Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

With great difficulty, the two were persuaded by their subordinates to sit down and discuss joining forces to fight the enemy.

The scene was utterly outrageous.

Ma Teng led about a hundred heavily armored personal guards, each with a bowstring drawn and a sword unsheathed, their eyes wide like copper bells, staring intently at Han Sui's men.

Han Sui was equally decisive, with a whole troop of cavalry lined up at the entrance of the camp, and even inside the tents stood several guards wielding axes.

It's like they've written "I don't trust you" all over their faces.

The two had barely sat down when they started arguing.

"Han Wenyue, do you dare say you didn't send an envoy to Chang'an?"

"Ma Shoucheng, how dare you ask me? Do you think I don't know you're secretly colluding with people in Chang'an?"

"Bah! You treacherous old bastard!"

"You heartless bastard!"

In the end, the two of them gripped the hilts of their knives at their waists.

If it weren't for his men desperately stopping him, they would have been stabbing each other in the tent right there and then.

The failed attempt to unite the troops brought their conflict to the forefront.

They parted on bad terms.

After returning to their respective camps, they stopped sending scouts into each other's defensive zones altogether.

They completely became each guarding their own territory, and no one cared about anyone else's life or death.

Just as Ma Teng and Han Sui were wary of each other and engaged in fierce infighting.

Xu Da and Li Ji in Chang'an had already made foolproof arrangements for food supplies, weapons, and escape routes.

At a single command, 20,000 cavalrymen steadily advanced westward.

They even split their forces, with each of them leading 10,000 men, forming a formidable duo.

Xu Da's main focus is on "Iron Turtle Possession".

The army moved slowly, but their formation was impenetrable.

The vanguard, central army, and rearguard were so tightly connected that not even a fly could get in.

Scouts were deployed over a distance of thirty miles.

They could even clearly report back to the central army camp how many rabbits ran through the woods.

We will not give our opponents the slightest opening.

Ma Teng couldn't swallow this insult.

I thought to myself, my Xiliang cavalry has roamed the world, how could you let us push us over so slowly?

(Qin Qiong: Cough cough cough...)

Ma Teng: Last time doesn't count...)

He immediately dispatched 5,000 of his most elite Xiliang cavalry, intending to launch a night raid on the grain supplies and give Xu Da a taste of his power.

As a result, the cavalry had only gotten ten miles away from the main army when they were caught red-handed by the scouts that Xu Da had sent out.

The news reached the central army in no time.

Xu Da received the news but remained completely calm.

He simply relayed the order:

"The cavalry on both flanks retreat to the sides, and the archers line up in front. Open the gap and let them in."

When the Xiliang cavalry charged over with howls, their minds were filled with thoughts of burning grain supplies and making great contributions.

When they were still two hundred paces away from the main army formation, a gong sounded from within the ranks...

Thousands of bows fired simultaneously!

The rain of arrows was so dense that even the sunlight couldn't get through!

The cavalrymen at the forefront were shot into pincushions on the spot, and fell to the ground along with their horses.

The cavalry behind couldn't stop and crashed into each other, causing chaos and disarray.

They had fought countless battles in their lives, but they had never seen such a dense rain of arrows or such a stable formation.

Forget about rushing in to seize the grain; the leading captain had barely shouted "Retreat!" when he was shot through the throat and killed instantly.

The remaining cavalrymen were terrified and turned to flee. They were then pursued and hacked down by the cavalry on both flanks led by Qin Qiong.

Of the five thousand people who went out, less than five hundred returned alive.

There wasn't even a trace of grain or provisions.

The defeated soldiers stumbled and crawled back to the camp, and when they cried to Ma Teng about their ordeal, Ma Teng's face turned pale.

The riding whip in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and he didn't utter a word for a long time.

...

Meanwhile, Li Ji, leading 10,000 elite cavalry, had already transformed into a "ghost demolition team" in Liangzhou.

He didn't confront Han Sui's main force head-on.

He led his men to wander around Han Sui's defense zone, targeting a elusive and disgusting individual.

Today, we raided Han Sui's granary and burned it to the ground.

Before leaving, they even planted Ma Teng's flag.

Tomorrow we'll rob Han Sui's grain transport team and take all the grain away.

The weapons were all marked with the insignia of Ma Teng's army.

The day after tomorrow, all the scouts Han Sui sent out will be beheaded, and their heads will be hung on trees.

There was also a note next to it that read "Presented by Ma Teng".

Han Sui received news every day that "the main camp had been raided" and "the supply lines had been cut off".

Upon examining the traces left at the scene, they were even more convinced that Ma Teng and the Western Expeditionary Army had joined forces to target him.

He was so angry that he would slam his fist on the table and curse every day in his tent, completely giving up any idea of ​​joining forces with Ma Teng.

They transferred all their elite troops back to guard against Ma Teng, and even when the Western Expeditionary Army was almost at his doorstep, they had no time to care.

...

In less than a month, Xu Da's army had swept into the heart of Liangzhou.

They successfully joined up with Li Ji's mobile forces.

The first strike was aimed at Han Sui, who was still arguing with Ma Teng.

Li Ji had long ago thoroughly investigated Han Sui's defenses.

They deliberately chose a battlefield where no one could survive, with a river on one side and mountains on the other.

There is only a river valley flat area that is more than ten miles wide in the middle.

Han Sui's proud Xiliang cavalry was most skilled at plains raids and flanking maneuvers.

But in this valley, there's simply no room to maneuver. Forget about going around to the back; even turning around is a struggle.

By the time Han Sui realized he was trapped in the valley, it was too late.

Xu Da and Qin Qiong led 10,000 elite cavalry to form an impenetrable fortress in the front of the valley.

Arrow towers and barricades were placed densely.

Meanwhile, Li Ji and Yuchi Gong's 10,000 elite cavalry had already circled around to the exit of the valley, completely blocking their retreat.

Not even a bird can fly out.

Han Sui's eyes reddened; he knew this was a battle to the death.

He led all his cavalry in a desperate charge against Xu Da's formation.

But his cavalry had only charged a few dozen steps when they were met with a deluge of arrows.

The cavalrymen in the front ranks fell in droves, and those behind them lost their footing, collided, and fell to the ground, crying out in despair.

He charged three times in a row, but each time he was shot down and lost his armor, never even touching the edge of the formation.

During his third charge, his warhorse was shot through the neck by an arrow and fell heavily to the ground.

He had just gotten up when Qin Qiong rushed up and lashed him across the face with a whip.

The guards rushed forward and tied him up tightly.

When he was brought before Xu Da and Li Ji, he was still shouting and cursing:

"Ma Teng, you treacherous scoundrel! I'll haunt you even in death!"

Li Ji smiled, squatted down, and patted his face.

His tone was full of mockery:

"General Han, stop cursing. Ma Teng has never joined forces with us."

He laughed even more heartily and said:

"To put it bluntly, it's just that petty grudge between you two. We just whispered a few words, and you've got yourself into a mess. In a way, you should thank us for helping you see the true colors of your sworn brother."

Han Sui froze on the spot.

His face turned as red as a pig's liver, and he almost fainted because he couldn't catch his breath.

He then realized that he had fallen into a trap set by others from the very beginning.

From beginning to end, they were completely controlled by others.

...

When the news that Han Sui's 60,000-strong main force had been completely wiped out in a single day and that he himself had been captured alive reached Ma Teng's ears, he was sitting in the main seat wiping his sword.