Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Seeing this, Yang Hong dropped to his knees with a plop. He crawled a few steps to Ma Chao's front and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead banging against the deck. He pleaded urgently, "General Ma, please spare his life! My lord, he was just confused for a moment and spoke without thinking. The situation is unstable now. Killing him might cause trouble. Please think twice!"

Seeing the situation, Ma Chao hurriedly raised his hand again to signal Sun Ce to calm down. Then he looked at Yang Hong and said in a deep voice, "If you have anything else to say, please finish it."

Yang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and after gathering his thoughts, he said, "Although my lord has been defeated, Lujiang and Jiujiang have not yet been completely occupied by you, and we still have a considerable force under our command. If my lord were to be killed, our army would be filled with grief and indignation, and a desperate army will surely triumph. If you wish to completely capture these places, you will have to pay a heavy price. Furthermore, Shouchun, as my lord's base, has remained intact to this day. At that time, they would undoubtedly raise a large army to exact revenge, which would undoubtedly be a huge problem for you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before continuing, "From a moral perspective, my lord, as a local vassal, should report his guilt to the Emperor and let him decide his fate, rather than being easily executed by you. General Sun's previous killing of a Han relative has already caused an uproar throughout the land. My Yuan family is the most prestigious of the aristocratic clans. If you rashly kill my lord, you will undoubtedly face retaliation from all sides in the future."

At this point, Yang Hong straightened his back slightly and emphasized his tone, "Moreover, haven't you all heard the saying, 'When the birds are gone, the bows are put away; when the rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked.' Currently, the only people in the world who dare to challenge the emperor are mainly the Yuan family. You are acting as the emperor's lackeys today, suppressing our master. When the world is pacified in the future, and the emperor has a large army at his disposal, how can he trust you? When that happens, how will you all cope?"

After hearing this, Sun Ce's face became gloomy and he subconsciously looked at Ma Chao with questioning eyes; Zhou Yu stroked his chin with his hand, as if thinking about something; and generals such as Shamoke all looked angry, obviously quite dissatisfied with what Yang Hong said, but because of Ma Chao and Sun Ce, they forced themselves not to lose their temper.

Ma Chao looked at Yang Hong calmly and steadily, and asked, "Mr. Yang, are you finished?" Yang Hong hurriedly bowed and said earnestly, "That's all I have to say. I hope General Ma will reconsider."

Ma Chao nodded slightly, stood with his hands behind his back, and said loudly: "Now that you have finished speaking, let me also state my point of view. The government is in chaos now, and the emperor is incompetent, but isn't there a shadow of the aristocratic families stirring up trouble behind this? You all keep saying that you protect the aristocratic families, but you don't know that it is these aristocratic families who control a lot of resources, making it impossible for the poor scholars in the world to make a breakthrough. It's okay in peaceful years, but once a disaster happens, the people can only sell their children and become displaced. If the aristocratic families can really serve the people wholeheartedly, why would it come to this?" Ma Chao's voice became more and more excited, and his eyes swept across the audience. Everyone was intimidated by his momentum.

"Let's talk about the Emperor. I, Ma Chao, have fought in battles throughout the country, serving my country for the common people, not just for the Liu family. My original intention was simply to spare the people the suffering of war. If the Emperor becomes suspicious of me and seeks revenge, so what? We, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, act with a clear conscience, so what fear do we have? If the Emperor truly disregards the Han Dynasty, we, Xiliang, will simply defend Xiliang and maintain peace. That will be enough!"

As soon as Ma Chao finished speaking, Zhou Yu could not help but clap his hands and praise: "Wonderful, what you said is exactly what I think." Sun Ce also looked excited and said loudly: "With what you said, I have nothing to worry about." Generals such as Shamoke straightened their backs, their eyes full of admiration for Ma Chao and the desire to follow him.

Upon hearing Ma Chao's resounding words, the generals recommended by the Wujun families' faces instantly turned extremely ugly, turning pale and blue. They stared at each other, their eyes filled with shock and uneasiness.

In their view, Ma Chao, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu all held such a view, completely disregarding the extensive influence of the aristocratic families in the court and the local areas. This was clearly an open enmity against the aristocratic families. In their minds, the aristocratic families, having been established for generations and controlling countless resources and connections, were always sought after and feared by all factions. However, these three men did not take them seriously at all.

One of the generals couldn't help but mutter, "How can this be tolerated? Don't they know the consequences of offending an aristocratic family?" His companions hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, silencing him, but their eyes couldn't conceal their panic. These generals knew that as men recommended by aristocratic families, if their lord completely broke with them, their future in the army, and even the prosperity of their families, would be in jeopardy.

Yang Hong's expression grew increasingly ugly. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but was speechless for a moment, unable to find the right words to respond to Ma Chao's impassioned speech.

Ma Chao's eyes were like torches, and he exuded unquestionable majesty. He continued, "Yuan Shu, I could have spared your life. There is nothing wrong with using different methods on the battlefield, but he actually dug the water of the Ganjiang River, causing countless deaths and injuries to the people of Lujiang County. I will never let him go for such an evil act, and I must kill him as soon as possible! I want all the princes in the world to see clearly that no matter attacking or fighting, the people should be the basis. Anyone who dares to harm the people, I, Ma Chao, will not let him go easily!" After speaking, Ma Chao waved his hand violently, signaling the soldiers to take Yuan Shu away.

Upon hearing this, Yang Hong was immediately furious and pointed at Ma Chao and cursed: "Ma Mengqi, you are just a common man, and you say such outrageous words! You will pay a heavy price for this in the future. Today you killed my master without authorization and disregarded the dignity of the aristocratic families. The aristocratic families in the world will not let you go. You can just wait for endless revenge!" However, before he could finish his words, the soldiers covered his mouth and forcibly dragged him away.

Sun Ce looked at Yang Hong's struggling back, frowned slightly, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, and he said coldly: "Kill them all together, keeping him alive will only cause trouble." With Sun Ce's order, the soldiers quickly escorted Yang Hong out, and the fierce confrontation finally came to an end. The main ship quieted down for a while, but everyone's mood could not calm down for a long time.

Two wailing sounds echoed outside, sharp and short, sounding especially terrifying amidst the howling wind and rain, like the cries of wronged souls from the underworld. The sound penetrated the thick bulkheads of the main ship and reached everyone's ears. In an instant, the previously boisterous atmosphere at the banquet came to an abrupt halt. Everyone froze in place, as if under a spell, their smiles frozen in place.

Shamoke's wine glass rested on his lips, his eyes wide as he muttered, "This... is it gone?" Xu Huang coughed softly, breaking the brief silence. He whispered, "Yuan Shu was stubborn and self-righteous, and Yang Hong aided and abetted the tyrant. Their deaths are not a pity, but just hearing these two words still makes my heart tremble."

Zu Mao sighed and put down his chopsticks. "No matter what, this is the end of a warlord. I just hope that the world will have less conflict and more peace in the future." Zhou Yu stroked his chin, thoughtfully. "Although Yuan Shu is dead, the forces behind him are deeply intertwined. We must take a long-term view and be wary of a counterattack."

Ma Chao's expression was solemn, and he nodded slightly. "Gongjin is absolutely right. Today's events are just the beginning. Since we have chosen this path of fighting for the people, we must persevere and not fear any challenge." Sun Ce patted Ma Chao's shoulder, a smile returning to his face. "With you, brother and Gongjin, here, I have every confidence. Come, let's keep drinking. This celebration party must continue!"

Led by Sun Ce, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually recovered, but the two wailing sounds were always like a haze, shrouding everyone's hearts, constantly reminding them that the road ahead is long, and this battle for peace in the world and the tranquility of the people has just begun.

The next morning, at daybreak, a thin layer of mist still hung over the river. Ma Chao rose early and went to the tents of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce. After conferring with them, he quickly passed on his orders.

Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, clad in battle armor, stood vigorous at the bows, directing the naval forces. Like arrows shot from a bow, the warships hurtled towards the dikes built by Yuan Shu. The soldiers shouted in unison, their shouts echoing across the river as they brandished their tools and pounded the dikes with all their might. With each dull thud, cracks began to appear in the dikes, and the river surged through the cracks like a ferocious beast, its water level rising and creating layers of turbid waves.

Meanwhile, another section of the navy was also frantically busy. They piloted their boats across the river, salvaging the floating bodies. The soldiers' expressions were solemn, their movements cautious, and with each body they pulled up, their faces deepened with sorrow. Some soldiers' eyes welled up as they fought back tears, knowing full well that these were innocent civilians, victims of Yuan Shu's evil deeds.

On the shore, Ma Chao sat atop his majestic horse, his gaze fixed on the river. His brow furrowed, his eyes filled with worry and heartache. Watching the surging waters, he vowed to protect this land and never let such a tragedy happen again.

After a full day of effort, the levee was finally completely breached, and the floodwaters rushed down the river. The bodies from the river were mostly recovered, and the soldiers carefully laid them on the shore for burial. Although exhausted, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had done their last bit for the lives lost.

Faced with the mountain of corpses before them, military advisers deliberated and unanimously agreed that the safest way to dispose of them was to burn them first and then bury them. This would effectively prevent the spread of an epidemic and threaten the lives of soldiers and civilians. However, this seemingly simple measure was fraught with practical difficulties. The land was in ruins after a recent flood, and where would they find so much dry firewood?

Ma Chao acted decisively, his gaze fixed firmly on the distant Baishan Mountain. He then ordered the Western Liang cavalry to immediately proceed to Baishan Mountain to cut down trees, stack the felled timber, and transport it back. This was no easy task. The paths on Baishan Mountain were rugged and the terrain was complex. The Western Liang cavalry would need to expend a great deal of manpower, material resources, and time to successfully transport the timber down the mountain and stack it for the cremation of the bodies. It was undoubtedly a massive undertaking.

Upon hearing this order, Xu Huang and the other generals began to wonder, feeling that Ma Chao's move was unnecessary. After some private discussion, they unanimously elected Xu Huang as their representative to present his advice to Ma Chao. With trepidation, Xu Huang approached Ma Chao's tent, bowed, and said sincerely, "General, in my opinion, why go to such lengths? These people are already dead. Burying them where they are is a token of our appreciation. Why waste time and effort felling trees on Baishan Mountain?"