Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

At Ma Chao's command, the twenty guards sprang into action. Having served Ma Chao for years and sharing a deep rapport, they were carefully selected from the elite Flying Bear Army of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry, and meticulously trained by Gao Shun using the techniques of the Xianzhen Camp, their strength was exceptional.

They quickly formed into formation. The four men in the front row, massive and sturdy, stood like four towering mountains. They held thick, long shields, tightly linked together, their surfaces covered with sharp barbs, forming an impenetrable barrier against the imaginary enemy's frontal assault.

On each side stood three men, nimble and agile, moving about like nimble monkeys. Holding short knives, their gleaming gleams of cold light, they lingered on the edge of the "enemy formation," sometimes feinting, sometimes launching surprise attacks. When the opportunity presented itself, they would pounce like lightning upon the weakest point of the "enemy formation," delivering a fatal blow.

The five men in the back row worked in pairs. One held a slender halberd, its shaft whirring in the wind as it swung, effectively blocking enemy ranged attacks and outflanking maneuvers. The other held a round shield and short blade, guarding the halberd bearer's flank while looking for opportunities to destroy the enemy in close combat.

The three men in the center acted as the formation's core, controlling the rhythm. Through brief commands and tacit eye contact, they monitored the battlefield situation in real time and directed changes in the formation. During an attack, the rear-row halberd bearers, protected by the front-row shield bearers, thrust their halberds like dragons emerging from the sea, swiftly piercing the enemy formation. The dagger bearers on either side advanced swiftly, amplifying their gains. During a retreat, the front-row shield bearers swiftly turned, using their shields as a wall to block pursuit. The rear-row halberd bearers swung their halberds backwards to deter pursuers. The dagger bearers on either side remained vigilant, protecting the center.

The entire formation was infinitely variable. When attacking, it was like a tiger descending from the mountain, unstoppable; when defending, it was like a solid wall of iron, impenetrable. Although seemingly a small group of only twenty men, they created the majestic momentum of a vast army, causing the Shanyue leader Shamoke to marvel at the ingenuity of this formation.

Shamoke stared wide-eyed, stunned. He marveled inwardly: the battle formations his Shanyue people, developed from hunting, paled in comparison to the exquisite battle formation before him. Just look at the formation formed by just 20 men: their offense and defense were organized and unpredictable. Shamoke knew that without his poison arrows, even if he could immediately mobilize a 500-man elite force, they wouldn't be easily defeated. This display of strength undoubtedly further confirmed the extraordinary strength of Ma Chao and his men, who were no ordinary opponents.

Ma Chao smiled and looked at Shamoke, and asked, "Chief Shamoke, what do you think of this formation?"

Shamoke's face was full of emotion. He raised his thumb and praised: "General Ma, this formation is exquisite. The formations of my Shanyue people are far inferior to it. If you can learn this formation, you will be able to keep my tribe safe." After saying this, his eyes were full of desire.

Ma Chao smiled heartily and said, "If Chief Shamoke is so inclined, I will not be coveting him. I will have my personal guards teach the Shanyue people."

Upon hearing this, Shamoke was overwhelmed with emotion. He quickly knelt on one knee and saluted, "General Ma, you are so generous. Shamoke is deeply grateful. This formation is extremely exquisite, worth ten thousand taels of gold! If General Ma needs me in the future, I will be willing to die for you!"

Ma Chao smiled, patted Shamoke's shoulder gently, and said loudly, "Chief Shamoke, this time I will teach you this formation without reservation. I believe my sincerity has been fully demonstrated, right?"

Shamoke quickly straightened his body, his eyes filled with admiration, and said respectfully, "General Ma, you and your personal guards are superb martial artists. The formations you deployed were exquisite, and your training and coordination were flawless. This truly opened my eyes. I, Shamoke, amazed. We Shanyue people have long lived in seclusion in the mountains, ignorant and limited, like frogs in a well. Only now do I realize how limited I was. It was not until I saw your demeanor that I realized how many heroes there are among the Han people. I sincerely admire your heroic spirit."

Ma Chao nodded slightly, and said with a somewhat friendly smile, "Since the leader is so kind, then I can sit down with him now and discuss it in detail, right?"

Shamoke suddenly became enthusiastic and hurriedly extended his hand to make a gesture of invitation, with a sincere tone: "It is a great honor for our clan to have General Ma here. Please come in, please come in! Let's go into the tent and talk in detail." After that, he led Ma Chao and others into the tent, and then hurriedly ordered his men to quickly set up a sumptuous banquet.

Previously, the Shanyue people were wary of Ma Chao and his men, and naturally treated them coldly. But now that they had completely accepted him, out of respect for the powerful, they showed 100% sincerity at the banquet.

Inside the tent, a table filled with delicacies from land and sea was served. Although these dishes were not carefully prepared by famous chefs, each one exuded a simple and fresh aroma, and was considered a delicacy by the Shanyue people.

Ma Chao frowned slightly as he looked at the table laden with delicious dishes. He said, "Chief Shamoke, we have come here with a sincere desire to cooperate with the Shanyue and help improve your lives. There is no need for such extravagance. Let's get down to business and discuss the details of our cooperation."

Shamoke waved his hand and said with a generous smile: "General Ma, in our Shanyue, we have always admired heroes and respected the strong. A powerful figure like you has come here, how can we not treat you well first! We can talk about cooperation later. Today we only want to pay tribute to you as a strong man, and not talk about anything else!" After that, he warmly invited everyone to take their seats.

Shamoke affectionately took Ma Chao's arm, pulled him towards the seat, and said enthusiastically: "General Ma, please come and sit down! I will definitely have a drink with you today!" The four brothers of the Mu family - Mu Jin, Mu Yin, Mu Tong and Mu Tie - hurriedly surrounded him, each holding Gan Ning and other people accompanying Ma Chao, with smiles on their faces and extremely affectionate.

Despite their earlier defeat to Ma Chao and his entourage, the Shanyue people, venerating the strong, remained undeterred. Mu Jin laughed heartily, "General Gan, your swordsmanship is truly exceptional. It truly opened our eyes. We look forward to hearing from you!" Mu Yin chimed in, "Indeed, although we were defeated today, we accept our defeat wholeheartedly. It's truly an honor to dine with such heroes!" Mu Tong and Mu Tie nodded repeatedly as they escorted Gan Ning and the others to the table, ushering in a lively feast.

At Shamoke's command, a group of Shanyue women, dressed in colorful costumes, entered the tent with graceful steps and elegant waists. They held delicate wine jugs in their hands and walked towards Ma Chao and his men with shy smiles on their faces.

According to Shanyue custom, young and beautiful women from the tribe pour wine for distinguished guests as a sign of the highest respect. These women's clothing is embroidered with totems symbolizing auspiciousness and power, and they wear colorful feathers in their hair, which sway gently with their steps.

The Shanyue people gathered around and began to recount Ma Chao's remarkable archery feats, their words filled with admiration. "Today, General Ma shot an arrow that hit the target from a hundred paces away. His archery skills are simply divine!" "Yes, I've never seen such a skilled archer before. He truly is a master!" Everyone remarked, their praise for Ma Chao endless.

The woman leading the charge of pouring wine for Ma Chao was exceptionally striking. Her eyes were as clear and bright as a mountain spring, her skin white as snow, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples on her cheeks added a touch of sweetness. Seeing this, Ma Chao felt something was amiss and was about to stand up to refuse, but Shamoke held him down, saying with a smile, "General Ma, this is our Shanyue custom. You can't refuse, or you'd be disrespecting us!" Ma Chao had no choice but to thank her and sit down. The woman bowed slightly, then gently lifted the wine jug and poured wine for Ma Chao. Her movements were graceful and skillful, the wine dripping into the cup like a thread, not a drop spilled.

The woman had bright eyes, white teeth, and skin as white as snow, like a delicate flower blooming on a branch in spring, and her gaze was full of charm. She moved with graceful steps, like a fairy wandering through the woods, holding a glass filled with fine wine steadily in her hand, and slowly approached Ma Chao.

Seeing this, Ma Chao instinctively reached out to take the wine glass out of courtesy. However, the woman leaned slightly aside, a shy blush on her face, a smile in her eyes, and she held the wine glass straight to Ma Chao's lips. This sudden action made Ma Chao's face suddenly full of embarrassment. He unconsciously leaned back slightly, trying to avoid this slightly intimate gesture, but due to the situation, he couldn't react too strongly.

At this moment, Gan Ning, Wu Anguo and Pan Feng were sitting aside with happy expressions on their faces, watching the scene with interest, as if they were watching a wonderful drama, and had no intention of helping Ma Chao out of trouble.

Lu Su reacted instantly, secretly saying something was wrong. He knew that ethnic minorities often had some strange and little-known customs. If Ma Chao rashly drank the wine without knowing the details, it would likely cause unnecessary trouble for his lord.

Lu Su was terribly anxious. Without a second thought, he quickly stood up and was about to speak to stop him. But the woman before him refused to give in. She parted her red lips and uttered a coquettish cry, as sweet as a yellow oriole chirping out of a valley. She extended her slender arm, gently tugging at Lu Su's sleeve, and softly admonished him, "General, please don't spoil the fun at such a grand banquet today." Lu Su was entangled in this woman's harassment, and for a moment he found it difficult to extricate himself. He could only watch helplessly as Ma Chao's situation grew increasingly awkward, his heart aching like an ant on a hot pot.

Ma Chao's eyes wandered over the crowd, but he hesitated to approach the place filled with wine cups. The woman beside him, whose eyes had once been filled with eagerness, like a burning flame, now gradually dimmed, as if met with cold. Her expression, once radiant with anticipation, was now quietly tinged with a hint of loss, like a flower gradually withering in the cold wind.

She opened her red lips slightly and said coquettishly, "Hero among the Han people, I have long heard of your extraordinary skills, but your courage does not seem to match your superb skills. You don't even dare to take the glass of wine in my hand. How can you show your humility and broad mind in this way?" There was a hint of regret and provocation in her words.

At this time, Chief Shamoke also echoed: "Yes, Chief Ma, why are you so reserved and unable to relax? We are going to discuss cooperation today. If you always act like this, it will be difficult for us to see your sincerity." There was a scrutiny in his eyes, and there seemed to be urging in his words.

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao mused to himself that his visit was for the purpose of negotiating peace, and respecting local customs was only natural. After a moment's reflection, he nodded slightly, slowly reached out, picked up the wine glass, and slowly brought his lips to it. Seeing this, the beautiful girl's eyes lit up again, and she gently raised her finger with an elegant gesture. Ma Chao tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. As the wine flowed down his throat, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This action instantly brought the somewhat dull atmosphere back to life. Everyone applauded, and the atmosphere became even more heated. The young woman beamed, picking up the wine jug again and skillfully pouring two glasses of wine. The crisp sound of the wine echoed throughout the tent, drawing waves of cheers from the crowd.