The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Because of the profits from Shu brocade, Ma Chao made a fortune, so he was very tempted by Liu Bei's invitation.

When Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei last year, Ma Chao actually wanted to lead troops to rescue Liu Bei, but was stopped by Ma Teng. Ma Teng did not believe that Liu Bei could withstand Cao Cao and was worried that going to rescue Liu Bei would anger Cao Cao.

Although Ma Chao was very unwilling, he had no choice but to bypass Ma Teng and directly command the generals.

Feeling constrained, Ma Chao also conceived the idea of ​​controlling the troops in Guanzhong. So last year, Ma Chao used a lot of money to befriend the generals in the army, including Han Sui's generals, and promised to share the rich profits of Shu brocade with everyone.

The Ma-Han alliance was originally a group of warlords in Guanzhong who banded together for mutual support. They only submitted to Ma Teng and Han Sui because of their prestige and strength, and their loyalty to them was not absolute.

Or, to put it another way, the generals of Guanzhong, starting with Dong Zhuo, had no loyalty, only self-interest.

Therefore, due to Ma Chao's generous rewards and his extraordinary bravery, many generals and officers chose to support him.

Furthermore, because Liu Bei repelled Cao Cao's five-pronged northern expedition last year, the generals who supported Ma Chao also saw the future prospects of Shu brocade.

As Liu Bei's power grew stronger, it meant that Shu brocade would not become unsaleable; and the fact that Shu brocade would not become unsaleable meant that all the generals would be able to share in the profits.

What excited Ma Chao and the others the most was that even in the difficult circumstances of the previous year, Liu Bei insisted that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping deliver the money that should have been given to Ma Chao to Guanzhong.

With such strength and integrity, how could we easily abandon such a partner?
Therefore, when Ma Teng refused to respond to Liu Bei's call to send troops again, Ma Chao was also annoyed: "When Cao Cao sent people to cut off the salt and iron profits of Guanzhong, Father, you were not as vehemently opposed as you are today; if Liu Bei cannot defeat Cao Cao, the profits of Shu brocade that I have painstakingly managed will also be cut off by Cao Cao. Father, why do you have to fear Cao Cao like a tiger?"

Feeling humiliated by Ma Chao's retort, Ma Teng angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I fear Cao Cao like a tiger? I fear the laws of the court! Besides, your third brother is still a hostage in Xuchang. If you raise an army to help Liu Bei, Cao Cao will surely kill the hostage. Are you going to sacrifice your third brother's life for Liu Bei?"

A flicker of reluctance crossed Ma Chao's mind, but it was quickly replaced by ruthlessness. He said coldly, "Since ancient times, a merciful ruler has never commanded an army. Cao Cao once commanded his entire army that from now on, anyone holding hostages should be attacked without regard for the hostages. If my third brother is killed by Cao Cao, I will slaughter Cao Cao's entire family to avenge him. If we are like Father, always yielding and compromising, we will surely be harmed by Cao Cao in the future. Father, you have lived in the western borderlands of the Han Dynasty for so long, have you not heard the principle that only by fighting can one survive? How have you become so cowardly today!"

Ma Teng was startled by Ma Chao's cold and resolute words, and was both shocked and furious: "You brat! How dare you utter such arrogant and rebellious words? For the sake of a mere Shu brocade, you are willing to risk the lives of your brothers and your entire clan? How foolish! How heartless!"

Seeing Ma Teng blaming him like this, Ma Chao became even angrier: "Father, if this is also foolish and heartless, then I learned it from you. When Han Sui led his troops to kill my mother, you not only did not avenge her, but also made peace with Han Sui. When I asked you why, you claimed that you wanted to prioritize the 'big picture'. Now I am also prioritizing the big picture, so why are you accusing me of being foolish and heartless?"

When Ma Chao mentioned the past incident of Han Sui killing his wife, Ma Teng's face stiffened, and then he felt a surge of shame and anger. He rebuked, "Times have changed. My conflict with Han Sui was an internal one. If we cooperate, we will survive; if we fight, we will perish together. When I find an opportunity in the future, I will avenge your mother."

Ma Chao sneered, "What a fine saying: 'Unity leads to coexistence, conflict to mutual destruction.' Since Father understands this principle, he should also understand that we and Liu Bei are interdependent, and similarly, we will coexist if we unite, and perish if we fight. Now that I want to help Liu Bei, why do you insist on stopping me?" Ma Teng was speechless.

Seeing that Ma Chao was determined to help Liu Bei, Ma Teng was worried about angering Cao Cao, so he sternly rebuked him: "You brat, don't talk nonsense anymore! I am the General Who Conquers the South! Get out of here at once and don't mention this matter again!"

Last year, in order to appease Ma Teng and Han Sui, Cao Cao appointed Ma Teng as General Who Conquers the South and Han Sui as General Who Conquers the West, both granting them their own offices.

Ma Teng was unwilling to rebel against Cao Cao for this reason: as long as he had an army and occasionally expressed his support for Cao Cao, he could be promoted and granted titles, so why not?
Seeing this, Ma Chao could only leave in anger.

Back at his lodgings, Ma Chao grew increasingly angry and summoned his advisor, Sun Zi.

Although Sun Zi served Liu Bei, he remained by Ma Chao's side as Ma Chao's advisor, dedicated to maintaining close cooperation between Liu Bei and Ma Chao.

Last year, it was Sun Zi's idea for Ma Chao to use money to befriend the generals in the army. The intention was to let Ma Chao sideline Ma Teng and Han Sui, use the benefits of Shu brocade to bind the generals in Guanzhong together, and then gradually achieve the authority to command Guanzhong.

"I wish to respond to General Zuo's call to arms against Cao Cao, but my father is adamant in his refusal and is even using the General Who Conquers the South to pressure me! It is truly frustrating!" Ma Chao recounted his conversation with Ma Teng to Sun Zi indignantly, adding, "Last year I failed to aid General Zuo, which was already a breach of faith; now General Zuo, not holding my failure last year against me, has sent an envoy to invite me. If I refuse to send troops again, General Zuo will surely mistake me for a faithless villain. Not only that, but the Shu brocade trade route will also be cut off. Yanlong, you are resourceful, do you have any good strategies to help me?"

Sun Zi naturally sided with Liu Bei.

Seeing Ma Chao's resentment, Sun Zi pondered for a moment and then lowered his voice, saying, "General, do you know what the final outcome will be for the current state of affairs in the world?"

Ma Chao was slightly taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by that, Yanlong?"

Sun Zi solemnly said, “Since Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor, the emperor has been a mere figurehead, just like at the end of the previous dynasty. Among the current warlords, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, Liu Zhang of Western Shu, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Sun Quan of Jiangdong are all just local strongmen. Even if they can prolong their lives for the time being, they will eventually be destroyed. Among the heroes now, only Cao Cao and the Left General are capable of pacifying the world. The General Who Conquers the South believes that Cao Cao can pacify the world, so he is unwilling to rebel against Cao Cao and instead responds to the Left General.”

After explaining the fundamental reason why Ma Teng supported Cao Cao, Sun Zi continued, "However, Cao Cao's surname is Cao, not Liu. If he wants to change the dynasty, he can only follow Wang Mang's example and make the emperor abdicate. But you know what happened to Wang Mang. Therefore, I believe that only General Zuo can pacify the world."

Seeing that Ma Chao seemed to understand, Sun Zi raised his voice again: "General Zuo is a descendant of the Han dynasty. If he can sweep away the warlords, his ascension to the throne will be perfectly legitimate. General, you are a descendant of General Fubo. General Fubo also helped Emperor Guangwu pacify the four directions and was enfeoffed as a marquis. His daughter was even made empress and was favored by Emperor Ming. Although General Zuo is more than ten years older than you, you have no son yet. How can you be sure that your daughter will not be as noble as General Fubo's daughter, becoming an empress?" (End of this chapter)