Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Zhou Yu interrupted him before he could finish his words. He reached out to straighten the strap of Sun Shao's quiver, and his heart trembled when his fingertips touched the cool bronze. "Your fathers didn't learn their majesty by playing with wooden spears." He looked at Ma Yue, remembering Ma Chao's white horse crushing the enemy's formation. His Adam's apple rolled under his collar. "First, memorize today's 'Wu Zi's Art of War'. Tomorrow, General Taishi will teach you the starting position of the 'Seven Spears'."

Sun Shao suddenly grabbed Zhou Yu's sleeve, and the wooden arrows in his quiver clattered: "Uncle, I've memorized the lesson you taught me yesterday, 'War is the most important matter for a nation!'" Ma Yue, however, thrust his wooden spear into the sand table, the tip of the spear piercing the small flag representing the "Rushu Water Fort" and saying: "I don't want to memorize military books! I want to learn from my fathers how to kill bandits!" The light from the bronze lamp flickered across his face, making his eyes, which looked very similar to Ma Chao's, sparkle.

Zhou Yu silently straightened the two children's tangled braids, his fingertips wiping the sweat stains on Ma Yue's forehead. The night breeze from outside the tent blew in damp air, rustling the edges of the troop station map. The cinnabar-painted troops on the map danced like pulsing blood spots in the lamplight. He gazed at the two young faces before him, filled with longing, and suddenly felt that the bowl of cold medicine on the table was even more bitter than before. These two children, unable to shoulder the burden, would eventually shoulder the unfinished blood feud of their fathers, and all he could do was sharpen the sword of "revenge."

Xiao Qiao held the drowsy Zhou Yin in her arms as she lifted the curtain of the military tent. The copper bells on the eaves tinkled in the night wind. Inside the tent, the embers of a bonfire were still lingering, illuminating the figures of Ma Yue and Sun Shao playing on the felt mat. The former was brandishing a jujube wood spear, imitating Ma Chao's "backhanded spear" attack, while the latter was crouching beside a military farming map, stuffing wooden arrows into a deerskin quiver. The muddy soles of their boots left dark marks on the felt mat. "You two little naughty monkeys, aren't you still?" Xiao Qiao hooked her toes over the bronze lampstand, and sparks from the wick landed on the animal-patterned cloak on Ma Yue's shoulders. "Touch the sand table again, or watch out for General Tai Taishi to catch you for morning exercises tomorrow morning."

Ma Yue immediately put away his spear and stood at attention, but the tip of his spear accidentally knocked Sun Shao's quiver off his chest, sending twenty wooden arrows scattering across the ground. "Third brother, come down and play!" Zhou Yin seemed to have perked up. Xiao Qiao placed him in the middle of the felt mat and said, "He was so sleepy just now, but now that he sees you two, he's all spirited again."

Zhou Yu's figure, bent over his desk, was lengthened by the lamplight. Xiao Qiao pushed over a ceramic bowl warmed by the fire, and the aroma of medicine mixed with the scent of ink wafted towards him: "This bowl of medicine is getting cold again." Her fingertips touched his pen-holding hand, which was as cold as the rain outside the tent. "You've been enduring this all day. When will you be well?" Zhou Yu put down his wolf-hair brush and smoothed her wind-torn hair. His fingertips brushed across her eyebrows: "I've sorted out the military farming issues. The next step is to hand them over to Chief Shamoke." Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Sun Shao stuffing a wooden arrow into Zhou Yin's hand. As the arrow feathers brushed the baby's cheek, he asked with a rolling sound of his Adam's apple: "Did Big Sister return from the Shanyue camp today?"

Ma Yue suddenly thrust his wooden spear into the sand table, the tip piercing the cinnabar markings on "Hefei." "My uncle said during the day that Aunt Da Qiao was sewing cotton-padded jackets for the little brothers, and her fingertips were blistered!" Before he finished speaking, Sun Shao muttered, "Why hasn't Mother returned yet?" The dancing light from the bonfire flickered across his face, illuminating the eyes that resembled Sun Ce. Xiao Qiao looked at the two children's muddy clothes, then at the cold medicine on Zhou Yu's desk. The water droplets that had condensed on the edge of the ceramic bowl suddenly slid down the side—she couldn't tell if it was the rising mist from the medicinal vapors, or the tears she couldn't hold back.

Zhou Yu frowned and said, "Sister-in-law Sally risked her life to save Sun Shao." He looked at the night outside the tent, and the sound mingled with the crackling of the campfire. "Eldest sister feels indebted. Now, every time I see the orphans of my brother's personal guards, it's like seeing Sister-in-law Sally holding her hand before she died..."

Xiao Qiao knelt on a felt mat and massaged his Jianjing acupoint. "The day before yesterday, I went to the Shanyue camp," she said, her fingertips wiping the cold sweat on the back of Zhou Yu's neck. "I saw my eldest sister mending clothes for the little ones. She made porridge with all the wild boar meat that Chief Shamoke sent and fed it to the youngest one..."

Xiao Qiao draped a fox fur cloak over his shoulders, the fur collar brushing against his pale chin. She saw Ma Yue draping his animal-patterned cloak over the sleeping Zhou Yin, while Sun Shao drew arrows in the sand.

Xiao Qiao patted Zhou Yu's back gently, her fingertips feeling the slight trembling beneath his armor. "Since the passing of my two brothers, you've been doing everything yourself. Military affairs, farming, and teaching Ma Yue and Sun Shao the art of war. How can you handle it?"

Zhou Yu opened his mouth, but what he said finally turned into a long sigh. Outside the tent, the night watchman's drums were beating loudly, and the medicine bowl on the desk had already gone cold.

She turned and called to the children: "Ma Yue, Sun Shao, quickly take our third brother back to the tent to sleep." The two children were surrounding Zhou Yin and making fun of him. After hearing this, they reluctantly put down their wooden spears. Zhou Yu looked at their backs, then at the tangled hair on Xiao Qiao's temples. A bitter feeling welled up in his throat, but he only said: "I know."

Zhou Yu's knuckles turned white as he gripped the ceramic bowl. The cool medicine slid down his throat, its bitterness mingling with the residue before settling in his stomach. Sparks flew from the copper wick on the desk, illuminating the military farm map. At three quarters past three in the afternoon, a scout patrolling the river reported an unusual noise coming from the west gate of the water fort. Taishi Ci ordered his cavalry to investigate. Several hours had already passed. He slammed the empty bowl down on the desk, his heart aching.

The night watchman's clapper pierced the cowhide tent, startling the bronze bells on the eaves. Outside the tent, Zhou Yu's personal guards stamped their frozen feet. Amid the rustling of armor, a soldier's whisper could be heard: "General Taishi hasn't returned to camp yet..." Before they could finish their words, the chaotic clatter of horses' hooves suddenly filled the distance, the sound of iron hooves crushing stagnant water drawing nearer.

"But Ziyi is back?" Zhou Yu's grip on the corner of the table suddenly tightened, wrinkling the edge of the military farming map. The moment the guards opened the curtain, a cold wind swept in with raindrops. He looked at the flickering torchlight outside the tent and heard his voice become hoarse: "Send the general Taishi into the tent immediately."

The cowhide curtain was suddenly thrown aside, and Taishi Ci rushed in with his body covered in night dew, his beard still covered with icicles, but he smiled with his eyebrows curved: "General! Great joy!" Zhou Yu was concentrating on the military farming map. When he heard this, he looked up and said, "Ziyi, what's going on with Lu Meng and Quan Cong? What's there to be happy about?"

Before he finished speaking, Taishi Ci stepped aside, revealing two men standing in the shadows of the lanterns—Lu Su, smiling and holding a feather fan, his blue shirt stained with mud; Gan Ning, with a copper quiver slung across his shoulder, his eyes gleaming in the candlelight, and a wine gourd swaying at his waist with his steps. Zhou Yu's voice trembled: "Zi Jing? Xing Ba? How did you two get here?"

Lu Su waved his feather fan gently, his smile etched with dust. "Gongjin, it's been half a year since we parted at the Yangzhou ferry." The corners of his blue shirt sleeves were still stained with mud from Jing County, clearly from his hasty journey. Gan Ning couldn't contain his excitement, the bronze quiver jingling at his waist. "How did you lose so much weight, Commander-in-Chief? Your eye sockets are sunken!"

Zhou Yu's fingertips traced the cold medicine bowl on the table, and he said with a wry smile, "To be honest with you, Zijing and Xingba, since my brothers Mengqi and Bofu passed away, all the military affairs have been weighing on my shoulders. The hard work..." He was interrupted by Gan Ning before he could finish his words.

"Hey! What's the point of saying this!" Gan Ning patted his chest, and the iron gloves made the sand table rustle. "I heard it all in General Cheng Pu's tent a long time ago! And I have to tell you a piece of great news - my king is safe and sound in Chang'an!"

"Are you serious?" Zhou Yu suddenly raised his eyes, the candlelight reflecting off them, and said, "Tell me the whole story!"

Under Zhou Yu's anxious gaze, Lu Su said in a deep voice, "My king narrowly escaped death on the night of the Chang'an mutiny. Fortunately, Miss Zhen Mi risked her life to escort him to Hanzhong, where he was treated by Mr. Hua Tuo." He stroked the bamboo handle of his feather fan with his fingertips. "Zhang Lu, grateful for our old friendship, gifted a thousand cavalrymen to aid us in the battle. When the king recovered and led his troops back to Chang'an, he encountered the revengeful Xiliang army confronting the imperial court."

Zhou Yu's knuckles turned white as he clenched the bamboo slips on his desk. His Adam's apple rolled violently when he heard the phrase "narrow escape." Outside the tent, the night watch drum struck the second watch. The candlelight cast Lu Su's shadow on the map, the tip of his fan grazing over the word "Chang'an": "Unfortunately, the late emperor suddenly passed away at this moment. Wang Yun and Cao Cao supported Liu Xie to ascend the throne. To appease the Western Liang army, they issued an edict ceding Chang'an to Western Liang and enthroning our lord as King of Liang, ruling over Western Liang and the Three Auxiliary Regions."

"Really?!" Zhou Yu stood up suddenly, his sleeve sweeping the inkstone over, and the ink spread out onto the "Weishui" mark, leaving a dark mark. He looked at the unmistakable smile in Lu Su's eyes, his eyes reddened at first, then a smile spread across his face. He slapped his thigh repeatedly, causing sand to fall from the sandbox: "Good! Good! Brother is still alive!"

Zhou Yu abruptly stood up, the shadow of the bronze lamp swaying along the tent wall as he paced. After his ecstasy subsided, he suddenly stopped and frowned: "The emperor has appointed my brother as the King of Liang. I'm afraid there's something fishy going on." He knocked his knuckles on the sand table. "In the past, Emperor Gaozu swore that 'only those with the surname Liu could be crowned kings.' Now this ancestral rule has been broken... Has Zijing ever tried to persuade my brother?"

Lu Su waved his feather fan gently, the candlelight illuminating his eyes, which were deep in thought. "Mr. Li Ru, Jia Xu, and Xu Shu have discussed this matter." He tapped the cinnabar mark of "Chang'an" on the map with the tip of his fan. "Now that the Western Liang army is at its peak, being crowned the King of Liang will allow me to legitimately rule over the Three Auxiliary Prefectures, which will be more advantageous than being trapped in Western Liang."

Zhou Yu walked half a circle in the tent, his hands behind his back. The rustling of armor mixed with the deep sound of drums. When he heard the name "Li Ru," he suddenly stopped and laughed: "With this treacherous man who is causing chaos in the country, there is no need to worry about not having a good plan." His fingertips brushed against the medicine bowl on the desk, and he said with a wry smile: "I have been trapped in Wujun for several months, cut off from information, and forgot that the chess game in Chang'an has changed a lot."

Gan Ning patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder, and the bronze bell quiver shook the lights. "Why worry, General? Now the king is holding Chang'an, and the Xiliang cavalry is feared by the world..."

Zhou Yu slammed his fist on the table, shaking the small "Hefei" flag on the military farming map askew: "In this way, my second brother's blood feud..." He was interrupted by Lu Su before he finished speaking.

Lu Su's feather fan fluttered in mid-air. "We have come here on the king's orders to investigate the cause of General Bofu's death." He gazed at Zhou Yu's pale chin, his voice sinking. "Old General Cheng Pu only said that the situation in Jiangdong had suddenly changed, but he never found out the truth." The tip of his feather fan gently tapped the "Wujun" mark on the map. "Why would Gongjin abandon his position as governor and be trapped in this half-county?"

Zhou Yu suddenly turned to Taishi Ci, tapping the corner of the desk with his fingertips: "Ziyi, go and invite Generals Wei Yan and Zhou Tai." A moment later, the sound of armor plates rubbing against each other could be heard outside the tent, and Wei Yan and Zhou Tai entered side by side.

Gan Ning jumped up in delight and clapped his iron hand on Wei Yan's shoulder: "You little brat! Why didn't you say hello to your father when you saw him?" Gan Ning and Wei Yan had fought side by side and had a close friendship. Wei Yan simply lowered his eyes and smiled. Ever since Sun Ce's death, he had been falsely accused of murder and his temperament had become dull and reserved: "I hope Xingba and Mr. Zijing are doing well."