Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

"Waste!" Lü Bu's spiked boots slammed down on the officer who had looted the Lu residence. The officer screamed and flew backward, knocking over three of his personal guards. The red tassel of his Fang Tian Hua Ji swept over the crowd, sending up clouds of dust. "Get out of here! If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll behead you!" He spat viciously at the blood, and as he turned, the dragon pattern on his golden crown clashed with a resounding sound. "Retreat!"

Wang Yun breathed a sigh of relief, his hands still trembling slightly beneath his dragon robe. Watching Lü Bu leading his troops away, he turned and smiled apologetically, "Don't blame me, General Cao. Fengxian just has this kind of hot temper..." Before he finished speaking, Cao Cao had already bowed to Lu Wan. A glance at the mess on the ground and a meaningful smile curved the corner of his mouth.

Cao Ang looked at the messy Lu Mansion, his eyes fell on Lu Wan with disheveled hair, and said in a deep voice: "Senior Sister, Chang'an is about to change hands, so go to Yanzhou with my father tomorrow. It's better to have the Cao family's protection than to live in fear here." His voice was filled with unquestionable earnestness, and the guards behind him quietly tightened the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Wang Yun's dragon robe swept across the broken celadon, and he had a half-smile on his face: "Mr. Cao, it's too early to say that." He stroked his beard and glanced at the dark clouds rolling in the sky, "The Western Liang cavalry is stationed outside the city, and Ma Mengqi dared to draw his sword against the emperor in court for Miss Lu." Before he finished speaking, Cao Ang's hand holding the sword suddenly tightened - in his early years, when he was studying in the Lu Mansion, he also knew that Ma Chao and Lu Wan were childhood sweethearts and had feelings for each other.

Lu Wan suddenly knelt in greeting, the jade hairpin in her hair falling to dust. Gazing at the flickering torches outside, she whispered, "Thank you, Junior Brother, for your concern. But..." Her words trailed off as the dull sound of war drums drifted in the distance, shaking the remaining lamps in the corridor. "Brother Chao, if you remember your friendship with my father, you'll find a place to stay, no matter where you are." She turned to look at the devastated ancestral hall, where Lu Zhi's tablet was enshrined. "I've been adrift in these troubled times for so long. Just having a roof over my head is enough."

Cao Ang gazed at Dian Wei's blood-drenched halberds, then at Li Tong's bloodstained hands, still tightly gripping the hilts, and his blood boiled. In the melee just now, Dian Wei had charged like an iron tower, brandishing his halberds with ferocious force, facing ten enemies alone without wavering. Li Tong, meanwhile, had stood firm, his sword strikes flowing like a web, protecting the entire Lu family from every threat. This kind of bravery and loyalty was exactly the kind of general his father had sought!

He was about to invite them, but Cao Cao glanced at the mess on the ground. He didn't spare the two generals a glance, but instead ordered his guards to clean up the mess with a stern face. Cao Ang, eager to join his father, took advantage of his father's back and quickly stepped forward, whispering, "You two are so brave, would you be willing to...?"

"I won't do it!" Dian Wei interrupted Cao Ang with a thunderous voice, wiping the blood off his face with his thick fingers. "I promised that pretty boy, oh no, General Ma, that I would protect the Lu family for the rest of my life! If you want me to change my master, you have to break my halberds first!" Li Tong also saluted with a fist, a wry smile on his pale face. "Thank you for your appreciation, young master, but we are deeply grateful to General Ma and dare not have any second thoughts."

Cao Ang looked at the two men's determined expressions and swallowed back the words on his lips. He sighed, untied the wine bag from his waist and threw it away: "Okay! Cao Ang, I'm rude! If you need any trouble in the future, you can always come to me!" Dian Wei caught the wine bag and drank it down in one gulp, wiping his mouth and laughing: "That's good enough! Little kid, remember to prepare more good wine!"

As the night faded, the sky turned pale. Cao Cao waved away the gathered guards, his boots crunching over the shattered porcelain. He turned to look at Cao Ang, a lingering scowl still etched between his brows. "If it weren't for Miss Lu's special status, do you have any idea how much more trouble would have been caused?"

Cao Ang could not hide the burning in his eyes and hurried to catch up with his father: "Father! Didn't you see Dian Wei wielding his double halberds with such vigor that he could fight ten enemies at once without losing the upper hand? Although Li Tong's martial arts skills were not particularly outstanding, he was seriously injured and fought to the death, protecting the Lu family without a single leak! Such a brave and loyal general is really rare!" He became more and more excited as he spoke, and stretched out his hand to gesture the two men's fighting appearance, "If we can recruit them, they will definitely add two pillars to our army!"

Cao Cao slowed his pace, stroking his chin, lost in thought. A night watchman's clapperboard rang in the distance, startling crows from the branches. After a long pause, he chuckled softly, raised his hand, and patted his son's shoulder. "Zixiu, a forced melon is not sweet. But I've memorized these two people's names."

At dawn, Chang'an was still shrouded in mist, like a painting still wet with ink, shattered by the cold gleam of the Xiliang army's armor. The Xiliang army's formations, like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, had already advanced beneath the towers. The clatter of horse hooves was like muffled thunder, shaking the walls slightly. The few soldiers on the city walls offered no resistance. Spears lay scattered against the parapet, and the military flags drooped listlessly, occasionally lifted by the wind, revealing a patchwork of holes.

Ma Chao stood in the central army tent, staring through the gap in the curtain at the flags fluttering on the city wall, and said in a deep voice: "It seems that Wang Yun is really ready to surrender the city." His voice was low, with a hint of imperceptible doubt, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was testing this seemingly calm but actually undercurrent situation.

Li Ru gently stroked his goatee, a gleam in his eyes, and said slowly: "From this we can see that Emperor Liu Bian is probably really dead. Otherwise, with the character of Wang Yun, the old fox, he would never compromise so easily." His words were like a sharp knife, dissecting the truth behind the eerie calm.

Ma Chao's eyes dimmed instantly, revealing a sense of loss, and he murmured, "He is really dead, died so easily... The anger we have accumulated for so long is like hitting cotton, with nowhere to vent." Thinking of how countless Xiliang men have sacrificed their lives and shed their blood over the years to redress their grievances, and now their enemy has lost his life so easily, his heart is filled with resentment and loss.

Jia Xu walked forward, his eyes as deep as a deep pool, and said in a deep voice: "That being said, my lord. The situation in Chang'an is complicated. Lu Bu and others have extensive influence in the city. In my opinion, we cannot let them escape easily. We can allocate a part of the troops and pursue them when they retreat after the peace talks are over." His voice was neither hurried nor slow, but every word was like a hammer, striking everyone's heart.

Ma Chao's brow furrowed in a sudden frown, his mind flashing back to that day in Chang'an, when Lü Bu bent his bow and arrows, only to be met by three sharp arrows that pierced his shoulder. The wounds seemed to ache again, and the mixture of old and new hatreds mingled, igniting a blazing rage in his eyes. He gripped the sword at his waist tightly and said in a cold voice, "Okay! Let's follow Wenhe's plan!" He then turned and gave the order, "Order Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang to select 30,000 elite Xiliang cavalry and ambush them along Lü Bu's retreating route. Tell them that this time, Lü Bu will be dealt a heavy punishment and made to pay for what he did that day!"

The military order was as firm as a mountain. Soon, Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang assembled their thirty thousand cavalrymen and set out silently like a black torrent. They advanced along secluded mountain paths, their horses' hooves wrapped in thick cotton cloth, making almost no sound. The thirty thousand soldiers wore stern expressions, their scimitars gleaming coldly in the morning light. They were like dormant beasts, waiting for their prey to step into their trap, ready to strike a fatal blow. Meanwhile, in Chang'an, a seemingly peaceful peace negotiation, but in reality a murderous game, had just begun...

City gate opening and closing room

The clappers at the hour of noon pierced the mist, and the neighing of war horses echoed through the Xiliang army's ranks. Ma Chao's knuckles grew white as he gripped the saddle, his eyes darkening beneath his bronze mask. He gazed at the tightly closed Suzaku Gate and finally shouted, "Spread the word! If the gates aren't opened within three incense sticks, use the catapults to blast a breach!" The messenger's shout echoed through the ranks, startling a few crows from the city walls, which fluttered off into the gray sky.

Just as the third incense stick was about to burn out, the sound of heavy door hinges turning, "Squeak!", shattered the dead silence. The Vermillion Bird Gate slowly swung open, wood chips mixed with dust rustling down, as if the ancient city of Chang'an were groaning in pain. As the first carriage pulled out, the official's pale face peeked through the slits in the curtains, his crown askew, the hem of his dragon robe stained with mud, resembling a lost dog. Immediately afterwards, carriage after carriage filed out, their axles creaking under the weight, clearly laden with gold, silver, and valuables.

Lü Bu's Bingzhou Wolf Riders formed a square formation to cover the rear, their armor gleaming coldly in the morning light. The veins bulged as the soldiers gripped their spears, blades pointed diagonally at the ground, and they moved slowly, as if facing a formidable enemy. As they brushed past the Xiliang troops, the air seemed thick with the tangible smell of gunpowder, and even the horses moved their hooves cautiously, fearing a clash.

Ma Chao sat firmly atop his Aurora Horse, the gilded saddle and bridle swaying gently with the horse's breathing. He glanced coldly at the wolf riders' bulging bags—some wore brand new silk wrapped around their waists, others had half-broken jade disks peeking from beneath their armor, clearly looted possessions.

The doors and windows of the houses lining the street were tightly shut, but countless pairs of eyes peeked through the cracks. The ragged civilians clenched their fists, some silently weeping, others gnashing their teeth. When a wolf rider's whip accidentally knocked over an elderly woman's vegetable basket, her suppressed sobs suddenly erupted into a roar: "Give me back my food!" Then, tiles and stones rained down on the retreating troops.

"Everyone, stay put!" Lü Bu's lieutenant roared, sweeping his spear across, sending wood chips flying. Ma Chao, however, raised his hand to stop the impetuous Xiliang troops, a cold smile playing on his face. He knew that even more brutal retaliation was yet to come—letting these vicious wolves out of the city now was merely a way to lower their guard. Once they stepped into the ambush, he would then wipe out these parasites in one fell swoop.

As the last carriage, laden with family members, rolled out of the city gate, a cloud of dust rising. Lü Bu spurred his Red Hare and, accompanied by Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and other generals, slowly emerged, accompanied by two ornately decorated carriages. The first carriage, draped in a plain white curtain, exuded a faint chill, while the second was embroidered with python patterns. Atop the shaft stood a stern-looking Cao Cao, accompanied by Cao Ren, sword in hand, and Cao Ang, sword in hand, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings.

The Bingzhou Wolf Riders surged like a black tide, quickly forming a defensive formation around the carriage. Their painted halberds and spears formed a forest, gleaming coldly in the morning mist. Lü Bu reined in the reins, the dragon pattern on his golden crown swaying slightly. He glanced sideways at the Xiliang army formation and snorted with disdain.

Suddenly, a hoarse cough echoed from the python-patterned carriage. Wang Yun parted the curtain and stepped out. His python robe was dusty, but his demeanor remained haughty. He raised his hand, and a personal guard immediately shouted, "Marquis Wei! Chang'an has been completely vacated, and the late emperor's coffin is here. Please, General Ma, come forward and have a conversation!"

Before he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves echoed from the Xiliang army. Clad in black armor, his scarlet cape rustling in the wind, Ma Chao rode out slowly on his lone horse. His gaze darted across Lü Bu like a hawk, finally settling on the pristine white carriage. Thinking of Liu Bian's evil deeds, his hand unconsciously pressed against the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white with the pressure.