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

Chapter 727 Extra : Epilogue
(The previous chapter update felt a bit watery, so I'll just go straight to the postscript)
"Sometimes, it seems that some people in history are born with a mission. They have a natural talent, but at the same time, their working time is also limited."

"When their mission is completed, it is time for them to return to heaven. The best example of this is our Lord Ma."

As the opening music sounded, a sad atmosphere emerged. In this video, there were fewer comments, and most people were watching this final chapter in silence.

"I believe that the audience who have read this have basically had a basic understanding of Ma Su, the great general of the Han Dynasty. If Xiang Yu's military talent was God feeding him, then Ma Su was more like God waking him up, dressing him, washing him, bringing him to the table, and finally chewing him up and feeding him."

"Every step of this planning is like walking on a tightrope. It's all about the right time, right place, and right people. If even one of them is missing, the whole thing will fail."

"But despite such an outrageous situation, Ma Su fought all the way from Jieting to Liaodong. This is no longer something that can be described as a military genius. It is also because of this that Ma Su has always been called a "military maniac" in history."

"If we only look at his achievements and abilities, he should actually be called a Martial Saint. Many monarchs even hope to make him a Martial Saint. After all, no one would reject a talented general who takes the initiative to take the blame and solve problems."

"But unfortunately, because of Master Ma's character problems, the famous Heyin Diving Competition eventually came into being. Also because of this event that was criticized by the literati, Master Ma was criticized for being unfilial and ultimately did not become a martial saint."

"Of course, even so, Ma Su is not at a disadvantage. He and his master Zhuge Liang are the only two great talents in history who are ranked in both the civil and military temples. Don't you think this is amazing?"

"However, even such a great talent has to die one day. In Liaodong in the 26th year of Jianxing, Ma Su met his end."

"It was the 26th year of Jianxing. It had been a year since the unification of the country. However, the Liaodong enclave was still in the hands of the Sima brothers, so Ma Su decided to lead the expedition himself."

"Normally, you, Ma Su, should take a break after fighting for so many years. But this time, because we are attacking the Sima family, Ma Su still decided to lead the army in person."

"This is the strangest thing in the history of the Han Dynasty. This great talent seems to have always had a deep hatred for Sima Yi's family. This hatred is even higher than the other level, so much so that some people speculated whether Ma Su had sold ditches to the Sima family..."

"Ahem, let's get back to the point. Anyway, Ji Han's general has officially embarked on the expedition to Liaodong."

"But the climate in Liaodong is very bad, and it was during the Little Ice Age. It was the most remote place in the dynasty at that time. Old Ma is already sixty years old now, and as a person from Jingzhou in the south, this place is far beyond his tolerance."

"So, when the Han army reached Changli, Ma Su had already begun to feel uncomfortable with the climate there. But the old general still wanted to lead the troops, and even played another trick in the freezing cold northeast, personally leading the cavalry to block the retreat of the Liaodong army."

"I won't go into detail about the specific expedition, because it's unnecessary. Even though Ma Su only brought more than 20,000 Han troops this time, they were far more than the Liaodong troops. Moreover, the Sima family's foundation is not stable. It looks impressive, but in fact it's just that."

"In less than a month, all the counties in Liaodong were pacified. The Sima brothers were surrounded by the Han army in Xiangping. Ma Su planned to starve them to death in the city to give them a decent punishment."

"However, Sima Shi did not intend to accept his fate. He led his troops out at night, intending to attack the Han army at night to seek a breakthrough. However, he was quickly dragged down by the Han army and surrounded at dawn. In one battle, he lost all his last chips."

"Sima Shi was badly defeated, and died in the chaos along with his general Yang Hu. Upon hearing the news, his brother Sima Zhao committed suicide by taking poison, and Liaodong was pacified from then on."

"However, I still have to say that Sima Shi's night raid was not without gain. Because the Han army did not prepare in time, Ma Su was forced to go out naked again to boost morale. In the freezing cold of Liaodong, everyone probably knows what will happen if an old general who has already been unable to adapt to the climate goes out naked."

"That night, a large star suddenly appeared, rising from the southwest and setting in the northeast. There was a sound when it disappeared. Immediately, the morale of the three armies began to waver. Ma Su fell ill and soon became seriously ill."

"This veteran who fought for twenty years to support the Han Dynasty was finally defeated by the Siberian cold wave."

"At the last moment of his life, Yang Zhun, who was accompanying the army, asked about his successor."

"Ma Su replied: Liu Yin."

"What happens after Liu Yin?"

"Answer: Zhang Yi." "What happened next?"

"Ma Su said at this time, this is the emperor's responsibility, I don't know. This old minister never had any disloyalty to the Liu family until his death. This quality alone is enough to make countless monarchs in the future envy to death."

"Ma Su's legendary life is both admirable and lamentable. When he was young, he was too sharp and the late emperor disliked him, but he didn't care. You don't understand me, I don't blame you, there will always be a good horse like me."

"In the second half of his life, with the promotion of Zhuge Liang, who was also a great talent, and the decentralization of Liu Shan, he demonstrated a unique military talent of that era. With only one state, he fought from the Loess Plateau to the Liaodong Plain and personally helped the Han Dynasty rise again."

"During the twenty years of fighting, he never had two minds. He also always followed the creed of Old Liu, and never harmed anyone wherever he went. Whenever there was a major battle, he would lead the troops and be close to the officers and soldiers, and the officials and civilians were willing to serve him."

"Even when he was not fighting, Ma Su did not forget to share the worries of the emperor. The Longyou area he governed became a stronghold of the imperial court for a long time afterwards. The Qiang and Hu peoples were loyal to him, and the treasury was full. The emperor's lectures, which he advocated, were later promoted by his prince students into a selection system, and eventually evolved into the imperial examination system that influenced later generations for two thousand years."

"If the prime minister is the benchmark for later civil officials, then Ma Su is the benchmark for later military generals. His loyalty and wisdom have profoundly influenced all later military generals."

"After Ma Su passed away, Liu Chan immediately gave him the posthumous title of 'Zhongyi', which means to kill the enemy bravely and be close to benevolence. At the same time, Zhongyi means loyalty and righteousness, which is the best portrayal of Ma Su's life."

"Just as the prime minister's posthumous title of 'Zhongwu' became the highest posthumous title for civil officials, Ma Su's 'Zhongyi' also became the highest posthumous title for military generals in the future."

"Do you think it's good after reading this? In fact, the wisdom in the future arranged by Ma Su is also not bad."

"When Ma Su was alive, he often discussed philosophy with Jiang Wei and Deng Ai, and often used them as his aides during battles. At that time, the army believed that the successor to the general should be chosen from the two of them."

"But in the end, Ma Su chose General Liu Yin as his successor. And after Liu Yin, he chose the unknown Zhang Yi instead of Jiang Wei and Deng Ai, whom he trusted. There is a lot of meaning in this."

"We all know that Ma Su was a Confucian scholar whose military strategy was radical and bellicosous."

"But in fact, he was indeed a believer in the Taoist theory of governing a country. When educating the prince, he often said, "I would rather be like the rulers of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing than like the talent of Emperor Wu of Han!" Compared with militarism, he was more inclined to rule a big country by inaction, and often said, "The way of the hegemon is mixed with it!"

"It is for this reason that when choosing a successor, Ma Su rejected the ambitious Deng Ai and Jiang Wei, who dreamed of conquering the land, and chose the gentle Liu Yin and Zhang Yi instead."

"According to the Book of the Later Han, after Ma Su's death, the entire General's Mansion was shaken. Civil officials and military generals were all extremely sad, and the Crown Prince even fainted from crying several times. Only Liu Yin and Zhuge Liang looked calm and acted as usual, which successfully calmed people's hearts."

"In the following three years, he replaced Ma Su and worked with Zhuge Liang for a long time. In the fourth year of Yanxing, when Zhuge Liang died of illness in Chang'an and was buried in the east of Chang'an, it was Liu Yin who stabilized the government under tremendous pressure."

"From his series of performances, we can see how sharp Ma Su's vision is. The former gatekeeper outside Chengdu has now become a pillar of the Han Dynasty!"

"During the twelve years that Liu Yin was in office, he experienced several major events. From the death of Ma Su to the death of Zhuge Liang, to the crown prince's accession to the throne, each event could have caused unrest throughout the country. But under Liu Yin's calm leadership, Ji Han smoothly completed the transfer of power between the old and new generations."

"At least if it was Jiang Wei and Deng Ai, at least two major battles could be fought in these twelve years."

"In the winter of the eleventh year of Yanxing, Liu Chan contracted typhoid fever in Luoyang and died in Luoyang. This emperor, who was praised as the luckiest emperor in history, finally ended his life.

He relied on knowing people well and boldly delegating power, and eventually Ma Su and Zhuge Liang won him the temple name of Zhongzu. Then the crown prince Liu Xuan ascended the throne and immediately gave his father the posthumous title of "Guangxuan". "

"To be able to carry on the legacy of the past is called light, to be good at hearing and communicating is called divination, and the high evaluation is obvious. Overall, Liu Chan was very lucky in his life, and his good luck made all the emperors in later generations envious."

"In the eleventh year of Yanxing, Ma Su's student, Crown Prince Liu Xuan, ascended the throne. This emperor, posthumously named Zhaowu, is about to bring the most glorious moment of the Ji Han Dynasty, 'Han Ning Zhongxing'!"

(End of this chapter)