Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Chao, his previous gloom swept away, and with confidence and sternness, he addressed Xu Shu, "Mr. Yuanzhi, I would like to ask you to write a letter as soon as possible, detailing this plan and sending it to my brother Sun Ce in Kuaiji. You are a man of great intelligence, so I hope you will choose your words carefully. Make sure my brother clearly understands the pros and cons of this plan, so that he can quickly join us in the battle."

Xu Shu nodded slightly and replied, "General, rest assured. I will do my best to write a detailed and thorough letter so that General Sun can understand the key points."

After arranging the contact with Sun Ce, Ma Chao turned to Xu Huang and gave a serious instruction: "Gongming, you will immediately lead a squadron of elite cavalry and return to Xiliang at full speed. This trip to Xiliang carries a heavy responsibility, and you must personally oversee the mobilization of troops. You must ensure that 50,000 elite troops are assembled to rendezvous with us as quickly as possible. You must also monitor the soldiers' condition along the way and ensure they are not overly fatigued. You must also ensure the safety of the march and avoid any ambushes."

Xu Huang clasped his fists in acceptance and shouted, "I obey your command! I will fulfill my mission and return with 50,000 elite troops as quickly as possible to join the general in this battle!"

Ma Chao then addressed Zhang Liao and Zhang Ren, "Generals, you two will be responsible for organizing our 40,000-plus soldiers and preparing them for the expedition. Once they are fully equipped, we will depart first."

Zhang Ren clasped his fists respectfully and saluted, saying, "I will obey your orders and do my utmost to ensure that our army is absolutely safe."

Finally, Ma Chao once again faced the generals and announced loudly, "Men, in this battle, we will attack Yuan Shu from two sides, along with General Sun Ce, and encircle Yuan Shu from three sides, along with Liu Yao's forces. During this period, everyone must strictly observe military discipline and refrain from harassing the civilians. We are here to save the people from danger, and we must not lose their support. Once the army is assembled, we will act according to our plan. We must show Yuan Shu our strength and deter him from any further ambitions towards Yangzhou!"

All the generals shouted in unison: "As ordered! We are willing to serve you like a slave and make sure Yuan Shu never returns!"

Ma Chao looked at the high-spirited generals with a heart full of satisfaction and confidence. He knew very well that this battle was of great importance. Only by going all out and acting according to the plan could he achieve his goal, live up to the emperor's edict, and live up to the expectations of the people of the world.

After receiving the order, the generals all left and began to arrange relevant matters. The camp suddenly became quiet, leaving only Ma Chao alone in the general's mansion.

Although Ma Chao had already made many arrangements for the upcoming military operation, he still had a heavy burden weighing on his heart like a huge rock, which made him unable to let go. That was his ardent desire to see Lu Wan again before leaving.

Lu Wan meant so much to Ma Chao; her every smile, every word, every action, was deeply etched in his heart. Now, as he was about to depart for the battlefield, uncertain of her fate, he was truly worried about Lu Wan, left alone in the palace. He just wanted to see her one last time, give her a few words, and perhaps even some comfort.

The difficulty, however, was that seeing Lu Wan required the Emperor's permission. The Emperor already harbored resentment towards him, and previous incidents had already complicated their relationship. Under these circumstances, Ma Chao was unsure how to approach the Emperor with this request, or in what manner.

He paced back and forth in the mansion, sometimes stopping, sometimes continuing, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness.

Ma Chao wandered around the mansion at a loss, hoping to come up with a comprehensive and appropriate solution that would not only fulfill his wish to see Lu Wan again but also would not anger the emperor and bring any adverse effects to the upcoming operation.

Ma Chao paced back and forth in his mansion, racking his brains, but no matter how much he thought, he could not come up with a good excuse that would make the emperor happy to agree. He knew that this matter was very difficult. He had to fulfill his wish to see Lu Wan, but he must not anger the emperor and affect the expedition.

Helpless, Ma Chao had to put this idea aside for now, figuring he'd wait until the day the army set out, when he'd bid farewell to the emperor, to raise the matter. Perhaps the atmosphere would be more favorable then, and if he tried to be more sincere and tactful in his words, perhaps the emperor, considering the impending battle, would show some mercy and allow him to meet Lu Wan. Although he knew the hope was slim, he could only hope, hoping that when that day came, everything would be as he wished.

After receiving the emperor's order, Lü Bu hurried back to discuss countermeasures with Wang Yun. Upon hearing this, Wang Yun frowned, feeling that this arrangement was inappropriate. But then he thought, after all, the emperor had promised to provide food and fodder, which was a bit of a guarantee.

So Wang Yun thought for a moment and said to Lu Bu, "Fengxian, in my opinion, at worst we can just take our time off for a while. Anyway, we have food supplies and we don't have to worry about having no food. If we can really win the battle, we will naturally have a share of the credit." After hearing this, Lu Bu was still reluctant, but he felt that there seemed to be no other way for the time being, so he agreed with Wang Yun to keep the troops in place for the time being and wait for the court to arrange the food supplies.

But who knew that this wait would last a long time, and despite waiting and waiting, there was still no sign of the food and supplies being distributed. Lü Bu gradually became anxious, so he sent people out to inquire about the situation. This inquiry was shocking: he learned that Liu Bei had already replenished all the food and supplies and was ready to march at any time.

When Lü Bu heard about this, he immediately felt a surge of dissatisfaction. He was the governor of Bingzhou, sitting on the land of Bingzhou, but he was not as respected as Liu Bei? He immediately decided to go to Xun Yu to ask for clarification.

Upon meeting Xun Yu, Lü Bu unleashed his discontent and doubts. But Xun Yu was helpless. After all, even the best cook cannot cook without rice. With the emperor's arrangement, what else could he do? He could only offer Lü Bu ambiguous words to stall.

Lü Bu went there two or three times in succession, each time leaving with hope, but each time returning filled with anger. Xun Yu's answers were always ambiguous and unclear, which made Lü Bu very angry. His anger grew stronger and stronger, and he felt that he was being treated so perfunctorily and was really aggrieved.

Lü Bu returned to his tent in a rage, kicked open the door, and began to rage. He complained to Wang Yun with a furious look on his face:

"Father-in-law, look at the emperor's behavior. Isn't he clearly playing a trick on me, Lü Bu? Back then, I led the soldiers from Bingzhou to join him, and even fought tooth and nail to help him defeat Yuan Shao, severely suppressing Yuan Shao's arrogance. But now, he's acting like this. What's the point? He calculated the closeness and distance so clearly. Liu Bei had plenty of food and grass, and everything was prepared perfectly, but here I am, not even a grain of rice or a load of grass. His behavior is really infuriating!"

Wang Yun was already dissatisfied with the emperor's treatment of the aristocratic families. His Wang family was a prestigious and prominent clan, and Wang Yun himself had served three dynasties. Yet, even with this, he had not received any favorable treatment from the emperor. Moreover, the emperor had always treated these old ministers with contempt. Not only Wang Yun, but also the other aristocratic families were extremely dissatisfied with the emperor.

Wang Yun listened to Lü Bu's complaints and said, "Fengxian, calm down and take a closer look at everything this emperor has done. Every single one of them has been a display of wisdom, while actually harming the country and profiting from it. In my opinion, even if we wholeheartedly assist him until the end, it will probably be in vain. How can we not see his behavior? Yet, he persists in doing so with such stubborn determination. This shows how conceited this emperor is, and how he refuses to listen to anyone's advice."

When Lu Bu heard Wang Yun's words, the pent-up anger in his chest instantly filled up, swelling to the point where his chest felt like it was about to explode. His face flushed red, and he angrily said to Wang Yun:

"Foster father, look at the current situation. It's really frustrating! Back when we were in Xiliang, I thought our Bingzhou soldiers were all strong and powerful, and we could make a name for ourselves wherever we went. But who could have imagined that when we arrived in Chang'an, we would find that the emperor actually held all the power personally and had to obey his orders in everything. My previous thinking was really wrong. I thought I could show my talents here, but now I am controlled by the emperor and everything goes wrong. What do you think we should do?"

A fierce look flashed across Wang Yun's eyes, a glare as sharp as a blade. He addressed Lü Bu with a sullen expression, "General, look at what this emperor is doing now. He's treating us like fools, ready to be fooled! He's wantonly stirring up trouble in the court, flaunting his supposedly brilliant wit. Does he really think we can't see through his little tricks?"

Wang Yun grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his voice rising a few notches unconsciously. "He's so sure we wouldn't dare attack him, that's why he's so brazenly manipulating us, toying with us like that! Humph, since he's so unkind, why bother talking to him about morality? Why don't we just go all out and tear him down from the supreme throne? What good will it do to replace him?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu was instantly shocked, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind. His eyes widened, a look of horror on his face, and he quickly said, "Father-in-law, this idea of ​​yours is absolutely unacceptable! This is truly reckless and impulsive. Don't forget the lesson of Dong Zhuo. Back then, Dong Zhuo relied on his vast military power and immense influence to believe he could control the entire world. He acted recklessly, attempting to manipulate the emperor and even dethroning him. But what was the result? He ended up in disgrace, scorned and despised by the world, and ultimately doomed!"

As Lü Bu spoke, he paced anxiously in the tent, beads of sweat gradually oozing from his forehead. "We don't have Dong Zhuo's powerful army to back us up now. If we rashly commit such a heinous act, we would be playing with fire and getting burned! Not only would the various lords seize the opportunity to launch an attack, the public outcry would drown us in spit. Please, my father-in-law, be extremely cautious and do not act rashly or impulsively."