Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The emperor sat steadily on the dragon throne, his face serene, his deep eyes gleaming with thought. He gently stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly, "I've been thinking about this. Ma Chao's repeated victories in Yangzhou make the supply of food and fodder crucial. Yet, Chang'an has never sent him any. What sustains his army's food and fodder?"

At this moment, Wang Yun stepped out with steady steps, first bowing respectfully to the emperor, and then speaking methodically, "Your Majesty is wise. We've heard that during the Battle of Yangzhou, Ma Chao's food and fodder came mostly from Hanzhong. They must be colluding with Zhang Lu, the prefect of Hanzhong. Zhang Lu colluded with Xiliang, allowing them to pass through Hanzhong to transport food and fodder, which allowed Ma Chao's army to have no worries."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression froze, a flicker of displeasure flashing in his eyes. "So this is true! No wonder Ma Chao acted so boldly. Most of Ma Chao's former subordinates are now returning to Western Liang via Hanzhong. If Western Liang were to invade again, they might even use Hanzhong as a transit point." He paused, then raised his voice and issued a decisive order: "Draft a decree quickly. First, severely reprimand Zhang Lu, letting him know that secretly communicating with Western Liang is an act of treason and must not be repeated. Then, send a decree to Liu Yao of Yizhou. Ma Chao murdered his two brothers, and now that he's dead, that blood feud has been avenged. Order him to mobilize immediately and put pressure on Zhang Lu. Ensure that Hanzhong no longer colludes with Western Liang, and cut off Western Liang's access to Hanzhong and its supply routes."

After the emperor arranged all affairs in an orderly manner, he slowly swept his eyes over the ministers in the palace and said calmly: "Everyone, this matter is of great importance. After you go down, you must speed up your arrangements and deployments, and pay close attention to the movements in all directions, especially the counterattack of Xiliang. You must not slack off in the slightest." After that, a neat sound of acceptance rang out in the court, and the ministers withdrew one after another. The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty hall, and each of them rushed to their respective tasks with their own thoughts.

After the court was dismissed, the emperor did not relax at all. He dismissed his attendants and solemnly summoned Shi A. Shi A quickly walked into the inner hall, knelt respectfully and kowtowed, awaiting the emperor's instructions. The emperor leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, "Shi A, I order you to immediately send your most trusted person to Wujun in secret to contact Zhang Hong. Now that Ma Chao is dead, the situation has changed drastically. Previously, Zhang Hong, on behalf of the aristocratic families of Wujun, vowed that they were confident in dealing with Sun Ce. I want to see what they are capable of. Tell them that it is time to act. If they can successfully contain Sun Ce, they will have made great contributions to the court and I will reward them handsomely. However, if they fail, they will be guilty of deceiving the emperor, and they know the consequences. This matter must be kept secret and not a single word of it can leak out."

Shi A received the order and stood up. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he replied in a low voice: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will make sure that this matter is done without any mistakes." After that, he retreated cautiously and his figure quickly disappeared outside the hall.

The unconscious Ma Chao and his BMW, Aurora, were swept downstream by the surging waves, their fate uncertain. The river surged, its turbulent waves surging. Who could have imagined that Ma Chao's BMW, Aurora, was truly a divine horse? In the swift, icy waters, Aurora struggled mightily, paddling with all four hooves, her back tense, carrying Ma Chao. In this moment of life and death, she was swallowed by the merciless current.

Ma Chao was knocked off Aurora's back by a wave, but Aurora clung to Ma Chao's coat and armor. Man and horse drifted with the current for an unknown amount of time before finally reaching a slower-moving area. Aurora, soaking wet, its mane still tangled with weeds, struggled mightily, pushing against the soft riverbank with all its might, finally reaching shore. Once ashore, it ignored its exhausted body and immediately seized the corner of Ma Chao's coat with its jaws, dragging him away from the perilous water's edge.

After reaching shore, Aurora let out a few anxious neighs and gently nudged Ma Chao's pale face with his head, trying to rouse his master. But Ma Chao's eyes were closed, his face pale, and he remained unresponsive. Seeing this, Aurora didn't hesitate. He leaned down, letting Ma Chao lie on his back. Then, with heavy steps, he carried Ma Chao, step by step, deeper into the forest. He weaved through the dense trees, his figure appearing and disappearing.

At that time, Lü Bu dispatched Wei Xu to lead his troops to search the shore for Ma Chao, unaware that Ma Chao had been carried far away by the aurora. In the chaotic and hasty search, they completely missed Ma Chao and the aurora, and Ma Chao's fate, along with the aurora's footsteps, was carried in an unknown direction.

Aurora bore Ma Chao on his back, overcoming obstacles along the way until they reached a deeply hidden valley. Surrounded by towering cliffs, the sun struggled to squeeze through the narrow cracks, casting specks of light across the valley floor. The valley was serene and deep, with the occasional cry of an unknown bird further highlighting its seclusion.

Aurora carefully placed Ma Chao on a patch of soft grass. Its eyes were filled with anxiety. It kept rubbing its head against Ma Chao's face, wailing, but Ma Chao remained with his eyes tightly shut, showing no sign of waking. His face was as pale as paper, his lips bloodless, and his messy hair was stuck to his face. The bleeding from the wounds on his body had stopped after being soaked in the river water, but he looked particularly terrifying.

Aurora paced around Ma Chao, its hooves leaving light footprints on the soft earth. It paused to sniff Ma Chao, then raised its head and neighed, its voice echoing through the valley, as if pleading with heaven and earth for help, hoping for a way to awaken its master. As majestic as it was, it was helpless in the face of Ma Chao's coma. After all, while it understood human nature, it was still only an animal. It couldn't express its anxiety with words, nor could it find a cure for Ma Chao. It could only silently stand by, never abandoning him.

Just as Aurora watched over Ma Chao, filled with anxiety but helpless, the faint sound of wheels and horses neighing could be heard from beyond the valley. Aurora's ears instantly pricked up in alert, and his mane trembled slightly with nervousness. He paused briefly, as if confirming something, then unleashed his hooves and galloped to the middle of the mountain at lightning speed.

Standing on the mountainside, I gazed out over the vast expanse of the landscape, a caravan marching majestically. Leading the pack were several tall, sturdy packhorses, their backs steadily laden with heavy cargo. Thick oilcloth covered them tightly, revealing only the faint outlines of the cargo, which appeared to be valuables. The packhorses trod with steady, powerful strides, each step a firm one. Following behind were several horse-drawn carriages, their wheels creaking dully as they labored over the rough dirt road. The carriages were pulled by sturdy horses, their drivers perched on the shafts, whips in hand, occasionally shouting to urge the horses forward.

The moment Aurora saw the caravan, a strange light flashed in its eyes. It seemed to feel an inexplicable affinity for the caravan, a strong voice deep within telling it that someone of great importance to Ma Chao was among them. Without time to dwell on it, it raised its neck and let out a long, resonant cry that shook the valley. The neigh pierced the air, carrying a hint of eagerness and anticipation, and echoed through the valley for a long time.

As expected, the long whistle caught the caravan's attention. The driver in front yanked on the reins, and the carriage slowly stopped, kicking up a cloud of dust. Several sturdy men jumped off the carts and looked up at the mountainside, their faces filled with confusion. One of them, a burly, bearded man, frowned, pointed in the direction of the aurora, and exclaimed, "Why is there a horse on that mountain, braying so loudly? It's bizarre!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction he pointed. For a moment, the caravan stopped, and the atmosphere became tense.

Inside the carriage, Zhen Mi, as always, dressed in silver armor, posed as a man, exuding a heroic air. She sat in the carriage with the old shopkeeper, her brow furrowed as she carefully traced the unfolded parchment map, pondering the journey ahead.

Zhen Mi still feels a lingering fear when recalling her experience in Hanzhong. She had hoped to slip through the cracks by posing as Ma Chao, but she was mistakenly detained by Zhang Lu, mistaken for Ma Chao, leading to a major blunder. Eventually, her true identity was exposed, causing Zhang Lu to become wary. Ultimately, he relented and let them go. But things didn't end well after she returned home. She had revealed her relationship with Yuan Shao. As Yuan Shao's future daughter-in-law and the family's financial backer, Yuan Shao, upon learning of this, saw it as an opportune opportunity to expand his power. He eagerly urged the Zhen family to engage with Zhang Lu in Hanzhong and even Yizhou, aiming to forge close ties between the various factions and expand the Yuan family's influence.

However, Zhen Mi was ordered by Yuan Shao to stay at home because of this. During that time, she was trapped in the deep courtyard, and every day she could only look at the sky outside through the narrow window, her heart filled with helplessness and resentment.

Some time ago, Yuan Shao had reached peace with the imperial court, but morale was low after suffering heavy losses in the Battle of Jizhou. Defeated, Yuan Shao was eager to regain his strength. He set his sights on the Zhen family, hoping to secure their wealth through a marriage between his second son, Yuan Xi, and Zhen Mi, thereby bolstering his own comeback. He eagerly began planning the marriage.

Upon hearing this news, Zhen Mi was filled with resentment. She didn't want to be used as a bargaining chip in her family's bargaining chips, and even less wanted to marry a man of such bad reputation that she had never met. After much deliberation, Zhen Mi decided to flee once again.

The caravan was about to depart again, and the men were busy checking the cargo, feeding the horses, and harnessing the carts. The scene was filled with a cacophony of activity. Seizing this moment of chaos, Zhen Mi, dressed in the coarse linen clothes of a servant, quietly slipped into the group. With her lithe figure and nimble movements, she weaved through the crowd, deftly avoiding everyone's gaze and successfully hiding behind a loaded cart.

With a resounding crack of whips, the caravan slowly set off. The wheels rolled, the horses' hooves clattered, and a cloud of dust rose along the way. Some time later, the old shopkeeper, doing his routine headcount, scanned the crowd and was stunned to discover Zhen Mi among them. By this time, the caravan had already traveled far, and turning back was no longer feasible. The old shopkeeper's face was filled with frustration, but now that things had come to this, he could only pray that nothing went wrong.

This time, the Zhen family caravan was carrying out an important mission. At Yuan Shao's suggestion, their destination was Yizhou. They planned to send generous gifts to Liu Zhang to express their sincerity in forming an alliance.

Because they happened to be fighting between Liu Bei and Ma Chao's troops outside Chang'an, they had to take a shortcut to escape. After all, they were in the imperial court's sphere of influence and their identities could not be easily exposed.