Chapter 93 The Things of Xiliang

"Wow!" Han Qi looked at Tongguan, which was already behind him, and then he was a little relieved. Since Cao Yan let him leave Xuchang a few days ago, Han Qi did not dare to delay for a moment. Every day, he traveled all the way quickly, passing through Sizhou to Tongguan at the fastest speed, and returning to Xiliang. Along the way, Han Qi was afraid that Cao would repent. He only slept for an hour every day, and the rest of the time was spent on the road. Now I have passed the Tongguan Pass and arrived at the middle of the Pass. Although it is still Xiahouyuan's territory in name, his father also has a certain influence here, which is still much safer than in the Central Plains.

It seems that Cao Yan is really going to let himself go, and Han Qi secretly speculated in his heart. Touching the letter from Cao Qian in his arms to his father, Han Qi couldn't help muttering in his heart: What on earth is Cao Yan going to do? Thinking of this, Han Qi also opened the letter and read it. Anyway, even if he read it, his father couldn't find it. It didn't matter, Han Qi suddenly felt a basin of cold water pouring down from his head.

In the letter, Cao Wei told Han Sui that I will return your son to you first, but don't be happy. While there are still a few years of work, let's get together with your son. Now you, Han Sui, can still sit on an equal footing with Ma Teng in Xiliang, but when you die, whether your son can still sit on an equal footing with Ma Teng's son and take charge of Xiliang together depends on his creation. Finally, Cao Wei told Han Sui that Ma Teng was the person I must eliminate. Whether you help him or help me depends on how you decide. If you help him, I will fight with you; if you help me and kill Ma Teng, Xiliang will be yours.

Although it has been four or five years since he left Xiliang, Han Qi is still very clear about the status of the Ma family in Xiliang. Although his Han family is also a famous family in Xiliang, his father Han Sui even sits on an equal footing with Ma Teng, the head of the Ma family. However, compared with the Ma family, the comprehensive strength of the Han family is still inferior. There is no other reason. Since the beginning of General Fubo's Ma Yuan, more than a dozen generations have been rooted in Xiliang. Such a deep-rooted network of relationships, even Han Sui and other heroes, can't be achieved by decades of business alone. In a word, it is not so easy for quantitative change to achieve qualitative change.

After reading Cao's letter over and over again, Han Qi was also out of his mind. After thinking about it, I'd better let my father make a decision. In terms of brain, I am no better than my father.

Don't mention Han Qi's heart. At this time, in Xuchang City, Cao Yan, the prime minister and Duke of Wei, was feasting his ministers in his mansion. Cao Yan has a good reason to hold this banquet. Since he led the army back to the north, Cao Yan's prestige has been like the sky. In the eyes of many writers, the current Duke of Wei is enough to overshadow Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the past. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty also knew the imperial edict of current affairs and added Cao Qian as a cavalry general. Therefore, this banquet is not only to celebrate Cao's promotion, but also to celebrate the expedition to Mobei. All the important civil and military officials in Xuchang were present.

"Why did the Prime Minister let Han Qi go? In this way, Han Sui had no scruples in Xiliang. Didn't he let the tiger go back to the mountain?" During the banquet, Liu Ye was also quite puzzled when he heard that Cao Yan announced that he had dismissed Han Qi back to Xiliang.

"Haha, Ziyang thinks too highly of Han Sui. How can he be regarded as a tiger?" Cao took a sip of wine and said with a high-spirited smile.

"At best, it's just a capricious wild wolf!" Guo Jia smiled and said.

"Wen He, you can talk to everyone!" Cao Wei motioned to Jia Xu, who was most familiar with Xiliang, to explain. Jia Xu nodded and got up and explained, "Ma Teng and Han Sui have been in Xiliang for many years, which has always been the prime minister's confidant. Ma Teng has a deep foundation in Xiliang, and Han Sui is deeply thought. With these two people working together, it is not easy to plan Xiliang. Therefore, it is necessary to aliene the two people first before they can act.

"If you send Han Qi back, can you alienation the two?" Liu Ye felt that this was too strange. It's not just him. Most people are puzzled when they listen to Jia Xu's words.

"That's it!" Jia Xu's words were amazing. Then he explained in detail: "Ma Teng and Han Sui are both old-fashioned people. If you want to alienate them, it is not easy. In particular, Han Sui, who is known as the Nine Songs of the Yellow River, is the best in the world. But people always have weaknesses. I'm afraid Han Sui has to turn against Ma Teng for the sake of his children and grandchildren.

"Why is this?" Liu Ye didn't quite understand about Xiliang, so he had to continue to ask.

"Han Qi, the son of Han Sui, is intelligent and mediocre. He has been a proton in Xuchang for many years. He is unknown in Xiliang. Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng, is the first warrior of Xiliang and is known as General Shen Weitian. The fame of the two is far from the same. After the death of Ma Teng and Han Sui, can Ma Chao still tolerate this mediocre Han Qi and share the palm of Xiliang with him? Jia Xu came slowly. He came slowly.

"That's true!" Liu Ye nodded. Originally, Han Qi was a hostage in Xuchang, but Han Sui had no motivation to compete with Ma Teng at all. Now that his son has gone back, for the sake of his son's future, Han Sui will definitely not be so peaceful. Poor parents all over the world!

"But Han Sui is scheming, wolf heart and dog lungs. If he gets Xiliang, he is also a big trouble!" Cao Ren suddenly said, and most of the generals nodded and agreed.

"That's not necessarily!" However, Guo Jia smiled and then explained, "There are few people in Xiliang, but only 600,000 Han people. The reason why Ma Teng's foundation is so stable is that the Ma family has always been connected with the Qiang people. If Han Sui got Xiliang, he could only gather 30,000 to 40,000 horses at most. And Ma Teng is in Xiliang, enough to gather 100,000 cavalry! In addition, once Ma Han has an internal war, General Xiahou can take the opportunity to send troops to Longxi and clamp him to the corner of Liangzhou.

"So that's it!" Now everyone understands that when the abacus reaches this point, it can no longer be described by essence alone. However, Ma Teng and Han Sui, who are in Xiliang, can't take care of this for the time being, because they have an urgent matter.

"Brother Shoucheng, it is a fore-forgable grain harvest in Xiliang this year, and we need to raise grain as soon as possible!" Han Sui was a little anxious. Xiliang is different from other places. There are only 600,000 Han people here, and there are nearly half a million Qiang people. Although these Qiang people are also nomads, their strength is obviously worse than that of Xianbei and Xiongnu, so they and the Han Dynasty basically belong to a relationship of mutual dependence. In the ordinary days, everyone lives in Xiliang. You Han people farm, and I, the Qiang people, graze. If we have nothing to do, we can drink and eat beef together. In case the Xiongnu or Xianbei fights, everyone will fight with them together.

Sounds peaceful, but it is based on all peace. In case of famine, Shenma's righteous friendship will disappear. Especially those Qiang people, as nomads, their plundered surnames have been deeply rooted in the bone marrow. Once the food is not good, robbing the Han people around them has become their most realistic means. The land in Xiliang is barren and produces limited grain. In the past, in the year of famine, the Han people and the Qiang people would fight because of food. Since the three counties of Longxi returned to Ma Teng the year before last, this situation has improved. However, with the drought in Longxi this year, the grain harvest has become a foreground, and it suddenly became passive again.

"At present, the food is not good, so I can only buy food, but who should I buy it from?" Yan Xing, Han Sui's son-in-law, sighed. Zhang Lu in Hanzhong used to exchange horses for food. Now Zhang Lu has been cleaned up by Zhao Feng. It is unknown whether he can change it again.

Ma Teng thought for a while and said, "At present, the person in charge of Hanzhong is Zhao Feng, who is General Zuo under Liu Bei's command. Liu Bei and I have an old one, and it is not a problem to exchange food for him." As soon as he said this, Han Sui and others were also a little relieved.

"Father, the child is willing to go to Hanzhong to buy food. If Zhao Feng dares not to refuse, I will take his head!" A heroic young man in his twenties came out. Hearing his son's words, Ma Teng felt that his head was a little swollen again.

"Brother, it's buying food, not killing people. Why are you in such a hurry?" A girl next to him complained a little. The man smiled carelessly, and several similar-looking young people behind him shouted, "In the name of General Shenweitian, the eldest brother, who is not afraid of the powerful Guanzhong!"

"You guys can only fight bravely!" Ma Teng looked at his grunting sons and said angrily. Looking at Han Sui's son-in-law Yan Xing, Ma Teng also sighed in his heart that his sons were brave and resourceless. In terms of wisdom and insight, it was much worse than Yan Xing.

"Zhong Hua, you act steadily. Let's go to Hanzhong to buy grain, and Ling Ming will go with you!" Ma Teng thought for a while and still told his nephew Ma Dai to do this matter and sent Pound to go with him. These two people are more brainy. At least, their brains are much better than Ma Chao.

"Master, the young master is back!" Just then, a person suddenly rushed in outside the door, but it was a family member of Han Sui.

"Young master?" Han Sui didn't turn his mind for a moment, and then asked in a trembling voice, "You mean Qi'er?"

"Yes, master, the young master is back from Xuchang!" The man said with an excited face. Even Han Sui was scheming. When he heard that his son, who had been away for many years, had come back, he was also excited for a moment and almost couldn't stand still.

"Han Qixian's nephew escaped back?" Ma Teng also asked casually, noticing that his daughter's face behind him had changed a little. Except for Ma Dai and Pound, who were about to set out to buy food, the rest of the group went to Han Sui's house.

"Yunlu, why are you here?" Ma Dai and Pang De had just left Jincheng with a hundred people and were ready to take Longxi to Hanzhong to buy food. Suddenly, they found that Ma Yunlu had changed into men's clothes and waited for them at the gate.

"Brother Dai, Ling Ming, I'll go to Hanzhong with you." Ma Yunlu said with a smile.

"Playing?" Ma Dai and Pang De looked at each other in front of each other, "Yun Lu, have you ever told your uncle that you know?" Ma Dai asked with a headache. My cousin has always had a surname. This time, she probably sneaked out without telling the elders in the family.

"Let Dad know that it won't stop!" Ma Yunlu's words were amazing. Looking at Pound and Ma Dai with stunned faces, Ma Yunlu lowered his voice and said, "I just listened to my father and Mr. Han discussing. They are going to mention the old story again!"

"Recomment of the past?" Before Pound could figure it out, Ma Dai was already a little funny and said, "You were afraid that your uncle would ask you to marry Han Qi, so you ran out with us!"

"That's right. Who would have thought that the boy could run back." Ma Yunlu was quite annoyed. Ma Dai and Pang De looked at each other and smiled. The Han family and the Ma family had already made a baby marriage. Han Sui only had one son and one daughter. Her daughter was much older than all the men of the Ma family and had already married, so they finally decided to Han Qi, the son of the Han family, and Ma Yunlu, the daughter of the Ma family. However, Ma Yunlu has been influenced by his brothers since he was a child. His surname is brave and fierce, and he looks down on Han Qi, who is a little weak. Later, Han Qi went to Xuchang, and Ma Yunlu secretly congratulated himself. Who would have thought that he would come back miraculously?

"That's all. It's not impossible to take you there, but you must not cause trouble." Ma Dai has always spoiled his cousin. Anyway, this time he went to Hanzhong to buy food. There should be no problem, so he simply took her with him.

"Father, this is a letter from Prime Minister Cao to you!" After everyone left in the evening, in Han Sui's study, Han Qi took out a letter he had read and handed it to his father.

"Cao's letter to me?" Han Sui seemed to have expected that Cao Jian suddenly put his son back with such a kind heart. He must be famous. After receiving the letter and looking at it casually, Han Sui's eyebrows frowned. Cao Qian didn't persuade him much in the letter, but analyzed Xiliang's situation and him in detail. Han Sui finished reading it, and he was already sweaty behind his back.

"Call your brother-in-law to come here!" Han Sui said in a low voice that this kind of thing still needs to be discussed with Yan Xing. After a while, Yan Xing came, and the three of them read the letter, and they were silent for a long time.

"Yanming, what do you think?" Han Sui was silent for a long time, and he still asked his son-in-law for advice first.

"Master, it seems that the reason why Cao Jian is so generous is to use A Qi to force us to meet Ma Teng's swordsmen!" Yan Xing looked at it for a long time and finally got a little taste.

"Why don't I know? But what should we do at the current time? Han Sui was a little helpless. This is not a conspiracy at all. It is simply a naked conspiracy, which is a fierce blow against his biggest weakness.

"The Ma family has a deep foundation, and Ma Chao has the courage to be improper. If you are the enemy of the Ma family, you need to use the means of thunder to uproot it in one fell swoop. If it is delayed for a long time, there will be disaster. Yan Xing muttered that as soon as he said this, he basically acquiesced to agree to Cao Yan to deal with Ma Teng.

"Good!" Han Sui thought for a thought, but still gritted his teeth and nodded. Twenty years ago, he killed his two brothers, Bianzhang and Beigong Boyu, and thought he could occupy Xiliang in one fell swoop. But later, Ma Teng was born and took advantage of his own connections in Xiliang to easily become the Lord of Xiliang. I can only bow to him, and I have only been a No. 2 figure with a smile for so many years.

Although he is over the age, Han Sui's determination to dominate Xiliang has not disappeared. In addition, for the sake of his son's future foothold, he turned against Ma Teng again this time, and the psychological pressure is simply minimal. At present, the three of them discussed for a long time before they drew up a relatively complete combat plan.

Ma Teng naturally didn't know all this, and Zhao Feng, who was in Hanzhong, didn't know. On this day, he just went to visit the West City. In his opinion, the city of the West City is too small. It's better to rebuild a new city. And Ma, the governor of Xicheng, has been busy with this matter since last month.

"You Chang, how long will it take for this city to be completed?" Looking at the hot construction crowd, Zhao Feng asked in a heart. If it can't be completed before winter, many soldiers and civilians will spend the winter in tents.

"General, don't worry, this new city will be completed in half a month. At that time, it will take another month for the people to move here, enough to enter the city for the winter!" Ma Zhen is full of confidence. It's also because of Zhao Feng. In the past, it was just to build a city with earth and stones directly, but now it is to burn the head and burn cement step by step. Naturally, it takes a lot of time.

Zhao Feng visited a few more places. At this time, someone suddenly came to report that Xiliang Mateng sent messengers to discuss important things.

(to be continued)