Chapter 92

Chapter 726: Lü Bu Was There! (1)

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"First, we need to decide who to submit to. What do you think?"

As Luo Xian said this, he brought his hands together above his right forehead, a gesture that immediately signified the current emperor. He was suggesting they submit to the current emperor.

"No, I will surrender to you, Commander Luo."

"General Ma! That won't do. If you must, it would be better to bow to Lü Bu."

Ma Teng wanted to surrender to Luo Xian, while Si Yuan preferred to surrender to Lü Bu.

In fact, surrendering to the emperor would make everything easier. There was no better justification. However, Si Yuan wanted practical benefits more than a noble cause.

Since Huang Bosun had fled, Lü Bu was now unmatched in the current realm, and Si Yuan was indicating his intention to follow the tide.

"I will win General Lü's favor by offering him military achievements? Not bad. Surrendering to General Lü will definitely bring more practical benefits than to me."

With Luo Xian making the decision, Ma Teng and Si Yuan did not argue further. Next, they discussed the terms of surrender.

"Commander, I wish for our Ma clan to remain an independent force."

"Hmm...! You're setting quite a high condition from the start?"

"If the Ma clan is divided and merged, the soldiers will be very dissatisfied. I must point out that Guanzhong people do not easily get along with Guandong people."

"Hehehe! Impressive, impressive. Seeing you lay the groundwork like this, I can tell you don't intend to leave Guanzhong, do you?"

Luo Xian immediately saw through Ma Teng's intentions.

Ma Teng was saying that he would continue to be the leader of the Ma clan and would not leave Guanzhong.

This was a very demanding condition. At any time, the Ma clan could reorganize and rise against Lü Bu.

"What will you offer in return?"

"I will offer my eldest son to General Lü."

At Ma Teng's gesture, Ma Chao stepped forward and bowed to Luo Xian.

"Do you mean as a hostage?"

"My eldest son is still young, but he is quite brave. If you can arrange for him to become a general under Lü Bu, he can achieve significant military accomplishments and repay you."

Luo Xian suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! You want him to become a general under Lü Bu?"

Ma Chao's face turned red with embarrassment. Ma Teng, though slightly hurt, cautiously asked the reason.

"Ma Chao is the best general of the Ma clan. Why do you say he cannot become a general under Lü Bu?"

Luo Xian then looked at Gao Shun and said,

"Give it a try. Does this boy have the qualifications to be a general under General Lü?"

"He might be a minor officer, but he is not yet qualified to be a general."

Ma Chao bared his teeth, showing his discomfort.

"How dare you...!"

* * *

"That's enough, that's enough."

"Commander, why do you look down on my son? Is it because half of his blood is from the Qiang people?"

Luo Xian waved his hand.

"That's not what I mean. To be called a general under General Lü, one must have the appropriate bravery. If General Gao sees him as a minor officer, then that's his current level."

"Commander, why do you have such blind faith in him?"

"Have you heard of the Eight Generals under General Lü?"

"I have. The story of a young general who defeated Guandong's top general, An Liang, and earned a place among the Eight Generals is well-known in Guanzhong."

"This Gao Shun is the leader of those Eight Generals, a valiant general second only to General Lü."

Only then did Ma Teng and Si Yuan realize how formidable Gao Shun was.

"Indeed... Ma Teng rubbed his neck, which had been grabbed by Gao Shun earlier. Despite his extensive experience, Ma Teng had never seen a warrior as formidable as Gao Shun.

Si Yuan then cautiously asked,

"General Gao, not all of General Lü's generals are as valiant as the Eight Generals. Why can't our Ma Mengqi become a general?"

"Without special permission from the lord, one must pass the selection trials to become a general."

"Can't we get that special permission from Commander Luo?"

"Only when the lord personally evaluates one's skills or when one has achieved significant military accomplishments can one become a general without passing the trials. A general without skills endangers his subordinates."

Gao Shun then looked directly at Si Yuan with a smile.

"Judging by your appearance, you seem to be a strategist. There are many capable advisors serving the lord. If you want to make a name for yourself, you will need to put in a lot of effort."

Si Yuan never expected that 'effort' to include martial skills.

"Having your eldest son serve under General Lü is good, but it's not enough. If your aspirations are great but your offerings are small, the deal won't go through."

"Then what more do you want?"

"I don't know what you have, so it's hard to say."

At that moment, Si Yuan stepped forward with his hands clasped.

"I will offer Xidu."

"Xidu... Chang'an? You mean you will give us Chang'an now?"

With the Guanzhong army defeated, there were no rivals to Lü Bu in Guanzhong. The Qiang people might be a nuisance, but they were not a serious threat.

Considering this, Chang'an's value was low. However, the problem was that Chang'an was not easy to capture.

Chang'an, the capital of the Western Han, would not fall easily. The defending force was led by Bai Liwenyu, one of Si Yuan's Red Silk generals. Although Bai Liwenyu was here with Si Yuan, his troops remained in Chang'an.

The defending force in Chang'an was not just Bai Liwenyu's 5,000 Red Silk soldiers. Considering the population of Chang'an, it would not be difficult to gather 10,000 able-bodied men.

Capturing Chang'an, defended by such a force, would require a long time and many casualties.

However, if Si Yuan were to step forward, a single word from him would open the gates of Chang'an.

Si Yuan's words surprised not only Luo Xian but also Ma Teng, who looked at Si Yuan with a lowered voice.

"Given that Lü Bu has taken Hangu Pass, the Red Silk...?"

"They are stubborn and will likely have been annihilated."

"Even if you lost your comrades to Lü Bu, will the Red Silk in Chang'an accept this?"

"Valuing strength is natural for Guanzhong warriors. Besides, they lost a fair fight. What more can they say? And didn't Generals Ma and the Ten Commanders of Guanzhong all submit to the lord after losing to him?"

Si Yuan no longer referred to Huang Bosun as his lord. Perhaps the master-disciple relationship ended when Huang Bosun abandoned him.

* * *

"If that's the will of the military, I, Ma Teng, must also offer something."

Ma Teng said this and clasped his hands together before Luo Xian.

"I will offer Huang Zhongzong to General Lü."

"Huang Zhongzong...?"

Luo Xian was not familiar with the Qiang people's affairs but knew who the Huang Zhongzong were.

"Are the Huang Zhongzong not the most valiant among the Qiang tribes?"

"That's correct. Though their numbers are not large, no Qiang tribe dares to fight the Huang Zhongzong."

"How do you plan to subdue such people?"

"The Ma clan could not cross the Han Pass, but do not underestimate our bravery. Moreover, my connection to the Huang Zhongzong is through a noblewoman of their tribe."

Only then did Si Yuan understand Ma Teng's intentions.

'So the Ma clan did not fully commit to Huang Bosun's call to arms. With the Huang Zhongzong, they could hold their own against the Jiangyiduan or the Hanshui army. They had their own plans.'

A tiger does not give birth to a lamb. Though half of Ma Teng's blood was Qiang, he was a hero with ambitions for the realm.

He never intended to remain under Huang Bosun's command forever.

Thus, he had been preparing to ally with the Huang Zhongzong.

Using the Qiang warriors of the Nuza tribe as his vanguard and the Red Silk generals as his enforcers, Ma Teng planned to use the Huang Zhongzong to turn the tide, just as Huang Bosun had done.

However, it was too late to discover this now. What mattered was the outcome of the negotiations.

Luo Xian responded to their conditions.

"In that case, I will send provisions and medicine immediately upon my return. I will also allow Ma Teng to continue leading the Ma clan and remain in Guanzhong. And... "

Luo Xian picked up the jade dragon token on the table and waved it at Ma Teng.

"In the name of Luo Xian, I will send a letter to the Ma clan's elders. You know the jade dragon token serves as a seal, so you can imagine the effect this letter will have."

"If you do that, what more could I ask for?"

Ma Teng felt as if the bitterness of the past few days was melting away just by hearing Luo Xian's