Chapter 149 The Difference Between Father and Son
Hedong, Anyi.

Inside the county magistrate's mansion, Cui Yan held in his hand a polished locust wood business card with only four words on it: Maoling Ma Chao.

There was a map on the table in front of Cui Yan. He stared at Taiyuan and raised his hand to mark the distance on the road lines.

Qian Zhao's army completed assembly and mobilization at the end of July, but Qian Zhao remained on hold.

The first is to wait for the Wuhuan Yicong troops in Dai County. Once the Wuhuan Yicong troops arrive, they can jointly put pressure on the Southern Xiongnu, pry open the Southern Xiongnu troops, and form an intervention force mainly composed of Yicong knights.

No one expected that Black Bear would fight so fiercely. He conquered Xinfeng in one battle and broke Zhong Yao's back with one punch. Almost at the same time, he arranged for Gan Ning to attack Tongguan and block Zhong Yao in Hongnong.

Zhong Yao quickly lowered his profile and joined forces with Black Bear. Wang Yi learned of Zhong Yao's intelligence first, but he only knew half of it, so he quickly compromised during the negotiations.

Otherwise, according to the expected plan, they should have waited for the Wuhuan and Xiongnu vassal troops, who were commanded and controlled by Qian Zhao, to arrive in Hedong and then swallow up Wangyi in one go.

Wang Yi has been recuperating for more than ten years. Eating Wang Yi will be enough to solve the various military expenses this winter.

Wang Yi jumped out of the whirlpool of Hedong with his wealth, but his side also got a complete Hedong; it was for this reason that the wavering Hongnong people surrendered immediately.

So now there are two options before us. One is to follow the original plan and attack Guanzhong from two directions; or after reaching a ceasefire agreement with Black Bear, divide the troops into two directions and attack eastward to attract the main force of Cao's army and relieve Liyang.

Deep down, Cui Yan wanted to lift the siege of Liyang.

The success of the western front battlefield in rescuing Liyang, the core area of ​​the central front, will help enhance the sense of identity among all parties and increase the cohesion of Hebei.

But there is a price to pay, which means breaking the promise to Yuan Tan.

Yuan Tan surrendered Pingyuan and Bohai counties, and killed the Yingchuan people who followed him, all for the Guanlong and Western Qin lands promised by Yuan Shang.

If we give up attacking Guanzhong, Yuan Tan will become the biggest destabilizing factor.

If Yuan Tan was really killed, what would Yuan Xi of Youzhou think?
And now Ma Chao has come to surrender, bringing a piece of information that makes Cui Yan unbelievable, that Ma Teng is actually going to be subordinate to Black Bear.

This means that this winter, there is a possibility that black bears will take over Weibei.

Judging from the mobility and explosive power shown by the Black Bear side in the previous war, the last people to launch such a swift attack were Lu Bu's attack on Yanzhou and Sun Ce's attack on Jiangdong, so it was almost difficult for the Weibei generals to resist.

Unless this guy Zhong Yao does something bad.

If we allow Black Bear to take Guanzhong, then our plan of advancing into Guanzhong from two directions will inevitably fail. If we launch the attack by force and want to win, we will have to invest a huge amount of manpower, which is something Taiyuan County, Hedong County, and Hongnong County cannot afford at present.

If this were really done, the people would become alienated and the country would collapse first.

Objectively speaking, our offensive on the western front has been a success; Guanzhong can be given to anyone, as long as it is out of Cao Cao's control.

So Cui Yan has been very restrained, but he cannot control Yuan Tan, and now there is Ma Chao who makes him confused.

After thinking it over again and again, Cui Yan picked up a pen and wrote letters to Yuan Shang, Qian Zhao and Hei Xiong respectively.

The people of Hedong supported him, so he had to consider the people of Hedong.

There must be no more losses for Yuan’s troops on the western front, whether in terms of manpower, material resources or morale.

Even if you want to consume it, you shouldn't consume it with a black bear.

The Black Bear has already attacked Huayin, which was the frontline material gathering point for the two routes attacking Guanzhong from the south. After it was destroyed and the other side strengthened the Tongguan defense line, the southern route has become the main battlefield for the Black Bear.

If the southern route cannot be opened, the main force will not be able to enter Guanzhong.

As for the northern route, it is to cross the river from Pubanjin and establish a bridgehead in Weibei.

This mission is very difficult. Whether attacking while the enemy is crossing the river or encountering a sudden attack when the enemy is not stable, there is a danger of being completely wiped out.

Cui Yan's emotions and reason were both in denial, and he expressed this emotion very clearly in the words he used in his letter to Yuan Shang.

As long as he stays in Hedong, Hedong County will not support the westward advance.

"The traitors are in the south, not in the west."

Cui Yan established the main and secondary contradictions, and emphasized the bravery of the black bear. He proposed to Yuan Shang to take the initiative to form a marriage alliance, and if the marriage was not possible, he should make a plan early.

As for Ma Chao's business card, after Cui Yan finished writing it, he threw it into the charcoal brazier.

Ma Chao had just arrived in Hedong and did not place his hopes on Cui Yan.

When there was no reply from the county magistrate's office at night, Ma Chao drank with Ma Dai, feeling sad and angry.

"Tomorrow I will go north to Pingyang to pay a visit to Yuan Tan."

Ma Chao stared with his eyes wide open, looking anxious and gritting his teeth. He was almost going crazy.

No matter whether it is the generals from Hedong, Hongnong, or Guanzhong, why are they all like clay!

He almost watched as Black Bear's five thousand men left Wuguan Road and took along Liu Xiong of Lantian's thousand men. The six thousand men had now swelled to more than ten thousand.

If he annexed his father Ma Teng's troops, unless the Weibei generals formed a close alliance immediately, they would surely be eaten by the black bear.

By the end of this year, Black Bear will have an army of 30,000!

This is the military force that suffocates him!
Even if these 30,000 troops rushed out of Hangu Pass and headed eastward at all costs, it could directly affect the outcome of the battle between the Central Plains and Hebei!

He had clearly seen the shortcomings of these people early on, but he still lacked the power to change the situation.

Ma Teng clearly had it, but he just refused to give it to him!

The black bear came from afar and was able to break Zhong Yao's lumbar vertebrae with one punch, so could he and his son!
A general of the imperial court who was in charge of the northern expedition blinded my father so much that he allowed the little thief Black Bear to steal the most abundant fruits!
He was drinking alone when he heard Ma Dai say, "Cui Yan despises my brother. If he goes to Pingyang and is ignored again, many people will be discouraged and will inevitably abandon my brother and return to Guanzhong."

Ma Chao was in a worse mood now. He forced himself to hold back and frowned, "I can't just go and surrender to Cao Cao."

It is obvious that his father has abandoned the court. Although the old villain Han Sui dislikes the court very much, the probability of him following Black Bear in surrendering is very slim.

This is Han Sui's own problem. This guy likes to push others to be the leader of the coalition forces. When the war fails, he will kill them and then push others to be the leader.

Relying on these means, Han Sui gradually became one of the most powerful rebels from an official kidnapped by the rebels.

The others, the leaders recommended by successive generations, disappeared. So now Han Sui was very vigilant, fearing that he would be killed by the revengers, and he never dared to stay away from his army.

Even if Han Sui did not surrender to Hei Xiong, he would still be a general and subject in name only in the Xudu court.

Seeing that Ma Dai was silent, Ma Chao could not help but sigh, and after a long while he muttered to himself: "How did I end up like this?"

If he had cooperated obediently with Zhong Yao, or with Black Bear, then with the help of Black Bear, wouldn't he be able to inherit most of his own troops relatively intactly now?

It might be that the Tiger Tooth Army captured Xinfeng in one battle, and he overreacted, which aroused the vigilance of Black Bear and Zhong Yao.

This little thief and this old thief teamed up to exclude me, so I had no choice but to leave in order to protect myself.

It was clearly me who wrote the letter to warn my father about the black bear, but at the same time he expelled me, he voted directly!

Ma Chao couldn't understand it. From his perspective, it was very difficult to understand Ma Teng's choice!

Ma Dai saw that Ma Chao was beginning to realize his mistake, so he said, "It's not that you are inferior to others, but your uncle is the most powerful person in Guanzhong. Both Zhong Yao and Black Bear will be wary of you. Your uncle is old and all he wants is for his family to be safe, but you want to achieve something big, which your uncle cannot tolerate."

"Brother, I think Yuan Tan has already lost the battle for Hebei, and he cannot take Guanzhong. If he still cannot understand the current situation and is unwilling to submit to others because of his strong power, then he will only die."

It was as if he was warning Ma Chao that if Yuan Tan refused to surrender, he would be killed by Yuan Shang sooner or later.

Even if Yuan Shang did not take action, someone else would have made Yuan Tan disappear.

Ma Dai lowered his voice and said, "To the court, Yuan Tan is a traitor. If you can capture his head and present it to the court, it will be a stepping stone for advancement."

Ma Chao's eyes fell on Ma Dai's face, a little surprised: "How to get out?"

"Cui Yan's refusal to see my brother shows that Hedong is unwilling to send troops to Guanzhong. If Yuan Tan is eliminated, Hedong will be stable. For the court, if Yuan Tan surrenders, Hebei's power will be reduced."

Yuan Tan also has influence and connections. Yuan Tan is almost the person with the most field combat experience in Hebei.

When Yuan Tan suddenly passed away, many people in the Central Plains gave up hope, which was beneficial to the stability of the Central Plains.

Ma Chao rolled his eyes and said, "Don't say such things again. Let's set off for Pingyang tomorrow. I want to see what Yuan Tan is capable of. If he can accomplish something, I will join forces with him."

Hedong is in a mess now. After a period of time, the current situation and personnel issues will settle down.

By that time, we will naturally be able to find the contact person in Xudu.

With this opportunity, taking Yuan Tan's head would be a legitimate achievement rather than murder.

If you want to survive under the big tree of the Xudu court, you must be careful about your words and actions.

Look at Hei Xiong and Zhong Yao, they have no bottom line now; one foot is fighting, the next foot is sitting together drinking tea.

Was it the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, Zhong Yao, who subdued the bandit general Hei Xiong, or was it the bandit general Hei Xiong who held Zhong Yao hostage?

Whenever Ma Chao thought of these two thieves who were in cahoots with each other, he felt so angry that his teeth itched.

Especially Zhong Yao, who would rather give his foundation to the evil general than even look at them father and son.

And there is his confused old father, who was fooled around by Zhong Yao and Fu Gan before, and now he is fooled by Black Bear.

If everyone were united with me, there wouldn't be so many problems.
He had already swept across Guanzhong and split off one side; after recuperating for a few years, he would be able to lead his troops to Luo and support the imperial court.

Ma Teng's ears felt hot and he couldn't fall asleep because of Ma Chao's repeated nagging.

He put on his cloak and walked out of the tent, and saw that the camp was silent. The low tents made of stitched leather were bathed in the moonlight, and there was peace and tranquility in the camp.

At night, the only sounds were the patrolling soldiers' footsteps, the sound of clappers, the occasional barking of dogs, and the neighing of horses, nothing else.

He came to the fire in the middle of the open space in the camp. A dozen of his personal soldiers were wrapped in fur cloaks and sleeping back to back. Several personal soldiers on duty stood up cautiously.

Ma Teng waved his hand to signal these people to sit down, and he stretched out his hand to warm himself by the fire.

I couldn't help but be distracted, and what happened at noon appeared in front of my eyes.

The four battalions of Qingzhou soldiers were divided into four large horizontal formations of blue, red, yellow and white, and practiced changes in military formations on the flat ground.

Ma Teng finally believed the rumor. At that time, it was said that the Qingzhou soldiers' military formation drill frightened the Xinfeng defenders. At night, the Qingzhou soldiers attacked the city, and the Xinfeng defenders did not dare to go up to the city to defend, so the city was broken.

If he were to fight an open battle in the field now, his infantry would probably be scared before the battle even begins.

He raised his hand to rub his burning ears and couldn't help but think of Han Sui.

His whole temperament became cold and serious. Based on his understanding of Han Sui, this guy would definitely fight to the death with Black Bear.

When he was young, he was a military commander selected by the prefectures and counties, and had the potential to become the next Sun Jian or Dong Zhuo.

At that time, Han Sui was a famous scholar in Xizhou and a high-ranking official in the prefecture and county; as a result, after Han Sui was kidnapped, he joined the bandits, actively made plans to overthrow Liangzhou, and his own Liangzhou border troops were also forced to become rebels.

In order to avoid being purged and implicated by the imperial court, he could only fight desperately towards Guanzhong and Luoyang in an attempt to obtain amnesty.

What awaited them was a desperate encirclement and suppression by the imperial court. Emperor Ling, who had just won the Yellow Turban War, still gritted his teeth and insisted on killing them.

There is no other choice but to resist in order to survive.

Liangzhou was completely emptied, everything was gone.

Now, there is no distinction between rebels and traitorous generals. Everyone can fight against traitors and support the Han Dynasty.

He would first go to Jingzhou and wait and see. If Black Bear could really gain a foothold, he could then turn around and come back to join his good son-in-law, so as not to bring disgrace upon the reputation of his ancestor Ma Yuan.

Now that he had a grandson, it was only natural for him to lead his troops again and achieve great things.

There is no need to argue about many things. The more you argue, the more hurt you will be.

As long as the son-in-law wants to quickly take over Liangzhou, he must treat his daughter well.

Ma Teng was not in a hurry at all. If you want to become a relative by marriage, you must have enough patience.

(End of this chapter)