Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Xu Huang shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice as loud as a bell: "Don't push me, I can walk by myself!" A cold light flashed in Zhao Yun's eyes, as if a murderous aura was gathering. He lowered his voice, but every word was as sharp as a knife: "You rash man, if you keep talking, do you think I didn't hit you hard enough?" There was unquestionable majesty and warning in his voice.

Xu Huang seemed to be oblivious to Zhao Yun's threats. Instead, he became even more excited. The veins on his neck bulged, and he shouted even louder: "Don't be so complacent, pretty boy! If you have the guts, let's have a fair fight on the battlefield. We should each bring our troops and deploy our troops, and fight with real swords and guns to see what you are capable of!" Although his shouting seemed rude and impolite, it also revealed his straightforward, reckless and fearless character.

Zhao Yun frowned slightly. Though furious at Xu Huang's impertinence and disrespect, he also knew that within the Golden Palace, he must adhere to etiquette and refrain from reckless behavior. So, suppressing his rage, he applied a slight pressure, pushing Xu Huang forward until they reached the center of the Golden Palace. Then, they both knelt, awaiting the Emperor's questioning.

Emperor Liu Bian was originally leaning lazily on the dragon throne, with a look of fatigue and impatience in his eyes. But when he saw Zhao Yun escorting Xu Huang into the hall, and both of them looked embarrassed, he couldn't help but sit up straighter, his face full of surprise, and blurted out: "General Zhao, why are you doing this? Why are you forcing General Xu Huang up here? Looking at the two of you, have you had a fight?" His voice was full of doubt and concern, and his eyes wandered back and forth between Zhao Yun and Xu Huang, trying to find clues from their expressions.

Zhao Yun clasped his fists, his posture erect, his expression respectful and solemn, as he reported truthfully to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, General Xu Huang, while transporting grain and fodder, passed through Chang'an. He acted with extreme arrogance and impudence. Without informing anyone, he proceeded to the Imperial Palace gates, shouting and yelling in a provocative manner, even attacking the guards, injuring many. Upon hearing of the commotion, I immediately went to intervene and challenged him. Unexpectedly, General Xu Huang showed no remorse and, in fact, engaged in physical combat with me. In desperation, to quell the situation, I had no choice but to capture him and hand him over to Your Majesty for his fate."

Upon hearing this, the lazy look on Emperor Liu Bian's face instantly vanished, his expression becoming solemn and dignified. He fixed Xu Huang with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice, "General Xu Huang, you were supposed to accompany General Ma Chao to Yangzhou to fight against Yuan Shu's army. Why are you now appearing before the Imperial Palace and making such a commotion? Why didn't you accompany General Ma Chao? Tell me the whole story, without hiding a single thing." The Emperor's voice echoed through the hall, carrying an undeniable authority and questioning.

Xu Huang stiffened his neck and shouted, his voice strained by the bindings, "Your Majesty, since you still recognize me as a general, then tell Zhao Yun to release me, and I will answer. Otherwise, just execute me now. I am so uncomfortable in this bondage that I cannot speak properly."

Emperor Liu Bian frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said to Zhao Yun, "Let's loosen him so that he can answer truthfully." Zhao Yun had no fear of Xu Huang in his heart. Now that he had received the emperor's order, he stepped forward and untied the ropes on Xu Huang in a few moves.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the ropes were untied, Xu Huang, completely disregarding his image as a general and the solemnity of the court, collapsed to the ground with a thud, clapping his hands and bursting into tears at the top of his lungs. His cries were earth-shaking, echoing throughout the court. The emperor and his ministers looked at each other in astonishment. They were filled with confusion, unable to fathom Xu Huang's actions. Why had he, so impulsive just moments ago, suddenly lost his composure?

Emperor Liu Bian frowned, his face filled with displeasure. He raised his voice and said, "Alright, alright, stop crying. If you have anything to say, just tell me and let it go. Don't you see where we are? This is a solemn and dignified court. How can you throw a tantrum like a country woman?"

Xu Huang, however, seemed oblivious to the emperor's rebuke, continuing to sob at the top of his lungs. Finally catching his breath, he spoke, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, do you know what kind of man Yuan Shu is? He comes from a distinguished family, known as a family of three ministers for four generations. He has a deep foundation and immense influence. Yet you only sent my general to confront such a formidable foe. How could you possibly defeat Yuan Shu? Do you think Yuan Shu is made of paper, easily shattered?"

Emperor Liu Bian sighed helplessly, shook his head slightly, and explained, "I know Yuan Shu is powerful, but I simply don't have many troops to deploy to General Ma Chao. Furthermore, General Ma Chao accepted the order without objection and resolutely left. This shows that he has a plan for dealing with it, and it's not as difficult as you say."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Xu Huang wept even louder, and even blew his nose so hard that the snot fell unceremoniously on the Golden Palace. The surrounding courtiers, observing this, were filled with disgust, instinctively taking two steps back, fearing the snot would hit them. They secretly criticized Xu Huang for being too rude and reckless, completely disregarding court etiquette.

Xu Huang wiped the tears from his face and said loudly in a crying voice, "Your Majesty, it's because of you that you are using words to pressure my general! My general didn't want to get entangled in verbal disputes with Lu Bu and Liu Bei, so he decided to go to the front. He also ordered me, Xu, to go back to the rear to get reinforcements, collect food and grass, and escort them to the front. Tell me, are you fair as an emperor? We are fighting for your country at the front, but you have to find a way to prepare and transport the food and grass by ourselves. How can this be justified in this world?" This series of questions, like thunder, shook the court into silence, and the emperor's face instantly became extremely ugly, turning blue and white.

Chang'an Commander Xun Yu, noticing the awkward atmosphere, rushed forward to intervene. Having previously served under Ma Chao in Xiliang, he was quite familiar with the situation there. He slowly spoke, "Gongming, your words are a bit extreme. Chang'an has only recently been pacified, and all parties are still recovering. Taxes cannot be collected and transported in large quantities in the short term, and there simply isn't enough food and fodder for the army to freely deploy. When discussing this matter with General Ma Chao, I made it clear that the army would have to raise its own food and fodder, and this wasn't the emperor's intention to make things difficult for them. Furthermore, Xiliang has been quite successful under the Ma family's management over the years, and there's still enough food and fodder to support the army." Xun Yu spoke earnestly, attempting to persuade Xu Huang with both emotion and reason, and to ease the tense situation.

Xu Huang stared at Xun Yu with eyes wide open, then shouted at the top of his voice, "Xun Lingjun, look at you! You're handsome and well-mannered, but how can you say such unrealistic things? Do you know that Xiliang is a vast and sparsely populated area, situated on the border, constantly plagued by war and foreign invasions? The people live in such hardship, often going hungry and poorly clothed. You're talking big in this court, but you have no idea how difficult it is to get food and fodder in Xiliang! Don't be so detached from the people as to talk without any hesitation!"

Xu Huang's blunt, somewhat rude remarks immediately irritated Xun Yu. Blushing slightly, he retorted, "When we left Xiliang, it had 300,000 soldiers, ample provisions, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. Don't speak nonsense and slander us here. Since General Ma Chao ordered you to gather reinforcements and transport provisions, you should have obeyed his orders. Why bother making such a scene in the court?"

Xu Huang was already sobbing, tears streaming down his face as he complained, "Alas, you people, you really don't know the hardships of the borderlands! Xiliang might have been like that when Xun Lingjun left, but haven't you heard anything? Since the beginning of winter, the Xiongnu have been hit by a snowstorm, and in order to survive, they have begun to invade Xiliang on a large scale. The Xiongnu cavalry surged in like a tide, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities wherever they went. And you, on the other hand, are living in peace in Chang'an. Have you not heard a word about the war on the border?" Not only have you not sent a single soldier to support us, but now you're asking us to divert troops and supplies from Xiliang, which is currently under attack and struggling to defend itself, to support the attack on Yangzhou. Do you understand that Xiliang's troops are completely immobilized right now? If it weren't for our desperate resistance in Xiliang, would you be able to enjoy your wealth and luxury in this court? You're all just sitting there doing nothing, dreaming, thinking the people of Xiliang are still prosperous? In reality, they can't even afford to eat or drink, and it's hard to make ends meet!

Emperor Liu Bian frowned as Xu Huang's words grew increasingly heated. He shouted, "General Xu Huang, if you have anything to say, please speak politely and explain the situation. Don't insult the court officials so recklessly. Don't be so aggressive in your words. We must abide by the rules in the court."

Xu Huang completely disregarded his image, standing up abruptly like a street shrew. He put his hands on his waist and waved his fingers wantonly in the court, pointing at one official after another, shouting, "You, you, you, you're talking to me about rules? What the hell are rules? I tell you, in Xiliang, the people are suffering miserably, it's utterly miserable. In order to prevent my general from fighting in Yangzhou on an empty stomach, we have to dig out our own mouths and squeeze the teeth of the people to finally gather some food for me to ship to the front lines. And you, you're just talking about rules in this court. Are you expecting that just by talking about rules, the army on the front lines will be able to fill their stomachs? It's really ridiculous, a bunch of idiots who talk without any worries!"

Seeing Xu Huang acting so recklessly, Emperor Liu Bian's face became even gloomier, and he scolded her unhappily: "Xu Huang, do you still behave like a general? You don't have the demeanor of a general at all. You are just a shrew. Shut up. I already know the difficulties of Xiliang. Since you are escorting food and grass here, you should quickly deliver them to General Ma Chao. What is your intention in running to this palace and making such a fuss?" The emperor's voice was full of obvious anger and dissatisfaction, and the atmosphere in the court became extremely tense and depressing because of Xu Huang's farce.