Chapter 633: Luanbird City Purification

After Ma Zun's persuasion, Ma Zhi had decided to open the city and surrender to Deng's army. Since there was a decision, everything had to be arranged. First, Ma Zhi sent his second son Ma Tai to lead 10,000 elite troops back to Guzang City and control all the royal families of the Ying surname in Guzang City to avoid any trouble. In addition, he sent a secret to Chang'an to inform Ma Sheng's family and let them decide where to go. Finally, he compiled a letter with his own hands and sent someone to the Mengya tribe to tell the people of the Mengya tribe that he had decided to surrender to Deng's army and let them consider what they should do.

After all this was arranged, Ma Zhi asked Ma Zun to be the representative and be fully responsible for negotiating and surrendering with Deng Jun. Ma Zun stayed in the city overnight and returned to the Deng Jun camp the next day.

Ma Zun came to the central army tent and saw Li Siye. When Li Siye saw Ma Zun return, he knew that things had been done, otherwise Ma Zun would not have come back alone.

"Major General, I wonder what Lingzun said?" Li Siye asked.

Ma Zun replied: "After returning to the general, after repeated persuasion, my father decided to surrender to your army after weighing the pros and cons, and accepted the conditions put forward by the general, just hope that the general can follow his previous promise."

"Haha! It's easy to say! It's easy to say!" Li Siye was very happy when he heard this and said, "Don't worry, Major General, I will do my best. Since I promised you, I will definitely fulfill it."

"With the General as a guarantee, there is no objection below. Congratulations to the General, the eight counties of Xiliang will all belong to Da Deng in the future!" Ma Zun said.

Yes, from the moment Ma Zhi decided to surrender, the eight counties of Xiliang actually belonged to Deng, so there were officials appointed by Qin and a small number of defenders in various places. However, the control of all the troops and horses in Xiliang was actually in the hands of Ma Zhi. As long as Ma Zhi surrendered, even if there were still stubborn resistance, Deng's army could be destroyed in one battle. It was only a matter of time to occupy all the eight counties of Xiliang, and this time would not be too long.

"With such great achievements, thanks to the clear distinction between the Major General and General Ma, when they return to the court in the next day, I will definitely be in front of His Ma family to ask for merit. By the way, Major General, I wonder if there is any obstacle in Guzang City?" Li Siye asked again.

The most important city of the eight counties of Xiliang is Guzang City, which is the core base of Qin for more than 200 years and the most important place of the eight counties of Xiliang. After Qin entered Guanzhong and moved its capital to Chang'an, except for the royal family that went to Chang'an, all the clans left in Xiliang lived in Guzang City, so whether Guzang can successfully occupy Guzang is the top priority.

"Don't worry, General. My father has sent his younger brother to lead 10,000 elite troops back to Guzang and control Guzang City as fast as possible. When the general arrives at Guzang City, he can occupy Guzang City without any effort." Ma Zun replied.

"Ling Zun is wise!" Li Siye said after hearing this, "In this way, a fierce battle will be avoided. The Major General and Ling Zun made such contributions. After arriving in Guzang City, I will personally write to Your Majesty to express the achievements of the Major General and his son, and ask Your Majesty to reward him according to his merits!"

"Thank you General!" Ma Zun said, "There is another thing. Our Ma family wants to get along with the Mengya tribe of the Qiang tribe. My father has already compiled a letter to send it to the Mengya tribe by his confidant. The Mengya tribe has always followed his father's head. Although there were some rifts a few times ago, it was all because of the general's strong military strength. Now my father has abandoned the secret and turned to the light. I believe that the Mengya tribe will definitely follow the scene!"

"Really?" Li Siye was very happy to hear this news. After solving the Ma clan, the biggest trouble for the Deng army in the eight counties of Xiliang was the only one Mengya tribe left. There were hundreds of Qiang tribes of the eight counties of Xiliang, all sizes, but basically they were headed by the Naifeng tribe, the Pingni tribe and the Mengya tribe. Among them, the Feng tribe, the Pingni tribe and its vassal tribe had already surrendered to the Deng Kingdom, and the only one Mengya tribe was. Unexpectedly, Ma Zhi helped him solve it.

It is true that after the Ma clan surrendered, a mere Mengya tribe could not make any trouble. Even as long as the Deng army sent people to recruit, the Mengya tribe would likely surrender directly. However, what Li Siye valued the most was the attitude of the Ma clan. Since Ma Zhi chose to take the initiative to solve the affairs of the Mengya tribe for Deng State, it means that he was sincerely surrendered.

"If the Mengya tribe can submit to my Da Deng because of a letter from the emperor, it would be a great achievement. With this contribution and the merit of giving the land, I will guarantee that your Ma clan can at least get the position of marquis!" Li Siye said with a smile.

"Thank you General!" Ma Zun was also very happy. Although Ma Zun was not sure what a marquis' status in Deng State, the marquis was not unique to Deng State, but also in Qin State. In Qin State, the status of the marquis was quite high, and I guess it would not be too low in Deng State.

"You must be polite, Major General. Since Ling Zun is satisfied, I hope Ling Zun can open the city as soon as possible, so as to avoid long nights and dreams. Secondly, I also want to deal with the matter of Xiliang as soon as possible and attack Guanzhong. Now the situation in the Central Plains is anxious, and the Zhao army is vaguely showing signs of going south. I will deal with the matter of Xiliang as soon as possible. I can also go to Guanzhong to help the war soon!" Li Siye said.

Ma Zun thought for a while and said, "Since that's the case, then let's make the decision. In two days, my father will open the gate of Luanniao City and ask for surrender to the general!" Two days, this was the fastest time Ma Zun could think of.

Although the Ma clan controls the main force of the Xiliang Qin army, not the entire Xiliang Qin army belongs to his Ma family. So even if the Ma family father and son decide to open the city to surrender, it does not mean that the soldiers in the city are willing to surrender to Deng State with the Ma family father and son. Therefore, these two days are time to clear away dissidents. Although the two days have been a little hurry, the Ma family father and son have been in charge of this army for more than ten or twenty years. Those are their own people, those are not their own people. The Ma family father and son are very clear about it and believe that it will not be too difficult to clean it.

Li Siye thought about it and it was acceptable at this time, so he nodded and said, "Okay, since that's the case, then I'll bother the Major General to report back to Lingzun, even if I was the general Li Siye was waiting for his good news!"

"Please don't worry, General, my father and son will never let the General down!" Ma Zun replied.

That night, Ma Zun returned to Luanniao City and told Ma Zhi about his promise to Li Siye to surrender in two days.

Ma Zhi pondered for a while and said, "Will two days be too hasty?" Since he decided to surrender, Ma Zhi naturally would not repent, but it was really too anxious to open the city after two days.

"Father, it's a bit hasty, but Deng Jun will not give us too much time. Now the situation in Guanzhong is in a state of anxiety. Li Siye hopes to end the war in Xiliang as soon as possible so that he can enter Guanzhong as soon as possible to break the deadlock. Therefore, Li Siye will not delay too much time in Xiliang." Ma Zun said.

"Oh..." Ma Zhi sighed and said, "Well, the city will be opened sooner or later. There is no big difference between earlier and later. Since that's the case, then the city will be opened in two days. Tomorrow, you, my father and son will hold a banquet, and all the generals and generals of the generals will come here to tell them that we have decided to open the city, and what to do, and let them decide for themselves!" Although Ma Zhi finally said that the generals would decide where to go, when they spoke, there was a fierce look in his eyes. From this, it can be seen that if someone opposes the Ma family's father and son tomorrow, there will definitely be no good ending.

"Father, look at which generals in the army are willing to follow our Ma family?" Ma Zun asked.

Ma Zhi thought for a while and said, "The attitudes of the generals in the army are not important. There are only five people, Jiang Ping, Hu Fei, Dong Kuang, He Yong, and Duan Hui. Among them, Jiang Ping and Hu Fei are confidants of their father and will definitely support us. Dong Kuang and Duan Hui are all fence-bearers. As long as the situation turns to us, they will naturally not have any objections. Only He Yong and He Yong are loyal to the Qin State. Moreover, over the years, the Ying royal family in Guzang City has sent people to win over He Yong many times in order to get involved in military power. He is our biggest obstacle!"

"Hmph! He Yong has been singing opposite to our Ma family over the years. Child has long been unhappy. If he dares to go against our Ma family tomorrow, Child has killed him with his own hands, and believes that He Yong will die, Dong Kuang, Duan Hui will definitely not dare to act rashly!" Ma Zun sneered, Dong Kuang, is Duan Hui not a fence-between? Well, let you see the consequences of going against the Ma family, and believe that they will make the right choice.

Ma Zhi nodded and said, "Let's act according to the opportunity. He Yong is also a veteran who has been a father for many years. He has great skills. In the future, we will definitely need to fight on the battlefield. We must have some generals who can fight well. If He Yong knows the current affairs, it's okay to accept him, but if he doesn't know how to be ungrateful, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Hmph, I just hope He Yong can understand his father's thoughts. Don't make mistakes on your own!" Ma Zun sneered.

The next afternoon, generals of all sizes in Luanniao City received an invitation from Ma Zhi and went to the General's Mansion to attend the banquet together. At the same time, most people were very puzzled by Ma Zhi's banquet. After all, Deng's army is in a verge of war and a big battle is about to begin. It is not appropriate to hold a banquet at this time. However, Ma Zhi is the main general after all, and no one will refuse his invitation. Only a few people, including Jiang Ping and Hu Fei, knew the inside story and were not surprised.

During the banquet, He Yong asked Jiang Ping: "General Jiang, I heard that the second young master suddenly led his army to leave Luanniao City yesterday. I wonder where he went?" Ma Tai suddenly led 10,000 elite troops to leave Luanniao City, and he couldn't hide it at all, but no one knew where he went. In desperation, He Yong had to ask Jiang Ping, Ma Zhi's confidant general.

Jiang Ping smiled and looked at He Yong, saying, "General He, this is the general's decision, how can I know? If General He has something to do with it, you can ask the general."

He Yong stopped asking again when he heard this. He didn't know whether Jiang Ping knew or not, but in this situation, even if Jiang Ping knew, he would never tell him. If he asked any further, he would only be boring. So He Yong rationally chose not to ask. As for asking Ma Zhi, He Yong was not stupid, and Ma Zhi would not tell him.

With the arrival of generals from all walks of life, the banquet officially began. Since all the generals were present, they were not as literati as loud as those of literati. Instead, they became a little more heroic and everyone was very relaxed. However, He Yong was full of worries. He had a premonition that Ma Zhi's banquet this time was definitely not that simple, because he saw that Ma Zun, the eldest son of Ma Zhi, who was originally captured by Deng's army, appeared here.

After three rounds of wine, Ma Zhi said, "Stop, you generals, I have something to say!"

When everyone heard Ma Zhi's voice, they stopped and looked at Ma Zhi.

Mazhi paused and said, "All the generals have been following me for many years. Over the years, I have not had a good chat with you. Today, through this banquet, I will get close to you with you!"

"Thank you General!" Everyone raised their glasses and toasted Ma Zhi.

After drinking all the wine in the glass, Ma Zhi continued to say, "All the generals also know that in the past few months, the Deng army has invaded Xiliang, and it is unstoppable. We have tried our best to suppress the Deng army's offensive. Three generations of our Ma family have been deeply favored by the Great Qin State. It is a duty to serve the country with loyalty. Even if it is not a problem to die in the battlefield for the Great Qin State, we are soldiers, and we are stained with blood on the battlefield. The highest honor is to be wrapped in horses and corpses, but we can die, but what should our family do? What should we do in the people of Xiliang?"

When everyone heard this, they all lowered their heads and said nothing. He Yong in the table suddenly felt something was wrong, so he asked, "I wonder what the general means?"

Ma Zhi sighed and said, "Oh, I'm not sure about it. A few days ago, Deng's army has already told me that we will open the city and surrender within five days. Otherwise, the whole Luanbird City will not be left behind on the day the city is broken, and our family members in Guzang City will be brutally slaughtered. Deng's army is strong and with the power of our army alone, if there are no reinforcements, it will not be stopped at all. For the sake of the safety of the people in the city, I plan to open the city and surrender, but this is related to the future of the generals. I cannot make a decision. Therefore, I specially set up this banquet today, hoping to hear the voices of the generals. If you have any opinions, you can speak freely!"

"We have followed the general for many years. No matter what decision the general makes, the last general will fully support it!" Without waiting for others to raise objections, Jiang Ping, Ma Zhi's confidant, and Hu Fei and the others took the lead in expressing their opinions. After seeing the two of them express their opinions, some generals who followed them also expressed their support.

Dong Kuang and Duan Hui looked around with a sneer, without any action for the time being.

But if there is approval and neutrality, there will naturally be oppositions. The person who opposes is He Yong. He Yong stood up with a sneer and said to Ma Zhi: "I said why did you suddenly invite the entire army today? It turned out to be a Hongmen Banquet. I think the general has already made a decision in his heart, so why should he pretend to be hypocritical?"

"He Yong, what do you mean?" Before Ma Zhi could speak, Ma Zun, who was beside him, scolded him.

"What does it mean? You father and son know it!" He Yong replied.

Ma Zun wanted to say something but was stopped by Ma Zhi. Ma Zhi said to He Yong: "General He, this matter is related to the life and death of the entire army. I specially asked the generals what they mean, because they were thinking about the future of the entire army, so how could they be pretending to be hypocritical?"

"Ma Zhi, you mainly talk about it. The three generations of your Ma family have been deeply favored by the Great Qin State. Now that the country is in trouble, I don't want to serve the country. For personal interests, I will ignore the Qin State. Let me ask you, do you do this to be worthy of Your Majesty Chang'an, and to the three generals Ma Hong, Ma Sheng and Ma Yang in the Nine Springs? Today, I, He Yong, are you here to express my opinion that I will never surrender. Even if I fight one soldier, I will deal with the Deng army to the end!" He Yong said.

"General He, this is just your own idea, and it does not represent the entire army!" Ma Zhi looked at He Yong with cold eyes and said, then gave Jiang Ping, Hu Fei and others a wink.

Jiang Ping and Hu Fei understood and quietly touched He Yong's side. Suddenly, he attacked. However, He Yong had to be prepared and struggled away, and sneered: "I have been on guard against you for a long time!"

Seeing that Jiang Ping and Hu Fei could not hold He Yong, they hurriedly called their subordinates to rush forward. Seeing this, Ma Zhi knew that they would not be good today, so he shouted: "Since you are so stubborn, don't blame me for being rude. Come and take He Yong down. If there is anyone who resists, kill him!"

"Kill!" Ma Zhi gave the order, and the soldiers who had been ambushing outside rushed forward and killed He Yong and his men. Dong Kuang and Duan Hui, who were beside him, knew that Ma Zhi had prepared for it. His purpose was to understand his dissidents and clear obstacles for surrendering to the Deng army. At this moment, the Ma family father and son, Jiang Ping and Hu Fei, were strong. Even if they helped He Yong, they could not change anything. Besides, they did not have much resistance to surrendering to the Deng army, so they just stood by and watched.

Soon, except for some of the people under He Yong's army, all others were killed, and even He Yong was cut to death by random swords.

As soon as He Yong died, Ma Zhi looked at everyone and said coldly: "I wonder who else is against it?"

Everyone was suppressed by Ma Zhi's ruthlessness. In addition, as far as the current situation is concerned, it is imperative for Ma Zhi to surrender Deng. Once Ma Zhi surrenders to Deng, the entire eight counties of Xiliang will no longer be able to resist the Deng army. Even if they refuse to surrender, it will be useless. Moreover, Qin seems to be really out of reach, and Deng is even more promising. Under Ma Zhi's coercion and the bright prospects after surrendering Deng, the people present had basically no objection, so they hurriedly said: "It depends on the general!"

"Haha! Okay, don't worry, I will never take you on a dark road!" Ma Zhi said happily.
Chapter completed!