Chapter 141 Senior's Old Age
After returning to Huaili, Ma Teng sent people from many directions to investigate the Tiger Tooth Army.

As the information came back one after another, Ma Teng became hesitant.

A man sat alone in the garden.

His wife, who had shared his joys and sorrows, was killed by Han Sui, and his several daughters, who he had watched grow up, were also gone.

As a result, his eldest son now doesn't interact with him much. He lives his life as a maverick, running around like a lone wolf following a pack, and it is difficult to track his whereabouts.

As for the children born to other concubines and wives, there are so many that Ma Teng can hardly remember them all now.

Sometimes you will suddenly realize that you have a new babbling child, but this child may die in a few years.

There are too many children, and only the adult sons are always around them, and they look like father and son.

The other children were no longer important to Ma Teng.

A person's emotions are limited, and part of his emotions are firmly invested in his original wife, three eldest daughters, and eldest grandson. They also disappeared with them and never returned to him.

The remaining affection will be shared by the concubines, and some will be shared by the sons who can help with work. What will be left?
It was because he was tired and could not fly anymore that he accepted the persuasion of Cao Cao, Zhong Yao and Wei Duan and chose to reconcile with Han Sui.

He had fought with Han Sui for his entire life, and had thought they could turn hostility into friendship and become sworn brothers.

As a result, after a severe drought in Guanzhong, production in Longshan also decreased.

The two tribes had a complete falling out over a dispute over grazing pastures, and they attacked and killed each other, and both men were nearly killed.

Later, they reconciled, just wanting to live a stable life and enjoy a peaceful and happy life in this chaotic life.

But now, the younger generation in the martial arts world is too fierce.

But he was already getting old.

Ma Teng hesitated for a long time, then returned to his study and picked up a pen to write.

Guanzhong had become a place of right and wrong. He didn't want to have any cooperation or conflict with Han Sui anymore, nor did he want to lead troops to fight.

He had seen so much death in his life that he was tired of it.

After writing a piece of silk book, he put it into a brocade bag.

Soon, Pang De, who was confused, entered the study room under the guidance of Ma Teng's personal soldiers and saluted: "My Lord."

"Lingming, please sit down."

"Here."

Pang De was wearing a black official uniform. He had a sturdy build, with particularly broad shoulders and back. When he sat down, he looked like a door panel.

Such a strong physique did not prevent him from working part-time as a military assistant.

Another of Ma Teng's personal soldiers came forward, carrying a bowl of steaming milk tea on a wooden tray and placed it on the table in front of Pang De.

Pound had seen tea, but not in this way.

The aroma of milk is everywhere.

Ma Teng said, "Zhong Yao and Hei Xiong sent me a letter, Zhong Yao hopes to join hands with me to wipe out the generals in Guanzhong. Then, I divided my troops to garrison Xihe and Shangjun, while I stayed in Chang'an and opened a government office with him and Hei Xiong to jointly govern Guanzhong."

"Not only that, he will invite Wei Duan to join the rebellion, and also give me another option, allowing me to lead Yongzhou Mu, stationed in Anding and Beidi, and defend the west."

As he spoke, Ma Teng raised his hand to signal Pang De to drink the milk tea, and continued: "I believe in Zhong Yao, but I dare not trust Black Bear rashly. I hope you will go to Lantian later and hand over my letter to him."

"Don't worry, my lord. I will complete my mission."

After saying this, Pound picked up the milk tea with a slightly sugary color and took a sip. Perhaps because he seldom tastes sweetness in his life, he is very sensitive to sweetness.

Although there is very little caramel, the milk tea is very sweet when you drink it.

Pang De savored it carefully and couldn't help but take another sip before looking at Ma Teng: "My Lord, what is this?"

"This is the brown sugar and tea leaves sent by Black Bear, as well as a copy of The Classic of Tea written by him. It's ridiculous that there is a The Classic of Tea written just for drinking tea."

Tea is expensive, and sugar is even more of a luxury.

Ma Teng continued, "This is a kind of milk tea recorded in the Classic of Tea. According to him, it can produce a cheap tea that is easy to store and transport, which can be sold at a high price among the Qiang and Hu people and can be easily exchanged for sheep and horses. If I unite with him, he will plant tea mountains in Wudang and run tea and horse business with me."

Listening to the words, Pang De couldn't help but take another sip of the sweet milk tea and nodded: "If it is feasible, it can also be a way to control the Hu people."

"Well, I hope Ling Ming will go and negotiate with him. Compared to the government office that Zhong Yao mentioned, I prefer this tea-horse business. If Black Bear asks, you can tell him clearly that I was just a woodcutter in the past, and there is nothing difficult to give up."

Ma Teng's eyes fell on Pang De's face. "If the negotiations go smoothly, I will dismiss my troops and set them free. As for those who don't want to farm, they will be entrusted to Ling Ming. Ling Ming is very talented and far more capable than my sons. It is hard to predict what will happen in the future. I only hope that Ling Ming will lend a hand when he can."

"My Lord... your servant..."

"Don't be modest. Meng Qi really disappoints me. Is it a good thing to let you lead your old subordinates?"

Ma Teng was really tired. Seeing Pang De crying, Ma Teng couldn't help sobbing. He raised his hand and wiped his tears with his sleeve, and then said, "I see that the Qingzhou soldiers have strict military discipline, which shows that Black Bear is harsh in his military discipline. Although he has a bad habit of shaving his head, his original intention is to restrain the people and prevent them from wandering."

"Lingming, don't act like a child. I'm afraid Meng Qi will kill you on this mission to Lantian. You must be cautious and don't be soft-hearted. You should also go and see this man. If he is really capable, I am willing to help him resist Han Sui. After Guanzhong is pacified, whether you move to Jingzhou or live in seclusion in the Lantian Valley, I can agree."

As he was talking, Ma Teng took out the document of permission to mobilize troops and gave it to Pang De. Before leaving, he once again instructed him: "If anyone tries to stop us, don't hold back."

"Here."

Pang De was about to say something before leaving, but he stopped talking. Ma Teng sent him out and patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, I know what Meng Qi wants to do."

"Take care, my lord."

Pang De bowed again, took seven or eight steps back, then turned around and left quickly.

Watching Pang De leave, Ma Teng also calmed down.

Compared to Cao Cao and Zhong Yao, old men who have experienced ups and downs in officialdom and on the battlefield, he would rather believe Black Bear.

Ever since the Tiger Tooth Army entered Wuguan, he had never heard of the Tiger Tooth Army's reputation for indiscriminate killing and looting.

This is very important to the common people, but it means little to Ma Teng.

What shocked him the most were the Qingzhou soldiers, who were stationed to the north of Mount Li and lived next to Xinfeng City.

However, the Qingzhou soldiers refused to set up a military market, refused to facilitate the purchase of supplies, and also refused all kinds of nylon-related services. Those who wanted to run a military market and provide nylon services in the Qingzhou soldiers’ garrison were definitely not poor widows with sick parents or children to feed.

The troops under the command of the generals in Guanzhong include not only men but also women, who are also under the control of these people.

It is a reasonable use of resources to select a group of people of suitable age and good looks and send them to the military market to earn money.

The Guanzhong generals did this, and so did Ma Teng.

Making money? That's normal.

The Qingzhou soldiers in Black Bear's hands were actually developing towards the level of abstinence and asceticism. This was what frightened Ma Teng.

It is understandable that the captured Qingzhou soldiers were transformed into this state in a few months and then encouraged to risk their lives to launch a powerful attack.

Ma Teng wanted to completely get away from the world. To avoid accidents, he stayed in his mansion during this period of time and had no intention of going out.

On the other side, another group of Hedong envoys arrived in Lantian.

He brought a letter from Wang Yi, the former governor of Hedong County and General Zhenbei. The person who carried the letter for Wang Yi was a county magistrate in Hedong named Jia Kui.

Black Bear was not familiar with this person. From the current information, he only knew that Jia Kui was from a famous family in Hedong, but it was not a powerful family. It was just that his family had been officials for generations and had a good reputation, similar to the Yang family of Taishan, who followed the path of a poor and famous scholar.

Like the county magistrates of various counties in Sili, Jia Kui was recommended by Zhong Yao and approved by Xudu.

This county magistrate sent by Xudu was obviously unwilling to serve the Yuan family.

Some of these county magistrates resigned and returned to their hometowns, some returned to Xu Du, and some came to Guanzhong to join Zhong Yao.

Jia Kui was the latter, and he brought along a letter from his former county magistrate and old boss Wang Yi.

Wang Yi ruled Hedong for more than ten years and his prestige in the Hedong region was unparalleled.

In fact, Wang Yi saw that the 8,000 troops recruited by Zhong Yao showed a tendency to disintegrate, so he responded to the war passively. He then accepted Yuan's conditions and ended the dispute in Hedong.

Now Wang Yi wants to go to Jingzhou through Wugu Pass and seek refuge with Liu Biao.

Ask the black bear for passage and be willing to pay a toll.

In addition to money and other valuables, there is also the golden seal of General Zhenbei.

As a gesture of sincerity, Jia Kui brought the golden seal back and placed it in front of Black Bear.

Wang Yi would go through the process of presenting a memorial and recommending talented people, and submit a memorial to the court in Xudu. Whether the memorial could reach Xudu and whether the court in Xudu could agree to it was not Wang Yi's business.

The black bear played with the heavy golden seal, feeling that it could easily smash a person's head if aimed at the target.

"I am also deeply sorry about the changes in Hedong."

Black Bear placed the golden seal in the seal box and said to Jia Kui and other messengers, "It is a blessing in disguise that the people of Hedong can enjoy peace. I will send soldiers to wait at Fengling Ferry and escort the princes, their followers, and their property to Xiangyang safely."

"I have a good relationship with General Fubo, and I will send a letter to Nanjun, asking General Fubo to take care of the prince. If the prince is willing to go to Jiangling under General Fubo's rule, if there is any change in Jingzhou in the future, he can also go to Jiaozhou or Yizhou to avoid the chaos. As for money and goods, there is no need to mention it. I have this golden seal, which is enough."

After Black Bear finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at Liu Ye, the military advisor who had only been there for a day, and said, "Write a letter to General Fu Bo and state my attitude."

Liu Ye immediately picked up a pen and wrote an official document on a two-foot square piece of silk, carefully choosing his words to express his request to Liu Qi.

Wang Yi had already given up Hedong and was a retired official, so Liu Qi would naturally not treat him unfairly.

However, if their side proposed preferential treatment, Liu Qi would definitely help Wang Yi build a manor and allow Wang Yi to acquire property.

After examining the silk book, Black Bear took out his own silver seal of General Tiger Tooth and stamped it on it. After thinking for a moment, he took out the golden seal of General Zhenbei and stamped it on it.

This action may make Liu Biao and Liu Bei unhappy, but this is a gift from Wang Yi, so why can't they accept it?
Jia Kui then read the silk book carefully, folded it up, and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, General, for your help."

He was already prepared to bleed heavily, but he didn't expect that Black Bear, who was born a white goose thief, did not ask for any extra property, and even refused the property on the gift list.

Wang Yi had been in Hedong for more than ten years and had accumulated a lot of wealth.

If Wang Yi recruited soldiers to fight to the death with Hebei, even if he won, the Hedong treasury and Wang Yi's personal property would probably be emptied.

The wealthy Wang Yi chose to end the dispute in a way that would cause the least loss to both sides.

Therefore, after killing Wang Yi, he now doesn't dare to return to Xu Du directly.

The emperor is sentimental, but this is different from Cao Sikong enforcing the national law and killing him, the culprit for the loss of Hedong County.

Black Bear comforted Jia Kui a few more times and let them leave.

He really had no idea about the wealth that Wang Yi brought with him.

This is a role model who helped Wang Yi arrive in Jingzhou safely and served as a good role model for the peaceful resolution of some outdated warlords in the future.

Gold, silver and wealth cannot be eaten.

The most valuable things are always production resources such as population and land. Once Guanzhong is completely pacified, how much gold and silver will not be able to be recovered just from the explosive productivity?

Why dirty your hands?

The main cost of maintaining an army now comes from food and clothing, while equipment and the like can barely be built.

In the military structure, the Qingzhou soldiers, the largest group, no longer pursue money and property. The second largest group is Gan Ning's troops, who have inherited Gan Ning's tradition and are content with having money to spend on a daily basis.

Perhaps after the soldiers under Gan Ning start to have families, they will start to argue with him about financial rewards.

Now, if you fight in a war or even get accidentally injured during daily training, you can get peaches... These are priceless things, so Gan Ning is well fed and warmly clothed, and is satisfied with a little money.

The remaining troops have no right to speak for the time being.

The reason is very simple. The original motivation of the soldiers' extreme desire for money is to improve their lives. If they encounter difficulties in life or get sick, they can use money to treat illnesses and fill the gaps.

But now the army provides peaches, and as long as you are not particularly unlucky, you can be pulled back from hell.

Therefore, low-end pursuits related to gold, silver and other valuables are no longer necessary.

The three thousand Qingzhou soldiers are also human beings. Under the leadership of the chief priest Guo Tai, they replaced low-end pursuits with higher-level pursuits.

If the supply of peaches runs out one day, these people will surely mutiniate.

(End of this chapter)