Ma Teng, too, was coerced into resisting a rebellious army. Not only did the court refuse to provide him with grain, but it also forced him to commit suicide, leaving him no choice but to rebel.
Therefore, upon hearing that the Prefect of Liangzhou had been promoted to Governor of Liangzhou, taking charge of all affairs, he vaguely sensed something was amiss.
Furthermore, letters from Yuan and Ma convinced him of one thing: Lu Ming was there to deal with him!
Just then, Han Sui sent a letter, and the two immediately agreed to launch a joint military operation to intercept and kill Lu Ming, the Governor of Liangzhou!
Firstly, to demonstrate their power and prestige, and secondly, to project their strength. Liangzhou belonged to them, and they would not tolerate anyone else encroaching upon it—not even the court!
Each of them commanded 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers, and this time they brought out almost all of them.
This was because Yuan's letter repeatedly mentioned Lu Ming's frequent victories against stronger opponents and with fewer troops, warning them not to be careless.
Afterwards, the Yuan family would mobilize their resources to help them escape punishment and would even select one of them to serve as the governor of Liangzhou, overseeing all affairs of Liangzhou.
In this way, they would essentially be exonerated, so both men were very enthusiastic.
Rebellion was a last resort; now that they had a chance to be exonerated, if they could become governors, they could secure titles and honors for their families, thus giving their ancestors some closure.
Instead of becoming criminals, wanted by the court, and bringing harm to their descendants.
This time, Han Sui led over 40,000 men, while Ma Teng led over 30,000.
Wuwei County was even poorer than Jincheng County and simply couldn't support such a large army. Therefore, the people were suffering immensely, and the longer it went on, the more people would flee, eventually making it impossible to maintain such a large army.
Ma Teng and Han Sui laughed and joked, clearly not taking Lu Ming seriously.
As seasoned veterans, they shouldn't have acted this way. However, their fear was only directed at Dong Zhuo. If Dong Zhuo were here, they might be more cautious.
Because Dong Zhuo had risen through the ranks through genuine military merit; he was a formidable figure, not some nobody.
As for Lu Ming, they didn't know much about him, and even if they heard rumors, they wouldn't believe them.
These days, there are plenty of boastful people; to believe them would be foolish.
On the contrary, Lu Ming felt immense pressure. His current goal wasn't to inflict pain on Ma Teng and Han Sui, but to find a way to annihilate Han Sui's army while simultaneously crippling Ma Teng's forces.
Three days later, outside Pengyang in Anding County.
An army was marching, while dark clouds gathered in the distance.
Dust billowed, as if something was approaching.
The earth began to tremble, as if a giant dragon was rolling underground.
Dust billowed in the distance, and from a greater distance, one could even see rows of cavalry!
The Xiliang warhorses were tall and powerful, perfectly suited for heavy armor to form a heavy cavalry force.
Armor offered protection to soldiers, but for unprotected soldiers, it often meant certain death upon first sight.
Xu Huang narrowed his eyes, confirming it was enemy cavalry, and immediately raised his axe, "Dump everything and retreat!"
To enhance the performance and create a convincing illusion, Xu Huang also ordered his soldiers to discard their spears and axles, and even remove some of their armor.
This created the false impression that infantry had encountered cavalry and were fleeing in panic!
Everyone knew that cavalry was extremely aggressive in the open field, and a single misstep could make them easy prey.
Their high mobility and harassment would keep the infantry constantly on the move, creating openings when they changed direction, allowing them to be torn apart, divided, and ultimately annihilated.
Two generals led the charge. One, with slicked-back hair and a youthful appearance, clad in silver armor like a god, wielded a long spear and controlled his horse with one hand; even to the enemy, he appeared to be a young warrior!
The other, wielding a spear, was stern-faced, his eyes sharp and focused, like a seasoned hunter on his hunt.
This was Yan Xing, Han Sui's son-in-law, a fierce general whose martial prowess rivaled Ma Chao's, and Han Sui's most trusted and capable commander.
Sending him out was clearly a sign of respect for Lu Ming.
The cavalry moved swiftly, disappearing in the blink of an eye just as Xu Huang and his men retreated down the hillside.
Ma Chao and Han Sui had only just arrived at the discarded axle loads. Ma Chao used his spear to part the straw, revealing gleaming golden objects inside!
Bathed in sunlight, the gold was dazzling, causing all the soldiers to gasp for breath. It was clearly gold!
Ma Chao, quick as a flash, raised his spear. "Take it back. We crushed the Han army effortlessly, and we'll be rewarded when we return. What do you say, Yan Xing?"
"Mengqi is right," Yan Xing replied sternly, showing no interest in the gold.
However, his deputy couldn't resist any longer. If Ma Chao's men took it, they wouldn't get a single piece!
"General, shouldn't we escort it too?"
"Yes, escort it too." Yan Xing knew he couldn't let Ma Chao and his men take it, so he ordered his soldiers to gather the gold together.
The result was a large quantity of gold bars inside!
Everyone was stunned!
A surge of greed rose within them, an uncontrollable avarice!
One soldier secretly stuffed some into his clothes, and others saw him and followed suit, secretly hiding their own.
Greed was a characteristic of the Xiliang soldiers. They had no faith; they joined the army purely for survival, for a bite to eat.
Given a choice, no one wanted to be a soldier!
Self-preservationism prevailed, and coupled with lax discipline, it quickly escalated into looting.
"What are you doing! Put the stuff back right now!" A squad leader, seeing the looting soldiers, immediately grabbed a long whip and lashed them, leaving the soldiers bleeding.
However, the temptation of gold was irresistible; they continued to take it without question, their eyes bordering on madness. Nothing could stop them, and the army grew increasingly chaotic!
At this moment, both Yan Xing and Ma Chao sensed something was wrong.
The soldiers seemed to have lost control; this was not a good sign!
What if the Han army attacked now? Wouldn't they be in deep trouble?
Just as they seemed to be of one mind, a deep, resonant bugle call suddenly echoed from afar.
A cavalry unit charged out from the foot of the mountain like an arrow released from a bow. The leader, a man wearing a purple-gold crown and silver armor, wielding a halberd, looked every bit the god of war. Even from a distance, one felt a chill run down their spine, as if facing death itself!