Chapter 41 Ma Cheng's Legacy

  Ma Cheng's loud reminder elicited reactions from both sides.

  Yang Yang listened and thought that Ma Cheng was just flattering him, so he didn't take it seriously. However, Gong Sun Ce was not daring to hold back at all, and when the two horses met, he used all his strength to chop out a halberd.

  Two men's swords clashed in mid-air, causing both of their arms to go numb. Gong Sun Zan had been prepared and after passing by each other, he immediately turned his horse around and chased after Yang Yang to kill him.

  This nearly caused Yang Yang's great blade to be shaken out of his hand. Seeing Gong Sun Zan charging towards him, he was shocked in his heart and his courage weakened, not daring to fight again.

  Two horses galloped swiftly, circling and killing each other in the empty space between the two armies. Gong Sun's style was so sharp that it far exceeded Yang Yang's imagination. With the green dragon halberd in his hand, Gong Sun could slash and hook with one stab, constantly changing moves, making Yang Yang tired of responding, his large knife feeling heavier, and his face covered in sweat.

  "Go die!" Gong Sun Ce found a good opportunity and stabbed out with his spear!

  Yang Yang's face turned pale, his hands grasped the knife, and he held it horizontally in front of him, blocking this sudden thrust.

  Before he could catch his breath, Gong Sun Ce sneered and drew his dagger, stabbing again.

  Yang Yang exerted all his strength, and in order to save his life, he gritted his teeth and propped himself up again. The spearhead and the small branch of the crescent moon were stuck together by the knife handle once more. Gong Sun Ce clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly and let out a loud shout. With both hands holding the spear, he made a mighty push, and the knife handle that was hanging from the small branch of the crescent moon directly crashed into Yang Yang's chest armor.

  The two horses slowed down and finally stopped between the battle arrays of the two armies.

  Yang Yang widened his eyes and looked down. Although the hilt of the knife had pinned the small branch with a crescent-shaped tip, the willow-leaf-shaped blade in front of it had pierced through his chest armor and entered his chest. The clothes inside his armor were soaked and stained with blood gushing out from the wound, and Yang Yang felt that all his energy was dissipating from the wound on his chest.

  "Whose successor are you?" Yang Yang's heart was unwilling, and his mouth overflowed with blood.

  "I'll scare you to death, I'm the successor of Lü Bu!" Gong Sun Ce drew his sword and saw that Yang Yang's wound was gushing with blood, which flowed down his clothes and dripped onto the yellow earth. He also saw that Yang Yang's originally red face had turned as white as wax, and knew that he would surely die.

  "How did that kid know you'd be so strong?" Yang Yang asked, shaking his head, before falling off his warhorse and landing with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. As he lay on the ground, Yang Yang felt his vision darkening, turning black. The sky above, once white and cloudy, had turned gray, and the heavens were now a deep, foreboding indigo.

  As his body convulsed, Yang spat out blood mouthful by mouthful. The memories of this life whirled before his eyes like a roulette wheel spinning rapidly, and he seemed to recall everything that had happened in this lifetime, as if he were an onlooker watching himself relive it all over again. This feeling was wondrous, and once more he experienced the joys and sorrows of this life.

  The last memory stayed with Gongsun Ce's sudden thrust, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't avoid this thrust. The memory immediately turned into a colorful light spot, dispersing from Yang Yang's gradually expanding pupils. Before his death, he seemed to hear the Qin army's thunderous roar, and seemed to be overlooking the horizon, seeing Ma Cheng leading the Liang army back to the small town, defending and waiting for reinforcements.

  "My lord, the heirs of a military family will not die so easily. They will be reborn, and when they are reborn again, it will no longer be them, but the objects they have passed on!" Gao Shun rode his horse to Gong Sun Ce's side, since Gong Sun Ce and Yang Yang fought, he and Ma Cheng stopped fighting, just staring at the two people fighting, both of them were worried about the same person.

  "Is there a way to break it?" Gong Sun Ce found himself struggling against Yang Yang, although the battle was quite intense. But what he hated most was trouble, especially being bothered by troubles with deep grudges.

  "Beheading is fine, the most reassuring thing is to burn it into ashes!"

  "By your words!" Gong Sun Ce spurred his horse and drove towards Ma Cheng. As he was leaving, he said: "I'm going to see an old friend."

  In the span of ten days, he felt like he had lived through a decade. From head to toe, he underwent a transformation that was nothing short of rebirth. After years of understanding, he knew that Ma Cheng had also undergone a similar change. He just hoped that they could still maintain this friendship.

  "I didn't think you were still alive, and it seems like you've become even more handsome." Ma Cheng flipped over and got off his horse, removing his helmet to reveal a head full of hot sweat.

  "Bring some wine and food!" Gong Sun Ce shouted loudly towards the rear army array, rode his horse to Ma Cheng's front, jumped off the warhorse, and thrust the blood-stained Qinglong spear into the ground. He ran over and gave Ma Cheng a bear hug. With both arms exerting force, he made Ma Cheng's entire skeletal system crackle with a crunch, which loosened up Ma Cheng's muscles nicely. The comfort after the pain, as well as the warmth in his heart, left Ma Cheng speechless.

  "You're still alive, how could I possibly die? You know, I was even planning to build a mausoleum for you. And later on, I'll choose one of my sons to be adopted by yours, isn't that moving?"

  Ma shook his head and smiled, squatting down on the ground with a thud. He gazed at the white clouds in the sky with a hint of nostalgia: "It's great to be alive, seeing you makes me happy. It feels like we haven't seen each other for a long time, how have you been?"

  "It was just like that, the day you left, I got drunk and fell asleep. At night, I obtained the legacy of Lü Bu, and when I woke up, I found that the whole world had become chaotic. After saving Xue Ling, I encountered the Qin army and immediately joined the Great Qin camp. Then, I marched northwest, capturing the three counties of Pingliang, Guyuan, and Baise, after which I could march freely. Then, I crossed the Jade Gate Pass to find my family."

  Gongsun Zan told the story of his battles, briefly telling it to Ma Cheng. After listening, Ma Cheng stroked his chin thoughtfully and said: "You're very lucky, now you have strong soldiers and horses, and also have a legitimate army. Unlike me, I have nothing, and I'm still under Song Xian's command as a small military general!"

  Ma Cheng then spoke of his own experiences over the past ten days, his expression gloomy: "Just as the train was approaching Tianshui, it suddenly stopped. If it hadn't stopped, we could have kept running all the way. But once it stopped, all sorts of ghosts and monsters entered the carriage, causing chaos everywhere. I was stunned, and finally ran to the dining car, but couldn't even find a kitchen knife, only this."

  He pulled out a dining knife that had been severely corroded, and Gong Sun Ce knew that the corrosion was all within ten days, which was not surprising. Continuing to listen to Ma Cheng's narrative, he wanted to know how Ma Cheng didn't get the inheritance at first, and then how did he get it later.

  "I killed two ghosts with it, then I found the whole train was quiet, no one screamed or shouted anymore. They were all dead, men, women, old and young. All the ghosts gathered in the carriage where I was, and then I blocked the door and continued to kill with this small knife."

  Ma Cheng said with a sudden smile, "Haha, I thought I was going to die at the time, my ancestors, they thought so too. Anyway, I wasn't clear about it. His name is Ma Long, originally I didn't know such a person existed, after he gave me his legacy, I realized how awesome he was!"

  "Big brother, there's only wine and green liquor, not many fresh vegetables, but a lot of dried vegetables and meat. Let's just cook some hot pot! It's been a long time since we've had it!" An Meng jumped off the carriage, directing a group of carters to lay out the felt blankets and set up the fire rack, but she was being coy with Gong Sun Ce.

  "He's Ma Cheng, one of Big Brother's best friends. Seeing him alive is the most exciting thing for Big Brother today!" Gong Sun Ce introduced, pulling Ma Cheng's hand to introduce him to his little sister. Today, he had no interest in fighting anymore, and it had to be said that he was a very casual person.

  "Hello, Big Brother Ma, I'm An Meng!" An Meng stretched out his hand and shook hands with Ma Cheng to introduce himself.

  Looking at An Meng, Ma Cheng muttered to himself, and he also liked An Meng's lively personality and natural elegance. However, he was naturally allergic to women, and when An Meng held his hand, his face suddenly turned red, and he felt uncomfortable all over. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but his tongue only knotted up.

  "Alright, go and call the others over. This guy can't stand beautiful women, and women who have a good impression of him make him even more uncomfortable. Looks like you've left a good impression on him!"

  An Meng nodded cleverly and shook her head at Ma Cheng, then walked away. This made Ma Cheng's face turn red again, and Gong Sun Ce could only shake his head in silence.

  An Meng had just left, and Gao Shun came over with a bloody sack. He cast a cautious glance at Ma Cheng, but still nodded out of courtesy. Then he said to Gong Sun Zan: "My lord, the enemy general has been beheaded."

  Ma Cheng just sighed, Yang Yang was indeed like his name, too showy. When encountering Gong Sun Ce, even if it wasn't an enemy relationship, he would still be dealt with by Gong Sun Ce. Gong Sun Ce's personality was pure and thick, what he hated the most were flashy and boastful people.

  Gongsun Zan merely hummed in response and seeing that Ma Cheng did not intend to ask for his head, continued: "Pass down my orders, the entire army will set up camp and start cooking!"

  "Ah!" Gao Shun left with his bundle, and as he gazed at Gao Shun's straight figure, agile steps, and the calmness and loyalty to Gong Sun Ce, it only made Ma Cheng jealous to the point of madness.

  "How did you get the high-ranking official? Don't say it was really given to you by Lü Bu!" The two sat on a felt mat, first eating some cold dishes of meat mixed with vegetables, served by a former chef who had changed jobs as a cart driver. One person filled up a cup of wine and they clinked cups together.

  "It's true, you've been deceived and have no sugar to eat. Tell me, how great is Marong compared to my Lü Bu? " Gong Sun Ce wanted to compare Marong with Lü Bu, Ma Cheng was a black line. Immediately he began to introduce Marong, Gong Sun Ce listened and nodded repeatedly, showing admiration.

  Ma Long, courtesy name Xiaoxing, was a native of Pinglu, East Ping. He was a military officer of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period and later served in Western Jin. Apart from being an important general of both Cao Wei and Western Jin, he was also a innovator of weapons.

  There are four schools of thought in the military. The first school emphasizes strategy, with a core idea of "winning without fighting". The second school focuses on tactics, with a core idea of "victory in every battle". The third school emphasizes the use of spies and assassins, with a core idea of "knowing oneself and knowing others to avoid danger in a hundred battles". The fourth school focuses on the sharpness of weapons and armor, which is very much in line with modern trends, using technology to kill enemies while minimizing one's own losses. There is also an underlying emphasis on putting people first, similar to the US military.

  Ma Long was a famous general of the Western Jin Dynasty. In January 279, during the fifth year of the Xianning era, the Xiongnu people from Hexi, led by Tufa Shuzheng, rebelled against the Jin and occupied Liangzhou (now Wuwei, Gansu). The Jin court was greatly shocked. At that time, Ma Long was serving as a regional commander, and he volunteered to recruit 3,000 brave soldiers to retake Liangzhou. Emperor Wu approved his request, appointing him as the Protector of the Expeditionary Army against the Barbarians and the Governor of Wuwei, allowing him to select weapons from the imperial armory and granting him three years' worth of military expenses before setting out.

  In November, he led his army to cross the Wen River (now east of Wuwei), and the Tufa clan's leader, with tens of thousands of troops, occupied the strategic passes. Ma Long reformed the military equipment, creating flat-box carts. In open areas, they formed camps according to the Eight Trigrams diagram, inserting deer horns on the outer perimeter of the carts; when encountering narrow roads, they placed wooden houses made from flat boxes on top of the carts to block arrows and stones. According to the Records of the Jin Dynasty - Biography of Ma Long, he also ordered the Jin army to wear leather armor, and piled up magnetic rocks along the road to interfere with the movement of the Xianbei people wearing iron armor.

  Thus, he fought and advanced, winning continuously. Emperor Wu was delighted to receive the news of victory after not hearing from Ma Long's army for a long time, and appointed him as Acting General, General Who Declares Might. In December, after a great battle, they beheaded Tudun Tree Machine, and captured Liangzhou. At the beginning of TaiKang, the Jin court appointed Ma Long as Protector of the Barbarians, Governor of Xiping (now Xining), to lead troops south to restore it. Ma Long guarded the border for over ten years, fighting and defending with all his might, shaking the enemy's morale greatly. He died in office later on.

  The reason why Song Pei, the vanguard of Liang Jun, attaches great importance to Ma Cheng is that he and Ma Long can be considered as belonging to the same era. When Ma Long was in Liangzhou, his prestige shook greatly, and when he guarded Xiping, Song Pei was just a young man at that time. It's normal for him to have a sense of admiration for Ma Long, everyone has a heroic dream, no one is an exception.

  No one knows how far Ma Cheng can go with Ma Long's inheritance. How long can their friendship last?