Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Since Ma Chao's division of the army, Ma Chao had hurried to Chang'an, while Ma Dai, along with Zhang Xiu, Xu Shu, and others, embarked on their return journey, passing through Hanzhong and returning to Xiliang. Just after leaving Hanzhong, Ma Dai, homesick for his long absence, discussed with Zhang Xiu and Xu Shu: "I've been away from home for a long time, and my brothers in the Loyalty Battalion are eager to return. Could we go ahead?" Considering that Ma Dai was Ma Chao's cousin and that his men had fought with him for two years, they readily agreed, believing the request was not unreasonable.

Ma Dai, leading the Loyalty Battalion, galloped all the way to Longxi County, the first to arrive. This place was within easy reach of Xiliang, and since he was in Longxi, there was one person he absolutely had to visit: Dong Bai. As Ma Chao's fiancée, Dong Bai was a person Ma Dai held in the highest regard. Knowing the importance Dong Bai held in Ma Chao's heart, how could he possibly refuse to see her?

Upon arriving in Longxi County, Ma Dai went straight to visit Dong Bai. Upon learning of Ma Dai's arrival, Dong Bai greeted him with courtesy, inviting him and his men into his residence. Seeing the soldiers exhausted from their journey, Dong Bai thoughtfully arranged for them to rest in the Longxi County barracks, allowing them to unwind after their long journey.

After everyone was settled, Ma Dai and Dong Bai chatted, unable to resist mentioning the news of war raging in Xiliang, which had filled him with worry. Dong Bai shook his head slightly, then explained with a faint smile, "That was all my uncle Li Ru's scheme. He created the illusion of chaos in Xiliang to confuse Chang'an, making them think Xiliang was plagued by internal and external troubles and neglecting Brother Chao. Only when Brother Chao lost faith in the court would he return. In reality, Xiliang was stable, and there was no war."

Upon hearing this, Ma Dai was startled, then relieved. His earlier worries were false alarms. He couldn't help but marvel at Li Ru's wisdom. Given this, Ma Dai decided to disband his men according to their hometowns, allowing them to return home to their families. He knew the soldiers had been away for so long, their families eagerly awaiting their return. Now that the situation was stable, it was the perfect time for them to enjoy family time.

Li Ru learned that Ma Dai had returned from the battlefields of Yangzhou and was currently at the City Lord's Mansion in Longxi. He was unaware of this, and his anxiety burned like a raging fire. The battle had been fought for a year or two, a protracted struggle, and with the sudden victory, all parties paid little attention to subsequent news. On the one hand, Ma Chao and his men, basking in the joy and relaxation of their victory after the battle, felt that their mission was complete and were in no hurry to communicate with Xiliang. On the other hand, the emperor, intent on dealing with Ma Chao, had suppressed any news. Li Ru had expected immediate news of the outcome, but he was unaware that the court had intervened, and he received no news at all.

Ma Dai's sudden return to Xiliang must have been a result. He was terrified, his steps hurried, his single-minded focus on the outcome of the Yangzhou battle crucial to the course of the war and his future plans. In the blink of an eye, Li Ru arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, not even bothering to maintain his usual calm demeanor. Upon entering the mansion, he was met by Dong Bai. Seeing Li Ru's arrival, Dong Bai hurried forward to greet him. However, Li Ru, preoccupied with the battle, paid no attention to Dong Bai's actions and simply walked past her.

Li Ru took a few steps to Ma Dai and without any time to exchange pleasantries, he blurted out: "Ma Dai, what is the situation of the battle in Yangzhou? Tell me quickly!" He stared at Ma Dai with his eyes full of anxiety and expectation, as if nothing in the world at this moment was more important than the outcome of this war.

Li Ru, anxiously awaiting his victory, pressed on, "What was the outcome of the Battle of Yangzhou?" Ma Dai quickly replied, "Although there were some setbacks on the battlefield, we ultimately achieved a resounding victory, and even killed Yuan Shu!" Li Ru breathed a sigh of relief, then his expression tensed. He hurriedly pressed on, "Where is Ma Chao? Did he return to Xiliang with you?"

Ma Dai was slightly startled and said slowly: "Brother has not returned to Xiliang. We split up with Zhang Xiu and on the way, Zhang Xiu was entrusted by Zhang Ji with his affairs, and asked him to take the old Xiliang people in Wancheng back to Xiliang together, so we traveled together." Li Ru frowned and waved his hands repeatedly, "These are not important. I just want to ask where Meng Qi is now?" He looked anxious and his voice rose unconsciously. Even Dong Bai beside him was infected by the tense atmosphere and his expression became solemn.

Seeing this, Ma Dai didn't dare to delay and immediately replied, "Brother and we parted ways in Wancheng. We will go back to Xiliang via Hanzhong, while you will lead Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and other cavalry back to Chang'an to report."

Upon hearing that Ma Chao was going to Chang'an to report, Li Ru's face turned pale instantly, as if the sky had fallen, and he kept muttering, "Oh no, oh no!" Dong Bai was shocked to see Li Ru's loss of composure and became nervous. He asked hurriedly, "Uncle, what happened?" Li Ru was so anxious that he didn't even bother to answer Dong Bai. He turned to look at Ma Dai and asked hurriedly, "How long have you and Meng Qi been separated?"

Ma Dai was confused by Li Ru's reaction, but he quickly replied, "It's been nearly a month since we split up in Wancheng." Li Ru then pressed, "Have you been in touch with Meng Qi?" Ma Dai looked bewildered and shook his head, saying, "After the division, we each went our separate ways and haven't been in touch since."

As soon as these words came out, Li Ru felt dizzy and his legs went weak, almost falling. Ma Dai was quick to support Li Ru. Li Ru said in a trembling voice: "This is not good, Meng Qi is in danger!" This sentence made Dong Bai and Ma Dai's hearts rise to their throats. Dong Bai's eyes were red, and he asked in a tearful voice: "Uncle, what do you mean?"

Li Ru's eyes turned bloodshot instantly, and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself. He grabbed Ma Dai's arm with both hands and asked loudly, "How could you be so careless? We won a great victory, but you didn't even send a single piece of news back to Xiliang?" He looked as if he wanted to vent all his anxiety and anger.

Ma Dai was completely bewildered by Li Ru's overreaction. He was completely bewildered, but he still pretended to be calm and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Mr. Li Ru, is there something wrong?"

Li Ru was extremely anxious, his voice hoarse with anger and anxiety: "This is a huge mistake! It's okay if others don't know, but how could Xu Shu be so confused? He's really ruining my plan!" After saying this, he turned around and shouted to Dong Bai: "Give the order quickly!"

Dong Bai wanted to ask more questions, but Li Ru didn't give her a chance to speak, and urged her again in a stern voice: "It's too late, don't dawdle, give orders quickly, summon Niu Fu, Xu Rong, Hua Xiong and others, and ask them to come here to discuss the matter immediately!" After that, he let go of Ma Dai and paced back and forth on the spot, his face full of fear and anxiety of impending disaster, as if a catastrophe was approaching at lightning speed.

Seeing Li Ru so anxious, Dong Bai was filled with fear, but he did not dare to delay and hurriedly ordered his servants to notify Niu Fu, Hua Xiong and others. Soon, everyone arrived in a panic.

Seeing everyone gathered, Li Ru didn't bother with politeness and immediately declared, "A major change is about to happen in Chang'an! Niu Fu, Xu Rong, and Hua Xiong, you must quickly gather your troops and head to Tianshui to meet up with General Dong Huang. Then, from Tianshui, we will march directly to Chang'an." Turning to Ma Dai, he said, "Ma Dai, quickly send troops to halt Zhang Xiu and his men and have them proceed directly to Tianshui. Dong Bai, you must immediately proceed to Wuwei and have General Ma Teng unite the various Xiliang factions and launch a major offensive against Chang'an."

Everyone was bewildered by this series of hasty and inexplicable arrangements. Xu Rong frowned and bowed, saying, "Mr. Li Ru, please don't worry. What exactly happened?" Li Ru stamped his feet anxiously and shouted, "No hurry? The sky is about to fall, and you're not worried?" It was rare for everyone to see Li Ru so out of control. They were increasingly confused, but they could only cast their eyes on Dong Bai.

Even though Dong Bai was terrified, he managed to remain calm and patiently asked on behalf of everyone, "Uncle, what exactly is going on? You must explain it clearly first, so I can have a reason to go to Wuwei and ask Uncle Ma to send troops."

Li Ru took a few deep breaths, finally calming himself a little. He said, "According to my original plan, we will not send reinforcements, and Xiliang will just stand by and watch. Mengqi has limited forces, and facing Yuan Shu's army on the Yangzhou battlefield, it is difficult for him to win. If the battle goes against us, Xiliang will pretend to be in a state of war and preoccupied with itself. Even if the emperor dislikes Mengqi, he will not be too afraid of him and will have to rely on his bravery for the sake of the war. After this battle, the emperor will undoubtedly blame us for the defeat. Mengqi will then be angry and disappointed with the court, and return to Xiliang. Although he will face setbacks, his life will be safe."

"But now, things are completely different. Mengqi has returned victorious! Xiliang still maintains the illusion of war, but the situation has long since deviated from expectations. This resounding victory further highlights Mengqi's extraordinary talents, and the emperor is undoubtedly wary of him. Furthermore, we previously feigned chaos in Xiliang, leading the emperor to believe we were unable to cope. He must be afraid that Mengqi will return to Xiliang to consolidate the civil strife and establish his own military power. If this happens, the emperor will undoubtedly take ruthless action against Mengqi!"

Everyone gasped when they heard this, instantly realizing the dire situation. Dong Bai's face turned pale, his eyes reddened, and his voice trembled slightly, "Uncle, what should we do now? We must save Brother Chao!"

Li Ru looked solemn, pacing back and forth, his brain working rapidly: "Time is running out now, every minute and every second is crucial. Niu Fu, Hua Xiong, you must gather your troops within three days and rush to Tianshui day and night. There must not be any slackness on the road, and those who disobey orders will be punished by military law!" Niu Fu and Hua Xiong looked at each other, accepted the order in unison, their eyes full of determination.

Li Ru looked at Ma Dai again: "You must immediately send out fast horses to catch up with Zhang Xiu and ask him to abandon his original route and go to Tianshui instead. Tell him that this concerns Ma Chao's life and there is no room for any mistakes!" Ma Dai nodded heavily and turned around to make arrangements.

"Dong Bai, you go to Wuwei to see General Ma Teng. You must convince him to mobilize all the strength of Xiliang and send troops quickly. Just say that Meng Qi is on the verge of life and death, and only a large army can put pressure on Chang'an and make the emperor afraid and dare not act rashly." Li Ru held Dong Bai's hand tightly, his eyes full of expectation.

Dong Bai gritted his teeth and said firmly: "Don't worry, uncle, I will definitely persuade my uncle to send troops!" After that, he hurried away and prepared to go to Wuwei.