I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 548: Jincheng Governor Ma Teng
Ma Chao was deeply moved when he saw this. Although his father did not listen to his advice and insisted on having his own way, at least he had these good brothers around him, so he was not alone!
He was about to go forward and hug Wang Can, but Wang Can dodged him and pointed at the armor on Ma Chao with disgust.

Knowing that the armor was uncomfortable, Ma Chao finally hugged Wang Can, who looked disgusted. Of course, he didn't use much force.

Sun Ce said to Ma Chao: "Mengqi, no matter what happens when you go to Liangzhou, from now on my father is your father, and your father, uh... is still your father."

Ma Chao was deeply moved when he heard it.

But after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Wasn't Sun Ce taking advantage of him?
He immediately pounced on Sun Ce.

Along the way, the three of them laughed, played and scolded each other, which greatly relieved Ma Chao's psychological pressure.

It was one thing to have the idea of ​​helping my father improve, but it was another to actually do it.

On the way, Ma Chao said with emotion: "It would be great if Brother Gong Yi was here too, then the four of us could get together again."

The three of them thought of their "friend regardless of age difference" Lu Jun, and reminisced about him together.

……

"If we only send Ma Chao as the envoy, it would be too weak. Besides, Ma Chao is still young, and he is the son of Ma Teng. I think we can appoint Ma Chao as the deputy envoy and send another envoy as the main envoy."

Liu Bian understood that what Xun Yu said made sense. Although he believed in the father-son relationship between Ma Chao and Ma Teng, there was no need to walk a tightrope.

Xun Yu continued, "However, Ma Ying, the Grand Secretary who was once sent to Liangzhou to persuade Ma Teng and raised Ma Teng's third son to come to Beijing, has been in poor health in recent years and is no longer able to go on a diplomatic mission. Perhaps we can select another envoy from the Ma family of Fufeng."

Liu Bian said: "There is no need to go through so much trouble. I have a good candidate."

The affairs of Liangzhou will not disappear just because Ma Teng leaves his post as the governor of Jincheng. Instead, it is necessary to ensure that after the Huqiang Cavalry Commandant stationed in Liangzhou leaves for the Western Regions, the soldiers of Liangzhou's prefectures and counties will not rebel, and they can suppress potential internal rebellious forces and external covetous forces.

……

"Mengqi, you have heard about what happened in the Western Regions, right? The Xianbei have united with the countries in the Western Regions to attack my subjects, and I cannot turn a blind eye. However, if I want to use troops in the Western Regions, Liangzhou must be stable." Liu Bian said to Ma Chao.

He didn't say anything nonsense, but only emphasized one thing to Ma Chao - Liangzhou must be stable!

Ma Chao said nothing more, and bowed, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

"Very good!" Liu Bian said with a smile, "I heard that Bofu and Zhongxuan came to the capital with you this time?"

Although Ma Chao knew that the two had their own reasons for coming to the capital, these reasons were just excuses in front of the emperor, so he explained frankly: "Your Majesty, Bofu and Zhongxuan were worried about me, so they returned to Luoyang with me."

Liu Bian would not blame them for this, as he could not demand that his ministers have no private relationships. On the contrary, he would be happy to see this private relationship used openly and beneficial to public affairs.

He said: "I understand the intentions of Bofu and Zhongxuan. They can also help you in Liangzhou."

"In addition to them, I have arranged another person to help you."

After saying this, Liu Bian immediately ordered someone to summon him, but he did not specify who it was.

Ma Chao waited for the visitors to arrive in the hall. He looked around and saw that Sun Ce and Wang Can had both arrived. In addition to the two people he was familiar with...

It turned out to be... Lu Jun!
Ma Chao came in a hurry and was summoned as soon as he arrived in Luoyang. Now he suddenly met his old friend again and his heart was full of excitement.

Liu Bian deliberately asked: "When we first met at the Imperial College, did you ever think that we would meet again here today?"

For a moment, everyone present thought of the youthful days at that time. At that time, Liangzhou had not yet settled down!
After reminiscing about the past, the group did not stay in Luoyang for too long and set off for Jincheng County in Liangzhou.

Strictly speaking, Lu Jun’s identity on this trip was not an angel, but the Chief Historian of Jincheng.

If Ma Teng could come to Luoyang peacefully, then Lu Jun could act as the prefect as the chief secretary with the cooperation of Ma Chao.

At the same time, in Jincheng County, Ma Teng was struggling.

Since Ma Teng returned to the genealogy of Fufeng Ma's family, Fufeng Ma's family changed their previous laissez-faire attitude towards Ma Teng. After all, even for the top families like Yuan and Yang, the value of a 2,000-stone rank was enough for them to support him with all their strength... Although Yuan's family has now split.

The Fufeng Ma family sent a very promising talent from their clan to Ma Teng to show their importance to Ma Teng, maintain the relationship between the two sides, and ensure that the Fufeng Ma family would not be implicated by Ma Teng.

Ma Yu came to Ma Teng just like that.

If it weren't for Ma Teng's incident, Ma Yu would most likely not appear in Liangzhou now. He would most likely be a county magistrate somewhere, or he might even go further.

But now, he is just an ordinary hermit accompanying Ma Teng.

"Brother, I always feel like something is wrong."

When he heard the voice, Ma Yu knew that Ma Teng had come.

He immediately forced a smile on his face and responded, "Brother, are you still worried about the situation in the Western Region?"

“Not only that.” Ma Teng walked into the room where Ma Yu was and sat down casually as if he was at home… Oh, this is the prefectural governor’s mansion, it can indeed be considered his home.

"I got the news that Xu Huang and Zhang Fei, the commanders of the Qiang Guard, have both been mobilized. Not only that, the four counties in Hexi are also preparing food and fodder, raising donkeys and horses, and Envoy Fu is also mobilizing Qiang people. It seems that they are really going to march into the Western Regions."

Ma Yu heard this and asked, "Brother, have you received any official documents?"

Ma Teng shook his head and said, "There is no movement in Jincheng and Longyou at the moment. Envoy Fu just asked me to count the grain in the government warehouse."

"In this case, there is nothing we can hide from you about the state and county. Even if we want to march into the Western Regions, you won't be required to contribute for the time being. What do you have to worry about?"

Ma Teng replied: "I am only worried that Xiang Zhuang is dancing with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong!"

Ma Yu frowned upon hearing this, and his smile faded. He asked, "Brother, how dare you make such a comparison?"

As soon as Ma Teng said this, he knew he had said the wrong thing. At this moment, he switched roles with Ma Yu and immediately became the one with a smile on his face: "I was anxious at the moment and said the wrong thing. I hope you won't be offended... I should also know that you are a rough man who has not read many books, but you know a few old things..."

Ma Yu also knew that he could not control Ma Teng, so he just sighed slightly and said, "If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. Brother doesn't want to leave Jincheng, so he will naturally have such worries from time to time."

Ma Teng was actually tired of hearing these overt or covert remarks urging him to leave Jincheng County.

Compared to Ma Yu, his son Ma Chao's words in the letter were more straightforward. Ma Teng knew that there were some things he had to face, and he also knew that Ma Chao's repeated advice to him was actually very reasonable.

But Ma Teng felt that Ma Chao was being too talkative - after getting rid of Han Sui, Ma Teng was the only powerful man in Jincheng County, and even officials sent by the court could hardly shake his position - why was he unwilling to listen to Ma Chao's advice and leave Jincheng County? Because Ma Chao could not imagine how happy he was in Jincheng County.

Ma Teng even felt that if Ma Chao was in Jincheng County, he would probably be reluctant to leave.

So, Ma Teng thought that he could be happy every day.

He just wanted to live a happy life in Jincheng County. What did he do wrong?

After all, he even sent his son to Luoyang. Couldn’t the imperial court satisfy this small request?
Thinking of this, Ma Teng emphasized to Ma Yu: "In recent years, I have had several sons. If the court has any doubts about me, I am willing to send them all to Luoyang."

After hearing this, Ma Yu was still surprised even though he had been in contact with Ma Teng for such a long time - Ma Teng had many concubines in recent years, and his youngest son was only a hundred days old.

The person in front of me is truly a kind father!

Ma Teng also knew that this was shameless, so he defended himself, "Look, Meng Qi is in Luoyang, and has a bright future. Although Ma Xiu and Ma Tie are not as good as their brothers, they are also studying in the Imperial College and have bright futures. With these three brothers here, they will definitely take good care of their younger brothers, just like they did. I am in Jincheng County, and I can also relieve them of their worries. Isn't that wonderful?"

After just making his defense, without Ma Yu's comment, Ma Teng felt that he seemed even more shameless.

But even so, Ma Teng was unwilling to give up his power and position in Jincheng County and go to Luoyang, where the future was uncertain.

He said to Ma Yu, "Back then, I led my troops to fight back against Han Sui for the sake of justice, and the court agreed to let me serve as the governor of Jincheng. Now, it's only been a few years? Why did they change their mind?"

Ma Yu knew that Ma Teng still had a lucky mentality in his heart. Unless he was really forced into a corner and made to feel the threat, he would not be willing to give up the position of Jincheng Governor.

He didn't even plan to persuade Ma Teng again, because based on his understanding of Ma Teng, in recent years, Ma Teng has been completely indulged in the gentle life, and unless it is a life-and-death crisis, he will not raise the banner of rebellion again.

Therefore, as long as the court does not act too extreme, it will be fine.

It’s a pity that the Ma family will lose an official of two thousand stones.

However, Ma Yu thought that although Ma Teng was beyond redemption, Ma Chao was a good seedling and must be cultivated by the clan.

……

More than twenty days later, Ma Teng received a shocking piece of news.

His most proud son, Ma Chao, actually came, following the new chief secretary of Jincheng County.

Along the way, Lu Jun and his entourage traveled light and simply, and it can be said that they did not stop at all.

Especially the three people who set out from Langya State, Sun Ce and Ma Chao were strong and could hold on, but Wang Can could not keep up after arriving at Youfufeng and had to stop to rest. So the four-person group had to temporarily become a three-person group.

Although the journey was long, even if they decided to send troops, by the time the Han army arrived in the Western Regions, it would take who knows how many days before the attack on the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Mansion. However, Lu Jun and his companions unanimously felt that the sooner the better.

When Ma Chao saw his father whom he hadn't seen for several years, he suddenly felt that his father looked a little strange and his appearance did not match the one he remembered.

Is this wealthy middle-aged man with a big belly in front of him really his father?
Ma Teng's feelings were completely different from Ma Chao's. Looking at his son who was becoming more and more heroic, Ma Teng could hardly conceal his joy in his heart and even forgot the offense Ma Chao had committed against him in the letter.

Listening to his son introduce his friends, these were all names that Ma Teng had seen in letters.

He immediately invited Lu Jun and others to the banquet, and also arranged for people to entertain the twenty or so soldiers who followed them.

During the meal, Ma Teng asked about the life of Ma Chao and his two younger brothers in Luoyang City, with Lu Jun and Sun Ce also providing additional information.

Words are much more vivid than letters.

After listening for a while, Ma Teng said with emotion: "I am relieved to hear that you are doing well in Luoyang. How long can you stay after returning home?"

Ma Chao had actually been holding back since he first met Ma Teng. When Ma Teng asked him about it, he immediately responded, "Xiu and Tie have been in Luoyang for a long time. They have almost forgotten the customs of Liangzhou. They can't even remember what father looks like... The Imperial Academy has a heavy workload. Doesn't father want to go to Luoyang to visit them?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the banquet suddenly became quiet.

Ma Yu, who was accompanying Ma Chao, didn't quite understand what Ma Chao was thinking. Even if he wanted Ma Teng to go to Luoyang, he didn't have to be so reckless!

Of course, he had no intention of helping Ma Teng out.

Ma Teng picked up the wine glass. He originally suspected that Ma Chao came here with the mission of persuading him to go to Luoyang, but now seeing that Ma Chao said what he thought just as he showed in the letter, he was relieved.

He drank and sighed, "Of course I miss you, but the hundreds of thousands of Han and Qiang people in Jincheng County are all on my shoulders, and I really can't leave."

Ma Teng looked at his new chief secretary Lu Jun and complained: "Although Han Sui is dead, there are many Qiang people in Jincheng County who sympathize with him and secretly hate me. Once I leave, I will lose my deterrent power over these people, and I am afraid they will rebel immediately."

After hearing this, Lu Jun smiled sincerely and said, "Thank you for your hard work and great contributions. I would like to offer you a toast!"

After saying that, he immediately drank the wine in his hand.

Seeing Lu Jun being so straightforward, Ma Teng was stunned. For a moment he couldn't tell whether Lu Jun was mocking him or not.

However, he had drunk a lot of alcohol in the past few years, so he drank it instinctively and did not make the situation awkward because of his hesitation.

But after drinking, facing Lu Jun, who looked sincere and seemed to completely believe in him, and in front of Ma Chao, Ma Teng felt a little embarrassed to tell him about the "several difficulties in guarding Jincheng County" that he had originally prepared.

Instead, Lu Jun continued, "You have been in charge of Jincheng County for a long time. I heard that since you became the governor, there has been no major chaos in Jincheng County. You have made great contributions to this!"

Ma Teng couldn't tell whether Lu Jun was being sarcastic or not.

But on the surface, he still laughed and listened to Lu Jun's praise of him with a little humility.

After a while, Lu Jun was finally speechless, but Sun Ce continued: "In the past, I often heard my father talk about your name, and my father also praised you a lot..."

"...In terms of talent, it has to be Zhongxuan... It's a pity that Zhongxuan got a minor illness on the way, so it will probably take a few days for him to arrive."

As Ma Teng listened, he had no idea what the purpose of these people, including Ma Chao, coming here was. Did they really want to see the scenery of Liangzhou?
Little did they know that after the banquet, Ma Chao had time to stroll around the prefectural government's mansion and take note of its layout.

(End of this chapter)