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

Chapter 358 Ma Chao's advance is unstoppable; Zhong Yao abandons the city and retreats to Hangu Pass (5th update)
Han Sui was the murderer of Ma Chao's mother, so Ma Chao would not spare Han Sui's life; Ma Teng was Ma Chao's biological father, so even if their views differed, Ma Chao could not actually commit patricide.

After seizing Han Sui's seal as General Who Conquers the West and Ma Teng's seal as General Who Conquers the South, the generals in Guanzhong were truly under Ma Chao's control.

To prevent Han Sui's former subordinates from causing trouble, Ma Chao ordered Pang De to take Han Sui's head and the seal of the General Who Conquers the West, and together with Hou Xuan, Li Kan, Zhang Heng, Cheng Yi, Ma Wan, Liang Xing, and Cheng Yin, to Han Sui's camp to take over Han Sui's troops.

In particular, Yan Xing, Han Sui's son-in-law, absolutely cannot be allowed to live.

Since almost all of Han Sui's core generals had been bought off by Ma Chao, and those who opposed him died at the banquet, although there were still loyalists like Yan Xing in the camp, they could not reverse the general trend. By dawn, the turmoil in Han Sui's camp had been completely quelled, and Yan Xing was also killed by Pang De and his men.

After annexing Han Sui's troops, Ma Chao appointed Sun Zi as his military advisor and plotted to respond to Liu Bei.

Seeing that Ma Chao had killed Han Sui as planned, Sun Zi was secretly delighted. He then offered a plan: "Although Han Sui is dead, he has many loyal followers who may take the opportunity to go to Hongnong to inform Zhong Yao. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. General, you should quickly raise your troops and pretend to be acting on Cao Cao's orders to enter Hedong. Seize Tongguan first. As long as you have Tongguan, neither Zhong Yao nor Cao Cao himself can do anything to you."

Ma Chao approved Sun Zi's proposal and ordered Pang De to lead two thousand troops to guard the rear, while Ma Chao, along with Hou Xuan, Li Kan, Zhang Heng, Cheng Yi, Ma Wan, Liang Xing, and Cheng Yin, each led two thousand troops and marched in a mighty force towards Tong Pass.

Yang Yi, the garrison commander of Tongguan, had benefited greatly from Ma Chao's smuggling of Shu brocade. Upon hearing that Ma Chao was coming, Yang Yi was caught off guard and immediately went down the pass to greet him, only to be captured alive by Ma Chao.

Seeing Yang Yi's astonishment and confusion, Ma Chao did not make things difficult for him, and said, "I have decided to respond to General Zuo's call to punish the traitor Cao Cao. You have received many benefits from me in the past. If Zhong Yao finds out, you will surely be sentenced to death. Why not join me? I can also remember your contribution in surrendering Tong Pass."

Although Yang Yi was unwilling, he had no choice but to either follow Ma Chao to the bitter end or be punished by Zhong Yao.

After weighing the options, Yang Yi decisively chose to rebel against Cao Cao.

In order to gain Ma Chao's trust, Yang Yi also persuaded his cousin Yang Cheng, who was serving as the magistrate of Puban County in Hedong Commandery, to surrender.

In no time, the Guanzhong army advanced with unstoppable momentum, heading straight for Hongnong City, the capital of Hongnong Prefecture.

Because Ma Chao acted too quickly, and because Yang Yi, the general guarding Tongguan, had surrendered to Ma Chao, Zhong Yao only learned of Ma Chao's army when it had already reached within 30 li of Hongnong City.

Although Ma Chao's slogan was to help Cao Cao resist Liu Bei, Zhong Yao had always been in charge of Cao Cao's affairs in the west. How could Zhong Yao not know whether Cao Cao had issued military orders?

“Yang Qiu once reported that Ma Chao and his generals from Guanzhong were smuggling Shu brocade into Hebei and had frequent dealings with Liu Bei. Now that Ma Chao has suddenly sent troops to Hongnong, he must be secretly responding to Liu Bei. At present, the Sikong’s army is mostly in Hebei and it will be difficult to reinforce Hongnong in a short time. Hongnong is in danger!” Zhong Yao said worriedly.

Zhong Yao had always turned a blind eye to Ma Chao and the generals of Guanzhong smuggling Shu brocade, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

Having already cut off the salt and iron profits of the generals in Guanzhong, cutting off their profits from Shu brocade would be tantamount to directly forcing Ma Chao and the generals in Guanzhong to rebel. Zhong Yao had originally planned to win over Yang Qiu, Yan Xing, and others and gradually take action, but he never expected Ma Chao to suddenly respond to Liu Bei, catching Zhong Yao completely off guard.

It's not that Zhong Yao was inconsiderate; rather, he was unaware that Ma Chao had Sun Zi advising him, which allowed Ma Chao to sideline Ma Teng and Han Sui in less than a year, and even orchestrate a trap to lure and kill Han Sui, Yang Qiu, and others.

The usually impetuous and reckless Ma Chao suddenly gained an external brain and became resourceful and decisive, which even the wise Zhong Yao could not anticipate.

Zhang Ji offered a suggestion: "Hongnong is too far away. Even if Sikong leads troops to reinforce it, it will be too far to reach. In my humble opinion, it would be better to temporarily abandon Hongnong and retreat the troops to Hangu Pass. As long as Hangu Pass is still there, the rebels in Guanzhong will not be able to threaten Sikong."

Fu Gan also advised, "The enemy forces are powerful. We should use a feigned surrender to lure them. De Rong should cover the Sili Commandant's escape first, while I stay in Hongnong City and lie that Ma Chao will not harm the people in the city and will surrender. After that, I will stay under Ma Chao's command and lie low to wait for the right opportunity."

Zhong Yao exclaimed in surprise, "Ma Chao is tyrannical. Yan Cai is likely to be in grave danger if he stays in Hongnong City. It would be better if we went to Hangu Pass together."

Fu Gan shook his head: "If we all retreat to Hangu Pass, the Minister of Works will surely think that the Commandant of the Capital Region has neglected his duty and abandoned the city. Only if I stay in Hongnong City can the Commandant of the Capital Region's departure to Hangu Pass be considered a strategic retreat."

Seeing that Zhong Yao was still hesitant, Fu Gan pleaded again, "Please, Commandant of the Capital Region, act quickly. Otherwise, once Ma Chao's army reaches the city gates, it will be difficult for you to leave. If Ma Chao captures you and then uses your seal of office to command the counties, then none of the counties in the Capital Region will belong to the court. At that time, Ma Chao's army will be heading straight for Xuchang. If the Minister of Works returns, we will lose Hebei; if we do not return, we may lose Xuchang. I urge Commandant of the Capital Region to consider the overall situation!"

Zhang Ji also gritted his teeth and advised, "Yan Cai is right. At present, only if the Commandant of the Capital Region retreats to Hangu Pass can the Minister of Works have no worries about the rear. Although Ma Chao is tyrannical, Yan Cai is always quick-witted and can surely mediate. Please, Commandant of the Capital Region, act quickly!"

Seeing Fu Gan and Zhang Ji's earnest pleas, Zhong Yao stamped his foot helplessly and sighed, "It is my fault that the counties of Sili have suffered further turmoil! Yan Cai, stay in Hongnong City. I urge you to be careful and cautious, and not to offend Ma Chao and lose your life in vain. Once Sikong defeats Liu Bei, I will definitely return to Hongnong to relieve Yan Cai's danger."

Subsequently, Zhong Yao did not hesitate any longer. He took Zhang Ji and the elite troops in the city and left the city overnight to defend Hangu Pass. He also took away the strong and capable soldiers from the counties along the way to replenish the army.

Fu Gan, on the other hand, remained in the city, setting up flags as a pretense and waiting for Ma Chao to arrive.

Upon learning that Zhong Yao had abandoned the city and fled, Ma Chao immediately wanted to slaughter Fu Gan and others to vent his personal anger. Sun Zi stopped him in time, saying, "General Zuo has always acted with benevolence and righteousness. Now that you have obtained Hongnong, you should also use benevolence and righteousness to win over the hearts of the officials in Hongnong."

Ma Chao was not at ease with Fu Gan, saying, "Yanlong, you are unaware of this. Fu Gan is a confidant of Zhong Yao. Even if he surrenders the city, it is definitely not out of sincerity. If we do not kill him, he will surely cause trouble in the future."

Sun Zi smiled confidently: "Whether Fu Gan is sincere or not is not important. As long as the other officials are willing to serve the Left General, that is enough. It is not easy to survive in chaotic times. General, you can offer more money. Even if Fu Gan wants to cause trouble in the future, it is hard to guarantee that his people will not leak the secret. When Fu Gan's crimes are discussed then, the officials and people of Hongnong City will be convinced. Killing him now would be not good."

At Sun Zi's urging, Ma Chao finally abandoned his plan to slaughter Fu Gan and others, treated them with courtesy, and ordered his soldiers not to plunder the property of the people of Hongnong City, in order to establish his benevolence and trust.

　Please vote for me! I only wrote this much today, so I won't be updating again. 0 0 0
　　
　
(End of this chapter)