Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun pouring down unreservedly across the vast expanse of Wu Commandery. It should have been an ordinary day. Sun Quan, his mother, and the others had already packed their belongings and prepared to depart. Outside the tent, a crowd of people came to see them off. The atmosphere, while not particularly lively and cheerful, was nonetheless filled with a certain solemnity. Zhou Yu, standing amidst the crowd, cast a cold, icy gaze upon Sun Quan, his eyes unfailingly radiating dislike and wariness. However, when he turned his gaze towards his mother, a hint of sincerity and respect slipped through his eyes. After all, his mother's daily loving care and concern was something he had truly witnessed and cherished.

After a few routine, polite farewells, Sun Quan and his entourage set off on their return journey. The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves gradually faded away in the sunlight, becoming a blur. Then, everyone slowly returned to their tents. However, this tranquility, like fragile glass, did not last long.

Not long after everyone returned to the camp, a soldier rushed into Zhou Yu's tent with a panicked look on his face. He knelt on one knee with a thud and reported breathlessly, "General, something terrible has happened! A group of people appeared out of nowhere, pretending to be Miss Sun, and forcibly took away Master Ma Yue and Master Sun Shao! General Gan found this extremely strange and suspected a trick. He did not hesitate and personally led his men to pursue them. However, the group was not only numerous but also moving very quickly. General Gan was worried that he was outnumbered, so he sent me here to urgently request that you send troops to assist them!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened with anger, as if spitting fire from them, and he roared, "What? Using Sun Shangxiang's name? They've already left! Humph, there's no doubt this must be Sun Quan's treacherous scheme!" Zhou Yu knew Sun Quan's style of action only too well. He knew that this man was a man of deep thoughts and ruthless methods, and that this matter was by no means as simple as it seemed. Sun Shao and Ma Yue were taken away in such a strange way at this critical juncture. There must be some ulterior motive behind this. Zhou Yu was now extremely anxious, as if a fire was burning within him. Without hesitation, he immediately issued an order, "Quick! Select the most elite soldiers in the army and follow me in pursuit! We must bring the two young masters back safely and unharmed! If anything goes wrong, we will be subject to military action!"

The military order was as heavy as a mountain. In an instant, the camp was a scene of bustle. The soldiers sprang into action, selecting the best troops at the fastest speed. They donned their armor, each bearing a gleaming weapon. Led by Zhou Yu, they mounted their horses and, like arrows from a bow, galloped off in the direction the group had departed. The clatter of horse hooves was like rolling thunder, pounding the ground densely and forcefully, raising clouds of dust. The entire Wu Commandery was instantly plunged into a tense and oppressive atmosphere by this sudden change, as if a storm was about to break out.

At this moment, Sun Shao and Ma Yue were caught up in the wilderness, galloping on horseback. The wind whistled past their ears, causing pain on their faces. Sun Shao and Ma Yue secretly felt suspicious, always feeling that there was something inexplicably strange about the situation.

Ma Yue finally couldn't help but ask, "Didn't we agree that Aunt Shangxiang would take us out for an outing? Why haven't we seen Aunt Shangxiang yet?" The servants, feeling guilty, feigned composure, coaxing them, "Don't worry, gentlemen! Miss Sun is waiting for you at a wonderful place just up ahead. We need to hurry, or we'll miss out."

Sun Shao was still young and hadn't fully realized what was happening. He simply nodded, bewildered. But Ma Yue felt something was amiss. With his sharp eyes, he noticed they were heading in a more remote direction, not at all like a place they would normally visit. Alarm bells rang in Ma Yue's heart, and he shouted, "No! You lied to us! This isn't a place for fun! Put us down!" Then, he began to struggle, trying to break free from the attendants' grip.

However, the attendants refused to obey. Far from slowing down, they whipped their horses even harder, sending them hurtling forward. Ma Yue, gazing at the unfamiliar and desolate scene, felt a surge of anxiety. He clutched Sun Shao tightly, trying to comfort his bewildered brother while pondering how to escape his predicament. Sun Shao, seemingly sensing the danger, paled with fear as he clung to Ma Yue, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves thundered across the wilderness as Gan Ning, leading a cavalry force, pursued them with the swiftness of a gust of wind. His gaze fixed on the attendants holding Sun Shao and Ma Yue hostage, he shouted, "Who are you? Halt immediately! Leave the two young masters behind!" Upon hearing his cry, the attendants' faces turned pale as paper. Instead of answering, they acted like mad, desperately spurring their horses forward, their speed increasing by the second.

Seeing this, Gan Ning secretly thought something was amiss, knowing this was no ordinary situation. Without hesitation, he led his cavalry forward like a tide, determined to capture this group of unidentified people in one fell swoop. However, because Ma Yue and Sun Shao were among them, he was hesitant to kill the guards carrying the two young masters, and could only try to block their path.

Just as Gan Ning was about to catch up, Generals Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, two of the leading troops, keenly noticed something was amiss and rushed out to meet them. Gan Ning, distraught, shouted, "General Cheng, General Huang, what are you doing? Why are you forcibly abducting these two young masters?" Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were both bewildered upon hearing this, clearly unaware of what Gan Ning was talking about. Cheng Pu quickly said, "Xingba, there must be some misunderstanding. Don't worry."

Despite this, the soldiers behind Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were all as if they were facing a formidable enemy, gripping their weapons tightly and watching Gan Ning's group with vigilance. The guards, taking advantage of the moment of confrontation, recklessly rushed towards the center of the group, carrying the two young masters with them. Gan Ning, anxious and unwilling to give up, was about to spur his horse to pursue them, but was stopped by Cheng Pu and Huang Gai. Cheng Pu shouted, "Let's talk about this later. Isn't it impolite for you to so rashly charge into the Marquis of Wu's carriage?"

Gan Ning, utterly distraught, refused to listen and shouted, "Generals, please don't try to stop me! If you do, I'll be rude!" Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were reluctant to engage Gan Ning, but they couldn't bear to see him charge into Sun Quan's forces, so they continued to try to stop him. Gan Ning, now furious, brandished his sword without a word and attacked the two generals.

Generals Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were deeply shocked by Gan Ning's actions. Knowing Gan Ning's extraordinary martial prowess, they secretly feared him. Yet, out of duty, fearing Gan Ning might offend Sun Quan, they were forced to draw their weapons and engage him. For a moment, swords flashed, cries of killing echoed across the wilderness, and the situation grew increasingly tense and chaotic.

The guards led the two young masters straight towards Sun Quan's carriage. Sun Quan saw from afar that the guards were hugging Sun Shao and Ma Yue, and a look of unconcealable joy suddenly appeared on his face.

Sun Shangxiang, observing this, was filled with confusion. She couldn't understand Sun Quan's intentions and asked, "Second brother, why did you bring these two children here?" Sun Quan smiled and said proudly, "I had originally intended to bring Shao'er with me to raise him myself, but Zhou Yu was stubborn and refused to agree, so I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

As they spoke, the guards had already placed the two young men beside Sun Quan. Upon seeing Sun Shangxiang, the two young men cried out, "Aunt! Aunt!" Sun Shangxiang, having heard her brother's explanation, was instantly filled with rage. Without a word, she drew her sword from her waist. She quickly approached the guard, a flicker of determination in her eyes, and with a single strike of her sword, she stabbed him to death. Then, gently, she addressed the two young men, "Don't be afraid. Come, get on my carriage."

The incident happened so suddenly that Sun Quan was stunned for a moment. It took him a while to react and he hurriedly shouted, "Little sister! Don't ruin my plan!" But Sun Shangxiang turned a deaf ear to him. She used her sword to force the guard driving the car and shouted sternly, "Go, turn around!" After that, the guard driving the car did not dare to disobey and had to turn the car around.

Sun Quan was so anxious that he jumped up and down behind her. He chased after her and shouted, "Little sister! Little sister! You've ruined my plans!" Sun Shangxiang didn't even turn her head, but urged the guards to speed up. In a blink of an eye, she had put some distance between herself and Sun Quan.

Gan Ning, anxious and desperate, was engaged in a desperate battle with Cheng Pu and Huang Gai to recapture Sun Shao and Ma Yue. Blades flashed, shouts of killing rang loudly, and the figures of the three men appeared and disappeared in the thick dust.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out from behind, like rumbling thunder approaching from afar. Zhou Yu, leading a large force, arrived like a hurricane. His swift gaze instantly spotted Gan Ning, who was engaged in a fierce battle, and he shouted, "Gan Xingba! Where are the two young masters?" Gan Ning, struggling to fend off the attacks of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, shouted back, "They've been taken to Sun Quan's forces!"

When Zhou Yu heard this, he was immediately furious, his eyes wide open, and he shouted, "Chase!" He led most of his troops and pressed forward like a tide, and loudly questioned Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, "Two old generals, do you really want to force us to fight?" Seeing this, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai hurriedly withdrew from Gan Ning's attack range. Cheng Pu bowed and said, "General, there must be some misunderstanding here. You can stop the troops and let us discuss together to resolve the misunderstanding." After that, he quickly stopped his troops.

However, at this moment, there was a commotion up ahead. Sun Shangxiang was seen hurriedly approaching in a carriage, holding the groom hostage with a sword. Sun Quan was chasing after her, anxiously calling out, "Little sister, stop! Stop!" Everyone on the scene was stunned by this sudden change.

Zhou Yu, however, reacted quickly, taking a few quick steps forward with Taishi Ci and Gan Ning. The two boys, upon seeing Zhou Yu, cried out, "Uncle! Uncle!" as if they had found a savior. Zhou Yu, standing to his left and right, ordered, "Hurry and help!"

At Zhou Yu's command, his army surged forward like a tidal wave. Their coordinated march, accompanied by the throbbing drumbeats, was a breathtaking sight. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, fearing a large-scale battle, shouted, "Don't move! Don't move!" They simultaneously directed their men to quickly clear a path, saying in unison, "Let the young master pass!"

Seeing this, Zhou Yu hurried his horse forward and brought the carriage back steadily. He dismounted and strode to the carriage frame. At this moment, the two children couldn't wait to throw themselves into Zhou Yu's arms, their eyes full of grievance and fear. Zhou Yu hugged the two children tightly, his heart aching and fearful, and tears welled up in his eyes. He stroked the children's heads gently, his voice trembling slightly, saying, "Don't be afraid, uncle is here, it's okay, it's okay..."