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墨書 Inktalez
"What else can we do if we don't rebel? With your foolish intelligence, you'll end up being outsmarted by Zhuge Liang sooner or later," Li Hong scolded.
Ma Su was indeed quite foolish. He was usually sharp-witted, but when it came to critical moments, he often got confused.
Feeling embarrassed by Li Hong's reprimand, Ma Su scratched his head and awkwardly asked, "But will capturing Young Lord Liu Shan be useful? Zhuge Liang is leading an army of six hundred thousand; with just a wave of his hand, he could wipe us out. Even if we capture Liu Shan, we probably won't survive for long, right?"
"Who cares? Liu Shan is Zhuge Liang's Achilles' heel. Zhuge Liang may be flawed in many ways, but he has one redeeming quality: he has no ambition for usurpation. Liu Shan is the only heir of Shu Han. If we capture Liu Shan, Zhuge Liang will definitely be cautious," Li Hong replied with a smile.
Zhuge Liang's character could be described as overly loyal. Throughout both the historical accounts and the legends, he had countless opportunities to change the dynasty but chose instead to serve the Old Liu Family diligently.
Ma Su nodded in partial understanding; after years of working together, he had come to know Zhuge Liang somewhat. Just as Li Hong said, Zhuge Liang was indeed that kind of person.
"But capturing Liu Shan will only make Zhuge Liang cautious. Once we attempt to overthrow Shu Han, Zhuge Liang will surely retaliate," Ma Su expressed his concerns.
Li Hong rolled his eyes at Ma Su and calmly explained, "I'm not asking you to seize power right now. You should first control Liu Shan! You know the stories of Cao Mengde and Dong Zhuo, right? First use Liu Shan to control Zhuge Liang, then gradually eliminate him. Once Zhuge Liang is dead, you can ascend to the throne."
Ma Su nodded at this suggestion; it truly seemed like the best plan. With Zhuge Liang being immortal in reputation, he dared not rebel against the Liu Family.
After finalizing their scheme, the two quickly set their plans in motion.
Ma Su bid farewell to Li Hong and headed to the cavalry camp to gather swift horses. For their plan to succeed, they would need a large number of fast steeds.
Once the horses were ready, Ma Su immediately counted his trusted soldiers. Taking advantage of the fading light, under the pretense of opening a path, they raced towards Chengdu.
As a strategist, Ma Su had few trusted aides even as a deputy. This time, he took all of his limited confidants with him. A group of over three hundred rode carefully selected warhorses and galloped swiftly through the forest paths.
They were essentially launching a blitzkrieg; if they didn't move quickly enough and Zhuge Liang caught wind of their plans, it would spell disaster for them.
Fortunately, Zhuge Liang did not notice anything unusual. Although he expressed doubts about Ma Su so eagerly, he never expected Ma Su to be so bold.
Among the army, Zhuge Liang rode alongside Meng Huo. Sitting on horseback, Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and said with a sinister smile, "Ma Youchang is finished this time!"
Meng Huo asked in a low voice, "So you had me gather the Southern Barbarians just to ambush Ma Su?"
"Exactly. Ma Youchang has long harbored dissatisfaction towards me. Despite his exceptional talent, I cannot keep someone like him around. Such a talent, yet disloyal—what a great pity!" Zhuge Liang sighed.
Meng Huo rolled his eyes at Zhuge Liang, pretending not to hear his lamentations. It was clear that he was simply trying to eliminate a rival, yet he spoke so grandly about it—it was truly laughable.
Of course, despite his disdain for Zhuge Liang's ways, Meng Huo wouldn't say anything. After all, he didn't have much fondness for Ma Su either.
Ma Su was incredibly annoying; every time he wanted to have a moment with Zhuge Liang, this guy would suddenly pop up to report some urgent matter.
Zhuge Liang had scolded him countless times for this. Unfortunately, Ma Su was stubborn and never learned from his mistakes.
"What a pity for such a talented individual as Ma Youchang," Meng Huo thought to himself.
Zhuge Liang had secretly contacted a nearby Southern Barbarians tribe and dispatched their finest warriors to ambush Ma Su.
Meng Huo knew just how strong these Southern Barbarians warriors were.
Each one wielded large sabers, tough-skinned and fearless. Such warriors were more than capable of dealing with the vast majority of soldiers.
Most Southern Barbarians tribes were sparsely populated; even a large tribe could only select a few hundred qualified warriors. If it weren't for this limitation, Zhuge Liang wouldn't have come to pacify the southern regions. Instead, the southern regions would have invaded Chengdu.
In the depths of the dense forest, a group of bare-chested Barbarian Soldiers, their heads adorned with pointed helmets, quietly awaited the arrival of Ma Su, hidden beneath a pile of leaves.
Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from ahead, startling countless birds into flight.
The leader of the Barbarians' eyes sparkled with intensity as he rose and addressed his comrades, "It's beginning. Everyone, be ready."
"Yes, My King!" the other Barbarians roared in unison.
At that moment, strange-looking large blades were drawn from behind by the Barbarian Warriors. Each warrior held their breath and focused intently, patiently waiting for the final strike.
The sound of hooves grew louder and just as it reached its peak, these Barbarian Warriors shouted and charged forward with their blades raised high.
"For Ashe!" they cried out.
However, as they burst forth, they discovered that what lay before them were merely three fallen warhorses, with no riders in sight.
"We've been deceived!"
The leader shouted loudly, "Everyone retreat quickly!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. A much more intense sound of hooves suddenly erupted from behind them. With the sound of hooves trampling fallen leaves, several hundred fierce Shu Army Soldiers appeared before the group of Barbarian Warriors.
Ma Su reined in his warhorse and turned to Li Hong with a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, how do you find my strategy?"
"Very good, very good!" Although it was a compliment, Li Hong did not truly believe it.
Ma Su's foolish scheme could only be used against these uncivilized Barbarians. Against others, it would probably be of no use at all.
The Barbarian warriors numbered only a dozen, which was nothing compared to Ma Su's elite guards. In no time at all, the group of Barbarians was tied up tightly.
"Goodness, is this Damn it on drugs?" Seeing the leading Barbarian warrior hold his own against hundreds of Shu Army soldiers and still gain the upper hand, Li Hong exclaimed in surprise.
Ma Su was equally astonished; such prowess might even rival that of Lü Bu in his prime.
With a heart full of admiration, Li Hong stepped forward and signaled the soldiers to stand down. He addressed the Barbarian, "I see you possess such combat strength; staying in this remote mountain forest is a waste of your talents. How about you join me? We can conquer these vast lands together. What do you think?"
"You despicable lot! Only one of you, the one surnamed Ma, is decent, yet you bring so many to ambush us. Bah! I even called my remaining brothers back to the tribe," the Barbarian shouted angrily.
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