Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

On the eleventh day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Xingping, a north wind blew broken snow across the Xiliang camp. One hundred thousand soldiers were covered in frost on their armor, like a pack of dormant wolves. In the center of the parade ground, Ma Chao's silver armor shone brightly, and the ice crystals on his cloak reflected a cold light in the morning sun. A few months ago, he was forced into a desperate situation in Chang'an City, and his life or death was unknown. Now, he is like a god of war reborn from the ashes. His tiger eyes swept across the audience, and his voice was like a bell: "Everyone! In the past, I was murdered by the emperor in Chang'an City, and my halberds were buried in the sand. I lost several of my generals, which caused an uproar in the world. Some people said that the Xiliang Iron Cavalry was nothing more than this!" The long spear suddenly swept across, startling the snow on the ground, "But today, I, Ma Chao, stand here! After returning from the gates of hell, I want to tell the world - the blood of Xiliang men is always hot!"

The shouts of the soldiers suddenly rang out. Ma Chao raised his hand for silence and turned his gaze to the top of the city wall: "Today, in front of the army, I don't want to remember some of my brothers and generals who were buried with me in Chang'an!" He shouted angrily, drew out his sword, and with a buzzing sound, stopped on the stage, "In the city of Chang'an, powerful officials are in power and loyal officials are being persecuted! The emperor is incompetent and the Han Dynasty is in decline. Are we just going to sit back and watch?" Before he finished speaking, shouts of "attack Chang'an" rang out one after another all around.

Ma Chao said that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. If we don't avenge our great vengeance, how can we honor the blood of the loyal and righteous? After we have wiped out all of Chang'an, we will definitely build a high platform to honor the heroic souls!

Ma Chao turned abruptly and strode towards Jia Xu, who stood at the side of the general's platform. The gray-haired strategist had a deep gaze. "Mr. Wenhe!" Ma Chao knelt on one knee and shouted, "Since I first met you under Mr. Dong's command, I have been impressed by your strategy. Now the situation is treacherous. I beg you to come out of retirement and serve as our military advisor and general! Help me to wipe out the treacherous officials in Chang'an and revive the Han Dynasty!"

Jia Xu nodded slightly, waving his feather fan gently. "Since I have the general's trust, I will do my utmost to serve you." He glanced at the whole room and said loudly, "Everyone, the emperor is incompetent, the powerful ministers are in chaos, and the people of the world are in dire straits. If we don't advance now, when will we?"

Ma Chao suddenly stood up, his spear pointed towards Chang'an. "Mr. Wenhe's words are exactly what I want! Pass the order: All three armies have a full meal, and today at noon, we will march to Chang'an! If we can't break through the city gates, I, Ma Chao, will not return to Xiliang!"

Suddenly, the parade ground erupted in earth-shaking roars, war drums thundered, and a hundred thousand cavalrymen shouted in unison: "Tear down Chang'an! Tear down Chang'an!" Ma Chao gazed at the fiery eyes of his soldiers, his heart filled with heroic spirit. Morale, once low, now ignited like a prairie fire.

A northerly wind whipped up shattered snow toward the command platform. Jia Xu's dark cloak rustled as he fanned a white feather fan against a parchment scroll painted with a map of mountains and rivers. Ma Chao, his silver armor gleaming coldly, stood in the center of the platform. Thirty thousand Western Liang cavalrymen formed a square formation below, their spears piercing the low-hanging clouds like a forest.

"Hua Xiong, Xu Rong!" Jia Xu suddenly pointed his folding fan at the audience. Two fierce generals emerged from the snow, their armor clashing and startling even jackdaws. "Lead the vanguard of the Piercing Camp, armed with battering rams and ladders, and storm Xuanping Gate at dawn! No retreat until the city is broken!" Hua Xiong swung his nine-ring broadsword at an angle, sending snow cascading down his shoulders. Xu Rong's bronze sword, unsheathed, shone a bloodthirsty glow in their eyes.

"Zhang Liao, Xu Huang!" The folding fan spun rapidly, and the two fierce generals responded with fists clasped, "Each of you lead 5,000 cavalrymen to lie in ambush on both sides of the city gate. When the city gate is opened, you will immediately rush in to cut off the defenders!" The goose-feather knife on Zhang Liao's waist trembled slightly, and Xu Huang's mountain axe had already carved a half-foot deep mark on the snow.

"Ma Dai, Dong Huang!" Jia Xu's eyes swept over like an eagle, "Lead three thousand light cavalry to feint an attack on the east and west gates, beat drums and gongs, and plant flags everywhere. You must hold back the enemy's elite!" Ma Dai slammed his spear to the ground, and Dong Huang smiled sinisterly as he turned the caltrop bone in his hand, startling up the frozen and cracked soil on the ground.

"Zhang Ren, Jiang Xu!" The last two orders were resounding, "Lead 8,000 infantrymen, suppress the city walls with powerful crossbows and catapults! Arrows like rain, stones like thunder, clear the way for the vanguard!" Zhang Ren's chain crossbow was already on his shoulder, and Jiang Xu directed the soldiers to debug the catapult. The creaking sound of the capstan mixed with the wind and snow resounded throughout the training ground.

"Everyone!" Ma Chao suddenly shouted, his golden spear pointed at the white walls above the city walls. "The gates of Chang'an must be breached today! Anyone who retreats will be punished by military law!" Thirty thousand soldiers roared in unison, their roars shaking the spirit-calling banners on the city walls. Jia Xu put away his feather fan and gazed at the cavalrymen marching in formation below the general's platform, a smile growing on his face. This siege, launched in the name of revenge, was already imminent.

A hundred thousand Xiliang cavalrymen lined up in the bitter north wind, their armor reflecting the cold light of the setting sun. Long spears, like a forest, pierced the low-hanging clouds. Warhorses pawed the frozen earth restlessly, the clatter of hooves intertwined with the clashing of armor, a crescendo of brewing thunder. Clad in silver armor, Ma Chao stood at the front of the formation, his golden spear, a tiger-head, pointed obliquely at the sky. Behind him, a large banner with the Chinese character "马" (horse) fluttered, stirring up a cloud of shattered snow.

"The time has come!" Jia Xu's dark cloak fluttered in the wind, and he swung his feather fan heavily. Suddenly, the deafening sound of war drums echoed across the parade grounds. The soldiers of the Vanguard Camp and the Formation Formation shouted in unison, pushing their ox-hide-wrapped battering rams and carrying their ladders. Like a black torrent, they began to move.

At that moment, a clapper rang out from a distant watchtower, a series of warning sounds piercing the air. Ma Chao turned his head sharply, the veins on his hand holding his spear bulging. The soldiers on the watchtower frantically waved black flags, their sharp cries drifting on the wind: "Report—something's happening in Chang'an!"

A swift horse rushed forward like an arrow from a bow. The scout pulled the reins in front of Ma Chao's horse, causing the steed to rear up, its neigh echoing through the parade ground. The scout dismounted, his knees banging hard on the frozen ground, sending up tiny shards of ice. "General! All four gates of Chang'an have been replaced with white banners, and spirit-calling banners have been hung on the city walls! The bright yellow dragon flag... has been covered with black cloth!"

The parade grounds fell silent, the only sound being the howling north wind. Ma Chao narrowed his eyes and gazed towards Chang'an. He saw the white silk curtains swirling from the city walls like surging waves, and a piercing chill ran down his spine and up the back of his neck.

Ma Chao stared at the billowing white silk on the top of the city wall, his veins throbbing under his silver armor, and slammed his tiger-headed golden spear hard on the saddle: "How could it be such a coincidence..." Before he finished speaking, Jia Xu had already stepped on the snow and stepped forward quickly. In the snow mist raised by his black cloak, his gray hair fluttered in the wind like a flag.

"General!" The counselor's eyes flashed with a blazing brilliance. "This is a golden opportunity sent by heaven! When you were seriously injured and unconscious, our army's morale was as low as an icy cave. Today, you are reborn in silver armor, and the 30,000 cavalrymen are full of fighting spirit!" Jia Xu slammed his command on his palm, startling the crows in front of the battle. "No matter whether it is a real funeral or a fake one, the Xiliang cavalry will point to the gates of Chang'an!"

Ma Chao's tiger eyes suddenly lit up, and he lifted up the half-rolled battle flag with his spear: "Good! Wenhe's words are exactly what I want! Give a message to the whole army -" The sound was like thunder, "Keep marching! Anyone who dares to stop us will be trampled into meat paste!" One hundred thousand cavalry responded with a roar, the sound of horse hooves shook the frozen soil to crack, and in the rising snow curtain, the big flag with the word "Ma" fluttered and tore through the haze.

As the massive army approached Chang'an like a tide, a rope suddenly dropped from the city walls. The envoy, draped in mourning, was slowly lowered upside down.

The scout stumbled into the battle formation: "Report! An envoy has been lowered down from the city wall to ask for an audience!" Ma Chao's silver armor reflected a cold light, and he casually waved the tiger-head golden spear: "Don't pay any attention to it, the army continues to advance!" One hundred thousand cavalrymen crushed the frozen soil, the sound of horse hooves rolled over the wasteland like thunder, the creaking sounds of ladders and battering rams mixed with the shouts of soldiers, startling the crows in the sky.

Xu Huang, commanding the vanguard, suddenly heard the envoy's voice: "Xu Gongming! Tell General Mengqi for me. You really don't recognize an old friend?" His hand gripping his axe trembled, and his face beneath his iron helmet turned pale. The voice cut through the howling north wind, carrying an unmistakable certainty. It was so familiar. It was Xun Yu, the former commander of the Western Liang army.

Xu Huang's face darkened as he pulled his horse back to the center of the army. His axe struck sparks against his saddle, and he wore a bitter expression, as if he had swallowed a whole coptis root. "General, you should meet the envoy. It's Xun Yu, Lord Xun. He claims that you no longer recognize old friends."

Ma Chao reined in his horse and gazed out. He saw the figure in plain clothes standing beneath the city wall, a figure of remarkable stature. A sudden ripple of emotion welled up in his heart. Back in Xiliang, Xun Yu had rectified the administration, secured provisions, and brought the remote military garrison to impeccable order. Had he not been loyal to the Han court and come to Chang'an to offer his services to the emperor, he would have been playing chess and discussing military strategy in his tent right now. He gripped the reins, his knuckles white from the strain. "Hold the advance! Summon him!"

A biting cold wind whipped up the snow, and Xun Yu's plain robe rustled in the wind. The jade pendant with a dragon pattern on its waist shone faintly in the twilight. Ma Chao's pupils constricted—it was the token of love he had personally given to Xiliang when they parted ways.

"Mr. Wenruo?!" Ma Chao's voice was laced with heavy breathing, veins throbbing beneath his silver armor. He spurred his horse closer, the clanging of armor startling the archers on the city walls. "We've been apart for years, how did you become a lobbyist in Chang'an?"

Xun Yu's back remained as strong as a pine tree, his powerful voice piercing the wind and snow: "Mengqi! The emperor has just passed away, and the country is in turmoil. Going to war now will only allow jackals to take advantage of the situation!" He suddenly coughed violently, and blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped onto the silk book. "Do you remember when you and I discussed the general situation of the world, and you said you would defend our country and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty?"

Ma Chao's hand gripping the spear trembled violently, and he vaguely saw his younger self, commanding the country alongside Xun Yu. Jia Xu approached, "General, please don't let personal interests preclude public interest."

"Mr. Wenhe, wait a minute!" Ma Chao yanked off his helmet, his black hair dancing wildly in the wind. He dismounted, crushing the thin ice on the ground. Looking up at his old friend, his eyes flickering with fire, he said, "Since you've arrived, will you please speak with me? If you can convince Ma Chao, I will withdraw thirty miles. If not..." His spear thudded into the ground, sending up a spray of snow and blood. "Don't blame me, the Western Liang cavalry, for crushing Chang'an!"

A north wind whipped fine snow across the low table. A personal guard trembled as he placed the bronze teapot on the reddened, frozen stone. Ma Chao untied his cloak and flung it behind him, his gilded armor clanging against the table. Xun Yu dusted off the hem of his plain robe and knelt. The jade pendant with a dragon pattern on his waist clashed with the green jade teacup, its tinkling mingling with the distant scraping of armor.

"My lord, I recall the time when we discussed the world under the Xiliang moon. You once said, 'I am willing to defend the Han Dynasty's territory.'" Xun Yu held the teapot with a steady hand, the tea ripples forming in the cup. "Why do you risk the wrath of the world and lead your troops to attack the palace today?"

Ma Chao suddenly threw his head back and laughed so loudly that the sound shook the whole area and startled the crows. He grabbed the teacup fiercely, his knuckles turning white. "Your Majesty, do you really not know why I'm here?" His eyes were bloodshot. "Since I led the army to Chang'an to serve the emperor, every battle has been fought with my own hands, regardless of death. Not to mention the distant past, just take the fierce battle in Yangzhou as an example. How many of our Xiliang warriors fell? The emperor didn't even supply them with food and fodder!" The teacup slammed heavily on the stone surface, and the tea spilled on Xun Yu's sleeve. "Wasn't it your majesty's intention to arrange the celebration banquet that day? If it hadn't been arranged in advance, how could I, Ma Chao, have suffered so many casualties and almost died in Chang'an?"

Xun Yu's expression suddenly changed, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty: "Your Majesty was young and arrogant that day... But you openly drew your sword against me, and in the end..."