Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The mist on the river seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, and the Zhou banner unfurled more clearly in the morning light. Figures could be vaguely seen moving on the wooden deck of the flagship. The northern heroes around Ma Chao were mostly men accustomed to riding horses. At this moment, looking at the continuous array of ships on the river, their iron armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, the rhythm of the oars striking the water as synchronized as drumming, the "thump, thump" of the water audible even across the riverbank, they couldn't help but gasp in amazement. These men, who were used to the dust kicked up by horses' hooves and the clash of swords in the grasslands and deserts, now faced with this "floating land," their eyes held both curiosity and a touch of awkwardness and apprehension towards naval warfare.

“The formation of these ships is even more orderly than our cavalry formation.” Pound gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist and whispered to Xu Huang, “The naval battles in the south are so impressive, it’s truly an eye-opener.”

Xu Huang nodded, his gaze falling on the flagship's towering watchtower: "To be able to gather so many ships together and keep them perfectly still, the helmsman must be a master. Just this kind of command is enough for us to study for a while."

Ma Chao was gazing absently at the river when he heard a soft, bell-like laugh behind him. Turning around, he saw Dong Bai, Zhen Mi, and several other girls discussing the embroidered river waves on the sails. He then called out, "When we meet Gongjin later, we must learn a thing or two about this navy. Perhaps our Xiliang should build a fleet and train on the Yellow River someday." As he spoke, his sharp eyes caught sight of a small boat heading towards the shore. The figure standing at the bow, his long robe fluttering in the river wind, was familiar—it was none other than Lu Su.

"Zijing has indeed arrived!" Ma Chao strode forward to greet him, with the others following closely behind. Their footsteps rustled softly on the sandy riverbank.

As soon as the small boat was moored, Lu Su jumped ashore, cupped his hands and smiled, "Your Majesty, I have done my duty! Governor Zhou heard that Your Majesty was here and specially ordered a hundred or so fast boats to help you—although they cannot compare to the speed of the northern cavalry, they can still protect you well on this river."

Ma Chao laughed loudly, slapping Lu Su's shoulder hard with the force of a northern man: "Zijing, you've had a rough journey, but you've finally brought the fleet here! Get the ships ashore quickly, the brothers can't wait to see the grandeur of the Jiangdong navy!"

Lu Su accepted the gesture with a smile, returning the greeting with a smile in his eyes and brows: "Please wait a moment, everyone." After saying that, he turned around and took an indigo command flag from the personal guard behind him. With a light twist of his wrist, the flag drew a neat arc in the air—first waving it three times to the left, then three times to the right, the movements were swift and smooth.

The fleet, which had been as still as a deep current on the river, began to move at the sound of the oars. The lead boat turned its rudder first, its sails billowing in the wind like an eagle spreading its wings, leading dozens of other boats in a line, one after another, like dragons playing in the water, slowly approaching the shore guided by the command flags. The armored soldiers stood at attention at the bows, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The oars entered the water in perfect unison, the splashes of water falling on the river like shattered jade, even the sound of the water seemed to have a certain order, making one's heart tremble.

Before the boat had come to a complete stop and was still about ten feet from the shore, familiar shouts came from the bow. Ma Chao looked up and saw several generals, including Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and Zhou Tai, standing on the city wall, waving and shouting "Your Majesty!" Their voices pierced the river wind and were particularly loud.

Before the boat even reached the shore, a hundred strong men leaped from the deck, jumping directly into the river with their bare arms. Although it was early spring, the river water was still bone-chillingly cold, but they paid no heed, deftly moving planks and securing chains, and in the blink of an eye, they began building a pontoon bridge. The sounds of planks being joined together, chains clanging, and water splashing were exceptionally clear on the river.

Ma Chao, Pang De, and the others on the shore were stunned. Pang De clicked his tongue and said, "These men aren't afraid of the cold, jumping in shirtless like that. Their bones must be freezing!"

A smile flashed in Ma Chao's eyes: "That's Xingba's Jinfan Army. They're skilled both on land and in the water. What's a little cold to them?"

As they spoke, the pontoon bridge stretched out to the shore like a long snake, its planks laid out flat and its chains taut. Gan Ning was the first to step onto the pontoon bridge, his steps light and swift as if on flat ground, followed closely by Taishi Ci, Zhou Tai, and others. In the blink of an eye, they reached Ma Chao.

"Your humble servant Gan Ning (Taishi Ci, Zhou Tai) pays his respects to the King of Liang!" The three knelt down with a thud, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Upon seeing this, the Jiangdong soldiers on the deck also bowed down in unison, shouting "Greetings, King Liang!" The sound waves crashed against the river surface and bounced back, making the sand on the shore seem to tremble slightly. Huang Zu and his son on the city tower were already on edge, and now, hearing this commotion, their legs began to tremble again. Huang Zu gripped the crenellations tightly, fearing that the sound waves concealed weapons that would rush into the city at any moment.

Ma Chao quickly reached out to help him up: "Xingba, get up! What are you doing making the brothers plunge into the water in this freezing weather?"

Gan Ning threw his head back and laughed, letting Ma Chao help him up: "I was just afraid that the King would be getting impatient! Besides, it's not easy for the Xiliang cavalry to board the ship. If we build a pontoon bridge, the brothers will be able to walk more steadily."

Xu Huang patted Gan Ning on the shoulder and exclaimed in amazement, "Old Gan, you did a really good job! Otherwise, just getting on that swaying boat would have made our legs cramp up."

Gan Ning glanced at him sideways and laughed, "You coward, you're as tough as a bear on land, but you become a wilted cucumber on a ship."

Everyone burst into laughter. Xu Huang was not annoyed. Instead, he hugged Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, and others. The sharp edge they had shown when they met on the battlefield had now transformed into the warmth of camaraderie among comrades.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, Gan Ning turned to look at the water fortress not far away. Seeing that the archers on the city wall were still on high alert, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty, I see that Xiakou is heavily fortified. Why don't we take advantage of the situation and capture the water fortress to avoid it getting in the way later?"

Ma Chao waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Huang Zu and his son, who looked like startled birds on the city wall, and laughed, "You're still as impatient as ever. We've been stationed here for several days, and they haven't dared to make a move. Why bother? Getting to Jiangdong is the priority. I haven't seen Gongjin in a long time, and I really miss him."

Gan Ning chuckled and stopped insisting: "Your Majesty is right. The navy has prepared ships, and the brothers can set off at any time."

Ma Chao nodded and turned to Pang De, saying, "Lingming, go and invite Bai'er and the others to come and board the ship."

Before long, Dong Bai, Zhen Mi, Zhang Fubao, and Gongsun Rou walked gracefully in, their robes fluttering in the river breeze. Gan Ning had seen Dong Bai before, and upon seeing her, he quickly bowed again, saying, "This humble general Gan Ning greets the Mistress."

The title "Mistress" was loud and clear. Zhen Mi and the other two had never been addressed like that before, and they blushed instantly, instinctively hiding behind Dong Bai. Dong Bai, however, remained calm and said gently, "General Gan, please rise. The brothers worked hard to build the pontoon bridge, there's no need for such formalities."

Taishi Ci and Zhou Tai were seeing the women around Ma Chao for the first time. They were amazed by their extraordinary demeanor and outstanding appearance. They thought to themselves, "The king is truly blessed." But they could only admire them in their hearts and quickly followed suit to pay their respects.

Gan Ning led the women like a familiar guide, leading them to the largest and most magnificent ship, saying, "Ladies, this way please. This ship is stable, and you can see the river view from the windows. It's more comfortable than the other ships." After arranging for the women, he turned around and called for the soldiers to board the ship in an orderly manner.

Ma Chao pointed to the fleet of warships that Huang Zu had gathered not far away and smiled at Gan Ning, saying, "Those are gifts 'sent' by Prefect Huang of Jiangxia. Now that you're here, go and receive them all."

Gan Ning stared at the ships and chuckled, "When did this old man Huang become so generous? He's actually offering gifts to the King?"

Xu Huang chimed in from the side, "They were intimidated by our ten thousand iron cavalry! These past few days, the father and son have been like frightened birds on the city wall. It would be good enough if they obediently handed over the ships!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, and the atmosphere on the river became even more lively.

Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, and Taishi Ci immediately led a group of men, carrying the ship deeds previously given to them by Huang Zu, to receive the warships. Huang Zu and his son, watching from the city wall, saw them heading straight for their fleet. Huang She, anxious, shouted from the city wall, "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! What does the King of Liang mean by this?"

Gan Ning looked up, a roguish expression on his face: "Prefect Huang said earlier that these ships are a gift for my king, so naturally we've come to receive them!"

Huang Zu's face turned pale, but he forced himself to say, "Since it is a gift to the King of Liang, I have no objection..."

"Father!" Huang She exclaimed urgently, "These warships have all been given to them. What will happen if the lord asks about them later..."

"Shut up!" Huang Zu hissed, veins throbbing on his forehead. "Let's get through this first! Do you want Ma Chao to lead his troops to attack the city?"

Huang She was speechless, and could only watch helplessly as Gan Ning and the others took control of the fleet.

Before long, boarding was complete. Gan Ning then ran to Ma Chao's side, reaching out to help him: "Your Majesty, shall I help you onto the ship?"

Ma Chao slapped his hand away with a look of disgust: "It's not like I've never been on a boat before, do I need your help?"

Gan Ning chuckled, showing no embarrassment. He turned and took Ma Chao's prized horse, "Aurora," from his guards, carefully leading the horse onto the pontoon bridge and following closely behind as they boarded the ship.

With a long horn call, the fleet slowly sailed away from the shore. The "Liang" flag on the warship and the "Zhou" flag of the Jiangdong Navy stood side by side in the wind, fluttering in the wind.

Huang Zu and his son watched the fleet sail away from the city tower until it disappeared into the depths of the river mist. Only then did they slump down on the edge of the battlements, their backs soaked with cold sweat. Huang Zu stared at the empty river and murmured, "Finally... we've seen off this bodhisattva... no, we've seen off this living devil..."

The river shimmered, sunlight scattering across its surface like flowing gold foil. The massive fleet, like a dragon, rode the wind and waves, sailing eastward.

Many of the soldiers on board were northern men, who were usually adept at riding horses, but once on the ship, they couldn't withstand the rocking and swaying. Many turned pale and retched while leaning against the railing. However, Zhou Yu was prepared. The cabin was stocked with ginger slices, anti-nausea medicine, and specially brewed perilla soup. His personal guards moved among the passengers, distributing the medicine in an orderly manner and occasionally offering words of comfort.

Ma Chao stood leaning against the railing, the river wind whipping his robes in the breeze. He had often traveled by boat during his early campaigns in Jiangdong, and was long accustomed to the swaying of the water; now, gazing at the surging river, he remained calm. Dong Bai and Zhang Fubao stood beside him, watching curiously the water birds playing near the gunwale, occasionally letting out soft laughter.

Inside the cabin, Zhen Mi and Gongsun Rou were both feeling unwell. Zhen Mi leaned against the soft couch, her brows slightly furrowed, her mouth covered with a handkerchief, her face pale. Gongsun Rou wasn't much better, half-lying down with her eyes closed, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. The maids gently wiped them down and brought them water, not daring to disturb them in the slightest.

The fleet sailed smoothly downstream. The green hills and trees on both banks receded slowly, like a flowing painting. Ma Chao turned to look towards the cabin and said to Dong Bai, "Go check on the two of them."

Dong Bai nodded, got up and went inside. He returned shortly after and said softly, "She's already asleep. The maid said she took her medicine and should be fine."

Ma Chao hummed in agreement, his gaze returning to the river. In the distance, the water met the sky, a vast expanse stretching out before him. He couldn't help but recall the battles fought in Jiangdong years ago, a faint smile playing on his lips.

A river breeze began to rise, fluttering the flags on the ships. The fleet, like a sharp blade, sliced ​​through the water and steadily advanced towards Wu County.