Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast.

This is episode 135.

Last time, the Kingdom of Shu was in trouble.

Its indispensable man, Zhuge Liang, had died,

and what's more, its most fierce warrior, the general Wei Yan, had started a rebellion.

But when Wei Yan confronted a detachment of the Shu army,

most of his own men quickly deserted,

since they were in no mood to fight their own countrymen.

They all just wanted to go home.

Wei Yan tried yelling at them, and he tried chasing them, and then he tried killing a few of them.

But nothing worked, and his army quickly dissipated.

But there was one unit that did not budge.

It was the 300 men under the command of the general Ma Dai, who had been serving in

Wei Yan's unit when Wei Yan decided to rebel.

Sir, Wei Yan said to Ma Dai, if you are sincere about helping me, then when I succeed, I will not forget you.

Ma Dai said, yeah, okay, that sounds good. By this time, the Shu forces that confronted them

had retreated, so the two of them regrouped what was left of their army and tried to figure out

their next move.

How about we go serve the kingdom of Wei? Wei Yan suggested.

General, that is not a good idea, Ma Dai said. Why should a true man subject himself to the service of another instead of seeking his own empire? In my view, you possess valor and cunning.

Who in the riverlands would dare to oppose you?

I swear that I shall join you.

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