It turned out that Xun You had Ma Teng's idea, but before Liu Zhang could express his opinion, Zhao Yun raised an objection.
"Military advisor, is this risk too great? Ma Chao may rally the Qiang people to become our enemies."
"In this case, can Ma Teng be trusted?"
"Our military strength is already at a huge disadvantage. If Ma Teng changes his side in the middle of the battle, the whole thing will be over!"
Zhao Yun's worries hit Liu Zhang's heart. The reason why he kept Ma Teng in prison without making any move was because he was afraid that Ma Teng would fake a surrender for him.
If Ma Teng does not surrender, the more than 20,000 Liangzhou cavalry can be imprisoned, and at most they will spend some energy on guarding them.
Once Ma Teng surrenders, more than 20,000 cavalry will need to be sent to the battlefield.
It would be fine if Liu Zhang had an army of 100,000 when he first came out of Hanzhong. Even if Ma Teng defected before the battle, he would have been able to deal with it calmly.
But now Liu Zhang only has more than 40,000 people. Once Ma Teng leads more than 20,000 people to defect, it will undoubtedly cause a devastating blow to the Yizhou Army.
The reason why Xun You was so hesitant was probably due to this concern.
"My lord, you are always very accurate in judging people. Please listen to my lord's views on Ma Teng."
Liu Zhang's cheeks twitched slightly, Xun You must have thought too highly of him!
More than 20,000 cavalrymen entered the battlefield, was it just based on his feelings?
Liu Zhang himself didn't dare to bet, but he didn't expect Xun You to believe him.
"Ma Teng..."
But now that Xun You asked, Liu Zhang also took advantage of the opportunity to think about it in his mind.
Regarding Ma Teng, Liu Zhang actually only knew his resume, but he was not very sure about his true character.
Ma Teng is not the image of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, nor did he end up in a different place in order to kill the traitor Cao Cao.
Ma Teng's death was entirely caused by his son Ma Chao.
Ma Teng in history can be regarded as one who rebelled and surrendered, and then rebelled again after surrendering. He first served as the governor of Liangzhou and led the army. After Geng Bi was killed, he immediately conspired with Han Sui to rebel.
Later, Dong Zhuo wanted to order Ma Teng to be safe, and Han Sui and Han Sui resisted the Guandong princes. Ma Teng also took advantage of the situation and joined in, and was recognized by the imperial court.
After Dong Zhuo's death, Ma Teng and the ministers of the imperial court prepared to attack Li Jue and Guo Si. Unexpectedly, the matter was exposed, and they fled back to Liangzhou after the defeat.
After Cao Cao took the emperor to order the princes, Ma Teng also obeyed Cao Cao's instructions and led his troops to resist Yuan Shang's attack, and made great achievements as a result.
Later, Ma Teng and Han Sui fought for years, and even his wife was killed by Han Sui.
It was at this time that Zhang Ji personally went to persuade Ma Teng to give up his troops and become an official in the court.
According to dianluo records, Ma Teng hesitated repeatedly at first, and then chose to accept Zhang Ji's proposal under pressure.
After handing over all the soldiers and horses to Ma Chao, Ma Teng led the whole family to Yecheng.
The situation here is very complicated. There are different opinions on what kind of pressure Ma Teng was under. It is even said that Ma Chao gradually replaced Ma Teng's position, and even the actual leader of the entire Ma Jiajun has changed from Ma Teng to Ma Chao.
The neglected Ma Teng had no choice but to return to the court and lead his family to Yecheng to rest in peace.
Ma Teng took away all his family members except Ma Chao, which seemed to reflect the internal situation of Ma Teng's army.
Of course, it is also possible that Ma Teng is tired of his fighting career and chooses the most comfortable way to retire.
After much thought, Liu Zhang still decided to talk to Ma Teng in person.
"Okay, I'll go talk to Ma Teng later."
The matter of recruiting and surrendering Ma Teng was very important, and Liu Zhang had to do it with full confidence.
Xun You nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Ma Teng is a double-edged sword that can hurt the enemy and even himself.
"Okay, generals, when you get back, immediately reorganize your troops and act according to the plan as soon as possible!"
"As you command!"
Liu Zhang also chose to ignore Ma Teng's problem. The top priority now is to support Jieting as soon as possible.
Lu Su only had Pan Feng's battalion of 5,000 soldiers and horses. Now that he had to repair the Jieting city and arrange defense, he must be extremely short of manpower.
Everything can be delayed at the moment, but the street pavilion cannot be delayed. The Xianbei cavalry has too many uncertainties.
After the generals left, Liu Zhang, escorted by Dian Wei, went to see where Ma Teng was.
Whether it was Ma Teng, Ma Yue and other Ma clan members, or Pang De and other generals, Liu Zhang did not imprison them, but entertained them all.
In addition to restricted movement, other food and drink expenses are quite high.
At this moment, Ma Teng was drinking wine alone and enjoying a rare and comfortable time.
"Hiss... ha..."
Feeling the aftertaste of the wine, Ma Teng showed a satisfied look.
Ma Teng's command is quite powerful, but the pressure he faces is also very heavy.
We need to be on guard internally, externally, against the Han people, and against the Qiang people. We seem to be proud of our lives, but we are always anxious.
Although drinking and drinking by yourself is a bit boring, it is rare that you don't have any worries.
For the current Ma Teng, the most he can do is to be executed by Liu Zhang, and he no longer has to worry about messy trivial matters.
"Hey, I have been in the army for many years, but I never expected that I feel most comfortable when I am captured!"
Ma Teng drank the wine again and chewed the horse meat.
At this moment, there was a burst of laughter from outside the door.
"Haha, brother Shoucheng is living a cool life, I am envious of him!"
Ma Teng frowned. This voice was too familiar to him. It was Liu Zhang who captured him.
"General Wei has a lot of things to do, but I didn't expect that he would still have time to see me, the defeated general! I am extremely honored!"
Liu Zhang provided him with delicious food and drink, and Ma Teng also accepted Liu Zhang's favor. Now that the two meet each other, they will naturally not speak harshly to each other.
Ma Teng stood up and took the initiative to open the door. As expected, Liu Zhang was already standing at the door.
"General Wei, please come in!"
Ma Teng was so polite, and Liu Zhang was also polite, holding his hands slightly to express his gratitude.
"Thank you!"
After Liu Zhang stepped into the door, Dian Wei also wanted to follow him in, but unexpectedly Liu Zhang stopped him.
"When evil comes, just wait here!"
Dian Wei frowned, worry immediately showing on his face.
"Lord, this..."
"It doesn't matter!"
Liu Zhang smiled and nodded. Not to mention that Ma Teng had no reason to harm him. Even if Ma Teng attacked him, Liu Zhang was confident that he could resist him.
This was enough time for Dian Wei to rush in and rescue him.
Being alone in a room with Ma Teng is also to be able to talk openly.
Forced by Liu Zhang's order, Dian Wei could only obey, but still gave Ma Teng a warning look.
Ma Teng just laughed it off.
Entering the house, Liu Zhang didn't behave too much. He sat down directly opposite Ma Teng and poured himself a glass of wine.
"Brother Shoucheng, are you still used to drinking the fine wine from Yizhou?"
