Hearing Ma Chao say this, everyone couldn't help but be excited, and said: "Yes, I am waiting for the meeting of the wind and clouds, which is really a great blessing!" ”

Ma Chao said again: "Besides, what we want to do is dangerous and abnormal; If you are not careful, you will lose the whole game; If you fail to succeed, if you don't get it right, you will die. But for the sake of the world and the people, we have to take this risk. In order to ensure the success of this matter, we must be unswerving. And Chao also said before, I can wait, it's really a pleasure. Therefore, Chao thinks that I might as well make an alliance with blood and swear to the sky, I don't know what you mean? ”

When they heard this, the crowd shouted, "This is very true! ”

The resolute Lu Zhi immediately stood up and touched his mouth and beard to see where the area around his mouth was suitable for smearing blood. The other scholars were also very excited and quickly got up.

Seeing that these people were so strong-blooded, and they really dared to risk their lives with him for the sake of the common people in the world, Ma Chao couldn't help but redden. Ma Chao shouted: "Come on, prepare something!" ”

Jia Xu hurriedly instructed his subordinates to prepare things for use, and soon, incense cases, wine, knives and other things and a white dog were all available. Because of the rush of time, it was omitted to build the high altar of worship, the white yellow Yue and the bead plate Yudun, and only the incense case was used as a worship tool.

The excited Ma Chao, Lu Zhi, Liu Yu, Man Chong, Jia Xu, Cai Yong, Yang Biao, Huang Wan, Ma Riyan, Wu Fu, Wang Gui, Yin Xun, Wu Xun, Hu Muban, Han Rong, together with fifteen people, gathered around the incense case.

A small copper tripod and a copper plate were placed on the incense table, and there was incense next to it. On this side, Jia Xu personally slaughtered the white dog and poured the blood of the scarlet dog on the copper plate.

Everyone looked at Ma Chao. Ma Chao raised the incense with both hands from the incense table, and Lu Zhi walked to the charcoal basin next to his seat, picked up a piece of red-hot coals with the tongs of the charcoal basin, and solemnly lit the incense.

So everyone knelt down together, Ma Chao held incense in both hands, and the rest held wine, under the gaze of everyone, Ma Chao faced the sky outside the main hall, and solemnly swore an oath: "The country is out of order, the people are in turmoil, the court is not quiet, and the eunuchs are strife." The poor are displaced, the people are upside down, and the community is in danger. Fifteen people are super-waiting, fearing that the world will be overturned, and the Han Dynasty will be beheaded, gathering and conspiring together to make a big plan. We and other fifteen people, with one heart and one mind, share weal and woe, loyalty and righteousness will always be clear, and we will not rebel against each other. There are rebels, once they die, the family sacrifice will not continue. The gods of heaven and earth, the ancestral gods, beg to be examined! ”

After speaking, everyone bowed to the sky. After getting up, Ma Chao put the incense in the ding, and without hesitation, he stretched out his finger into the dog blood, and then smeared the dog blood on his mouth, which is the blood. Lu Zhi, Liu Yu, Yang Biao, Jia Xu and others also rushed to shed blood.

After the bloodshed, the fifteen people were so excited that they even burst into tears.

After the oath was over, Lu Zhi and the others also knew that it was getting late, and they had already discussed the general plan today, so they discussed it with Ma Chao, and the next details were left for later discussion. Ma Chao set up a banquet and entertained Lu Zhi, Liu Yu and others, the guests and hosts were happy, and everyone was drunk. It wasn't until the evening that Lu Zhi, Liu Yu, Yang Biao and others were reluctant to leave.

Ma Chao was also a little drunk. He didn't expect that the wine in the Eastern Han Dynasty was still fermented rice wine, the degree was not high, and there were a lot of green microorganisms, the so-called "green ant new brew wine", he didn't feel how much he had drunk, and he was actually a little drunk. This rice wine is soft in taste and sweet in the mouth, but it does not have the aroma and sweetness of baijiu. This reminded Ma Chao that he should try to see if he could make distilled spirits in the future.

Ma Chao wanted to get up from his seat, but he was a little drunk and weak. Jia Xu, the only one who was not drunk, hurried over and helped Ma Chao up.

With the support of Jia Xu, Ma Chao walked out of the main hall and walked to the eaves, just as a little snow was drifting at night. Ma Chao was blown by the cold wind on a winter night, and his drunkenness was blown away a little. Ma Chao looked at the snowy night and said, "Wenhe, thanks to you today." Otherwise, I alone would definitely not be able to persuade Lu Zhi and Liu Yu. Without you, there would be no hope of success for our plans. ”

Jia Xu said calmly: "Young Master Hugh wants to say so. The ambition of the young master is the ambition of his subordinates. Isn't the reason why his subordinates voted for the young master precisely to rely on the young master to pacify Liangzhou as soon as possible, so that Liangzhou will no longer fall into war? It's the same today. The young master has the ambition to help the community and save the people, which is exactly what his subordinates wish in life. The subordinates should carefully assist the young master to achieve this ambition. ”

Ma Chao said: "You don't have to be too modest. Tomorrow, I will enter the palace to face you. What do you think? ”

Jia Xu said: "The young master asked this, it seems that he is worried that the Son of Heaven will not agree to a deal with us. ”

Ma Chao sighed and said, "Yes! Our son of heaven is far more difficult to persuade than loyal ministers such as Lu Zhi and Liu Yu. Although the Son of Heaven still relies on us to suppress the great general He Jin, if he regards the deal we propose as a threat, then I am afraid that not only will he not agree to the deal, but will also try to attack us. In this way, the oath of more than a dozen of us will also fall short. ”

Jia Xu said lightly: "Persuading the Son of Heaven to succeed or not is just like gambling has wins and losses." Since the young master can persuade Lu Zhi, Liu Yu and other important ministers, he should also be sure to persuade the Son of Heaven. Now, I'll just take a gamble. However, if the young master is really not at ease, his subordinates also have a way to remedy it. ”

"Oh? How? ”

Jia Xu said: "Queen Mother! ”

Ma Chao was puzzled: "The Queen Mother? What does this matter have to do with the Queen Mother? ”

Jia Xu said: "The young master doesn't know, the Son of Heaven is very filial, and the Queen Mother is just a woman living in the palace, but she actually has a lot of power. First, the so-called imperial power can also be interpreted as 'the power of the imperial family', as the head of the mother, naturally holds part of the imperial power, for example, when the Son of Heaven is young, the Queen Mother must listen to the government, and when the Son of Heaven dies, the successor must also be decided by the Queen Mother; second, the Han family governs the country with filial piety, and the Queen Mother, as the mother of the Son of Heaven, naturally has more power.

Today's Empress Dowager Dong, although the power of her relatives is far less than that of the queen's He Jin, her victory lies in the Son of Heaven obeying her wishes. If the Son of Heaven does not agree to our deal, the young master might as well go and ask the Empress Dowager Dong again, explain the pros and cons to her, and persuade her to move the Son of Heaven. ”

Hearing Jia Xu say this, Ma Chao immediately began to think. Ma Chao remembered that the Empress Dowager Dong at this time was the biological mother of Liu Hong, the son of heaven. In history, she was originally the wife of the Marquis of Xie Ting, because her son Liu Hong was elected as the new emperor, so her mother became the queen mother by virtue of her son. But because of Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Houhe, Empress Dowager Dong failed to cultivate her father, brother and relatives after all. It was not until the death of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty that Empress Dowager Dong took the opportunity to arrange for her nephew Dong Zhong to become a hussar general.