Han Xiang

Chapter 525 If I had known I would have left Gan Xingba behind

"But what?"

"Guan Yu is the captain of the northern part of Nanyang. Liu Xuande should not have transferred him to Guanzhong. It is not easy for Meng Qi to find him."

After Ma Teng finished speaking, he shook his head slightly. He knew that his son was very brave, but there was no need to challenge Guan Yu directly.

Moreover, he has no grudge against Liu Bei, let alone fighting against him.

Ma Chao didn't take it seriously. He asked Ying seriously and said:

"It doesn't matter if Guan Yu is not here. That Zhang Fei should be in Guanzhong. If I fight him first, I can guess that Guan Yu is better."

"Do you really want to go to Chang'an?"

Ma Teng stared at Ma Chao and confirmed repeatedly.

Ma Chao nodded solemnly, "Since the imperial court has issued an edict, it's unreasonable for my father not to send troops, and it's okay to let the child harass me a little bit. Besides, Liu Bei's occupation of Guanzhong is also a threat to us, and it must be lifted."

"Yeah okay"

"Thank you father."

Seeing Ma Teng stroking his beard in agreement, Ma Chao clasped his fists in excitement.

Ma Teng then raised three fingers and said: "The weather has turned cold now, and winter has already entered Guanzhong. I can't let the soldiers suffer at this time. I can give you three thousand cavalry at most."

"Three thousand is enough, and I'm not really going to attack the city." Ma Chao happily agreed.

Ma Teng nodded slightly and continued to give instructions: "Zhang Fei is also an enemy of ten thousand people. If Meng Qi finds that he is no match for him, don't be brave. Forget it, I will let Ling Ming go with you."

"Oh"

In the border area of ​​Liangzhou, Hu and Han were mixed and the situation was chaotic. Rebellions often occurred in the state and were suppressed repeatedly.

During the reign of Emperor Ling, the governor Geng disdained traitors, which intensified ethnic conflicts and led to a large-scale rebellion.

Ma Teng joined the army at this time. Unfortunately, Geng Bi was killed by his subordinates before the rebellion was put down. (187 years)
The governor was killed, and the officials and bandits each gathered their own troops to occupy the land. From then on, Liangzhou became a mess.

Soon after the death of Emperor Ling and Dong Zhuo's political chaos, the chief official of Liangzhou was vacant for 12 years. It was not until the fourth year of Jian'an (199) that the imperial court appointed Wei Duan as the shepherd of Liangzhou.

(Note: In 193, when the Han Dynasty presented the imperial capital to Chang'an, Zhong Shao was appointed as the governor of Liangzhou. Because he joined forces with Liu Fan and Ma Teng and Han Sui to attack Li Jue and Guo Si, he was ultimately defeated and killed. In 194, Zhong Shao was unable to take up the post. In the same year that he was killed, the four counties of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang in Liangzhou were separated and the new Yongzhou was established. Although half of Liangzhou was artificially removed, it did not change the chaotic situation in the northwest.)
When Wei Duan became the governor of the state, Liangzhou had already formed a structure with Ma Teng and Han Sui as the leaders and dozens of large and small warlords. Therefore, he could only act as a peacemaker. He was usually active in the counties where he governed, and he did not have the power to pacify the whole state. Ability and courage.

Ma Teng occupied Longxi and Han Sui occupied Jincheng. Although they were the strongest warlords in Liangzhou, they only had [-] to [-] troops under their command. The other warlords had thousands or more than [-] people. No one could easily annex the other, so Giving Ma Chao three thousand is not a small amount.

In the early winter of October, Ma Chao and Pang De led three thousand elite horses. They first left Longyou and then entered Hanyang. They passed through the mouth of Long Valley north of Jieting and drove straight into the land of Guanzhong.

Ma Chao was famous for his bravery in the northwest. He was in Wei Duan, the state pastor of Hanyang County (Tianshui), when he saw the Longyou cavalry passing by. He knew that the enemy's destination must be Chang'an. Instead of sending troops to stop them, he asked officials along the way to provide supplies.

Because Cao Cao's envoy not only went to Longyou and Jincheng, but also went to Hanyang to find Wei Duan and asked him to help deal with Liu Bei.

During the six months since Liu Bei occupied Chang'an, he began to control the counties and villages in Guanzhong one after another. However, due to the rush of time, he temporarily controlled the entire Jingzhao area, the southern part of Fengyi on the left, and a small amount of Fufeng on the right.

Zhuge Liang's intention was obvious. When he first arrived, he needed to be cautious. The stalls were too big to take care of, but he had to ensure the safety of Tongguan first. So when they learned that Ma Chao was in Xi County, both Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei were surprised.Liu Bei brought [-] troops to Chang'an, mainly members of the Yongshen family. Since they had garrisons in various counties in Guanzhong, there were only [-] troops left in Chang'an, and most of them were infantry.

Although Ma Chao's soldiers are not many, they are all cavalry who come and go like the wind. If guerrilla warfare is used against Guanzhong, Liu Bei is worried that the people who have just gained peace will suffer from the flames of war.

From the last years of Emperor Ling to the present, the rulers of the Sanfu area have been changed more frequently than in other places. A large number of people have moved out and there are not many left. If they are ravaged by Ma Chao's cavalry again, even if the entire Guanzhong is occupied, they will be empty shells.

Thinking of these troubles, Liu Bei had no choice but to pay attention to Ma Chao and hurriedly found Zhuge Liang for discussion.

"Ma Chao's cavalry has arrived in Yi County and will probably arrive in Chang'an in a few days. How do you think the military advisor will respond?"

"It's winter now. Ma Chao has come from afar and is short of supplies. There will be looting wherever he passes. Fortunately, these places are not taken over, otherwise they will harm the people in the jurisdiction. The lord should take the initiative and lead troops to Huaili to defend against the enemy."

"What the military advisor said is exactly what I want."

Regarding Zhuge Liang's analysis, Liu Bei nodded repeatedly, and then said worriedly: "Ma Chao must be fighting for Cao Cao, and he brings all cavalry. I'm worried that he will bypass Huaili and go directly to plunder Jingzhao. That's a little tricky"

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly: "The generals in Liangzhou have their own troops. Although they show friendship with Cao Cao, they may not be willing to work for Cao Cao. Ma Chao must be testing us here. I don't think he will go deep alone. If there is no place for the winter fodder for the war horses, If we don’t have enough supplies, we might be trapped in Guanzhong.”

Liu Bei nodded and asked: "The military advisor speculates that Ma Chao will come to test, will there be a next time?"

"It's hard to say. It depends on how well Ma Chao tests us. If he thinks we don't have the strength, we still don't know how to unite all the generals together." Zhuge Liang said with a solemn expression.

Liu Bei frowned immediately after hearing this, and said to himself with a serious face:

"Then we must give him a blow."

"I heard that Ma Chao is very brave, so my lord and I went to Huaili to defend against the enemy."

As soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Liu Bei asked curiously: "In that case, should we call Yide back?"

"Yide is guarding the important area of ​​Tongguan. Who can be used to replace him when he is transferred back? I'm afraid none of the generals in Chang'an are suitable. Don't forget that Cao Xiu is in Hongnong." Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly.

"If I had known earlier, I would have kept Gan Xingba."

Not long after Liu Bei captured Tongguan, at Zhuge Liang's suggestion, he transferred Gan Ning back to Liu Qi to train his navy to prepare for the war against Zhang Lu.

Zhuge Liang smiled and joked: "There is no general in charge of Xicheng. My lord must send a helper to Ziyang, otherwise it will be difficult to contain him at the Han River."

"That's what I said, right"

Liu Bei suddenly had an idea and asked whimsically: "Last month, Wei Wenchang came from Nanyang. He seems to be quite brave. Let him temporarily replace Yide?"

"Wei Yan?"

Zhuge Liang couldn't help being stunned when he heard this. A man similar to Guan Yu appeared in an instant, and then tactfully advised: "Since this person can be recognized by Yun Chang, he must be good at martial arts. He is just here to join Riqian. Taking up an important position may make others dissatisfied."

"It makes sense."

Liu Bei nodded and asked again: "How about I let Jun Yi (Shiren) take the lead and Wen Chang (Wei Yan) as the assistant?"

(End of this chapter)