Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In the early morning, as the sun shone, Yangjia Village lay in ruins. After a busy night, the villagers still gathered in the village. Bandits, tied up in bunches, squatted in the open field, each one withered and limp. The wounded bandits continued to wail, but no one paid any attention. The dead bodies were laid out in rows, covered with straw mats. The children, unable to bear the pain, fell asleep in the women's arms. The women, no longer in the mood for casual conversation, gathered together and retreated. Only a few of the usually spirited women were busy preparing breakfast. The young men, however, gathered around Ma Chao, awaiting his further instructions.

Ma Chao sat on a mound in the open field, pondering his next move. Village Chief Yang De led the men to Ma Chao, who asked, "Uncle Yang, were there any casualties among the villagers last night?" Yang De smiled, "Except for a few who fell in the dark, no one was hurt." He then led everyone in a deep bow. Ma Chao quickly stood up to help him, but Yang De stopped him, saying, "Young Master, please accept this as your gift. Originally, the bandits here had nothing to do with you, but you, with your kindness and compassion, devised a plan to rid us of this scourge. We are able to wipe out the bandits today and protect our homeland thanks to you. Last night, you fought bravely in the battle. Your martial arts are truly unparalleled. Even if you led us in a head-on confrontation, you would have been able to defeat the bandits. Yet, you took so much trouble to devise such a brilliant plan. Now I think you truly took such pains to save our lives. How can Yang Village repay your kindness..."

Ma Chao helped everyone up and said, "There's no need to act like this. I come from a military family, and it's my duty to protect the country and the people. You folks are all honest people. How could you allow your kindness to be exploited by bandits? Ma Chao didn't take the bandits, who numbered only a few hundred, seriously. Yesterday's arrangements were made to eliminate them completely, to prevent them from coming back to seek revenge after I'm gone."

Everyone was grateful again. Ma Chao ordered everyone to first report to the authorities, then to Liujia Village, and the rest of the people to rescue the injured thieves, bury the traps, and clean up the bloodstains. Everyone agreed and began to divide the work.

After breakfast, just as the bloodstains were covered up, people from Liujia Village rushed over. Village chief Yang and Ma Chao explained the situation to the village chief and elders of Liujia Village, telling them that the previous disaster was caused by Liu San who led others as an insider. The villagers of Liujia Village gritted their teeth and pulled Liu San over to beat him up. They were waiting to take her back and punish her according to the clan law. Then Ma Chao had the young woman from Liujia Village who was abducted brought up. The people from Liujia Village were a little surprised to see the woman, but instead of giving her a warm welcome, they all looked at her with complicated eyes. Ma Chao thought to himself, "Oh no, I may have meant well but ended up doing something bad. The woman was abducted and lost her virginity. Although it was not voluntary, she was lost to the thief after all. I am afraid that even if I take her back now, she will be forced to death by the clan." Ma Chao couldn't bear it, so he asked the villagers of Liujia Village about the situation at the woman's home. He learned that on the day the woman was robbed, her husband's family was killed by the bandits for resisting. The woman was in great pain when she heard the news. Ma Chao was afraid that she would suffer too much and commit suicide, so he made peace with the village chief Yang and asked him to properly place the girl. Yang De took pity on her plight and had a benefactor to help her, so he simply adopted her as his daughter. All parties felt that this was a good thing, and Ma Chao was relieved.

When the county magistrate heard that the people of Yangjia Village had wiped out all of Huang Bing's bandits overnight, he was shocked and overjoyed. He quickly sent a team of soldiers and servants to confirm the situation and brought back several ox carts to bring back the bandits' bodies to report his achievement.

At noon, the county magistrate and his party arrived at Yangjia Village. The villagers of Yangjia Village quickly entertained them and set up a banquet. The county magistrate sat at the head of the table, and Yang De, Ma Chao, and others from Liujia Village were also present.

Yang De recounted the entire incident to the magistrate, from Liu San's leading men to plunder Liujia Village, Ma Chao's stay there, Yang Xiaoer's horse theft, Ma Chao's nightly trial of Yang Xiaoer and Liu San, and finally the plan to annihilate Huang Bing, as well as Ma Chao's display of martial prowess the previous night. His story was full of twists and turns, and he was unstinting in his praise for Ma Chao, describing him as the bravest of the three armies, his resourcefulness, and his unparalleled benevolence and righteousness.

The county magistrate's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked at Ma Chao with admiration in his eyes. "I guess this warrior must be Ma Zhuangshi. I wonder where Ma Zhuangshi's hometown is and what his plans for the future are. You have made such a great contribution to our county. Our county should recommend you for his merit," the county magistrate said, with a strong intention to recruit him. Ma Chao bowed and said, "Sir, I am from Fufeng. My father is Lieutenant General Ma Teng. I am just passing through this time. Assisting others in need is our duty, not worthy of excessive praise." The county magistrate was surprised and stood up and said, "So you are General Ma's son. No wonder you are so skilled in martial arts and battle formations. You are truly a son of a general. I have fought with your father before. General Ma is heroic and decisive, a true general." Ma Chao could only stand up to return the greeting, calling him "uncle." The county magistrate stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "My dear nephew, you have accomplished such a remarkable feat. I should commend you for it, but I wonder how you would like to repay your kindness. This battle completely wiped out the remaining Yellow Turbans. Why not kill all the captives and decapitate them as a reward?"

Ma Chao said, "Uncle, I have no desire for fame or success. Although there are some extremely vicious criminals among the bandits, there are also hungry common people. The common people are robbed and exploited by the bandits and then forced into banditry. They are truly pitiful people. I cannot bear to kill them all. The court is already corrupt, the Ten Eunuchs are rebellious, and natural and man-made disasters have caused chaos and devastation throughout the country. The people are living in hardship. Don't you know how many people have died in recent years? The rise and fall of the country is the emperor's business, but it is the people who suffer. I hope you will reconsider."

The county magistrate said, "Although I feel bad, how can I tell the difference between a villain and a commoner?"

Ma Chao said, "This is a simple matter. Look at the captives. Those with pale faces and haggard bodies must be starving civilians. Those who are well-dressed and well-fed must be evil criminals. Evil criminals have committed many evil deeds and will not be tolerated. As for the starving people, please provide them with resettlement. Our Xiliang is vast and sparsely populated, so I think they can be easily resettled."

The county magistrate clapped his hands and praised: "My nephew is indeed a rare talent, brave and resourceful, and with a heart full of benevolence and righteousness, he is truly a top talent."

The county magistrate followed Ma Chao's advice and made arrangements to identify the bandits, kill the evil ones, and disrupt the hungry people. He assigned a point to each township, with one or two people in each village to ensure that they would not get entangled together and would not arouse the resentment of the villagers. After the arrangements were completed, the banquet began.

In the rural village, it was impossible to have a banquet. They just killed chickens and fish, added some wild game and mountain products, and farm wine, and made a long table. It was far from the separate dining tables of the officials in the Han Dynasty. It could be said to be extremely simple, but the county magistrate did not care. He pulled Ma Chao to sit in front of him, and his intimacy was obvious.

The county magistrate drank a glass of wine and said to Ma Chao with emotion: "I have never mentioned my name to my nephew. I thought he was the son of a colleague and an acquaintance, not wanting to make close friends. I did not expect my nephew to have such great talent. I am impressed by him. Now I will tell you that my surname is Han, my name is Shuo, and I am from Shanyin, Kuaiji."

Ma Chao was surprised and asked, "Is it Han Shizhong, who co-edited the Dongguan Hanji with Cai Yilang (Cai Yong) and Lu Shangshu (Lu Zhi)?"

The county magistrate smiled and agreed.