Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

However, what Li Ru did was too late. It had been 10 days since the shocking incident in Chang'an. Just when everyone was preparing to mobilize troops as ordered, the guard at the city gate rushed in in a daze, stumbling. He didn't even bother to knock on the door, but knelt on the ground with a plop, gasping for breath, his face full of fear and despair.

Li Ru's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. An ominous premonition washed over him. He quickly stepped forward and demanded, "What happened? Tell the truth!" The guard pulled out a secret letter soaked in sweat from his bosom, trembling with fear. He presented it with both hands, his voice so trembling that the words were almost inaudible: "Chang... Chang'an... urgent news..."

Li Ru, anxious, snatched the secret letter and quickly unfolded it. The moment he saw its contents, his hand instantly dropped limply, and the secret letter fluttered to the ground. His face turned ashen, his lips trembling slightly, and his entire body seemed to be tottering as if its spine had been torn away.

Niu Fu, Hua Xiong and the others gathered around and picked up the secret letter on the ground to examine it. It read: "A sudden change has occurred in Chang'an. General Ma Chao was ambushed by the Emperor after returning to the court to report. He was unfortunately killed and his followers were also surrounded and suppressed..." After reading it, everyone was stunned on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

Dong Bai felt her vision go dark and she nearly fainted, but luckily the maid beside her was quick to catch her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she cried out miserably, "Brother Chao... this can't be true, it can't be..." Her voice echoed in the house, filled with grief and despair.

For a moment, the room fell into a deathly silence, the only sounds being the intertwined cries of Dong Bai and the howling wind outside. After a long moment, Li Ru slowly closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He looked up to the heavens and lamented, "I miscalculated and harmed Meng Qi. From now on, Xiliang will never have peace again..." Everyone looked at each other, filled with grief and bewilderment. They knew full well that this incident would completely rewrite the situation in Xiliang, and indeed in the world.

Ma Dai's eyes were bloodshot and ferocious, with veins bulging on his forehead. He roared angrily: "What's the use of crying now?! My brother died tragically. How can I be a human being if I don't avenge him? The most urgent thing is to gather troops and charge into Chang'an to seek justice for my brother!" He looked like a mad beast, wishing he could rush to Chang'an immediately and tear his enemy into pieces.

Dong Bai felt like she had lost her soul, slumped in her chair, her eyes hollow and tears streaming uncontrollably. Her mind replayed every moment she had spent with Ma Chao, the vows they had made to each other still ringing in her ears. Now, they were separated forever, and the immense grief had almost obliterated her awareness of her surroundings.

Li Ruze had a look of frustration, as if his soul had been taken away. He slumped on the ground with a dull look in his eyes, muttering to himself: "It was me who harmed Meng Qi, it was me..." He was full of self-blame, thinking that everything was caused by his own planning mistakes. He was immersed in endless regret and pain.

It wasn't until Ma Dai called out for revenge for Ma Chao that a glimmer of light flickered in Li Ru's dim eyes. He slowly raised his head, as if grasping at a last straw, his voice hoarse but resolute: "Yes, revenge. We can't let Meng Qi's death be in vain. Even if it costs Xiliang everything, we must make those who harmed him pay!" He struggled to his feet, his body still shaky, but his eyes were already rekindled with fighting spirit. A storm of revenge was brewing in Xiliang.

The light that had just ignited in Li Ru's eyes was instantly shrouded by a haze, and the bitterness on his face grew even more intense. He slowly shook his head and muttered, "I calculated everything, but still missed a move. My plan failed at the last moment. What can I do? How can I explain this to General Ma Teng in the future? How can I face my lord with dignity?"

After hearing this, Ma Dai's anger surged a few points. He rushed to Li Ru, grabbed his collar with both hands, lifted him up, and roared: "What's the use of you saying this now? Are you going to avenge your brother? If you still want to shirk responsibility, I, Ma Dai, will be the first one to not let you go!" Ma Dai's eyes were red and veins on his forehead bulged. He looked as if he was about to take action in the next second.

Li Ru was grabbed by the collar, but he did not struggle. He just had a dejected look on his face, and his voice was low and weak: "I don't want to refuse, but now the elite troops of Xiliang are out in full force. If we don't have a thorough plan, I'm afraid not only will we fail to take revenge, but Xiliang will also be plunged into eternal damnation." After saying that, he gently patted Ma Dai's hand, motioning him to let go first.

Dong Bai also suppressed his grief, stood up, and walked between the two men. His voice was tearful, but also revealed a certain determination: "Mr. Li Ru, Ma Dai, now is not the time for internal strife. The most urgent thing is to discuss how to avenge our grievances. I will go and speak to my uncle. We can't let Brother Chao's sacrifice be in vain, and we must not let the soldiers of Xiliang feel disheartened."

Li Ru's heart lurched at the words, as if struck by a heavy hammer. He noticed that Dong Bai no longer even called him "uncle." This simple change in address was like a sharp knife, piercing his heart and making him clearly feel Dong Bai's deep resentment towards him.

His mind involuntarily flashed back to Ma Teng's face, the image of how much he trusted him. Once, he had spoken eloquently before Ma Teng, confidently expounding on his plans and promising that everything was under control. Ma Teng had chosen to trust him unconditionally. But now, Ma Chao had met with an unexpected fate, and this outcome was like a resounding slap in the face.

In fact, upon reflection, Li Ru can't be blamed entirely for the current tragic situation. From the outset, he had meticulously planned and considered every aspect. Who could have foreseen the emperor's cunning and treacherous tactics, laying numerous traps in secret? Coupled with numerous unexpected factors, the situation spiraled out of control, completely deviating from the original plan.

If Li Ru wanted to shirk responsibility, he could have just laid out all these reasons. But even if his reasons were valid, what would it matter? The cruel result was stark before his eyes: Ma Chao, the young master of Xiliang, was gone. Ma Chao had been the pillar of Xiliang, a star of the future that everyone had high hopes for, the bearer of hope for Xiliang's rise and revitalization. Now that he was gone, this crushing blow cast a pall over Xiliang.

The tragic news of Ma Chao's death was like a huge rock dropped into the depths of his heart, stirring up a thousand waves. Revenge for him became a pressing matter. However, Li Ru knew that revenge was only the first step. The future of Xiliang was the key to its survival. The current situation had forced them to reconsider everything.

Although Ma Teng had ruled Xiliang for many years and commanded a large army, he was hardly a powerful leader. He was known for his kindness but lacked ambition and decisiveness. In the past, whenever a difficult battle arose, he relied on Ma Chao for his leadership and strategic planning. Now, with Ma Chao gone, Ma Teng suddenly lost his core, and his hope of supporting Xiliang was truly daunting.

The situation for Ma Teng's descendants was far from optimistic. Some were still young and ignorant, spending their days playing and frolicking, completely unaware of the complex situation and daunting challenges facing Western Liang, let alone the responsibility of leading it. Others were impulsive, acting rashly and lacking the calmness and forethought to consider them. In these turbulent times, fraught with danger and uncertainty, such personalities could easily lead Western Liang into an irretrievable predicament.

Now, Li Ru and his companions have boarded Ma Teng's "ship," but the road ahead is uncertain, filled with unknowns and dangers. Li Ru knows that if Ma Teng, before his death, could have devoted himself to teaching his son, sharing his experience and strategies, allowing him to gradually grow into a capable leader, then Xiliang might still have a chance of survival, and he would feel a little more at ease, feeling that he still has some confidence in how to cope with the future.

But life is unpredictable, and Ma Chao's death dealt a heavy blow to Ma Teng. The pain of losing a young man is not easily healed. Li Ru worried that Ma Teng would become obsessed with the loss of his son, perhaps even becoming suspicious of him and losing trust in him as a counselor. If that were to happen, the situation would spiral out of control.

How could he bear to watch Dong Gong's former subordinates, those loyal soldiers who had followed him through thick and thin, and even the innocent Dong Bai, sink with him because of Ma Teng's failure or misguided decisions, ultimately disappearing into oblivion in this chaotic world? The more Li Ru thought about it, the more anxious he became. His heart was filled with entanglement and helplessness, yet he had to force himself to pull himself together and find a way out for Xiliang, for Dong Gong's former subordinates, and for Dong Bai.

Li Ru looked solemnly at Ma Dai and said in a deep voice, "General Ma Dai, we need to change our plan. I will lead the Longxi troops to Tianshui first, and then attack Chang'an directly. You must return to Wuwei immediately to report this."

Upon hearing this, Ma Dai became anxious, his eyes widening as he shouted, "I'm determined to avenge my brother. How can I delay here? I'm willing to march with you to Chang'an and kill our enemy!"

Li Ru sighed deeply and patiently advised, "Before, we were worried about General Ma Chao's safety, so we thought about swift action. But now Meng Qi has been killed, and no matter how anxious we are, it cannot be reversed. The most urgent thing is to stabilize the overall situation." As he spoke, he glanced at the distraught Dong Bai beside him, "Look at Miss Dong Bai's current state. She is simply unable to travel back and forth between Wuwei and Longxi. As for the generals here, because of my previous plan, General Meng Qi suffered such a disaster. Lord Ma Teng probably hates the generals in Longxi and feels that we have missed the opportunity. In this situation, who can be sent to Wuwei to report the news and convince the lord? Only you can convince the lord of the urgency of the situation and send troops as soon as possible."

Ma Dai was puzzled at first, but after listening to Li Ru's explanation, he thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he said, "In that case, I will lead my personal guards back. I will hand over the troops here to you for management, and I hope you will lead them directly." After that, Ma Dai did not delay any longer and rode his horse at full speed to the outside of the city.

After Ma Dai left, the generals prepared to return to their respective camps. Li Ru, however, shouted, "Wait a minute, everyone." He then turned his gaze to Dong Bai, a complex expression on his face. "Bai'er, no matter what you think, even if you blame me, I still have something to say."

Dong Bai's face was originally filled with sorrow, but upon hearing this, his sadness suddenly faded. Hatred burned in his eyes as he said coldly, "Mr. Li Ru, it's already this late. What else is there to say? Everyone, lead the troops and we will march together to Chang'an for revenge."

Just as the generals turned to leave, Li Ru shouted, "Wait!" With a solemn expression, he bowed formally to Dong Bai and said, "Miss Dong, I must make this clear right now." Everyone paused and turned around. Li Ru was a well-known figure in the army, respected by everyone. Dong Bai, a key figure in Dong Zhuo's former army, also held a special position in Longxi. Seeing the two of them like this, everyone was filled with curiosity, yet also had a vague sense that something was amiss. They all held their breath, waiting for Li Ru to speak.