“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 159 – Ma Teng Seeks Surrender
Ma Chao came with the intention of negotiating his position after surrender, but he wasn’t too keen on being treated as just a meeting gift for Qiao Yan meeting Ma Teng.
Unfortunately, he was currently a captive defeated by Lü Bu, and regardless of his reluctance, he found himself tied up and tossed onto another empty horse.
Now, from this vantage point, he realized that the horse Qiao Yan was riding seemed less impressive not because it wasn’t a great war horse, but because it was still young and hadn’t matured yet – covered in armor that obscured its true glory.
In fact, if it were to grow up, it would definitely be a handsome and powerful war horse.
His earlier mix-up was indeed a bit… amusing.
But thinking about how Qiao Yan, the commander, was willing to hand over a fine steed like Chi Tu to her subordinates, and was also generous enough to invest heavily in military gear, made him feel that maybe being captured wasn’t such a terrible predicament after all.
As he was being escorted towards Lintao City, Ma Chao couldn’t help but notice the horses in the troop seemed quite exceptional.
This made him vaguely aware that even though the quality of Bingzhou’s horses wasn’t quite on par with the top tier in Liangzhou, the reckless Qiang people fought with a bit more desperation compared to the Bingzhou men. Yet, in a head-on clash, Bingzhou’s iron cavalry wouldn’t be inferior to Liangzhou’s soldiers.
Looking at it this way, pacifying Longxi County was likely destined to happen even without Ma Chao’s attempt to intercept.
With this thought, he felt somewhat reassured.
However, being a young and hot-headed general, even if he acknowledged his inferiority, he still wanted to consider the treatment he was receiving.
He turned his gaze toward where Qiao Yan was positioned.
Just then, past the obstructing military flags and cavalry, through a gap in the crowd, Ma Chao spotted that soldier who had previously misheard him and interpreted his judgment of Lü Bu as “Bingzhou’s governor.” Surprisingly, the soldier was still alive and well, bouncing over to report to Qiao Yan.
“…” Ma Chao froze, choosing to look at the ground.
As long as he didn’t glance in that direction, he wouldn’t have to know what kind of reaction his earlier identity judgments would elicit from Qiao Yan!
“At ten, the Yellow Turban was tall for his age, stronger than them in foreign expeditions, and was a fierce demon in suppressing the Qiang…” Qiao Yan could hardly contain herself and let out a laugh, “That guy looks pretty normal. What was he thinking?”
Even though there were no media channels during the Han Dynasty to spread her image, hearing how Ma Chao imagined her—likely as a gigantic towering figure—was hard to resist as she spread her hands in front of her.
Her hands were strong and defined, capable of delivering considerable force from wrist to fingertip, but she was, without a doubt, quite a distance from what Ma Chao was picturing.
In that moment, she considered whether to have a monthly report, hosted by Zhaoji, include a note about her image as Bingzhou’s governor.
But then she thought again—it was like using Qiang bones as fertilizer in the fields—
Those who genuinely wanted to ally with her wouldn’t care about such ridiculous notions, and those intending to oppose her probably wouldn’t respect her any less because of it.
So whether to clarify was really unimportant.
Just as she finished commenting on Ma Chao’s unusual thought process, she turned to see Xun You barely suppressing his expression.
Qiao Yan teased, “Didn’t you say that Ma Mengqi chose to head straight for Lü Bu to avoid causing too much damage to our forces?”
Xun You cleared his throat and replied, “I was out of touch with local customs. It seems the strategist has erred.”
It appeared that aside from the earlier misjudgment regarding the muddy water’s quality, he had a lot more to learn to work without a hitch under Qiao Yan.
Luckily, he also noticed that Qiao Yan seemed to take it all as a humorous little interlude during their march, just a lighthearted moment along the way.
After camping out and resting for a night, they finally pushed their troop to the base of Lintao City.
With their previous pace, reaching Lintao before nightfall wasn’t a tough job.
But according to Xun You’s analysis, they could definitely slow down a bit more.
From the intel provided by Ma Chao’s troop, Ma Teng didn’t seem too eager for battle; at least he wouldn’t see Lintao as an impregnable fortress blocking Qiao Yan’s path.
This mindset was somewhat tied to Ma Teng’s own life experiences.
Compared to the renowned Ma Rulong, Ma Lun, and Ma Ri from the famous Fufeng Ma clan, Ma Teng might be a descendant of the valiant General Ma Yuan, but by the time it reached him, the family legacy had pretty much faded away.
Ma Teng’s father had once served as a military officer in Tianshui, but he lost his post rather quickly and had to reside in Longxi County, living among the Qiang people. Due to poverty and lack of a wife, he ended up marrying a Qiang woman.
This was quite rare in the current times, where most Han people wouldn’t consider intermarriage with the Qiang.
During his youth, Ma Teng could only make a living by chopping trees and selling firewood, leaving him yearning for a life of wealth and stability.
With a strong enough army to carve out a piece of territory successfully, it wouldn’t make him want to give up, much like the court’s repeated campaigns against bandits failing to eradicate them made him more inclined to rule like a local king in Longxi.
However, with Qiao Yan’s powerful advance, he was about to lose his last line of defense. In this situation, even without the usual practice of Han Sui turning on his allies, Ma Teng wasn’t inclined to join forces with Han Sui to continue resisting the Wang Shi.
So perhaps, it was time to pile on a bit more pressure.
After his ambush team left Lintao, they vanished without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the Tao River.
The force he had been wary of didn’t suffer any setbacks nor displayed signs of agitation, merely maintaining their slow and steady approach.
If we had to draw a parallel, this situation was closer to—
Boiling a frog in warm water.
If the frog in Lintao’s pot were someone else, they would have to either adapt to the situation and counterattack, wait for a grand engagement, or use every resource in the city to defend while biding their time for changes in the situation.
For instance, Qiao Yan capitalized on Han Sui and Dong Zhuo’s blind spots to reduce the hindrances in her offensive strategy against Ma Teng.
But once the news spread, Dong Zhuo was bound to be displeased at her smooth progress, and it was likely he would cause her some trouble from behind, providing the city’s defenders an opportunity to strike back.
But here was Ma Teng.
After Ma Chao’s failure in confronting the enemy, uncertainty loomed over whether he had further angered Qiao Yan, while Ma Teng spent his time anxiously trying to cope…
After a whole night of tossing and turning.
During the night, he often thought he was hearing things, like the sound of an army marching outside the city. But when he made it to the city wall, illuminated by the thin moonlight, all he saw was the Tao River flowing outside—no signs of life whatsoever.
He gritted his teeth, realizing he couldn’t really wait until Lintao was about to be breached before making a decision.
By the time that happened, it would be too late!
So when the Bingzhou army arrived at the city gates, what Qiao Yan saw wasn’t a heavily guarded fortress, but rather Ma Teng, standing alone outside, holding the former general’s seal and pretending to welcome her.
At least he didn’t mix up who he was talking to, like his son did. As he approached Qiao Yan, he humbly raised the seal and said, “Ma Teng asks for forgiveness from Your Excellency.”
Forgiveness for what?
Ma Teng explained, “The traitor Dong held the emperor hostage in Chang’an, abusing his power and colluding with Liangzhou. My perspective was short-sighted; I accepted his assignment thinking I could join him as a colleague. Now that you, Your Excellency, have come all this way, I realize the damage is great and I deeply acknowledge my sins. I humbly wish for your understanding.”
Qiao Yan chuckled, “General Ma, the descendant of Ma Fubo, should be a pillar of the Han Dynasty. It’s just that you met Geng Bi first when he was in charge of Liangzhou, and with the chaos arising, it was difficult to settle things. The central command you received, coming straight from the Son of Heaven, is no crime!”
Hearing this, Ma Teng was overjoyed and quickly replied, “That’s exactly right.”
He was already bracing himself for the worst; with Qiao Yan’s usual decisive manner, this surrender might have earned him some disdain. But after she killed Pang De and captured Ma Chao, her first words were to excuse him, which was quite unexpected for Ma Teng.
Thinking it over, he felt it wasn’t too surprising that Qiao Yan said that.
Ma Teng’s actions could be interpreted as him accepting Dong Zhuo’s invitation, but it could also mean he only did so because the decree came from Liu Xie himself, solidifying his legitimacy.
This at least meant that Ma Teng and Qiao Yan shared a common stance, recognizing Liu Xie as the legitimate ruler.
With this alliance, he had more leverage to safeguard his life.
Seeing Ma Chao unharmed, tied up as Qiao Yan’s trophy rather than having met his demise in battle, Ma Teng felt a wave of relief.
Finally freed from the torment of his nighttime worries, he blurted out, “Does Your Excellency need me to convince Han Sui to surrender?”
Qiao Yan shot him a bewildered glance, thinking it was as clear as day that Ma Teng and Ma Chao were father and son.
Where did he get the confidence to claim he could persuade Han Sui to surrender?
She didn’t directly question his suggestion, only asking, “Has Shoucheng mentioned anything about the Bingzhou army entering Longyou to Han Sui?”
Ma Teng shook his head, “No, he hasn’t.”
Qiao Yan’s swift capture of Zhang County caught him completely off guard.
From what he’d heard, Han Sui had recently been busy fortifying the Kuiyuan Gorge, so how could he have expected that Qiao Yan’s agricultural deployment in Gaoping City was only halfway done, and that she would launch a strike in what seemed to be a wait-and-see approach with the Qiang people?
He’d shelved his thoughts about seeking Han Sui’s help.
At this point, Han Sui probably still believed that Longyou, linked by the Tao River, was merely his backup and not the route through which Qiao Yan would attack Jincheng County.
As soon as Ma Teng finished speaking, he noticed the warmth in Qiao Yan’s eyes vanish completely as she coldly declared, “Then there’s no need to make any moves to persuade him to surrender! With Beigong Boyu and Wang Guo causing chaos, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. Without Han Sui, this chaos would have been resolved long ago, and the former prefect Fu Nanrong wouldn’t have needed to die for his country. I must kill this villain!”
This Bingzhou governor, ready to draw her sword, suddenly changed her demeanor, and the aura emanating from her armor made Ma Teng realize he shouldn’t mistake her earlier gentle attitude as a sign of her being pleasant to deal with.
Her decisive actions against the Qiang in Gaoping City showed clearly she could command the Bingzhou army, a troop of ferocious wolves, and her aura was perfectly in tune with that strength.
When her dark eyes turned back to him, Ma Teng nearly shivered.
Fortunately, Qiao Yan quickly continued, “I see your son is quite courageous, and he understands the command of the Wang Shi. Would he be willing to act as a vanguard and lead the troops straight to break through Jincheng and Yuzhong?”
Without a second thought, Ma Teng replied, “Absolutely! If Your Excellency thinks my son is useful, just direct him to serve a small position under your leadership.”
After all, Qiao Yan was targeting Han Sui, not him. What was it to let his son work for the Bingzhou governor!
Ma Chao, overhearing his father’s words, silently rolled his eyes.
This plan to have him handle horses and take care of peace was all too obvious.
But thankfully, attacking Han Sui meant he still had an opportunity to showcase himself; maybe he could earn some glory by killing Han Sui and improve his standing.
Once he was untied, he rubbed his wrists and glanced in Lü Bu and Red Hare’s direction, his eyes glinting with a hint of battle spirit.
Today he wasn’t their match, but he was fifteen years younger than that guy; who knows what tomorrow might bring?
Jiang Yan watched this healthy competition among the subordinates with good humor.
She didn’t have much time to waste on this.
After securing Lintao City, she needed to liaise with Jia Xu’s information while also listening as Xun You reported on the situation of the Longyou nobles.
Ma Teng’s surrender also brought quite a few details to light.
Although Longyou was sparsely populated, it was home to clusters of nobles, like the Li family from the Sixteen Kingdoms, which had transitioned from being a martial clan to a fallen family and hadn’t yet grasped their second chance to rise again.
These aristocrats wielded a considerable influence over recruiting Liangzhou troops, more challenging to control than the Bingzhou nobility.
And if you asked Qiao Yan, her challenges weren’t just getting the Longyou aristocracy to submit and quelling the Qiang’s rebellion.
She was on the verge of obtaining the land, but there were still a plethora of troubles ahead.
As she listened to Xun You report the sorted information, she recalled that in the two years leading up to now, the weather had been favorable. While she was stockpiling food, she could also initiate offensive operations. But from what history records, the disastrous drought and locust plague would soon come, lasting nearly four years!
If she was to truly take control of both Bingzhou and Liangzhou, she needed to prepare better for this issue!
Water management isn’t simply about fixing rivers and building irrigation systems; it’s not an easy project to implement on a large scale right now.
If things went south, the conflicts in these two regions could unravel all her prior efforts.
But she had already been preparing longer than others; to prevent the dreadful fate of “drought and locusts leading to cannibalism,” especially with the populations in Liang and Bing not matching that of the Central Plains, there were things she absolutely had to do!
Of course, before all that—
First, take down Han Sui and secure this battle to quell the Liangzhou chaos!
