Ma Teng took the initiative to raise his glass to Liu Zhang, and then drank it all in one gulp.
"Wine and food are a perfect pairing! Ma Teng would also like to thank General Wei for the hospitality!"
Liu Zhang's ability to treat him like this was indeed beyond Ma Teng's expectations.
If we look at Liu Zhang's harsh words before the battle, Ma Teng would only end up being torn into pieces by five horses.
Unexpectedly, not only was his life not in danger, but he was treated to fine wine and delicious food every day.
Sometimes Ma Teng has an idea, maybe this kind of life is not bad!
"Brother Shoucheng, in the previous battle between the two armies, Liu Zhang was offended by his words. Please forgive me, brother Shoucheng!"
Ma Teng waved his hands repeatedly, he really didn't care about this.
"General Wei's words are serious! The two armies are engaged in a battle of life and death. What does it mean to say a few harsh words?"
Ma Teng took the initiative to fill up the cup for Liu Zhang, and they drank it all again.
If an outsider saw Liu Zhang and Ma Teng being so harmonious, they would definitely think that they were good friends for many years.
Who would have thought that not long ago, the two men respectively led tens of thousands of troops to kill each other?
The two looked at each other at the same time, and finally Liu Zhang was the first to introduce the topic.
"Why did brother Shoucheng choose to join forces with Han Sui to rebel after he became General Fubo Ma Yuan? Doesn't brother Shoucheng really want to help the Han Dynasty and restore the glory of his ancestors?"
"Or is it that Brother Shoucheng thinks that my virtue and talent are shallow and unable to bring peace to the troubled times?"
"Didn't General Wei say that General Fubo and Ma Yuan had nothing to look forward to?"
Ma Teng usually poured wine for Liu Zhang and laughed at himself. But he clearly remembered Liu Zhang using this to mock him before the battle.
Liu Zhang didn't pay attention because there was no trace of anger in Ma Teng's tone.
"Brother Shoucheng, in a duel between the two armies, we can only use all possible means! Please forgive me for the slight offense!"
"General Wei's words are serious, this is just a joke!"
Liu Zhang's attitude was so good that Ma Teng was really flattered.
"General Wei has both ability and political integrity. Who in the world can compare with General Wei? It's just that many things cannot be decided by Ma Teng alone. I can only say that he can't help himself!"
Ma Teng shook his head helplessly, and then drank it all alone.
"Brother Shoucheng was appointed the governor of Yongzhou by the imperial court. He has tens of thousands of troops under his command. Why can't he help himself?"
Now Liu Zhang was really curious. Could it be that there was really something hidden inside Liangzhou?
"Why!"
Ma Teng sighed heavily, with a look of helplessness in his eyes.
"General Wei doesn't know that there are more than twenty warlords in Liangzhou. Since the death of Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu, they all obey the orders of the Hanyang Kingdom."
"Originally, the kingdom would become the new leader of Liangzhou. Unexpectedly, Han Sui tasted the sweetness of assassinating Beigong Boyu, and actually assassinated the kingdom, and Hanyang County was also completely annexed by Han Sui."
"Han Sui's backstabbing behavior quickly aroused everyone's disgust, but because he was weak and weak, some people chose to rely on him."
"It happened that at this time, I married the daughter of the Zhou family, a powerful family in Wuwei. With the help of the Zhou family, I quickly established myself in Wuwei County. Therefore, many small warlords defected to my command."
"Gradually, a confrontation between me and Han Sui developed in the Liangzhou area."
Liu Zhang couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart. Could it be that not all the soldiers under Ma Teng's command were under his control?
However, Ma Teng was able to lead an army of fifty thousand to Hanyang, so there seemed to be no problem.
"Brother Shoucheng means that there are many factions under his command?"
Ma Teng nodded slightly, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
As expected of Liu Zhang, he understood it as soon as he said it.
"It's exactly what General Wei said. Because Han Sui often trapped warlord leaders and annexed their tribes, these warlords hated Han Sui very much and couldn't wait to get rid of him!"
"It just so happened that my ambitions grew because of the surge in my military strength. I always wanted to destroy Han Sui and completely annex Liangzhou. This is also the reason why Han Sui and I frequently started wars."
Liu Zhang was very happy in his heart. Fortunately, Xun You reminded him so that he could have a deeper understanding of Liangzhou's past. According to his previous thoughts, he must have conquered Liangzhou before recruiting Ma Teng.
Now looking at Ma Teng's situation, it seems possible to persuade him to surrender.
"Brother Shoucheng, could it be that before we sent out troops, we were still under the control of these warlords?"
After asking this question, Liu Zhang himself felt that it was impossible.
Almost all of Ma Teng's 50,000-strong army were under the command of General Ma, and there was no command problem at all.
Even after being surrounded in the end, Ma Teng's army fled because they were afraid of death, not because they fled with their own soldiers and horses.
"No, after several battles with Han Sui, the strength of these warlords has long been exhausted, and some leaders have even died in battle."
"Especially the surprise attack on Yangping Pass with Han Sui a few years ago at the invitation of Yuan Shao, which exhausted these warlords."
Having said this, Ma Teng showed a hint of gratitude.
"Ma Teng was able to completely control the state and county, and it must be said that he could not do without the help of General Wei."
Liu Zhang didn't know whether to cry or laugh at this moment. At first, he was lucky to have wiped out tens of thousands of Liangzhou troops. Unexpectedly, he helped Ma Teng eliminate his dissidents in the end!
If Ma Teng is like this, I'm afraid Han Sui will also benefit a lot!
"Brother Shoucheng, if that's the case, why do you still say that you can't help yourself?"
"General Wei, have you ever thought about this question? Han Sui and I have been fighting for so long and have killed and injured so many soldiers. Why are there still tens of thousands of people on both sides in the end?"
Ma Teng did not answer Liu Zhang's question, but asked Liu Zhang a question.
This question indeed made Liu Zhang very confused and even incomprehensible!
When Liu Zhang was an official in Luoyang, he specifically checked the population of each state. The population of the 12 counties in Liangzhou before the Yellow Turban Rebellion was only over 500,000.
It stands to reason that after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Bian Zhang, Beigong Boyu Rebellion, Kingdom Rebellion, Ma Teng and Han Sui Rebellion, the population should have plummeted.
Without a population base, where would Ma Teng and Han Sui get their soldiers?
Liu Zhang had more than five million soldiers and civilians under his command, which was more than ten times that of Liangzhou at its peak, but he did not dare to waste his troops so unscrupulously.
"Please ask Brother Shoucheng to clear up the confusion!"
"Because the power of the Liangzhou warlords actually covers the entire Guanzhong area. For example, Jing Zhaoyin, Zuo Fengyi, You Fufeng, etc. Many of the small warlords who joined before were from Guanzhong, so they were able to recruit troops in Guanzhong."
"After the deaths of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si, tens of thousands of Liangzhou soldiers returned to their homeland. This really added a lot of strength to Han Sui and me!"
Liu Zhang exclaimed and looked at Ma Teng in disbelief.
"Could it be that those people were all killed in the previous battle?"
Ma Teng nodded, confirming Liu Zhang's guess.
"Yes, every time Han Sui and I fight, we will definitely lose tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. In fact, they are not our own soldiers and horses."
Now Liu Zhang understood that what the two of them had wasted was the entire power of Guanzhong!