amaotonovel Chapter 421 Liangzhou is in dire straits! Lü Bu, Ma Chao, and Han Sui, villains, gather?
Chapter 421 Liangzhou is in dire straits! Lü Bu, Ma Chao, and Han Sui, villains, gather?
Chapter 421 Liangzhou in Crisis! Lü Bu, Ma Chao, and Han Sui, villains, gather? Xuchang
Sikong Mansion
News of the deaths of Liu Biao and Liu Qi has reached this place.
But at this moment, placed in front of Cao Cao's desk, was an urgent document with an even higher priority!
Han Sui sought help from Zhong Yao and Xiahou Yuan, who were stationed in Chang'an, exclaiming that he could not withstand Lü Bu's fierce attack!
Huh? Lü Bu? Yuan Shao and Ju Shou are both dead, and this guy is still alive?
Yes, at least in our book, Lü Bu is still alive. (See Chapters 269 and 270 for details.)
On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, Lü Bu originally intended to make a triumphant return and re-enter Chang'an.
However, due to the combination of Zhong Yao and Xiahou Yuan, Lü Bu was unable to penetrate Chang'an.
Finally, on Chen Gong's advice, Lü Bu headed north to Bingzhou, detouring through the Hetao Grasslands to reach Liangzhou.
Two and a half to almost three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Bu's territory was initially very small, consisting of only one county in Liangzhou.
In order to avoid attracting attention, he deliberately did not reveal his name, so as not to provoke an attack from Ma Teng and Han Sui.
A person's name, the shadow of a tree.
If Lü Bu were to swagger into Liangzhou, Ma Teng and Han Sui, unless they were fools, would immediately shake hands and make peace, and deal with this "invasive species" first!
And so, Lü Bu survived the most difficult initial period.
He gradually absorbed the weaker forces around him, and his territory expanded accordingly.
Meanwhile, Ma Teng and Han Sui, who were at the same time, were still obsessed with fighting each other.
The sham brotherhood between these two is a perfect example of a superficial bond.
Several months ago, when Lü Bu's territory had expanded to three counties, Ma Teng and Han Sui finally realized that something was wrong.
Don't blame them for having a bad sense of smell.
Normally, they're busy undermining each other; who has time to pay attention to this army?
Moreover, Liangzhou is a vast and resource-rich region, larger than the territory of two or three ordinary prefectures!
Chen Gong deliberately chose an initial territory for Lü Bu that was far away from Ma Teng and Han Sui.
The main strategy is to develop stealthily.
This is also based on Chen Gong's experience from years of fighting with Su Yu.
Don't rush, don't be anxious. For the final victory, be as cautious as you can!
thus.
By the time Ma Teng and Han Sui realized something was wrong with this army, it was already too late.
The two sent out scouts who discovered that the army was actually "Lu Bu's army," and their hearts sank!
then.
Ma Teng and Han Sui, these two sworn brothers who had only sworn brotherhood in name only, decisively shook hands and made peace, forming an "anti-Lu Bu alliance" and marching towards Lu Bu's location.
While Lü Bu was foolish and had little money, Chen Gong was extremely clever.
In high-level matches in Yanzhou, I can't beat Su Yu.
Even in Liangzhou, a place teeming with brutes, how could I, Chen Gong, possibly be no match for Ma Teng and Han Sui?
With a clever tactic, Ma Teng and Han Sui suffered a crushing defeat and returned home.
Lü Bu advanced further, recruiting many local warlords in Liangzhou.
Now, Ma Teng and Han Sui were even more panicked.
It was at this moment that the two of them remembered that they were both "officials appointed by the imperial court" with official positions.
Han Sui wrote a personal letter and sent it to Chang'an, requesting assistance from Zhong Yao and Xiahou Yuan.
The official positions held by Han Sui and Ma Teng were bestowed upon them by Cao Cao before the Battle of Guandu to appease them.
Both morally and logically, Cao Cao, representing the Han court, should have responded to Ma Teng and Han Sui's plea for help.
Hearing footsteps outside, Cao Cao knew that Su Yu had arrived.
Cao Cao then handed Han Sui's plea for help to Su Yu, who quickly glanced at it.
After reading it, Su Yu smiled and said:
"My lord, if I'm not mistaken, Han Sui and Ma Teng are most likely already negotiating with Lu Bu's envoys."
"If our lord sends Miao Cai to lead an army a thousand miles to aid Ma Teng and Han Sui, not only will they fail to defeat Lü Bu, but they might also be sold off by these two for a good price!"
Cao Cao snorted coldly and cursed:
"Ma Teng might be slightly better."
"But that old scoundrel Han Sui is truly a shameless scoundrel!"
"He'll sell anything for profit."
"Cao Cao's preconceived notion of him was that he outwardly sought help from Cao Cao, but secretly colluded with Lü Bu!"
The emperor and his minister were on the same page once again.
Of course, this has been the pattern for many years.
Communication is really smooth when there's no generation gap and people on the same wavelength.
Judging from Han Sui's letter requesting help, it seemed as if Lü Bu was about to kill him!
But Su Yu and Cao Cao, who knew the customs and conditions of Liangzhou, knew that Han Sui was just exaggerating!
Is Lü Bu fierce?
The answer is, of course, very powerful.
However, among the warlords of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, no one except Liu Bei could match Ma Teng and Han Sui's ability to survive by any means!
How despicable are these two?
Back when Dong Zhuo dominated Liangzhou, he had an army of over 200,000 men besiege these two, but still failed to kill them!
These two are like Li Zicheng in the late Ming Dynasty. His soldiers were repeatedly defeated and reduced to single digits, but he was still able to hide in the deep mountains and forests and make a comeback.
Moreover, judging from the map, Lü Bu has not yet taken the initiative to attack Han Sui and Ma Teng's territories; he is merely encroaching on the surrounding areas.
Judging from Han Sui and Ma Teng's almost negative reputation.
Cao Cao had just sent Xiahou Yuan with troops to support them.
They might betray him right after he leaves, and he could join forces with Lü Bu to take down Xiahou Yuan!
Therefore, providing support is impossible.
However, we cannot simply stand by and watch Lü Bu further expand his power in Liangzhou.
For a moment, Cao Cao was filled with anxiety, unsure of what to do.
The destructive power of Lü Bu and Chen Gong, combined with Ma Teng and Han Sui, and that truly filial son under Ma Teng's command, is an epic fusion!
These guys, when put together, are probably worse than the Four Evils of Cao Cao's Camp.
Of course, the four scourges of Cao Cao's camp at least had principles and reason.
Those people in Liangzhou seemed to have no idea where principles or bottom lines lay.
Since they only play within the small area of Liangzhou, their destructive power is still relatively controllable.
However, if these people were to unite and launch a large-scale attack on Guanzhong or Bingzhou while Cao Cao was marching south, it would surely result in widespread bloodshed!
"No! How can I, Cao, a dignified Minister of Works of the Han Dynasty, sit idly by and watch these petty villains act so recklessly?"
A real killing intent surfaced in Cao Cao's eyes.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that I cannot allow these uncontrollable factors to cause trouble.
The southern expedition might be able to be slowed down a bit.
However, if these people are allowed to "cause destruction at will," the several states in Cao's western region will not be able to recover for the next few years!
This is why, in the original history, Cao Cao was eager to resolve the Liangzhou issue after the Battle of Red Cliffs.
The southern expedition can be taken slowly.
But if these guys from Liangzhou were to enter the Central Plains, their destructive power would be far greater than Dong Zhuo's!
At least Dong Zhuo was a man who respected rules and principles.
Finally, when they were driven to desperation, they chose to move the capital and set the city on fire.
But for those unethical and unscrupulous guys in Liangzhou...
Burning cities, massacring cities, plundering people, killing innocent people and confiscating their property—these were all commonplace occurrences!
"My lord, it seems you have made your choice."
"However, the southern expedition can be slowed down a bit. You should accept Xiangyang and the Cai family as soon as possible."
Su Yu smiled.
In his letter to him, Wei Yan also wrote that he had found one each for Zhuge Liang's sister and brother!
Kongming, oh Kongming, you run so fast.
But your dear sister and brother will probably be going to the Imperial Guard's office and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat's office, respectively!
Jie Jie Jie Jie...