Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 332: Ma's Surrender, Fu Bo's Will

In October, after defeating all the armies in Longshang, Zhang Yu led a large army south to Ji County, with the Di King Zhang Gui accompanying him; Shi Yi and Yan Xing led 5,000 infantry and cavalry north to Jincheng, captured all the counties in Jincheng, and recruited the two surnames of Guo and Qu in Huangzhong; Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu led 5,000 infantry and cavalry to station in Xingguo, conquered the evil Hu tribes of Changli, Zuli, and Gaoping, and recruited the Qiang King Yang Qianwan to surrender.

Moreover, Zhang Yu, the general of the cavalry, passed on the order to Guo Tu, ordering him to go south as an envoy to persuade Ma Teng to surrender. After receiving the order, Guo Tu did not dare to delay and rode quickly to Longxi to persuade Ma Teng to surrender for Zhang Yu.

On October 5, Guo Tu arrived at Xiangwu with a special envoy and sent someone to inform Ma Teng. Upon hearing that Guo Tu was coming on behalf of Zhang Yu, Ma Teng did not dare to neglect him and went to the tent to welcome Guo Tu.

Inside the big tent, Ma Teng sat upright on a mat, with his confidants and nephews standing on his left and right.

Before Guo Tu entered the camp, Ma Teng said to everyone, "Han Wenyue was badly defeated by Zhang Yu and was captured when he fled to Jincheng. The coalition forces in Longshan were annihilated, and only our Ma army remained. However, our Ma army is weak and it is difficult for us to resist alone, so surrendering to Zhang Yu is the right thing to do. Zhang Yu has wanted to surrender to our army for a long time, and Guo Gong is Zhang Yu's confidant. Now I am sending him as an envoy to persuade him to surrender, and you should respect him."

"promise!"

Everyone in the tent responded in unison, except Ma Chao, who remained silent, as if he had some reservations about surrendering to Zhang Yu.

Soon, Guo Tu appeared at the entrance of the tent. Ma Teng stood up and stepped forward to greet him. He bowed and said, "I am here to see Envoy Guo. How is the general?"

Guo Tu returned the greeting to Ma Teng and said, "The general has captured Han Sui, subdued Zhang Gui, beheaded Song Jian, and is leading his troops to Ji County. I know that you are stationed in Xiangwu and are willing to surrender to me, so I ordered Tu to come and discuss the matter of surrender with you."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Guo!"

Ma Teng invited Guo Tu to sit down and said, "When your Excellency attacked Guanzhong, I wanted to lead troops to support you from the inside, but unfortunately Li Jue sent troops to defeat me, so I had to lead my troops back to the west. Now your Excellency is attacking Longyou. I had no intention of being your enemy, but my sworn brother Han Sui sent an envoy to contact me, so I had to be your enemy out of courtesy."

Ma Teng was able to rise from a woodcutter to a local lord, so he was a smart man. Now he blames Han Sui for being the enemy of Zhang Yu, simply to save himself more face and not be too passive in the negotiations.

Guo Tu smiled and said, "How could you not know the general's intention? If the general is determined to be the enemy, I am afraid that it would not be Tu who came here with the imperial seal, but you who came here in person with the army."

Perhaps he heard Guo Tu's hidden threat, so Ma Teng's expression was slightly restrained. He said, "Our army has now surrendered to you, Your Excellency. I wonder how you will treat us? Will you follow the old etiquette?"

Guo Tu pondered for a moment and said, "If the general is willing to submit, you will recommend him as the Weiwei. He will not be appointed as an official in Wancheng, but will live in Anyi. In terms of titles, you will be promoted to county marquis below the general, and all his sons will be made marquises. You will select one son to join the army and serve as a general under the general, commanding the elite troops on behalf of the general."

In order to get the entire Ma family to surrender, Zhang Yu offered Ma Teng a generous offer. Needless to say, being appointed as the Weiwei was basically an idle official position in Anyi. There were two truly sincere conditions: one was the title of county marquis, and the other was to leave his son to lead his troops.

The county marquis was the highest title that a minister in the Han Dynasty could enjoy, with a fief of at least four or five hundred households, and sometimes tens of thousands. In addition to being able to enjoy the fief, the key was that the fiefdom could be passed on to his descendants. If the court did not abolish the fiefdom, the Ma family could continue.

The retention of the troops can be seen as the continuation of Ma's political power. Even if these troops are promoted to officials in the future, they will have a bond with Ma. In the future, under Zhang Yu's command, Ma will have a strong influence.

Ma Teng stroked his beard and thought deeply. He was satisfied with some aspects of the conditions proposed by Guo Tu, but he was also dissatisfied with some aspects. For example, if Ma moved to Anyi, it would mean that Ma would be completely dependent on Zhang Yu; if he was appointed to an idle official position, it would mean that it would be difficult for him to participate in actual political activities in the future.

Seeing that Ma Teng remained silent, Ma Chao said in a muffled voice: "People often say that people from Guandong cannot be trusted. Now the general has treated me with great honors in order to persuade me to surrender. I am afraid he will have another excuse when my army surrenders."

Guo Tu smiled and said, "Although I am from Guandong, the general was born in the frontier just like you. You treat people with sincerity and never break your promises. For example, a few days ago, you tried to persuade Yan Xing to surrender. Seeing that Yan Xing was very powerful, you ordered him to guard the tent with a halberd. So you don't doubt the people of Long. Why do the people of Long doubt you?"

As he spoke, Guo Tu looked around at the Ma family and said, "The title of county marquis, your Excellency will confer the title of general with 800 households, and the Ma family can return home in glory. If you doubt whether the county marquis can last long, your Excellency has a saying. The Ma family was a county marquis for a while when they ruled Guanlong. If the Ma family wants to be a marquis for a long time, they must serve wholeheartedly. If the Zhang family prospers, the Ma family will prosper."

Guo Tu's lobbying words made the tent fall into silence. Everyone had to admit that what Guo Tu said made sense. After all, if the Ma family surrendered to the Zhang family, then the rewards promised by the Zhang family would be closely related to the rise and fall of the Zhang family.

Ma Teng pondered for a while, and then said tentatively: "I already know your intention of treating me with courtesy. I just want to move the Ma family to Anyi. I wonder if we can discuss it. I want to stay in Longxi for you and receive the same treatment as Yang Qiu. What do you think?"

Seeing that Ma Teng still wanted to serve in the government, Guo Tu warned him, "There is always a loss if there is a gain. If you get the position now, you will lose your title. Moreover, the general can win the hearts of the Qiang and Hu people. I wonder if the general can return to the west with peace of mind!"

Ma Teng sighed deeply. He understood Zhang Yu's intention. He could tolerate Ma's political power under his rule, but he could not tolerate Ma's strong independence. Now that he was appointed county marquis, it was actually buying out his political career. If he disagreed, Zhang Yu would probably send troops, and Ma's fate would be unpredictable.

"Thank you Mr. Guo for your advice. Could you please allow me to think it over and I will reply to you later?" Ma Teng said.

"good!"

After Guo Tu left the tent, Ma Teng said to his confidants, nephews and nephews in the tent: "The situation is critical, and it is not appropriate to resist the army. I want to raise troops and surrender to Lord Zhang, and I will do my best to fight for your future wealth and honor."

As he spoke, Ma Teng looked at his son Ma Chao and said, "My grandfather was the lieutenant of Tianshui Langan. He lost his position due to a military defeat and stayed in Longxi, where he lived in poverty all his life. When I was young, I made a living by chopping wood because my family was poor. I wanted to be rich and support my family, so I joined the army as a soldier. Now I have led the army to surrender to Zhang Yu and won the title of county marquis to leave to the Ma family. I am already satisfied. And if Mengqi can lead the army and make achievements, don't forget our ancestor Ma Fubo."

"promise!"

Faced with his father's sudden heavy words, Ma Chao, who had always been rebellious, was suddenly at a loss and responded with a sound.

Ma Teng continued speaking for a few more words, and seeing that no one objected to surrendering to Zhang Yu, he informed Guo Tu of the result.

Seeing that Ma Teng had surrendered, Guo Tu was overjoyed and informed Zhang Yu of the result. So after some communication, Ma Teng led his troops to Ji County to accept the surrender.

Seeing that Ma Teng had surrendered and the road to Longxi was open, Man Chong left Xu Huang in Hanyang County while he led his troops westward against the Wei River. On the way, Man Chong met Ma Teng's troops who had surrendered and marched eastward, so he asked for a soldier who was well versed in geography to serve as a guide, and then marched towards Fuhan.

On October 10, Ma Teng led his troops to Ji County and learned that Zhang Yu was already in the city. After informing him, he led his sons and nephews to ask Zhang Yu to pay homage.

At the county government office, Zhang Yu was discussing the current situation with his subordinates, and his tone was quite cheerful.

"According to Zhang Ji's letter, Yang Qianwan led his troops to surrender, and now he has come with his children to pay homage to you, my Lord." Xun You said.

"If the Yang Qianwan and Zhang Gui clans surrender, then all the counties in Hanyang will be safe!" Zhang Yu said with a smile, "Now we are just waiting for news from Longxi and Jincheng counties. If the troops are doing well, we will be able to return to Anyi before the end of the year."

"If you are worried about the transportation of military supplies, you can first order 10,000 soldiers to return to Guanzhong," Xun You said.

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Ma Teng has surrendered with his troops. There are no major enemies in Longshan anymore. We can observe the movements of the other tribes. If there is no major incident, we can return home one after another."

During the conversation, the attendant came hurriedly and reported, "My Lord, Ma Teng led Ma Chao, Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, Ma Ji, Ma Ming and his nephew Ma Dai, a total of six sons and nephews, waiting outside the hall for an audience."

"Ma Teng is sincere in his surrender!"

Seeing Ma Teng and his family coming to ask for an audience, Zhang Yu sighed and said, "Allow Ma to enter the hall."

"promise!"

After a while, a man eight feet tall, with a big nose and wide face, led adults and minors into the hall and bowed to Zhang Yu.

"Ma Shoucheng and his nephews come to see the general!"

Ma Teng said: "I listened to slander and raised an army to fight against you, which is a serious crime. I hope you will forgive me!"

Zhang Yu got down from the couch, first helped Ma Teng up, then took the hand of the young boy Ma Ji and said, "You have many heirs, now you can get five marquises!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu jokingly said, "If I had known that you had five sons, I would have allowed only three of them to be marquises."

Ma Teng believed it and said, "If you can make me a county marquis, I am satisfied. You can reward my five sons as you wish. As for fame and honor, I will let the young man take it for himself."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu touched Ma Ji's head and said with a smile: "It was just a joke. A gentleman's words are as good as a promise, let alone a general of an army."

Seeing that Zhang Yu kept his promise and acted in a friendly manner, Ma Teng let out a sigh of relief and finally put aside his worries.

Zhang Yu fixed his eyes on Ma Chao and asked, "This boy has a strong physique and is more than eight feet tall. Could he be the gentleman Mengqi?"

"It's the dog!"

Ma Teng stepped aside and pointed at his eldest son Ma Chao, saying, "My son's name is Chao, also known as Mengqi. He is quite strong and can serve you in the future. I hope you will not mind my son's stupidity and give him more guidance!"

"Greetings, my Lord!"

At his father's signal, Ma Chao saluted Zhang Yu with a look of slight pride.

Zhang Yu seemed to see what Ma Chao was thinking, and in order to prevent him from becoming proud, he deliberately asked, "Looking at Meng Qi's physique, he has the appearance of a tiger or a bear, but I wonder if he can compare with Zhong Kang and Zi Long?"

Jia Xu took the opportunity to say, "Zhongkang was so strong that he could pull out an ox's tail; Zilong was the best among all the generals in the battle. Mengqi is still young, so he might be a little better. Judging from his reputation, his military strategy might be comparable to Yan Yanming of Jincheng!"

Hearing this, Ma Chao's expression gradually became unhappy, and he said: "If you want to know the level of my martial arts, you can let the above people try one by one."

"What a courage!"

Zhang Yu praised him and said, "In the past, Emperor Taizu defeated Wei Xiao with Ma Fubo. Now I am glad to have Mengqi in Long. I hope Mengqi can take Fubo as his ambition, surpass his teacher, conquer the world for me, and leave his name in history."

"Thank you for your appreciation!" Ma Chao's mood improved and he said happily.

(End of this chapter)