Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The old general sighed, wiping the corners of his mouth with a coarse cloth from the table. "Mengqi is too hot-tempered. He knew it was the Hongmen Banquet, yet he still risked his life alone. Such foolish loyalty..." His words trailed off. Outside, the night wind blew in, carrying dead leaves and making the candle wick crackle. Li Ru raised his bloodshot eyes and saw the newly white hair at Ma Teng's temples flickering in the firelight, like will-o'-the-wisp fires swaying across the Xiliang wilderness.

"Xiliang can't live without you." Ma Teng pressed the warm wine jug into his cold palm, the residual warmth from the jug flowing through his fingertips. "The overall situation of Xiliang still requires the help of your calculating brain." These words hit Li Ru's heart like a hammer. His hand holding the wine jug trembled violently. The turbid wine splashed on his clothes, leaving dark stains. Finally, he couldn't hold back his tears. Outside the tent, the night watchman struck the fourth watch. Two overlapping shadows remained together in the flickering candlelight for a long time.

The candlelight in the tent flickered. Li Ru's trembling fingers clutched the corner of his clothes tightly in his sleeves. After a long time, he swallowed the sweet taste in his throat and spoke hoarsely: "Even if there are a thousand reasons, it was ultimately my faulty planning that led to the young master's death at the hands of a treacherous person. Even if I die a thousand times, I cannot atone for this sin." Before he finished speaking, he was already trembling and about to bow deeply. Before his knees touched the ground, Ma Teng held him up.

The old general shoved the filled wine cup heavily onto the table, and the bronze wine jar made a dull thud: "Wenyou, come and sit down!" With bloodshot eyes, Ma Teng looked at the white banners fluttering outside the tent, and suddenly remembered that when he counted the military equipment the day before, he found that he couldn't even draw the bow. "When Meng Qi was here, he always said that I was the sky of Xiliang." He knocked his knuckles on the wooden table, and each knock felt like a knock on his heart. "Now that a corner of the sky has collapsed, I realize that I am just half of my old bones buried in the ground."

The wine in the cup rippled, reflecting the old and haggard faces of the two people. "Wenyou," his voice suddenly choked, "you understand this chaotic world better than I do. Now that Mengqi is gone, where should the road of Xiliang go?"

Li Ru's hand trembled slightly as he lifted the wine cup. The scalding wine trickled down his lips, mingling with lingering tears. From outside the tent came the clapperboard of a night watchman. The desolate sound startled the jackdaws perched on the white banners. Amidst the clatter of their wings, he gazed at Ma Teng's graying temples. The night wind lifted a few strands of silver from the old general's temples, flickering in the candlelight—those white hairs shouldn't belong to a military commander in his prime, capable of charging into battle single-handedly. Now, like frost, they covered his temples.

The hope that had been so heavily invested in him collapsed. Chang'an had not only taken Ma Chao's life, but had also drained the lifeblood from Ma Teng. A sweet, fishy taste rose in Li Ru's throat. He turned away, unwilling to see the old general's face gnawed by despair. The unspoken guilt had already formed a heavy scab in his heart.

The candlelight in the tent suddenly crackled. Li Ru looked up suddenly, gazing at Ma Teng's hunched back. Suddenly, he felt that the once mountain-like figure had become as frail as a candle in the wind. He stumbled forward half a step, the hem of his robe brushing off the military manual on the table. His hoarse voice was filled with the determination to burn his boats and cross the river: "Lord Shoucheng! The young master's bloodline is still alive in Jiangdong!"

These words struck the silent tent like a hammer. Ma Teng's entire body trembled, veins bulging in his hand clutching the jade pendant, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his cloudy eyes. Li Ru tremblingly unfolded the yellowed map, pressing his fingertips firmly against the south bank of the Yangtze River. "In Jiangdong, Sun Ce has also mobilized his forces to support us, attacking from both sides." His nails nearly scratched the map. "Once we conquer Chang'an and remove the tyrant emperor's head, we will immediately send someone to bring the young lord back to his throne!"

The old general let out a suppressed sob, and Li Ru suddenly knelt on the ground, knocking his forehead heavily on the bluestone bricks: "You are the white jade pillar that supports the sky of Xiliang! As long as you raise your arm and call, the three armies will be able to protect the young master and restore his glory!" He suddenly ripped open his clothes, revealing his bony chest, "Li has sold his life to the Ma family. If I cannot assist the young master in reviving Xiliang, I am willing to die as an apology!"

Ma Teng stumbled forward, gripping Li Ru's arms with his iron-like hands and pulling him off the bricks. The calluses on the old general's palms hurt, but nothing compared to the turmoil in his eyes: "Wenyou! We've been comrades for decades, how could you have learned such humiliating etiquette!" He exerted force, pushing Li Ru back onto the bed, shaking the bronze candlesticks on the table.

Li Ru slumped onto the cushions, his unfinished oath still stuck in his throat. "My poor grandson of Jiangdong, that child..." the old general's voice seemed to be squeezed from the deepest part of his chest. "He's just a babe in swaddling clothes. By the time he grows up, the world will have changed a lot."

Li Ru suddenly called out, "Lord Shoucheng!" His knuckles whitened from the force. "General Mengqi is so young, yet he's conquering the world. How could he be a nobody?" His hoarse voice suddenly rose, sending dust from the tent ceiling tumbling to the ground. "With our assistance and the protection of hundreds of thousands of Western Liang cavalry, even if surrounded by wolves and tigers, we will surely elevate the young master to the position of Governor of Liang Province!"

Ma Teng's withered palm stroked the silver spear left by Ma Chao on the table. The blood scabs on the spear tassel shone dark red in the candlelight, like wet tears. His throat rolled twice, and his voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper: "Wenyou, look at this crown of the governor of Liangzhou, which piece is not stained with blood? Meng Qi was so brave, leading the Western Liang cavalry to flatten the 3,000-mile Hu dust, but in the end..." The old general suddenly choked, and the table creaked with his knuckles. "Now he is his only flesh and blood, how can I bear to let that child repeat the same mistake?"

Li Ru looked at the old general with gray hair in front of him, and suddenly remembered that many years ago on the banks of the Wei River, Dong Zhuo had proudly lifted Dong Bai's father above his head, saying in a loud voice, "My son will surely be a famous general feared by the world in the future." But now, Dong Zhuo has long since turned to dust, and Ma Teng, who controls Liang Province, suffers the pain of losing his son. Just as he was about to speak to comfort him, he saw Ma Teng turn around and grasp his wrist, the warmth of his palm coming through his sleeve: "And Bai'er..." The old general's eyes showed a rare tenderness, "She lost her parents when she was young, and she has been waiting for Meng Qi's engagement for all these years."

Ma Teng loosened his grip, slowly walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the cowhide curtain. The night wind blew in fine sand, ruffling his gray hair. "Once I've avenged myself, I'll adopt her as my adopted daughter." He looked at Chang'an, looming in the distance, and said in a low but firm voice, "Let her find a good family and marry off in style. Even if Meng Qi were still alive, he wouldn't want to see Bai'er waste her life."

Li Ru's throat churned violently, a thousand words surging in his throat, but ultimately he let out a long sigh. The howling night wind outside the tent blew fine sand into the tent, flickering the unburned candlelight on the table. He stared at Ma Teng's suddenly tense face, his dry lips moving for a moment before he spoke with difficulty, "Lord Shoucheng, you know Bai'er's character best."

Memories flooded back, and Li Ru recalled how Dong Bai, upon learning that Ma Chao's orphan was still in Jiangdong, had summoned her former followers overnight, vowing to personally cross the river south to retrieve his bloodline. By then, Dong Bai had long since shed her youthful gentleness, replaced by a fierce edge that mirrored Ma Chao's.

"She locked herself in the study for three days, repeatedly deducing the route to pick up the young master." Li Ru's voice was hoarse. "She said that even if Ma Yue was still in his infancy and she had never met him, as long as he had Ma family blood flowing in his veins, she would protect this child with her life."

Ma Teng's fingers gripped the armrests of his armchair, veins bulging like gnarled old tree roots. He recalled Dong Bai's arrival at the Ma residence—the young woman then, dressed in military uniform, calling him "Uncle" in a crisp voice. And now, that innocent girl, as the widow of the Ma family, was forced to shoulder a burden that didn't belong to her.

"She already considers herself the daughter-in-law of the Ma family and the young master her own son." Li Ru paused, his eyes falling on the tiger talisman left by Ma Chao on the desk. "Bai'er said that if anyone dares to prevent the return of Ma Yue, she will lead the Dong family army to conquer Jiangnan, even if it means making the whole world her enemy."

The tent fell into a dead silence, broken only by the sudden crackling of a candle wick. As Ma Teng gazed at the flickering candlelight, he seemed to see Dong Bai, armored and sword-wielding, a figure that seemed to overlap with Ma Chao's.

The old general slowly closed his eyes, his aged face covered in deep wrinkles, as if etched with the vicissitudes and trials of Xiliang. "Alright, once Chang'an falls, I'll bring back my grandson and have him inherit the throne of Xiliang." His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with fatigue and resignation. "But after this, what will Xiliang do?"

Ma Teng frowned and continued, "A few days ago, Chao'er's sworn brother, Cheliji, led the Western Qiang tribe to us, saying they wanted to lend us a hand. But the flickering look in his eyes made me feel uneasy. Now that the Western Liang have come out in full force, and the Western Qiang have also joined them, it seems like a mighty force, but in reality, the border is empty. I'm afraid those dormant foreign tribes have already sensed an opportunity and are ready to make a move."

Li Ru's expression was solemn, and he nodded slightly. Before he could speak, Ma Teng continued, "Even if we can successfully capture Chang'an and avenge Chao'er's blood feud, how will we clean up the mess after this victory? Who will guard the border? Who will control Chang'an? We must return to Xiliang eventually. Currently, Xiliang has less than 100,000 soldiers, and the border is long. If the border is lost, the foreign tribes will march straight in, and countless lives will be lost. By then, won't I, Ma Teng, and Chao'er be eternally sinners?"

The old general sighed heavily, pressing his old palms on the table, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Li Ru's fingertips traced the winding border line on the map, where the defenses of the various passes of Xiliang were marked in cinnabar: "For this eastward advance, I have sent a message to Fa Zheng, splitting Xiliang's elite troops into three. Leave 34 cavalry in Wuwei for support, 34 cavalry patrol along the Qilian Mountains and set up secret sentries; 34 infantry will remain in Guzang and Jiuquan, relying on the natural barriers to build defenses; and another 34 light cavalry disguised as refugees will patrol outside Yumen Pass day and night." He pressed his fingernail heavily on the mark on Dunhuang City. "If the foreigners dare to invade, these three lines of defense will be enough to delay us until we can return to reinforce them."

At this point, Li Ru suddenly lowered his voice and said, "As for Chang'an, on the day we capture the imperial city, we will demand that the emperor abdicate and declare that 'the Han Dynasty has ended.' At that time, we will support the young master as the King of Liang and command the world in the name of 'clearing the court of corrupt officials.' This will not only avenge Meng Qi, but also use Chang'an to intimidate the Central Plains, so that the various princes will not dare to underestimate Xiliang." His eyes swept over Dong Bai's figure outside the tent, and his tone became more firm. "With Bai'er assisting the young master and 100,000 cavalrymen ready for battle, Xiliang will definitely be more stable than before."

Ma Teng's tense shoulders finally relaxed. His fingers, like dry branches, stroked the bronze arrowhead left by Ma Chao on the table. A hint of warmth flashed in his eyes. "Wenyou, thanks to your plan, I can finally put my mind at ease." Before he finished speaking, a cold wind suddenly blew in from outside the tent, carrying fine snow. The snow fell on his graying temples and turned into water droplets in an instant.

The old general looked at the snowflakes falling on the map and suddenly sighed: "It's snowing, and it's the end of the year again..."