Ji Han Liu Zhang

Changan.

Ma Chao, the Fu Bo Zhonglang Jiang, has had some free time lately. The reason for this is that Longyou is stable, Hexi is peaceful, and there have been no large-scale wars in Guanxi.

In Guanxi today, except for a few Qiang and Hu tribes in Longyou who are still rebellious and ignorant of the times, the situation in other places seems to be the same as before the chaos.

As a result, Ma Chao, as a general, had no place to use his talents. He could only study martial arts, discipline his soldiers, and quietly wait for the future war. After all, Guandong was not settled, and future wars were inevitable.

At that moment, Ma Chao came to the official residence in Chang'an and chatted with several officers in Chang'an. Soon, he learned about the war that was taking place in Hedong.

After thinking for a while, Ma Chao said goodbye to the generals and officers, and left the place with his sister Ma Shu, who had come with him to get some fresh air, and came to the courtyard of the official residence.

After arriving at the courtyard, Ma Chao looked at the lush vegetation in the garden and sent a servant to call Ma Dai, who was on duty as guard at the official residence, to come and see him.

Soon, Ma Dai arrived at the courtyard. After seeing Ma Chao and Ma Shu from a distance, Ma Dai quickly stepped forward, picked up Ma Shu who was running towards him, and said with a smile: "Shu'er has grown a lot taller. Look, the tip of her nose is pretty. You can tell at first glance that she is a beauty. I wonder how beautiful she will be in the future."

After teasing Ma Shu for a while, Ma Dai held Ma Shu and came close to Ma Chao, calling out to Ma Chao, "Brother." As he spoke, Ma Dai put Ma Shu down and let Ma Shu play in the yard by herself. He knew that Ma Chao had called him here to discuss something with him, and it was not convenient for a little kid like Ma Shu to hear it.

"My lord, are you planning to conquer Hedong?" Ma Chao asked bluntly as he watched Ma Shu jumping and chasing butterflies in the courtyard.

"Yes." Ma Dai nodded. The officers and soldiers were all aware of the expedition to Hedong, so he might as well reveal the news to Ma Chao, but there was no need to hide anything: "Hedong is an important place, we can't let the Yuan family take it away."

Seeing the affirmation of Ma Dai, the captain of the personal army, Ma Chao raised the probability of conquering Hedong from 70% to 100%: "Years of war have left the treasury empty. I think you should wait until after the summer harvest before sending out the troops." Ma Chao continued to ask about the specific time of the expedition.

Ma Dai nodded. "After the summer harvest, the grain and grass will be stored in the warehouse. Then we will draw grain and grass from Shu to be used in the war against Hedong. It is estimated that it will be about a month after the summer harvest. By then, we will not have to worry about the shortage of grain and grass when we send troops."

"I wonder if I can get a vanguard position and make some meritorious service, so as to glorify my Fufeng Ma family." Ma Chao's eyes lit up, and he expressed his hope. He hoped to take part in the upcoming war in Hedong.

After saying this, Ma Chao seemed to have thought of something, and he inquired: "This time, the expedition to Hedong will be led by you, right?" Since Liu Zhang always went to the battlefield in person, Ma Chao deduced that Liu Zhang would undoubtedly be the commander-in-chief of this expedition to Hedong.

Ma Dai shook his head and said ambiguously: "It's hard to say."

"It's hard to say?" Ma Chao repeated, and this time he was asking Ma Dai questions.

"Well, it's hard to say." Ma Dai affirmed: "My Lord may not go to Hedong in person this time, but send a general. After all, the one who is invading Hedong now is Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan. If my Lord goes there in person, it would be too cheap."

"Send a general." Ma Chao leaned on the fence near the courtyard pond with both hands. He frowned as he looked at the lotus pond. After thinking for a while, he came up with an answer: "If you don't plan to go in person, the general to be chosen should be one of Gan Ning and Zhang Ren."

"Eighty percent of them are." Ma Dai took a few steps forward, standing at the same level as Ma Chao, and together they admired the scenery of the official residence. "Originally, the best candidate would be to choose one between Huang Quan and Wu Yi, but Huang Quan is stationed in Hanzhong, and Wu Yi is guarding Hexi. They are both in important places and cannot leave easily. So we should choose one of the veteran generals Gan Ning and Zhang Ren to be the supervisor and lead a few officers to Hedong."

"Yes." Ma Chao nodded repeatedly after listening to Ma Dai's analysis. When Ma Dai finished speaking, Ma Chao sighed, "It's a pity that you and I have served under your command for too short a time, and we are surrendered people from Liangzhou, so we don't have the opportunity to lead troops alone."

Ma Dai's expression darkened, as his brother Ma Chao's words were like a knife stabbing into his heart. In this world, people from Guandong looked down on people from Guanxi, believing that most of them were warriors and extremely rude.

Among the people of Guanxi, the people of Guanzhong looked down on the people of Liangzhou, believing that Liangzhou was a mixture of Chinese and foreigners and that the people of Liangzhou had lost the habits and morals of the Han people. The people of Liangzhou could be said to be the lowest class of the evil in the Han area and suffered from harsh criticism and ridicule from others.

Therefore, Ma Dai did not refute Ma Chao's words of self-deprecation, but felt the same way. However, considering the current situation, Ma Dai still refuted: "Your Excellency is not that kind of despicable person. You only employ people based on their talents. Just like me, I am in charge of the personal guards as a surrendered person. This shows that your Excellency has no intention of despising Liangzhou."

"Your Excellency is an extraordinary person, different from ordinary people." Ma Chao responded.

Just as Ma Chao and Ma Dai were talking, Ma Shu came up to them in quick steps, raised her hand high to signal them, and in her hand was a colorful butterfly, the butterfly's wings were clamped in Ma Shu's hand, and it could not escape.

"My little sister has good skills, she is worthy of being my daughter." Ma Dai praised. He has always liked this little sister and almost regarded her as his own sister.

Ma Chao on the side was also smiling. Since the death of his father Ma Teng and his younger brother Ma Tie Ma Xiu, he had been burdened with the great wish of reviving the Fufeng Ma family. He rarely smiled and would only be cheerful when he saw Ma Shu.

At this moment, the sound of a bamboo stick falling was heard at the bend of the courtyard path. Ma Chao and Ma Dai looked up, wanting to know who was coming. Soon, they saw the person's figure and face clearly.

"Mr. Dong."

"Mr. Dong."

Ma Chao and Ma Dai straightened their appearance, stepped forward quickly, and bowed to greet the visitor.

The reason why Ma Chao and Ma Dai were so serious was that the visitor was Dong Fu, the governor of Yizhou. Dong Fu was known as a great scholar in Yizhou and had a great reputation in the world. He was also a master of prophecies and divination who said "Yizhou has the aura of an emperor".

Ma Chao and Ma Dai did not dare to look down on Dong Fu's identity and seniority. They saluted Dong Fu with the attitude of a junior.

Dong Fu, who had nothing to do, went to the official residence to enjoy the scenery. He saw two tall figures coming forward to salute him. He stopped and took a closer look at their appearance. He smiled and said, "They are the two generals of the Fufeng Ma family."

Ma Chao showed a delighted expression: "I didn't expect that Mr. Dong still remembered my brother and I even though we had only met once before." "Although I am old, my brain is still good." Dong Fu laughed out loud. As an old man, he was very happy to be praised for his good memory.

"Besides, the two generals have extraordinary facial features. They will surely become ministers in the future. I will remember their good looks."

With the idea of ​​being kind to others, Dong Fu made a comment. He had said similar things to many people: "Too much courtesy is never a problem, and too many kind words are never too much."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao and Ma Dai's faces lit up with joy. They had heard about Dong Fu's extraordinary ability in divination and prophecy, so they could not help but be delighted when Dong Fu commented that they had the potential to become high-ranking officials.

Suppressing the joy in their hearts and not letting their happiness show through in words would be unworthy of the Fufeng Ma family's style of managing the household. Ma Chao and Ma Dai each lowered their heads and said a word of humility to Dong Fu.

"Mr. Dong." At this time, Ma Shu made a childish voice as sweet as a bell, and imitated Ma Chao and Ma Dai to salute Dong Fu.

As an old man, Dong Fu, like other old men, loved children, let alone such a well-mannered girl. He asked Ma Chao about the origin of Ma Shu.

"This is my younger sister Ma Shu." Ma Chao answered respectfully.

"Ma Shu?" Dong Fu recalled. He had been in Chang'an for some time and had some knowledge of the lives of the generals in Guanzhong and Longyou who had recently surrendered to Liu Zhang. He vaguely knew that Ma Chao had a sister who had escaped when Han Sui attacked the Ma family. She could be considered a lucky person.

"Is this the person who escaped from the bandit Han Sui?" Dong Fu wanted to confirm.

Ma Chao nodded and said: "Han Sui attacked and killed all the members of the Ma clan. Only my younger sister Ma Shu managed to escape."

"Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future." Dong Fu sighed, and then he said with the idea of ​​being kind to others: "I see that this girl's face is extraordinary. She will be very noble in the future."

After talking with Ma Chao and Ma Dai for a while, Dong Fu respectfully saw them off and left.

"Brother, as Mr. Dong said, my sister will become very noble." When Ma Dai saw Dong Fu's figure walking away, he whispered to Ma Chao with indescribable excitement in his tone.

"Ah Shu, go and play." Ma Chao waved his hand, letting Ma Shu continue to play in the courtyard, and then responded to Ma Dai: "Mr. Dong first said that you and I have the appearance of a noble, and then said that my younger sister has the appearance of a noble. It is true that he exaggerated a little, and it is probably a lie."

Ma Chao, who was originally somewhat fond of Dong Fu's art of prophecy and divination, was a little bit unbelieving after hearing Dong Fu's compliments. After all, there were not so many such noble people.

"Mr. Dong is an extraordinary person, how could he lie?" Ma Dai said with a straight face, "Mr. Dong read the fortune of Huang Quan's sister Huang Wan, and he immediately determined that Huang Wan had the appearance of a noble woman. Now that Huang Wan has really married you, it is undoubtedly true that she has the appearance of a noble woman... This shows Mr. Dong's ability in fortune-telling and face-reading."

"There is more." Ma Dai first looked around to see if there was anyone around, then lowered his voice and said, "Earlier, Mr. Dong read the fortune of Wu Yi's sister Wu Xian and said that Wu Xian had the appearance of a great noble. Wu Xian was first married to your elder brother Liu Mao, but her appearance was not obvious. Then Liu Mao died, and Wu Xian became a widow. You secretly married her, and her appearance became obvious."

"That's why Wu Yi is highly valued by you, and is in charge of important military and political affairs in Hexi, and has the power to act on his own." Ma Dai said this, and he sighed deeply: "Mr. Dong's words are never false. If Mr. Dong said that my little sister has the appearance of being very noble, then my little sister will definitely be extremely noble in the future."

"How could it be so unpredictable?" Ma Chao was somewhat surprised. Dian was an outsider general, so he was not as knowledgeable as Ma Dai. After all, as Liu Zhang's personal guard, Ma Dai was close to the water and had access to the moon, so he could naturally get to know the inside story.

"It is indeed so mysterious and unpredictable." Ma Dai nodded. He was so convinced by what Dong Fu said that he even regarded it as the truth.

At this moment, the sound of a child crying was heard in the courtyard. Ma Chao and Ma Dai looked at each other and walked towards the source of the sound. Although it was not the sound of Ma Shu crying, the two brothers wanted to go over to take a look.

When they got closer, they saw Ma Shu standing up. In front of her was a boy in embroidered clothes. The boy seemed to have been thrown to the ground. At this moment, the boy stood up and stopped crying. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and muttered to Ma Shu: "You barbarian girl."

Ma Shu was the daughter of a general. Although she was still young, she was very straightforward and fierce. Upon hearing this, she wanted to go up and beat the boy, but Ma Dai picked her up and stopped her.

When Ma Dai saw the boy's unusual clothes, he knew that the boy must be of extraordinary identity. Moreover, the boy was living in an official residence. He might be the son of a noble, or the son of an important official of the shogunate. He was not someone that the Ma family could afford to offend.

Soon, Ma Dai's guess was confirmed. A noble lady walked out from the transfer office. Although the lady was young in stature and face, she had an outstanding temperament and was an extraordinary person.

As for the boy who had just fallen to the ground and cried, he seemed to have found support at this time. He trotted to the side of the noble lady and hid behind her, only showing his head to look at Ma Shu, the barbarian girl in his eyes.

"Madam." When Ma Chao and Ma Dai saw the person coming, they felt something was wrong. They first bowed respectfully in unison. At the same time, they had a vague guess that the boy in front of them was most likely the eldest son Liu Xun who had recently arrived in Chang'an from Shu, so they did not recognize him.

Huang Wan returned the greeting. At this time, Liu Xun started to complain, pointing at Ma Shu and saying to Huang Wan that he just wanted to borrow the butterfly in Ma Shu's hand to take a look, but Ma Shu refused and pushed him to the ground, which was quite arrogant.

After listening to Liu Xun's words, Ma Shu pretended to go forward and hit Liu Xun again, but was stopped by Ma Dai. She could only stare at Liu Xun, making Liu Xun dare not look at her and retract the finger that was pointing at Ma Shu.

"Axun, you should figure out your own affairs, so don't trouble me." At this time, Liu Zhang, who was a few steps slower than Huang Wan, came out and said, "Besides, it's you who can't beat Axun. It would be shameful to say it out loud." Liu Zhang knew Ma Shu. He had met her when Ma Chao came to surrender before.

"Ming sir." It was indeed the eldest son. Ma Chao and Ma Dai saluted Liu Zhang and confirmed their guess at the same time.

Liu Zhang looked at Ma Shu, who was still glaring at Liu Xun, with great interest. He suddenly smiled and said, "Ah Xun, even if you are no match for Ah Shu, you deserve to be ruled by her... Well, why don't you arrange a marriage for you and Ah Shu so that someone will take care of you in the future." He changed the subject, and his tone was like the randomly jumping notes on a piano.

"Huh?" Ma Chao was startled when he heard this. He didn't expect Liu Zhang to say such a thing. Ma Dai beside him also looked incredulous. (End of this chapter)