Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 105 Liu Bei's plan succeeds, Han Sui and Ma Teng fight amongst themselves (Please follow and vote!)
After the death of the Wang Guo, Ma Teng, Han Sui and others supported the scholar Yan Zhong, who was given the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, and continued to use the name of "killing the eunuchs".

From the perspective of the imperial court, Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others were rebels; while from the perspective of the rebels, Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others did not admit to being rebels, but only to being the Liangzhou righteous army that followed the famous scholar Yan Zhong to "purge the court of corrupt officials".

As Liu Bei strengthened his control over Youfufeng, many officials and soldiers fled westward to Hanyang Commandery. Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others accepted them all and publicly declared:
"Liu Bei bribed the eunuch Jian Shuo to obtain the position of Governor of Yongzhou. Now he has also expelled the officials and soldiers of the Three Auxiliary Regions without cause, which has aroused the indignation of the people and made the common people uneasy. We should raise an army of righteousness to restore order to the world."

Led by the renowned scholar Yan Zhong, officials, officials, bandits, and commoners who knew the truth but wanted to gain wealth and status, as well as those who were unaware of the truth, all responded.

In a short time, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others gathered tens of thousands of troops in Hanyang Commandery, and divided them into major counties such as Shanggui, Linwei and Ji County. They also claimed to have 100,000 troops, making a great show of force.

Hanyang Commandery, Ji County.

Han Sui slammed the bamboo slip in his hand to the ground, his somewhat handsome face contorting in pain.

"Liu Bei, you treacherous dog, you've gone too far!"

After Liu Bei discussed with Jia Xu the possibility of persuading Yan Zhong and Ma Teng to surrender, Jia Xu wrote a lengthy letter praising Yan Zhong and Ma Teng.

The letter praised Yan Zhong as a figure like Jiang Shang and Ma Teng as a celestial general of Liangzhou. It also promised Yan Zhong the position of Chief Administrator and Ma Teng the position of Left Fengyi, according to Liu Bei's wishes.

The letter even praised Ma Teng's son, Ma Chao, as a "general of fierce strength" and "a man of extraordinary talent," and promised Ma Chao the position of Cavalry Commandant.

Keep in mind, Ma Chao was only thirteen years old!

Even minor figures within the rebel army, such as Yan Xing, Hou Xuan, Li Kan, Liang Xing, Ma Wan, Yang Qiu, Cheng Yin, Zhang Heng, and Cheng Yi, were mentioned.

They made no mention of Han Sui at all, as if they had never heard of him.

This attempt to sow discord was practically a direct slap in Han Sui's face.

As the number one rebel in Liangzhou, Han Sui had been running rampant in Liangzhou for many years and had never suffered such humiliation. How could he tolerate it?
"First, Lu Fang and other powerful figures from Fufeng County sent people to express their goodwill, saying they were willing to be inside agents; then Liu Bei reinforced his troops in the four counties of Chencang, Yumi, Yong, and Qian. There is bound to be a battle between us and Liu Bei. Rather than sitting and waiting for death, we should strike first. In my opinion, we should take Chencang first and then enter Chang'an."

Han Sui was filled with hatred and had nowhere to vent it; he wished he could immediately storm into Chang'an.

Ma Teng hesitated, saying, "Our army has just suffered a defeat and its morale has not yet recovered. The weather is hot right now, making marching difficult. It is not advisable to use troops. It would be better to wait until autumn when the weather is cooler before attacking Chencang."

Upon hearing Ma Teng's words, Han Sui's anger flared instantly: "Could it be that General Ma is trying to buy time so that he can secretly negotiate terms with Liu Bei and then go to Fengyi County to serve as the Left Fengyi?"

Ma Teng's expression changed, and he retorted, "General Han has misunderstood me. I have never met Liu Bei before, and he has tried to lure me with great rewards. He must be trying to sow discord between us. Once I fall out with General Han, I will have no choice but to go to Fengyi County to save my life. General Han, you must not be fooled!"

Han Sui sneered, "If you truly had no such intention, why would you refuse to use troops? Since you believe Liu Bei is using a divisive tactic, then you should make your stance clear to Liu Bei. This attack on Chencang will be led by General Ma!"

Ma Teng was immediately displeased: "General Han, do you not trust me?"

Han Sui scoffed, “General Ma is joking. Back when I raised my army, you were just a lieutenant general under Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou. People like Bian Zhang and Li Xiangru, who among them didn’t hold positions in prefectures and counties? Trust? I dare to trust you, but do you dare to trust me?”

Ma Teng fell silent.

None of them could trust each other.

Even Han Sui at the beginning was only held hostage by the Qiang people, Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou, and made their leader.

In the end, Han Sui killed Bian Zhang, Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou and others, and took control of the army, thus becoming the biggest beneficiary among the rebels.

Ma Teng only joined the rebels after Han Sui and other rebel forces killed Prefect Fu Xie, forced by circumstances.

In Han Sui's eyes, Ma Teng only joined to protect himself and had no real intention of rebelling.

After all, Ma Teng was already a lieutenant general at that time, and he could continue to advance.

Now that Liu Bei is willing to recruit Ma Teng and even offer him the position of Left Fengyi, Han Sui doesn't believe Ma Teng won't be tempted!
Being a rebel is a dead end!

Putting yourself in Liu Bei's shoes, if Liu Bei were willing to recruit Han Sui and appoint him as Right Fufeng, Han Sui would also consider whether or not to kill Ma Teng to show his sincerity.

trust?

We're all rebels, what's the point of talking about trust!

"Looks like I guessed right." Han Sui sneered, "General Ma, now you will come with me to see the General of Chariots and Cavalry. You will lead the vanguard to attack Chencang, and I will lead the main force to escort the grain supplies behind. Don't worry, as long as we break through Chang'an, I won't object to making you the Governor of Yongzhou, let alone Zuo Fengyi."

Ma Teng was secretly furious.

Among the rebels, Han Sui's forces were the strongest. Although Ma Teng was brave, his troops were far inferior to Han Sui's. If they were to fight, Ma Teng would definitely suffer the loss.

Han Sui's suspicions were not wrong.

Ma Teng did consider whether to take the opportunity to switch sides and join Liu Bei.

After all, Ma Teng only joined the rebel army after the governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, was killed. It was Li Xiangru, the prefect of Longxi, who killed Geng Bi, and it had nothing to do with Ma Teng.

Moreover, Ma Teng only fought at Chencang once with Wang Guo, Han Sui, and others, and was defeated by Huangfu Song.

From any perspective, Ma Teng believed that there was a chance to return to the court. If he could kill Han Sui again, he might even be able to gain merit and be promoted.

In addition, Liu Bei sent a letter praising Ma Teng as a "Heavenly General" and his son Ma Chao as a "General of Bear and Tiger" and "A Man of Heaven and Man," which greatly impressed Ma Teng.

Although Ma Chao was born to a Qiang woman's concubine, he was strong and brave from a young age, which made Ma Teng quite proud when he traveled outside.

If a concubine's son is this brave, isn't that proof of my bravery, Ma Teng?
However, the idea of ​​switching sides had barely formed when Han Sui saw through it, so Ma Teng had no choice but to suppress his thoughts and follow Han Sui to see Yan Zhong.

As Jia Xu predicted, although Yan Zhong was elected General of Chariots and Cavalry, he was ashamed to associate with the rebels and was depressed every day.

Upon seeing Han Sui and Ma Teng arrive, Yan Zhong was also in a bad mood: "You traitors, why don't you hang yourselves on the city wall and wait to die?"

Han Sui was annoyed and snorted, "General of Chariots and Cavalry, don't try to show off your literary skills in front of me. I am also a renowned scholar from Xizhou."

Yan Zhong said disdainfully, "You? You dare to call yourself a renowned scholar of Xizhou? If you were a renowned scholar of Xizhou, why would you need to borrow my name? Are you, a renowned scholar of Xizhou, not even worthy of carrying my shoes?"

If it weren't for the need to use Yan Zhong to raise his own banner, Han Sui would have already beheaded Yan Zhong for his malicious words.

Taking a deep breath, Han Sui suppressed his murderous intent and threw Liu Bei's letter at Yan Zhong: "It seems that General Chariot and Cavalry is not to be underestimated. I wonder who is running around for General Chariot and Cavalry, that Liu Bei values ​​him so much that he is even willing to offer him the position of Chief Administrator of Yongzhou."

Liu Bei?

Yan Zhong was somewhat stunned.

Although Liu Bei was very famous in Luoyang, Yan Zhong was unaware of it.

When Liu Bei entered Yongzhou, Yan Zhong was under house arrest in Ji County by Han Sui and Ma Teng, and was completely unaware of the changes in the outside world.

Han Sui also did not want Yan Zhong to know too much about the outside world, lest Yan Zhong develop disloyal intentions.

After all, Han Sui himself had transformed from a puppet held hostage by the rebels into the de facto leader of the rebels. He feared that Yan Zhong would use outside information to win over those among the rebels who were not of firm will, and launch a coup to seize power.

If Liu Bei's letter hadn't truly angered Han Sui, Han Sui wouldn't have wanted Yan Zhong to know.

By sending the letter to Yan Zhong, Han Sui also wanted to test whether there were any people in the army who would work for Yan Zhong, thus nipping the danger in the bud.

The Liangzhou rebellion has lasted for five years.

Han Sui was able to survive in the chaotic Liangzhou until now because of his deep scheming and ruthless actions.

Judging solely by his stance, Han Sui's rise from a puppet leader to a powerful figure can certainly be considered that of a regional warlord.

Yan Zhong was suspicious. After glancing at the letter, he realized that the situation in Yongzhou had changed drastically.

Glancing at Han Sui's sharp eyes, Yan Zhong sneered: "The position of Chief Administrator of Yongzhou is indeed more suitable for me than the self-proclaimed General of Chariots and Cavalry. You also know the person who is running errands for me, General Ma, who is standing next to you."

Ma Teng's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "General of Chariots and Cavalry, don't use such a clumsy tactic of sowing discord."

Yan Zhong scoffed: "General Ma, why should you be afraid? Your future has already been promised. As long as you kill Han Sui, you will be the Left Fengyi. You were originally a Lieutenant General of Liangzhou. You joined the rebel army because you were coerced by Han Sui. For the sake of the stability of Liangzhou, the court will not blame General Ma anymore."

Ma Teng, growing impatient, said, "Yan Zhong, stop trying to outwit me. Do you think General Han will believe your nonsense?"

Yan Zhong chuckled and pointed at Han Sui, who was holding the hilt of his sword: "The General Han you mentioned is ready to draw his sword."

Ma Teng's expression changed again, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his right hand also tilting towards the hilt of his sword.

When Han Sui saw Ma Teng looking over, he laughed and said, "General of Chariots and Cavalry, you are still as eloquent as ever. I almost fell for your scheme to sow discord. General Ma and I are not here today to play power games with you."

"We have 100,000 troops in Ji County, and the heroes of Fufeng are our inside help. It is the time to attack Chencang and storm into Chang'an. Please give the order to General of Chariots and Cavalry to send General Ma as the vanguard to attack Chencang."

Seeing that Han Sui wasn't fooled, Yan Zhong sneered, "Do I need to give the order to choose who will lead the vanguard? Aren't you afraid that General Ma will turn against us in the heat of battle?"

Han Sui didn't take it seriously and glanced at Ma Teng sideways: "Our families are all in the city, how could we possibly turn against us in the face of battle? Am I right, General Ma?"

These veiled threats left Ma Teng both angry and helpless.

Han Sui had long known that the rebels distrusted each other, so he gathered all their families in Ji County. If anyone dared to turn against them, their families would be killed by the rest of the rebels.

As for those without families, it's even simpler: kill them and then take over their ranks.

Ma Teng greeted him with a smile: "General Han is right. Our families are all in the city, who would dare to turn against us in the face of battle? Besides, I am now in complete control of my own troops, why should I submit to Liu Bei?"

"Excellent!" Han Sui then looked at Yan Zhong: "I request that the General of Chariots and Cavalry give the order to send General Ma as the vanguard to attack Chencang. I have heard that the General of Chariots and Cavalry's family is very beautiful, and many of my soldiers admire them."

Yan Zhong stood up angrily, his wide-open eyes looking as if he wanted to devour someone.

After a long silence, Yan Zhong gritted his teeth and ordered: "From this day forward, General Ma will lead his troops to attack Chencang, while General Han and I will lead the main force to follow. There must be no mistakes."

Seeing Yan Zhong yield, Han Sui pretended to bow and accept the order: "This humble general will obey the orders of the General of Chariots and Cavalry!"

Ma Teng then bowed and accepted the military order.

Back at his residence, Ma Teng could no longer contain his anger and drew his sword, wildly slashing at the decorations in the room: "You dog, you have insulted me too much!"

If it weren't for his family members being in the city and his eldest son Ma Xiu being held hostage at Han Sui's residence, Ma Teng would have wanted to kill Han Sui outright.

Seeing Ma Teng's anger, none of his men dared to approach. Only a young tiger-like boy strode in and loudly asked, "Who has angered Father? I will go and beat his son up right now."

The boy was Ma Chao, the eldest son of Ma Teng. Although he was only thirteen years old, he was extremely strong and his strength far surpassed that of ordinary adults.

Before Ma Teng joined the rebels, Ma Chao was already a local tyrant.

Whenever someone insulted Ma Teng, Ma Chao would run over and beat up the other person's son.

The person who gets beaten up usually goes back with a bruised face and body covered in bruises, but they are never seriously injured or lose any limbs.

Anyone who wanted to confront Ma Teng was met with his response: "Children's fights are none of the adults' business. If you're not happy about it, let your son beat them up. If adults want to get involved, then the adults can have their own fight." This ruthless reputation of the father and son was well-known throughout the county.

"nothing."

Ma Teng did not tell Ma Chao the reason.

If Ma Chao were told this, he would definitely go and fight Han Sui's son. But if that happened, Ma Xiu, who was being held hostage at Han Sui's residence, would be beaten up by Han Sui's son.

It may seem that Ma Teng won, but in reality, both Ma Teng and Han Sui lost.

Seeing the doubt on Ma Chao's face, Ma Teng changed his words and said, "The General of Chariots and Cavalry ordered me to send troops to attack Chencang."

Upon hearing that war was imminent, Ma Chao instantly became excited: "Father, let your son join the army and go to war too!"

"Nonsense. You're only thirteen years old, how can you go into battle?" Ma Teng was already in a bad mood, and when he saw Ma Chao wanting to volunteer again, he directly rebuked and rejected him.

Ma Chao, however, was unconvinced: "Father, why do you look down on me? Although I am only thirteen years old, I can wear armor, ride a horse, and wield a spear and bow. How can I not go into battle?"

Ma Teng was speechless for a moment.

After thinking for a long time, Ma Teng finally agreed to Ma Chao's request, saying, "Go and make preparations, and come with me to the military camp later."

Ma Chao was overjoyed: "Your son will obey your command, Father."

Looking at the clueless Ma Chao, Ma Teng sighed deeply, feeling even more lost about the future.

June 25th.

Ma Teng's army approached Chencang, and Wei Jie, the magistrate of Chencang, sent a letter to Chang'an requesting reinforcements.

Upon receiving the message, Liu Bei was not angry but pleased: "After waiting for so many days, Han Sui and Ma Teng finally couldn't hold back any longer. If they hadn't come soon, I would have had to attack!"

For Liu Bei, who has just taken control of Yongzhou, what he lacks most right now is military prestige.

Unlike when he was in Yuzhou, where there were many powerful bandits, and the governor of Runan, Zhang Xun, had joined forces with the powerful bandits Yang Hong and others, which gave Huang Wan the opportunity to use these bandits to establish military prestige.

In contrast, the powerful bandits in Yongzhou, though they were all making a lot of noise in private, none of them dared to actually raise an army. This prevented Liu Bei from using the powerful bandits to establish his military prestige, and he could only provoke the rebels Han Sui, Ma Teng and others.

Now that the rebels have attacked, Liu Bei finally has the opportunity to establish his authority!
"Issue my military order: the eight battalions of Yongzhou shall proceed to Chencang immediately without fail."

(End of this chapter)