Chapter 10 of the main text: Ma Teng, a loyal member of the royal family, avenges his father and Cao Cao for founding a new army

 Chapter 10 of the main text: Ma Teng, a loyal member of the royal family, avenges his father and Cao Cao for founding a new army

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But it was said that Li and Guo, the two thieves, intended to kill Emperor Xian. Zhang Ji and Fan Chou advised, "It's not allowed. If we kill him today, I'm afraid everyone won't agree. It's better to continue serving him as the lord and win the entry of the feudal lords. First, remove his wings, and then kill him. The world can be planned." Li and Guo followed his advice and held down their weapons. The emperor issued an edict upstairs, saying, "Since Wang Yun has been executed, why haven't the troops and horses withdrawn?" Li Ji and Guo Si replied, "I have made great contributions to the royal family and have not been granted a title, so I dare not withdraw from the army." The emperor asked, "What title do you want to confer?" Li, Guo, Zhang, and Fan each wrote their official titles and presented them, demanding such an official rank. The emperor had no choice but to comply. Li Gui was appointed as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Marquis Chiyang, and the Deputy Colonel of the Imperial Secretariat, with the title of Fake Jie Yue. Guo Si was appointed as the Rear General, Marquis Meiyang, with the title of Fake Jie Yue, and both were responsible for governing the court; Fan Chou was appointed as the Right General Wannian Marquis, and Zhang Ji was appointed as the Cavalry General Pingyang Marquis, leading troops to garrison Hongnong. The remaining Li Meng, Wang Fang, and others were all school captains. Then Xie En, lead the troops out of the city. He also ordered the pursuit of Dong Zhuo's body, obtaining some scattered skin bones, carving them into shapes from fragrant wood, arranging them properly, setting up a grand ceremony, using royal robes and coffins, choosing an auspicious day, and relocating them to Meiwu for burial. At the time of burial, a heavy thunderstorm descended from the sky, and the water depth on the flat ground was several feet deep. A thunderbolt shook open the coffin, and the body was lifted out of the coffin. Li Jinghou was buried again, and it was like this again at night. Three times the burial was changed, but none of them could be buried, with no skin or bones broken, all of which were destroyed by thunder and fire. The wrath of heaven. It's quite impressive!

Let's say that Li Gui and Guo Si, who held great power, abused the people; Secretly dispatch trusted aides to the emperor's side and observe his movements. Emperor Xian's actions at this moment are thorny. Officials of the court were promoted and demoted by two bandits. In order to meet the expectations of the people, we hereby declare Zhu Xi to be appointed as a eunuch and to lead the court affairs together. One day, people reported to Ma Teng, the governor of Xiliang; Han Sui, the governor of Bingzhou, led an army of more than 100000 and fled to Chang'an, declaring himself a traitor. Originally, the two generals had sent people to Chang'an, and they conspired with Ma Yu, the deputy minister of the imperial court, Zhong Shao, the remonstrant, and Liu Fan, the left central general, to join the bandits. Three people secretly reported to the Emperor, appointing Ma Teng as the General of Conquering the West and Han Sui as the General of Pacifying the West, each receiving a secret edict and actively fighting against the bandits. At present, Li Jing, Guo Yu, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou heard that the two armies were approaching and discussed together strategies to resist the enemy. Strategist Jia Xu said, "When the second army comes from afar, it is only advisable to have deep trenches and high fortifications to defend against them. In just a hundred days, their troops will run out of food and will retreat, and then they will lead their troops to chase after them. The second general can be captured." Li Meng and Wang Fang said, "This is not a good plan. We are willing to use ten thousand elite soldiers to behead Ma Teng and Han Sui and present them to our army." Jia Xu said, "If we fight now, we will be defeated." Li Meng and Wang Fang both said in unison, "If we are defeated, we are willing to be beheaded; if we are defeated, our lord should also lose to us at the head level. Yu said," Two hundred miles west of Chang'an, there is a steep mountain road that can be defended by Generals Zhang and Fan. They can wait for Li Meng and Wang Fang to lead their own troops to meet the enemy. "Li Yu and Guo Yu followed his words and ordered 15000 troops to join forces with Li Meng and Wang Fang. The two of them happily left and went to the village 280 miles away from Chang'an.

The Western Liang army arrived, and two leading troops welcomed them. The Western Liang army blocked the way and set up a formation. Ma Teng and Han Sui came out with reins and cursed at Li Meng and Wang Fang, saying, "Anti national bandits! Who will capture them?" Before they could finish their sentence, they saw a young general with a face like a crown and jade, eyes like shooting stars, tiger body like an ape arm, and a bulging belly like a wolf waist; Holding a long spear and riding a galloping horse, flying out of the formation. Originally, that general was Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng, with the courtesy name Meng Qi. He was only seventeen years old and was brave and invincible. Wang Fang deceived him into being young and jumped his horse to confront him. Unable to finish the battle, he was already stabbed under the horse by Ma Chao. Ma Chao and Le Ma returned. Li Meng saw Wang Fang stab him to death and rode a horse from behind Ma Chao. Super only does not know. Ma Teng shouted loudly under the formation gate, 'Someone is chasing behind!' The sound was still lingering, but Ma Chao had already captured Li Meng on horseback. Originally, Ma Chao knew that Li Meng was chasing after him, but deliberately delayed him; When his horse approached with a spear, Chao flashed his body, and Li Mengqing was empty. The two horses merged and were lightly relieved of their ape arms by Ma Chao, who captured them alive. Soldiers without masters, flee in the wind. Ma Teng and Han Sui took advantage of the situation to pursue and achieved a great victory, approaching the pass and ordering the beheading of Li Meng. Upon hearing that Li Meng and Wang Fang had both been killed by Ma Chao, Fang Xin and Jia Xu had foresight and employed their tactics. They only focused on defending the border and allowed him to fight without welcoming them. Sure enough, the Western Liang army was short of food and supplies in less than two months, so they discussed returning to the army. Coincidentally, the first head of the Ma Yu family in Chang'an city was accompanied by Liu Fan and Zhong Shao, and they were also connected to Ma Teng and Han Sui, hoping to become insiders. Li Jue and Guo Yu were furious, and all three families, young and old, were beheaded in the city. They took three heads and came straight to the doorstep to give orders. Ma Teng and Han Sui saw that the military supplies had run out and the insider had leaked again, so they had to withdraw from the camp. Li Gui and Guo Yu ordered Zhang Ji to lead his army to drive Ma Teng, Fan Chou to lead his army to drive Han Sui, and the Western Liang army suffered a major defeat. Ma Chao fought to the death and repelled Zhang Ji. Fan Chou went to catch up with Han Sui and saw that he was close to Chen Cang. Han Sui pulled his horse and said to Fan Chou, "My lord and I are from the same hometown. Why are we so heartless today?" Fan Chou also restrained his horse and replied, "I cannot disobey your orders!" Han Sui said, "I have come here for the country's ears. Why is it that I am forcing you so much?" After hearing this, Fan Chou turned his horse's head, gathered his troops back to the fortress, and let Han Sui go.

Not being wary of Li Bie, the nephew of Li Jue, when Fan Chou released Han Sui, he reported back to his uncle. Li Jue was furious and wanted to raise an army to attack Fan Chou. Jia Yi said, "At present, people's hearts are not peaceful and they frequently engage in conflicts, which is very inconvenient. If we don't hold a banquet and invite Zhang Ji and Fan Chou to celebrate, we can easily capture and behead them during the banquet." Li Yi was overjoyed and held a banquet to invite Zhang Ji and Fan Chou. Erjiang Xinran attended the banquet. Half drunk, Li Jue suddenly changed his color and said, "Why did Fan Chou communicate with Han Sui and plan to rebel?" Chou was greatly shocked and did not reply; I saw the swordsmen rushing out and beheading Fan Chou at the scene. Startled, Zhang Ji fell to the ground. Li Jue helped him up and said, "Fan Chou plotted rebellion, so he will be executed. Your Highness is my confidant, why should we be alarmed?" He then transferred Fan Chou's army to Zhang Ji's management. Zhang Ji has returned to Hongnong. Li Gui and Guo Si were defeated by the Western Liang army, and the feudal lords dared not choose who. Jia Xu repeatedly urged to pacify the people and recruit virtuous and powerful individuals. The court has a small business. I don't want the yellow scarf in Qingzhou to rise again, gathering hundreds of thousands of people and leaders, plundering innocent civilians. The eunuch Zhu Jun recommended that one person can break through a group of thieves. Li Gui and Guo Si asked who it was. Zhu Qi said, "If we want to defeat the bandits in Shandong, we must rely on Cao Mengde." Li Qi asked, "Where is Meng De now?" Li Qi replied, "He is now the governor of Dongjun and has a wide army. If you order this person to fight against the bandits, the bandits can be defeated in the day." Li Qi was overjoyed and issued a decree overnight, sending someone to Dongjun and ordering Cao Cao and the prime minister of Jibei, Bao Xin, to jointly defeat the bandits. Having received the imperial decree, we will gather with Bao Xin and raise an army together to defeat the bandits in Shouyang. Baoxin rushed into a critical location and was killed by the thief. Chasing the bandits all the way to Jibei, tens of thousands surrendered. Using bandits as the vanguard, soldiers and horses everywhere surrendered without exception. In just over a hundred days, more than 300000 surrendered soldiers and over a million men and women were recruited. Those who choose the elite are called "Qingzhou Soldiers", while the rest are ordered to return to agriculture. From then on, Cao's reputation grew stronger. Jieshu reported to Chang'an, and the court appointed Cao Cao as the General of Zhendong. Operate in Yanzhou and recruit talents. Two uncles and nephews came to participate in the exercise: they were from Yingyin, Yingchuan, with the surname Xun, the given name Yu, the courtesy name Wenruo, and the son of Xun Hong; Old story of Yuan Shao, now abandoning Shao to join the military; Cao and Yu were delighted and said, 'This is my ovary!' He then thought of the marching Sima. His nephew Xun You, with the courtesy name Gongda, was a famous scholar in China. He once served as a Huangmen attendant, but later abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown. Now, he and his uncle have joined Cao Cao, who became a military instructor. Xun Yu said, "I heard that there was a wise man in Yanzhou, and I don't know where he is now." When Cao asked who he was, Yu replied, "He was from Dong'a, Dongjun County, with the surname Cheng, the name Yu, and the courtesy name Zhongde." Cao replied, "I have also been famous for a long time." So he sent people to search for him in the village. Visited him to study in the mountains, bowed and invited him. Seeing Cheng Yu, Cao Cao was overjoyed. Yu said to Xun Yu, "I am ignorant and ignorant, and I am not worthy of being recommended by the Duke. The Duke's fellow townsman, whose surname is Guo, his name is Jia, and his courtesy name is Fengxiao, is a wise man of today. Why not recruit him?" Yu retorted, "I have forgotten!" Then Qi Cao recruited Guo Jia to Yanzhou to discuss the affairs of the world together. Guo Jiajian is a legitimate descendant of Guangwu, born in Chengde, Huainan. His surname is Liu, his given name is Ye, and his courtesy name is Ziyang. Cao immediately hired Ye. Ye recommended two more people: one is from Changyi, Shanyang, with the surname Man, the given name Chong, and the courtesy name Boning; One is from Wucheng, surnamed Lv, given name Qian, and styled Zike. Cao Cao was also aware of these two reputations and hired them to serve in the military. Man Chong and Lv Qian jointly recommended one person, who was from Qiu, Chen Liuping. His surname was Mao, his given name was Jie, and his courtesy name was Xiaoxian. Cao Cao was also hired to engage.

Another general led hundreds of soldiers to join Cao Cao: a native of Juping, Mount Taishan, with a surname of Yu, a name of Ban, and a character of Wenze. Seeing that he was skilled in archery and horsemanship, with outstanding martial arts skills, he was appointed as the commander of the army. One day, Xiahou Dun brought a large Han man to see him and asked who he was. Dun said, "This is a man from Chenliu, surnamed Dian, named Wei, with extraordinary courage and strength. He used to be at odds with Zhang Miao and his subordinates, killing dozens of people and fleeing into the mountains. Dun went out hunting and saw Wei chasing tigers across the ravine, so he gathered in the army. Today, he is recommended to Duke Yu." Cao said, "I see that this person has a strong appearance and must have courage." Dun said, "He once avenged his friend by killing someone, raised his head straight out of the bustling city, and hundreds of people dared not approach him. Only two iron halberds weighing 80 pounds were used today, and with them on horseback, the envoy flew like flying." Cao immediately ordered Wei to test him. Wei galloped back and forth with his halberd and horse. Suddenly, the flag under the tent was blown by the wind, and it was about to collapse, with soldiers holding it hostage and uncertain; Wei dismounted, drank away the troops, held a flagpole in one hand, stood tall in the wind, and remained motionless. Cao said, 'This ancient evil has come!' He then ordered him to be the commander of the tent, stripped off his brocade coat, and bestowed upon him a carved saddle of a fine horse.

Since Cao Cao's troops had advisors and fierce generals, they had a powerful presence in Shandong. Instead, Ying Shao, the Mount Taishan Prefecture Chief, was sent to Langya County to take his father Cao Song. Song sought refuge in Chenliu and lived in seclusion in Langya; On the day of receiving the letter, he came with his younger brother Cao De and his family of more than 40 people, along with over a hundred followers and a hundred vehicles, all heading towards Yanzhou. The Dao passed through Xuzhou, and the Prefect Tao Qian, with the courtesy name Gongzu, was a gentle, pure, and devoted person. He had no other choice but to marry Cao Cao; Knowing that Father Cao had passed by, he went out of the country to greet him, paid his respects again, and held a grand banquet to entertain him for two days. Cao Song was about to leave, and Tao Qian personally sent Guo. Special envoy Zhang Kai escorted 500 troops. Cao Song led his family to Huajian and Feijian in late summer and early autumn, when heavy rain suddenly arrived, so he had to stay overnight at an ancient temple. Temple monks access. Song settled his family and ordered General Zhang Kai to settle in Lianglang. All the soldiers' clothes and clothing were soaked by the rain, and they mourned in unison. Zhang Kai summoned his subordinate leader Yu Jingchu to discuss and said, "We were originally remnants of the Yellow Turban faction, and we reluctantly surrendered to Tao Qian without any benefit. Now that the Cao family has countless supplies and vehicles, it is not difficult for you to achieve wealth and prosperity. Only tonight at three shifts, everyone will attack and kill Cao Song and his family, take their wealth, and go to the mountains to drop grass together. What is this plan?" Everyone agreed. It was a stormy night, and Cao Song was sitting there when suddenly he heard a loud shout from the walls. Cao De raised his sword and was immediately executed. Cao Song hurriedly led a concubine into the abbot, intending to cross the wall and walk away; My concubine was overweight and unable to leave, so Song panicked and hid in the toilet with her. They were killed by the rebel army. Ying Shao escaped with his life and defected to Yuan Shao. Zhang Kai killed the entire family of Cao Song, took their wealth, set fire to the temple, and fled to Huainan with five hundred people. There is a poem by later generations that goes: "Cao Cao was praised for his treacherous deeds and once killed the entire family of the Lv clan. Now, every household and every person killed, the cycle of heaven's retribution is not bad." At present, there are soldiers under Ying Shao who have fled and reported to Cao Cao. Damn it, cry to the ground. Everyone rescued. Cao gnashing his teeth, he said, "Tao Qian led his troops to kill my father. This enmity is irreconcilable! I have now gathered a large army to cleanse Xuzhou, only to avenge my hatred!" Therefore, Xun Yu and Cheng Yu were left to lead 30000 troops to defend Juancheng, Fan County, and Dong'a County, while the rest were killed and fled to Xuzhou. Xiahou Dun, Yu Jian, and Dian Wei were pioneers. Command: But if you have the city, slaughter all the people in the city to avenge your father. When the governor of Jiujiang, Bian Rang, had a close relationship with Tao Qian and learned that Xuzhou was in trouble, he led 5000 troops to rescue him. Cao Wen's great anger caused Xiahou Dun to intercept and kill him on the road. At that time, Chen Gong worked for Dong Jun and also had a close relationship with Tao Qian; Upon hearing that Cao Cao had risen up to seek revenge and intended to kill all the people, he came to see Cao at midnight. Cao Zhi is a lobbyist for Tao Qian. If he wants to stay away and cannot extinguish his old kindness, he can only invite him to meet him in the tent. The palace said, "I have heard that Duke Ming has come to Xuzhou with a large army to avenge his respected father, and intends to kill all the people. Therefore, I have come to offer advice. Tao Qian is a kind and noble person, not someone who is fond of profit and forgets righteousness; the murder of his respected father is the evil of Zhang Kai, not a crime of modesty. Moreover, what is the enmity between the people of the state and county and Duke Ming? The killing is ominous. I hope to think carefully and act accordingly." Angered, he said, "I once abandoned me and left, but now what face will I have to meet again? Tao Qian killed my family, swearing to remove my courage and heart to avenge my hatred! Although I have persuaded Tao Qian, why am I not listening like me!" Chen Gong sighed and said, I have no face to see Tao Qian! "So I rode my horse and threw myself at Zhang Miao, the governor of Chenliu.

Let's talk about killing people and excavating graves wherever the army goes. Tao Qian was in Xuzhou when he heard that Cao Cao had launched an army to seek revenge and killed the people. He looked up at the sky and wept, saying, "I have been punished by heaven, causing great suffering to the people of Xuzhou!" The officials gathered urgently for discussion. Cao Bao said, "Since Cao's army has arrived, how can we just sit back and wait for death! I am willing to help you defeat them." Tao Qian could only lead his troops to meet them, and from afar, he saw Cao's army spreading like frost and snow. The central army raised two white flags and wrote four words of revenge and revenge. The army and horses formed a formation, and Cao Cao led his horses out of the formation, dressed in stripes and whipping loudly. Tao Qian also appeared under the banner of the sect, bowed and saluted, saying, "Qian originally wanted to establish a good relationship with Duke Ming, so he entrusted Zhang Kai to escort him. I didn't want his thieving heart to remain unchanged, which led to this matter. I really didn't do anything to Tao Qian's fault. I hope Duke Ming can investigate it." Cao cursed loudly, "Old man! Kill my father, dare to speak recklessly! Who can capture the old thief alive?" Xiahou Dun responded. Tao Qian hurriedly entered the formation. Xiahou Dun rushed over, and Cao Bao jumped his spear and horse to meet the enemy. Two horses crossed paths, and suddenly a strong wind blew, causing sand and stones to fly. Both armies were in chaos and withdrew their troops.

Tao Qian entered the city and discussed with the crowd, saying, "Cao's army is in great difficulty. I should bind myself to Cao's camp and let him cut off to save the lives of the people in a county in Xuzhou." Without stopping, one person entered the preface and said, "The prefect has been stationed in Xuzhou for a long time, and the people are grateful. Although Cao's army is numerous, they were unable to break through our city immediately. The prefect and a hundred surnames are holding their ground. Although someone is not talented, they are willing to make a small plan to teach Cao to die without a place to bury himself!" The crowd was greatly shocked and asked Ji Jiang to leave safely. It is precisely: originally, it turned into resentment after accepting friendship, but then it was born again in the face of adversity. After all, who is this person? Let's listen to the following breakdown.