If it weren't for Tong Pass's geographical advantages, they would have been defeated long ago and would not be able to sustain themselves.
"What a bunch of trash!"
After reading the information, Ma Chao thought about it more and more angrily, and couldn't help but curse, "The risk of guarding Tong Pass is at a disadvantage, so if there is a head-on confrontation, wouldn't it be even more severe?"
"Just pack up and go back to Liang Province, and just hand over Chang'an to Lü Bu!"
He was really angry with the Tong Pass guard.
Tong Pass But the dangerous point Passes is known as "one man can guard the gate, but ten thousand men can't open it". Not to mention 30,000 people guarding it, even 30,000 pigs can defend it!
As a result, the guard told him that the defense was very difficult and that Han Army was too brave, so he asked him for help. This was the most ridiculous thing in the world!
How come he has a bunch of trash like this at his disposal!
Seeing Ma Chao getting angry, the generals in Camp Tent did not dare to speak, and no one wanted to get into trouble with him at this time.
Only Pang De's eyes moved slightly after hearing this, and he took the initiative to step forward and said, "General, I am willing to lead the troops to rescue Tong Pass!"
"Lingming?"
Ma Chao heard this and looked at Pang De, a little surprised.
Pang De usually follows orders and rarely takes the initiative to ask for orders, but now he offered to help Tong Pass.
Feeling the doubtful look from Ma Chao, Pang De said seriously, "Tong Pass is the portal of Chang'an. It is extremely important and there must be no mistakes."
"That thief Lü Bu is too brave. If he really breaks through Tong Pass, the consequences will be disastrous. General, please let me lead the troops to rush for reinforcements!"
Seeing Pang De kneeling on one knee in front of him to beg for his life, Ma Chao frowned and said nothing, feeling a little hesitant in his heart.
It's not that he doesn't believe in Pang De's ability, but it's because he originally planned to send Pang De to Yong Province to repel Liu Bei and reopen Supply Route.
After pondering for a moment, Ma Chao finally nodded and said, "Forget it, I feel relieved to have you guarding Tong Pass."
"But remember, you must be careful and don't listen to the temptation of that thief Lü Bu."
Another reason why Ma Chao is unwilling to send Pang De there is that he is worried that Pang De will know the truth.
Pang De saw Ma Chao's concerns and immediately said with confidence, "General, please rest assured, the thief Lü Bu is full of tricks and I will not believe any of his words."
"With me guarding Tong Pass, not a single Enemy Army can get in!"
Ma Chao smiled with relief after hearing this, stood up and took off his sword from the wall, stepped forward and handed it to Pang De, and said, "Then this important task will be left to you Lingming."
"Don't let me down!"
Pang De took the sword with both hands and said loudly, "The general will definitely live up to his mission!"
After saying that, he turned around and strode away.
After walking out of Camp Tent, Pang De lowered his head and glanced at the sharp blade in his hand, then glanced at Camp Tent behind him, his eyes becoming deeper and deeper.
Within Chang'an City, General's Residence.
Residence In a certain courtyard deep inside, there were as many as a dozen fully armed Western Liang Army Soldiers patrolling the surrounding area.
And the person imprisoned in this courtyard is Ma Teng.
He has been under house arrest here since he came with Cui Lin last time. All Soldiers in General's Residence are Ma Chao's cronies. Now he can't even leave the yard.
At first, he would yell and curse in the yard and try to instigate the Western Liang Army Soldiers outside, but in the end he failed.
Today Western Liang Army is no longer under his control.
The cold wind was howling outside, but there was no fire in the room. Ma Teng was huddled on the bed wrapped in a quilt, his old face turned blue from the cold.
"This... damn... little, little beast..."
Ma Teng was so cold that his teeth were chattering, and his heart was filled with anger and hatred for Ma Chao.
Now Ma Chao has left him here to fend for himself. He has never visited him once. Those Soldiers outside have no communication with him at all except delivering meals at regular intervals every day. They don't even say a word.
It was such a cold weather but there wasn't even a fire in the house. If the quilt hadn't been quite thick, he might have been unable to hold on any longer.
Exhaling a breath of white mist, Ma Teng looked outside the house through the gap in the window. In the deep night, Soldiers patrolling back and forth could be vaguely seen.
At this time, a gust of cold wind blew out, extinguishing the Candle on the Table, and the room suddenly fell into darkness.
Ma Teng got up wrapped in quilt and went to light the candle again, but at this moment he found an extra token on the case and a small note underneath.
"This is..."
Ma Teng's face changed, and he reached out to pick up the note.
After taking a look at the above content, his surprise suddenly turned into ecstasy, and he almost couldn't help shouting!
Fortunately, he finally suppressed the excitement in his heart, read the note carefully again, burned it with a candle, and then went back to bed and lay down.
"Lingming, I really saw you right!"
"Damn little beast, I will kill you when I get out of trouble to vent my hatred!"
Ma Teng gritted his teeth and said, his eyes blazing with anger.
The day when he will be out of trouble is not far away!
Chapter 393 Sima Yi: Do you want to watch Brocade Pouch of Zhuge Liang?
Ji Province, Ye City.
The climate in the north is severely cold, and it is Midwinter time now, with heavy snow falling up and down Ye City, a scene of white snow.
In such a cold weather, there were not even many pedestrians on the street.
A thinly dressed old charcoal seller pulled a cart of charcoal and shouted on the street.
But because he had not eaten enough, even his shouts seemed weak. He only shouted a few times and then stopped to take a breath.
"Master, have a drink of water, I'll shout."
A little boy with a tiger head and a thick head who was following the old charcoal seller handed over the water bag, and then started shouting vigorously on behalf of the old man.
"Selling charcoal, selling charcoal--!"
"Cheap and durable charcoal--!"
The young and crisp voice carried far and wide on the snowy streets.
The old charcoal seller looked at the little Sun Tzu in front of him with loving eyes, but there was uncontrollable distress and sadness in his eyes.
This winter has been colder than ever before. If this load of charcoal cannot be sold, food will not be available for the next few months.
He is okay, he is old and tired, but little Sun Tzu is growing up, how can he not eat well?
"Alas..."
The old charcoal seller sighed inwardly, opened his water bag and took a sip, then prepared to drive the cart to several other street corners to try his luck.
At this moment, several figures stopped in front of his Charcoal Cart, seeming to be sizing up the charcoal on his car, which immediately cheered him up.
"Do you gentlemen want to buy charcoal? These are good charcoals that I burn myself. They are cheap and durable."
The old charcoal seller greeted him warmly.
At the same time, he looked at the two guests in front of him.
The two people in front of me are both dressed as scribes, one is older and the other is younger.
The young one is about twenty-four or five years old, handsome and wearing a green shirt.
The older man next to him, who was about forty years old and looked fat and fair, was picking up a piece of charcoal and looking at it carefully.
There was another servant who lowered his head slightly and followed behind.
After looking at a few pieces, the fat white scribe smiled and asked the old man selling charcoal, "Old man, how do you sell this cart of charcoal?"
Seeing that the customer in front of him wanted to buy charcoal, the old charcoal seller's eyes lit up slightly, he rubbed his hands, and then he said after careful consideration, "This cart of charcoal... can be exchanged for two stones of grain?"
"Then two stones..."
The blue-shirted scribe was about to agree after hearing this.
But the fat white scribe glared at him, and then said to the old charcoal seller, "Young people don't know how expensive firewood and rice are, so don't take it seriously."
"This cart of charcoal is actually not very good at burning. Two stones is a bit too much, but considering the heavy weight, one stone and seven buckets of charcoal are worth it. What do you think, father-in-law?"
The old charcoal seller felt very distressed when he was bargained down by three dou at a time.
But it's not easy to meet a buyer in this weather. If you miss the buyer in front of you, you don't know when the next one will arrive.
So after hesitating for a moment, the old charcoal seller gritted his teeth, nodded and said, "Okay, let's kill seven buckets of stone with one stone. Where is Lang Jun's house? I will send it to your house later."
The fat white scribe smiled and said, "No hurry, no hurry, I was bored at home, so I went out for a walk. If I'm not busy, please chat with me."
After selling a cart of charcoal, the old charcoal seller felt relieved. Hearing this, he said with a simple and honest smile, "I don't know a single person and have little knowledge. Sir, please don't think we are vulgar."
He could see that the two people in front of him were Noble Lady with extraordinary status.
Even scholars from high-ranking families.
The fat white scribe smiled and said, "What is vulgar and not vulgar? Those are all nonsense told by those who have read. Some people who have read are more vulgar than those who have not."
"How old is my husband this year? Why do you come out to sell charcoal in such a cold weather? Where is your son at home?
Saying that, he didn't mind Charcoal Cart's dirty clothes and sat down in the free space at the edge, looking familiar.
The old man selling charcoal said with a smile, "I am now sixty-four this year. I joined the army in my early years and almost died on Battlefield. Later I went home to marry a wife and have children."
"But it should be because he committed sin by killing many people. My mother-in-law and son died of illness one after another, and the family's wealth was completely drained by the treatment."
"My daughter-in-law was kidnapped when she was fleeing from famine the year before last and her whereabouts are unknown. Now the only one left is this little Sun Tzu, the only one in the family."
"In recent days, due to the continuous heavy snowfall, food prices have risen rapidly, and the family is almost unable to open the pot."
A somewhat sad look appeared on the face of the old charcoal seller. As he spoke, he touched the head of the little boy next to him. There seemed to be tears shining in the corners of his eyes.
Hearing the words of the old charcoal seller, the young scribe couldn't help but be moved.
The fat white scribe continued to ask, "Didn't Imperial Court allocate food and materials for disaster relief? Didn't my husband go to Zhen Clan Trading Houses to get them?"
Zhen Clan Trading Houses is responsible for distributing the food and materials allocated by Imperial Court for disaster relief to the people. Zhen Clan has always been responsible for doing these things.