Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Chao snatched the imperial edict away, his rough fingertips slashing across the yellowed silk. The six cinnabar characters, "The Last Will of the Late Emperor," stung his eyes. His gaze swept over the words "No longer pursue the Xiliang troops' invasion of Chang'an," "Restore the title of Marquis Wei, hereditary," and so on. He suddenly sneered, shaking off the lingering snow from his temples. "With such a vindictive temper, how could that tyrant utter such words?" Xun Yu's face paled under the cold gleam of his sword. "Could this be the work of old Wang Yun? Lord Xun, do you know who will sit on the throne after the emperor's sudden death?"

Xun Yu was so shocked by the sword energy that he took a half step back. His wide sleeves brushed the snow off his shoulders, and he forced himself to stand straight. "King of Luoyang, Liu Xie, has inherited the throne." He saw Ma Chao's sword hand tremble slightly, and he quickly grasped his wrist. His voice was filled with desperate earnestness: "Mengqi! If this is not enough, you can speak frankly! I will report to the new emperor and Minister Wang immediately, and I will give you a..." His words were shattered by the howling north wind. He looked at the bloodshot in Ma Chao's eyes and finally let out a sigh: "Dismiss the troops! Three thousand refugees outside Chang'an have been buried in the frozen soil."

A north wind whistled past, carrying gravel as Li Ru suddenly stepped out from the shadows, his dark robe rustling. He stroked his goatee, his hawk-like gaze sweeping across Xun Yu's pale face. A cold smile curled his lips. "Lord Xun, there's no need to waste your words." His hoarse voice, mingled with the rustling of the wind, carried an undeniable fierceness. "Go back and tell the new emperor that if he wants to negotiate—" He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Chang'an, the battle flags of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry behind him rustling in the wind. "Wait until we break through the Vermillion Bird Gate, then we can set up the chessboard and talk!"

Li Ru walked to the side of Ma Chao and clearly saw that Ma Chao was distracted by Xun Yu: "Let them prepare swords, guns, arrows and crossbows today. If they can withstand the charge of my Xiliang cavalry," he suddenly turned to look at Ma Chao, with a bloodthirsty light in his eyes, "He doesn't need to say anything, our army will retreat!" Before he finished speaking, the deafening sound of war drums came from afar, startling the crows in the sky, and the dark shadows of their wings covered half of the gray sky.

A sharp north wind blew gravel against the crowd. Li Ru quickly stepped forward, grasped Ma Chao's sword-gripping wrist, and said in a deep voice, "General! Don't let his words distract you! The walls of Chang'an may be high, but they can't stop our Xiliang cavalry! Once we capture the city, we can negotiate whatever we want!"

Ma Chao felt his temples throbbing, his mind tangled with the news of the Empress's well-being and the authenticity of the will. He shook his head violently, as if to shake off all these distractions. Turning to look at the pale-faced Xun Yu, he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please rest in my central camp for the time being." He paused, a cold glint in his eyes. "After I capture Chang'an, we will discuss this matter slowly."

With that, he drew his sword, pointed it toward Chang'an, and shouted, "All troops, listen! Keep moving!" With that command, tens of thousands of cavalrymen roared into action. The sound of their hooves rumbled like thunder, shaking the ground slightly. Xun Yu gazed at the receding army and sighed, knowing that this peace talk had ultimately failed.

The tops of Chang'an City were stained blood-rust. Liu Xie's knuckles turned white as he gripped the battlements. He looked at the Xiliang cavalry approaching again in the distance, the corners of his robe embroidered with golden dragons trembling in the wind. "Prime Minister, this time..." Before he finished speaking, Wang Yun had already grasped his trembling shoulders, his python-patterned jade belt clanging against the railings. "Your Majesty, rest assured. Although Xun Yu may not have achieved his wish, Cao Cao's Qingzhou army..." The tone suddenly turned cold. "At most, they will be able to rush to our aid in half a day!"

Suddenly, the sound of armor clashing could be heard from beneath the battlements. Lü Bu strode forward, his painted halberd held upside down, his golden hair crown gleaming coldly with his movements. Wang Yun spun abruptly, his aged fingers gripping the bricks tightly. "Fengxian! You must defend the gate to the death! As long as we can hold out for half a day..." His words were shattered by the deafening roar of war drums. The Xiliang army's battering rams slammed heavily into the rammed earth wall, sending up debris that showered the three men's faces.

Lü Bu pounded his painted halberd into the ground, shaking the cracks in the bricks so hard that mud seeped out. "I will make sure Ma Chao never returns!" As he turned, his cloak swept across the hem of Liu Xie's clothes, revealing the taotie patterns embroidered on the dark brocade as ferocious as a beast. With a fierce shout, a thousand crossbows on the city walls hummed simultaneously, yet they seemed so weak against the hail of arrows. Ma Chao's cavalry, trampling over the corpses of their comrades, had already piled their ladders heavily onto the crimson city walls.

War drums boomed like muffled thunder in the twilight, and the roars of the Western Liang army shook the walls of Chang'an to the ground. Ma Chao, clad in black armor, stood at the rear, his scarlet cape fluttering like blood. With every wave of his arm, a wave of fearless soldiers surged from the city walls like a black tide. Ladders climbed like a dense forest atop the city walls. Gan Ning, wielding his icy sword, split open a breach. Zhang Liao, spear in hand, followed closely behind. In a flash of cold light, the weapons of Song Xian and Wei Xu were sent flying. Before Cao Xing could draw his bowstring, Zhang Liao's hurled broken sword pinned him to the parapet.

"Kill!" Gan Ning roared, swinging his greatsword. Flesh and blood flew everywhere the blade passed, and the defenders fell one after another. Just as the Xiliang army was about to break through the defenses, the Red Hare neighed like thunder, and Lü Bu, holding his painted halberd upside down, charged through the air. The Fang Tian painted halberd swished across like a silver rainbow, barely forcing back Zhang Liao's spear thrust at the city gate. Sparks flew, Lü Bu, holding the halberd with one hand, took Gan Ning's full-strength blow. Blood dripped down the halberd's shaft from the ruptured palm. "How dare you, you rat!" He spun and swept across, the halberd's blade unleashing a gust of wind as sharp as a knife, forcing the two men back.

Atop the city walls, Liu Xie's knuckles whitened as he gripped the battlements, his crown shaking violently. Wang Yun, his white hair disheveled and his brocade robe dusty, breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the defenders regain their footing. Lü Bu leaped onto the wall, gazing at the Western Liang troops swarming like ants. Veins bulged in his forehead. "Your Majesty! My dear father-in-law! The Western Liang army's attack is too fierce. I'm afraid..." Before he could finish his words, the roar of a new wave of siege roared in like a raging tide.

Liu Xie looked at the surging Western Liang cavalry below the city, his crown rustling with his trembling body: "Si Tu, this... this city is really not defensible?" When he turned around, his robe swept down the bronze candlestick on the table. The flickering candlelight made Wang Yun's old face even more gloomy.

Wang Yun tugged at his beard so hard that his knuckles turned white from the force, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. From outside the battlements came the muffled sound of Gan Ning's broadsword chopping at the city wall. He suddenly turned around and shouted at his deputy general, "Quickly take Lu Wan and her family to the top of the city wall!" His hoarse voice was filled with unquestionable ruthlessness, "Tell Ma Chao that if he wants to protect his beloved, withdraw his troops immediately!" The moment the deputy general was stunned, Wang Yun had already drawn the sword from his waist and pressed it against his throat, "Why don't you go quickly?!" Blood dripped down the sword's edge, spreading a hideous dark red on the blue bricks.

The Xiliang army's offensive surged like a surging wave, each blow from the battering ram shaking the ground. Just as the defenders on the city walls began to weaken, the rapid sound of a trumpet ripped through the battlefield. Several armored soldiers roughly pushed Lu Wan and her family onto the city walls. Lu Wan's hair was disheveled across her face, and on her wrist she still wore the jade buckle she had shared with Ma Chao in childhood.

Ma Chao, watching closely from the rear camp, suddenly tightened his grip on the reins, his knuckles turning white as frost. "Hold the attack!" His command rose above the roars of thousands of soldiers, and the Western Liang army retreated, like a receding tide. Wang Yun, halfway out from the city walls, his dragon robe rustling in the wind, said, "Since Marquis Wei is here, why don't you come down to the city walls and speak to me?"

Before he could finish his words, Ma Chao's Red Hare had already shot out from the front of the battle formation like an arrow from a bow. The generals tried to stop him, but he was repelled by a fierce shout: "How could I be afraid of him!" Amidst the dust kicked up by his horse, Ma Chao reined in and stopped just outside the arrow's range, staring at Wang Yun from afar through the smoke. His gaze passed Wang Yun and fixed on Lu Wan's pale face. His Adam's apple rolled several times before he uttered a cold word: "Wang Situ, you'd better not gamble Wan'er's life on the sword in my hand!"

Wang Yun leaned forward, his python robe rustling in the wind. "Marquis Wei! Xun Lingjun should have informed us that Emperor Liu Bian has passed away. Your grievances have finally been resolved!" He raised his hand and gestured towards the Xiliang army formation. "If resentment still persists, we can simply speak frankly! Why should we expose the people of this city..."

"Talk?" Ma Chao pulled the reins abruptly, and his Red Hare stood up, its front hooves crushing the remaining snow on the ground. "Threatening Wan'er's life, is this what you call talking?" His eyes cut through Wang Yun like a knife, and then fell on Lu Wan's pale face, and a suppressed growl escaped from his throat.

The jade buckle on Lu Wan's wrist jingled as she struggled. Seeing Ma Chao safe and sound, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. "Brother Chao! Back then, when you rode single-handedly and broke through the encirclement, I prayed for your safety every day... Now, heaven has mercy on me, and I can see you again!" She struggled to break free from the armored guards, her hair scattered messily across her face, but her eyes gleamed with a fiery light. "I've been trapped in the deep palace for all these years, and I've long lost my freedom. But you're different. You're an eagle soaring in the sky, and you shouldn't have your wings broken for me!"

She suddenly straightened her back and shouted at the city: "Do you remember when we were young in Luoyang? At that time you said you would take me to see all the mountains and rivers... Even if we have no chance to accompany each other now, please take my share and go and make a name for yourself in the world! Don't stop because of me, and don't be distracted by me!" Before she finished speaking, Wang Yun had already grabbed her wrist tightly, and the python-patterned jade belt made her wrist bone hurt.

"Want to die?" Wang Yun sneered in her ear, his eyes glancing at the cowering women and children behind Lu Wan. "Can you just throw away the lives of your entire Lu family?" Lu Wan's body swayed violently, and her raised hand fell limply. Beneath the battlements, the knuckles of the Xiliang soldiers clenched their weapons, whitening. Ma Chao clenched his teeth, his sword vibrating unwillingly in its sheath.

Wang Yun leaned out half of his body, his python robe fluttering in the wind, and his old voice was wrapped in hoarse temptation: "Marquis Wei! As long as you stop fighting and make peace, the new emperor will agree to all your requests for official titles and fiefdoms! Why should you let thousands of lives be destroyed for a momentary impulse?" He raised his hand and pointed at the pile of corpses under the city, a calculating shadow flashed in his eyes.

Ma Chao sneered, and the sound of armor colliding was mixed with sarcasm: "What else can you come up with? The emperor's will? Hereditary title?" The Red Hare pawed the frozen soil restlessly, and the raised snow particles fell on his blood-stained visor.

"Chang'an!" Wang Yun suddenly roared, his voice like a bell, shaking the flags on the city walls. He pushed aside the guards, revealing the cowering Lu Wan family behind him. "The new emperor may withdraw from Chang'an immediately! This majestic ancient capital is yours to ride upon! This will not damage the reputation of Marquis Wei, and will protect the people of the city and the entire Lu family—" He dragged out the last syllable, his aged face twisted into a strange arc in the twilight. "Such sincerity, Marquis Wei, will you miss it?"