Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1104 Father and Son
Ma Chao looked at the wide-open gate of Yecheng in front of him, and couldn't help but look back at the neatly-lined Xiliang cavalry behind him, but his hand holding the reins did not move at all.

When Ma Teng led his troops to rescue Xu Du, he also brought 20,000 cavalry into the city, which was exactly the same number of cavalry behind him now.

However, Ma Teng died in the city.

Although Ma Chao gained a lot from this, it is impossible to say that he would not think too much when a similar situation happened to him.

Seeing that Ma Chao was hesitant to move forward, the deputy generals behind him could only follow Ma Chao obediently. The Cao army defenders on the top of the city were whispering, as if they could not understand why the reinforcements were taking so long to enter the city.

Yu Jin, who was standing on the top of the city wall, saw this and said to Xiahou Yuan, "Does the other party have some reservations, or do they think that we are not polite enough by not going out to greet them?"

"How about I go out of town to meet you?"

Xiahou Yuan shook his head and said, "Since you haven't told us to do anything, it's better not to do anything unnecessary."

"Otherwise, if something unexpected happens and we fail to respond promptly, we will be blamed."

After hearing this, Yu Jin had to be patient and wait and see Ma Chao's reaction outside the city.

Ma Chao raised his head and looked towards the top of the city wall, where his eyes met those of Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin. He saw some mockery in the other's eyes, and became angry. He raised his hand slightly and was about to ride his horse into the city.

At this time, Pang De's voice rang out from behind him, "General, why don't we go into the city first and meet Cao's army?"

Ma Chao thought about it, then nodded and said, "Okay, you..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves and the footsteps of soldiers could be heard coming from the avenue behind the city gate.

Ma Chao couldn't help but become a little nervous, but a moment later, dozens of war horses came out from the city gate, and the one riding on the front was Cao Cao.

The rest were Cao Cao's close generals and officials.

Seeing Cao Cao coming towards him, Ma Chao finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly rode his horse to meet him.

Until this moment, Ma Chao felt relieved. He naturally did not want to fall out with Cao Cao. It was not that he was afraid of Cao Cao. On the contrary, Ma Chao was very confident. Not to mention that even if he retreated to Liang Province, no one could stop him. Even in Ji Province, he had 20,000 cavalry and could come and go as he pleased.

What Ma Chao was afraid of was that if he broke with Cao Cao, all the titles and official positions he had previously obtained would be lost. Without the title of the emperor's appointment, Ma Chao would lose the position of general that he had always dreamed of and paid a huge price to obtain, and even the title of the head of the Ma family.

This meant that all of Ma Chao's efforts over the years had become a joke. The loss was too great for him and he could not accept it.

Now that Cao Cao had come out to greet him personally, Ma Chao finally felt reassured. He immediately forced a smile and galloped towards Cao Cao. When he was still a few dozen steps away, he dismounted, bowed and said, "General Ma Chao, I pay my respects to the King of Wei!"

Cao Cao rode his horse to Ma Chao's front, dismounted, helped Ma Chao up, and said with a smile: "Mengqi, you came at the right time. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Ma Chao said hurriedly, "I heard that the King of Wei had an imperial edict, so I rushed here from Sili day and night. I didn't dare to delay for a moment, and brought 20,000 Xiliang cavalry with me, ready to obey orders at any time!"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Meng Qi is devoted to the country, which deeply touched me. I saw Meng Qi's loyalty and I remember it in my heart."

"Meng Qi is not my biological son, but he is better than my biological son."

"If I hadn't heard that Meng Qi had already accepted Han Sui as his adoptive father, I would have definitely adopted Meng Qi as my adopted son."

Ma Chao's face changed several times after hearing this, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, this rumor may not be true. Chao only addressed you like this to show respect because of our old friendship, but there is actually no such relationship."

Among the people behind Cao Cao, Yang Xiu almost couldn't help laughing out loud. As a subordinate of Cao Cao, he naturally knew a lot of inside information. Some days ago, when Ma Teng was arrested for a crime and died in prison, the news reached Ma Chao in Liang Province.

Ma Chao subconsciously felt that Cao Cao was going to take action against the Ma family. Since he was able to kill Ma Teng directly, he had obviously been prepared for it, so he was fearless. Doesn't this mean that Liang Province has been infiltrated by Cao Cao and he is in danger?
Under the effect of this ever-present psychological state, Ma Chaoyue became confused. After much thought, he finally found Han Sui and wanted to win him over to his side.

Ma Chao said to Han Sui, "Now that I have abandoned my father and regard you as my father, you should also abandon your son and regard me as your son.

Although Han Sui did not agree on the spot, he still comforted Ma Chao, saying that Liang Province was one and he would never fall out with Ma Chao.

Ma Chao didn't know that Han Sui had defected to Cao Cao many years ago, so he turned around and wrote the whole incident in a secret letter and reported it to Cao Cao.

As Cao Cao's chief clerk, Yang Xiu naturally had access to these documents. When he saw the secret letter, he couldn't help laughing, because Ma Teng and Han Sui had attacked each other several years ago, and Han Sui had killed Ma Teng's wives, including Ma Chao's mother.

And now Ma Chao has abandoned his father and mother and acknowledged Han Sui as his father. Wouldn't that make Yang Xiu laugh out loud?

What made Yang Xiu laugh even more was that Cao Cao might have just mentioned it casually, but Ma Chao took advantage of the situation and not only did he not admit his relationship with Han Sui, but he also wanted to get closer to Cao Cao. Didn't he know that Ma Teng was also killed by Cao Cao?

Cao Cao sighed, "I know Mengqi's intentions. Your father's case was framed by someone, Zhongde was also deceived, and the troublemaker was executed by me, but it was indeed unfair to Mengqi. If Mengqi is willing, I am willing to treat him as my son." Ma Chao heard this and bowed immediately, "If you don't mind, Chao is willing to be your adoptive father!"

Cao Cao did not expect Ma Chao to respond so quickly. He was stunned for a moment, then he made a prompt decision and said, "Okay!"

"With Mengqi as an adopted son, why should the world be in turmoil?"

"Today you and I are father and son, working together to pacify the world and build a legacy that will last forever!"

Ma Chao was very excited. This was definitely a rebellion. Although he would definitely not be able to become the crown prince, as long as he made great achievements, he would have no problem being crowned king. Then, he could use Liang Province as his base and run his business. Who knew what would happen in the future?

He immediately knelt down on both knees, kowtowed heavily and said: "Foster father, please accept my respect!"

Cao Cao laughed and pulled Ma Chao up. The two of them mounted their horses and walked side by side into the city, with everyone following behind on horseback.

Pang De wanted to follow him, but he saw that Ma Chao never turned back to give orders, so he could only stop and watch Ma Chao enter the city alone.

Cao Cao led Ma Chao to his official residence. While introducing the prosperity of Yecheng, he smiled and said to Ma Chao: "Mengqi, how does this largest city in the Central Plains compare to Liangzhou?"

Ma Chao said hurriedly: "Liangzhou is remote and the city is dilapidated. Naturally, it is far inferior to Yecheng."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "How do the women who come and go compare to those in Liangzhou?"

Ma Chao looked at the carriages and horses passing by on the street. The ladies of the noble families were dressed in bright clothes and talked and laughed happily. Although most of the women of the common people wore thorny hairpins and cloth skirts, their looks and temperament were different from those of the women in Liangzhou. He said, "The atmosphere and appearance of the women in the Central Plains are much better than those in Liangzhou."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Since Mengqi is interested, I will send you some beautiful women tonight."

Ma Chao hurriedly thanked him, and then heard Cao Cao say: "Although Yecheng is big, my foundation is still in Xudu, so after this battle, I will leave."

"Before, Yuan Rang was in charge of Yecheng's defense. Although he did a good job, it was inconvenient for him to face the enemy in battle because of his eyes. So if I can take over Jizhou after the war, the position of Jizhou Mu is still missing someone."

"Who can take on this important task depends on military achievements. I am very optimistic about Meng Qi's Xiliang cavalry. I hope Meng Qi will not let me down."

Ma Chao was very excited and said in a trembling voice: "My foster father has entrusted me with this. I will go through fire and water and will not refuse even if I die!"

He naturally knew what was good and what was bad. As the largest city in Guandong, Yecheng's wealth was unmatched by any other city in Liangzhou.

Although Yecheng had suffered a water attack when Cao Cao sieged the city several years ago, and most of the people in the city were killed or injured, after Cao Cao gained control of the four counties of Jizhou, he relocated people from all directions and repaired the city. Jizhou had a large population, and Yecheng recovered 70% to 80% of its previous prosperity in a short period of time.

In Ma Chao's opinion, Jizhou, a prosperous place in the Central Plains with a population of millions, is countless times better than Liangzhou. Moreover, Ma Chao has long been tired of the years of fighting among the warlords in Liangzhou. How could it be as comfortable as Jizhou?
Cao Cao was very pleased to see Ma Chao act so sensibly, and immediately said, "It's a pity that the fierce tiger still occupies the three counties. Those three counties are as prosperous as Wei County."

"Although I attacked several times, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry focused on attacking, but they were not as flexible as the Youzhou Cavalry, and I was unable to capture the enemy's main force."

"Now that Mengqi has come to my aid, I will have the spare energy to destroy the people's livelihood in the three counties. Can Mengqi do it?"

Ma Chao heard this and immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, foster father. The Xiliang cavalry is known for its speed. When I was in Sili, I was able to defeat the fierce tiger army and force them to retreat to the Black Mountain for defense. I can do the same in Jizhou!"

"Back then, he used his tricks to make me suffer a small loss. Now it's time for me to get my money back with interest!"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Good!"

"Before the war, it is extremely important to harass the enemy's hinterland and dampen their arrogance. This is left to Meng Qi!"

"I grant Meng Qi the power to attack Xionghu's cities, towns and villages on his own. All the wealth and women he plunders will belong to Meng Qi!"

Ma Chao was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, foster father. I will immediately mobilize the troops and destroy the fierce tiger villages and towns, making them unable to sleep or eat in peace!"

A few days later, Ma Chao led his troops out of Yecheng, divided the troops into several groups, and began to approach the three counties occupied by Yuan Xi from several directions.

Most of Yuan Xi's troops were defending in the city, with very few troops stationed in small and medium-sized cities, not to mention ordinary villages and towns. Ma Chao deliberately avoided cities with walls and attacked unprotected villages and towns, looting food and women. For a time, all places were in a state of emergency.

The Yuan Xi army that was responsible for staying behind was unable to stop the Liangzhou cavalry that came and went like the wind. Several cities could not help but send reinforcements, but could not find any trace of the enemy. Instead, they were ambushed by the Western Liang cavalry and suffered heavy losses.

Chunyu Qiong, who was temporarily in charge of the defense of the three counties, saw that there was no solution, so he quickly sent a letter to Jicheng for help.

After receiving the letter, Yuan Xi saw that in just a dozen days, tens of thousands of civilians in the three counties were killed or injured, and thousands of women were abducted. He couldn't help but feel angry, and summoned his advisers to discuss countermeasures.

(End of this chapter)