Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Dong Bai, Li Ru, Niu Fu, and their companions, having traveled a long way on horseback, had arrived in Tianshui. Upon hearing the news, Dong Huang, distraught, hurried out of the city to provide support. The sound of horse hooves gradually died down. Li Ru, with a solemn expression, asked in a hurried and somewhat difficult tone, "The situation is critical. What's going on in Chang'an?"

Dong Huang's face was filled with helplessness. He smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed, "As soon as I got the news, I quickly sent scouts to Chang'an to investigate. I learned that they intended to station Liu Bei in Youfufeng, using it as a buffer zone to resist retaliation from Xiliang."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru's brows knitted into a "川" shape, his eyes filled with worry. He knew full well that this move was extremely disadvantageous to his side. Niu Fu's face flushed with anxiety as he tugged at the reins anxiously. His horse pawed its hooves nervously as he shouted, "What should we do? Liu Bei has always been ambitious, and now he's in Youfufeng. We must be extremely careful in our future actions."

Dong Bai sat on her horse, clad in mourning clothes over armor, but her face couldn't hide her fatigue and haggardness. Her brows knitted slightly, and after a moment's contemplation, she softly said, "It's come to this point, there's no point in being anxious. Let's enter the city first and make long-term plans. First, strengthen the city's defenses to prevent a sudden attack by Liu Bei. Second, continue to send scouts to closely monitor the movements of Chang'an and Youfufeng, keeping abreast of the latest news."

Dong Huang raised his hand to signal everyone to go into the city, and said: "Bai'er is right. Let's go into the city and settle down first, and then discuss countermeasures." Everyone followed Dong Huang slowly into the city. Everyone felt like a heavy stone was pressing on their heart, not knowing what was waiting for them in the future.

After arranging the simple settlement matters after entering the city, Dong Bai went to wash up to wash off the dust from the journey. Dong Huang, without waiting for Dong Bai, immediately pulled Li Ru aside. In the welcoming team, Dong Huang noticed that all three soldiers were dressed in mourning clothes, and Dong Bai was also dressed as a woman. Full of confusion, he asked Li Ru: "Ma Chao is dead, what exactly does Bai'er mean by this?"

Li Ru sighed helplessly and said, "Bai'er is determined to remain loyal to Ma Chao and avenge him. She has decided that she will be the daughter-in-law of the Ma family."

Dong Huang heard this and said anxiously, "This... Brother-in-law, isn't she confused? As her uncle, you watched her grow up in Longxi, why don't you try to persuade her?"

Li Ru looked helpless and spread his hands and said, "Isn't Niu Fu her uncle? Isn't he also unable to persuade her? Besides, you are Bai Er's uncle, why don't you try to persuade her?"

Dong Huang paced back and forth, his brow furrowed, and said worriedly, "Her father died young, and she's the only one left. I can't let her life be wasted like this. I'll go and try to persuade her again. I'm going to make her change her mind."

Li Ru and Niu Fu hurriedly grabbed Dong Huang, and Li Ru urgently advised, "Hey, brother, you must not offend her. Niu Fu and I have long ago tried to dissuade her, but Bai'er now blames my scheme for Ma Chao's death and won't even call me uncle. She is now obsessed with revenge for Ma Chao, and as the elders, we can only go along with her wishes for the time being. Besides, Ma Chao has always been nice to us, and he is especially sincere to Dong Bai. Let's make a long-term plan after revenge is achieved."

Dong Huang, upon hearing this, could not help but sigh. "Revenge is one thing, but the question now is, what will become of Longxi after this? With Ma Chao dead, my Dong and Ma families will likely be forced to live in a corner of the country, and we'll be lucky if we can hold on to Xiliang. Are we going to have to endure this fate for so long?"

Li Ru's face was filled with helplessness. He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I really want to persuade her to change her mind, but she won't listen at all. What else can I do?"

Dong Huang felt his scalp tingling and paced back and forth. He felt that this matter was extremely tricky and he couldn't think of any proper solution for a while. It felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, so heavy that it made him breathless.

After the army arrived in Tianshui and rested briefly, Dong Bai decided to join forces with Dong Huang of Tianshui and march towards Youfufeng. Everyone tried to dissuade him, saying, "Let's wait for Ma Teng of Xiliang to arrive with his army. By then, our forces will be greatly increased, and it won't be too late to attack."

Dong Bai's eyebrows were raised, her face filled with impatience. The fire of revenge burned fiercely within her, and she wouldn't listen to any advice. Recently, Li Ru had lost Dong Bai's trust due to the Ma Chao incident, and his words no longer carried weight. He stood aside, repeatedly signaling to Dong Bai to calm down and hold her ground for now. But Dong Bai, eager for revenge, ignored him.

Dong Bai mounted his horse, whipped his horsewhip, and shouted, "March!" His resolute attitude left no room for argument. The army marched forward in a mighty force, heading towards Youfufeng.

After the emperor killed Ma Chao, he ordered Lu Bu to be stationed in Zuoxuwei and Liu Bei to station his troops in Youfufeng. The two of them were like left and right door gods, guarding Chang'an firmly to resist possible retaliation from Xiliang.

Upon receiving the decree, Liu Bei, fearing no delay, marched his army to Youfufeng. He carefully assessed the situation and, upon learning that Tianshui had fallen into the hands of the Western Liang, he decisively set up camp along the border of Tianshui County. Soldiers dug earth, built walls, and erected deer horns, creating an impregnable fortress. Elite scouts were deployed throughout the area to closely monitor every move toward Tianshui, effectively blocking the road to Chang'an.

Determined to avenge Ma Chao, Dong Bai and his men reorganized their forces and marched out of Tianshui County. However, upon leaving the county, they ran headfirst into Liu Bei's meticulously constructed defenses. Looking out, Liu Bei's army stretched out before them, flags clashing, swords and spears like a forest, and the various camps coordinated with each other in an impeccable formation. This completely blocked their path to Chang'an, and a decisive battle was imminent.

Upon hearing the Xiliang army's arrival, Liu Bei, accompanied by his generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, quickly deployed his troops. Instantly, the battlefield erupted in the roar of drums. Soldiers quickly took their positions, spears blazing like a forest, flags waving in the wind. Morale soared that it seemed to pierce the heavens. "All soldiers, listen! Hold your ground! Do not panic!" Liu Bei shouted, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

Upon Dong Bai's arrival, although eager for revenge, he knew better than to act rashly, so he quickly halted his troops for reorganization. The Xiliang soldiers quickly dispersed, forming battle array according to their respective duties and positions.

Liu Bei looked at the three opposing armies, all in mourning, and a wave of sadness washed over him. Recalling the events of the imperial court, he had never expected the emperor to execute Ma Chao. He already felt a pang of resentment towards Xiliang's vengeance. So, he approached the battle line and raised his voice, "Who is the commander of the opposing army? Will you please come out and answer?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Bai, unwilling to be outdone, arrived at the battlefront with Niu Fu, Xu Rong, Hua Xiong, Dong Huang, Li Ru, and others. She shouted, "I am Ma Chao's wife, Dong Bai. I have come here today to avenge my husband. If you have any sense, surrender now!"

Zhang Fei, who was listening, couldn't help but burst into laughter and shouted, "Is Xiliang really deserted? They actually sent a little girl to lead the army into battle? Go back! If we have to fight, we'll fight that old Ma Teng!"

Liu Bei looked displeased and immediately scolded: "Yide, don't be rude! How can you be so outspoken? Since she is the wife of the late Marquis Wei, you should show some respect!" After hearing this, Zhang Fei nodded repeatedly and dared not say anything else, but the desire to fight in his eyes remained unabated.

Liu Bei took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. A deep yet sincere expression crossed his face. He took a few steps forward and addressed Dong Bai, "Sister-in-law, upon hearing the news of my junior brother's death, my grief is no less than yours. This is a complete and heartbreaking misunderstanding. The Emperor's original intention was simply to reinstate Xiliang's military power into the imperial court and strengthen central control. After all, you know that my junior brother's martial arts were unparalleled, few in the world could match him, and the Xiliang cavalry under his command were unstoppable and renowned far and wide. As the ruler of a nation, the Emperor inevitably had concerns, fearing that this formidable military might would lead to an uncontrollable situation. He simply didn't expect things to spiral so out of control. One misstep led to another, ultimately leading to this irreparable tragedy. Alas..."

Dong Bai's already mixed emotions of grief and indignation were instantly ignited to a climax when she heard this. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows raised, and a fierce anger emanated from her body. She retorted bluntly and harshly, "Who is your sister-in-law? Stop trying to get close to her! You keep saying that you and my husband are as close as brothers, but when the court had evil intentions and wanted to harm my husband, where were you? I have never seen you do anything to protect him, leaving him isolated and helpless in a desperate situation. Now you come to me and say these high-sounding words, don't you think I am a three-year-old child who can be easily fooled?" Her chest heaved violently, and she paused for a moment. After calming down her excitement, she continued, "The Emperor wants to take over the military power of Xiliang? What a high-sounding excuse! But when my husband fought for him across the country, risking his life, and fighting bloody battles in the Battle of Liang Province for two years, securing his country, why didn't he mention this? Now, having returned victorious, he's turned his back on his kindness, ruthlessly killing my husband and openly slandering him for his moral failings. These trumped-up charges are absurd and sheer nonsense! Now that I'm here today, I won't let this go and will seek justice for my husband!"

Liu Bei's face flushed crimson from Dong Bai's barrage of rebukes. Knowing he was in the wrong, he was speechless, unsure how to respond. He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be choking. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke with difficulty, "Sister-in-law, I truly do not wish to fight you. The Western Liang army has traveled all the way here, exhausted. Let's go back now. I promise you, we will never embarrass them again." His tone was sincere, his eyes filled with resignation and earnestness, as he tried to persuade Dong Bai to withdraw.

Dong Bai had no intention of backing down. She straightened her back, her expression resolute, her eyes fixed on Liu Bei, and she spoke word by word, "If you really think of yourself as Ma Chao's senior brother, and consider our past friendship, you should stand up and join us in seeking justice for my husband, instead of standing here and blocking our way to revenge!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, but was full of strength, "Now, get out of the way immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our past friendship and having to fight!" After that, she suddenly drew the sword from her waist. A cold light flashed, and the blade gleamed with cold murderous intent in the sunlight. Seeing this, the Xiliang soldiers behind her also tightened their weapons and shouted, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.