Tiger Guards

Chapter 670 Ready to go
In Zhongtao City, the snowfall was heavier in the afternoon.

Ma Teng wore a gilded, gleaming armor, a bear fur cloak, and a worn-out felt hat.

This felt hat has special significance for him; it was a gift from Zhao Ji personally given to Ma Chao during the campaign against the Hu people.

Ma Chao really liked this slightly mysterious felt hat, which he felt made him look cool.

Upon returning to Liangzhou, he gifted it to Ma Teng.

Ma Teng was a handsome middle-aged martial artist with a curious personality and a greater capacity to accept new and unusual things.

Ma Chao, Ma Teng's son, liked to wear a felt hat.

It wasn't just felt hats; Zhao Ji's frequently used bows, after being fired at high speed, would also be given as rewards to the warriors in the army.

After this bow was bestowed, no one dared to wear or use it on their person. Instead, it was kept as a family heirloom and enshrined in a quiet room at home. Some even went so far as to have their family members burn incense and worship it every day.

Each bow has inscriptions, and when it is bestowed, the battles in which the bow was used and the name of the recipient are also noted.

Ma Teng looked up quietly at the snowflakes that were gradually growing larger. He reached out and caught a clump of snowflakes on his sleeve. The snowflakes landed on the bearskin cuff of his sleeve and did not melt immediately.

"Brother."

Ma Teng looked in the direction of the sound and saw his younger brother Ma Yi walking quickly towards him, holding a scroll of silk in his hand, which he handed directly to him: "This is Half-Ear's letter of surrender."

Ma Teng wasn't surprised. He reached out, took the letter, and began to read it quickly, muttering, "I'm afraid this letter of surrender is too late."

"Why do you say that, elder brother?"

Ma Yi, having already seen the surrender document, continued, "As long as you, brother, are willing to consider the bigger picture and abandon your pursuit of Yan Xing's revenge, these ten thousand elite troops outside the city will immediately switch sides. Before Grand Tutor Zhao arrives, our army can join forces with him and launch a surprise attack to defeat the old traitor Han Sui!"

"I see."

Ma Teng looked up at the sky: "Yan Xing is just a bow used by Han Sui for hunting, a short halberd and dagger in Han Sui's hand. It was Han Sui who killed my wife and daughters, why should I bother with a weapon?"

Having experienced the ups and downs of a chaotic world beforehand, Ma Teng's mentality had become numb and as cold as iron.

He reached out and caught a clump of snowflakes with the bearskin cuff of his sleeve, showing it to Ma Yi: "What is this?"

"Is this... snow?"

Ma Yi carefully observed Ma Teng's expression before answering, and he wasn't very sure about his answer either.

Ma Teng smiled and said, "No, this is heavy snow."

The laughter grew louder and more hearty: "Hahaha! Brother, this is a heavy snowfall, the first heavy snowfall of this winter! The old thief has come from afar braving the snow, and the beasts are having a hard time finding food. It is a time when both people and animals are exhausted."

"Brother, are you planning to join forces with Yan Xing to attack that old thief?"

Seeing that Ma Teng was in a strangely good mood, Ma Yi also became more confident and asked curiously.

I don't believe even a fraction of what I hear.

Ma Teng suppressed his laughter, but a smile still lingered in his eyes: "I know him better than he knows himself. I knew what kind of person he was when he was a centurion under me. Now that it is difficult to attack Zhongtao, he has come up with the idea of ​​surrendering. His feelings are genuine, not fake."

With a disdainful smile, Ma Teng grabbed the silk scroll, shook it, and tossed it into Ma Yi's arms. Ma Teng continued, "But when I lead my army across the river, and Zhongtao and the other camps are left vulnerable, Half-Ear will surely have other ideas. It's better to kill this old friend to prevent him from harming others again."

After saying this, Ma Teng smiled and turned to leave, stepping into the hall.

Ma Yi looked down at the silk scroll in his hand, then at his brother's back, unsure how to reply to the messenger with only one ear.

He quickly followed and saw Ma Teng in the hall instructing his guards: "Slaughter the lambs. With such a beautiful snowy scene, I want to cook soup and hot pot on the city tower!"

His joy was palpable, and his personal guards, infected by his excitement, smiled and replied, "This humble general will personally go and kill him!"

"Yes, take two more jars of wine, and send one to General Zhang's camp outside the city." "Yes, sir!"

The guards responded loudly, selected a few idle people in the hall, and went together to slaughter a sheep and fetch wine.

In the eastern camp outside the city, Zhang He, also dressed in gleaming gilded armor, sat under a wooden shed outside the main tent, gazing at the steep mountain wall to the north.

Zhongtao City and Zhangxian County are both built against the mountains, and the mountains outside the cities are very similar, both being extremely steep.

The difference is that the mountains outside Zhangxian County are mainly loess, with dense pine forests on the gentle slopes, while the steep, cliff-like sides reveal the soil's true nature.

The mountains north of Zhongtao City are exceptionally steep, with pine forests only on the mountaintops or in the valleys; the rest of the exposed mountainside is ochre-brown.

Even during heavy snowfall, the reddish-brown color of the mountains could not be concealed; it appeared even redder against the backdrop of the white snow.

Zhang He did not have the habit of drinking alcohol while in the army, but on such a snowy day, he was unusually holding a bowl of the thick wine newly brewed in the camp.

It's called wine, but it's more like a yellow millet soup that's slightly sweet and a little sour, made from millet fermented at low temperatures.

"General, General Shoucheng has sent a messenger with a jar of wine."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He turned around and saw that his chief secretary had led Ma Teng's staff officer over, who was still carrying a bottle of wine, the clay seal still intact.

Zhang He stood up and said, "Please thank General Shoucheng for his kindness. I still have half of the deer I hunted yesterday, so I will send them to General Shoucheng as a token of my gratitude."

"Here."

The chief secretary bowed in acceptance and then accepted the wine from Ma Teng's envoy.

Zhang He looked desolate as he stood at the edge of the wooden shed, reaching out to grab a clump of snowflakes. The snowball, no bigger than the tip of his little finger, melted quickly, leaving only a little water in his palm.

Zhang He rubbed his hands together and let out another long sigh.

It's so close from Zhangxian to Tianshui. If there's such heavy snow in Zhongtao, Zhangxian and Tianshui will likely experience similar conditions.

what does this mean?
Zhang He knew this all too well, but he had to stay here and miss out on the fattest piece of meat.

Zhuling Camp, east of Zhang County.

The snow was falling heavier here. When Zhu Ling stepped out of the tent, he saw that the snow on the ground was already up to his ankles, and half of his boots were submerged in the snow.

The fresh snow crunched underfoot. After a few steps, Zhu Ling returned to his main tent. Behind the large chair in his command tent was a screen with a large character "Zhu".

With his back to the other officials in the tent, Zhu Ling's expression changed several times. He clenched his fist secretly and slowly turned his head: "Slaughter cattle and sheep, and feast the officials and soldiers! Tell them to enjoy it well, and the enemy will be defeated in two or three days!"

"Here!"

His chief clerk, registrar, and clerk exchanged pleasant surprises. Like ordinary officials, they disliked and distrusted Zhu Ling's character, but they would never question his military prowess.

As these people walked briskly into the camp to deliver the good news, Zhu Ling couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

He turned past the curtained screen and entered his private space.

He then walked a few steps to the bedside, turned around and slumped down on the three-layered leather couch, reaching out to pull a scroll of silk from his neck and the gaps in his armor.

After carefully reading the handwriting, Zhu Ling forced a smile, sat up despite her exhaustion, and threw the scroll into the fire pit, where it quickly burned to ashes.

Only then did his rapidly beating heart calm down, and his breathing returned to normal.

Returning to the couch and lying on her back, Zhu Ling stared at the top of the tent, as if trying to see through the leather-stitched tent roof.

He must get Han Sui's head!
Otherwise, many things would be difficult to explain.

(End of this chapter)