People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 601: Peace Between the Two
"General Pang, how can you be so naive? My father is now under house arrest by the Yellow Turbans. How can he return safely? If you waste time with illusions and let the Yellow Turbans take the initiative, it will be too late to regret it then."

Faced with Pang De's questioning, Ma Chao was obviously unhappy and his tone became even colder.

Giving up Liangzhou in vain and then becoming Xu Chen's house dog was something Ma Chao could never tolerate. He could well imagine that the Ma family would be neglected after surrendering. After all, Xuanxia and the gentry were not the same kind of people.

In Ma Chao's opinion, the only possibility for this matter is that the court will match the price, and Ma must hold a high position in the court.

From a realistic perspective, even if Ma was considered for his great contribution in bringing the whole state under his rule, the most he could do was get an idle position in the Xuanxia court, and that would be it for the rest of his life.

Ma Chao could never agree to be transformed from a local emperor who dominated a state into a loyal dog under the leash of the imperial court. In this matter, he had to disobey Ma Teng.

Ma Dai and Ma Xiu had no idea what to do. When they heard what Ma Chao said, they began to waver again.

On the one hand, they wanted to save Ma Teng, but on the other hand, they were reluctant to give up Liang Province. They were also afraid that the Yellow Turbans would really attack. All these thoughts came together in their minds, making them at a loss.

Pang De didn't mean to oppose Ma Chao, but he thought Ma Chao was too radical, so he said, "We don't know whether the general is under duress. If this is indeed the general's intention, and we start a war, it will only force the general to death. I think it's better to send another confidant to Beiping to verify the situation with the general in person."

Ma Chao slammed the table and said in a deep voice: "Why do we need to verify this? My father is a hero, how could he surrender to the Yellow Turbans? Does General Pang De think that my father is a coward who is afraid of death?"

"This"

Faced with the question, Pound was speechless for a moment, but he couldn't refute the question.

Seeing that Pang De had finally been subdued, Ma Chao stood up, put his hand on the sword at his waist, and then issued an order in a deep voice: "Xu Chen's wolfish ambition to covet Liangzhou has been revealed. The survival of Liangzhou depends on this moment. The only way for us to seize the initiative is to take the initiative!"

Seeing that Ma Chao made the decision first, the hesitant Ma Dai and Ma Xiu looked at each other and finally expressed their obedience.

When Pang De saw this, he knew that the situation was irreversible.

After all, he was just an outsider, and when Ma Teng was not in Liang Province, Ma Chao had to make the decision.

When Ma Chao's eyes stared at him, Pang De sighed slightly in his heart, then bowed and said yes.

Seeing that he had successfully convinced several people, Ma Chao's mouth curled up. Then he turned around and took a few steps back, and saw the map hanging on the wall, which showed the outline of Liangzhou.

He pointed towards the eastern part of Liang Province, which were the several counties in Liang Province that Ju Su had been forced to go to in the previous peace treaty. Ma Chao became furious when he thought of this. How could he just let it go when he had lost such a large territory to someone else for nothing?

"Although I have no intention of surrendering to Xuan Xia, I also know the strength and weakness. When this battle begins, my goal is not to destroy the enemy country, but to seek my own safety!"

Ma Chao glanced at them, his eyes gradually showing murderous intent, and said, "If we want to be safe, it is not enough to just occupy Liang Province. Therefore, we must not only recover Liang Province, but also send troops to Si Province to take Guanzhong. From then on, we can use the natural barrier to resist foreign enemies and live in peace with Xuanxia without invading each other!"

The hall was silent for a moment. With a clear plan to guide them, Ma Dai and Ma Xiu felt more at ease. When their father Ma Teng was not around, Ma Chao was the only one who could step up and make the decisions. Now, he had naturally become the backbone of Ma Dai and Ma Xiu.

Even Pang De couldn't help but nod his head at this plan. It had to be said that if he was determined to turn against Xuan Xia, this was probably the only feasible plan.

Under the current conditions, the biggest dream that can be made is to occupy the Guanzhong area and become a local emperor behind closed doors. Even a arrogant guy like Ma Chao would not really fantasize about being able to kill Xuan Xia. Of course, Pang De knew that even if this plan was very conservative, it still had no possibility of being realized.

The gap in strength between Liangzhou and Xuanxia is not just a little bit. It is difficult for Liangzhou to survive under the attack of the Yellow Turbans, let alone advance into Guanzhong and establish its own world.

The plan was set, and Ma Chao could not wait to order them to lead their troops and march eastward in a few days. Ma Dai and Ma Xiu both obeyed the order, and Pang De had to respond to the military order as well.

He knew that if he sang a different tune at this time, Ma Chao would kill him without hesitation to establish his authority.

After today's incident, Pang De no longer dared to underestimate Ma Chao's determination and ruthlessness. In order to achieve his goal, he would even kill his father. This is something that most people would not do.

How could he not understand that Ma Chao didn't care about Ma Teng's life or death at all? If he really cared, he wouldn't be so eager to send troops to start a rebellion.

To a certain extent, it was only after Ma Teng's death that Ma Chao could truly become the master of Liang Province.

Although Pang De felt a little chilled by the shady things behind this, he could not do anything. After all, the people of Liangzhou were surnamed Ma, and he was just an outsider who had no say.

After everyone left, Ma Chao sat alone in the hall for a long time. Although he showed no expression on the surface, the hint of guilt deep in his eyes betrayed his inner struggle.

Killing his father was not something he could easily convince himself of, so Ma Chao could only steel himself and start a war directly to stop hesitating and retreating.

"Father, please don't blame me. We, the Ma family, cannot become family dogs. No one can betray Liangzhou, not even you!"

After a long time, Ma Chao muttered to himself, and the struggle in his eyes gradually dissipated. It seemed that he had completely abandoned all other thoughts, leaving only determination in his heart.

In the dim light, he pulled out the sharp blade and wiped it slowly, his eyes full of solemnity and seriousness.

Of course, he understood what such a decision meant. Not only would it most likely anger the Xuanxia court and cause Ma Teng to be killed, but Liangzhou would soon face pressure from the Yellow Turbans, and this battle was destined to be very difficult.

Even Ma Chao would feel the heavy pressure, but he had no choice.

In Liang Province, they were the overlords who dominated one side, but after they surrendered to Xuan Xia, they completely became the house dogs of the imperial court. Unless Xu Chen offered a higher price that could allow the Ma family to hold a high position to protect the family's wealth, Ma Chao would seriously consider it.

But he couldn't accept selling Liangzhou and the Ma family just like that.

A few days passed quickly. Ma Dai, Ma Xiu and Pang De each mobilized their troops and assembled their armies. Although they were all worried about this decision, no one would go against Ma Chao.

Ma Chao, dressed in military uniform, led his elite cavalry into the main army. Ma Dai, Pang De and others immediately came to meet them. At this time, they only needed Ma Chao's order to lead their troops directly to the Yellow Turbans.

"The millions of soldiers and civilians in Liangzhou all depend on this battle. I, Ma Chao, will definitely be able to wipe out the foreign enemies and keep Liangzhou stable!" Ma Chao roared, drew his sword and pointed it to the east: "Follow me to attack. I will not return until I conquer Guanzhong!"

(End of this chapter)