Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1216 Yang Xiu's Talent Revealed at a Glance

The wind in Chang'an was gradually warming, but the atmosphere in the post station was sluggish. Feng Ji and Xu You sat in silence every day, their door deserted and few horses and carriages passing by. In contrast, Wen Chou had become a guest of honor in the Xiliang military circle. Wei Yan often dragged him to the training ground to compete in archery, Zhang Xiu invited him to appreciate his spear skills, and even Dian Wei carried his double halberds to him for a drink of strong liquor, saying he wanted to "test his strength."

What angered the two even more was that Ma Chao had actually hosted a private banquet in his mansion, entertaining Wen Chou alone. After several rounds of drinks, Ma Chao, in high spirits, took down the tiger-headed spear from the wall: "General Wen has a great reputation in Hebei, why don't we have a friendly spar today?"

Wen Chou, who was fond of martial arts, immediately agreed. The two exchanged more than thirty moves in the training ground. Wen Chou felt that his opponent's spear technique, which seemed to be wide and sweeping, actually contained subtle variations. Each strike was as heavy as a thousand pounds, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. Finally, Ma Chao touched his shoulder with the tip of his spear, stopped the attack, and laughed, "General Wen, you have good skills, but your spear technique lacks a bit of agility."

Wen Chou was sincerely convinced and bowed, saying, "King Liang's spear skills are unparalleled; Wen Chou admires you." This battle made him realize that although he and Yan Liang were considered fierce generals in Hebei, they were ultimately inferior to Ma Chao. What moved him even more was that the generals of Xiliang did not distinguish between superiors and inferiors; they drank with their arms around each other's shoulders and spoke frankly when discussing martial arts. This kind of freedom and openness was something he had never seen in Hebei.

Feng Ji, seeing this, sneered, "It's just some reckless courage, is it worth his enthusiasm?" Xu You stroked his beard, a shadow flashing in his eyes, "Wen Chou has probably been blinded by the sugar-coated bullets of Xiliang and forgotten that he is from Hebei."

As the month drew to a close, the celebration for Ma Chao's marriage to Gongsun Rou and Zhen Mi arrived as scheduled, with drums and music filling the air and colorful ribbons fluttering in the sky. The Hebei delegation stood in the crowd, listening to the cheers of the people around them, feeling their faces burning with shame—Zhen Mi had been Yuan Xi's fiancée, and Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao were mortal enemies; this wedding was nothing short of a public humiliation for them.

After a long and arduous journey, the ceremony concluded, and the next day Feng Ji and Xu You hastily took their leave. Ma Chao only had Lu Su exchange a few perfunctory words at the gate of his residence, without even showing his face. But things were completely different for Wen Chou: Wei Yan arrived leading a magnificent horse from Hexi, saying with a smile, "This was bestowed upon me by the King of Liang, as a farewell gift for General Wen!" Zhang Xiu handed over a jewel-encrusted dagger: "This thing can cut through iron like mud; carry it for self-defense." Finally, Pang De arrived personally, carrying a set of gleaming armor and an iron spear, saying in a deep voice, "This was personally bestowed by the King of Liang, who said that General Wen is a rare and fierce general, and hopes that we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future."

Wen Chou, holding the reward, was filled with gratitude and bowed deeply to the generals of Xiliang. As he turned around, he bumped into Feng Ji and Xu You, who stood in the distance with gloomy faces, their eyes burning with jealousy.

On the return journey, in the carriage, Feng Ji gritted his teeth and said, "Wen Chou is colluding with Xiliang and accepting rewards. Does he even care about Lord Yuan?" Xu You sneered, "When we get back, we'll definitely impeach him in front of our lord and let him know the consequences of betraying Hebei!" The wind outside the carriage window swept by dust and sand. Wen Chou looked in the direction of Chang'an, completely unaware that a frame-up against him was quietly brewing.

Just as Ma Chao was about to marry a concubine again, Yang Biao, as an envoy of the emperor and Lü Bu, had already returned to Xuchang. After dealing with the emperor's and Wang Yun's inquiries, Yang Biao returned to his residence with a heavy heart.

In the study of the Yang family mansion in Xuchang, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Yang Biao had just changed out of his dusty court robes when Zhong Yao eagerly came to greet him. Behind him stood Zhong Hui, his posture upright, his eyes filled with eagerness for an answer. Yang Biao's son, Yang Xiu, was refilling their teacups, his fingertips lightly gliding along the rim of the teacups, his expression seemingly relaxed, but he was actually paying close attention to his father's reply.

"Brother Wenxian, how was your trip to Xiliang to see the King of Liang?" Zhong Yao's voice carried an imperceptible tension. He had discussed the matter for a long time with Yang Biao and his son Yang Xiu, and they all felt that in the current situation, Yuan Shao, though strong, was arrogant and self-willed. Only Ma Chao had a solid foundation in Xiliang and a formidable military presence, making him a worthy ally for powerful families. This time, they wanted to use Yang Biao's probing to finalize their intention to pledge allegiance.

Yang Biao picked up his teacup but didn't drink it. He simply put it down heavily, his tone filled with obvious resentment: "Smoothly? Humph, I think it was a wasted trip!"

Zhong Yao's heart sank: "What do you mean? The King of Liang hasn't responded to our overtures?"

“A response? He doesn’t even consider us aristocratic families a threat! His conditions are extremely harsh.” Yang Biao’s brows furrowed. “That Ma Chao is nothing but a commoner! All he does is hang out with those military generals, sparring and fighting. When I mentioned the role of aristocratic families in local governance to him, he actually said, ‘What the people want is a peaceful life, not the idle talk of aristocratic families.’ It’s utterly absurd!”

He grew increasingly angry as he spoke: "Furthermore, I spent some time in Xiliang and observed that although his army was well-disciplined, he almost never concerned himself with local administration or agriculture, leaving everything to a few strategists from humble backgrounds. Moreover, at the end of last year, Xiliang suffered a snow disaster, and many refugees fled to Chang'an, only to be driven out of the city by him. When we questioned him, he even had all the refugees wiped out. How did he do that? If I'm not mistaken, he probably killed them all, right? If this continues, even if Xiliang's military strength remains strong, its foundation will slowly decay, and it will eventually be unable to maintain its position. In my opinion, we should abandon any idea of ​​surrendering to him."

Zhong Yao's face paled as he listened, his fingers unconsciously stroking his beard. "This...this is not what we thought before. Of all the warlords in the land, only he can rival Yuan Shao. If he really is like this, then we..."

Zhong Hui frowned as well. Young and impetuous, he had always admired Ma Chao's achievements. Hearing Yang Biao's words, he was filled with confusion: "Uncle Yang, could you be mistaken? The King of Liang must have some extraordinary abilities to have established himself in Xiliang, repelled the Xianbei, and even made a name for himself on the grasslands…"

"His extraordinary abilities? He can only fight a few tough battles!" Yang Biao interrupted him, his tone certain. "Governing the world doesn't rely on brute force, but on strategy and the support of powerful families. He doesn't even understand this, so what makes him think he can contend for supremacy?"

Yang Xiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly burst into laughter, the sound of which was particularly clear in the quiet study.

"Dezhu, what are you laughing at?" Yang Biao glared at his son. "This is no child's play."

Yang Xiu put down his teacup, a confident smile on his face: "Father, Uncle, in my opinion, this may not be a bad thing."

"Oh?" Zhong Yao looked at him. "What brilliant idea does Emperor Dezu have?"

“Father said that Ma Chao ignores the powerful families and doesn’t care about officialdom. It seems like he’s just acting recklessly. But have you ever thought about why he does this?” Yang Xiu’s gaze swept over the two of them. “Xiliang is located on the frontier, with many ethnic groups living together. In recent years, it has been plagued by war. What does it lack most? It lacks cohesion.”

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the courtyard: "Those powerful families are deeply entrenched and each has their own agenda. If Ma Chao tries to win them over as soon as he takes office, it will only plunge Xiliang into factional strife and make it difficult for them to unite as one. His emphasis on employing people from humble backgrounds is to break the monopoly of power held by powerful families and give the lower classes a path to upward mobility. Only in this way can the enthusiasm of the people be truly mobilized."

"As for neglecting agriculture and administration, that's because he has capable ministers to handle those matters. He only needs to firmly grasp military power and keep a firm grip on the overall direction. Father, think about it, if he were to bury himself in documents all day, how would he have the energy to train troops, defend against enemies, and intimidate all sides?"

"As for the matter of the refugees from Xiliang, Father, that's probably just a show. Not to mention that Xiliang is Ma Chao's stronghold, and most of those generals also consider Xiliang their base. If they were truly refugees from Xiliang, and Ma Chao treated them like that, not to mention others, even those generals and strategists would never allow it. Moreover, Father, have you considered that in such a large city as Chang'an, if Ma Chao didn't want the refugees to enter, would they be able to enter? And why did you hear the sounds of expelling refugees for several nights in a row at your post station? Ma Chao was already famous back in Luoyang; he's definitely not such a brainless scoundrel!"

Yang Xiu turned around, his eyes sharp: "The more he acts like a 'commoner,' the more it shows that he has grand ambitions. He is accumulating strength and waiting for an opportunity. The world is not yet settled, and it would be a great pity if we backed down because of this 'appearance.'"

Zhong Yao's eyes gradually brightened: "You mean... Ma Chao did this on purpose to show us?"

"Perhaps it was intentional, or perhaps it was his nature, but that doesn't matter." Yang Xiu smiled slightly. "What matters is that the foundation of Xiliang is far more solid than Father saw. The fact that those strategists from humble backgrounds could govern the region so well shows that Ma Chao is good at recognizing and using talent; the fact that the army can maintain such strong combat power shows that he is strict in disciplining his troops. How could such a person be just a brute who only knows how to be brave and fierce?"

He then changed the subject: "Yuan Shao is now very powerful in Hebei. If we don't find a patron in advance, we won't be able to rely on Xiliang when Xuchang is in danger. It's better to continue to negotiate with Xiliang. Even if we are not valued for the time being, we should let them know that we aristocratic families are worthwhile."

Yang Biao was stunned. He looked at his son talking eloquently, and then recalled what he had seen and heard in Xiliang. His prejudice gradually wavered. Yes, if Ma Chao was really as bad as he thought, how could he have transformed Xiliang in just a few years?

Zhong Yao clapped his hands in praise: "What Dezu said is absolutely right! We were deceived by appearances. It seems that this King of Liang is far more profound than we imagined. Brother Yang, in my opinion, we should still follow the original plan and have someone maintain contact with the Western Liang side, so as not to lose this line."

Yang Biao pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright, we'll listen to Dezhu and Brother Wenxian. It's just that Ma Chao... is truly an unpredictable character."

The atmosphere in the study relaxed again. Zhong Yao and his son got up to take their leave, their plans for the future becoming clearer. After seeing the guests off, Yang Xiu returned to the study and, seeing his father still deep in thought, smiled and said, "Father, heroes of the world each have their own path. Ma Chao's moves may seem rough, but they are actually full of hidden killing moves. Let's just wait and see."

Yang Biao looked out the window and sighed softly: "Perhaps... I really did misjudge him."

Yang Xiu stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over his father and Zhong Yao, his tone earnest yet tinged with a hint of sharpness: "Father, Uncle, you two are worried that Ma Chao is harsh on the aristocratic families, but think about it carefully: what he fears is never the aristocratic families themselves, but those parasites who abuse their status to bully the people and monopolize resources. Our Yang and Zhong families have passed down our knowledge of the classics and our ability to govern the world for generations, and we have never done anything to harm the people, so why should we fear his harshness?"

He paused, walked to the desk, picked up paper and pen, dipped them in ink, and wrote the words "merits and demerits": "In chaotic times, heroes are judged not by their origins, but by their achievements. Ma Chao is currently favoring those from humble backgrounds and suppressing powerful families in order to win over the hearts of the people—but have you considered this? When he truly unifies the world, won't those veterans who have fought alongside him become new 'aristocratic families'? At that time, they will hold power and benefit their descendants, how will they be any different from us now?"