Mythical Three Kingdoms

However, the words of his father before dying still restrained Ma Teng, so although Ma Teng was angry at Liu Xie's indifference, he continued to silently observe the Han Dynasty's world.

Like Xun Yu's way of thinking, Ma Teng did not quite agree with the rotation of the Han imperial throne. His positioning for the Han was that of the Son of Heaven, and his education was to be loyal to the Emperor, although he was quite deeply hurt before.

Liu Bei is a remarkable person, thought Ma Teng after meeting him, and during those brief days he spent with Liu Bei, he even entertained the idea that if Liu Bei were the Son of Heaven...

Unfortunately, Liu Bei was not, but this thought shocked Ma Teng, as Liu Bei truly had the ambition to seize the world. If Liu Bei were to unite the world and want to advance his position, what should he do?

Ma Teng had no idea what he would do. The phrase "the Son of Heaven is Liu Xie" he silently repeated countless times, but Liu Bei's image was still etched in his mind; perhaps Liu Bei would become the master of the world, this sentence deeply impressed itself in Ma Teng's mind.

Ma Teng felt extremely conflicted, for he found Liu Bei agreeable and also wished to befriend Liu Bei, but this conflicted entirely with the education he had received all his life. In the end, Ma Teng chose to avoid, neither listening nor asking, just watching and quietly developing his own family.

If one day the Son of Heaven fully repented, Ma Teng would still support him, but if the Son of Heaven remained the same, then he would retire peacefully. The descendants of the Ma Clan had already grown, and they no longer needed this old man nearing fifty to support them.

Ma Teng could feel Cao Cao's attempts to win him over, and until now, Cao Cao had not expressed any intention against his liege, at most being a bit lukewarm, which made Ma Teng think that Cao Cao, like him, had been hurt quite deeply.

Thus, Ma Teng thought he could understand Cao Cao, but while understanding Cao Cao, Ma Teng raised another question: what was the significance of the troops stationed by both Cao Cao and Liu Bei at their borders?

After much thought, Ma Teng sighed helplessly and said, "Liu Bei is a remarkable person." Both Cao Cao and himself belonged to the Royalist Faction, and the three of them shared a common goal of restoring the Han Dynasty.

In truth, after seeing the current situation in Yongzhou Commandery and under Liu Bei's governance, Ma Teng understood that, judging from the era at the end of Emperor Ling's reign during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the restoration of the Han Dynasty had basically succeeded.

Compared to a dozen years ago, the Han was no longer plagued by banditry and famine; people could till their lands and live in houses, which was the mainstream under the governance of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

It could be said that if the remaining factions in the world all aimed to restore the Han Dynasty, the swords and spears could be put away now, and horses could be let free on the southern mountains, for the goal had already been achieved.

Unfortunately, until today, the Feudal Lords were still in conflict with each other, especially the conflict between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, making Ma Teng realize that his path with Liu Bei was different. Liu Bei seemed to seek supremacy, while he wanted to preserve the monarchy, which Ma Teng saw as their biggest difference.

Ma Teng knew he could not persuade Liu Bei. The throne of the Eastern Han was originally shared among all the imperial clans, and Liu Bei, as the current leader of the imperial clan, could claim that the throne was his destiny, leaving one without any argument. Liu Bei was a remarkable person!

Precisely because he understood he was a Royalist Faction, Ma Teng reluctantly gave up on Liu Bei and chose Cao Cao because Ma Teng felt that Cao Cao shared the same mindset, and he believed Cao Cao, like him, was a Royalist Faction, especially with Xun Yu making Ma Teng deeply feel understood.

The most core, wise ministers under him were like this, so naturally, Ma Teng felt that Cao Cao, like him, was just hurt too deeply but still had a heart dedicated to the Emperor. As for Cao Cao's massacre of cities... well, "to err is human."

This is also why Ma Teng gradually began to accept Cao Cao's overtures. It should be noted that even Sima Lang and Zhong Yao had obviously begun to align with Cao Cao.

Are these two loyal ministers? Of course, they were. Zhong Yao and Sima Lang never abandoned the Emperor in his most difficult times; instead, they plotted for the Emperor, finally finding a glimmer of hope, drawing Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Ma Teng, and Yuan Shao to rescue the Emperor from his cage.

Are they smart? Naturally, they are. Zhong Yao's decisions were always concise and timely, always the most suitable decisions, and Sima Lang's words always gave people a feeling of being bathed in spring wind, earning deep trust.

With these two wise and loyal ministers aligning with Cao Cao, one could assume that Cao Cao, like him, was also a heartbroken loyal minister. Thus, after realizing these things, Ma Teng began to communicate with Cao Cao and found that Cao Cao was also a remarkable person!

To counter a hero, the best method is to find another hero. Cao Cao entered Ma Teng's view as someone sharing the same aspirations in the Royalist Faction, and he was particularly capable. Ma Teng silently observed Cao Cao.

The more he observed, the more he found Cao Cao to be quite a person, lacking neither valiant generals nor capable ministers, especially when one day Cao Cao suddenly hinted at wanting to ally with him. Ma Teng naturally followed the steps.

Cao Ang appeared in Ma Teng's household with Ma Teng's tacit approval. Ma Teng truly admired Cao Ang, as he was also quite a figure. With Cao Ang, the Cao Family will surely be superior in the future. Therefore, Ma Teng was pleased with Cao Ang seemingly having an interest in his daughter.

A grown man should marry, and a grown woman should wed. Ma Teng thought highly of Cao Ang, naturally giving Cao Ang a wide open door, though unfortunately, Cao Ang was a step too late. Otherwise, with Cao Ang's capability, winning over Ma Yunlu might not have been too difficult, but sometimes, that's just how things are.

Of course, Ma Teng also acknowledged one point: even though he and Liu Bei were on different paths, he still admired Liu Bei greatly, for he was from Xiliang, had experienced family decline, and had endured hardships, so he could understand Liu Bei's benevolence.

Liu Bei's benevolence was not just empty talk but was evident in having food to eat, clothes to wear, and houses to live in, which is why Ma Teng could comprehend Liu Bei's benevolence, making him even more conflicted.

Emotionally, he wanted to befriend Liu Bei, but rationally, Ma Teng was told that all his attempts to befriend Liu Bei were ultimately in vain, as they were on different paths after all. He was a Royalist Faction member, while Liu Bei sought the throne!

This was the most fundamental conflict between them. Ma Teng hoped Liu Bei could, like him, regard assisting the Son of Heaven as his ultimate goal, but even Ma Teng himself could not guarantee that if he had Liu Bei's power to seek the throne, he would still maintain his loyalty to the Emperor.

Ambition is always directly proportional to one's personal strength. Thinking about it, Ma Teng realized he could not maintain his current mindset if he reached that point, so extending this understanding to others, how could he demand the same from Liu Bei, especially when Liu Bei was from the imperial clan where the throne rotates and this year, it's his family's turn!

In the end, Ma Teng could only choose the path he thought was correct. As a loyal minister, to be loyal in the way he deemed right wasn't too bad. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com.)