Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Jiang Qin suddenly grabbed Gan Ning's wrist and pulled him onto the boat. The ring-headed scabbard hit the side of the boat with a dull sound: "Don't panic, both of you! General Ziyi saw the fire in the water stronghold and has already mobilized his troops from Wu County!" Before he finished speaking, the bamboo poles on the bottom of the boat had already ignited the water plants, and the boat slid into the deep reeds like an arrow from a bow, startling the egrets that flapped their wings and flew over the bow. Lu Su held the shaking boat awning to calm himself down. He saw Jiang Qin pull out a cowhide lamp from the bottom of the cabin. The sparks from the wick reflected the animal patterns on his armor: "Follow me through this dark branch. We will meet General Ziyi in half an incense stick!"

The shouts of the pursuers on shore grew closer, and the sound of Quan Cong's Qingzhui horse crushing the mud was as dense as drumbeats. Gan Ning, crouching over the side of the boat, gazed at the torchlight behind him. Suddenly, his bronze wristband slammed against the planking: "Those bastards are chasing us so closely!" Jiang Qin, however, chuckled and pulled a whistling arrow from his quiver: "General, listen—" He drew his bow and arrow, which whistled into the night sky.

The roar of horse hooves shattering the night fog rolled in from the southeast, and the reeds trembled in the shockwaves. Just as Jiang Qin's whistling arrows pierced the night sky, torches suddenly burst out from the dense forests to the southeast, like a stream of sparks igniting a prairie fire. Gan Ning helped Lu Su through the knee-deep mud. Standing on the ground, he saw a silver-armored general leading the way. The wedge-shaped formation of the cavalry was like a black tide, and the mud kicked up by the iron hooves mixed with sparks, echoing like thunder in the night.

"What a charge!" Gan Ning tapped his copper wristband against the hilt of his sword, laughing as he watched the cavalry's path pass by. "I'm used to seeing the Western Liang cavalry charging, but I never expected the Jiangdong cavalry to be so impressive!" Behind him, Lu Su brushed aside the reeds, his feather fan pointing at the cavalry's interlaced halberds: "Back then, General Ma Dai led the Loyalty Battalion to assist General Sun Ce in his founding. The formation of these cavalrymen does bear some resemblance to the Western Liang 'cone formation.'" Before he could finish his words, the leading silver-armored general suddenly reined in his horse, his steed rearing up, stirring up waves of mud that splashed onto the soles of Gan Ning's boots.

"Gong Yi! Why's the fire up ahead?" Taishi Ci's silver helmet gleamed coldly in the torchlight, and his white horse's hooves dug into the ground with a thud. Jiang Qin hurriedly pushed aside the reeds and rushed forward, his ring-headed scabbard clashing against Taishi Ci's stirrup: "General, look!" He stepped aside, and the firelight instantly illuminated the bronze wristband on Gan Ning's waist and the feather fan in Lu Su's sleeve.

Taishi Ci's spear jerked violently. He fixed his gaze on Gan Ning, then suddenly dismounted. The clashing of armor startled a night owl from the reeds: "But it's Gan Xingba of Jinfan?!" Gan Ning laughed and grabbed his arm. The clatter of armor and the clatter of horses' hooves as they shook hands sounded like a battle song reunited after a long separation. Lu Su stepped forward and grasped Taishi Ci's shoulder, his feather fan waving in the night breeze: "General Ziyi, how are you? I borrowed your cavalry's prestige today."

Taishi Ci showed a look of surprise and astonishment: "Why are you two here? The fire in the water stronghold..." Before he finished speaking, Gan Ning had already grabbed his armor belt and said: "No time to elaborate! Quan Cong is chasing us with his troops!" He turned his head to look at the torches coming like a tide behind him, his copper bell eyes wide open in the night.

"So it was you guys who did it!" Taishi Ci laughed wildly, shaking the white horse so much that it pawed its hooves restlessly. He thrust his spear into the air, the red tassel on the tip sweeping through the falling reeds: "I thought it was Quan Zong who was having a seizure!" He reached out and slapped Gan Ning's hand away, his silver armor rustling in the night wind. "You two, please retreat to the back of the formation and rest! I'll use this spear to clear the way for you!"

Lu Su had just unfurled his feather fan halfway when Taishi Ci suddenly turned his horse and pointed his spear at the approaching Quan Cong army: "How dare you, you rats, pursue me into my territory?" Before he could finish his words, the thousand-plus cavalrymen behind him had slammed their spears into the ground, the clash of iron blades exploding like thunder. Gan Ning laughed heartily at this, slamming his copper wrist guard heavily onto Lu Su's shoulder armor: "Zi Yi's aura is even more ferocious than it was back in Yuzhang!"

"General, be careful!" Jiang Qin suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the enemy's right flank. Taishi Ci, however, hooked his spear on the saddle and drew a feathered arrow from his quiver: "Xingba, please see if my archery has improved!" With the trembling sound of the bowstring, the feathered arrow pierced the night fog with a shriek, cleaving the torch held by Quan Cong's personal guard in two. A cry of surprise erupted in the darkness, and the cavalry's formation was instantly thrown into disarray.

"Break the formation!" Taishi Ci slammed his horse's belly, and the white steed shot out of the reeds like an arrow from a bow. The spear array behind him surged like black waves. The sound of iron hooves crushing the mud mixed with war cries, tearing the night sky of the Qingyi River into shreds. Gan Ning dragged Lu Su back to the high ground. He saw Taishi Ci's spear draw silver arcs in the torchlight, and every thrust sent blood splattering, like the most fiery prelude to this reunion battle.

Taishi Ci's silver spear gleamed coldly through the night mist, its red tassel drenched in blood as it fell heavily. Each thrust punctured the shield formation of Quan Cong's army. As his white horse crushed the enemy's helmets, the blood that splattered from the armor plates solidified into ice crystals in the moonlight. This iron spear, which had followed him from the North Sea to Jiangdong, now carried his reputation as the "Jiangdong Divine Archer" into the hearts and minds of Quan Cong's fleeing soldiers.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly to the water fort!" Quan Cong's sword cut off half of the spear shaft, only to see his own personal guards being plucked away like haystacks by Taishi Ci's spear. Those sailors who had once swaggered in the water fort now collapsed to the ground before even raising their spears, facing the elite cavalry that surged like a tide. Zhou Yu's garrison troops were already battle-hardened, and Taishi Ci's "Seven Spears" technique was especially adept at breaking through dense formations. Wherever the spear shadows passed, screams of armor-ripping and intestines-splitting mixed with the roar of iron hooves, tearing the night sky of the Qingyi River into shreds.

As Gan Ning dragged Lu Su back to the high ground, he saw Taishi Ci riding out on his own, his silver armor shimmering like flowing moonlight in the torchlight. He suddenly reined in his horse and turned, slamming the enemy's helmet onto the muddy ground with the tip of his spear. The startled remaining soldiers threw their armor and helmets into the reeds. "How is it?" Taishi Ci reeled in his horse and returned to the front, his spear shaft jarring and blood splattering. "Does Xingba think I'm capable of this?"

&34;好个七突枪！&34;甘宁大笑着拍向对方马鞍，铜护腕撞在铁环上迸出火星，&34;倒有几分我家大王当年的风采！&34;这话惊得太史慈银盔微颤，他下意识握紧枪杆：&34;你家大王？&34;

This wasn't Taishi Ci's fault—ever since Zhou Yu and Sun Quan's split at Chaisang, Sun Quan had deployed troops to strictly guard the river. Countless warships lined the Qingyi River, and iron-chained boats surrounded half of Wujun, completely blocking any passage. Zhou Yu had also consistently instructed his subordinates to carefully defend their territory and focus on development, unwilling to provoke a conflict with the old generals of Jiangdong.

Zhou Yu felt that with both Sun Ce and Ma Chao dead, his only hope now lay in raising his two brothers' young sons. As long as the enemy didn't attack, he had no intention of starting a war, so the news of Ma Chao's resurrection and promotion to King of Liang remained unknown to the people.

Seeing the look of doubt and surprise on Taishi Ci's face beneath his silver helmet, Lu Su took a half step forward with a flick of his feather fan, the hem of his robe brushing the blood-stained spear shaft: "Ziyi, listen to what I have to say—" As he lowered his voice, the night mist drifted in from the gaps in the reeds, wrapping his words in an airtight cocoon. "The 'king' Gan Xingba was referring to was none other than Ma Chao, the Prince of Liang, Ma Mengqi."

Taishi Ci's iron spear slammed into the ground, sending clumps of mud flying from the tip of the spear splattering onto Gan Ning's boots. He stared at the corner of the seal of the Prince of Liang peeked out from Lu Su's sleeve, his Adam's apple rolling violently beneath his silver armored neck guard. "Ma... General Mengqi?" Before he could finish his words, Gan Ning had already ripped open his shirt to reveal the tiger talisman of the Prince of Liang, which he wore close to his body. The bronze tiger gleamed coldly in the torchlight. "During the Chang'an mutiny, our lord narrowly escaped death, fought his way through the enemy's encirclement, and marched straight into Guanzhong. Now, the new emperor has bestowed upon him the golden seal and jade decree, appointing him Prince of Liang as ruler of the Three Auxiliary Prefectures of Western Liang!"

"Still alive...actually still alive!" Taishi Ci laughed wildly, shaking the birds in the reeds to fly up. He threw away his spear and grabbed Gan Ning's arms. The sound of armor clashing mixed with the sound of tears falling to the ground: "I knew that General Mengqi was no ordinary person!" His face flushed red with excitement under the silver helmet. He suddenly pulled back his hand and drew the sword at his waist. The shadow of the light raised by the sword tip danced wildly on the river surface. "God bless Jiangdong! General Bofu's great revenge can finally be avenged!"

"Don't worry, General Ziyi!" Lu Su supported his shaking armor shoulder and pointed his feather fan in the direction of Wujun. "The lord sent us south this time to discuss important plans with Governor Zhou." Before he finished speaking, Taishi Ci had already picked up the iron spear on the ground, and the red tassel on the spear tip fluttered in the night wind: "Quick! Follow me back to Wuxian! If Governor Gongjin knew about this, he would be ecstatic!"

Taishi Ci joyfully led the group back to Wu County. Inside General Zhou Yu's tent, the copper lamp's wick crackled, sending sparks scattering across the freshly drafted "Map of the Troops in Wu County." His fingertips traced the cinnabar-dotted military encampments. Those red dots, like stars, scattered among the ink-lined rice paddies, formed a dense array at the Ruxu Pass. A white mist rose from the medicine bowl brought by his personal guards, its hazy vapor reflecting the dark circles beneath his eyes. Ever since breaking with Sun Quan and seizing half of Wu County, he'd often sat poring over the map until dawn, his copy of "The Art of War" on the corner of his desk warped to the point of cracking.

From the back tent, children's laughter echoed. Two young children, their hair tied in pigtails, ran in, chasing and playing around the sand table. The younger one held the bronze quiver left by Sun Ce, its gilded animal heads gleaming in the lantern light; the older one held a wooden lance, its tipped red tassel sweeping across the sand pile marked "Chaisang." Zhou Yu's hand on the brush suddenly paused, and a drop of ink from the wolf-hair brush fell beside the words "Wancheng," spreading a dark mark.

He looked at the two young men's innocent smiles, and a pang of pain welled up in his heart. Sun Ce and Ma Chao had passed away, and he shouldered the heavy responsibility of raising their orphans, personally teaching them reading and martial arts every day.

The copper lamp flickered suddenly, casting the shadow of Ma Yue's raised wooden spear against the tent wall. In the light, the sharpened jujube wood shaft looked as menacing as a real spear. "Second brother!" The child tossed back his pigtail, the red tassel on the tip of the wooden spear sweeping across the sand table. "Follow me, brother, to conquer Jiangdong, so that you can stand shoulder to shoulder with our fathers in the future!"

Sun Shao's fingers tightened around the bronze quiver, the gilded animal-head clasp rubbing against his palm. The child, half a head shorter than Ma Yue, insisted on imitating an adult by standing tall and straight. The words "Bo Fu" engraved on the bottom of the quiver flickered in the lamplight: "I will obey my elder brother's orders!" He pulled a wooden arrow from the quiver and carefully placed it on the nonexistent bowstring. He exerted too much force, stumbling half a step, causing Ma Yue to burst into laughter.

Zhou Yu put down his wolf-hair brush so gently, as if afraid to startle a moth, the brush making a subtle clatter against the desk. "Two little troublemakers." He deliberately put on a stern face, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes betrayed a smile. "It's past midnight, and we have morning exercises tomorrow morning. Have you forgotten?" Sun Shao shrank back and ducked behind Ma Yue, the quiver strap sliding to his shoulder. Ma Yue slammed his wooden spear to the ground, shaking the shaft so that dirt fell from the sandbox. "My uncle always wants me to learn 'zhihuzheya'. My father used to..."