Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

A damp winter night wind swept through the tent. Taishi Ci was checking military reports by the light of an oil lamp when he heard hurried footsteps outside. He lifted the cowhide curtain and saw Zhou Shan, sweating profusely. The token at his waist gleamed coldly in the moonlight. "General Taishi!" Zhou Shan said without a moment's hesitation, "The commander-in-chief has ordered you to immediately gather the three thousand cavalrymen trained by General Ma Dai and rush to the riverside docks!"

Taishi Ci's grip on the wolf-hair brush suddenly tightened, and the ink spread a dark shadow across the bamboo slips. Zhou Shan, who used to smile and call him "Brother," now looked pale, even his breathing trembling. He knew Zhou Yu's strict military discipline; he wouldn't dispatch such elite troops so late at night unless it was a matter of grave importance.

Horns ripped through the night sky, and three thousand cavalrymen descended upon the camp like a dark cloud. Their black armor reflected the frost beneath the cold moon, and their spears stood like a swarm of silver snakes. The guarding officer blocked the gate, his armor clashing as he hurriedly called out, "General! If you leave the camp now, I will hand over all the duties..."

"Tell Jiang Qin!" Taishi Ci jumped on his horse, tightening the reins so that the horse raised its head and neighed, "Defend the camp with all your might! The gates of Jiangdong must not be lost even a single inch!" Before he finished speaking, the horses' hooves had already crushed the starlight on the ground, and the three thousand cavalrymen hurried away in the swirling dust.

The dock was in sight. Taishi Ci spotted Zhou Yu standing there from afar, his white mourning cloth rustling in the river breeze. His guards were all wrapped in hemp belts. He gripped the saddle tightly, a chill running up his spine and up the back of his neck. The Jiangdong battle flag, which should have been fluttering in the wind, now hung low like a mourning banner.

Before his warhorse had even stopped, Taishi Ci had already tumbled to the ground like an arrow, his iron boots sending sparks flying from the stone pavement. He stumbled towards Zhou Yu, the bronze ornaments on his black armor clashing against each other, and he knelt on one knee, sending up a cloud of dust. "General! What's going on..." Before he could finish his words, his gaze fixed on the white hairline on Zhou Yu's forehead—a harsh, plain color that shone coldly in the morning sun.

Zhou Yu's Adam's apple rolled violently, and his fingertips trembled slightly as he reached out to support Taishi Ci. "Ziyi... you're finally here." He turned to look at Xue Zong, who lay curled up on the ground. His voice was like broken ice squeezed from deep within his chest. "General Xue just brought the tragic news. The lord... has passed away."

"Impossible!" Taishi Ci abruptly stood up, his sword unsheathed, startling his guards to the point of grabbing the hilts. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot. "My lord is so brave, how could it be..." His words trailed off, his gaze darting across the low-hanging white banners on the deck. He suddenly stumbled, grasping the side of the ship, his body trembling violently beneath his armor.

Zhou Yu held Taishi Ci's trembling shoulders, and the trembling from his palms almost burned him: "Xue Zong can't explain it, and I feel like I'm lost in the fog." He looked at the main ship looming at the end of the river, and the white flags fluttered in the morning mist like tears. "The city has been guarded, Ziyi, and wait here with me. When your brother's coffin returns home, I will dig three feet into the ground..." His throat suddenly choked, and when he turned around, a hot tear fell on the back of Taishi Ci's hand, instantly soaking the coiled dragon pattern on the black armor.

The night was as dark as ink, lit only by a few dim fishing lights floating on the river's surface, flickering among the waves. In the distance, the fleet, like a dormant giant, silently broke through the darkness. Lü Meng's crimson battle flag and Lü Dai's black banner hung low in the night wind, like mourning, surrounding the central ship, draped in plain white. The white lanterns hanging from the side swayed with the waves, their reflections shattering into countless pale scales that drifted eerily across the inky water.

Zhou Yu wrapped himself tightly in mourning clothes. The night dew had already soaked his shoulders, and a chill ran down his spine. He stared intently at the approaching white shadow, his Adam's apple rolling. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, the smell of blood seeping from his gums mingling with the night air and filling his throat. "Here it comes..." His hoarse whisper startled a night owl roosting on the shore, its wings flapping harshly in the dead of night.

Beside him, Taishi Ci gripped his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the main ship. Zhou Yu suddenly grabbed his cloak, lowering his voice but unable to hide his trembling: "Ziyi, follow me aboard! No matter what... we must bring my brother back!"

The main ship slowly approached the shore, the dull thud of the anchor chain hitting the water sending ripples through the water. The guards on the deck, clad in plain clothing, looked like ghosts in the torchlight.

The muffled thud of the anchor crashing into the river shattered the night fog. Just as Taishi Ci's boots touched the main ship's ladder, he heard a sharp metallic clang to his right. Lü Meng and Lü Dai leaped from the neighboring boat like arrows, their faces livid. "Commander-in-Chief! Allow us to report the details!"

Zhou Yu's knuckles suddenly turned white as he gripped the armrest. The night wind carried a salty, fishy smell into his throat. On the deck, candlelight flickered as Quan Cong and Chen Wu stood on either side, spears in hand, escorting Zhang Hong and Sun Quan out of the secondary ship.

"Mr. Zigang? Brother Zhongmou?" Zhou Yu's voice was shattered by the river wind. He looked at Sun Quan's carefully tied mourning band—a dazzling white linen, even neater than the one on his own forehead. Taishi Ci subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword, the bronze wrist guard making a small, creaking sound that sent a chill through the silent dock.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Zhang Hong's voice was low and solemn, especially harsh in the silent night. "There is something strange about the death of our lord!" He scanned the crowd with a sharp gaze, an unreadable expression on his face.

Zhou Yu paused, then slowly turned around, his eyes cold and icy. He looked at Zhang Hong and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zigang, please tell me the important things. I already know about Huang Zhong's ambush. I just want to know what happened after you boarded the ship." His words were filled with unquestionable authority.

Zhang Hong was startled for a moment, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his face, but he quickly regained his composure. He straightened his clothes and said, "After boarding the ship, General Wei Yan personally led his guards to guard the cabin door, while Second Young Master Sun Quan stayed by his side, serving the lord medicine day and night. As for the specific details..." He turned to look at Sun Quan, "Let Second Young Master tell us in person."

Zhou Yu's gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing Sun Quan. The young man's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and his face was haggard. His dark mourning clothes were stained with water, making him look particularly pitiful. Sun Quan suppressed his grief, his voice choking with sobs: "Gongjin, my brother is on the main ship and has been improving. I personally brew and test the medicine every day. How could I harm him? But for some reason, my brother suddenly had an unbearable abdominal pain last night, and then he vomited black blood..." At this point, he could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Zhou Yu frowned and raised his voice suddenly: "Since you were taking medicine and your condition had improved, why did you pass away suddenly?"

Sun Quan knelt on the ground, sobbing: "I don't know either! The people on the boat were all my brother's personal guards and General Wei Yan's men. I tasted every bowl of medicine first. I was safe and sound, but my brother..." He raised his head, his eyes full of grievance and despair, "Just when I was about to call the medical officer to treat him, Wei Yan suddenly went crazy, chopped the medical officer to death with a knife, and even falsely accused me of poisoning my brother! Gongjin, I am innocent!"

The night deepened, and the river wind howled, ruffling the robes of the crowd and the white banners on the shore. Zhou Yu stared at Sun Quan, then at Zhang Hong, who remained calm beside him, his mind swirling with thoughts. What conspiracy lay hidden behind this seemingly simple statement? What was the truth behind his lord's death? A chill rose from the depths of his heart, spreading throughout his body.

River fog, tinged with salt and odor, drifted over the dock. Zhou Yu stared at the shadowy guards on the deck of the main battleship, a taste of rust rising in his throat. "Where is Wei Yan now?" His voice was crushed by the waves and seeped out through the mist.

Zhang Hong paused stroking his beard, his knuckles pale beneath his wide sleeves. "To prevent mutiny in the army and to protect the bodies from damage..." The old minister's gaze swept over Sun Quan's trembling shoulders. "We can only temporarily confine him to the main ship. Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and others will lead the troops on boats to escort the main ship forward. Once we reach land, everything will be handled by the governor."

Zhou Yu suddenly took a half step forward, his dark cloak rustling in the night wind. He looked up at the towering tower of the main ship and shouted in a voice like rending silk: "Wei Wenchang! The ship has docked. Come down and explain everything to everyone!" His cry startled a night owl perched on the rigging. Amidst the fluttering of its wings, the deck planks creaked softly.

The chains on the side of the ship rattled, Wei Yan staggered and pushed open the cabin door, and the moonlight cast his blood-stained figure on the deck.

"General!" Wei Yan roared as he rushed down the ladder, his knees thumping heavily on the bluestone slabs. His forehead slammed against the ground repeatedly, sending up splattered gravel mixed with blood. "Finally, I see you! Your lord's death was unjust!" Beneath his disheveled hair, his eyes were bloodshot, as red as a trapped animal. Tears mixed with the blood on his face, leaving long trails in the moonlight.

Zhou Yu lowered his eyes and stared at the distraught man before him. The night wind, carrying a fishy smell, swept across Wei Yan's trembling back, tearing his sobbing complaints into pieces: "That medicine...that medicine is strange! When the Second Young Master brought the medicine, I saw with my own eyes..."

Sun Quan suddenly stepped forward, his body trembling slightly beneath his dark mourning clothes, his eyes burning with anger. "Wei Yan! How dare you, you scoundrel, slander me! I brewed each dose of medicine right in front of you, and I even drank a bowl to test the poison before I gave it to you. You're now conflating right and wrong. What are your intentions?" The young man's voice trembled with emotion, and the fists clenched in his sleeves betrayed a hint of uneasiness.

Zhang Hong walked forward slowly, stroking his beard. His aged voice was shrouded in the night mist, and every word was as sharp as a knife: "General Wei, if you have no guilt in your heart, why did you kill the medical officer and cut off the clues to the truth?" His wide robe sleeves moved without wind. Behind him, Lü Meng, Lü Dai and others had quietly pressed the hilts of their swords, and the atmosphere was instantly tense.

Wei Yan suddenly looked up, the wound on his forehead still oozing blood, but he laughed out loud, a hoarse and sorrowful laugh that startled the crows on the shore and made them fly up: "Testing medicine? What a good test! The second young master drank the dregs of the medicine, but what he fed to the lord was..." Before he finished speaking, Sun Quan suddenly staggered half a step, covered his face and cried: "Brother Gongjin, save me! This person killed my brother and now he wants to frame me!"

Veins popped up on Wei Yan's neck, and he suddenly raised his head and laughed, tears of blood streaming down his cheeks, gleaming strangely in the moonlight: "I plotted to murder the lord?! Who was it that risked his life to stand in front of the lord? Who was it that protected the lord who was shot by an arrow and helped him break out of the siege?!" With a clang, the long sword at his waist was unsheathed, causing the expressions of the surrounding generals to change suddenly.

Lü Meng and the others quickly drew their swords, their cold gleams reflecting off the shimmering water. Taishi Ci's pupils constricted, and as he unsheathed his longsword, a sharp aura emanated, he held it before Zhou Yu. The night wind, carrying the scent of blood, swept through the group, bringing the tense atmosphere of the confrontation to a climax.

"Lü Meng! Lü Dai! And you too!" Wei Yan swept his sword across, pointing it at the generals on the shore. The blade trembled with a sound like weeping blood. "When our lord was pursuing Huang Zu, why did your troops delay advancing? Why did you allow our lord to take such a risk alone? And now you are framing loyal officials!"