Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Xu Huang, utterly anxious, completely oblivious to the crowd behind him, galloped off alone. His eagerness betrayed the impression that some rare treasure awaited his capture in Wancheng, or that some pressing matter demanded his attention. He leaned forward, hunched over his horse's back, his reins held tightly in his grasp. The fine horse from Xiliang, under his spur, unleashed its hooves and galloped away like an arrow. The dust kicked up by the horse's hooves billowed behind him like a yellow dragon, swirling and swirling behind him, obscuring the sky and the sun, making it difficult for those behind him to even discern his back.

Seeing Xu Huang's reckless advance, Jiang Jiong and the scouts behind him tried to give chase, but they were exhausted, and their horses were no match for Xu Huang's fine Xiliang horses. Ma Chao's scouts whipped their whips furiously, shouting, "General, wait for us!" But their voices were gradually drowned out by the clatter of horses' hooves and the roar of the wind, and the distance between them only grew wider.

Xu Huang was so focused on getting on with his journey, his mind constantly replaying scenes of his meeting with the young master and Zhang Xiu that he paid no attention to the path around him. When he regained consciousness, he realized he had lost his way. Before him lay an unfamiliar wilderness, with no sign of Wancheng. He jerked the reins, and the horse neighed, rearing its hooves high and spinning in circles. Xu Huang looked around, his brow furrowed, muttering, "What should I do? Where on earth is Wancheng?"

In desperation, he slowed down and looked for passersby to ask for directions. His demeanor was less majestic than usual, more anxious and flustered. Fortunately, with the help of a passerby, he finally found the road to Wancheng. He galloped along this road again, ignoring the whistling wind and the occasional lashing of branches against his body.

After many twists and turns, Xu Huang finally caught sight of the towering walls of Wancheng. His hair was a little disheveled, his clothes soaked with sweat, but his eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "We're finally here! Zhang Xiu, oh Zhang Xiu! I want to see what you look like now, young master! I've been worried about you for so long." With that, he gave the reins a jerk and galloped towards the gates of Wancheng.

Xu Huang galloped along, his clothes ruffled by the branches along the way, his hair flying wildly in the wind. When he arrived at the foot of Wancheng, the soldiers defending the city quickly reacted and stopped him.

Seeing this, Xu Huang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't try to stop me! Hurry and get that bastard Zhang Xiu to come out and greet me!" The soldiers defending the city were immediately displeased by his blunt words, and saw that he showed no respect for the young master by simply addressing him by his first name. However, considering his unknown identity, they didn't dare to offend him easily. They suppressed their anger and politely asked, "Where are you from, General? And what brings you to our young master?"

Xu Huang stamped his feet anxiously, saying impatiently, "What do you mean 'your young master'? Oh, yes, yes, it's your young master. Just say it's his old friend Xu Huang who has arrived, and I'm delivering provisions from Xiliang to my General Shenwei Tian, ​​and ask him to come out and greet him." Upon hearing that they were Ma Chao's men, the defenders put away their slightly annoyed expressions and saluted, saying, "We dare not deceive the general. Today is the third day since our young master married General Shenwei Tian's sister. He and his wife left for General Shenwei Tian's camp early this morning."

Xu Huang, upon hearing this, could not help but complain loudly, "Damn it! Why didn't you tell me earlier? You're wasting my time." He was about to turn his horse and leave. But just as he turned, he seemed to suddenly remember something and instantly pulled on the reins. The horse, startled, neighed loudly, and raised its front hooves high. Xu Huang ignored him completely and asked, "Soldier, where is our general stationed now?"

The soldiers looked helpless. Although they had some complaints about his confusing style of doing things, they were afraid of causing trouble, so they had to patiently say, "The military camp not far from Wancheng is where General Shenwei Tian is stationed." As he said that, he raised his hand and pointed out the direction to Xu Huang.

Xu Huang finally came to his senses, realizing his own gaffe. He bowed sheepishly and said, "Thank you, thank you. That's just my personality. Don't mind it." He whipped his horse whip and galloped off again, leaving behind only a cloud of dust and the stunned and helpless faces of the soldiers defending the city. The soldiers sighed as they watched Xu Huang's retreating figure, wondering, "Who the hell is this? He acts so recklessly and without any plan."

Xu Huang galloped all the way, finally arriving outside Ma Chao's tent. Looking up, he saw the tents of a force of forty to fifty thousand men stretching out in a continuous row. The gates were exceptionally tall, exuding an air of majestic power. Without stopping, Xu Huang galloped forward, stirring up a cloud of dust that billowed like waves behind him.

The defenders, as if facing a formidable enemy, were all heavily armored and armed with bows and arrows, ready for battle. Seeing Xu Huang approaching, the defenders shouted, "Who are you? Don't take another step forward!"

Xu Huang pulled the reins, and compared to his arrogant attitude in Wancheng, he had restrained himself a lot at this moment. He asked loudly: "Who is the commander on the city wall?" The commander replied: "It's me! Zhang Li, deputy commander of General Zhang Liao. Who are you?" Xu Huang said in a loud voice: "I am Xu Huang, Xu Gongming, open the door quickly!" The commander was stunned when he heard it was Xu Huang, and then quickly ordered his men to open the door. When Xu Huang approached, he asked in confusion: "General, didn't you go to Xiliang to transport grain? Why are you so embarrassed and come here alone?" Xu Huang waved his hand and said: "It's okay, it's okay. The team escorting grain will be here soon. I'm just anxious to see the young master." After that, he eagerly pulled the deputy general Zhang Li over and asked again He asked, "Where is the young master's tent?" The deputy general stretched out his hand and pointed to the largest military tent, and said, "That's the largest one." Xu Huang had a smile on his face and said in a somewhat unruly manner, "Is that bastard Zhang Xiu here?" The deputy general was frightened when he heard this, and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "General, be careful with your words! Now Zhang Xiu is the young master's brother-in-law, and also the general's brother-in-law. He can't be as unscrupulous as before." Xu Huang laughed it off nonchalantly and said, "Hey, you guys, there are too many red tapes. Forget it, I won't chat with you anymore. I'll go see the young master first." After that, Xu Huang spurred his horse towards the largest tent, leaving only a string of horse hooves echoing in the air behind him.

Before they even approached Ma Chao's tent, the enthusiastic shouts and laughter from within surged like a tide, the bustling atmosphere threatening to burst the tent. Xu Huang, overcome with excitement, could no longer contain himself. He spurred his horse forward, galloping forward. Once he was close, he dismounted with remarkable agility. Wu Anguo and his guards stood majestically guarding the tent gate.

Wu Anguo saw Xu Huang coming, and a happy smile instantly broke out on his face. He hurried forward and said, "Old Xu, you are finally here. Why do you look so disheveled?" Xu Huang replied nonchalantly, "Hey, there is no war. I was just in a hurry." After that, he strode forward and gave Wu Anguo a tight bear hug. He smiled and said, "Old Wu, there is a banquet inside." Wu Anguo nodded and said, "Yes, today is the return ceremony of General Zhang Xiu and the young lady. The general has set up a grand banquet, and everyone is already drinking." Xu Huang invited warmly, "Then Old Five, you can go in and have a drink too." Wu Anguo's face straightened and he said seriously, "Gong Ming, this is my duty. How can I abandon my mission just to join in the fun? "Xu Huang put his arm around his shoulder carelessly and said, "Hey, you're too meticulous. With our 40,000 to 50,000 strong Xiliang army here, who would dare to attack rashly? Besides, our general's martial arts are so good that even if all of us put together, we might not be able to defeat him. How can we rely on you to protect him?" Wu Anguo scratched his head, smiled innocently, and said, "The general has been very kind to me. Although I don't have the general's skills, I am at least thick-skinned. If the crisis comes, I will definitely block a few swords for you." After hearing this, Xu Huang felt a warm current in his heart. He lightly punched Wu Anguo's chest twice and praised, "You are really a man of iron. Well, I'll go in first." Wu Anguo smiled and stepped aside to make way, and Xu Huang strode into the tent.

Xu Huang strode into the tent and saw Pan Feng sparring with a massive Hu man. Pan Feng was a formidable figure, naturally strong, while his opponent, Hu Che'er, was equally formidable. Neither wore armor, only long robes. They wrestled in the center of the arena, each determined to dominate the other. The crowd watched with great interest, cheering loudly for their favorite warriors. The atmosphere was extremely lively.

Xu Huang's sudden entrance brought a gust of cold wind into the room, and everyone raised their heads, their gazes fixed on the uninvited guest. Zhang Xiu immediately recognized Xu Huang as the newcomer, and without waiting for Ma Chao and the others to react, he instantly stood up and left his seat, rushing forward like a gust of wind. When he was still a few steps away, he opened his arms and gave Xu Huang a very warm bear hug, then laughed out loud: "Xu Gongming, you finally made it! I got married two days ago, and you bastard didn't show up in time." As he said that, he put his arm around Xu Huang and walked towards the banquet, muttering: "Hurry up, hurry up, I'll punish you with a jar of wine today." Xu Huang pretended to be displeased, raised his hand to slap him away, and cursed: "Get out! Don't try to get close to me, I haven't scolded you yet. We are all still bachelors, but you are so good, you got married secretly. You have only been away from the young master for a few years, and you really have become capable." Although he said so, his hands were full of intimacy. He hugged Zhang Xiu tighter and patted him on the back a few times. Zhang Xiu was not to be outdone. He also patted Xu Huang's back and teased him, "Why, are you jealous? If you are jealous, then let the general arrange it for you. Whichever girl you like, let the general decide for you."