The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 157 Volume Jin Ma Chao

Fa Zheng and Meng Da wanted to join the army, but Jia Xu certainly would not follow Xun You's suggestion and let them join the army as commoners.

On the contrary, Jia Xu also wrote a special visiting card for them, asking them to find Wei Kang who was about to set out to persuade Ma Teng.

When Wei Kang heard about their backgrounds and aspirations, he looked at them with a different eye.

After a night of detailed conversation with Fa Zheng and Meng Da, Wei Kang regarded the two as his close friends.

"There is such a great talent in Guanzhong who has not been given a lot of opportunities. This is my fault as an official!"

Immediately, Wei Kang, who had been promoted to the Grand Commander, added the two to his delegation and rushed to Jincheng, Liangzhou.

On the way, when passing Lintao, Wei Kang brought Fa Zheng and Meng Da to Dong Min's tomb to offer sacrifices, and said to Fa Zheng and Meng Da: "Hu Hou's reputation in Chang'an was not very good before. He came here because he offended the emperor and was sent to guard the ancestral temple for the Grand Master."

"But even so, the Marquis of Hu refused to surrender when the Qiang attacked him before his death. He died bravely. I heard that even His Majesty praised the Marquis of Hu as a righteous man of the Han Dynasty."

"Today I am leading you two to pay homage to Marquis Hu because I want to tell you two that once you reach a place like Liangzhou where the Qiang people are rampant, anyone can be captured by the Qiang people and become a prisoner. At that time, if you have the ability of Jia Lingjun and can escape with your own wisdom, that would be the best. But if you don't have such wisdom, you should learn from Marquis Hu and die bravely, and don't lose face as an envoy of the Han Dynasty."

"Since you two work under me, you are also my subordinates. If I learn that you two are afraid of death in the hands of the Qiang people, I will definitely report it to the court and ask the court to punish your family members!"

Meng Da bowed and said, "I understand."

Fa Zheng, however, was a little unconvinced and said, "What if Wei Qing (the Grand Executive Officer, also known as the Minister of Rites, with an official salary of 600 stones) was captured by the Qiang people and failed to do so?"

"If that day ever comes, you can report it to the court and ask it to punish my clan."

Only then was Fa Zheng convinced and apologized to Wei Kang.

The envoy team continued to head west.

On the way, they also encountered some Qiang people.

When the Qiang people saw the silk and satin worn by the Han envoys and the jade pendants and pearls worn around their waists, they could not help but become greedy.

But Wei Kang and his men were accompanied by more than 200 tall Liangzhou knights! These knights were tall and majestic, and many of them were equipped with sharp swords and shields. Some even held lances and stood guard at the end of the team. They were obviously not easy to deal with.

In addition, Wei Kang traveled light when he set out, without much luggage, and only a few carriages were moving forward. Obviously, there was not much money to make these Qiang people greedy.

After passing the most dangerous section, the group's carriage finally arrived at the territory of Jincheng.

Different from the lush greenery of Guanzhong.

Coming to Jincheng via Longyou, it seemed as if a period of changes had taken place along the way.

Wild and rough.

All the trees on the mountain disappeared, turned into strange angular rocks.

The farmland that sheltered the Han people also continued to decrease as they moved westward, revealing land without any decoration.

Such a scene obviously stunned these Han envoys who had lived in Guanzhong since childhood.

"The Han border is so desolate?"

Meng Da's father, Meng Ta, had once served as the governor of Liangzhou. He began to argue with the others around him.

"This is not even the Han border."

"My father once told me that the four counties in Hexi, west of Jincheng, are truly desolate."

"Except for the four habitable oases, once you leave the county town, there is a thousand miles of uninhabited Gobi Desert."

"Especially in Dunhuang County, the westernmost part of the country, there is a pass called Yumen Pass. Apart from willow trees, there is no other color. Looking outside, there are only stretches of yellow sand."

When everyone heard the scenery that they had never heard of before, there was endless yearning in their eyes.

"But my father told me that as long as we leave Yumen and walk west for a thousand miles, we will reach the Western Regions."

"The Western Regions are not as desolate as Liangzhou. Rumor has it that there are thirty-six countries, such as Loulan and Dayuan..."

Since they are able to go on diplomatic missions, these people must be scholars.

From Zhang Qian to Ban Chao, the deeds of these celebrities who once opened up new territories for the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions have long been deeply engraved in their minds.

Now hearing Meng Da mention these, everyone felt excited and melancholy.

"It's a pity that the imperial court is now weak and cannot manage the Western Regions again. Otherwise, we should follow the story of Marquis Bowang and go to the west to see how many wonderful sights there are in this world."

……

When Wei Kang heard these young people's discussions, he felt both relieved and sad.

Now that the Han Dynasty is so weak, I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to go to the Western Regions and expand the territory for the Han Dynasty during my lifetime.

Instead of thinking about those things, it would be better to first build up Liangzhou, the first stop for these young people on their way to the Western Regions, to a level sufficient for them to travel far away.

When Ma Teng received the news that the imperial envoy was coming, he led everyone to wait at the gate of Jincheng early.

When Ma Teng saw that Wei Kang had only two hundred cavalrymen by his side, he felt both happy and worried.

He was happy because Ma Teng had always been afraid that Dong Zhuo would blame him for Dong Min's death.

And now there are only so many people, which is obviously not enough to take him down, which shows that the court does not intend to hold them accountable.

The worry is... now that the Qiang invasion in Liangzhou is so serious, the 200 knights of the imperial court will hardly be able to play a role.

"Could it be that the imperial court is only here to appease the people, and is actually unwilling to send troops to help quell the Qiang invasion?"

Ma Teng’s guess is not without reason.

After all, the imperial court has been doing this for decades...

He had also heard about the constant natural disasters in Guanzhong.

Although the imperial court had tried its best to provide disaster relief, many people from Guanzhong still fled to Liangzhou and brought the horrifying information from Guanzhong here.

Ask yourself.

If Ma Teng himself was from Guanzhong, he would not have sent a large army to Liangzhou to fight for the people of Liangzhou.

It was almost a consensus among the court of the Later Han Dynasty that the people of Liangzhou could only save themselves.

However, after Wei Kang exchanged greetings with Ma Teng, he did not show off the Han envoy's authority, nor did he mention the previous incident. Instead, he immediately informed Ma Teng:

"The imperial court has prepared 15,000 soldiers, who will soon set out from Guanzhong to Liangzhou to quell the Qiang invasion!"

Ma Teng came out to greet the Han envoy, and it was obvious that he could not be the only one.

And the generals behind him.

Most of these generals came from wealthy families in Xiliang. When they heard that the imperial court was going to send troops, they couldn't help but cheer!

As the face of Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo's influence is still there.

These people naturally knew what kind of fighting force the 15,000 Xiliang Iron Cavalry under Dong Zhuo were! As long as these troops came to Liangzhou, even if they could not put down the Qiang disaster, at least they could make the Qiang people not dare to act rashly and hide back in the mountains and forests!
After hearing this, Ma Teng was also extremely happy, and quickly welcomed Wei Kang and the people behind him to the banquet.

At the banquet, after three rounds of wine, when the guests were a little dazed, Wei Kang said to Ma Teng:

"The court will send a large army to help. But I'm sure Ma Liangzhou also knows that Guanzhong is experiencing constant natural disasters and does not have the spare capacity to stay in Liangzhou for a long time."

Ma Teng's originally excited face suddenly turned ugly.

"Does the imperial court want me to supply the army with food this time?"

"Although there has been no natural disaster in Liangzhou this year, Liangzhou has been poor since ancient times. I'm afraid it will be very difficult to produce extra food for the soldiers!" Ma Teng thought that the imperial court was coming to rob him of his food, so he immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

"it's not true."

Wei Duan stated the court's demands: "The military rations the court has squeezed out are only enough for the army to march for three months."

"Therefore, both the emperor and the Grand Master have decided to quell the Qiang scourge in March!"

Conquer the Qiang in March?

Ma Teng seemed to have heard a huge joke!

He could understand that the emperor, who had been in power for so long, didn't know how powerful the Qiang people were, but why could Dong Zhuo, who was born in Liangzhou, say such ridiculous words?
Conquer the Qiang in March?

If it were really that easy, why would the people of Liangzhou have to survive so hard?

If it was really that easy, why did famous generals like Duan Xing and Dong Zhuo, who were guarding Xiliang, spend countless years to quell the Qiang invasion?
……

Ma Teng laughed in silence: "Is the angel joking with me?"

"That's not the case. It's something that the court officials have decided after careful calculations. They believe that the Qiang disaster can be quelled in three months!"

Wei Kang was neither humble nor arrogant, and he did not feel ashamed or angry when faced with doubts. He just told Ma Teng - the court can do it!
Seeing Wei Kang so confident, Ma Teng thought of the dragon banner he had seen in front of Meiwu in the past, and the shadow of the emperor under the dragon banner. This made him feel that the joke of "pacifying the Qiang in March" was not so funny after all.

"Are you sure? But the emperor has invited the ghost soldiers to help?"

?

Wei Kang was confused and didn't know why Ma Teng could associate the emperor and the evil soldiers together.

"I am sure, but I need Ma Liangzhou's cooperation."

"How to cooperate?"

"Withdraw from the Golden City and lure you into a trap!"

Ma Teng was an experienced warrior, so he knew what the phrase "luring the enemy into a trap" meant.

Jincheng Valley is indeed a good place to fight an annihilation war.

But they are Qiang people!
Qiang people who can easily cross mountains and rivers!
The Jincheng Valley is complex and intricate. It is not a complete valley, but a huge system of many large and small valleys connected together.

If they could not be separated, the Qiang people, relying on their own advantages, would be able to maneuver among them, confusing the Han army and thus turning the situation into an advantage for the enemy.

Wanting to annihilate the Qiang people in the Jincheng Valley is undoubtedly wishful thinking and mere talk!
"The Grand Master also came to Jincheng and went to the valley in the past."

"The Grand Master should know the terrain here best!"

"Using such a strategy will only lead to the destruction of the army in vain, and there will be no benefit at all!"

"If this is just a ridiculous plan, please forgive me, angel, for not agreeing to it!"

Ma Teng's attitude was quite resolute.

And it was impossible for Wei Kang to tell Ma Teng right now that the court had found a way to "build a city overnight and block the pass."

This is a secret. We should be prepared for the worst. If the Qiang people knew that the imperial court had such means, we would be finished.

"Of course, the Grand Master cannot be unaware of the terrain of Jincheng."

"The reason why we lure the Qiang people here is naturally because we have other plans."

Ma Teng asked: "What's your plan?"

"The walls have ears, but you can't tell."

Wei Kang himself came from a noble family, and he knew too well the methods used by some scholars.

Especially these border nobles, they often have secret and unspeakable transactions with foreign races and rebels.

And Ma Teng was not the kind of meticulous person who could pick out all the ears and eyes around him, so Wei Kang distrusted Ma Teng even more.

"Angel doesn't believe me?"

"Since you don't believe me, why bother looking for me? How can I lead my troops out of Jincheng?"

Ma Teng spoke fiercely, and he already wanted to end this unpleasant conversation.

It was impossible for Wei Kang to compromise like this easily.

However, he could not tell Ma Teng the court's true plan, so he inevitably began to confront Ma Teng and refused to give in.

"Father?"

When the banquet was a little dull, a young man walked in cautiously and saluted towards Ma Teng.

"Mother said there's something important and she needs father to come over."

Nonsense!

Ma Teng looked at his eldest son, Ma Chao.

Now we are discussing important matters with the angel, how can we disturb him for such a small matter?

Just as he was about to scold, Ma Teng found that Ma Chao was winking at him.

Then it dawned on me.

Yes!

Ma Teng's wife was not an ignorant woman, so she naturally knew that she should not disturb him at this time.

Ma Chao must have seen that neither Ma Teng nor Wei Kang was willing to give in, so he came forward and found an excuse to leave the table to avoid a conflict with the angel.

"Qilinzi!"

Ma Teng's eyes turned and he understood Ma Chao's good intentions, so he was about to leave.

As a descendant of a noble family, Wei Kang was accustomed to such tricks and did not find them new. He could tell at a glance that Ma Chao was trying to find a reason for his father to leave.

But seeing that Ma Chao, at such a young age, could speak freely in front of so many people without any sign of stage fright, Wei Kang was also curious.

In addition, although Ma Chao wore Han Chinese clothing, he had curly Qiang hair that was as smooth as silk brocade. He also had a full forehead, a straight nose, and slightly upturned eyes, which made him look unruly and clearly had Qiang blood.

Wei Kang asked Ma Teng: "Has your son also studied the meaning of the classics?"

"Of course I have."

Ma Teng considered himself a descendant of Ma Yuan. The Fufeng Ma family had produced a great scholar like Ma Rong, so they would naturally force Ma Chao to study the classics.

"It's just that my son likes to be aggressive and brave, and doesn't like music, poetry, and books. This is a bit of a headache."

After hearing this, Wei Kang also laughed and said, "He who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black."

"Your son likes martial arts, but this is not his nature. It's just that the people of Liangzhou are brave and strong, and he is influenced by them."

"If one day the Qiang people completely occupied Liangzhou, I'm afraid the children in Liangzhou would become more like the Qiang people in terms of their habits, right?"

"If we fail to quell the Qiang scourge, and let the Qiang gradually encroach on Liangzhou, and let the Han people's bloodline not learn poetry, books, rituals and music, but instead become violent and brave... Is this what Ma Liangzhou, the descendant of the famous Han general, wants to see?"

　The chapter at 6pm will be a little later, as relatives are coming to my house and need to be entertained~~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)