Mythical Three Kingdoms

Ma Teng wasn’t home, and Ma Yunlu was sent over to Zhao Yun’s side, so with nobody above to control him and no sisters below to bug him, Ma Chao went ahead and invited Sunx Ce over for a feast at home.

”Hey, how come you have time to see me? I heard you guys were making quite a ruckus along the Yangtze River not long ago,” Ma Chao asked, grinning.

”Don’t even mention it,” Sunx Ce said grumpily. ”Me and my second brother couldn’t handle the opposition together.” As he spoke, Sunx Ce downed another cup of wine.

”Zhou Yu?” Ma Chao raised an eyebrow. ”Even the world-renowned Zhou Yu has moments he can’t handle. Though his demeanor annoys me, his displayed wisdom is no joke, otherwise you wouldn’t be hanging onto a third of the world right now.”

Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, and Ma Dai were stunned by these words, their eyes looking at Sunx Ce in a new, strange light. This guy about their brother’s age owning a third of the world? Terrifying.

”Don’t bring it up. Gongjin, that bastard, wanted no part of the battle, but I dragged him along and managed some setups. After the battle ended, Gongjin went back. I couldn’t stand Jing-Xiang’s dullness, so I heard there were Huns in the north and decided to come up and kill a few,” Sunx Ce said, feeling frustrated, genuinely believing that Zhou Yu didn’t try hard enough this time.

”You want to fight the Huns? What about your troops?” Ma Chao smirked.

”Do you really think I brought troops with me? I have 100,000 strong soldiers, but I didn’t bring them,” Sunx Ce replied unhappily, not bothering to cover up anything in front of Ma Chao.

”Aren’t you afraid of something happening?” Ma Chao said after a long pause. ”You and Cao Sikong might be allies, but aren’t your enmity quite significant? Plus, you’re being so reckless on Cao Sikong’s turf. What if you’re found out?”

”No big deal, just keep quiet. I trust you.” Sunx Ce’s reply sounded foolish, leaving Ma Chao speechless.

”Getting stuck with a fool like you...” Ma Chao grumbled, electric blue sparks flickering on his body.

”No problem, come to Eastern Wu, I’ll back you up,” Sunx Ce said indifferently.

However, that foolish tone still carried sincerity, and Sunx Ce always did what he said, a charisma that even moved Ma Chao.

He glanced at his three brothers, Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, and Ma Dai, who were now looking at Sunx Ce with reverence. Even Pang De showed a hint of respect.

”It sounds like something, but how could I possibly tell others? What’s the point of coming alone; do you plan to deal with the Huns single-handedly?” Ma Chao pouted.

”Um, do you know how I subdued Liu Biao back then?” Sunx Ce suddenly asked, smiling.

Ma Chao shook his head, prompting Sunx Ce to slowly explain. Simply put, as he traveled along the river, various civil officials and military generals on their own initiative rose up and pledged allegiance to him; even water bandits clung to him shamelessly. When lacking civil officials, they came by boat; when short on generals, they brought troops to join.

After hearing Sunx Ce’s explanation, Ma Chao felt his scalp tingle; what kind of luck and charm was this? His face was indeed terrifying.

”C-come on, you’re not planning to repeat this in Sili, are you?” Ma Chao said twitchingly. With a face like Sunx Ce’s, it wasn’t impossible to assume he’d gather followers without bringing a single soldier, picking people up along the way until he had a whole army.

”Nope, such things generally happen by chance, not pursuit. I’ve only picked up four guys so far, none of whom are notably strong,” Sunx Ce rolled his eyes, ”but after arriving in Chang’an, I gave them some money to stay at an inn.”

”Uh, someone really joined you?” Ma Chao said, smirking. What uncanny luck!

”Two of them joined me willingly; the other two were one I picked up on the road and one I had a run-in with and tied up,” Sunx Ce said, irritated. ”But the one I tied up, Niu Jin, has some strength, though the others aren’t much good in a fight.”

”Why did they join you, anyway?” Ma Chao asked, curious not about the uncanny luck, but why they decided to follow Sunx Ce.

”Let me think. The first, Yano Wen, was someone I met while having tea. I invited him for tea, we chatted, and he pledged to follow me,” Sunx Ce mused. Honestly, he never understood why people suddenly wanted to join him, but he was always thrilled and trusting when they did.

”The second one, Su Ze, was similar; we had a meal, and he pledged allegiance, so I accepted him,” Sunx Ce said as though it was perfectly natural.

”The third was someone I found near Chang’an during a bandit attack. I took out the bandits and picked up a fellow named Jia Kui. He said I helped him, and he’d repay me by following me. I figure he’s too broke to hire an escort,” Sunx Ce said, unsatisfied with the four companions he’d collected en route.

”I think you’re already pretty impressive, but with only five people, how will you fight the Huns?” Ma Chao asked, curious.

”Don’t you count? I came to find you hoping you’d lend me three to five thousand cavalry,” Sunx Ce said without reservation, nearly causing Ma Chao to choke.

”What did you say?” Ma Chao asked incredulously.

”Lend me three to five thousand cavalry,” Sunx Ce repeated.

”Do you know what three to five thousand cavalry means?” Ma Chao said, smirking. ”Plus, how much supplies are needed for three to five thousand cavalry every day?”

”Uh...” Sunx Ce was taken aback. This kind of matter was usually handled by Zhou Yu; his job was to fight.

”I figured when you sent me so many horses, your cavalry must be plenty,” Sunx Ce said, embarrassed. ”But without cavalry, it’s tough to fight on the northern grasslands.”

”There’s plenty of horses. If you want to catch them, herds of wild horses appear on the grasslands sporadically, don’t know why, but they’ve been increasing for over a decade,” Ma Chao retorted. ”But cavalry is different!”

Sunx Ce looked puzzled. Ma Chao sighed and elaborated, ”Listen, even in the north, combined forces of Cao Sikong and Grand Commandant Liu can muster only about fifty thousand true cavalry; the rest are just mounted infantry. As for foreign cavalry, excluding the Huns, even under me, the Qiang People are essentially mounted infantry rather than proper cavalry.”