Ma Teng's answer is also smart, that is, he did not say that he wanted to go against Cao Cao, but also expressed his intentions, and the edict of the Son of Heaven would definitely be listened to, but the premise was in the matter of loyalty to the country.

In other words, if Cao Cao did something beneficial to the Han Dynasty, he Ma Teng would also listen.

Seeing that Ma Teng didn't dare to answer with confidence, Liu Xie didn't continue to ask further, after all, there was a process for him to get used to.

The first exchange between the two was put on hold, but Liu Xie believed that it would not be long before Ma Teng would join his side.

Back in the palace, Liu Xie ordered people to prepare a banquet, and rarely summoned a few palace maids to perform songs and dances for the pleasure of the ministers, and the atmosphere can be said to be extremely cheerful.

Drinking, looking and chatting, time flies, the banquet disperses, and Ma Teng is taken to a prepared mansion.

In this house, all the slaves are equipped, apparently for Ma Teng to live in for a long time.

After waving off the subordinates, Ma Teng and his two sons closed the door and began to discuss in a whisper.

Ma Teng glanced at the two sons and said, "Where is the army settled now?" ”

Matthew replied, "The military camp in the east of the city, when my son went there, it had already been emptied, and it was evident that it had been prepared for a long time. ”

"When my son entered the palace, he once explained that without a letter from his father or son, he could not listen to any one of them, and if anyone wanted to attack by force, he could immediately counterattack."

Seeing Ma Xiu's arrangement, Ma Teng was quite satisfied, nodded and said: "Xiu'er really has the appearance of his father back then, but just like this, it is not safe, from today on, you two will take turns to spend the night in the military camp to ensure that if there is an emergency, you can know in time." ”

Ma Xiu nodded and said: "Father is right, when I entered the city today, the Guan Cao army was eyeing us, and I am afraid it will be difficult to live in peace." ”

Ma Teng nodded and said: "Xiu'er is observant, and in time, he will become his father's right-hand man, but it's a pity that Chao'er is not like you." ”

Seeing that Ma Teng suddenly became worried, Ma Xiu persuaded: "Father, don't worry, eldest brother is brave and abnormal, and nothing will happen." ”

Ma Teng nodded and said: "Chao'er himself, I'm not worried about my father, but it's hard to say about the Xiliang Ma family." ”

Ma Chao has outstanding martial arts, and it is not difficult to kill thousands of troops, but not everyone in the Ma family has his martial arts, and if Ma Chao is defeated, he is afraid that he will be implicated.

Therefore, Ma Teng led his troops to Xuchang, which also has two meanings, one is to protect himself, and the other is in case Ma Chao is defeated, these soldiers and horses can also gain a little weight in Cao Cao, or they can play a role at a critical moment.

Matthew comforted and said, "Father, don't think about what hasn't happened yet, your body is important." ”

"Hmm." Ma Teng nodded and said: "By the way, remember to warn the three armies not to go out of the camp without permission, not to cause trouble, not to oppress the people, if you violate these three articles, you will be beheaded." ”

Matthew frowned and said, "Father, you are not allowed to go out of the camp without permission, for fear it will make the army complain, so it is better to go out at the specified time." ”

Ten thousand men stay together all day, and after a long time, problems will definitely occur, and Matthew's proposal can be regarded as a precaution.

Ma Teng thought for a while and said: "Okay, this matter is up to you to arrange, but when you go out, you must have a non-commissioned officer take the lead, all consumption, give money, let them remember that this is Xuchang, not Xiliang, if something goes wrong, no one can protect them." ”

Ma Xiu hugged his fists and said: "Father, don't worry, my son will definitely keep them in mind, and there will be no mistakes." ”

"Hmm." Ma Teng waved his hand and said, "Okay, you guys are also tired, go down early to rest, and move around as little as possible." ”

Seeing the two sons leaving, Ma Teng slowly closed his eyes, thinking about his performance in the carriage and Liu Xie's performance at the banquet today.

Combined with all the conclusions drawn, it is possible that Liu Xie and Cao Cao do not have the same mind.

So whether Cao Cao wants to let him come to Xuchang, or Liu Xie wants him to come.

If Cao Cao wants to let him come, he will definitely lay out conspiracies and tricks, and everything must be guarded against.

But if Liu Xie let himself come, I am afraid that he wanted to borrow his own strength to compete with Cao Cao.

The current situation is unclear, and it is difficult to draw any conclusions, but one thing is correct, that is, you must not act rashly, otherwise there will be any accidents, and I am afraid that there will be no recovery.

If Liu Xie has a heart, he will be summoned again, and at that time, he will be more relaxed to see what he means.

Ma Teng made a plan in his heart, stood up and left the room, and went to the bedroom to rest.

Ma Teng was trembling in Xuchang, but there were people who had already lurked in Xiliang at this time.

Li Kan and Cheng Yin, the guards of Anding County, were chatting with that person at this time, and it was obvious that the two sides had reached a perfect consensus.

In order to ensure that he would not be deceived, Li Kan asked with a smile: "Since we have already agreed, why don't you give a little heart first, and you can already reassure the two of us." ”

Mao Jie thought for a while and said: "It's feasible, but not too much, the order can be the master." ”

Hearing Mao Jie's promise, the two hurriedly whispered to each other, and after a while, Li Kan raised his eyebrows and said: "That's it, my brothers and sisters are short of food and grass at the moment, so Mr. might as well give some, let me wait to give the soldiers and horses under his command a full meal, so as to boost morale." ”

Cao Cao is also short of grain and grass, but it can be done and send some away, and it doesn't hurt.

In order to show embarrassment and make the two of them dare not make excessive demands, Mao Jie deliberately frowned, thought for a moment and said:

"To tell the truth, there was a big drought last year, and now there is not much grain and grass in Cao Gong, but in order to express sincerity, you can call the shots, and promise a thousand stones."

A thousand stones, although it is not much, but it is also a lot for the bitter cold land of Xiliang.

But now that others are asking for themselves, Li Kan naturally wants more benefits. "Well, a thousand stones, that's too little, add another five hundred stones."

Mao Jie didn't care about adding an extra 500 stones, but he still pretended to think, and finally agreed in embarrassment. "Okay, when the time comes, just ask Cao Gong for a while."

Seeing Mao Jie's promise, Li Kan had a smile on his face, and hurriedly said: "Okay, as soon as the grain and grass arrive, we will send troops to fight against Ma Chao, and I hope that Cao Gong can come to help in time." ”

Mao Jie smiled and said: "This rest assured, as long as the current situation is successful, Cao Gong will not be treated badly, and he will also give the two generals important positions, glory and wealth, and it is not a problem." ”

Xiliang is poor, and for Li and Cheng, it is a very good destination to be able to take refuge in Cao Cao.

But to attack Ma Chao first, they are just pawns, Mao Jie and the two of them have negotiated, and they hurriedly retreat and go to the next target.

Mao Jie's trip is to confuse the water in Xiliang, instead of waiting for Ma Chao to make a move, it is better to take the lead and hold the initiative in the battle.

The various departments of Xiliang, those people are easy to talk about, and before Mao Jie's departure, he also did an investigation, so things went extremely smoothly.