After Yuan Shao listened to Guo Jia's plan and saw that everyone was eating and drinking well, he ordered the banquet to be taken down. Everyone said goodbye and went down to stick to their posts and prepare for the next battle.
Guo Jia didn't need Yuan Shao to persuade him to stay, so he stayed on his own initiative and waited for his lord's orders. Yuan Shao was very satisfied to see that Guo Jia was very knowledgeable. After discussing the countermeasures for almost an hour, they let Guo Jia leave and went their separate ways.
After Guo Jia left, Yuan Shao didn't waste any time and asked the shadow guard to take his autographed letter back to Chang'an and deliver him safely to Jushou.
After explaining what the shadow guards should pay attention to, Yuan Shao went back to his tent to rest, and spent the whole night speechless.
The next day, Yuan Shao was discussing with Zhao Yun the issue of cavalry construction.
Regarding the construction of cavalry, Yuan Shao has already had ideas, but he has never studied them carefully. I had nothing to do today so I discussed it with Zhao Yun. It happened that Zhao Yun also had a lot of ideas, so they studied it carefully together.
Suddenly, someone saw the camp tent being opened, and Dian Wei ran from outside the camp and loudly reported the incident.
"My lord, Xiliang Ma Teng and Ma Chao are waiting outside the camp, saying they want to see the Prime Minister and his party."
It turned out that Ma Teng, for some unknown reason, brought his son Ma Chao and about a hundred of his men to Yuan Jun's camp today. He said that he wanted to see the Prime Minister and had important matters to discuss.
Wen Chou was guarding the gate and didn't know how to deal with it, so he asked his men to come over and inform his brother Dian Wei to ask his lord for instructions on how to make a decision. But he stayed outside, watching their every move.
Oh, it seemed that there must be an accident. Yuan Shao immediately asked Dian Wei to inform them, let them into the camp, and bring them here.
"Well, I understand. I'll ask General Lao Dianwei to please do some hard work and let the guests from Xiliang travel lightly and bring them here."
Dian Wei took the order and left. Zhao Yun naturally did not give any orders and stayed in the account, waiting for Ma Teng and the others, just in case something unexpected happened.
After a while, Dian Wei took Ma Teng and his son outside Yuan Shao's camp.
Just as Dian Wei wanted to speak, he was stopped by Ma Teng. I heard him shout in person, his voice a little polite.
"Xiliang Ma Teng and his unworthy son Ma Chao are here to pay homage to the Prime Minister. I hope to see you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shao's voice came from inside and said, "Quickly tell Ma Teng and his son to come in, don't wait at the door."
So, Ma Teng and Ma Chao were proud and followed Dian Wei into the coach's camp.
When I walked in, I saw Yuan Shao and Zhao Yun both there. Ma Teng pulled the reluctant Ma Chao, knelt down and saluted.
"The brave man of Xiliang, please see the Prime Minister."
Yuan Shao nodded and said with a smile, "You two generals, you don't need to be polite. Get up quickly and take a seat."
After the two sat down next to Zhao Yun, Yuan Shao pretended not to know and asked them about their purpose.
"I wonder what the two generals are doing here?"
Ma Teng might not be good at lying. His face turned red and he said, "It's nothing serious. I just came here to thank the Prime Minister for showing mercy yesterday. It's nothing serious."
You are so dishonest, who are you lying to? There is no big deal, you would take such a big risk, leave the army behind, and go to the enemy camp to talk in person.
Yuan Shao didn't point it out, he just confirmed it symbolically, "Is it true? General, if you have something to say, just say it. We are all a family, so you are welcome."
When Yuan Shao asked again, Ma Teng was obedient and a little embarrassed to speak.
When I saw my father, he looked like a coward, which was very unkind. Ma Chao couldn't stand it, so he interrupted.
"Isn't it Han Sui who contacted the court behind my father's back? He wanted to gain glory and wealth, and wanted to dominate Xiliang. My father didn't know what to do, so he came to ask the prime minister for his opinion."
After hearing Ma Chao bluntly state the purpose of their visit, Yuan Shao pretended to be suddenly enlightened and said in surprise.
"Oh, that's it. I asked what the purpose of Han Sui's letter was yesterday. It turned out that he wanted to dominate Xiliang."
Hearing Yuan Shao say it so bluntly, Ma Teng did not hide it and said, "What Chao'er said is true. The purpose of our coming here today is to ask the Prime Minister for your answer. Whether it is war or peace, it all depends on the Prime Minister." a word."
Seeing that Ma and his son were so anxious, it seemed that Guo Jia's strategy had worked.
In his heart, Yuan Shao had to admire Guo Jia. Just based on these few carefully crafted rumors in the enemy camp, Ma Teng and his son were worried. He actually risked his life and went to the enemy camp to inquire, which shows that this strategy was very successful.
According to Guo Jia's nature, Han Sui must have known about Ma Teng's meeting with Yuan Shao in person, and he would definitely not be able to sit still. It just depends on how he handles it. This is about taking advantage of the situation.
Seeing that the Prime Minister was still silent, Ma Teng became a little anxious and said anxiously, "Prime Minister, please don't believe Han Sui's words. He talks about one thing but keeps his back. I was deceived by him and came here." From Chang'an."
Of course Yuan Shao knew this very well, but there were many things Ma Teng didn't know. Of course, he would not tell Ma Teng this. He just smiled and said, "Thank you Shoucheng for the reminder. Don't worry, I won't believe Han Sui's rhetoric. I doubt Han Sui's character. As for the general's character, I I am still very convinced. If Xiliang is handed over to Shoucheng, I will feel relieved."
Hearing Yuan Shao praise him so kindly and with such kind words, Ma Teng couldn't help but feel happy, and he patted his chest and promised.
"Thank you for your trust, leader. As long as I am in Xiliang, I will definitely obey the court's orders. Only the Prime Minister will follow his lead."
When Ma Chao saw that the Prime Minister liked his father very much, he also expressed his gratitude to You Rong. He said loudly, "Prime Minister, don't worry. As long as I, Ma Chao, are here, Han Sui can't make any big troubles." He looked like the best in the world.
This look made Yuan Shao and Ma Teng a little funny, but they were telling the truth.
When Yuan Shao saw this, he immediately expressed his attitude and said, "Yes, that's it. I will immediately go to the table and express my longevity to become General Fubo and lead the shepherd of Liangzhou."
General Fubo, this surprise came very suddenly, leaving Ma Teng and his son a little confused. It's not that the position of General Fubo is very high. In fact, it's just the position of a general with no high rank. It's really not very high.
The reason why the two of them were a little ecstatic was because they had special feelings for this title. As mentioned before, Ma Teng claims to be a descendant of General Fubo Ma Yuan. This is a legendary figure, and being his descendant is not only an honor, but also a status symbol. This is even more important in this era where one relies on family background to compete for one's father.
Now let him hold this position. It is not an appointment for him, but an affirmation and support for his family. The most prominent people today have recognized Ma Teng's identity. Who else would deny it!
After a while, Ma Teng and his son also came to their senses, and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your kindness. We swear that we will be loyal to the Yuan family in our lives. But if we are driven, we will not give up even if we die!"
Hearing the two men's declarations of allegiance, Yuan Shao was overjoyed and helped the father and son up, and the host and guest were delighted for a while. After chatting for a long time, the two of them said goodbye and went back.
After sending Ma Teng and his son away, although he was very happy to see his lord, Zhao Yun still had to remind him.
"My lord, although I have gained the allegiance of the Xiliang Ma family today, I am very happy to congratulate you. However, you should not be careless. I feel that they will not be Han Sui's opponents, and I am afraid that may change in the future."
Yuan Shao was a little complacent at this moment and said, "Zilong is worrying too much. If you measure a small Han Sui, he will be Ma Teng's opponent. There is no need to take it to heart."
Zhao Yun was still a little worried and wanted to persuade him, but when he saw that Yuan Shao was unwilling to listen, he backed down. I'm going to discuss it with Military Advisor Guo Jia first. It depends on the situation.
It was this carelessness that later led to the outbreak of war in Xiliang again. Not only did it cause a lot of losses, it almost caused the loss of a general, and it also slowed down the process of unifying the world. Of course, these are things for later.
