Chapter 86

In the main hall of the Prime Minister's mansion.

Dong Zhongying, Li Ru, Gu Yi, and Jia Xu were sitting around.

The reason why this fellow Jia Xu was also called over.

Was because the theme of today's meeting was to discuss how to deal with rebels like Ma Teng and Han Sui who occupied Liangzhou.

Jia Xu and Han Sui could be considered old acquaintances of many years.

Both sides could be said to know each other's roots and foundations.

Historically, Jia Xu also utilized this point.

During the Battle of Tongguan, he adopted the strategy of "sowing discord between Han Sui and Ma Teng," helping Cao Cao crush the one-hundred-thousand-strong Guanxi coalition!

After setting the strategy of moving the capital to Chang'an.

Dong Zhongying needed a stable rear.

Liangzhou naturally needed to be cleansed once more.

Looking at the map spread out on the table, Li Ru spoke first:

"Since our army entered the capital, large swaths of Liangzhou have been occupied by Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others."

"When the Guandong rebels formed the coalition, Ma Teng and Han Sui also colluded with these people in secret."

"It's just that before the two rebels Ma and Han could respond, the Guandong rebels had already been defeated."

"Although these two rebels did not openly raise the banner against the imperial court."

"But their actions were even more heinous than those of the Guandong rebels!"

"No matter what, Liangzhou needs to be recovered."

"The two rebels Ma Teng and Han Sui should also be eliminated!"

As the chief steward of the Xiliang Army, Li Ru usually worried even more than Old Dong, the lord himself.

Ma Teng and Han Sui had raised the banner of rebellion in Liangzhou many times several years ago.

At that time, the Han imperial court, Emperor Liu Hong, Grand General He Jin, and the Ten Eunuchs were all still alive.

Yet Ma Teng and Han Sui dared to raise rebel armies multiple times.

From this, it can be seen that the ambitions of these two were truly not small.

But ambition is ambition.

When it came to actual operations, it was another matter entirely.

The rebel armies they raised had been personally wiped out by Dong Zhongying twice.

Later, they were truly beaten into fear and even fled to the Qiang and Di tribes to seek protection.

It was not until Dong Zhongying led the main force of the Xiliang Army away from Liangzhou that Ma Teng and Han Sui dared to raise troops again to attack cities.

The spirit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong was vividly displayed by these two.

Historically, after Dong Zhongying died, Ma Teng and Han Sui had led troops to attack Chang'an.

As a result, facing Li Jue and Guo Si, neither of them could win.

Instead, they fled back to Liangzhou in a sorry state.

After Cao Cao won against Yuan Shao at Guandu, Ma Teng and Han Sui immediately began to get close to Cao Cao.

Nominally expressing willingness to submit to the Han imperial court under Cao Cao's leadership.

In reality, they still made small moves in secret.

On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Perhaps because he was getting old.

Or perhaps because the military power in his hands had been hollowed out by his eldest son Ma Chao, and he couldn't survive in Liangzhou anymore.

This fellow Ma Teng actually accepted Cao Cao's invitation to become an official.

He went to Xu Chang to serve as the Minister of the Guards, one of the Nine Ministers!

But later, because Ma Chao and Han Sui raised troops in Guanxi, Ma Teng was also executed by Cao Cao as a result.

(PS: The Romance setting is that Ma Teng died first, and Ma Chao avenged his father; the official history setting is that Ma Chao raised troops, and Ma Teng was implicated and killed by Cao Cao.)

(This plot in the book adopts the official history setting for the needs of subsequent plots; I am informing all the handsome readers in advance, please do not criticize.)

It can be said that these two, Ma Teng and Han Sui, were somewhat of figures.

But after tossing and turning in Liangzhou for a lifetime, they could only be confined to that one-acre-three-fen plot of land in Liangzhou.

Compared to Dong Zhongying, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce, they were truly not worth mentioning.

However.

Now, Old Dong wanted to recover Liangzhou.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were naturally topics that could not be avoided.

After listening to Li Ru's analysis, Jia Xu, who usually didn't speak much, said:

"Based on my understanding of that fellow Han Sui, this guy cannot possibly be willing to hand over the military power in his hands."

What does not handing over military power mean?

It means he is still watching and waiting, still thinking about rebelling and seeking independence again!

For warlords in border regions, military power is greater than everything.

It is the foundation of their own survival.

But what Old Dong wanted was a stable rear.

It was impossible to allow Han Sui to continue holding military power.