Chapter 11: Ma Chao Joins the Ranks in Cloud City

  Ma Chao joined Pingzhou Army as he wished, but he lied about his age and name when signing up.

  He is ten years old and claims to be fourteen, and with Ma Chao's appearance, no one suspects anything.

  Ma Chao changed his name to Ma Qi, put on the military uniform and entered the barracks. He became a long spear soldier instead of a cavalryman because he thought it was just right for himself who originally used a gun. As a long spear soldier, he should get used to some things.

  But when he felt bored and tired in his daily routine training, it was too late for regret.

  After entering the military camp, there's nothing else, but a lot of rules. You can't do this, you can't do that. Such days, I really don't know how others get by. Ma Chao is indeed deeply admired.

  Every day's training is almost a repetition of the few movements that have been practiced thousands of times. Sometimes Ma Chao wonders, why not come up with some new moves? Back and forth, back and forth, just those few moves, can they really kill many enemies on the battlefield? He himself isn't too sure.

  Thus, Ma Chao's life in the military camp had passed for half a month. Although he had long regretted entering the military camp, Ma Chao still persisted with a hard heart. It has to be said that this kid is still quite capable.

  As he was eating, someone walked up to him and said, "Brother, I've been paying attention to you for a while. My name is Zhang Yang, 19 years old. How about you?"

  This is the first time Ma Chao has met someone who speaks like this, giving him a feeling of familiarity from past lives.

  "Ma Qi, fourteen years old." Ma Chao certainly wouldn't tell the truth to someone he had just met and wasn't very familiar with.

  "May I ask where Brother Ma Qi is from?" Zhang Yang asked again.

  "A native of Liangzhou Longxi."

  "Why did you come to Bianzhou?" Zhang Yang asked.

  "Come to Bingzhou to visit relatives, unfortunately, the relatives have passed away for a long time. Here, there is no one to rely on, so I can only join the army." Ma Chao said, still showing a very sad expression. His sadness was not pretended, but Ma Chao remembered his parents and relatives from his previous life, that's why he was like this.

  Zhang Yang saw this and advised: "Ma Qi brothers, a big man can't be like this, don't be too sad!" It seems that Zhang Yang is not good at comforting others either.

  "Thank you, Brother Zhang, I'm fine. But may I ask where you are from?"

  "Brother, I am a native of Pingzhou, and my home is in the clouds. I saw the recruitment notice earlier and came to join the army to serve the country!"

  Zhang Yang's words were indeed righteous and stern, but it would be strange if Ma Chao could believe them all. The high level of deception is always a mix of truth and falsehood, Ma Chao's words are true and false, and Zhang Yang's words are naturally the same.

  "Does Brother Zhang know Lü Bu's true character?" Ma Chao continued to ask.

  Zhang Yang was slightly stunned upon hearing this, and didn't expect Ma Chao to mention Lü Bu.

  "Haha, of course I know. Which man in the state doesn't know the great name of Fei Zhang? And it's me!" Zhang Yang replied to Ma Chao.

  "Looks like Ma Chao's brother has some decent martial arts skills, and not just any ordinary ones?" Zhang Yang asked in a hushed tone after pulling Ma Chao to a secluded spot.

  "Oh? How did Brother Zhang know about it? Is there any way? I don't even know myself, how did Brother Zhang find out?" Ma Chao asked Zhang Yang back.

  "Ma Chao's brothers hide very well, but they can't escape my eyes!" Zhang Yang said with a smirk at Ma Chao, implying that his little tricks might fool others, but not him. Want to know how I found out? Come ask me quickly! Ask away!

  Indeed, Ma Chao asked: "I wonder if Brother Zhang has made any discoveries?"

  Zhang Yang gave Ma Chao a knowing look and said, "It's like this, everyone usually trains hard every day, but you, Brother Ma, don't take it seriously. Although it seems like you're following along with everyone else, the expression of disdain still can't escape my eyes. So I started paying attention to you, and as expected, one day I discovered that in a deserted place, you were practicing a set of spear techniques that were absolutely not ordinary. From then on, I knew you were hiding your true abilities. Tell me, why did you hide your strength?"

  "It seems you all know, in that case, brother, I can only say sorry!" Ma Chao pretended to be surprised and threatened Zhang Yang.

  "It's not necessarily, Brother Ma Chao!" Zhang Yang said, suddenly bursting out a momentum that had never appeared on his body before. It seems that Zhang Yang has two strokes, but this skill is still far from threatening Ma Chao. However, Ma Chao still made a shocked and frightened appearance.

  "I was really blind to Mount Tai, and I've been messing with the wrong person! I didn't expect Brother Zhang to be a hidden mastermind!"

  "It's alright, it's alright. No need for Brother Ma to be shocked or afraid, I have no ill intentions. I just wanted to let you understand my true abilities."

  Zhang Yang returned to his previous state as he spoke.

  Ma Chao was indeed surprised at first, because only top-notch generals knew how to conceal their aura. But seeing it on Zhang Yang, who barely reached the lower end of second-rate level, really made him wonder. However, Ma Chao quickly understood the reason - there was only one explanation: someone had taught Zhang Yang, that's why he learned it.

  "Unexpectedly, Brother Zhang's martial arts are so high, I think they can be compared to the Flying General Lü Bu Lü Fengxian!" Ma Chao flattered Zhang Yang.

  To say that Zhang Yang has a bad habit, it is that he loves to listen to people flatter him, even though he knows in his heart that others are intentionally trying to curry favor with him.

  "It's nothing, just a minor skill, not worth mentioning!"

  "Brother Zhang is being too modest."

  "I was just joking with Ma Qi's brother, nothing else. Alright, let's get back to the point and talk about something serious."

  "Please go ahead, Zhang."

  "What does Ma Qi brothers think of Lv Bu's Lü Fengxian, whom they have mentioned many times before?"

  "Lü Bu is indeed the greatest general under heaven!" Ma Chao exclaimed sincerely. Indeed, among men there was Lü Bu, and among horses there was Red Hare - who could be their match?

  "If there's a chance for you to serve under your brother, would you be willing, Brother Ma?" Zhang Yang asked Ma Chao.

  "Brother Zhang, you must be joking. I'm still in the military camp, how can I possibly serve under General Lü's command?" Ma Chao replied with some puzzlement at Zhang Yang's inquiry. Of course, Ma Chao knew that Lü Bu was not a general now, but he said this for Zhang Yang to hear.

  "Yes, that's right. I'm serving under General Lü's command. The higher-ups have ordered General Lü to assemble an elite army, and I've been sent by General Lü to select candidates." Zhang Yang whispered mysteriously in Ma Chao's ear, as if sharing a military secret.

  Secret order? Elite troops? If Ma Chao really believed it, then he's an idiot. Forming elite troops might not be fake, but a secret order is probably non-existent. And Lü Bu secretly forming elite troops is the real deal.

  What is he going to do, rebel? How is that possible. What's the point of Lü Bu's actions, I don't understand, can't comprehend, and even more so, Ma Chao has one good thing about him, which is that when he really doesn't understand something, he won't waste too many brain cells thinking about it.

  He stared at Zhang Yang with wide eyes, and Zhang Yang nodded, "Ma Qi brother, that's exactly what it is. If you join us, I really can't guarantee anything, but I absolutely won't let you do anything that goes against heaven and reason!"

  Zhang Yang looked at Ma Chao with hopeful eyes, while Ma Chao fell into deep thought.

  Ma Chao's heart was set on leaving the military camp, but the defense of Bianzhou was too strict, and he couldn't leave without being noticed. Just as Ma Chao was thinking about how to leave the military camp, he discovered a pair of eyes frequently staring at him, and at that time, he thought this might be an opportunity.

  Ma Chao then used a trick to lure the snake out of its hole, intentionally showing off his mediocre spear skills to Zhang Yang, and what happened next was just like before.

  Ma Chao's original intention was to leave the military camp, and now it seems like a great opportunity, but whether or not to agree is another matter. In fact, he could first agree, and then after he and Zhang Yang leave the military camp, he can shake off Zhang Yang and run away on his own.

  However, Ma Chao thought this was not a good idea, more importantly, he was very curious and wanted to see what Lü Bu would do next. He also wanted to meet the famous Lü Bu, so it would be killing two birds with one stone. As a result, Ma Chao fell into a dilemma.

  Zhang Yang saw Ma Chao's dilemma, "Brother Ma Qi, your conditions meet our standards, a person with no attachments, and decent martial arts skills, but this courage, I think it's better to forget about it!" Zhang Yang even used such a shallow provocation method, which was also quite difficult for him.

  Ma Chao smiled slightly, "Brother Zhang doesn't have to urge me like this. If I don't want to do something, no one can force me, but if I want to do it, no one can stop me either. I really did join you guys and lost my head, got a big scar on my forehead, and eighteen years later, I'm still a good man!"

  Ma Chao brought out the classic lines, but as for what he said before, Zhang Yang automatically filtered it out. However, for the following few sentences, Zhang Yang obviously appreciated them: "Good, refreshing! I admire brothers like Ma Qi!"

  "Brother Zhang is overpraising." Ma Chao replied in agreement.

  "Time is of the essence, let's leave the barracks quickly!"

  "This, how did it come to this?" Ma Chao asked in great puzzlement.

  "I have a way, Ma Qi brothers you can rest assured." Zhang Yang patted his chest and guaranteed.

  After finishing speaking, Zhang Yang suddenly disappeared and didn't know where he went. After a while, he came back, pulling Ma Chao towards the outside of the military camp.

  The two of them left the military camp with a swagger, Ma Chao was so embarrassed, he had racked his brains but couldn't come up with any good ideas, while others settled it in no time. Later, Ma Chao found out that their superior was a relative of Zhang Yang's family, and Ma Chao sighed again, indeed having acquaintances makes things easier, this is true for all ages.

  Zhang Yang took Ma Chao away from the military camp. Originally, Ma Chao wanted to go to Yunzhong City to pick up some things before leaving with Zhang Yang. But Zhang Yang told him to hurry up and leave with him, saying not to delay important matters. Having no choice, Ma Chao followed him.

  As they were on their way, Zhang Yang somehow managed to get two horses, and so the two of them mounted up and hastened along.

  All the way, Ma Chao didn't ask where he was going. Anyway, when they arrived, it would be clear. However, judging from the direction of their journey, it seemed that they were heading towards Wuyuan.

  After traveling for more than a day, they finally arrived at their destination.

  Ma Chao felt that this place seemed a bit familiar, but he was absolutely sure he had never been here before. They arrived at a mountain valley, and Zhang Yang told him that this place also belonged to the territory of Jiuyuan City in Wuyuan County. Ma Chao suddenly realized that this was also part of Jiuyuan, no wonder.

  The valley was very large, and Ma Chao gazed out at the rows of military tents inside, where troops were stationed in an orderly manner. From this point, it's not hard to see that the person who set up camp was absolutely a master of military strategy.

  This valley is indeed very secluded, such a large valley, even if three or four hundred thousand troops are stationed here, it would be difficult to detect them, let alone just these few dozen military tents. So, the location of this valley is also excellent, finding such a suitable place to station troops is really not bad, thought Ma Chao to himself.

  As soon as the two of them arrived at the entrance of the camp, they were surrounded by a group of soldiers. Zhang Yang hastily pulled out a small plaque made of unknown material from his bosom, and the leader of the soldiers took it over to take a look. He waved his hand, and the surrounding soldiers parted to let them pass.

  Zhang Yang took back the small token and entered the camp with Ma Chao. Ma Chao saw that these soldiers were absolutely not ordinary soldiers, but rather elite warriors who had crawled out of piles of dead bodies. It seemed that the leader of this army was a talented military commander, a great general.

  Zhang Yang led Ma Chao to the central army tent. Before entering the tent, Zhang Yang said to Ma Chao: "Brother Ma Qi, actually I deceived you, I am not 19 years old, but 23 years old already. And..."

  "Brother Zhang, no need to explain. Actually, I deceived you even more. My name is not Qi, but rather Ma Chao, with the courtesy name Mengqi. There was a reason for this, and I hid the truth from Brother Zhang, which is my fault! And I am only 10 years old this year, not 14 as previously said." Ma Chao interrupted Zhang Yang's words, telling him the truth.

  "So that's how it is, Mengqi brother, you've been keeping me in the dark, but I suppose we're even now! Haha!" Zhang Yang didn't blame Ma Chao for anything, which shows that Zhang Yang is still a decent person.

  Ma Chao had already made preparations to escape, thinking that if Zhang Yang turned against him, he would have the confidence to rush out of the military camp without Lü Bu. However, what was expected did not happen, and Ma Chao could not help but look up to Zhang Yang, whatever the reason, Zhang Yang was also a figure in his own right.