Ma Chao was shocked. Seeing that Xu Shu didn't seem to be lying, he shouted loudly: "Kill if you want, I won't leave!"
He raised his troops to the Central Plains this time not only to avenge his father, but also to make achievements. He wanted to show off his talents and restore the glory of his ancestor, General Fubo, and return home in good clothes.
If he just goes back in despair, General Shenweitian will become a joke to the entire Xiliang. Wouldn't life be worse than death?
Xu Shu looked up to the sky and sighed: "If I don't kill you, I will be deposing the public for personal reasons, and people will not accept it. If I kill you, there will be chaos in the camp. I'm afraid it will miss the big event, so you'd better leave early."
Ma Chao's heart sank to the bottom, and he couldn't help feeling sad. He knelt down and said, "After I became General Fubo, I should serve the Han Dynasty. How can I return without success? I have violated the military order and am willing to accept the crime. Each camp of the Xiliang Army has its own With Ma Dai in charge, we will never cause chaos, please ask the military advisor to punish you!"
Ma Dai was shocked, knelt down and clasped his fists and said: "Although my brother is guilty, he is also eager to fulfill his orders. It is common to sneak into the camp and march. It is understandable. Please forgive me, military advisor."
Xu Shu said: "I was ordered by my lord to raise the Han Dynasty to fight against the thieves. Now the situation has improved a little, and the Han Dynasty is expected to be revived. If the law is abolished and everyone in the army is selfish, how can we rejuvenate the country? Ma Chao has violated military law, and selfishness cannot be tolerated. Qing, if you really don't want to leave, you should be willing to accept the judgment and don't have any grudges!"
Ma Chao burst into tears and said loudly: "A good man does what a good man does. Ma Chao disobeys orders and will be punished with death. I only hope that the military advisor will forgive Guo Huai and not cause him to be implicated."
He turned around and knelt down to Ma Dai and Pang De again, crying and saying: "Ma Chao is lucky to be saved by his military advisor and is able to survive. This kindness cannot be repaid. I regard my military advisor as my brother and sister! Now I will be executed for disobeying the order, and I will never complain. I only hate that my father's revenge has not been avenged, and my great kindness has not been repaid. My wise brother and Ling Ming led the soldiers and horses of Xiliang to avenge me, so that they can help the military commanders to make great achievements, and all the princes will return to their hometowns in rich clothes. Even though Ma Chao dies, he still has no hatred for Jiuquan."
After saying this, the three of them hugged each other and cried, Ma Dai begged again, Zhang Ni, Samoko and other generals knelt down to beg for mercy.
Xu Shu also burst into tears, but showed no mercy. He waved his hands and ordered Ma Chao to be pushed out from left and right, and beheaded him outside the camp gate in public display to correct military law.
There was an uproar outside the mansion. The generals of the Xiliang Army gathered around to save Ma Chao. Ma Chao couldn't stop shouting. The Xiliang Army and the guards were pushing and shouting, creating a chaos.
Xu Shu stepped to the door, drew his sword and shouted: "Anyone who dares to disobey the order again will be killed without mercy!"
Ma Dai and Pang De were frightened and ran out of the house in a hurry, scolding the Xiliang army to retreat. The two sides faced off in the street, with their swords at war.
"Save one under the sword!" At this moment, a group of people came out of the street corner, and the person in the lead waved and shouted: "Everyone, please be patient, wait until I go to see General Xu!"
Ma Dai saw that it was Li Yan, the grain transport officer, who came forward. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, "General Li is here just in time. Please think of a way to persuade Sir."
Along the way, he was informed about the dispatch of troops and quickly came to the government office. Li Yan saw the ceremony and advised: "General Ma is so eager to do his best. This battle is all based on Meng Qi's power. If he kills him, I will defeat the general." , if the morale of the army is unstable, the Wei army will be secretly happy. It hurts my relatives, but my enemies are quick. I hope you will think twice!"
Xu Shu snorted slightly and said calmly: "My lord, the prosperity of the Han Dynasty depends entirely on the use of civil and military forces. Everyone is united. I have already issued an order to the three armies. How can the law be invalidated by one person? If I don't have a horse to surpass me, I will not be able to defeat Xu Huang? I will kill him without mercy!" "
Li Yan said: "The law must not be violated, but the three armies are easy to obtain, but it is difficult to find a general! My lord has always been merciful and cherishes talents. The enemy general is not willing to kill easily and imprisoned him to persuade him, let alone his subordinates. Is it a good minister? Now it is time to fight against thieves. On this occasion, if you kill a general before there is a fight, you will lower your morale and be disadvantageous to the army. It is better to keep it useful and make meritorious deeds!"
Ma Dai took the opportunity to plead for mercy: "The Ma family has been loyal to the Han Dynasty for generations. His father and son have been killed by traitors. My brother is the only one left in the lineage of General Fubo. Wanwang will temporarily pardon his crime. We, the Xiliang army, will I am willing to make meritorious deeds and swear to destroy the Wei army."
Xu Shu tapped his fingers on the table, wiped away the tears, and sighed: "I have a close relationship with Meng Qi, and I have a very close relationship with each other. When I passed this order, I was heartbroken. However, bending the law for personal gain is a taboo in military affairs. If Ma Chao is not cured this time, The Xiliang army all regards the law as nothing, if there is any mistake, how can I have the face to see the lord?"
Li Yan clasped his fists and said, "Although your words are reasonable, General Ma has traveled thousands of miles to support my lord in reviving the Han Dynasty and defeating the thieves. If he kills him, he will be the most righteous man in the world to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty! What's more, my lord has always been merciful and will not bear to kill him. If the military advisor If you insist on enforcing military law, it is better to escort Ma Chao to Luoyang and hand him over to your lord. This is the best policy!"
Xu Shu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "What Zhengfang said is reasonable, but by imprisoning Ma Chao, we are worried that the soldiers in Xiliang will not be convinced and will not be able to issue the order, which will create constraints."
Ma Dai knelt down and said loudly: "The Xiliang army will never violate military orders in the future. If there is any violation of orders, there is no need for military advisors to take action. I will kill them with my own hands."
Xu Shu then said: "Seeing that the generals were pleading for mercy, General Li came up with a compromise strategy. Ma Chao's crime was recorded first, and he was spared the death penalty. He was removed from his official position and sent to Luoyang to await his fate."
Ma Dai was so shocked that he broke out in cold sweat. When he heard that he had escaped the death penalty, he hurriedly kowtowed and apologized: "Thank you, military advisor."
Xu Shu said again: "However, Ma Chao and Guo Huai disobeyed orders. If they are not punished, it will be difficult for our military orders to be carried out. Just outside the gate of the mansion, Ma Chao was punished with fifty sticks and Guo Huai was thirty. He gave instructions to the three armies to correct the military law."
"Yes!" Ma Dai was overjoyed and took the soldiers out in person to execute the order outside the house.
Although there were still dissatisfied members of the Xiliang army, they were scolded by Ma Dai and sent back to the camp. Not long after, they heard bursts of crackling sounds coming from outside the door, like a peasant woman smashing hemp, continuously.
Li Yan couldn't bear hearing this and said worriedly: "Ma Chao comes from a noble family and is unruly by nature. There are many domineering people in the Xiliang army. Yuan Zhi punishes him like this. If he gets angry out of humiliation and causes a mutiny, what should we do?"
Xu Shu sighed: "Today's actions are precisely to destroy his temperament!"
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It turns out that Yuan Zhi didn't really want to kill Ma Chao, but he gave me a false alarm."
Xu Shu slowly sheathed the sword, leaving only half of it shining coldly, and said: "If the sword is unsheathed and its edge is exposed, sooner or later it will hurt itself, and it will also hurt those close to it."
Li Yan nodded and said: "It can't be kept sharp if it's sharp. If it's strong, it's easy to break. Only when the edge is hidden inside can it start outside!"
Xu Shu said: "Ma Chao is a fierce general in the world. Although he has the courage of an overlord, his intelligence is far inferior to that of his ancestor, General Fubo! His nature is both the arrogance of Sun Ce and the recklessness of Lu Bu. These are two major taboos for generals. We Since you are his friend, why don't you bother to carve it out?"
Li Yan said with emotion: "Meng Qi does need more training before he can be independent. However, he has been bossing around since he was a child and has an impatient temperament. He may not be able to appreciate Yuan Zhi's hard work!"
Xu Shu listened carefully and saw that the sound of beatings outside had stopped. He smiled and said, "If Meng Qi understands what I mean, I need Zhengfang's help."
Li Yan clasped his fists and said, "It's okay for the military advisor to just say it."
Xu Shu ordered a banquet to be held for Li Yan. When the two were seated, he whispered: "Ma Dai will come back later. If you have any doubts, you can ask me again."
Li Yan was startled for a moment, then understood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ma Dai walking up the steps, raising his glass and laughing: "I have heard for a long time that Yuan Zhi governs the army very strictly, and he is indeed well-deserved. I admire him!"
