The dawn was breaking, a faint hint of light piercing the gloom, and Ma Chao's tone was unusually stern.
He gazed at the sky with a complex expression, sensing… the night turning from dark to light, from blurry to clear, and how all the filth was being washed away in this moment.
"What's wrong with Mengqi?"
Han Sui noticed Ma Chao's troubled mood and quickly asked.
"Heh…" Ma Chao sneered, "Uncle Han and my father were truly sworn brothers!"
This…
Han Sui felt the atmosphere was a bit odd, but he still replied, "Mengqi, I've known your father for decades, we swore brotherhood. His pain, the suffering he endured, I feel it too!"
"Is that so?" Ma Chao smiled again…
But this time, his smile carried a hint of mockery, as if he, who was originally "treated like a monkey," could now be the one playing the monkey trainer.
Who was being kept in the dark, no one knew yet.
Ma Chao raised his head, gazing towards the sky.
"Uncle Han… dawn has broken! What lurks beneath the dark curtain… will eventually be exposed by the sun. It's all over!"
This…
Instantly, Han Sui felt an ominous premonition.
He deliberately took a step back, retreating behind Liang Xing, Ma Wan, and Yang Qiu…
The subordinates of these three generals had gone to attack the Long Xiao Camp, but as their commanders, they were all here in the rear, coordinating. They were all greatly surprised. How could it be that today… in a situation of great advantage, Ma Chao, Ma Mengqi, was acting so out of character!
Just as he was about to ask, at that very moment.
"Han Wen Yue, do you still recognize me?"
A low yet vigorous voice sounded from behind Han Sui…
It was precisely this voice…
Han Sui shivered all over, as if he had heard "a ghost knocking at the door." He quickly turned around, only to find… supported by Ma Yun Lu and Pang De, a middle-aged man was looking at him, his eyes piercing.
And this middle-aged man… Han Sui was not unfamiliar with him at all. He… wasn't this Ma Teng, Ma Shoucheng?
"Shou… Shoucheng, my sworn brother!"
He spoke out instinctively…
Only…
"Haha, spare me the title of 'sworn brother.'" Ma Teng appeared quite impolite. He waved his sleeve, "I can't accept being called your sworn brother. You wanted to kill me, didn't you? Now I'm right in front of you, why don't you make your move!"
This…
At this moment, Han Sui's pupils were filled with terror.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his entire back was drenched…
Ma Teng was not dead.
And… he… he seemed to know everything.
This…
This…
"Shoucheng, it's a misunderstanding… I think you… you must have misunderstood me!"
"Don't listen to the words of those petty scoundrels. I… I thought you were harmed by that Cao Cao, which is why… which is why I gathered the brothers of Xiliang to… to avenge you!"
Heh heh…
Han Sui's words made Ma Teng laugh… a laugh filled with grief and desolation.
"You are my sworn elder brother, using my supposed murder… to incite hatred between Xiliang and Great Wei, and then… to satisfy your own selfish desires. Heh heh… Elder Brother, my good Elder Brother!"
Ma Teng's words were almost syllable by syllable. His eyes were wide with fury, and his gaze seemed to unleash a fire capable of burning everything to ashes.
Han Sui knew…
The matter had been exposed, and there was no room for turning back.
He might as well stop hiding it.
"Since you know everything, hmph, then I'll tell you." Han Sui glared angrily at Ma Teng, at Ma Chao… "This entire plan was indeed my scheme. I wanted to use your death to reignite the hatred between Guanzhong and Guanzhong, but do you know… why I did it?"
Han Sui straightened his back, his expression fearsome, but his tone was extremely serious.
"Have you ever thought about why, for so many years, our generals from Longxi have not been favored by the court? What is inferior about our Longxi military families compared to those aristocratic families from Guandong? Why is it that they monopolize the entire officialdom, the bureaucracy, and all resources of the Great Han, while we Longxi people are treated as frontier soldiers who are suppressed!"
Hearing this, Ma Chao drew his sword. "Father, there's no need to listen to this scoundrel's nonsense. Let your son take his head!"
As he spoke, Ma Chao was about to strike.
"Mengqi!"
Unexpectedly, Ma Teng called out to stop Ma Chao's action. "Let him speak, let him speak…"
Ma Teng's eyes gradually narrowed. He desperately wanted to know what… could drive Han Sui to the point of killing his sworn brother and committing such a heinous act!
"Heh heh… Shoucheng, you are a descendant of General Fubo, Ma Yuan! You are a descendant of the Longxi military families!"
Han Sui sneered and continued, "Before Emperor Guangwu, our frontier generals also shone brightly, but Wang Mang usurped the Han, and Emperor Guangwu's restoration relied on the support of the powerful families of Nanyang and Hebei. From then on, the Great Han court was dominated by people from Guandong! It had nothing to do with us Longxi people!"
"The Guandong powerful families united with Confucianism, using the so-called divine mandate of heaven… allowing them to slowly develop into aristocratic families that monopolized the court. They have long held the military and political power of the Han dynasties, but we… we frontier warriors can only be discriminated against and suppressed as frontier soldiers… Guandong produces ministers, Xiliang produces generals, what utter nonsense about Xiliang producing generals!"
"That's because these Guandong clans treat us like dogs, making us guard the frontiers for them. Making our blood satisfy their decadent luxuries!"
Indeed…
After Emperor Guangwu's restoration, in addition to the existing social contradictions, the Great Han also had the irreconcilable conflict between the "Longxi Military Group" and the "Guandong Scholars."
And the breaking point of this conflict was Dong Zhuo…
How could these Longxi generals, who had been bullied by Guandong scholars for so long, when they saw Dong Zhuo, who had a similar background but held the hope of wielding great power, not wholeheartedly support him?
How could they not follow him, charge into Luoyang, and how could they look favorably upon those Guandong clans!
Dong Zhuo's deposition of Emperor Shao Liu Bian was intended to intimidate the Guandong scholars;
The eighteen lords who marched against Dong Zhuo was not so much a rebellion against Dong Zhuo's act of deposing the emperor, but rather… the united resistance of the Guandong aristocratic families against the Longxi people!
"Haha." Han Sui recounted the cause and effect in detail, and then he laughed. "People say Dong Zhongying is a traitor, but I think he is the hero of our Longxi, the beginning of our Longxi people's resistance against this injustice, resistance against the monopoly of officialdom by aristocratic families. Hmph, Shoucheng, you attached yourself to Cao Cao… servilely acting as a dog of Wei, but I, Han Sui, and the tens of thousands of sons and daughters of Longxi were not born to be dogs of Guandong. Why can't we be wolves?"
"Hmph, Shoucheng… have you ever considered whether the future of Longxi is to be a dog loyal to its master? Or a wolf that inspires fear? Have you forgotten? How much bullying have we endured over the years, how much bullying? Just because we are from Longxi, because we are born humble! Officials from the frontier cannot enter the capital without a decree. Frontier troops cannot approach the emperor within a hundred paces. The Confucian scholars set this rule, and we Longxi people are humble!"
"Shoucheng, you are truly amazing. You married your daughter to the Marquis of Nanshou, and you obtained a high position among the Nine Ministers. Everyone respects you, but what about Guanzhong? What about Longxi? What a broken place! I… I want to go east, step by step, step by step, step by step, step by step, step by step. I want to kill all of Xu Du city, I want to depose this puppet emperor, I want to be the second Dong Zhuo! A Dong Zhuo who strikes fear into the hearts of Guandong people!"
Han Sui's voice grew louder and louder, more resonant with each word…
By the end, the phrase "a Dong Zhuo who strikes fear into the hearts of people" reverberated through the heavens.
At this moment, not only Ma Teng, but even Ma Chao and Ma Yun Lu… Pang De… and even Liang Xing, Ma Wan, Yang Qiu were somewhat moved.
Han Sui's voice continued, but it lowered considerably.
"I, Han Sui, have no dream of changing the heavens and earth… I simply don't want the people of Longxi to be bullied by the people of Guandong anymore. That's my only thought, even if it means using your life to reignite the war between Xiliang and Guandong, I… I will never regret it! I can't stand it anymore, the people of Longxi should not be oppressed, the people of Longxi should stand up!"
Speaking of which…
Han Sui's tone had become somewhat frenzied.
"I want to be Dong Zhuo, a Dong Zhuo who strikes fear into the hearts of all Guandong people! I want to be someone who is below one person and above ten thousand people, a Dong Zhuo…"
Drip, drip, drip…
Han Sui's eyes were already filled with tears.
At this moment, his words could be considered heartfelt!
And after these words, Liang Xing, Ma Wan, and Yang Qiu all stepped forward and drew their sabers.
"Mengqi, if you want to move General Han, then you'll have to step over our corpses!"
Liang Xing said first.
Facing the "Golden Ma Chao" of Xiliang, Ma Wan was somewhat fearful, but he still brandished his sword. "The people of Longxi have had enough. What the people of Longxi anticipate most is for another Dong Zhuo to emerge! General Han, I… I will follow you!"
Yang Qiu did not speak, but narrowed his eyes… and stared intently at Ma Chao and Ma Teng before him.
He knew that at such close proximity, no one could stop Ma Chao.
"Father…"
Ma Chao sought Ma Teng's permission.
Ma Teng narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long time…
Finally, he murmured four words – "Spare his life!"
"Yes!" Ma Chao replied and immediately thrust his sword forward. In an instant, blades clashed like thunder and lightning… in a flash, he took the lives of Liang Xing, Ma Wan, and Yang Qiu.
Han Sui raised his saber to block, but as sword met blade, in just one move, his left hand was severed by Ma Chao's sword…
"Ah…"
With a cry of pain, Han Sui fell to the ground.
The commotion here had attracted more people, but… Ma Chao had made arrangements in advance, and all of Han Sui's personal guards had already been killed on the spot!
Fast…
The entire operation was swift and decisive. Ma Chao's swordsmanship was so high that it was dazzling.
The "Wei Lue" recorded an anecdote about Ma Chao fighting Yan Xing, Han Sui's son-in-law. When Yan Xing attacked Ma Chao with a long spear, Ma Chao used the "Chu Fa" (Hand-Striking Method) and severed the tip of Yan Xing's spear with one sword!
It mentioned that Ma Chao's "Chu Fa" was recorded in books such as "Chou Hai Tu Bian," "Jiangnan Jing Lue," and "Zhen Ji."
The Ming Dynasty military manual on training and combat, "Zhen Ji," recorded:
"When using a sword, there are techniques. There are sword scriptures, and there are sword masters, so they are unfathomable. There are dozens of schools. Only Bian Zhuang's Winding Technique, Wang Ju's Rising and Falling Technique, Master Liu's Gu Ying Technique, Ma Ming Wang's Lightning Technique, and Ma Chao's Chu Fa are the five schools whose sword arts might be passed down."
Among them… Ma Chao's "Chu Fa" was unique and stood out as a distinct existence in later swordsmanship.
"Ah… ah…"
While Han Sui was still groaning here…
On the other side, Ma Chao cupped his hands towards Ma Teng. "Father, why spare the life of this traitor?"
Ma Teng gazed deeply at Han Sui, then turned to look at Ma Yun Lu. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but finally closed it!
In fact…
He wanted to say that he wanted this sworn brother to witness firsthand, under Lu Zi Yu's leadership, the future of Great Wei…
— Guandong aristocratic families would no longer monopolize the officialdom!
— Longxi warriors would also have the opportunity… to ascend to the ranks of the highest officials!
If it were anyone else… perhaps this would forever be a fantasy!
But… if it were Lu Zi Yu, perhaps… no… it was certain that such a day would come!
His future son-in-law, Ma Teng, was always full of "surprises."
…
…
The dawn was breaking, vast yellow sands stretched across the boundless desert.
Countless people were locked in a fierce battle. The Long Xiao Cavalry, their eyes red with the thrill of combat, charged through the enemy formations in small squads, securing victory after victory in this battle of overwhelming odds.
The Xiliang army clearly realized that the charge speed of this Long Xiao Cavalry was gradually slowing down. They wore heavy armor, and each charge was a drain on their warhorses. If they could just hold on a little longer, they would surely reach the point of "a spent force."
As time wore on…
Although the casualties of the Long Xiao Camp were "insignificant" compared to the casualties of the Xiliang army.
Yet… the situation was developing in an unfavorable direction!
This made every general in the Long Xiao Camp grit their teeth… were they really going to be worn down and killed here?
On a sand dune.
Lu Yu stood with Ju Shou, Guo Jia, Cao Chong, and others, observing the battlefield.
Lu Yu stood alone at the forefront, and it was clear that he was also tense in this battle.
Ju Shou sighed, "This way of fighting is not sustainable! The enemy can use a war of attrition to constantly wear down the Long Xiao Cavalry, but the stamina of the Long Xiao Cavalry can last for two hours, three hours, but… can it last for a whole day?"
Yes…
Fighting like this, even iron men couldn't endure it.
"Master Lu…"
At this moment, Cao Chong murmured.
Cao Chong's reminder prompted everyone to look at Lu Yu, who was not far ahead. They frowned and paused, as if nothing was amiss…
"Young Master Chong? Have you noticed something?" Ju Shou asked Cao Chong.
"Master Lu seems to be waiting for something…" Cao Chong said…
This…
Everyone looked at Lu Yu again.
With this second glance, they saw that Lu Yu's previously extremely serious mouth had curved up significantly, becoming more relaxed…
"Haha…"
They even heard Lu Yu laugh.
And following Lu Yu's gaze, they saw… the billowing dust not far away.
That's right, behind the Xiliang iron cavalry, a cavalry force of fifty thousand men appeared, densely packed. Countless banners fluttered in the wind, and the large character "Ma" on the banners had already informed this battlefield that Ma Chao had led his elite cavalry into the fray!
"Ma Chao?" Ju Shou's expression turned cold…
He was not unfamiliar with the title of the Golden Ma Chao of Xiliang.
If… the Long Xiao Camp were to be charged by Ma Chao at this time, it was highly likely…
Just as he thought of this…
Ma Chao's cavalry force, swift as lightning, had already arrived…
Ju Shou's heart leaped into his throat!
But…
In just an instant, Ju Shou's pupils widened, and he looked at the battlefield with utter disbelief.
That's not right…
What were Ma Chao and his cavalry doing…
This…
It seemed… they were about to burst the small yellow flower that was the original Xiliang cavalry!
…
…