The 65th Return to one's heart and plan for a bigger move It is difficult to shut his mouth under his command

  "A cup of wine wakes up Liu Ling's intoxication, for all eternity, I am defeated by who?"

  Ma Chao led his generals into the Ziwu Valley and saw Cao Cao approaching them with a jug of wine in hand, loudly reciting a poem.

  Le Jin, Li Dian and others saw this, hastily apologized, Cao Cao laughed loudly and said: "It's my fault, Cao Mengde is incompetent. How can I blame you for the defeat of this battle? You were able to escape from the layers of the enemy army, it was already not easy."

  The groom led the horse to Cao Cao's side and said, "Brother Mengde, your words are wrong. This time we were defeated, all of us cannot shirk the blame! But why are you alone here? Where are the other lords?"

  Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "Those people are all taking stock of how many men and horses they have lost!"

  The groom was surprised, and as Cao Cao arrived at an ancient mansion, he had just stepped into the main hall when he heard various lords arguing nonstop.

  Only then did Liu Dai, the governor of Jingzhou, say: "The governor has suffered the heaviest losses in this war, and there are hardly any soldiers left under his command!"

  King Kung of Hebei Prefecture shouted at him: "How many men and horses do you have? What qualifications do you have to shout here? I only have a hundred people under my command!"

  Sun Quan roared, "What's the point of arguing at this time? Although our army was defeated at Tiger Trap Pass, there are still the various vassal troops stationed at Xiangyang Pass who have not been damaged in the slightest. If we unite and cooperate, it is entirely possible to counterattack against Dong Zhuo!"

  Xu Party Taishou Zhang Yang immediately became enraged, pointing at Sun Quan: "We several lords are just lucky to have escaped! We've all been defeated like this, what's the point of continuing to fight? In Zhang's opinion, everyone should just go back and rest for now, then plan to avenge ourselves later!"

  The groom saw that Miao's head was not good, and immediately stopped him: "If the various princes leave at this time, they will undoubtedly give Dong Ze an opportunity to breathe. And Dong Ze will certainly not let go of everyone."

  Cao Cao also said: "If we defeat those Dong bandits one by one, what's the point of talking about tomorrow's battle? It's truly a foolish man speaking nonsense!"

  Taizhou Governor Zhang Chao still opposed: "At this time, fighting again is undoubtedly like hitting a stone with an egg, and there is no chance of winning at all. If you insist on fighting, please do so, but the governor will not accompany you!"

  Yuan Shao, who was sitting upright, suddenly said loudly: "Stop arguing, don't you still put the leader of this alliance in your eyes?"

  Yuan Shao's voice rose, and the grand hall fell silent. Yuan Shao continued: "I, Yuan, have been lifted up by all of you to this position as leader of the alliance. For this great defeat, I should bear full responsibility! However, I hope that each of you will ask yourselves in your hearts, when have you ever considered the interests of other lords? When have you ever taken a serious view of this war? In the midst of battle, I repeatedly gave orders, but how many lords actually listened to them? Today, I will speak the ugly truth right before all of your faces. If any lord dares to leave at this time without permission, I, Yuan Shao, will personally lead my army to bathe his home territory in blood!"

  All the vassals were taken aback, but Ma Chao secretly rejoiced. Yuan Shao had finally spoken out fiercely. Although no action had been taken yet, he had already shown a determined attitude.

  Gongsun Zan led the way, saying: "Although I, Gongsun Zan, have lost many soldiers and generals in this battle, my spirit remains unbroken, my banner is still intact, and my head is still on my shoulders! If I don't destroy that traitor Dong, I swear not to return to Beiping!"

  "Good! Governor Gong Sun has spoken too well!" The groom praised and patted his chest, saying: "If Ma Fu fights again, he will definitely cut off Lü Bu's head and offer it to everyone as a toast!"

  As various lords responded one after another, Yuan Shao burst out laughing and said: "Everyone should have done so long ago! I just wonder what Governor Zhang is planning to do at this time?"

  Zhang Yang heard Yuan Shao's stern words and didn't dare to mention retreating again. He hastily said, "Since all the lords have responded, if Zhang were to mention retreating again, it would be too unbecoming. It is an honor for me, Zhang Yang, to fight alongside all of you generals!"

  Zhang Yang also agreed, and Yuan Shao began to report the losses of the Tiger Trap Pass battle to the vassals.

  After this battle, except for the six roads of the marquis who were stationed at Xishui Pass and suffered no damage, the losses of the other routes were heavy, and the strength of the vassal army was reduced by more than two-thirds compared to before.

  Roughly estimating, at this time the various vassal armies added up to only 600,000-700,000 troops. Dong Zhuo's army had a crushing numerical advantage.

  Yuan Shao finished his report and then stood beside Ma Chao, saying: "Our army suffered casualties of less than half. Among the various lords who participated in the battle, we had the least casualties."

  The groom did not say anything after hearing it. Moreover, when everyone was working together in harmony, he couldn't say too much about the casualties of his own soldiers.

  After letting all the vassals go down for a short rest, Yuan Shao kept Ma Fu alone.

  As Yuan Shao walked into a finely decorated pavilion, he gazed out at the distance through the windows on the pavilion and did not say what he wanted with Ma Chao.

  Ma Fu still had Yun Ying and Diao Chan in his heart, so he asked first: "I don't know what Lord Yuan wants to see me for?"

  Yuan Shao pointed outside the window and said: "What do you see?"

  The groom stretched his neck and took a look outside, saying: "It's just people coming and going!"

  Yuan Shao burst out laughing and said: "The leader of this alliance has seen the world! Every time I see those people who have suffered from war, thin as a rake, working day and night for just one meal, my heart feels bad! I really yearn for the day when all the common people in the world will not worry about food and clothing, no longer be busy, work in the morning and rest at night, and enjoy peace."

  Yuan Shao's coachman had never expected him to be so concerned with the welfare of the people, and he praised him saying: "The Lord of the Yuan clan has the hearts of all living beings in mind, and will surely bring fortune to the common people in the future!"

  Yuan Shao sighed and said: "How can Yuan not want to bring fortune to the people of a region? It's just that my ability is limited, I have the heart but lack the power!"

  "How could that be? Under the command of Lord Yuan, there are brave generals as numerous as clouds and strategists as dense as forests. Yan Liang and Wen Chou are even more courageous than Lü Bu. As long as Lord Yuan wants it, nothing in this world can stop him!"

  "Ma Tai's words are quite different! In your presence, Yan Liang and Wen Chou are just small generals. Ma Tai is a fierce general who can dominate the world! Who in the world can be Ma Tai's opponent? After this battle, Yuan certain truly admires Ma Tai, you not only have feelings and righteousness, but also have strategy, absolutely incomparable to ordinary generals!"

  Suddenly being praised by Yuan Shao, Ma Fu felt a bit proud, but he soon realized that Yuan Shao had an ulterior motive. After some thought, he felt that Yuan Shao was intentionally trying to win him over. To avoid the embarrassment of refusing someone, Ma Fu preemptively spoke up before Yuan Shao: "Actually, I never had any great ambitions! In this great war, I have also come to understand the nature of life and death in the world. If we can achieve a great victory against Dong Zhuo and bring peace to the world, I will immediately retreat to the mountains and forests, and from then on, no longer ask about worldly affairs!"

  Yuan Shao was shocked: "Governor Ma, how could you say such a thing? A talent like yours retreating to the mountains would be a waste! It's no different from crippling a great pillar of the Han dynasty!"

  Ma Fu smiled and said: "General Yuan, you don't have to persuade me anymore. I've already figured it out. I only hope that General Yuan can lead his generals to bring peace back to the world!"

  Ma Fu's words were firm and powerful, and Yuan Shao naturally sensed his resolute attitude, so he stopped advising him, but the sound of regret was still endless.

  The groom saw that he didn't say much, and said: "This time the war is big, the master of the alliance must be very tired, please rest more, there are heavier tasks waiting for you behind!"

  Yuan Shao heard this and did not try to persuade him to stay any longer, only instructing him to make sure to get plenty of rest.

  Ma Fu left the building and rushed straight to the residence of Yun Ying, Diao Chan and others.

  As soon as they entered a large courtyard, Diao Chan actively came forward to greet them. However, just as Ma Fu was about to speak, she hastily retreated several steps, her face flushing bright red.

  His heart beats a little faster, but as a man, he still has to say what he should say first: "I scared you, are you okay?"

  Diaochan shook her head, slowly raised it and looked at the groom for a few moments: "You must be tired too? Come in quickly, I and Yunying sister have already prepared clean clothes for you to change into, go take a bath and change first!"

  Seeing Diao Chan and Yun Ying being so considerate, Ma Fu was overjoyed and hurriedly went to take a refreshing bath.

  When he came to the main hall again, the table was already filled with steaming hot food. The groom looked at the bowls and chopsticks on the table and said in surprise: "Why is there an extra set of bowls and chopsticks?"

  "Of course there are wounded people here recovering!"

  As soon as Yun Ying's voice fell, Yin Feng and Zhao Ang supported Shi Sunrui and walked out.

  The groom saw a stranger in front of him and hurriedly asked: "Excuse me, who are you?"

  After Zishun Rui reported his name and told Wang Yun about the matter, Diao Chan, who had been smiling all along, almost fainted.

  The groom hastily held her up and comforted her: "Don't worry, with me, the groom, around, nothing will happen to Wang Sutu!"

  After hearing Ma Fu's words, Diao Chan still sobbed uncontrollably. Ma Fu could understand this, after all, Wang Yun had raised her for many years and treated her very well, so she already regarded Wang Yun as her own father.

  Yun Ying knew they had important matters to discuss, so he first helped Diao Chan into the inner hall to take care of her.

  After Diao Chan left, Yin Feng blamed Shi Sunruo: "Didn't I say so? Not allowing you to mention this matter in front of Miss Diao Chan, how could you forget again?"

  Shi Sunrui said with great guilt: "After seeing Ma Tai, I was momentarily excited and forgot about this matter. Please don't blame me! But now Wang Situ is indeed in a precarious situation. I hope you all can think of a way to save this old minister who has worked hard for the great Han dynasty his whole life!"

  Ma Tai-shou saw Shi Sunrui's words were sincere and to the point, so he hastily said: "Wang Situ must be rescued! But before that, can you tell us how you escaped from Luoyang City? And how did you know we were trapped in Hu Lao Guan and went to Suishui Guan to seek help from Sun Taishou?"

  "We fell into Li Ru's trap, and he knew I had escaped, so he sent a large number of soldiers to guard the city gate and search for me everywhere, fearing that I would escape from the city and inform you, ruining his plan. It just so happened that one night, a large group of soldiers rode past my hiding place on fast horses, and one of them secretly dismounted behind everyone's back and went into a shop to buy wine. When he came out, I killed him, put on his clothes, and rode his horse to chase after the other riders. What I didn't expect was that these riders were actually sent by Li Ru to form an alliance with Liu Yan, the governor of Yi Province!"