The prince is very cruel

"Jiangzhou? Isn't that the territory of King Jiangxia? You want to go there too?" Guan Ning raised his eyebrows.

Ma Jin hesitated, then confessed, "Yes."

"They're recruiting soldiers over there. I'm planning to go over and give it a try. If I can, I want to help King Jiangxia raise an army."

Guan Ning and Yuan Xiang were both slightly surprised.

"May I ask why it is King Jiangxia, and not the Qin family, or other vassal kings?" Guan Ning asked curiously.

Ma Jin took a deep breath and said, "The world is in chaos right now, and the trend of division is inevitable."

"But in my opinion, most of these evildoers won't get far. They're either motivated by personal gain or are short-sighted, or simply don't care about the lives of ordinary people."

"The Xiliang rebels are advancing rapidly, threatening the very foundations of the Central Plains, yet they seek cooperation. Only King Jiangxia, citing his status as a descendant of the royal family, is calling on the defense of his country and accepting the refugees."

Guan Ning nodded. Although he had never met King Jiangxia, it sounded like King Jiangxia was at least better than those people.

"So, what is your goal?"

For some reason, Ma Jin trusted a man he had just met and said bluntly, "I want to end the war with war, so that the people can live less hard."

"Also... I will step on the corpses of the Xiliang rebels to restore the glory of my Ma family!"

As he spoke, his pupils burned with fire and his fists clenched tightly around the plum gun.

Guan Ning raised his eyebrows, thinking that he was from Xiliang, and looking at his murderous aura at the moment, could it be that he had a grudge with Ashina Yuanlie?

So he tried to test her: "You and Ashina Yuanlie..."

Ma Jin frowned and nodded: "His position belongs to my grandfather."

"He has betrayed faith and forsaken righteousness."

Guan Ning nodded, but didn't ask any further questions, as it was not appropriate.

Then, with a serious look in his eyes, he said, "Brother Ma, I don't think King Jiangxia's place is suitable for you."

"Why?" Ma Jin raised his eyebrows.

"You must know that any boy who slays a dragon will eventually become a dragon himself."

"King Jiangxia is a prince after all. The military officers and civil officials under him are destined not to represent the common people, but the interests of the nobility."

"If the King of Jiangxia wanted to rebel against the emperor, at best it would be a rebellion by a prince. But you want the people to live a good life, which is inherently full of conflict."

The incisive explanation made Ma Jin stunned.

"But King Jiangxia is already the most benevolent lord. I've specifically investigated this matter. He's quite kind to the people. He's given away a lot of the palace's savings and is currently taking in refugees fleeing from Xiliang and Jingzhou."

Guan Ning shook his head: "As I said before, the boy who slays a dragon will eventually become a dragon."

"What he wants to fight for is the throne, the supreme ruler, not peace and prosperity for the people."

Ma Jin's thin face showed an awkward expression. "So if that's what you said, then there's no one in the world worth following?"

"Everyone will become a dragon. There is no solution to this problem."

Guan Ning smiled and paced back and forth, saying, "That's not the case."

"What if there are a group of people whose goal is not to seize that position, but just to protect themselves and take care of more people?"

Ma Jin was skeptical: "Everyone says so, and everyone claims to have a legitimate reason, but you and I both know it's impossible."

"No!"

"It really exists!" Guan Ning said firmly.

"Who?" Ma Jin was curious.

"Shu!" Guan Ning blurted out.

"Shu?" Ma Jin was surprised. He was really surprised to hear these two words.

Then he frowned and said, "I've heard of this place. It used to be very chaotic, no less chaotic than Xiliang. But it later surrendered. After so many years, it has basically been assimilated."

"But I remember Shu was very poor, right? And it was surrounded by natural dangers, without even a single road. Although the people were simple and honest, it was like having no power at all."

"If even the imperial court is unwilling to station troops there, what else can Shu do?"

"To put it bluntly, they can't even fill their own stomachs, so how can they survive in this chaotic world and help the people?"

His words were not pleasant to hear, but they were very pertinent.

Guan Ning was not angry: "Brother Ma, you should know that what you heard may not be true."

"I can tell you responsibly that you underestimate Shu. Everyone in the world also underestimates Shu. Although it seems to be the last place you should go, if you go there, you will be shocked!"

Ma Jin's eyes were filled with surprise. Is it really that exaggerated?

"To be honest, I'm going to Shu. Although it's not as strong as Xiliang, it's definitely not as simple as you think."

“The most important thing is that there are things there that you can’t find anywhere else.”

Ma Jin was curious: "What is it?"

"Unity and friendship. They represent not the aristocracy, nor the royal family, but ordinary people. Everyone there comes from an ordinary family."

"They understand better than those kings, princes, generals and ministers what it means that the world belongs to everyone!" Guan Ning spoke in a sonorous and powerful voice, but it did not feel like he was trying to pull anyone in.

Ma Jin was shocked!

Even Yuan Xiang's eyes lit up when she heard this.

"What a world that belongs to everyone in the world!"

"Just because of what you said, Brother Guan, I'll go with you to take a look!" Ma Jin said in a low voice, becoming interested. He felt that Guan Ning was not the kind of person who spoke nonsense.

"Hahaha!"

"Okay, in that case, let's go together!"

"If I lied to you, you would have just stabbed me with your plum spear!" Guan Ning laughed loudly, extremely excited. It was a pity that he could find such a person on the road to escape.

In these troubled times, with war and chaos everywhere, it's just shit luck!

Just like when Liu Bei got Zhao Zilong, although Ma Jin has not said this yet, there is a great chance.

Ma Jin smiled and jokingly said, "I don't think I'm your opponent, Brother Guan."

Guan Ning was slightly surprised. This guy had seen through his skills.

"No, no."

"You are a son of a general, and I am a peasant. We can't compare, we can't compare."

"Since Brother Ma has no objection, how about we get on the road?"

"I'm being hunted, and I'm worried someone will catch up with me soon."

"Okay!" Ma Jin is also a decisive and action-oriented person. Once he makes a decision, he will not hesitate. With a whistle that resounded a hundred meters away, the fierce horse galloped over in an instant.

Three people and two horses continued to head south along the thick white snow.

Along the way, Guan Ning and Ma Jin talked about everything, including the current situation in the Central Plains. They got to know each other better during the conversation.

This Ma Jin is definitely not just good at martial arts. He is a genius born for the battlefield. He inherited the Ma family's spear skills and his grandfather's military tactics.

He said that if he were the commander-in-chief of the imperial army, he would simply abandon the heartland of the Central Plains, let the Xiliang rebels in, and use the natural barrier of Tongguan to defend it.