Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Seeing Xu Huang and Gan Ning's resolute defiance, Lü Bu's impatience instantly gave way to a fierce look. He gripped the reins tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He whipped the whip sharply, the tip pointing at Ma Chao's former followers. He shouted at Liu Bei, his voice piercing with a certain fury, "Xuan De, these three guys are stubborn and refuse to surrender. Don't blame me for being ruthless! Join me now and eliminate them once and for all, so we can report to the Emperor quickly. Don't delay any longer!"

Liu Bei's face was filled with worry, his expression heavy as if a heavy burden weighed down his shoulders. He stared silently at Ma Chao's former subordinates, eager to fight. His chest heaved violently, and he sighed deeply, his voice filled with helplessness and reluctance. "We're all ministers serving the imperial court. Why must we exterminate them all? This cycle of revenge will never end. They simply want justice from our lord. I simply cannot bear to kill them again." As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his arm and waved it vigorously, signaling his troops to clear a path.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei panicked upon seeing this and quickly rode to Liu Bei's side. Guan Yu's brows knitted into a knot, his eyes filled with worry. He leaned closer to Liu Bei and whispered urgently, "Brother, the Emperor has given an order. If we let them go like this, we'll be disobeying His Majesty's will. We can't afford to be charged with such a crime. Please think twice!" Zhang Fei's face flushed with anxiety, veins popping out of his forehead, his eyes widening like bells. He stamped his feet vigorously and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Brother, this is no small matter! Disobeying an order is a capital offense, punishable by death. You can't be so careless!"

Liu Bei's expression was remarkably resolute. He glanced at his two brothers in turn, his eyes revealing an unquestionable certainty. "I originally intended to weaken Ma Chao's military power, but things ended up like this, causing such a disaster. It was already a grave mistake. Now, if we kill all of his former subordinates, wouldn't that be compounding our mistakes and adding sin to sin? Even if I, Liu Bei, have to bear the charge of disobeying an imperial order, I will never do such a sinful thing again. Absolutely not!"

Seeing Liu Bei's determination to let Ma Chao's former subordinates go, Lü Bu flew into a rage, his face turning pale and blue. He stabbed his Fang Tian Hua Ji hard into the ground, the tip sinking three inches into the earth with a dull thud. Lü Bu trembled with rage, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Liu Bei, don't be foolish! Letting them escape today will surely cause huge trouble later. When the Emperor blames us, neither you nor I will have a good life. We'll be in big trouble!"

Liu Bei met Lü Bu's angry glare fearlessly, his back straight, and declared firmly, "Fengxian, my mind is made up. If you insist on attacking, you'll have to step over my dead body first!" As Liu Bei finished his words, the soldiers behind him tensed, gripping their weapons tightly as they faced Lü Bu's army. The tension between the two sides reached a fever pitch, as if the air were thick with the smell of gunpowder. A single careless move could precipitate a brutal fight.

Xu Huang and Gan Ning were stunned by the scene. They had never imagined that Liu Bei would defy the emperor's orders for them. They exchanged a startled glance, a complex mix of surprise and confusion, but even more so, an indelible hatred.

At this moment, Liu Bei raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone, please leave quickly! I, Liu Bei, have let you down for what happened today. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely apologize to you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao snorted coldly, urging his horse forward a few steps. His face was as cold as ice, and he said in a cold voice, "Uncle Liu, your hypocritical attitude is truly ridiculous. Our lord was loyal to the Han Dynasty, yet he has suffered such a tragic fate. Even if we leave today, it will not wash away your guilt of aiding and abetting the tyrant. The Western Liang army will remember this blood feud, and I will not be a human being until I avenge it!"

Xu Huang's face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead. He swung his axe fiercely and roared, "You think we'd appreciate that? Absolutely not! My lord's death was unjust, and we, the Xiliang Army, will settle this account with you sooner or later. We'll leave for now, but one day we'll razze this place and avenge our lord!"

Gan Ning's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot. He drew the steel knife from his waist, pointed it at Liu Bei, and roared loudly: "Liu Bei, don't think that letting us go can atone for your sins. My lord's blood feud is deep and deep, and I, Gan Ning, will never forget it. I will tear the murderer into pieces as a sacrifice to my lord's spirit in heaven!"

Upon hearing their leader's decisive words, Ma Chao's former subordinates' hesitant expressions instantly hardened. They gripped their weapons tightly and shouted in unison, "Revenge! Revenge!" Their voices resounded through the heavens, shaking the very air around them. Though they slowly began to retreat, each of them glared fiercely at Liu Bei and Lü Bu as they retreated, weapons tightly gripped, eyes filled with resentment and resentment. With endless hatred in their hands, they cautiously and orderly withdrew from the battlefield.

Lü Bu watched Ma Chao's former subordinates gradually retreating, his teeth clenched in hatred, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. However, with Liu Bei standing between them, he still didn't dare to act rashly.

Lü Bu watched helplessly as Ma Chao's troops retreated safely under Liu Bei's protection. His face paled, his chest heaving violently, and he was furious. He stamped his foot fiercely and cried out through gritted teeth, "Liu Bei! You're truly a good man!" The voice, squeezed out from between his teeth, was filled with anger and resentment.

Immediately, Lu Bu rode his horse forward a few steps, pointed the tip of his halberd at Liu Bei, and roared: "Liu Bei, today you openly disobeyed the emperor's order and let the remnants of the court rebels go. I want to see how you are going to justify yourself in front of the emperor tomorrow! Let's wait and see who is right and who is wrong. This matter is not over yet!" At this time, Lu Bu's eyes were red and veins bulged on his forehead, like an angry beast.

Liu Bei's face was as calm as water. He faced Lu Bu's anger calmly and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "All consequences will be borne by me, Liu Bei. I have a clear conscience and am willing to accept punishment." After that, he straightened his back and looked into the distance with a firm gaze, as if the predicament before him could not shake him at all.

Seeing Liu Bei's determination, Lü Bu was furious. He pulled the reins hard, causing his Red Hare to raise its front hooves and neigh. With a wave of his hand, he roared at his men, "Don't just stand there! Retreat! Let's go!" With that, he angrily led his troops away. The clatter of hooves stirred up a cloud of dust, as if venting his rage.

Lü Bu hurried through the night, his horse racing non-stop to Chang'an. By the time he reached the city, daybreak had barely begun, and the entire city was shrouded in a thin mist. Covered in dust and exhausted, Lü Bu saw Wang Yun waiting there as soon as he entered the mansion. His already furrowed brow twisted into a knot.

Lu Bu sat down heavily on the chair, picked up the tea on the table, drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the teacup on the table with a "bang", and complained in a hoarse voice: "After a whole night of trouble, I came back in such a shame, and Ma Chao's body is still not found! Ma Chao's old subordinates such as Zhang Liao and Gan Ning also escaped under the protection of Liu Bei. The credit I got wasted. I'm so angry!" After that, he slammed his fist on the table again, making the tea set on the table clink, as if venting his unwillingness and anger.

Wang Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and asked in a calm tone: "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail." Lu Bu then told him the situation on the battlefield in detail, especially emphasizing how Liu Bei disobeyed the emperor's order and let Ma Chao's old subordinates go. He spoke vividly, as if he wanted to vent all his anger.

Just then, a noisy sound of footsteps could be heard. It was Wei Xu returning with his troops. Frustrated and flustered, Wei Xu entered, kneeling on one knee and saying, "General, I'm so sorry! We've searched carefully all the way, but until now, we haven't even seen the shadow of Ma Chao's body, and we haven't been able to reunite with you." Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's already grim expression instantly turned ashen, his forehead veins bulging as he roared, "Useless! If you can't even handle this simple task, what's the point of having you?" Wei Xu lowered his head, not daring to breathe.

Wang Yun waved his hand, signaling Wei Xu to withdraw, and then said to Lü Bu, "Don't panic yet. Things haven't reached a point of no return." Then, lowering his voice, he outlined his plan: "Since we can't find Ma Chao's body, let's find a replacement and forge one."

Lu Bu's eyes widened, his face filled with confusion and shock. He said in disbelief, "How can this be possible? The emperor has seen Ma Chao before, so how could he be so easily deceived?"

Wang Yun stroked his beard slowly and said with a confident smile, "Didn't Liu Bei say that Ma Chao fell into the water? The corpse must have been soaked beyond recognition. Let's find someone with a similar build and face, inflict some scars on his face, and then attach Ma Chao's two signature strands of white hair. That way, it will be indistinguishable from the real thing. When the time comes, you bring the fake corpse back to the court, and I will expose Liu Bei to the emperor, exposing his faults, suppressing his power, and making him completely lose favor with the emperor. Only then can our subsequent plans proceed smoothly."

After hearing this, Lu Bu's eyes flashed with hesitation, but when he thought about saving his face and suppressing Liu Bei, the balance in his heart gradually tilted. Finally, he gritted his teeth, nodded and said, "This is the only way. I hope this plan will go smoothly and nothing will go wrong." The two men looked at each other, as if they had seen Liu Bei's distraught look, and the corners of their mouths unconsciously curled up with a cold smile.

After a brief discussion, Lü Bu and Wang Yun hurried off to make their own arrangements. Lü Bu first secretly summoned a few of his trusted confidants and instructed them in detail to find a suitable replacement, emphasizing that the individual's build and appearance must bear a resemblance to Ma Chao's, and that the matter must be kept secret, with absolutely no word leaking. The confidants took their orders and dispersed throughout the city, beginning a secret search.

Wang Yun then went to the palace to contact his allies, secretly instructing them to cooperate with him at the morning court session to unanimously impeach Liu Bei and put him in a disadvantageous position. He also specifically instructed several ministers who were usually eloquent to enumerate Liu Bei's "crimes" in court, using harsh language to ensure they would incur the emperor's wrath.