Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Gan Ning was about to stand up when he saw Lu Su had already hidden the secret letter in his sleeve pocket. The copper lamp reflected the sweat on his forehead, but his tone was calm and steady: "Wait a minute, Xingba. This Jiangdong area has a deep connection with us, so we must not act rashly."

"We're already surrounded, what's the point of talking about our origins?" Gan Ning, feeling the effects of alcohol, drew his sword half an inch from its sheath. "In Jingxiang, we fought whenever we wanted, but in Jiangdong, we're being forced to surrender?"

"Jingxiang is the enemy, this place is an old friend." Lu Su held his wrist and straightened his hemp gown, "It is best to use courtesy before force." Before he finished speaking, the sound of armor rubbing against each other could be heard outside the door. Dozens of soldiers holding spears surrounded the courtyard.

"May I ask which general's Tiger Guards are these?" Lu Su took a half step forward, waving his feather fan. The leading deputy general blocked their way with a halberd: "Stop talking nonsense! Drop your weapons first, and don't resist stubbornly!"

Amidst the stalemate, the sound of urgent horse hooves could be heard in the distance. A personal guard came galloping over: "General Cheng has ordered—do not resort to force!" The deputy general was startled at the words, sheathing his halberd and stepping back. Gan Ning looked at the word "Cheng" on the lantern and groaned, but followed Lu Su's instruction and sheathed his ring-handled sword.

鲁肃上前一步，朗声道：&34;可是程德谋将军麾下？&34;亲兵勒住缰绳，灯笼光晕里，&34;程&34;字晃了晃：&34;正是。&34;

"Since we are old friends, why draw swords?" Lu Su turned and gestured to Gan Ning. Although the latter looked reluctant, he still sheathed his ring-handled sword. Seeing this, the deputy general had no choice but to wave his hand and order the soldiers to put away their halberds, but he still kept a vigilant eye on the bulging pouches on the two men's waists.

As they walked along the bluestone slabs toward the river, the night wind carried the stench of dampness. Gan Ning leaned over to Lu Su's ear and whispered, "What's up with this old Cheng Pu?" Lu Su didn't answer, but his fingertips were stroking his feather fan. In the distance, lights flickered, and figures danced in tents.

The candlelight flickered in Cheng Pu's tent. Huang Gai lifted the curtain and asked in a gruff voice, "Demou, you summoned me here in the dead of night. Are you going to drink with me until dawn again?"

Cheng Pu pushed the secret report on the table over. The candlelight illuminated the words "Ma Chao was crowned King of Liang" and then dimmed them. "How could I have the heart to drink? Today, the river defense stopped a group of merchants, and they were all transporting furs from the northwest."

Zu Mao twirled his beard and leaned in for a closer look, his armor rustling against the screen. "It's hot and humid in Jiangdong, so selling furs is already a strange thing, not to mention..." He lowered his voice, "I heard that Jingzhou has been in frequent contact with the lord recently. If they were legitimate envoys, why would they be so secretive?"

Han Dang, tugging at his graying beard, suddenly slammed the table and said, "Could it be Xiliang..." Before he finished speaking, the sound of armor could be heard outside the tent. Cheng Pu raised his hand to signal for silence, his eyes sweeping over the three old brothers: "The guards have gone to invite someone. We'll know what they say and do later."

Before he finished speaking, there was the sound of footsteps outside the tent. Lu Su's clear voice pierced the night: "An old friend from Xiliang is here to visit. General Cheng, are you going to leave me waiting outside the camp in the night wind?"

Cheng Pu shuddered, turning to look at Huang Gai and the others: "That voice... sounds so familiar!" The four veterans' armor clashed, and they rushed out of the tent almost simultaneously. In the moonlight, Lu Su, dressed in a blue robe, was waving a feather fan. Behind him stood a burly man—his bronze wristbands reflected a cold light. Who else could it be but Gan Ning?

"Zi Jing! Xing Ba!" Cheng Pu stepped forward first, "Your trick of pretending to be a merchant can't be hidden from my old eyes!" He slapped Gan Ning's shoulder hard, and the latter almost dropped his wine gourd.

Lu Su saluted with a smile, tapping his palm with his fan bone. "General Demou has good eyesight. We were invited here as soon as we landed." He glanced at the uncollected secret report on Cheng Pu's case. "I am here in Jiangdong on the orders of my lord to greet all the veteran generals."

Cheng Pu looked at Lu Su's thin face, his throat warming. The scene of Sun Ce and Ma Chao drinking and chatting happily in the past suddenly came to mind. He reached out to support Lu Su, his voice trembling: "Quick, come into the tent and talk!" The candlelight in the tent was suddenly brightened by the night wind, reflecting the tears in the corners of the four veterans' eyes.

Cheng Pu personally drew aside the curtain and ushered Lu Su and Gan Ning into the inner tent. Zu Mao could no longer contain his excitement, and as soon as the two sat down, he asked anxiously, "Is General Ma really still alive? And has he been crowned the King of Liang?"

"That's right." Lu Su nodded. "It's a long story—when the Chang'an Rebellion broke out, General Meng Qi was shot by several arrows. Fortunately, Miss Zhen Mi risked her life to save him, and with the help of Mr. Hua Tuo's miraculous hands, he was saved from the brink of death. ... Later, the emperor suddenly passed away. Wang Yun, Cao Cao, and others begged for the title of King of Liang, and only then did the king agree to Cao Cao's invitation to welcome Liu Xie to Xudu as the new emperor."

Inside the tent, copper lamps crackled and sputtered. Huang Gai suddenly slammed the table, sending the wine in his bowl splattering. "What a court! General Ma fought his way through the rebellion in Yangzhou, and now he's met with the late emperor's murderous hand!" He banged the iron whip at his waist against the table, making a resounding sound.

Zu Mao slammed the wine bowl to the ground, and the wine seeped into the rough cowhide felt: "Good death! If this tyrant fell into my hands, I would have cut him into pieces!" He stroked the cracks on his helmet, "When the princes fought against Dong Zhuo, if General Ma hadn't saved me, my head would have been hanging on the flagpole!"

Han Dang tugged at his gray beard, his voice filled with hatred: "The Han Dynasty is doomed! The emperor is incompetent, and corrupt officials are in power. It's time for a change of dynasty!" Zu Mao looked at the lanterns swaying outside the tent, suddenly covered his face, and a choked sob seeped out from the gaps in his armor: "That kid Bofu... when he learned of General Ma's 'death', he cried until he vomited blood, and the next day he ordered his troops to march west..."

Cheng Pu's fingers dug deep into his palms, recalling Sun Ce's back as he mounted his horse before heading off to battle. In the flickering candlelight, he murmured, "This year, we surrendered to him in dire straits. General Ma generously donated soldiers and generals. During the Battle of Yangzhou, he even helped our lord conquer Jiangdong. After conquering Jiangdong, he never took an inch of territory, only saying, 'If Bofu achieves great things, it will be my, Ma Chao's, wish.'" His voice suddenly broke. "Now that Bofu is gone, if I knew my old friend was still alive, I would be able to rest in peace."

The iron armor of the four veteran generals trembled slightly in the silence. The river breeze outside the tent brought in a damp and fishy smell mixed with undried tears.

Seeing that everyone's tears had dried slightly, Lu Su tapped his feather fan lightly on his palm and said, "My king has sent you to investigate the cause of General Bo Fu's death." Upon hearing this, Cheng Pu unconsciously rubbed the old wound on his waist with his fingers and slowly recounted how Sun Ce was ambushed in Jiangxia and assassinated on his way home.

"That's not right!" Lu Su suddenly stood up, his fan bone hitting the table with a crisp sound. "Since you survived Huang Zu's ambush in Jiangxia, why did you get murdered on the way home?" He glanced at the pale faces of the four veterans. "Could it be that on this boat..."

Huang Gai sighed heavily, his iron whip hanging at his side and shaking lightly: "That's exactly what I said. When we brought the lord back that day, blood was oozing from all seven orifices, clearly poisoned. Everyone on the boat, from the personal guards to the boatmen, was a suspect - Wei Yan insisted that it was the Second Young Master Sun Quan who was responsible, but the Second Young Master turned around and accused Wei Yan of the crime." He paused, his armor rising and falling slightly with his sigh. "That's exactly what caused Jiangdong to fall apart..."

"Wait a minute." Lu Su held down Gan Ning, who was about to speak but hesitated, while Han Dang slammed his fist on the table: "This case has not yet been concluded!"

"The Second Young Master is Bofu's brother, so what he said must make some sense." Lu Su pondered. "Bullshit!" Gan Ning suddenly kicked over the wine jar at his feet, and the wine overflowed the rough felt carpet. "I fought side by side with Wei Yan. How many times has that man risked his life for the Sun family? What good would he get if he killed Sun Bofu?" His copper wrist guard hit the hilt of his sword, making a harsh sound. "In my opinion, it's Sun Quan who has been too close to the Jiangdong family recently!"

The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became tense. Cheng Pu looked at the flickering candlelight on the table and thought of how Sun Quan had repeatedly suppressed his old ministers after coming to power. Bitterness rose in his throat.

Lu Su gently waved his feather fan and glanced at everyone in the tent: "No matter who is behind this, the truth will eventually come out." He paused and tapped the table with his fingertips. "Besides, with Zhou Gongjin presiding over justice, how could we not find out the clues?"

Upon hearing this, Han Dang sighed heavily, his hand twirling his beard trembling slightly: "Gongjin and Wei Yan are of the same blood, and they firmly believe that the murderer is the Second Young Master..." Before he finished speaking, the tent suddenly fell into silence, with only the sound of the copper wick exploding.

"Since you have suspicions, you should provide evidence." Lu Su's expression was solemn, and he turned the fan bone half a circle in his palm. "If it was really Zhongmou's doing, he should give an explanation to the world; if someone framed him, he must not let the loyal and honest people suffer injustice."

Lu Su paused with the feather fan in his hand, a look of surprise in his eyes: "Where is Zhou Gongjin now? He is the sworn brother of my king and General Bofu, so he is the most suitable person to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Cheng Pu suddenly took off his helmet and slammed it down on the table, causing the remaining wine in the bowl to spill out. "Alas! When the news of General Ma's 'death' arrived, and our lord passed away suddenly, Gongjin wanted to take charge of the situation, but the old lady urgently summoned him into the palace." His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice became hoarse. "It just so happened that at that time, our lord's youngest son, Zhongmou, and the Sun Xu brothers were assassinated one after another. All the clues pointed to Zhou Lang."

"That's absolutely impossible!" Lu Su stood up suddenly, the fan bone making a slight sound in his sleeve. "How could Zhou Gongjin be a man who is greedy for power?"

The four veterans exchanged bewildered glances. Huang Gai was the first to break the silence, his iron whip tapping unconsciously on his boots. "We have followed the Sun family for many years. How could we wish to see power fall to someone else? Yet Zhou Lang has never defended himself against the assassination..."

"Later..." Zu Mao's voice cracked. "He actually led his trusted followers out of Jiangdong, joined forces with the Shanyue Shamoke of Wujun, and occupied half of the county. He claimed to be raising Bofu's young son, but in fact he was confronting Jiangdong." The candlelight in the tent suddenly dimmed, and Han Dang's hand, which was pinching his beard, trembled slightly.

Lu Su stumbled, holding onto the table, recalling the battle of Yangzhou, Zhou Yu commanding with a feather fan and a long scarf. Gan Ning's eyes widened, dropping his wine bowl with a thud: "How...how did this become an enemy?" Cheng Pu bent down to pick up his helmet, his fingertips tracing the old scars. Outside the tent, the river breeze carried the faint sound of war drums.

Lu Su placed his feather fan on the table, his eyes sweeping over the four veteran generals' frosted temples: "Four generals have followed Sun for half their lives. Are they just going to let the cause of General Bofu's death remain a mystery?"

Silence reigned within the tent. Cheng Pu's fingers unconsciously rubbed the cracks on his helmet. Huang Gai's iron whip hung at his side, its rusty tip brushing lightly across the cowhide felt blanket. After a long moment, Han Dang finally sighed, "Zi Jing doesn't understand. Gong Jin is a man of unwavering integrity. He refused to argue a word from the beginning to the end."

Zu Mao suddenly pounded his breastplate, the clanging sound of armor choking with sobs. "After Zhongmou ascended the throne, he became too close to the Jiangdong nobles. To stabilize the army's morale, we trained the troops day and night without slacking off. But Zhou Lang neither explained the assassination attempt nor did he dare to secede..." His voice gradually trailed off. "Now that the two sides are facing each other, we are caught in the middle and have no way to investigate."