Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In 222 AD, the winter of the second year of the Zhangwu reign of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei's second year as emperor, it was the third day of the twelfth lunar month. The weather had been bitterly cold since the beginning of winter, and today was even more so, with dark clouds covering the sky and a howling wind. At noon, the sky was beginning to darken, and it looked like snow might fall. People in Chengdu hurried, fearing that the wind and snow would hinder their progress. However, at the residence of the General of Cavalry, a commotion erupted. Physicians were summoned in droves, even the imperial physicians were among them. Ma Chao, one of the Five Tiger Generals, was gravely ill and incurable. Military commanders either came in person or sent their sons, nephews, and trusted aides to see the general one last time. Ma Chao was already unconscious, and all matters concerning his funeral and reception were being taken care of by his cousin, Ma Dai.

On the hospital bed, Ma Chao gradually woke up from his coma. Ma Dai hurried forward to raise Ma Chao's pillow and told Ma Chao that the emperor had sent imperial doctors to treat him today and bestowed various rewards, and that the generals had come to visit him. As he was speaking, Ma Chao interrupted Ma Dai and said, "Bo Zhan, wait a minute. Today... my time is coming to an end... I only have one question... can I... have the face... to see my father... in the afterlife..." Ma Dai burst into tears and choked with sobs and could not answer. In silence, Ma Chao recalled the past: he became famous at a young age, made a name for himself among foreign races, and was revered as the Divine General by the Qiang people. A young man of arrogance and recklessness, he was just about to achieve his goal when he received tragic news: his father and brothers had been executed by Cao Cao because of him. To avenge his father, he led an army to fight Cao Cao, forcing him to sever his beard and abandon his robe. He then dominated Xiliang, but was defeated by Cao Cao due to internal discord. He then attached himself to Zhang Lu, but Zhang Lu was incompetent and incompetent, full of suspicion. He rebelled against Zhang Lu and defected to Liu Bei, fighting bloody battles for Liu Bei to gain control of Xichuan. When Liu Bei stabilized his territory, he thought he could conquer Cao Cao and avenge his father. However, he found that he only had high official positions and generous rewards, but no real power to lead the army. It turned out that Liu Bei was also full of fear of him. Unable to avenge his father and revive his family, the past was vivid in his mind. He felt that his heroic ambitions were unfulfilled at the end of his life. He was filled with anger, his blood boiling, his eyes wide open, and he shouted for revenge by killing Cao. He cried out three times and died of vomiting blood.

......

Ma Chao woke up from his sleep with an itchy feeling on the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes and saw his sister Ma Yunlu holding a chicken feather in front of him. Ma Yunlu smiled slyly, "Brother, you're awake. You were lazy and fell asleep in the middle of the day. I'll tell father and punish you by making you practice spear fighting three hundred times." Ma Chao suddenly realized that the world was spinning and he was overwhelmed by thousands of memories. Wasn't I incurable and lying in bed waiting to die? Wasn't my little sister killed along with my parents by the thief Cao? What was going on? Looking down, he still had the body of a teenager, and his appearance was the same as he remembered when he was a teenager. His sister was still standing in front of him with a beautiful smile. What was going on? The memory impact was too great, and he fainted again with a headache.

Slowly waking, Ma Chao lay in bed, his eyes vacant, gazing at the sunlight streaming through the window. His mind raced with thoughts. "I was clearly dead, so how did I come back to life, still looking young? What was going on?" Was it Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, or was it the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi? Decades of battle were vividly remembered, so real, and now he could feel the sunlight. He didn't think about what had gone wrong. Being alive was truly wonderful. Since God had given me a chance to start over, I had so many regrets, and they must never happen again. I must change my bad habits: the pride of a warrior, the arrogance of a noble family, my aversion to literature, politics, and domestic affairs. I could no longer be a reckless man obsessed with personal prowess. I had to change my fate, protect my family, and bring honor to my clan! The shattered Han Dynasty, the suffering people of Dawn—in this life, I will protect you!

Just when Ma Chao was lost in thought, he heard hurried footsteps. Before anyone arrived, he heard Ma Teng calling out anxiously, "Chao'er, Chao'er, what's wrong with you? Why did I suddenly hear that you fainted?" Ma Chao suddenly heard Ma Teng's call, and jumped up from the bed. He walked over quickly, helped Ma Teng sit down, and before he could say anything, tears filled his eyes. He knelt in front of Ma Teng and choked out, "Dad, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying about you." Ma Teng hurried to help Ma Chao and said softly, "Dad, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying about you." "What happened to my son today? What happened? Why are we so serious with each other?" Ma Chao shook off Ma Teng's hands that were trying to support him, and said sadly: "Father, don't stop me, let me kneel. I had a very long dream. I dreamed that because of my madness, my father and brothers were killed by Cao Cao. From then on, they lived a life of wandering and helpless, their clans withered, and they died of depression! After waking up, I felt the same pain and was in great pain. I am really ashamed of my father's upbringing and teaching..." Ma Chao knelt beside Ma Teng's seat, hugged Ma Teng's legs, and cried bitterly. Ma Teng stood up and stroked Ma Chao's head, saying with pity: "Chao'er, don't cry. Fortunes and misfortunes are destined at birth. Our family has been passed down since our ancestor, General Fu Bo Ma Yuan, and has enjoyed wealth and honor for generations. Dreams are not necessarily true. Even if they are, that is the fate of our family. Your father has been a soldier all his life and has long been accustomed to life and death. There is countless blood on his hands. Those who kill will be killed, and no one will be blamed. Chao'er, this incident is just a wake-up call for you. You have always been competitive and have a high talent for martial arts and battles, but you have made no progress in learning literature. If you don't learn literature, you don't know etiquette. Don't act on impulse in everything. A good man should be both civil and martial, and a well-rounded gentleman. I should work hard on it." Ma Chao nodded and said: "My son will remember his father's teachings and will change his reckless behavior in the future. "If you have an arrogant character, you must visit a famous teacher to revitalize our Ma family." Ma Teng said this. Ma Chao helped him up and said, "Chao'er, what you just said is quite strange. It concerns the Han Dynasty and involves many princes in the world. Don't mention it to others. Only my father and I know. Whether things are turning out as you dreamed can be verified slowly. Now is a troubled time. You need to be cautious in everything you say and do. Don't cause unnecessary trouble because of such remarks. Okay, Chao'er, let me put it this way first. Although you are fine, you still need to rest more. Stop practicing your spear skills today. Your father will arrange for talented and virtuous people to teach my son in the next few days." Ma Teng saw that Ma Chao was not seriously injured. After giving instructions, he went to handle official business.

Ma Chao thought of this strange and long dream again. Everything was vivid in his mind. He couldn't help but sigh and secretly made up his mind to change everything.