Pang De expressed his loyalty to Sun Ce in a half-confused state and officially became Sun Ce's righteous cavalry general.

Sun Ce asked Pang De to go out and wait. He pulled Ma Chao back to the desk and poured a cup of tea. "Meng Qi, we are allies now."

"No, I am still a general's subordinate, but I am not by the general's side, which is like a Sima of another department." Ma Chao was satisfied and did not forget to be polite. Although Sun Ce promised to sell him a thousand sets of equipment, he had not set a price yet. If he had a good relationship, he might save a lot of money.

"Don't say that, I can't bear it." Sun Ce closed his hands, blocked his mouth, and looked at Ma Chao with a smile. "You, Ma Mengqi, returned to Liangzhou, it's not that the dragon entered the sea and the tiger returned to the deep mountains. Even if I am a real phoenix, I may not be able to catch you. It's safer to be an ally. If you really fight one day, you won't be too disappointed, right?"

Ma Chao's khan came out. "General, I'm a little nervous when you say that."

"It's better to be nervous. If you really want to relax, you won't live long." Sun Ce said a pun. "Liangzhou is not a place of peace."

Ma Chao really didn't understand this time, and he felt very uncomfortable. "General, you..."

Sun Ce waved his hand. "Tell me, what are your plans after returning to Liangzhou?"

Ma Chao turned his eyes and understood a little. Sun Ce was aware of whether he was qualified to become an ally. Their father and son had an awkward position. They were said to be the Liangzhou clan, and they were not from Liangzhou. Ma Teng started his career by applying for recruitment and was a real poor man. He was incomparable to Anding Huangfu and the Han family in Jincheng. He was said to be the Ma family in Guanzhong, but the Ma family in Guanzhong did not regard them as their same clan at all. They had no knowledge, and they actually couldn't get any advantage. If they wanted to survive, they not only had to find an allies like Sun Ce, but also had to find the right direction. If they were not capable enough and had insufficient vision, Sun Ce would not take them seriously.

"Please give me advice." Ma Chao gave a deep tribute, very sincere. He has been with Sun Ce for so long and knows that Sun Ce takes good care of Liangzhou, and some situations may be clearer than him.

Sun Ce looked at Ma Chao for a while, put down his hand, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly savored it. Ma Chao was uneasy, his expression became more respectful, and even became a little nervous. He did not dare to be careless and waited patiently. Sun Ce took two sips of tea slowly, then put down the teacup and opened his mouth slowly.

"Meng Qi, Liangzhou has become one with Guanzhong and is the backyard of the imperial court. Since it is a backyard, of course we have to clean it up, plant some trees, plant some vegetables, etc. It is conceivable that in the next few years, the imperial court will put some effort in Liangzhou and control Liangzhou as much as possible."

Ma Chao nodded.

"You have been in Liangzhou for so long, you should know that the imperial court has very weak control in Liangzhou. There are three types of people who can really influence Liangzhou: one is a large family like Anding Huangfu, one is a famous general, and the other is a strong family and has considerable influence in the local area; the other is a local tycoon like the Han family in Jincheng. Although they have no influence in the imperial court, they have a marriage relationship in the local area and cannot be underestimated; the other is the leader of the Qiang people, who control a large number of Qiang people in their hands. What kind of type is your Ma family? Have you ever thought about it?"

Ma Chao rubbed his mouth with his hands and frowned. He carefully weighed the pros and cons, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt short of breath. None of the Ma family counted. The Ma family was neither a large clan in Liangzhou nor a leader of the Qiang people. It was just that by chance that he had an army, and he had the opportunity to compete.

"Liangzhou is poor and has few household registrations. You cannot survive by relying solely on your own strength. If you want to survive, you can only get supplies from the outside world through trade. Therefore, business is the top priority. If you master business, you can live a very prosperous life. Without business, you can only be exploited by others and be a dog for others. There are several important business paths in Liangzhou, do you know?"

"I know a little bit about one or two." Ma Chao nodded. "If you start from Chang'an, there are three most important business roads: one is to go north along Liupan Mountain, pass through Anding and the north, go to Wuyuan, enter the grassland; the other is to go to Longshan, go to Jincheng, pass through Wuwei and Zhangye, go to the Western Regions; the other is to go west from Jincheng, go to the West Sea."

"Which path are you going to control?"

Ma Chao hesitated for a moment and was very embarrassed. "The north is the territory of the Huangfu family, and we don't have the strength to touch it. Jincheng is the territory of Uncle Han, and we can't touch it either. Wuwei and Zhangye have no connections, so we can't gain a foothold. My father raised an army from Hanyang and seemed to be able to control the Hanyang, Longxi and Wudu areas. My eldest mother is a Qiang family, and the Qiang people live a hard life. If I can get the help of the general, I might be able to contact Baima Qiang and Zhongqiang for mutual benefit. Huangfu Song killed the Dong family in Longxi, and blood flowed into a river. The powerful people in Longxi might have the idea of ​​revenge, and maybe they can also use it."

Sun Ce nodded. Who said that Ma Chao is the bravery of a man? He still has a strategic vision. Even if his fate has not changed, his historical development trajectory was in Hanyang and Longxi areas, and he gained the support of the Qiang people and was called General Tian. However, local tyrants did not bid him. Yang Fu and others finally stabbed him, forcing him into Hanzhong and became a dog of a despair.

"You are right, Wuwei, you can't count on Zhangye. Niu Fu will soon seek to return to Liangzhou. He wants to be the prefect of Wuwei."

Ma Chao was stunned and smiled bitterly, "That's true. Jia Wenhe is a native of Wuwei. Although the Duan of Wuwei is not as good as Anding Huangfu, he is a powerful man." He raised his eyelids and looked at Sun Ce. "General, Jia Wenhe tells you this news, do you want to make a deal with you?"

Sun Ce smiled but said nothing. He knocked on the book case. "Hanyang is too close to Guanzhong, and the court probably won't let you father and son get involved. You should focus on Wudu and Longxi. From Wudu to the east, you can enter Hanzhong. Whether it is doing business with Yizhou or Jingzhou, it is quite convenient. If you can win over the Qiang people, you will also have the opportunity to compete with Anding Huangfu and Jincheng Han family."

Ma Chao nodded, very helpless. He was ambitious and wanted to return to Liangzhou to build a career. After Sun Ce analyzed this, he realized that the prospects were not as wonderful as he thought. The Ma family's foundation in Liangzhou was too weak, not only could it be compared with Huangfu, but also far from Han Sui and Niu Fu. They had no share in the three existing business roads, so they could only go to Wudu and Longxi. Even so, it was not easy to win over the Qiang people. If they had no money or power, why should the Qiang people listen to you? A fierce battle is inevitable.

"Meng Qi, when do you think you can control Wudu and Longxi?"

"It depends on the situation, at least three or five years." Ma Chao was a little depressed. He yelled at the brilliance, but he had no confidence, and he didn't even have confidence. After three or five years of defeating the Qiang people, it doesn't seem very reliable. Wudu and Longxi borders are full of mountains. If the Qiang people can't beat them, will they still escape?

Sun Ce smiled. "It will take three or five years to have the equipment of these thousand people? I still hope you can cooperate with me to attack Hanzhong from Wu Du. Wu Yi sent troops to harass Xiangyang, so I can't help but teach him a lesson."

"Is there any good way for the general?"

Sun Ce smiled. "I have some replacement weapons. Do you think the Qiang people are interested?"

Ma Chao's eyes lit up. The replacement of the ordnance is OK. With Sun Cejun's current equipment level, even if the eliminated equipment is in Liangzhou, it is a rare good thing. With these weapons in his hand, can the Qiang people come and work hard like dogs?

"General, you are right. With these weapons, if the Qiang people don't accept it, I can defeat him. Two years, at most two years, with these weapons, maybe in just one year, I can control Wudu and Longxi."

"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious." Sun Ce waved his hand and signaled Ma Chao to be calm. "I have another idea, maybe it's useful."

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Chapter completed!