Ma Chao opened the letter and skimmed it.
Then he gave a cold snort.
"He is merely a Son of Heaven whose army is weaker than mine. Why should I go to Ye City to beg his forgiveness and obey his orders?"
"Father fought Han Sui for so many years without settling anything, but after taking command of the Western Liang Army, I eliminated him and consolidated all one hundred thousand troops. That proves my ability far surpasses Father's!"
"Only I can bring the Ma Family back to glory!"
Ma Chao dismissed everything Ma Teng had written in his letter. Their Ma Family had openly rebelled for so long, becoming rebels time and again. Surrendering to the Son of Heaven would surely leave them like hunting hounds boiled once the cunning hare was dead.
The best choice was to hold an army as his own source of power and carve out a territory for himself!
Once he found an opportunity to conquer Bing Province and bring his army to Ye City, he could force the Son of Heaven to make him King of Liang Province, thus becoming a great regional lord with a rightful title!
At this thought, Ma Chao's gaze grew ever more fervent. He held the letter over the candle flame and burned it to ashes.
Xu County, Yingchuan.
Cao Cao also received the news sent back from Ji Province. He stared at the words "Yuan Shao executed, his head displayed throughout the realm" in the letter, his expression deeply complicated.
Although he and Yuan Shao had been rivals, they had once been good friends, after all. Suddenly hearing of Yuan Shao's death inevitably stirred something in his heart.
"Old friends wither away one by one, like fallen leaves in the wind..."
Cao Cao sighed, picked up