The next day, Ma Teng appointed generals and inspected the troops in the parade ground, invited Zhong Jin to review the troops, and swore an oath to go to war.
An hour later, with Ma Xiu as the vanguard, 30,000 Xiliang troops marched into Chencang Road and headed straight for Hanzhong.
After the vanguard army left the city, Zhong Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought that it would take a lot of persuasion, even coercion and inducement, to get Ma Teng and his son to send out the troops, but he did not expect it to be so smooth.
At this moment, Ma Tie came leading a chestnut horse. It was tall and majestic, with a mane about two feet long and shiny and smooth fur.
Ma Teng said, "This is a fine horse from the Shandan Horse Farm in Xiliang. Although I can't say it can travel a thousand miles a day, it is one in a thousand. I specially present it to you, General. I hope you won't despise it."
"This, this, this... How can this be allowed? No merit, no reward. How can I take advantage of my position to accept benefits?"
Although Zhong Jin waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes were shining. The war horses of Shandan Horse Farm were famous all over the world. He had never seen such good horses in Chang'an.
Ma Teng sighed, "General, you don't know that although cavalry is powerful, it consumes a lot of resources! My father and I were stuck in Chencang because we were short of food and grass. Although this batch of food and grass can help us out, it can only last for two months at most. The Qinling Mountains are high and the roads are dangerous. Yangping Pass is very difficult to attack. It will take a long time to go to Hanzhong. If there is not enough food and grass, the consequences will be disastrous. When you arrive in Chang'an, I hope you can say good things and send more food and grass as soon as possible."
Zhong Jin clasped his fists and said, "It is my duty to collect food for the general, and I should do so. But this horse... I absolutely cannot bear it. If my brother knew, he would definitely blame me."
Ma Teng said with a smile: "Although there are not many good horses like these, they are not rare in Xiliang. Just consider it as a token of my appreciation. Food and fodder are the lifeblood of the army. If you don't accept the horses, how can I go on the expedition with confidence?"
Zhong Jin had no choice but to take the reins: "I feel ashamed to accept this."
Ma Teng was relieved and laughed, "A BMW is given to a hero. General, ride this horse and it will be much faster to reach Sanguan."
Zhong Jin was stunned: "We still need to go to Sanguan?"
Ma Teng nodded and said, "General, since you are here to comfort the three armies, if you don't go to Sanguan, you will be asked by General Cao and it will be difficult to report to the emperor."
Zhong Jin wanted to say goodbye, but Ma Teng invited him to go with the army, and he went all the way to Sanguan. After watching the army enter Chencang Road, he said goodbye to Ma Teng and his son, rode on a Xiliang horse, and returned to Chang'an to report the news.
Zhong Jin was extremely satisfied with the trip, but when he returned to Chang'an, he thought that if he reported the truth, he would be useless and would be looked down upon by Zhong Yao and Cao Hong.
When he arrived at the government office, he said that he had arrived in Chencang, explained the pros and cons to them, and promised to allocate food to the Xiliang army. Only then did Ma Teng agree to send troops.
Zhong Yao's face darkened when he heard this: "How can you make such a decision on your own in such a major military matter? There is no joking in the army. If the food and grass fail to arrive and the Xiliang army rebels, what will be the consequences?"
"Calm down, my lord!" Cao Hong waved his hand and said with a smile, "As long as we can get Ma Teng to send out his troops, what does a little food matter? The Xiliang army is short of food, so from now on they can only rely on me and be used by me. Ma Teng and his son are no longer a concern."
Zhong Yao snorted coldly: "Ma Teng is short of food, but did you see it with your own eyes?"
Zhong Jin had no choice but to answer, "Ma Teng was adamant about not sending out troops, and he took me to see the treasury. Indeed, there was very little food and grass left, and most of his horses were thin and hairy, waiting to harvest the spring grass. The men and horses had no fighting spirit, so I had no choice but to agree in order to boost the morale of the Xiliang army."
Cao Hong laughed when he heard this and said, "General Zhong went to Chencang this time. He not only supervised Ma Teng to send troops to Sanguan, but also found out the strengths and weaknesses of the Xiliang army. This is indeed a great achievement. The governor was too harsh on your brother."
Zhong Yao glanced at Zhong Jin and clasped his fists, saying, "I'm not asking because he's my brother. This matter concerns military intelligence and we have to be cautious."
Cao Hong smiled and said, "Since Ma Teng has already sent out his troops, it is time for me to take action. Three days later, the troops will march out of Wuguan Pass. I will personally defeat Liu Qi in his true form."
At this time, the spies had reported that Liu Qi was in Wuguan. The defeat in Nanyang had become an eternal pain in the hearts of the generals of the Cao clan, and this time he wanted to avenge his previous defeat.
Now that Ma Teng had sent out his troops and the Xiliang army was short of food, the threat from Guanzhong had been eliminated and they no longer had any worries, so they sent someone to report the news to Cao Cao.
On that day, Cao Hong held a banquet in his mansion to encourage civil and military officials. He solemnly introduced Zhong Jin, saying that he was brave and resourceful, and that he used his eloquence to persuade Ma Teng to send troops, which drew a lot of praise.
After the banquet, Zhong Yao returned home and called Zhong Jin to ask again: "Are all the things you said today true?"
"Every word is true!" Zhong Jin gritted his teeth secretly, clenching his fists with sweat on his palms.
Having just been praised by Cao Hong in front of all the officials at the banquet, he must not let it go now, otherwise he would be considered a treacherous villain. How would he live his life in the future
Zhong Yao twirled his beard and stared at Zhong Jin. After a long while, he said, "If it was a matter between you and me, it would be fine if you kept it from me. This is just a family matter! If you conceal something during this official trip, it will definitely lead to disaster. You have read the books of sages since you were young, and you should know loyalty, filial piety, and honesty. You should not let a moment of emotion ruin your life."
Zhong Jin felt uncomfortable being stared at by his brother, and suddenly knelt on the ground and answered: "Brother, to be honest, I have taken a BMW from Ma Teng in Chencang, which is a fine Shandan horse."
"Oh?" Zhong Yao's eyes flickered. "You have no relationship with Ma Teng, and you are not an important official in the court. Why would I give you a good horse?"
Zhong Jin replied, "Ma Teng is worried that the siege of Hanzhong will take years and the food and grass will run out, so all the previous efforts will be wasted. He asked me to speak a few good words to General Cao and ask him to allocate more food and grass."
"Hmm..." Zhong Yao pondered and said to himself, "So, the Xiliang army is really short of food?"
Just now during the banquet, he saw Zhong Jin with a strange expression several times, thinking that he was ambitious and lying about military intelligence, and felt uneasy. But it turned out that he had accepted benefits from Ma Teng, and all his doubts were gone!
Zhong Jin knew that his brother was always rigorous in his work, so he lowered his head and didn't dare to say another word. He finally managed to justify himself, but if he was discovered by his brother, it would be troublesome.
Anyway, it is a fact that Ma Teng’s army is short of food. It doesn’t matter whether I have seen it or not. Besides, Cao Hong has already agreed to allocate food, so there is no need to verify the matter further.
"Get up!" Zhong Yao sighed and taught earnestly: "Ma Teng gave you a horse not because of your ability or reputation, but because of your position. This is bribery! You must remember that in the future, in the officialdom, anyone who takes bribes will encounter difficulties. If you want to accomplish such things, you must use extraordinary methods and violate the law. If you fail, you will be implicated and cannot extricate yourself. You must take this as a warning."
Zhong Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead and clasped his fists, saying, "I will go to General Cao's mansion to apologize and hand over the horse to you for your disposal."
"That's it!" Zhong Yao nodded slightly, all his doubts gone.
Zhong Jin once again brought his horse to Cao Hong's residence to apologize. Cao Hong was discussing the expedition with his generals. Hearing this, instead of blaming him, he left the horse to Zhong Jin.
"Ma Teng has done you such a great favor. If you don't return it, it would be unreasonable. When I go to war, I will allocate another 50,000 shi of grain and fodder, and you will deliver it to Chencang. How about that?"
"Thank you, General!" Zhong Jin was overjoyed. He rode his horse excitedly back home to report to his brother.
Zhong Yao sighed when he heard this and burned the half-written secret letter, which contained information about Cao Hong keeping dancers and drinking for fun.
Cao Hong's move was just to appease Ma Teng, but he also did himself a favor. This favor must be repaid!