Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

It was April 5th, the first year of Chuping.

On the drill ground south of Luoyang, even the wind carried a chilling, murderous aura.

Twenty thousand armored Youzhou cavalrymen stood in formation, perfectly still, as if measured by a ruler.

Even the rustling of the flags in the wind couldn't drown out the crisp sound of the armor plates colliding.

At the very front of the procession stood four formidable figures: Xu Da, Li Ji, Qin Qiong, and Yuchi Gong.

Each and every one of them is capable of handling things independently; any one of them could command respect in any area.

Yuchi Gong, holding his steel whip, nudged Xu Da beside him, his tone full of teasing:

"Tiande, our lord has barely settled into Guanzhong before sending the four of us with 20,000 elite cavalry to attack Ma Teng and Han Sui in Liangzhou. Isn't this like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, a waste of resources? Do these two even need the four of us to go together?"

Xu Da didn't even raise his head, his eyes fixed on the Liangzhou map in his hand.

After a long pause, he replied in a muffled voice:

"Our lord trusts us, so we can't let him down. War isn't a street brawl or a show of skills; there's no such thing as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It's all about whether it's safe or not."

He raised his head and looked at Yuchi Gong, saying:

"No matter who the opponent is, we must act like a lion hunting a rabbit. Otherwise, we'll be caught off guard and lose face for our lord."

Li Ji, standing beside him, grinned slyly and replied:

"Jingde, don't worry, you'll have the fighting. Tiande and I will decide on the battle plan, and you and Shubao will take care of dealing with those two local bullies from Liangzhou on the battlefield."

He paused, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips:

"Besides, Ma Teng and Han Sui, these two sworn brothers, seem to have a life-or-death friendship, but in reality, they're not that close; they have some grudges against each other."

"Tiande and I can easily blow them to pieces with just a little stirring. We don't even need to put in much effort."

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Gong's eyes lit up and he said:

"Oh? Is that so? That's great! Let them bite each other, we'll just watch the show!"

In just a few words, the agenda for the westward expedition was set.

Once the order to march was given, the 20,000 cavalrymen did not rush westward.

Instead, they strolled into Chang'an, since Chang'an was a risk-free bridgehead that Liu Ce had prepared for the western expeditionary army, with ample supplies of food and weapons.

How can we send troops rashly without first understanding our own territory?

...

Upon entering Chang'an, Xu Da did nothing else but immerse himself in the granaries and armories.

He took the account book and argued with the logistics official for three days and three nights.

His eyes were wide open, showing no mercy whatsoever.

A bushel of grain must be weighed twice; even a fraction of an ounce is unacceptable.

You have to examine each arrow shaft three times; if it's even slightly bent, you'll pick it out and discard it.

Even the cloth shoes worn by the soldiers had to be counted one by one, ensuring that there were enough for the entire army to wear for three months.

Even if a pair is missing, the official in charge must provide an explanation.

The logistics officer's face was stiff from smiling, and he kept apologizing politely.

"General Xu, you can rest assured! These supplies were personally approved by the lord, and the quantity is absolutely sufficient! Not a single bit more! Why bother with all this trouble?"

Xu Da didn't even lift his eyelids, his abacus clicking away, and retorted without turning his head:

"What the lord approves must be taken seriously! When it comes to war, there can be no room for carelessness!"

He looked up and glared at the official:

"If we lose even a single bushel of grain, a brother on the front lines might go hungry; if we lose even a single arrow, a deadly enemy might escape! Only when our food supplies are secure can our morale be high, and only then can we win this battle!"

After three days, Xu Da had a clear understanding of how much grain was stored in the granaries, how many swords, spears, and arrows were in the armory, and how long they would last for the army.

Meanwhile, Li Ji was not idle either.

He teamed up with Xu Da and wrote a elaborate and flamboyant script to sow discord between Ma Teng and Han Sui.

They even know exactly when the two of them will fall out and what they will argue about.

The two selected a dozen or so spies who were tight-lipped and quick on their feet, and divided them into two groups.

Carrying two completely contradictory letters and a heavy load of gold and silver, he sneaked into Liangzhou overnight.

The letter to Ma Teng was written with such sincerity and openness, like a heartfelt chat with the older brother next door:

"General Ma Shoucheng, to your honor! Let me tell you the truth, that old bastard Han Sui is utterly despicable! He secretly sent an envoy to Chang'an long ago to make an agreement with my lord that once our army arrives, he'll join forces to eliminate you! Afterwards, he'll take the lion's share of Liangzhou, leaving you only a shabby county town to feed the beggars!"

"Back then... General, you better not get sold out and then happily help count the money!"

The letter to Han Sui took a different approach, sowing discord and specifically targeting his petty jealousy:

"General Han Wenyue, you are wise! That brat Ma Teng has long been secretly colluding with my lord! He said that as soon as our western expeditionary force arrives, he will open the gates and act as an inside agent, and afterwards he will take the entire position of Governor of Liang Province!"

"He hates you... General, you'd better be careful, lest you unwittingly become someone's stepping stone!"

Simply flattering the two bosses wasn't enough.

Xu Da and Li Ji also had their spies distribute gold and silver to the junior officers in Liangzhou, as well as the leaders of the Qiang and Hu tribes, spreading rumors everywhere:

"Ma Teng and Han Sui are betraying each other! They've both made a deal with the people of Chang'an to exchange each other's heads for wealth and power!"

"Following those two will lead nowhere! The army from Chang'an is coming soon! The Prince of Yan is providing us with grain and cloth, and he's even opening border markets so we can sell our horses! Isn't that better than following those two and fighting civil war every day?"

Within half a month, the entire Liangzhou was in complete chaos.

Han Sui was furious.

He was drinking with his men when he received the letter. After reading it, he smashed his wine bowl to pieces and pounded the table, cursing for a full hour in his tent.

He sprayed spittle all over the table as he said:

"That little brat Ma Shoucheng! I knew he couldn't be trusted..."

After finishing his tirade, he immediately added three more guard posts to his camp.

Even when he went out to use the restroom, he had to be accompanied by more than a dozen personal guards, who always carried knives with them.

One of his lieutenants asked cautiously:

"General, is this news reliable? Could it be that people in Chang'an are deliberately stirring things up?"

Han Sui glared at him and said:

"You know nothing! I know that kid Ma Teng all too well..."

The lieutenant dared not speak again.

......

Ma Teng wasn't much better off.

Upon receiving the letter, he immediately threw his riding whip to the ground and roared at his men:

"That old scoundrel Han Wenyue... I didn't even settle the score with him, and now he's trying to betray me!"

They immediately withdrew all the troops stationed at the border and kept a close watch on Han Sui's movements.

Even the envoys sent by Han Sui to discuss matters had to be searched three times and skinned twice before they dared to meet with him.

The messenger, almost in tears after being thoroughly searched, said:

"General Ma, I'm just a messenger; I have nothing on me!"

Ma Teng snorted coldly:

"You may not have it on your body, but you have it in your heart. Go back and tell Han Sui to stop trying to play tricks!"

The messenger slunk away.

...