[Lightscreen]
[Years later, Pang De's son marched with Deng Ai to conquer Shu. After Liu Shan surrendered, he entered Chengdu and wiped out the entire Guan clan. But that is a story for another time.]
Guan Yu let out a long slow breath.
His gaze drifted far away, as if his mind had traveled down that dark future path.
Zhang Fei grew visibly worried right away. "Second Brother... are you alright? That Pang De should still be back in Liangzhou. If this worries you, then I, Zhang Fei..."
He could not bring himself to finish that thought. The idea of wiping out an entire family was too heavy to say out loud...
Guan Yu breathed out steady and calm. "If we succeed in defeating Wei and restoring the Han, then such a tragedy will never come to pass. And if future historians praised him so highly, then Pang De must truly have been a man of honor."
Huang Zhong could not help but admire Guan Yu even more deeply. To hear that your entire family line would be wiped out and still keep such steady composure... that was truly something few men could do.
Then his own thoughts turned heavy. Come to think of it...' the Huang clan has nobody left but me. No sons, no brothers, no one. Perhaps I really should head back home soon. See if any distant kin still remain. Find a boy to take as my heir so the Huang name does not vanish forever either.'
[Lightscreen]
[When Ma Chao surrendered to Liu Bei, he basically had no other options left. He was also slowly losing his grip on the Xiliang army because his own officers kept turning against him. But even with all that said, when it comes to pure fighting strength, Old Ma the Five was still absolutely top tier. There was nothing wrong with his skill at all.]
"Then that makes me Old Zhang the Six!" Zhang Fei grinned wide and pointed around the room at everyone one by one. "Old Guan the Four, Old Zhao the Two! Hahaha!"
The rest of them just stared blankly. Not a single person got what was so funny about it.
[Lightscreen]
[It is worth noting that after joining Shu, whether through hard-earned realization or because Liu Bei simply knew how to make proper use of him, Ma Chao changed significantly. This brings us to a new figure: Peng Yang.]
Huang Zhong lifted his head, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Weren't they discussing the Hanzhong Campaign? Who the hell is this Peng Yang now? Host, are you getting distracted again?"
[Lightscreen]
[Peng Yang originally served as a clerk in Yizhou. He was a talented man, but others slandered him and Liu Zhang punished him by shaving his head and putting him in shackles. That was an incredibly humiliating punishment in those days.
So under those circumstances, it was only natural that he would eventually turn to Liu Bei.]
"That punishment effectively reduces a man to the status of a servant," Liu Bei said. He felt a genuine trace of sympathy... but also a spark of satisfaction.
Ahhh, how good, Liu Zhang. Go on, go shave all your talented men. I will accept them all.
For most scholars, such public humiliation was truly worse than death.
[Lightscreen]
[With strong recommendations from Pang Tong and Fa Zheng, he was appointed Assistant Officer of Internal Affairs. That position is roughly equal to a high ranking administrative secretary in modern times. And from there he rose through the ranks incredibly fast.
But sadly, as the Records of the Three Kingdoms tells us, once he found himself placed above others, his attitude turned arrogant. He grew more and more pleased with himself, and that only got worse over time.
To put it plainly, he became impossible to deal with.
Zhuge Liang would not stand for that. He went straight to Liu Bei and reported that Peng Yang was showing dangerous signs of ambition and would be hard to keep in check.
So Liu Bei decided to reassign him. He was sent away to serve as Administrator of Jiangyang.]
"My lord, overseeing officials and spotting such tendencies is simply part of my duty," Zhuge Liang said calmly. "I only moved to prevent trouble before it could take root. Do not blame me."
Liu Bei nodded in complete agreement. "I see nothing wrong with it at all, Kongming. A man of great talent but unrefined character truly needs tempering through service in the provinces. Given time and experience, he may yet grow into a pillar of the state."
Jian Yong chuckled and shook his head. "I have wandered far and wide, my lord. I have seen far too many men grow arrogant the moment they taste even a little success. I can already guess exactly how this story will end."
[Lightscreen]
[But getting sent away from the central court to such a remote commandery filled Peng Yang with bitter resentment.
He went straight to Ma Chao, and the two drank together while he poured out all his anger. Over the feast, Ma Chao asked, "Our lord holds you in such high regard. How is it you have been sent off to govern such a small faraway place?"
Peng Yang immediately snapped back and said, "That old soldier is reckless and impossible to reason with!"
He spoke openly and insulted Liu Bei right to Ma Chao's face. Ma Chao was stunned. He dared not say a word in response, but Peng Yang was just getting started.
What came next is best quoted straight from the Records of the Three Kingdoms: "You take charge of the troops outside and I will handle matters within the court, and between us we can settle the whole realm."
Ma Chao, who already lived every day in constant unease and uncertainty, was horrified. He gave no answer at all.
Later that same day, he reported everything to Liu Bei. Peng Yang was arrested and put to death. He was only thirty-seven years old.]
For a long moment, nobody in the room said a single thing.
Then Liu Bei, the one who had been insulted, just laughed instead. "I put down the Yellow Turban rebellion, fought against Dong Zhuo, struggled all across Xuzhou, and stood firm at Red Cliffs. I have fought more battles than I can even remember. Being called an old soldier is not entirely untrue after all."
He shook his head slowly. "I really thought he was a man of real talent. Who could have guessed he was just another reckless fool?"
'Liu Zhang, come on. Send good officers, not like this one.'
Could Peng Yang have truly meant to rebel? Liu Bei found it hard to believe.
Ma Chao was already a tiger who had lost his claws. And with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong all at his side, any uprising would be crushed before it could even get started.
Guan Yu turned his gaze toward Zhang Fei sitting right beside him.
Zhang Fei shifted in his seat, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "Second Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Watch how much you drink from now on," Guan Yu said firmly. "Loose words spoken over wine can get a man killed."
"Understood!" Zhang Fei said at once, and thumped his chest loud and clear to show he meant it.
[Lightscreen]
[This tells us exactly what Ma Chao's life was like within Shu Han. He lived in constant fear every single day.
That cautious restrained existence stood in such sharp contrast to the younger Ma Mengqi. The man who once acted without hesitation, even to the point of his own father's death. But for someone with so little political experience, that kind of caution may have been the only way to survive.
His time in Shu was not without honor though. He rose all the way to Piaoji Jiangjun, General of Agile Cavalry, was appointed Governor of Liangzhou, and became Marquis of Lai.
That appointment as Governor of Liang shows he remained a key part of Shu Han's long term plans. But then the disaster of Jingzhou struck, and the fires of Yiling swept everything away.
All those grand plans were shattered.
And to make it all worse, Ma Chao fell ill and died just two years after Liu Bei declared himself emperor. He was only forty-seven years old.
Looking back on the life of Old Ma the Five. In his youth he brought ruin to his own father. In middle age he fought to make something of himself. Yet he died far too soon.
Only near the very end did true regret finally come through. He wrote to Liu Bei and said: "Cao Cao executed over two hundred members of my clan. Now only Ma Dai remains of my entire bloodline. I entrust him entirely to Your Majesty."]
"Only forty-seven?!" Zhuge Liang blurted out before he could stop himself.
That age hit him hard. Liu Bei himself was not even fifty yet. And according to the light screen, his own journey had only just begun, with so many years still ahead.
Huang Zhong was well over seventy and still charging at the front lines, cutting down enemy generals like it was nothing.
Yet this Liangzhou Governor, such a vital piece of their future plans... just died like that?
The bigger picture began to take shape before Zhuge Liang's eyes. Hold Yizhou, secure Hanzhong, then march into Guanzhong when the moment was right.
That was the plan.
And Ma Chao was meant to be the key that unlocked Liangzhou.
With his reputation there and Liu Bei's benevolence, reclaiming that land should not have been difficult at all.
So how did it all go so wrong?
Liu Bei did not catch the shift in Zhuge Liang's expression. He was too moved by those final words of Ma Chao. Thinking of his own family and what lay ahead, he sighed deeply.
"Perhaps... when a man stands face to face with death, his words are truly honest... Xianhe..."
Jian Yong burst out laughing and cut him right off. "Does my lord wish for me to travel all the way to Liangzhou right now?"
Liu Bei paused and thought better of it. "There is no need to rush. I will discuss this with Kongming first. We have only just secured the four commanderies of Jingzhou after all. Let us see the new year in together first."
Zhang Fei let out a short laugh and shook his head. "Ma Mengqi brought ruin to his own father as easy as flipping his hand… If any other man did that you would call it overwhelming strength like striking down someone else's kin in a single blow. But when it comes to Ma Mengqi… hahaha! That is not power. That is pure foolishness!"
[Lightscreen]
[Ma Dai lived up to his brother's trust completely. Later on he put down Wei Yan's rebellion and secured a smooth transition of power right after the Prime Minister passed away. That was no small contribution and should never be overlooked.
As for Zhang Fei, well, everyone already knows him well enough, so we will skip over him for now and get right back to the Hanzhong Campaign.]
Zhang Fei immediately spoke up loud and indignant. "Hey! Host! What do you mean skip?! Does Old Zhang the Six not even deserve a single mention?!"