Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The pursuit got farther and farther, and by daybreak, Cheliji was completely exhausted. The team behind him was also catching up. Cheliji arranged for his men to follow the herd of wild horses from a distance so as not to lose track, leaving the main group behind to rest. Cheliji also said to Yueji with regret: "Just now, there was a man chasing the horses with me. He was really brave, but unfortunately his horse died of exhaustion. With so many horses galloping, I'm afraid the man is also in danger." Yueji was silent after hearing this. After all, the Qiang people admired warriors, and he felt sorry for the warrior's fate.

Ma Chao changed horses at a gallop, keeping pace with the herd until daybreak. Seeing no more pursuers, the horse king led the herd to a stream to graze and drink. The sun shone on the horse king, making it a dazzling white. From head to tail, it measured two feet, from hoof to back, eight feet five feet. Its hooves were seven inches thin, its hooves were bowl-shaped, and its neck was like a bee's mane. Its mane, neck, and tail were all distinctly distinct, and its hooves kicked out with lightning speed. Ma Chao crouched in the grass, watching the horse king, having sated himself and resting leisurely by the stream, suddenly leaping from the ground and straddling the horse's back with a whoosh. The start was truly remarkable. The horse king roared like a dragon, and its front hooves soared into the air, ready to bolt before landing. True to his years of grassland life and his skill as a rider since childhood, Ma Chao, startled, clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly. With one swift movement, he gripped a tree trunk tightly and the other to strangle the horse's neck. The horse charged forward like an arrow, intent not only on throwing Ma Chao off but also on killing him. Unfortunately, Ma Chao clung to the horse's back like glue, his arms wrapped around its neck, multiplying his strength and making it impossible for the horse king to break free. With the horse galloping forward, Ma Chao clinging to the horse's neck, a life-or-death tug-of-war ensued. This lasted an entire hour, during which the Horse King tossed and leaped, nearly throwing Ma Chao off his horse several times. Finally, exhausted, he was thrown off. The Horse King raised its front hooves, ready to step on Ma Chao. This step was powerful enough to carry a thousand pounds of force, and if it had, Ma Chao would have been dead. Ma Chao rolled on the spot, dodging the blow, and took advantage of the momentum to sweep across the Horse King's hind legs. The Horse King lost his footing and fell to the ground. Ma Chao erupted with strength, grabbed the Horse King's neck, and beat him mercilessly with his fists, hammering him more than a dozen times in a row. His fists were broken, bloody, and the Horse King finally stopped struggling, uttering a whine. Ma Chao let go of the Horse King, who struggled to his feet, rubbing his horse's head against Ma Chao's chest. Only then was the Horse King completely subdued.

Ma Chao mounted the horse king, exhausted but full of pride, his heart filled with joy beyond words. He slowly hurried towards the herd.

The horses lost their king and were standing still, unable to move forward. Cheriji finished his repairs and came with his team. Seeing this scene, he called on his team to quickly capture the fine horses. However, Cheriji and Yueji were looking for the horse king. As the wild horses had no horse king to lead them, Cheriji's men captured many fine horses. Only then did the horses begin to scatter and flee in a disorderly manner.

Cheliji summoned his men and counted their haul, revealing nearly a hundred fine horses, including two particularly majestic horses, one red and one black. While not as good as the Wild Horse King, they were still truly exceptional. Cheliji was discussing with Yueji whether to continue their search for the Wild Horse King when they saw Ma Chao approaching from a distance, riding atop the Wild Horse King.

Cheliji and Yueji looked at each other, and both saw surprise in their eyes. Cheliji gave a call, and his subordinates drew their weapons and surrounded Ma Chao.

Ma Chao was shocked and asked angrily: "What do you want to do?" Yueji said: "Han'er, I think you are also a hero. Hand over the Wild Horse King and I will spare your life!" Ma Chao said: "This horse was wild on the grassland, but now I have tamed it. Why should I hand it over to you?" Cheliji sat upright on the horse's back, tapping the whip in his hand and jokingly said: "This is the territory of the Qiang people, and I am the prince of the Qiang people. All the things in the territory belong to my Qiang people. Shouldn't they be given to me?" Cheliji's subordinates approached with weapons in their hands.

Ma Chao said, "I've always heard that the Qiang people admire warriors, but I didn't expect you to only use your numbers to bully the weak." Cheliji ordered his men to retreat and said, "You're right. The Qiang people admire warriors. I'm not trying to rob them. I also like this horse and want to present it to my father for his birthday. I don't want you to get there first. How can I get the horse back?"

In order to pursue the Horse King, Ma Chao did not sleep for a whole day and night. He rode a wild horse all night without any equipment and relied entirely on his personal ability to control it. In addition, subduing the Wild Horse King had exhausted his physical strength. Even if he could break out, it would cost a heavy price. He loved the horse so much that he was unwilling to fight with Cheliji's subordinates, fearing that he would accidentally hurt this peerless horse. In addition, he came to the Qiang territory to ask the Qiang King for weapons and materials, and did not want to offend the Qiang King's beloved son.

Ma Chao pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness is truly filial. Based on this filial piety, I would be happy to offer this fine horse to you. However, our Ma family has been nobles for generations. How can we allow ourselves to be coerced and tarnish our reputation? I see that Your Highness is a majestic and imposing figure, a true warrior. Let's have a duel. Regardless of the outcome, the horse will be yours!"

Cheliji was also full of confidence in his own bravery. "Well, I think you are a hero, man. I thought you were trampled to death by wild horses last night. I am very sorry. Then let's have a duel." Yueji hurriedly stopped Cheliji and said, "Prince, he is alone. We are outnumbered. Why bother to compete with him and put yourself in danger? Your body is worth thousands of gold, how can he compare to you? Just fight directly!" Cheliji stopped Yueji's behavior and said proudly, "I think Han'er has quite heroic spirit and is a worthy opponent. Don't make a move. I want to fight him fairly and prove who is the bravest warrior. Besides, don't you know my ability?"

Cheliji took the mace from his subordinates. The mace was heavy and fierce, and could only be used by warriors with great strength. Cheliji waved it in his hand, and felt very comfortable with it, which was enough to prove that Cheliji was also very brave. He then arranged for his subordinates to provide weapons to Ma Chao. Ma Chao picked up a spear and tried to do a spear flower, but it still felt too light. However, Ma Chao was exhausted, and Cheliji was extremely strong, so he could only win by skill.

The two men squared up and charged at each other. Cheriji's mace was powerful and heavy, wielded with such force that Ma Chao could not withstand it. He unleashed his spear skills, dodging and moving like an antelope with a horn, leaving no trace. The two fought for more than ten rounds, and Cheriji felt as if he couldn't win. He became increasingly impatient and resorted to life-for-life moves, truly worthy of the name of courage. If Ma Chao hadn't been exhausted, he could use the Broken Army spear technique, fiercely countering fierceness, and would have defeated him. However, now he could only provoke Cheriji's temper, let his impatience reveal a flaw, and defeat him with a single move. The two fought for thirty or forty rounds. Cheriji was so anxious that he screamed and cried out. Ma Chao feinted his spear, and Cheriji fell into the trap. He used too much force, and Ma Chao's spear tip was pointed at his throat.