"You—you're Ma Chao?" In his panic, Fei Yao drew his sword and held it before his chest as several bodyguards shielded him from behind.
Ma Chao reined in his horse and held his spear, looking at Fei Yao with a smile. "Since you know my name, why not dismount and surrender?"
Fei Yao ignored Ma Chao and instead roared at Liang Qian, who stood diagonally ahead of him, "Liang Qian, you wretch! You have received the state's favor in abundance—how could you follow rebels?"
Liang Qian gave a cold snort. "The traitor Cao Pi usurped the Han and proclaimed himself emperor. He is the true enemy of our blazing Han. The King of Hanzhong is descended from the imperial house; sooner or later, he will restore the sacred vessel and take command of the Central Plains. General Fei, why not surrender now? You would be casting off darkness for the light, and perhaps earn the merit of following a dragon."
"Traitor, your silver tongue has lured me step by step into your trap. Are you not afraid that disaster will befall the Liang family of Tianshui?" Fei Yao continued trying to win him over.
The moment Fei Yao saw Ma Chao, he knew that even with wings he could not escape today. He could only do his utmost to explain the stakes to Liang Qian, hoping that Liang Qian would think better of it for his clansmen's sake. Perhaps then there would still be a chance to live, because Fei Yao did not dare surrender.
Back in Cao Cao's day, the State of Wei had implemented the "separated-service system" in military affairs: soldiers and their families would not be stationed in the same region. Should frontline soldiers turn their coats in battle, their families in the rear would swiftly be