Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

Yang Ren and Yang Ang exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt and anger in each other's eyes:

Ma Chao, known as the fiercest general of Xiliang, fought a prolonged battle with an old white-haired general under Liu Bei, clearly holding back and unwilling to exert his full strength, revealing his intention to collude with the enemy!

Ma Chao and Huang Zhong fought fiercely on the battlefield until noon, neither able to gain the upper hand. Unwilling to continue the pointless fighting, Ma Chao feinted with his spear, reined in his horse, and shouted loudly, "Let's call it a day and settle this another day!"

Having said that, he turned his horse around and led his Xiliang cavalry back to Yangping Pass.

As soon as they entered the city gate, before they had even removed their armor and before their sweat had dried, Yang Ren and Yang Ang, along with a group of former generals from Hanzhong, blocked their way through the city gate passage.

The two men looked arrogant, their eyes filled with disdain and suspicion. They looked Ma Chao up and down, who was covered in sweat and slightly out of breath, and a mocking smile appeared on their lips.

Yang Ang stepped forward first, arms crossed, and spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"General Ma was in high spirits and fought a fierce battle with Liu Bei's veteran generals for half a day. He fought to his heart's content, but what was the result?"

Not only did we fail to repel the Shu army, but we also wasted our energy without even harming a single enemy soldier. Is this the might of Xiliang that you speak of?

Ma Chao, already agitated by the battle at the front and the rumors circulating within the pass, frowned upon hearing this, suppressing his anger, and said coldly:

"When two armies clash on the battlefield, the outcome is still undecided. How can you possibly offer your opinions so casually?"

I held the pass and prevented the Shu army from taking a single step. I have done nothing wrong. Why are they pursuing me so relentlessly?

"Hold the pass?"

Yang Ren sneered, stepped forward, and said in an increasingly sarcastic tone, "Master ordered you to leave the pass to defeat the Shu army and break through the enemy camp, not to make you admire the enemy general and fight to a draw for half a day!"

You call yourself the Ma Chao of Xiliang, invincible throughout the land, yet you can't even defeat a white-haired old general. In my opinion, it's not that you're powerless; it's clearly that you're deliberately holding back, secretly colluding with Liu Bei!

"You two, stop making false accusations!"

Ma Dai immediately roared in anger, stepping forward to protect Ma Chao's side, "My brother fought valiantly, risking his life to defend the pass, and instead of showing compassion, you spread rumors and frame him! What are you up to?!"

"What are you up to?" Yang Ang retorted sharply, his eyes fixed on Ma Chao, full of vigilance and hostility. "We are here for the safety of Hanzhong and for Master's cause!"

There were rumors circulating within the pass that you were secretly colluding with Liu Bei. Now that you have come out to meet the enemy, you have delayed for half a day, unwilling to deliver a decisive blow. It is clear that you want to leave room for maneuver, waiting to coordinate with Liu Bei from within and surrender the pass!

Yang Ren then added insult to injury, his tone sinister and every word piercing the heart:

"You were originally a defeated general from Liangzhou who defected to my lord, but you harbored ulterior motives from the start. You also commanded former troops from Xiliang, and you have never taken my Hanzhong soldiers seriously. This time, my lord forced you to fight, but you deliberately failed to win, just to wear down the morale of my army and make my lord wary of you, so that you can take the opportunity to cause trouble!"

I advise you to abandon your wicked thoughts as soon as possible, otherwise, the two of us will surely report to the Master and expose your true colors of colluding with the enemy, ensuring you never leave Yangping Pass!"

The two men sang in unison, each sentence filled with sarcasm and slander. The former generals from Hanzhong standing nearby also turned their heads, their eyes full of suspicion.

Ma Chao clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his chest surging with anger, yet he knew he couldn't defend himself at this moment.

Looking at the two aggressive men before him and listening to the whispers around him, the last bit of tolerance he had for Zhang Lu and the generals of Hanzhong was completely worn away, and a chill spread from the bottom of his heart to his whole body.

He did not argue further, but coldly glanced at Yang Ren and Yang Ang, his gaze icy and piercing. Without uttering a word, he turned and walked straight to his commander's tent. His resolute back view showed that he had completely severed the last trace of his feelings for Zhang Lu in his heart.

Yang Ren and Yang Ang exchanged a glance as they watched Ma Chao's departing figure, a hint of smugness flashing in their eyes. They then secretly instructed their trusted confidants to immediately ride to Nanzheng and report to Zhang Lu all the slanderous rumors that "Ma Chao held back on the battlefield and had evidence of colluding with the enemy."

In Nanzheng, Zhang Lu received a secret letter, and was so shocked that he trembled all over. The letter fell from his hand, and he looked helplessly at the people in the hall:

"It's over! Ma Chao has indeed rebelled! He deliberately held back on the battlefield, showing mutual respect with Huang Zhong. This means he's completely defecting to Liu Bei! What should we do?!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Yan Pu frowned, pondered for a long time, and finally stepped forward, saying in a low voice, "Master, things have come to this, there is no other way."

Ma Chao controls the military power at Yangping Pass, and we are powerless to counter him.

Even if Generals Yang Ren and Yang Ang were combined, they wouldn't be a match for Ma Chao, let alone Ma Dai and Pang De, who were also men of ten thousand men.

Now the only option is to secretly send an envoy to the imperial court under cover of darkness to plead for help from Cao Cao! Only if Cao Cao sends troops can the crisis in Hanzhong be resolved!

This matter must be kept absolutely secret; Ma Chao must never find out, otherwise he will surely betray us on the spot and surrender the pass to Liu Bei!

Zhang Lu, already in a panic, nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling: "Quickly! Immediately arrange for a trusted envoy to secretly go to Xuchang and beg Cao Cao to send troops immediately. This matter must be kept secret; not a single word can leak out!"

But to his utter surprise, this secret discussion was overheard by Yang Bai, who had already pledged allegiance to Liu Bei.

As soon as the envoy left the mansion, Yang Bai immediately arranged for his trusted confidants to send a fast horse to Fa Zheng at the Dingjun Mountain camp to report that "Zhang Lu secretly sent an envoy to Cao Cao to ask for help, intending to lead Cao Cao's army into Hanzhong."

Upon learning this, Fa Zheng immediately sneered and sent people to spread the news. Within two days, everyone inside and outside Yangping Pass, and even in Ma Chao's army, knew about Zhang Lu's secret communication with Cao Cao.

……

The night was deep, and the lights in the Yangping Pass commander's tent were dim. Ma Chao removed his blood-stained armor, revealing himself in plain clothes, and sat alone at his desk with a furrowed brow.

He had just been resting in his tent, removing his sweat-stained armor, when he heard his soldiers report this matter. He was struck dumb, frozen in place, his whole body ice-cold.

Zhang Lu not only suspected him and forced him to his death, but also secretly sought help from Cao Cao, the enemy who had wiped out his clan, and offered to sell the entire Hanzhong region to Cao Cao!

He fought valiantly to defend Yangping for Zhang Lu, only to meet such an end!

The sarcastic remarks and elaborate schemes of Yang Ren and Yang Ang during the day still echoed in his ears, and the news that Zhang Lu had secretly sent an envoy to surrender to Cao Cao was like a boulder pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Before long, Ma Dai and Pang De heard about this and quickly bowed and went inside.

Seeing Ma Chao's gloomy expression, the two men fell silent and stood aside, not daring to say anything more.

After a long silence in the tent, Ma Chao finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two men. His voice was hoarse but unusually calm: "Now that things have come to this, there is no longer any need for us to defend Yangping."

Ma Dai's heart tightened, and he stepped forward: "Brother, have you made up your mind?"

"We had no choice but to make this decision."

Ma Chao smiled self-deprecatingly, his eyes filled with sorrow and a chilling clarity. "Zhang Lu had long lost the courage to resist Shu. In order to protect himself, he secretly asked Cao Cao for help, intending to hand over Hanzhong to my family's annihilation enemy."

My entire Ma family, over a hundred members, perished at the hands of that traitor Cao Cao. This is an irreconcilable hatred. How could I, for a mediocre ruler who let wolves into the house, guard the pass for my enemy? Wouldn't that be a colossal joke!