The armies of the lords Cao Cao had been waiting for finally arrived. Apart from the minor lords, the most important arrivals were Ma Teng and Han Sui.
The current masters of Guanzhong and Liangzhou!
The conflict between these two had deepened over the years. Had Cao Cao not sent his decree, there was no telling when they might have gone to war.
Neither was a ruler skilled in governance. Despite the vast lands of Guanzhong and Liangzhou, each had brought only a little over ten thousand Western Liang Iron Cavalry.
Leading the men under Ma Teng was Ma Chao.
Killing Li Jue and Guo Si all those years ago had made his name soar, and his prestige within the Fufeng Ma Clan now rivaled his father Ma Teng's. Moreover, Fa Zheng shared his aspirations. With guidance from a strategist ranked among the finest under heaven, he had all but hollowed out Ma Teng's power.
In Fa Zheng's plans, once that old bastard Ma Teng died and Han Sui was killed off, Ma Chao would become King of Guanzhong.
Cao and Liu had not really expected these lords to show them so much respect. With so many troops entering the battlefield, they could change the course of the fighting.
Hidden in a carriage behind Ma Chao, Fa Zheng watched and studied one of the three strongest lords of the East of the Passes.
In his eyes, these were all enemies he might encounter in the future. Only contending with people like these was interesting.
The coalition was clearly powerful, yet no one felt certain of victory. There was still too little trust between them.
When the drums of war thundered, when earthshaking cries rang out, when the clanging of weapons and armor reached their ears.
The ruler and ministers