SFS Chapter 1134 Ma Chao's Name Ends the War and Resists
Chapter 1134 Ma Chao's Name Ends the War and Resists
After Zhou Yu broke with Sun Quan, Wu Commandery was divided in two. He took control of one half, while the other half was defended by generals Xue Zong and Quan Cong. In recent days, Xue and Quan had noticed the frequent troop movements of Zhou Yu's forces and had already sensed something amiss. They urgently sent messages to Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong in Moling to request orders, while secretly reorganizing their troops and strengthening the city's defenses, ready to respond with full force as soon as the order came.
Before their plans were even complete, the situation changed drastically. Ma Chao personally led a large army to press on the border, with Pang De, Xu Huang, Zhang Xiu, and other generals following closely behind, their clashing armor crushing the morning dew on the outskirts of Wu County; at the same time, Zhou Yu personally led the navy, with Taishi Ci and Gan Ning as the vanguard, to travel swiftly by water and seize the beach under cover of night.
The land and naval forces, like two sharp blades, simultaneously pierced towards Wu County. Taishi Ci led the charge, his spear felling the garrison commander, while Gan Ning led his elite troops to scale the city walls, their shouts shattering the dawn. In just three days, Zhou Yu's banners flew over both county towns.
When the news reached the county town where Xue Zong and Quan Cong were stationed, the two were still in shock when thunderous drums and horns sounded outside the city. Ma Chao immediately rode down to the city wall, and Xue Zong had just climbed onto the city wall when he saw a surging tide of armored soldiers rushing towards them. He was so frightened that his hand trembled and his command flag almost fell to the ground—the overwhelming force left them no time to react.
Beneath the city wall, Ma Chao reined in his horse and stood there, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His voice, like a booming bell, pierced through the city gate: "I am Ma Chao of Xiliang! Those brothers who followed Bo Fu in pacifying Jiangdong back then should recognize me! Today I have returned only to purge the treacherous officials and protect the Sun family, and it has nothing to do with you! Lay down your weapons and you will be forgiven for your past transgressions; if you remain obstinate, when the city falls, do not blame me for being merciless with my blade!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers defending the city walls erupted in chaos. Many veterans' hands trembled slightly as they gripped their bows, and whispers rose like a tide over the battlements: "It's General Ma…it really is him!" "Back then, we followed him and General Sun to conquer Lujiang and attack Moling; how glorious we were…!" "Why is he attacking us? Has our lord fallen out with General Ma?"
A sergeant with a weathered face couldn't help but mutter, "We've been guarding this city and keeping an eye on Governor Zhou for the past few years, which is already inexplicable. Now that General Ma is back... If it weren't for him back then, I would have lost my life to Huang Zu long ago..." As soon as he said this, several people around him lowered their heads silently and loosened their grip on their weapons.
Seeing this, Quan Cong was enraged. He drew his sword and pointed it at the city below, shouting angrily, "What are you panicking for! It's just a bluff! Ma Chao has betrayed the court and is already a stray dog. Zhou Yu has colluded with foreign enemies and is a traitor to Jiangdong! Have you forgotten who your current lord is? Have you forgotten the stipends of your noble families?"
Xue Zong quickly chimed in, his voice deliberately calm: "Brothers, the city's defenses are strong, and our supplies are plentiful. As long as we hold out until the reinforcements from Moling arrive, we will surely wipe them out in one fell swoop! Anyone who dares to shake the morale of the army will face the ruthlessness of military law!"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the hesitant soldiers, and he secretly gave a signal to his personal guards. Several guards immediately drew their swords, their gleaming blades fixed on the crowd on the city wall, and the atmosphere froze for a moment. But the wavering in the eyes of the defenders did not disappear, and their hands gripping their weapons were not as steady as before.
Ma Chao, watching from below the city walls, saw all this, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips. He raised his hand, signaling Pang De to halt the attack, then shouted, "Listen up, former subordinates of Bo Fu! The young master Sun Shao is still alive! How can we allow these parasitic noble families to steal the Sun family's legacy? Are you protecting Jiangdong, or those powerful clans that exploit the people? Think it through—"
Before he could finish speaking, a loud clang came from the city wall. A young soldier dropped his spear to the ground. He looked at the familiar figure below the city wall, his lips moved, but he didn't dare to make a sound. He also didn't pick up his weapon again.
Quan Cong was furious, his face turning ashen. He raised his sword to strike, but Xue Zong grabbed him. Xue Zong whispered, "General, calm down! If you kill now, you might really provoke them to rebel!" Quan Cong angrily withdrew his sword, looking at Ma Chao standing like an iron tower below the city. He felt a chill run up from the soles of his feet—this city probably couldn't be defended.
Ma Chao reined in his horse and stood beneath the city walls, his voice booming like a bell, echoing throughout the entire city: "I'll count to three! If that general still resists, don't blame my iron cavalry for flattening this city!" His gaze swept over the familiar yet unfamiliar faces on the walls, his voice suddenly turning deep, carrying the familiarity and authority of old comrades, "Brothers, if you still remember the bond between me and Bo Fu who fought side by side back then, then bind that general and bring him here—I, Ma Chao, remember our past friendship, and Bo Fu, if he has a spirit in heaven, remembers it too!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers on the city walls trembled in unison, their hands gripping their weapons. These were mostly former subordinates who had fought alongside Sun Ce and Ma Chao in their conquest of the land; the holes in their battle robes and the dents in their armor bore the marks of their shared bloodshed. Gazing at the figure in silver armor and wielding a long spear below, they were momentarily transported back to those days when they followed Ma Chao and Sun Ce in pacifying Jiangdong.
Hearing him bring up the old story again, and seeing the general on the city wall huddled behind his personal guards with a shifty look in his eyes, the soldiers' eyes gradually changed from hesitation to burning intensity, and their knuckles gripping the hilts of their swords turned white.
"one!"
Ma Chao's voice pierced through the clamor, carrying an undeniable authority. A weathered old soldier on the city wall spat on the ground and cursed, "Damn it! Back when we were charging into battle alongside General Ma, this kid was just an unknown junior officer. Now he wants to ride roughshod over us and lead us against General Tian? How laughable!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers around him immediately erupted in a commotion. They looked at each other, their weapons clenching so tightly they rattled, clearly all of them were swayed.
Before Xue Zong and Quan Cong could stop them, one of Xue Zong's personal guards—who was also his own brother and used to bullying others because of his status—saw the old soldier stirring things up and immediately drew his longsword, shouting angrily, "What? Do you want to rebel?" With that, he swung his sword at the old soldier.
The veteran, quick as a flash, thrust his spear forward, the tip striking the guard precisely in the abdomen. The guard groaned, his sword falling to the ground. The veteran, panting heavily, roared with bloodshot eyes, "Damn it! Haven't you bullied us enough all these years? Today, General Shenwei has come in person to avenge us! Do you think you can keep humiliating us? Brothers, let's fight them!"
Before the words were even finished, the surrounding soldiers, unable to contain themselves any longer, swarmed forward. The guards, seeing this, also drew their swords, and tensions rose between them. Xue Zong and Quan Cong, their faces pale, were about to shout to stop them, but seeing the previously hesitant soldiers, remembering the arrogance of these powerful generals, a glint of ruthlessness flashed in their eyes. Hearing the old soldier's words, they could no longer restrain themselves and charged forward, brandishing their weapons.
"Bang!" "Clang!" The sound of weapons clashing instantly echoed across the city wall.
Xue Zong and Quan Cong exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking to the bottom—this city was likely lost; staying any longer would only lead to capture. The two hurriedly grabbed their personal guards, shouting hoarsely, "Fight our way out! Back to Moling first!"
Seeing the chaos on the city walls, Ma Chao, standing below, was prompted by Pang De's question: "Your Majesty, shall we continue the attack?"
Ma Chao raised his hand to indicate that he should wait a moment: "Please wait a moment."
In the blink of an eye, the city wall fell silent. Xue Zong and Quan Cong were pinned to the edge of the battlements with their arms tied behind their backs. An excited soldier leaned out and shouted, "General Tian! I am one of your former subordinates who followed you in pacifying Lujiang. I have subdued these two traitors!"
Ma Chao shouted, "Good! Well done! Open the city gates and bring them out!"
The city gate creaked open slowly, the drawbridge descended, and several soldiers pushed Xue Zong and Quan Cong, who were bound tightly, out. Behind them followed the old soldier who was leading the way, still clutching the blood-stained spear in his hand, his back ramrod straight.
Ma Chao spurred his horse forward, his silver armor gleaming brightly in the sunlight. Below the city gate, the soldiers escorting Xue Zong and Quan Cong knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the dust, their voices choked with emotion and sobs: "Greetings, Divine General!"
"General, you're finally back!" A bearded captain suddenly looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. "Our lord died under mysterious circumstances back then, and we...we've lived such a miserable life all these years!"
Ma Chao dismounted and reached out to help them up, the warmth of his palm seeping through his armor to their shoulders. "Brothers, please rise. We're all family, no need for formalities." His gaze swept over familiar and unfamiliar faces, the weathered faces and the burning passion in their eyes warming his heart. "I've returned this time for the cause of Bo Fu's death. I will get to the bottom of it, bring him justice, and give you all peace!"
As soon as he finished speaking, low sobs rose from the crowd. A younger military officer wiped away his tears, his voice trembling: "Back then, when I followed the general and our lord to conquer Jiangdong, how exhilarating it was! A spear, a sword, we fought with abandon, slept soundly, and felt that with our lord, there was always hope for the future..."
“Yes,” an old soldier chimed in, his voice hoarse. “Everything changed after our lord left. They say they’re following Prince Zhongmou’s orders, but there’s always something strange about them. They tell us to be wary of Commander Zhou…” He suddenly stopped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Back then, our lord and Commander Zhou were like brothers. Were we not all soldiers trained by Commander Zhou? We couldn’t sleep at night if we drew our swords against our own commander!”
The crowd chimed in with their own opinions, and years of pent-up grievances burst forth like a flood. They had been Sun Ce's most valiant warriors, following him from Lujiang to Wu Commandery, carving out a foundation for themselves with the spirit of "Jiangdong men are the first to conquer the world." But Sun Ce's sudden death and Sun Quan's subsequent falling out with Zhou Yu left them like a band of soldiers stripped of their leader, trapped in the name of "Sun Family Soldiers," unable to find the exhilarating sense of belonging they once had.
Hearing these words, Ma Chao felt his blood boil. He raised his hand and placed it on the old soldier's shoulder, his grip firm and steady: "It's all in the past. From this day forward, let's rediscover our old spirit, protect Young Master Sun Shao, purge those parasites, and restore Jiangdong to its former glory—brothers, do you have the confidence?"
"Yes!" The crowd looked up sharply, their confusion replaced by fervor, and their shouts shook the city gates. "We are willing to follow the general, even through fire and water!"
Ma Chao's eyes were like ice as he stared at Xue Zong and Quan Cong kneeling on the ground. His voice was chilling: "You entered the army through the recommendation of aristocratic families, and Bo Fu promoted you exceptionally, allowing you to lead troops and take power. Is this how you repay this kindness?"
Quan Cong lowered his head even further, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word. Xue Zong, however, stiffened his neck, spitting as he spoke: "Sun Ce's death is shrouded in suspicion, and Zhou Yu, holding considerable military power, is the prime suspect! We were merely acting on our lord's (Sun Quan's) orders, so what right do you have to arrest us?"
"On what grounds?" Ma Chao laughed in fury, his sword flashing as it was drawn from its sheath—"On the grounds that you slander loyal and virtuous people!"
With a soft "thud," Xue Zong's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open in disbelief. Quan Cong screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground, his trouser legs soaked with sweat.