"Yes."

Yan Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "My lord, I will know Zhang Yi in the end." In the eyes of the last general, he has no talent, at least not the talent to govern a state. It is necessary to order the Military Administration Department to replace Zhang Yi, so as to save him from indiscriminately governing and merging the state, so that the lord's hard work will be wasted. ”

Yuan Xi said: "They have all been appointed, how can they be removed at will?" Let him govern for a while. If he makes a mistake, it's not too late to replace him, and when the time comes, let him be a county guard, and he will be willing. ”

"The lord is wise." Yan Liang nodded.

It is indeed not good to remove officials at will.

This is to blame for the failure of the Military Administration Department to investigate, and to arrange a general who has no talent to serve as the assassin of the state.

"Where is the road ahead?"

"Fifteen miles away, arrive in Huayin." Yan Liang looked at the map and said.

"Urge Ma Chao and Pang De to march quickly, go to Huayin to rest, and then go all out to conquer Tongguan." Yuan Xidao.

"Why didn't the lord attack Tongguan directly? Perhaps the enemy has already broken through the city before it is armed. Yan Liang asked.

"It was a few days ago that we fought with Cao Cao in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an, and the news had already reached Tongguan. It will be impossible for the Tong Pass guards not to be armed. A sneak attack will only damage the troops, but it is better to take it step by step. ”

"Yes."

Yan Liang conveyed Yuan Xi's meaning.

Ma Chao immediately ordered the whole army, plus move forward.

In just half an hour, they arrived at Huayin.

..................

Ma Chao walked into Yuan Xi's camp and said, "General, the last general has already found out, the Tongguan guard will be Cao Xiu, and there are only 20,000 soldiers in the city. Most of them were recruited in Hongnong County, and their combat effectiveness was not too strong. Our army will surely win in one battle. ”

"Hmm. Cao Xiu didn't dare, so he didn't have to be afraid. Yuan Xi looked at Ma Chao, took a seat, and said with a smile: "Meng Qi, please sit down, I have something to ask you for." ”

"The general doesn't have to be polite."

Ma Chao took a seat.

Yuan Xi said: "Ling Zun raised troops to attack Cao, is it really to help the Han family?" ”

"Of course. Isn't the general? Ma Chao asked rhetorically.

"Haha... The same as the same. Yuan Xi smiled: "It's just... The princes of the world have stopped helping the Han, and the hegemon such as Dong Zhuo and the traitor such as Cao Cao are all using the Son of Heaven to achieve their own goals. The assassins and generals in various places also guarded their respective territories, some expanded their armaments and strengthened their strength, and some only tried to protect themselves... ”

"This attack on Cao Thief, if you win, what will Ling Zun do?"

Ma Chao said: "If you can save the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven will have his own reward." General Shicai said that all the princes in the world are not helping the Han anymore, and the last general does not dare to agree. Jingzhou Imperial Uncle Liu Bei, Assassin Shi Liu Biao, Yizhou Liu Zhang, they are all Han clan relatives, can they help Han? ”

Yuan Xi shook his head and said, "Liu Biao and Liu Zhang are just defending the city, and they have no ambitions. No amount of soldiers and horses were given to them. They will never help the Han, let alone raise troops to fight against the Cao thieves like Ling Zun. As for Liu Bei... Originally, he was just a mat weaver and a nobody, but he lied that he was a descendant of the royal family. took advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, made some contributions, and ran to the seat of the princes of the Eighteenth Road to ask for Dong, and gradually became famous. In fact, he is a country fool, not enough to talk about things. Think about it, he lied that he was the emperor's uncle, and he was not allowed to advertise all over the world that he wanted to help Han? In fact, he is still thinking about himself in his heart, and wants to use the name of the imperial uncle to lay down a piece of territory and become a king. How can you hide from me with a little trick? ”

"This..."

Ma Chao had heard Ma Teng say something about Liu Guanzhang, and he had a good impression of Liu Bei. But listening to Yuan Xiyi, he was really hard to accept. Is Liu Bei really a hypocrite who tries to make a name for himself?

"Meng Qi, you can't look at people on the surface. Since ancient times, it has been a great treacherous and loyal, and a great hypocrisy is like the truth. Maybe Liu Bei is a hero, but he is by no means a gentleman, and he will not support the Han family. "Yuan Xi gave Ma Chao a precautionary shot, if Ma Teng is defeated and killed, don't go to Liu Bei.

"What about the general? Is the general really going to help the Han family? Ma Chao didn't believe it.

Yuan Xi is now the number one prince in the world, and he can completely defeat Cao Cao and achieve his great cause.

"We'll see later. If it is the Son of Heaven who is sacred, I should do my best to assist, if it is not sacred... I'm taking my place! Meng Qi, I'll tell you this alone, don't spread it, spread it, people should say I'm a traitor. Yuan Xi said jokingly.

"The general's words are serious, the current world is fragmented, and there are not a few people with great ambitions. There has been speculation for a long time. Ma Chao was not surprised. If Yuan Xi said that he was willing to help the Han family, he really didn't believe it, and he would think that Yuan Xi was hypocritical.

"But..."

Yuan Xi continued: "Meng Qi can rest assured, I swear that I will never be an enemy of the Xiliang army. If Ling Zun can really capture and kill the Cao thief, I should work with him to help the Son of Heaven with all my heart. Never break your word. ”

"Good!"

Ma Chao arched his hand and said: "The general is a true gentleman!" ”

..............

The conversation with Ma Chao lasted for a long time.

The content of the discussion, from the Han family to the family, to the use of soldiers, training and so on. Although it is useless, the relationship between the two is skyrocketing. Ma Chao's impression of Yuan Xi is also very good.

"The lord took Ma Chao and Pang De with him, because he wanted him to surrender them one day, right?" After Ma Chao left, Yan Liang walked in.

"You're smart."

Yuan Xi glanced outside the tent, saw that Ma Chao had indeed left, and said: "Ma Chao's prestige in the Xiliang army has surpassed that of Ma Teng and Han Sui. The Qiang people of Xiliang will also obey unconditionally. ”

"What the lord said is very true. But Ma Chao is the son of Ma Teng, how can he surrender to the lord? ”

"It's man-made..." Yuan Xi smiled slightly: "One day, he will surrender to me!" ”

"That's a good dare, when the time comes, the lord doesn't have to attack Xiliang, Xiliang is also the lord's." Yan Liang smiled back.

Are things really going that well?

Yuan Xi doesn't see it really.

I want Ma Chao to surrender, unless Ma Teng is dead.

But Yuan Xi didn't want to harm Ma Teng, and wanted to rely on Ma Teng's Xiliang army to defeat Cao Cao. Although it was a little difficult, with the help of the Hebei army and his giant beasts, Cao Cao would definitely be able to suffer.

Come to think of it.

Yuan Xi said in his heart: "Let's talk about the matter of surrendering Ma Chao later." The most important thing now is to conquer Tongguan, Hongnong, and Hangu Pass, and then wave Luoyang. At that time, Cao Cao will have a great loss of vitality. ”

.....................

.....................

this day. Yuan Xi took Yan Liang, Ma Chao, and Pang De to lead 100,000 iron cavalry to Lintong Pass.

The guard general Cao Xiu had already been reported and strengthened the city defense of Tongguan.

Early morning.

Saw the enemy approaching the tower.

Cao Xiu prepares for war.

Da Da...

Ma Chao rode out of the battle alone, raised his gun and shouted: "Cao Xiu, let you open the city quickly, and this general will spare you from death." Otherwise, in half a day, I will conquer the city! Kill you and sacrifice the flag! ”