Mythical Three Kingdoms

Watching Ma Chao leave, Fa Zheng smiled indifferently. He did not mind letting Ma Chao see his smile, because everything he had said was true. Likewise, he wasn't afraid of Ma Chao questioning Cao Cao—some things were simply inevitable!

The Qiang and Hu tribes' unrestrained behavior was bound to be suppressed, regardless of which feudal lord took control of Yongliang under the current circumstances.

For those tribes who thought the chaos in the Central Plains presented an opportunity, this situation was nothing short of a tragedy. The Central Plains had not been sapped of its vitality by the constant wars. Instead, as Yuan Shao once said, the clashes and battles between powerful forces had forged even stronger rulers.

The Central Plains, this forge of strength, had finally yielded results after countless lives had been thrown into it. With its foundation intact, the native power of the region had already far surpassed what it was during Emperor Ling's reign or the early years of Emperor Huan, moving toward the Han Dynasty's most prosperous period!

This was the so-called "getting stronger through war." At present, the elite troops of every feudal lord were strong enough to easily crush the Emperor's Personal Army of forty years ago during Emperor Huan's era. The freshly-recovered Qiang and Hu tribes, still failing to grasp their place, even now sought to blockade Liangzhou and claim the Sanfu regions.

Frankly speaking, Fa Zheng could only laugh. What's a frog at the bottom of a well? What's short-sightedness? This was it. While a decade-long war had indeed cost the Central Plains ten million people, the main ethnic population remained around fifty million.

After all, was it easier to pacify or to conquer through force? Aside from the now massively strengthened Ma Clan, everyone knew why Li Jue specifically targeted dozens of Qiang clans before his eventual departure. Was it not to make Cao Cao see the reality of the situation?

The two or three million Qiang and Hu, though seemingly enormous in number, perhaps even enough to make Cao Cao cautious, were dealt a massive blow when Li Jue crushed over a dozen of their clans in one go. He then extended his assault on many others before engaging in a retreat so smooth it allowed him to withdraw to the Western Regions and take up the post of Wuxi Colonel without any trouble.

When Li Jue departed, the Qiang and Hu tribes immediately began acting out in front of Cao Cao, even attempting to reclaim their old territories. Even a fool could see that the Qiang and Hu were no good and understand what it truly meant to submit to strength!

What came next needed no explanation—either Cao Cao would prove himself the master, using the Qiang and Hu like slaves as the Xiliang Army once did, or he would surrender, allowing the Qiang and Hu to replicate their wild land grabs from the early years of Emperor Huan.

As for the Ma Clan, even Li Jue had said that after destroying the Ma Clan, the Qiang and Hu of Fufeng in that generation would become hostile to the Xiliang Army. In other words, the Ma Clan's true control over the Qiang and Hu was limited to the Fufeng region. Beyond that, all they had was face.

The Qiang and Hu submitted to strength, not to the so-called Ma Clan. The current Ma Clan was nothing like the peak period of Ma Chao, when he utterly crushed all the Qiang and Hu warriors at a grand meeting of over a hundred Qiang tribes. The title of Divine Might General wasn't earned through flattery; it was achieved by trampling their pride through sheer force.

As things stood, the idea of the current Ma Clan gaining recognition from all the Qiang and Hu was pure fantasy—wishful thinking at best. Unless the Qiang and Hu were beaten down so thoroughly that they were as submissive as grandchildren, expecting their acknowledgment was nothing but a daydream!

As for the Qiang and Hu tribes currently crippled by Li Jue who had now turned to Ma Teng for shelter, all they wanted was protection, not submission. Once their strength recovered, there was no way they would still obediently follow Ma Teng's commands.

It was inevitable that Cao Cao would clash with the Qiang and Hu in the future, and Fa Zheng had no doubt whatsoever that Cao Cao would win. It would be surprising if the Qiang and Hu weren't thoroughly trampled. After the victory, Cao Cao would likely scatter the Qiang and Hu and forcibly relocate them to Yongzhou.

By that time, the Ma Clan—with its numerous ties to the Qiang and Hu as well as its rivalry with Cao Cao over political standing—would either be obediently subdued by the politically dominant Cao Cao, or Cao Cao wouldn't be Cao Cao at all!

Could the Ma Clan really stay uninvolved? Was that even possible? Forty years ago, their decline was exactly because they chose not to intervene. If they intervened this time, helping the Qiang and Hu—could they win? Helping the Han people—would they surpass Cao Cao in Xiliang after the battle? No matter the direction, it was a dead end. With Hann Sui's meager intelligence, there wasn't a single way out of this trap!

Unfortunately, the Ma Clan's collapse did not align with Liu Bei's interests, so Fa Zheng was prepared to lend them some support. At the very least, this could serve to divide Ma Teng and Cao Cao. Even if Cao Cao eventually swallowed up Ma Teng, a clear-headed Ma Teng could not possibly accept Cao Cao's dominance without harboring resentment.

Although the Ma Clan was nothing significant to Fa Zheng, the presence of two potential Inner Qi Manifestation experts was reason enough for him to extend a helping hand.

Afterward, Zhang Fei and Fa Zheng escorted the so-called Emperor's Personal Army and Angel toward Ye City. The chosen route alone was enough to deepen Guo Yuan's despair. As for their soldiers, no large-scale clashes occurred thanks to mutual restraint on both sides. Minor scuffles were simply ignored, with Zhang Fei and Xiahou Yuan turning a blind eye to them!

Throughout the journey, Ma Chao remained silent. However, just before reaching Ye City, he finally came to seek out Fa Zheng. Though reckless, Ma Chao could still distinguish truth from falsehood. Fa Zheng had spoken nothing but the truth, as he himself had said, "I have no reason to deceive you." This statement angered Ma Chao, but it also clarified their positions.

"You've come to see me," Fa Zheng said, tilting his head with a playful smile.

"You and I have no real enmity, at least not enough for me to believe it's worth becoming enemies over a woman," Ma Chao said seriously. He had already relayed Fa Zheng's words to Ma Teng, who could keenly sense the crushing pressure—the inescapable predicament they were now in.

"You may not see yourself as my enemy, but that doesn't mean I won't cause you trouble," Fa Zheng said, rolling his eyes. He had expected Ma Chao to seek him out eventually, but when Ma Chao actually showed up in person, it felt rather dull. Venting anger on an opponent who could not fight back was truly uninteresting. The once-powerful Ma Clan was nothing in his eyes now.

"..." Ma Chao's brow twitched violently. He wanted to turn and leave, but the Ma Clan's survival truly depended on Fa Zheng. Once they returned to Guanzhong and Long Region, there was no one else he could rely on—not anyone trustworthy, at least.

"Alright, let's stop messing around. It's true, we have no grudge. But since I don't want to trouble the Wang Family, I can only trouble you. Let me also say this—you're still technically my enemy in certain respects, so I feel no guilt at targeting you," Fa Zheng said, causing the veins on Ma Chao's forehead to throb. Fa Zheng's words plainly indicated that he was exacting his frustrations on him.

In fact, Fa Zheng's words carried a subtle message. While Ma Chao might not grasp it at the moment, Ma Teng would certainly understand when Ma Chao repeated it to him. However, in Fa Zheng's view, none of this mattered—what mattered was that Ma Teng would undoubtedly refrain from siding with Liu Bei for now. Given that, why should he accommodate the Ma Clan?

"Your sense of propriety? Our Ma Clan and your lord Liu Xuande both serve as loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty! Why must you target me so relentlessly?" Ma Chao roared angrily. He had come to realize that there was nothing he could do to counter Fa Zheng, whereas Fa Zheng had countless ways to make things difficult for him. From their very first meeting, Fa Zheng had been scheming against him. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)