Three Kingdoms: I, Ma Su, just want to die

Chapter 674 Find a Reasonable Reason

Ma Ping, who was standing next to him, also found it difficult to give an explanation for Zhuge Zhan's question.

Although he was Ma Su's son, he was still unfamiliar with this cheap father, and he was not very clear about Ma Su's final plan.

However, Fu Qian, who was standing next to him, understood Ma Su's meaning to some extent and explained directly.

"The general's approach is normal. He is just seeking stability."

"Now that Ruxuwu has been recovered, the door to Jiangdong has been opened. In this case, no matter when we fight, it actually doesn't make much difference."

"On the contrary, the general had no intention of conquering the southeast in one battle. So there was no plan for crossing the river before the battle. There was a certain risk in launching a forced crossing rashly."

"So it is reasonable for the general to lead his troops north... After all, it can avoid certain risks."

The explanation given by Fu Qian was quite convincing, but Zhuge Zhan still felt something was wrong.

The general was always the most aggressive one among the big men, and the word "radical" was the only word in his dictionary. When did such a general become a conservative?
…………

…………

…………

At the same time, in the Han army camp, Ma Su was still cursing the Eastern Wu for their poor performance.

The original goal was to weaken the power of Kanto, and the main purpose of the entire operation was to let the power of Kanto and Jiangdong offset each other. However, due to some irresistible factors, the entire operation was aimed at destroying the country in one battle.

When the Military Affairs Department sent him the report of the civil unrest in the southeast, Ma Su could see the opportunity to quickly destroy Jiangdong. But it was precisely because of this that Ma Su resolutely chose to return north.

Attacking the Eastern Wu and destroying the Wei in the north are currently the only two reasonable ways to bleed the Guandong nobles. If the Eastern Wu is destroyed so quickly, how can we confidently ask the Guandong nobles for soldiers and food?

Of course, there is no way around this.

After all, Guanxi, which is several times smaller than Guandong and has stronger local power, was taken over by Ji Han after eight years of northern expedition. With an additional three years of recuperation, Ji Han Dynasty digested the weak Guanxi power.

But it took the Han army less than three years to conquer the entire Guandong region. The rapid expansion of the territory allowed the local forces in the Guandong region to remain healthy and rooted at the grassroots level, which could not be eliminated by reform alone.

Therefore, it became a consensus among the entire Han Dynasty's top leaders to weaken the power of the Central Plains clans through the remaining final battles.

Therefore, based on this principle, Ma Su finally went against his usual behavior and resolutely made the decision to withdraw his troops and return north when the destruction of Wu was a foregone conclusion.

"Xiu Ran, because of this incident, I will definitely have a stain in history books in the future." Ma Su looked at the battle report on the table and spoke in an inexplicable tone.

In response to Ma Su's words, Liu Yin shook his head slightly and didn't take it seriously.

"Don't worry too much, General. The flaws do not outweigh the merits. With your achievements over the years, this little thing will not affect your reputation after your death."

Having said that, Liu Yin was silent for a moment, then added.

"Besides, if this is considered a stain, then you, the general, have too many stains. One more or one less is not a big deal, it's harmless!"

"Get lost!" Ma Su could not help but laugh and curse at Liu Yin's teasing. Of course, teasing aside, what he said was true. Ma Su's suppression of the nobles over the years was more serious than this. Just watching the opportunity to destroy Wu slip away was not really a big stain.

"But no matter what, we still have to find a reason for this retreat." Ma Su waved his hand and got back to the point.

"That's true. If we can't convince the people of Guandong, I'm afraid..." Liu Yin nodded subconsciously, but was immediately interrupted by Ma Su.

"No, what I mean is... I need to find a reason that will convince the Prime Minister to prevent him from beating me up."

Liu Yin: “…………”

Obviously, in Ma Su's view, the attitude of the Guandong nobles was not even as important as whether Zhuge Liang would beat him. Compared with considering how to convince Guandong, Ma Su needed to consider how to convince Zhuge Liang.

As mentioned before, it was the consensus of the entire Ji Han court to try their best to weaken the Guandong forces. However, there were still some differences on how to weaken the forces.

At least for Zhuge Liang, he was more inclined to rely on political tactics to cut flesh with a blunt knife. In order to make Zhuge Liang agree with Ma Su's use of war to weaken the opposition, he had to give Ma Su a good beating.

Therefore, the person Ma Su most needed to persuade now was his teacher Zhuge Liang.

Facts proved that Ma Su's worries were not groundless. Less than half a month after he withdrew his army to Shouchun, Zhuge Liang's envoys arrived from Luoyang.

"General, the Prime Minister hopes that you will go to Luoyang and explain everything." The visitor was Deng Liang, the son of Deng Zhi. When he handed the letter to Ma Su and conveyed the message, he felt that the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than the pigs slaughtered during the New Year.

The greatest pleasure for Han officials was probably to watch the prime minister beat the general.

Ma Su's mouth twitched in response, but he didn't dare to say anything. After arranging Liu Yin to take over his work, Ma Su followed the envoy back to Luoyang and explained to the prime minister why he withdrew his troops.

Of course, in fact, Ma Su knew that this time he went there to lead the fight rather than to explain. After all, his little calculations probably could not be hidden from Zhuge Liang...

Sure enough, when Ma Su returned to Luoyang, before he entered the Prime Minister's Mansion, he saw a large group of officials waiting at the door for a long time. Ma Su even found that some officials had prepared some snacks to liven up the atmosphere.

This seemed to be telling Ma Su that everything was ready and he was just waiting to be beaten.

Ma Su's mouth twitched, and he felt extremely helpless towards these people who were looking for fun and not minding trouble. But even though he knew that he would be in a dangerous place, he had to bite the bullet and go in.

After cautiously entering the main hall, Ma Su saw Zhuge Liang sitting in the main seat leisurely reading ancient books. Next to him was a brand new chicken feather Zen stick and a military order.

That was written out of habit before Ma Su went to war...

"Youchang, you are finally here?" After Ma Su came in, Zhuge Liang raised his head immediately and looked at Ma Su with a smile.

"Do you know why I asked you to come to Luoyang?"

"Of course I know. The Prime Minister must be missing me, Ma Youchang... For the Prime Minister's sake, I have to hurry back." Ma Su immediately laughed and tried to change the subject without leaving a trace.

But this obviously couldn't fool Zhuge Liang. He patted the table with a paperweight and spoke in a calm tone.

"I need an explanation!"

(End of this chapter)