Chapter 988 Key Directions


    ?There was a commotion in the hall.


    Ma Chao just listened quietly, with a smile on his face. Perhaps due to his mixed race, Ma Chao has a handsome face, a tall figure, and a sense of strength. Compared with other Qiang people who are short and stocky, he stands out from the crowd. Because he is still young, he has sparse beards on his face. It''s not very obvious. At first glance, it even looks like a woman''s enchantment. After a few more glances, you can feel that under her handsome appearance, she is very heroic.


    Ma Chao listened for a long time, lowered his eyelids, and did not get angry. He just said in a low voice: "That''s enough."


    ?A Qiang-headed man standing next to Ma Chao was talking lively with his hands and feet. Ma Chao suddenly spoke, but his voice was not loud. The Qiang-headed man didn''t hear him clearly at all, and he kept talking. When he finished speaking, he realized that Ma Chao was looking at him with a smile but not a smile. Only then did the Qiang-headed man react and was surprised. He looked at Ma Chao with curiosity, scratched his head and said, "Young Commander, did you just... say something?"


    ?The corners of Ma Chao''s mouth were slightly raised, and his smile was quite beautiful. If it were left to future generations, it would probably make many fans faint on the spot...


    ?But what Ma Chao said next was not so funny: "I said, everyone, please stop. I am the one who calls the shots in this hall, and I am the only one."


    ?Ma Chao''s voice was not loud, but this time it was heard by everyone in the hall.


    Although Ma Chao smiled, his tone was extremely calm, even hiding a hint of chill, just like the ice on the snowy mountains. You don''t need to touch it. Just by looking at it, you can tell what kind of biting ice is hidden in the ice. Deep cold.


    Slowly, other sounds in the hall gradually disappeared. Several people turned their heads slightly to look at Ma Xiu, but saw Ma Xiu slowly lowering his head under Ma Chao''s eyes...


    ?Ma Chao has a tall and straight body, and his voice is always low when speaking, but every word he utters is as powerful as a decisive blow, and his eyes are as sharp as a sword. He looks around, making everyone in the hall feel pain in their eyebrows.


    “…Why are you here? Just to eat two mouthfuls of food and grass? Why don’t you think about where the belongings collected during this period come from?”


    "My father brought you here. Don''t you know that the land in Guanzhong is dangerous? Don''t you know that the people in Guanzhong are dangerous? But why did you come here anyway?"


    "If you like things that are easy so much and only do things that are sure and not dangerous, then why not just die in Xiliang and continue to sleep on rugs, drink bad wine, and chew bones!"


    “Ten sheepskins cannot be exchanged for a handful of salt! Three cows cannot be exchanged for a piece of tea cake! Let me ask you, how long do you want to live like this?”


    “What are you thinking about?”


    "I know that many of you have already felt that you have made enough. It''s okay. Even if you return to Xiliang now with these things, you will be considered rich enough. But where are your sons? Where are your grandsons? Where are the descendants of the whole family? Eat. After using up what they have on hand, should we let them go back to the grassland and continue their days of grazing cattle and sheep?”


    “What are you going to do?”


    “I know it too, but some of you...”


    “Stupid, stupid, extremely stupid!”


    Ma Chao spat out the last four words one by one coldly, like four shots fired at once, which made some people in the hall feel a little restless.


    "...A certain descendant of the Ma family, starting from Marquis Zhongcheng, could it be that they took Anbian as their responsibility and passed it on to this day? Is there anything easy about it? My father, who started from a humble beginning, relied on horseback and a spear to move forward bit by bit. A **** battle, a family fortune! The people of the Ma family rely on their martial prowess and their skills passed down from Marquis Zhongcheng!"


    "Without this ability, without this spear, what can we use to protect the Ma family''s property? Scriptures? Haha, what a joke! The Ma family only has such a small number of people now, if we and others don''t know how to work together and make progress, , Just look at what is in front of you, and you are trapped and conservative. When the strength of the Ma family is exhausted, how long can this family fortune be maintained? "


    “I don’t believe that my father is so easy...”


    ?Ma Chao turned his face to the side, then paused for a while and continued.


    “But whether it’s true or not, we must march now!”


    "How many people are there in our Ma family? How many people are there in Xiliang? How many people are there in Guanzhong? How many people are there east of Hangu? For many years, no matter how hard and tired we Xiliang people are, we have always been at the bottom of the Han Dynasty. Bottom! Now we finally have such an opportunity. My father personally led us to where we are today. We finally see the hope that belongs to us Xiliang people. Is it possible to hand over such a great opportunity so easily? "


    “It’s easy to go back! But if you want to come back again, it’s like going to heaven!”


    "At the moment, among the people of Xiliang, apart from Uncle Han, there is only one Li thief left... I also firmly believe that even if my father is really... Li thief will definitely pay a huge price! And now, it is the best If we can''t seize the opportunity, who can guarantee that Thief Li won''t recover? If we don''t kill Thief Li while he''s weak, are we going to wait for him to recover before killing us?"


    "While the Guanzhong people still have a peace treaty with us, these Guanzhong people also want us Xiliang people to kill each other..." Ma Chao glanced at a few people and then said, "I don''t care about Uncle Han''s concerns. I understand that I am not unaware of the difficulties at hand, but if I don’t take advantage of this opportunity now to eliminate Li Thief in one fell swoop, and then bring all the Xiliang people in Guanzhong under the banner of Uncle Han and our Ma family, will it be possible in the future? If the Xiliang people continue to fight, will the Guanzhong people take advantage again?"


    “My father’s mission is to lead everyone to create a world for Xiliang people, and our mission is to continue along this path and earn an inheritance for our descendants for generations to come!”


    ?Ma Chao stood in the hall with his hands clasped behind his back, looking proud.


    There was silence in the hall. Even Ma Xiu, who originally had his head lowered, looked up at Ma Chao with a rather excited expression.


    Ma Chao breathed out gently and said seriously: "Xiliang, Guanzhong! This world is bigger than you and I can imagine. I believe that since you have come this far, you also know this truth... Take a step back, our Ma family It’s just that I’m in a state of collapse, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back up again. If I go any further, no matter how I divide this huge world, it will be much bigger than before…”


    "What''s more, people who are also from Xiliang, why are you afraid of Thief Li and don''t dare to fight to the death with Thief Li? He is my father-killing enemy, and he is the roadblock to the Ma family. Crush him. If you step on it, our Ma family will not lose the passion in our hearts and lose our reputation among the people of Xiliang!"


    "Tell me! Warriors of the Ma family, how do you choose?! Do you dare to fight? Do you dare to take revenge? Do you dare to use the swords and guns in your hands to exchange for a piece of world for everyone?!"


    For the last few words, Ma Chao raised his voice and shouted loudly. Everyone in the hall was so stimulated by his words that they seemed to be unable to sit still. The blood in their chests couldn''t help but boil, as if they were back to the day they just followed him. When Ma Teng set off from Wuwei, someone suddenly pulled out his sword, stood up in a flash, raised the sword in the air and shouted in response: "Fight! Fight! Fight! We dare, we dare! Kill Thief Li! Kill!" It’s Li Thief!”


    Ma Chao laughed loudly and with high spirits, he also pulled out his sword fiercely, raised it in the air, and struck fiercely: "All the leaders, go back and organize your team immediately, and we will set off early tomorrow morning! I will not turn around until I kill Thief Li!" The crowd roared. He agreed, and then walked out of the hall with murderous intent.


    Ma Dai walked at the end. He slowly waited for everyone to walk out, then stood next to Ma Chao and said softly: "Brother Meng Qi, don''t you need to be on guard..."


    Ma Chao squinted his eyes and stared at the retreating figure of Ma Xiu. Then he shook his head and said, "Now is the time for the Ma family to unite and work together. They are not stupid... What''s more, they don''t dare to measure them..."


    ……………


    ?The early summer sunshine shines on the city walls of Wugong County.


    The weather is quite good today. It is neither too hot nor too cold. It is very comfortable.


    The weather was like this, and there was no fighting, so tens of thousands of soldiers and horses were still standing in the upper and lower parts of Wugong County. Although they were still lined with swords, guns and arrows, they all felt that the tense and tense atmosphere of war had quietly gone away.


    ?Soldiers in martial arts can naturally enjoy this relaxing moment and relax their previously tense spirits, but civilians in martial arts cannot enjoy such comfort.


    For these peasants, this kind of weather also means a good time for work...


    Xia Mou is a veteran in the army after all. Naturally, the civil engineering works around this martial arts must not only be done very solidly, but also need to be perfect.


    ??Wugong''s trenches have been dug into two layers, both within an arrow''s range of the village wall. The new trench is five steps wide and has now been dug one person deep. Combined with the original trench, it is almost impregnable.


    At this moment, the civilian workers were carrying earth, tamping it, and they were densely packed like ants. They continued to work hard, digging the entire martial arts trench deeper, raising the earthen walls higher, and logging and quarrying stones from far away. The procession of chariots and horses, the roaring flow...


    The entire martial arts has now become a huge fortress.


    If you look down from the sky at this time, you can see Wugong County as the center, like a huge ant nest, densely packed with people constantly coming and going. In addition to the garrison in the city, there are many people on the city wall. On the side, there are two camps, one large and one small. The smaller one is for infantry and the larger one is for cavalry. It forms a triangular relationship with Wugong City. Around the camp, groups of soldiers are either training or training. , or on patrol, orderly and orderly.


    Xia Mou continued his old habit of inspecting the city wall twice a day to check his own defense. Sometimes Xia Mou would stand alone on the city wall, looking at the busy people under the city wall, seemingly thoughtful, but no one knew what Xia Mou was thinking.


    Ever since Han Sui and others from Xiliang entered Xiwu, all of Xia Mou''s orders and arrangements were in order, and there were no special general orders. They just repaired fortifications and trained soldiers repeatedly. As for what was going on in Xia Mou''s heart, I''m afraid even the close soldiers and confidants around him may not be able to completely guess it...


    However, in the current situation, it seems that the shadow of war has completely gone away. Zhong Shao and others are gradually adapting to the chaotic situation in the court and are sorting out a new way out. It seems that everything is developing towards the good side. .


    So now, Xia Mou''s personal guards also behaved much more relaxedly. Seeing Xia Mou thinking about something alone on the city wall, they naturally did not dare to come forward to disturb them, so they stood guard at a distance, lowering their voices to each other. Quietly chatting and laughing about something.


    At this moment, a few cavalry scouts suddenly came towards Wu Gong in a cloud of smoke. They immediately attracted the attention of the team patrolling outside the city. They stepped forward to greet them, and then led the scouts straight away without saying a few words. Coming from Wugong City.


    ??The scouts who reported the news hurriedly went to the top of the city, prostrated themselves before Xia Mou, and then brought up Han Sui''s letter.


    The letter was not long and contained not much. Xia Mou read it quickly and frowned.


    Ma Teng is dead.


    Killed by Li Jue.


    ?Xia Mou also knew this, but for Xia Mou, Xiliang people killing each other was something Xia Mou liked to see.


    Followed by Yang Biao from Hongnong, he led the army to Xinfeng. After that, there was no new news.


    ??But now Han Sui expressed in his letter that he would raise troops to hunt down Li Jue and avenge Ma Teng. Is this...


    The internal strife in Xiliang is good news, but the arrival of Yang Biao and others may not be good news. Although the Yang family fled Chang''an before, there are still many disciples and former officials of the Yang family inside and outside the Chang''an court. What actions these people will make when Yang Biao leads the army is naturally the most important thing at the moment. Problem.


    Presumably Zhong Shao is also having a headache about this problem in Chang''an City now, right?


    ?Yang Biao is not Fei Qian.


    What''s more, it is said that Yang Biao now has nearly 10,000 troops and horses. If he hadn''t been defeated at the hands of Li Jue the previous time, he might have even more troops now.


    With so many soldiers and horses in hand, how can they be compared with Fei Qian who only brought a few hundred horses?


    ?Besides, when Zhong Shao faced Fei Qian, he could put on a veteran posture, but compared with Yang Biao, he was far behind in terms of family background and connections...


    ??The original fighting skills between Yang Biao and Wang Yun were not known to everyone, including Xia Mou, so this time, can Zhong Shao be able to defeat Yang Biao?


    Scramble is certainly inevitable unless…


    Xia Mou pondered for a moment, then suddenly unfolded the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end. He suddenly smiled and said: "Come here! Just say that I know it. At this time, I still need to report it to the breeder before I can make a decision... In addition, I will give instructions." , when we allocate grain and fodder tomorrow, we will give you ten more carts..."


    (End of this chapter)