A heart-to-heart conversation lasted until late at night.
Both teachers and friends, the two were greatly inspired by each other's words and benefited a lot.
The glances at each other became more intense.
Ma Su only heard a hidden meaning in Zhuge Liang's words: 'Since this victory in four consecutive battles is all related to you, I will not argue with you about violating military orders.'
This is enough!
The corners of Ma Su's mouth raised slightly, very satisfied.
I feel like this trip was not in vain.
Zhuge Liang heard many novel theories, insights, and some unheard terms from Ma Su's words. He was filled with emotion:
People say, "When a scholar has been separated for three days, he should look at each other with new eyes." However, the Prime Minister and Ma Di had been separated for more than thirty days, and he actually felt that he was a different person.
The only thing that hasn't changed is the old habit of bragging. He still talks so confidently and so brazenly.
This arrogant and arrogant attitude is really comparable to what I did when I was very young, Gao Wolongzhong.
However, I, the Prime Minister, would be arrogant in heart, humble in speech, and polite; Ma Di would be even more arrogant in heart, and even more arrogant in speech, and his spirit would reach the sky.
Maybe, this is young people...
Full of energy!
We, the Shu Han, are really lucky to be born with such a good general... Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang calmly yawned.
Ma Su understood, stood up and left.
Tonight, the guests and hosts have a great time and each has a sweet dream.
Early the next morning.
When the Shu army sent troops to Chencang, Zhuge Liang gathered the generals on a high platform in the city to discuss their merits and reward them.
More than thirty people, including Zhao Yun, Yang Yi, Wei Yan, Zhang Bao, Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, Wang Ping, and Gao Xiang, all received awards for "defeating Cao Shuang and Cao Zhen" this time.
The two generals Li Sheng and Zhang Xiu who participated in the thousands-mile surprise attack were not only given generous rewards, but were also emphatically praised by Zhuge Liang in front of the soldiers of the three armies.
Deep behind enemy lines, he has a strong style of work, a measured advance and retreat, and he remains calm in the face of danger. He can be called a model for the three armed forces.
Even Huang Xi was praised by Zhuge Liang for defending Zhang He in Shanggui City for five days.
But strictly speaking, Huang Xi was derelict in his duty. When Ma Di ordered the former to defend Shanggui City for a month, he failed to do so.
This situation...all the officers and soldiers of the three armies present were smiling and enjoying themselves.
Only Ma Su's heart skipped a beat, feeling something was a little bad.
Feeling worse.
Sure enough, as soon as the reward was awarded, Zhuge Liang slowly suppressed his smile and looked over seriously. After staring for a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Someone, push Ma Su down and kill him!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole army was in an uproar.
Two strong men with strong backs and heavy waists, bare chests and bare chests, and holding bright ghost-headed swords came out in response, clamped Ma Su, and tried to drag him out.
"???"
Ma Su was stunned for a moment.
What happened? Why did you stab me? What mistake did I make?
"Prime Minister——"
You called me Xiao Tiantian last night, how could you turn your back on me now... Ma Su struggled hard, resisting the drag of the two strong men, and defended himself:
"Prime Minister, Ma Su is not guilty!"
Fortunately, the two strong men knew the military practice and did not really drag him hard. After they felt Ma Su's weak resistance, they took advantage of the situation and stopped their efforts.
Otherwise, how could Ma Su's strength, which could not even restrain a girl, withstand the violent force of the two of them?
Usually, there is a process to be followed when the three armies are in front of the formation to kill one's own generals.
Especially the Shu army under Prime Minister Zhuge will never execute any general without reason.
The process is: if the coach is convicted, the guilty person will defend himself. If the self-defense is successful, he will be spared the death penalty.
Even if the self-defense fails, the guilty general should not panic too much. There is also the ultimate rescue procedure of intercession by the generals.
Usually, at this stage, it is time to verify the coach's murderous intention.
If the coach is just pretending, congratulations to this criminal for escaping with no danger.
If the coach insists on killing him, then there is no other choice and the criminal will have no choice but to kill him at his neck.
Zhuge Liang looked down at the audience and said solemnly with a cold face: "Ma Di, you repeatedly violated our military orders, first bringing the army to a desperate situation in Jieting, and then sending five thousand warriors to die in Chencang. How can you say you are not guilty?"
In terms of process, he is guilty of disobeying military orders twice; he has already committed seven prohibitions and fifty-four beheadings, which is enough to kill him twice.
But if we judge it based on the results, it is not guilty.
Ma Di was well aware of this, so he quickly broke away from the two strong men, took a step forward, and defended himself: "Prime Minister, the street pavilion has not been lost, and the five thousand soldiers in Chencang are also safe. Ma Di is not guilty!"
Zhuge Liang's eyes were full of anger, and he slapped the table and rebuked: "Before starting the Battle of Jieting, I repeatedly told you to set up camp and be in command! You think you have read military books and are familiar with the tactics, but you have to station troops on the mountain! If it weren't for Zhang Hezhi in the Battle of Jieting,
Qian, with the help of the beast tide, my army of tens of thousands will be lost at your hands!"
When all the generals saw their commander angrily reprimanding him, with murderous intent, they all felt awe-inspiring and did not dare to say a word.
I didn't expect that Prime Minister Zhuge, a scholar, could be so terrifying when angry.
The momentum seems to swallow up the world!
It's so scary.
Jiang Wei cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister, please calm down..."
Zhuge Liang waved his hand to interrupt Jiang Wei, looked at Ma Su, and said sternly: "Okay, let's not talk about the battle at Jieting. Our army's first northern expedition will fail. I have ordered all the soldiers and horses to return to Hanzhong in order to preserve the only living strength of the Shu Han.
Just when the army was safely retreating, you...you turned out to be headstrong and arbitrary, leading your troops thousands of miles into danger!!!"
"If we fail to attack Chencang this time, how will our five thousand soldiers survive? Even if we capture Chencang, once the Wei army is surrounded on all sides, you will not be able to escape!"
"If it hadn't been for the fact that I, Lian Lian, drove the exhausted troops at night and sent reinforcements from twice the road, how could you and the five thousand soldiers have survived?!!"
"This..." Ma Su was speechless for a moment.
With Zhuge Liang's eloquence and reason, he was truly speechless.
Facing the furious Zhuge Liang, Ma Di glanced at the old general Zhao who was waiting by the side; then at the good old man Jiang Wan, the military counselor who came from Shuzhong; and at the generals with sad faces.
Suddenly I understood something.
Then he bowed deeply and said, "Prime Minister, don't say any more. Ma Su is willing to die."
Zhuge Liang's tone softened slightly: "You disobey military orders and you should be killed according to the law. I think you have been with me for many years and have repeatedly offered battle strategies and have made great contributions, so I will leave your body intact."
"Thank you, Prime Minister!"
"Someone is coming!"
"Here!" Hearing the sound, two strong men stepped forward and clamped Ma Su's arm again.
This time the attack was very forceful, and compared to the first time, the movements were much rougher.
Ma Su grinned in pain.
Jiang Wei cupped his hands and persuaded again: "Prime Minister!"
Although he realized that he might be putting on a show, Ma Di still glanced at Jiang Wei gratefully, thought for a while with his eyes closed, and said: "Ma Di has committed a grave crime and knows that death is inevitable. He only hopes that the Prime Minister will treat my family well and let them both
There is food to eat and clothes to wear.”
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly: "Youchang, you and I are brothers. Your son is my son, and your wife is my brother and sister. After your death, the whole family will be given salary and food every month, so don't worry."
"Thank you, Prime Minister."
Ma Su stood up and looked around: "Ma Su bids farewell to the prime minister! Farewell to all the generals!"
The generals were shocked when they heard this and realized that it was their turn to appear. They quickly came out and begged in unison: "Prime Minister!"
"Although Ma Su is guilty of a capital crime, I think he was loyal, and he has made up for his fault, so please spare him!"
Zhuge Liang looked hesitant and remained silent.
"Prime Minister," everyone urged again.
Zhuge Liang remained indifferent.
Ma Su had no choice but to turn around and drag the two strong men out.
When acting, you need to do a complete set.
He knew what to do when it was time to cooperate with the Prime Minister.
The good old man Jiang Wan finally stood up and said: "Prime Minister, please spare Ma Su."
Zhuge Liang hesitated and said: "Military orders cannot be violated..."
Jiang Wan said: "Now that the world is uncertain, wouldn't it be a pity to kill a wise man? Wan came all the way from Chengdu to bring His Majesty's oral instructions, hoping that the Prime Minister would spare Ma Su's death."
The veteran general Zhao Yun also took a step forward among the generals and advised: "Prime Minister, please spare Ma Su."
Zhuge Liang nodded and reluctantly said: "Since His Majesty has the decree, Ma Di will be exempted from the death penalty. However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living penalty cannot be escaped! Let's demote Ma Di three levels to the position of tent commander to see the effect."
"The Prime Minister is wise!" Everyone held their hands in unison.
Ma Su took a deep breath, turned back, and bowed to thank him.
Zhuge Liang waved his hand and looked around at the crowd: "Those who run the army must pay attention to obeying the law. If the law does not work, how can we obey the people? From now on, no matter how big or small your official position is, please act in accordance with the law, and the same is true for Liang. If you see Liang
I am not using my troops properly and I do not know how to deal with the situation. I hope I can speak out and give me advice."
"Yes, Prime Minister!" Everyone accepted the order.
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and said: "According to reports from scouts, Cao Zhen has gathered another 100,000 troops south of the Weishui River and north of Chencang City. I have sent someone to send a letter of war, and a decisive battle will be held in three days. I beg you all to join in the killing.
To defeat the enemy, the three armies will work together to defeat the Central Plains as soon as possible and restore the foundation of the Han Dynasty!"
Everyone responded again and again, then dispersed and returned to their posts.
After a while, only Zhuge Liang, Ma Di, and a group of guards were left on the scene.
Although it was just a red-faced drama, after experiencing this life and death disaster, Ma Di still deeply realized the cruelty of the living environment in this era.
As a general, you must not only fight to the death against brave enemies, but also comfort your soldiers so that they are willing to serve you to the death. At the same time, you must guard against backstabs from your colleagues, criticism in the court, and the dissatisfaction of your commander.
Too bad.
This living environment is too harsh!
Ma Su felt that if he didn't have a golden finger, even if he had thousands of years of experience from later generations, he would probably be out of date very quickly in this era.
Fortunately, he acts steadily enough. He will never do anything that he is not sure about.
This avoided his typical fate of being caught by Zhuge Liang.
…
Two days later, the Wei army camped.
Governor Cao Zhen, military advisor Situ Wanglang and other generals sat in attendance to discuss how to recapture Chencang.
The Grand Governor Cao Zhen looked around at the crowd and said, "Zhuge Liang has written a letter of challenge, asking us to wait for a decisive battle tomorrow. Do you have any good strategies to deal with the enemy?"
All the generals were silent in thought.
Zhuge Liang himself was difficult to deal with, and now there was Ma Di, a man who was both deceitful and steady, and they all felt troubled.
Wang Langan sat at the table and poured wine for himself. When the glass was full, he stood up and asked Cao Zhen for his order.
"Commander, after Zhuge Liang was defeated in Longxi, he came to occupy Chencang City again. He had won two battles in a row and his morale was high. This decisive battle is just the right time to defeat the Shu army's vigor and let them know how powerful our Wei soldiers are!"
Wang Lang paced up to Cao Zhen and continued: "The Commander-in-Chief can strictly organize his troops and display the banner to increase his momentum! Tomorrow in front of the two armies, I only need to say a few words to discipline Zhuge Liang and surrender, and the Shu army will retreat without a fight.
!”
Hearing this, Cao Zhen was greatly puzzled: "Wang Situ, what kind of person is Zhuge Liang! How can you retreat the enemy by saying a few words before the formation?"
Wang Lang stroked his beard and smiled: "If the Governor doesn't believe it, you can watch the battle in front of the formation tomorrow and you will know for yourself then!"
Cao Zhen said half-believingly: "Okay! Let's see Wang Situ show off his power tomorrow!"
Seeing the 72-year-old Wang Lang's high fighting spirit and fighting spirit, all the generals at the table stood in awe and sighed to themselves:
"A strong man's ambition is endless in his old age."
