and confused.

The next morning, Ma Teng woke up slowly from the endless nightmare. He was extremely weak and looked dazed. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he had obviously not rested well that night.

As the sun rose early in the morning, its rays shone brightly on the tents. Li Ru, already refreshed, strode towards Ma Teng's tent, seeking a meeting. Ma Teng, at this moment, was struggling to put on his armor piece by piece, carefully attended to by Pan Feng. His face was still visibly worn, and his spirits were still low. Just as he had finally finished packing, he heard the news that Li Ru had arrived to pay him a visit.

Ma Teng understood that all of this was agreed upon by Li Ru yesterday, and he dared not neglect it. He immediately ordered all the generals to gather in their tents for a meeting. The Longxi generals, in accordance with the agreement, hurried from their respective garrisons to Ma Teng's tent. Pang De and Wu Anguo were already in their tents, accompanying the former Longxi Dong family generals, quietly awaiting Ma Teng's arrival.

Soon, Ma Teng slowly entered the tent. As soon as he entered, he subconsciously looked around and saw many generals standing in the hall. A closer look revealed that these people were all the trusted and beloved generals under Dong Gong's command in the past. Ma Teng had still not recovered from the chaos of last night and was about to speak a few words to everyone to ease the slightly dull atmosphere.

Li Ru, seeing Ma Teng enter the tent, hurried forward with a respectful look on his face. He reached out and gently took Ma Teng's hand, saying warmly, "Lord Shoucheng, you've finally arrived. You're so late. Hurry up, take the main seat. Let's start discussing matters in the tent."

Ma Teng was somewhat bewildered by Li Ru's actions. His mind, still a mess after last night's turmoil and lack of rest, was still in a state of confusion. He hadn't had time to process what was happening. Looking at the bustling yet solemn scene in the tent, he felt a slight sense of discomfort.

However, before he could say anything more, Li Ru half-pushed him to the main seat. Immediately afterwards, all the Longxi generals, including Li Ru, Niu Fu, Dong Huang, and the generals who had served Dong Huang in Tianshui, as well as the local Longxi generals, all prostrated before Ma Teng in the main seat, chanting in unison, "The generals under Lord Dong of Xiliang officially pay their respects to General Ma Teng today. From today on, we all serve under the Ma family. We greet our lord!"

Ma Teng was suddenly flustered by this scene and subconsciously wanted to stand up. He hurried forward to help Li Ru up and said, "What...what does this mean? Please stand up quickly, everyone. Don't give me such a great honor. I really don't deserve it!" His voice trembled slightly because of this sudden situation, and his eyes were full of surprise and confusion.

Li Ru, upon seeing this, hurriedly and respectfully explained, "My lord, please sit down and do not panic. Although we surrendered to General Ma Chao in the past, he later negotiated a peace agreement with the imperial court and then headed for Chang'an to serve the court wholeheartedly. We of the Longxi lineage were all former generals under Lord Dong. Lord Dong is dead, and how can we continue to serve the court without avenging our great vengeance?"

At this point, Li Ru paused slightly, his expression becoming increasingly sincere. He continued, "Last night, our lord had already made up his mind to fight hard in these troubled times and pursue his ambitions for dominance. Upon hearing this news, we are all excited. We must step forward and continue to contribute our humble efforts to our lord's grand plan. If our lord still chooses to serve the court, then Longxi County will be forced to defend its own gates and live in seclusion. How can this be worthy of our lord's lofty ambitions and our full aspirations?"

As Li Ru spoke, he looked at Ma Teng with a sharp gaze, his eyes full of expectation and determination, as if he was waiting for Ma Teng's response so that this plan could be truly implemented.

Ma Teng sat in the main seat, still looking uncomfortable. He frowned slightly and said awkwardly, "Alas, Mr. Wenyou, this matter hasn't even started yet. You're talking like this, which really makes me feel uneasy. Besides, Chao'er is still in Chang'an. How will this war develop in the future? It's still uncertain. I'm already exhausted and exhausted. How can I have the ambition to plan a kingdom? How will it develop in the future? It all depends on Chao'er to make the decision. Even if there really is such a day that we can become powerful throughout the country, I, Ma Teng, only want to play a role like King Wen of Zhou, assisting him in the end. So you really don't need to act like this."

At this moment, Niu Fu stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and spoke with a firm expression, "My lord, please do not say that. We, the good men of Xiliang, have already decided to serve you, my lord, and we will never change our minds. Even if, in the end, we truly cannot withstand the arrangements of fate and end up in failure, we will never regret this decision we made today. As for how to arrange things between you and General Ma Chao, that is a matter between you and your son. We are all warriors who can only wield swords and spears, and we are not capable of such detailed planning."

Ma Teng opened his mouth after hearing Niu Fu's words, as if about to say something more. At that moment, Li Ru hurried forward, bowed slightly, and said, "My lord, please sit down for a moment. You discussed this matter with me yesterday. Now that you've made up your mind, you can leave the rest of the matter to me."

After hearing what Li Ru said, Ma Teng stopped talking, but the uneasy look on his face remained unchanged. His eyes were filled with worry and confusion. It was obvious that he was still full of doubts about this sudden situation and the future direction.