When the wind blew, Ma Chao was drinking in the shade of a tree in the backyard.

This is the first summer he has experienced in a place other than Xiliang: I have to say that the water, soil and climate here in Hedong and Bingzhou are much better than those in Liangzhou, and from this night breeze alone, you can taste a completely different taste:

In Xiliang, even if it is April day, the wind and sand are still very strong, and the wind blows the sand all over the sky, and the smell can only be experienced by those who have experienced it. Compared with Xiliang, the wind and frost here in Bingzhou are so gentle that they are like young women who have just come out of the cabinet

This is still in the relatively remote state, if you go to the Central Plains, or even the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, what kind of scenery will it be?

It's just a pity that he probably won't see that day anymore.

Thinking of the knot, he lifted the clay bowl of the sea, tilted his neck, and poured the wine in the bowl into his stomach in one go, as if he wanted to use the liquor to extinguish the unwillingness and anger in his heart.

Only those who have touched the edge of glory are extremely unwilling to today's ending. Ma Chao is sure that he definitely has the opportunity to achieve the glory of his dreams! It's a pity that Wang Yu's appearance is like the eight hundred miles of Kunlun Mountain lying across the Western Regions, and he always feels that there is a chance from a distance, and the closer he gets, the more he can realize what is called a high mountain, which cannot be crossed.

It's not terrible to lose once in a while, it's terrible to lose the opportunity to wash away the shame forever:

The battle of Longshan was lost so badly that he couldn't see the hope of making a comeback and washing away his shame:

In these days of sitting in the lonely pit, every day as soon as he closed his eyes, he could see those robes that had died in battle, covered in blood, looking at him with a certain and contemptuous gaze, and contempt had so easily fallen into the hands of the enemy, and not once or twice, but completely led by the nose from beginning to end! I despise him for sending so many brothers to death for his own self-indulgence.

Anxiety, guilt, disappointment, and all kinds of emotions are like tens of thousands of poisonous snakes, devouring his ** and spirit little by little.

Under the influence of the main general, the remaining Xiliang army was also sluggish. They also did not see where their life was, and they also understood that the reason why the enemy did not attack the city was not because of fear, but because they were completely sure that they had eaten themselves, so they waited for the best opportunity all their time.

It is precisely because of this military spirit that Ma Chao has never done a breakthrough fight. He knew that if he couldn't rush out, the enemy would not intercept him in the front, but would only use the powerful riot troops to follow and kill. With the current state of mind of the brothers, it will not be long before the army will completely collapse with only one or two dead or injured adults.

If you can't break through, you will lose control of Hedong, and you can't go back to Xiliang to regroup, and the hope of revenge will be completely cut off.

Despite this, Ma Chao still has to perform the duties of the chief general, and behave calmly and calmly in front of the soldiers to calm the morale of the army. At the same time, he is also on guard!

Externally, the Qingzhou army has to be guarded against, Ma Chao knows that the key to this Central Plains war lies in the victory or defeat of Cao Cao and Wang Yu, Wang Yu will not be willing to stay in Bingzhou for too long, and he will not leave with confidence to leave hidden dangers.

In the Battle of Longshan, the Qingzhou army was outnumbered, and in addition to taking advantage of tricks, it was more about fighting with strength. In the end, although an unprecedented victory was achieved, its own casualties were not less.

If the main cavalry force of Qingzhou left first, leaving only the Western Front Army with heavy losses, let alone breaking through, Ma Chao would even be sure to reproduce the glory of the night battle in Zixian

Of course, before Wang Yu and the Wind and Fire Cavalry left, Ma Chao could only do passive defense: he not only had to guard against Qingzhou outside the city, but also against all kinds of ghosts, snakes, and gods in the city:

"I'm not going to give you a chance!" While lifting the wine jar and pouring himself a drink, Ma Chao gritted his teeth and muttered to himself. It was as if there were a pair of ears in the light of the wine, and what he said could be transmitted to the enemy and potential enemies without falling into the air.

"Never!" Biting his bloody lip, the first military general of Xiliang stubbornly repeated:

His hand reached to the side, grabbed a cold rancid spoon into his mouth, and chewed vigorously one at a time. Seeing that the Lord was about to eat, the soldiers hurriedly moved the cold dishes to the charcoal basin and baked them, and poured the steaming soup on top. Ma Chao didn't seem to see it, he didn't use chopsticks to pick up vegetables, he didn't drink soup, he chewed vigorously, and swallowed the cold feed and his own blood down his throat.

"Big brother, you can eat something hot! Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach must prevent hurting the stomach and intestines! Ma Dai looked worried, tiptoed forward, and reminded in a low voice.

The Ma family's generals, personal soldiers, and Yang Qiu, who was friendly with the Ma family, basically died in the war Although Pang De did not die, he did not know where to go, for Ma Chao, it was no different from death: Ma Yunluo's martial arts are good, but he is still too young to provide substantial help to his brother at this time.

Although the heroic handsome of Zhuqiang did not die, but because of the relationship between the two sides, there was also a gap between the two sides, and the relationship on the surface was still harmonious, but it was only in times of crisis, they had to huddle together to keep warm, and they could no longer return to the state of saying nothing to before.

Now, the only person around Ma Chao who can discuss major matters is his younger brother Ma Dai.

"Hmm......" Ma Chao put down the food in his mouth with difficulty, barely cheered up, and asked, "What time is it, how is the situation outside?" ”

"Just after the end of the city:" Ma Dai bowed down and handed over the strong tea with salt for a night, so that Ma Chao could sober up: "General Liang After they entered the city, they have been busy settling down, and there are no other actions: the camps they chose are all far away from the city gate, so there should be no big problem." ”

"That's good, that's good!" Ma Chao nodded as if relieved. He was not without doubts about the sudden arrival of Liang Xing and others, on the contrary, he was very wary of it. In Liangzhou, betrayal and betrayal are commonplace, even he, a young man in his twenties this year, has seen too much, how can he be wary of Liang Xing and others?

"It's really a bit weird that General Liang and the others are here, since the eldest brother is not at ease, why don't you just find one, make excuses, and close the door?"

"Bozhan, don't you know?" Ma Chao spread his hands, his face full of helplessness: "Liang Xing is here, I have to accept it for my brother!" The timing they seized was so good that we couldn't refuse......"

There is no way to let Liang Xing and these people enter the city

If the other party is far away, it doesn't matter if he just sends a messenger over, just find an excuse to send it away: but Liang Xing's entire army has already arrived at the city gate, and the soldiers on both sides are watching, once they make the decision to turn it away, the impact will be extremely huge.

The morale of the soldiers in the city will plummet because the last friendly army has also defected, or there is not enough food and grass in the city, otherwise why will the lord not let the friendly army into the city? The soldiers outside the city would hate themselves and, in desperation, join the enemy and attack Pingtao in turn:

The Qingzhou army has bed crossbows, as well as the legendary thunderbolt car, which are both siege weapons. Pingtao is just an ordinary county town, and the Xiliang army does not have much experience in defending the city, if the Qingzhou army attacks with all its might, it will definitely not be able to stop. The reason why the enemy has been holding its ground and delaying the attack is simply because he is afraid of losses and does not want to pay too much price.

Once Liang Xing and the others rebel against the water because of hatred, they will definitely be regarded by Wang Yu as a force to attack the city. Driven by hatred, Liang Xing's soldiers and horses may play for a long time, and Pingtao City will be shaken by storms.

So Ma Chao could only let Liang Xing come first.

Anyway, the riot soldiers in the city can't be used, and the three-way soldiers of Liang Xing, Hou Xuan, and Li Kan are scattered and stationed far away from the city gate.

If Liang Xing and the others do not move, they can also think of a way, set up a Hongmen banquet or something, and merge these three guys, on the one hand, to eliminate future troubles, and on the other hand, to expand their strength and prepare for a future counteroffensive.

"I'm going to go around the city in a while to cheer up my morale!" Ma Chao nodded slightly.

In the past few days, he has been nesting in the city guard mansion and has not gone out, his mentality is so decadent, it is almost like waiting for death, and the bones in his body have become sour. Today, Liang Xing and others entered the city, which is not only a potential threat, but it is not a good opportunity, and it is time to take the opportunity to go out for a walk, and by the way, to appease the morale of the army.

With 50,000 troops in hand and a city to rely on, even if the Qingzhou army launched a strong attack at any cost, he was sure to resist for a while. Thinking like this, my mood suddenly brightened

"Yes, my subordinates will arrange it!" Ma Dai gave up his hand, but there was not much joy on his face.

This brother's lukewarm expression was immediately seen by Ma Chao, who had just returned to normal, he frowned sensitively, and asked in a low voice, "What, is it inconvenient?" Or is there something wrong with it? ”

"The brothers all admire your bravery, and they also know that now there is only one battle against the water, and it will definitely be beneficial for you to go on patrol......" Ma Dai hesitated for a moment, looked around, and didn't know whether to say the second half of the sentence.

Ma Chao frowned, and urged impatiently: "If you have something to say, you don't have the habit of guessing people's minds!" They are all your own brothers, why are you doing this twisted attitude? ”

"Yes, that's right!" Ma Dai hesitated, but decided to tell the truth: "After General Liang and his team entered the city, rumors suddenly broke out in the city, and the last general couldn't find out whether the enemy deliberately spread it to disturb our army's heart, or whether the brothers themselves were scaring themselves......

"Say what? I can't even stop a rumor, what are you guys eating? Without waiting for Ma Dai to finish speaking, Ma Chao's eyes widened and he asked angrily and loudly. Although the Xiliang Army is a coalition army, and the orders of the main general are impassable, the control of the army in all aspects is still very tight, and it is impossible to suddenly let the message be noisy.

"The last general is incompetent, please punish the general!" Ma Dai didn't let it go, and bowed down to ask for guilt.

According to Ma Chao's temper, he must have a seizure: but seeing the scene of the generals around him, he couldn't breathe out, glanced at Ma Dai, he slowly sat back on the stone bench, panting and asking, "What are the rumors outside?" Don't hide it from me, although Ben Jiang is young, he has experienced a lot of things, how can he be frightened by rumors? ”

"The rumors came from our own side." Ma Dai smiled reluctantly, and said in a low voice: "It may be that they retreated into the city without any harm to General Liang, and some people are saying that Wang Yu has always been tolerant of the Han family's sons, and even Gao Ganna and his old enemies have spared him, and he will not get along with our Han people, and it is only the Qiang soldiers who are in danger......

"Oops!" Ma Chao secretly screamed in his heart that it was not good, and jumped up suddenly, eager to slap his two big mouths first:

After the defeat of A Pingtao, he was sad and depressed on the one hand, and on the other hand, he only thought about how to resist the Qingzhou army's attack on the territory, and did not consider the problem of people's hearts, but the result was negligence.

Wang Yu's consistent style is to exterminate all foreign races and open up to the Han people. Normally, this is a good thing, at least there is a way to live, but the problem is that Ma Chao does not intend to succumb to others, and he still has the ambition to compete for the top.

When such rumors spread, the problem is very serious.

Ma Chao's team was destroyed in the war, and the surrendered Han Sui's old troops had no intention of fighting to the death, and ran away while the chaos was scattered, and when they retreated to Pingtao, Ma Chao's descendants only cut off more than 3,000 people gathered by Ma Dai's brothers and sisters. That is to say, before Liang Xing entered the city, the Qiang soldiers in the city had an absolute advantage, with 16,000 soldiers and horses.

Without Liang Xing's 30,000 troops, even if such rumors spread, they would not be afraid, but they would be more able to arouse the Qiang soldiers' desire to fight to the death. Anyway, there is no way to survive if it falls, so naturally it is enough to hang one book, and fight two to make money.

But now, he received Liang Xing's 30,000 Han troops into the city, and he did not communicate with the heroes of the Zhuqiang departments, and the troops who controlled the Siqian city gate were all regarded as the main ones by his descendants......

After listening to the rumors, what will Zhuqiang think? Will they think that they have surrendered and given Zhuqiang as a gift?

Cold sweat trickled down, Ma Chao didn't dare to delay any longer, stood up, grabbed the iron helmet with one hand, and ordered his own soldiers to flawed his armor: "Without further ado, it will change later!" A few of you will go on patrol with Ben, no matter how the rumors spread, we can't mess up by ourselves! ”

Ma Dai and all the relatives were taken aback, and only after being glared at by Ma Chao did they react, and took advantage of Ma Chao's armor breaking, Ma Dai asked anxiously: "Big brother, are you worried about ......?"

Ma Chao hurriedly said: "Zhuqiang is very suspicious, they will definitely suspect us, and if they don't do it, there will be trouble!" Liang Xing's few are not of the same heart as us, if the Qiang soldiers are chaotic again, this Pingtao will definitely not be able to hold it, and they will not be able to break through the siege, and they will be in chaos, you and my brother will really die and have no place to be buried! ”

"......" Ma Dai was shocked when he heard this, and a thought that had been suppressed in his heart suddenly jumped out uncontrollably, and he hesitated and said: "Big brother, what was said in that message is not true, and now that the matter has come to this, I'm afraid it ...... Why not push the boat down the river, follow the example of Gongsun Bojia and others, and also try to create an extraterritorial territory? ”

Ma Chao had already walked to the gate of the courtyard, and suddenly froze there, for a long time, before he turned his head to look at his younger brother, with extremely unfamiliar eyes, as if he had suddenly lost his memory.

"Bo Zhan, what did you say?" Ma Chao asked in a deep voice, and the yin between his eyebrows was like thick ink.

"Big brother, listen to the little brother!" The words have been spoken, and Ma Dai has also been released.

In fact, he had this idea for a long time, and after returning from Qingzhou, he privately proposed to Ma Teng whether he could call off the army and make peace, and use the bargaining chip of the coalition army to talk about the conditions with Wang Yu. As a result, of course, he was angrily reprimanded by Ma Teng, and ordered him not to mention this matter in the future, otherwise he would break off the relationship between uncle and nephew.

But now that Ma Teng is dead, Ma Chao is also at the end of his rope, and seeing that Ma Chao has to make the last struggle, Ma Dai naturally can't hold back.

"The siege of Xiliang, Jiangdong, and Luoyang is just a flat situation. If it weren't for the courage of the eldest brother, General Cao would have been defeated in the tiger prison and now my Xiliang has been defeated and lost, and it will be difficult to regroup, although it is still beneficial to the support of the state soldiers and Jingzhou soldiers, but it is also beyond the reach of the whip commander, and the general trend of the world is probably ......"

Ma Dai said sincerely: "Brother, you know that you can't do it, your courage is commendable, but it's not the blessing of the Ma family!" And think twice......"

As he was talking, there was a sudden noise outside. When Ma Chao and the others looked stunned, he saw a school bureau who had been temporarily promoted running in with a blue nose and a swollen face, and while running, he shouted anxiously: "Quick, let me go to see the handsome." Oh no, no, someone is going to rebel! ”

"Whoever is rebelling, you make it clear!" Ma Chao stepped forward and grabbed the other party's shoulders and asked loudly:

The newly promoted school chefs were originally tun commanders and team leaders, and they rarely could talk to the coach in person, and they were pressed by Ma Chao, shocked and frightened, and knelt down softly: "Dashuai, his subordinates are incompetent, and the Songbu Haoshuai of Baimaqiang took the lead in making trouble, and he wanted to go out of the city and flee for his life." The subordinates didn't stop him, and the subordinates are sorry for the handsome! ”

"What?" Ma Chao pushed away the school kitchen that reported the news, and walked out.

What are you afraid of, Baimaqiang's prestige among the Qiang is very high, and from them, the situation will soon be out of control.

Ma Chao was anxious and angry, he didn't care if the people behind him had time to keep up with him, and he didn't care about arguing with his younger brother, jumped on horseback and galloped all the way.

He hates!

Liang Xing and the others must have secretly taken refuge in Wang Yu, otherwise this rumor would not have appeared so coincidentally, not to mention counting on them to suppress the Qiang soldiers, as long as they are willing to watch from the wall at this time, it is already a great luck.

The most important thing now is to suppress the signs of this unrest before more tribes respond to Baimaqiang, otherwise, when the Qiang soldiers are involved, even if they are successfully suppressed, it will only push the fate of destruction back a little.

He swapped his life and raced in the noisiest direction outside. Whoever stands in the way, raising your hand is a whip. After crashing into seven or eight people running around one after another, repulsing two guards who tried to dissuade him, and killing more than a dozen rebels with a red gun, he finally arrived at the place of the incident:

However, it was already too late.

A raging fire burned near the city gates, illuminating the surrounding streets as bright as day. Everywhere you go, shadowy figures are chasing each other and fighting each other. A battle was being fought on the walls, but the enemy was not coming from outside, and there were no siege machines, and the besiegers were just climbing up the inner stairs and fighting with the defenders.

The cries, the shouts, the cries, the clashing of swords and spears, the release of the bowstring, mixed with the howls of the dying and the desperate cries of the wounded、...... A noisy noise filled the world:

The commotion spread out like a spark on the prairie fire, and it didn't take much time to cause chaos in the east, north, and west of the city, and only the south of the city, which was adjacent to Fenshui, was quieter. There were people everywhere, but no one was going to put out the fire.

"Wang Pengju, you are so poisonous!" Ma Chao's eyes were blood-red, looking up to the sky and screaming, as Ma Dai said, the matter has come to this, even if he has the courage of ten thousand people, there is no way to turn things around.

And to accomplish all this, Wang Yu didn't even use a single soldier.