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

General Fubo was just a general with a miscellaneous title, but Ma Yuan is well-known to later generations mainly because of his daughter, Empress Mingde.

Empress Ma of the Mingde era is also hailed as a virtuous empress throughout the ages. She was not only well-educated, virtuous, kind, and impartial, but also set an example by advocating frugality.

As an important advisor to Emperors Ming and Zhang of the Han Dynasty, she became a crucial cornerstone for the realization of the "Rule of Ming and Zhang" through her impartiality and exemplary conduct as an empress.

She was also the first woman to deeply practice the spirit of "self-improvement" and "great virtue" in the Book of Changes, setting an example for women's morality and practice for future generations.

If we directly ask Ma Chao to support Liu Bei, it would be empty and would not be in line with Ma Chao's self-interested nature. It would be better to have Ma Yuan and his daughter persuade him, which would make Ma Chao more interested.

What kind of prince will Xiangning?

In this era of fierce competition, who doesn't want to be the best?
Ma Chao was self-aware enough to know that he could not declare himself king. In the future, he would inevitably rely on a local emperor to govern his territory in order to obtain the greatest benefit within his capabilities.

Whom to rely on requires careful consideration.

The young emperor Liu Xie in Xudu court is someone that no discerning person would want to rely on. With the Dong Cheng tragedy as an example, who would want to rely on a cold-hearted, ruthless, and cunning young emperor?
Cao Cao, being cunning and distrustful of outsiders, would only have the consequence of the Ma family of Guanzhong, given their current power and past actions, being subservient to Cao Cao and being stripped of their military power and left to die in captivity.

The only one they could rely on was Liu Bei.

As for figures like Zhang Lu, Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan, none of them were qualified for Ma Chao to rely on.

Ma Chao then thought that his relationship with Liu Bei was still quite good. If he could choose to attach himself to Liu Bei before Liu Bei completely took control of the world, given Liu Bei's benevolent and righteous character, he wouldn't have to worry about being discarded after using him.

Furthermore, Sun Zi's remark that "General Zuo has no son yet" did indeed tempt Ma Chao.

In terms of lineage, the Ma family of Fufeng were descendants of General Fubo. The family also produced Empress Mingde Ma and the great Confucian scholar Ma Rong. When Ma Chao faced Zhang Fei, he said, "My family has been nobles for generations. How could I possibly know a country bumpkin?" This was not an exaggeration, but a fact.

In terms of status, Ma Chao is now the son of the General Who Conquers the South and holds the rank of Lieutenant General.

In terms of power, the generals in Guanzhong were no less powerful than Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu, and others.

If Ma Chao could replace Ma Teng and Han Sui, and gather the generals of Guanzhong to submit to Liu Bei, then his status under Liu Bei would not be too bad, and it would not be impossible for him to form a marriage alliance with Liu Bei.

Thinking of this, Ma Chao's eyes brightened.

Suppressing his excitement, Ma Chao looked at Sun Zi again: "Although I intend to rely on General Zuo, I am not yet in control of Guanzhong. If I go alone, I may be looked down upon by others and will not be able to help General Zuo sweep away Cao Cao. Yanlong, please speak freely!"

Ma Chao wasn't stupid either. Since Sun Zi was talking about the general trend of the world and asking Ma Chao to emulate Ma Yuan and his daughter, he must have other plans.

Sun Zi's tone suddenly turned cold: "I heard that your mother was killed by Han Sui. As a son, it is unfilial of you not to avenge your mother. You can hold a banquet in your residence, pretending to discuss the distribution of the Shu brocade profits, and invite your father, Han Sui, and the generals of the army to the banquet. Then secretly hide armored soldiers in the courtyard. Anyone who is unwilling to help the Left General should be executed! In this way, you can avenge your mother and eliminate dissidents. At that time, even if the General Who Conquers the South is unwilling, he will have no choice but to support you." Ma Chao was moved upon hearing this.

He had long wanted to avenge his mother's death, but he hadn't had the chance. Now, Sun Zi's plan was exactly what Ma Chao wanted.

"As Yanlong wishes!" Ma Chao's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

That night.

Following Sun Zi's advice, Ma Chao invited General Ma Teng, General Han Sui, and dozens of important generals from Guanzhong, including Hou Xuan, Yang Qiu, Li Kan, Zhang Heng, Cheng Yi, Ma Wan, Liang Xing, and Cheng Yin, to a meeting under the pretext of renegotiating the distribution of profits from Shu brocade.

Apart from Ma Teng having some doubts, Han Sui and the others did not suspect Ma Chao's intentions. For the generals, the benefits of Shu Jin were simply too great, and the original distribution of profits was indeed unreasonable, and it had been a point of contention more than once or twice.

Therefore, as soon as everyone took their seats, they began to argue and bicker, each feeling that the other had taken too much and their own had taken too little.

Ma Chao did not stop them, but let them argue until all the guests had arrived. Only then did he signal for quiet, slowly rise, clasp his hands in a fist and bow to them, and say:
"Last year, Cao Cao led five armies north to attack General Zuo, but we were unable to respond for various reasons. Now, General Zuo, riding high on his great victory over Cao Cao last year, has decided to launch a southern campaign against Cao Cao and has specially sent an envoy to invite us to send troops to assist him. This is an excellent opportunity, not only to strike Cao Cao hard but also to ensure the long-term stability of our Shu brocade trade route, guaranteeing our continued wealth and prosperity! Therefore, I have decided to respond to General Zuo's call, raise an army, march east out of Tong Pass, and join forces to attack Cao Cao! Are you all willing to help me?"

As soon as the words fell, the whole hall was in an uproar.

Ma Teng rose angrily and shouted, "How dare you speak such nonsense, you brat! I am the General Who Conquers the South, appointed by the Imperial Court! How dare you decide to launch an invasion without the Imperial decree or even after consulting your father? This is utterly rebellious! Quickly retract such arrogant words!"

Han Sui initially didn't react, but seeing Ma Teng angrily rebuking Ma Chao, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly. He interjected sarcastically, "My dear nephew, you're young and impetuous, and you haven't thought things through. Your father and I are both being held hostage in Xuchang. If you raise an army to help Liu Bei, wouldn't that cause both your father and me to suffer the pain of losing a son? Moreover, since we receive salaries from the court, we should naturally be loyal to the court. The Minister of Works is His Majesty's right-hand man. To attack the Minister of Works is tantamount to treason. You cannot harm the interests of the masses for your own selfish gain!"

The other generals looked at each other, puzzled as to why the banquet discussing Shu brocade had turned into an uprising to help Liu Bei attack Cao Cao. They then turned to Ma Chao in confusion.

"General Zhengxi's words are quite reasonable." Ma Chao calmly raised his cup. "Since you are unwilling to help, I will not make things difficult for you. However, if General Zuo cannot defeat Cao Cao, the Shu brocade trade route will be cut off, and you will all forget about sharing the profits of Shu brocade. General Zhengxi spoke well just now, saying that since we receive the court's salary, we should be loyal to the court. But among those present, besides General Zhengnan and General Zhengxi, who receives the court's salary? Not only do we have no salary, but our profits from salt and iron have also been cut off. If we are talking about harming the interests of the masses for personal gain, I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to General Zhengxi!"

Ma Teng and Han Sui both changed their expressions.

Ma Teng was annoyed because Ma Chao had completely ignored him, while Han Sui was ashamed and annoyed because Ma Chao had become so eloquent.

The generals present, after Ma Chao's analysis of the pros and cons, also fell into deep thought.

Nowadays, Liu Bei is the biggest market for Shu brocade. Without Liu Bei, the Shu brocade purchased from Shu would have no market. Guanzhong and Xiliang not only cannot absorb the stock of Shu brocade, but also cannot offer high prices. In other words, the generals not only did not make money, but also had to lose money.

However, the fact that both Ma Teng and Han Sui opposed Ma Chao made the other generals suspicious and hesitant to express their opinions. (End of Chapter)