Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

A waning moon hung low in the sky, the cold stars looming behind the leaden clouds. Ma Chao, leading his five thousand cavalry, approached the Xianbei camp like a ghost. The cowhide coverings of his horses' hooves soaked with snow, but it couldn't hide the cold sweat oozing from his palms. Through the telescope, the cluster of felt tents that once stretched for miles was now sparse. The antler-horned chevaux de frise that should have lined the front gate was toppled. A few faded wolf-head battle flags fluttered feebly in the wind. Even the campfires glowed a perfunctory dark red.

"Something's wrong." The whispers escaping his throat were shredded by the north wind, but his heartbeat beneath his black silver armor suddenly quickened. Suddenly, a shrill wolf howl pierced the dead silence, and a dull tremor emanated from deep within the frozen earth, as if the earth were awakening. "All troops, alert!" Ma Chao raised his tiger-headed golden spear high, and the ice crystals condensed on the tassel fell in a flurry.

Instantly, a thunderous roar erupted from all around the camp. Thirty thousand elite Xianbei soldiers surged out like a tide, their jet-black armor gleaming a faint blue in the moonlight, their scimitars clashing with round shields, sending glaring sparks flying. Hu Yanye, the Left Wise King, draped in a scarlet cape, his snow-treading black horse roaring as he charged. The powerful wind whipped up by his nine-ring broadsword swirled the snow in his path into pillars of snow. "Han dog! Today will be your burial place!"

Ma Chao swept his silver spear across, sweeping away the blade, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Kebi Neng is known as the heroic lord of the grassland, and he actually let you, a reckless man, be here? Could it be that he took the main force to attack Wuwei City?" The tip of the spear lightly touched the opponent's face, causing Hu Yanye to instinctively lean back. "It's just a bluff!" Hu Yanye roared and slashed back, the wind from the knife cutting off a few strands of Ma Chao's hair. "The Great Khan led the army around to your rear a long time ago, and I'm afraid he has already destroyed your lair by now!"

"Oh?" Ma Chao dodged the vitals and suddenly swept his spear across the front legs of Hu Yanye's mount. The moment his horse reared up, he sneered: "Since the main force has left, what are you doing with 30,000 remaining soldiers guarding an empty camp? Could it be..." He dragged out his words, a cunning glint in his eyes, "Is Ke Bi deliberately leaving you to die?"

Hu Yanye's veins bulged, and he brandished his sword with such force that it was impossible to penetrate the air: "Shut up! The Great Chanyu withdrew his troops two days ago! By the time you realized what was happening, our cavalry had already returned to the grasslands!"

"I've fallen into a trap!" Ma Chao stared at the long-extinguished campfire in Hu Yan's tent. Blood seeped from the cracks in his armor, mixed with cold sweat, and rose into a white mist in the cold night. The news of the withdrawal, deliberately leaked by the enemy during the fierce battle, now echoed in his ears like a warning bell - Kebi Neng had used 30,000 elite troops as bait, deceiving him and causing him to miss the opportunity to pursue!

The Left Wise King and the Left General, Helan Gui, fought and retreated, the arcs of their scimitars becoming increasingly futile. Helan Gui's blood-stained cloak rustled in the wind. He reined in the reins and said urgently, "Left Wise King! We've delayed for two days. The Great Chanyu must have already fled! If not now, when?" Before he had finished speaking, they both suddenly feinted their weapons simultaneously, their horses swerving to the west of the camp. The curtain of snow kicked up by their hooves obscured the view of the Western Liang army.

"Don't run!" Ma Chao's roar shattered the cold night, and five thousand cavalrymen chased out like arrows. His black silver armor formed a flowing galaxy in the moonlight, but he thought the horse was too slow, so he ripped off his cloak and threw it on the snow. "Hurry up!" He shouted without turning his head, his voice shrouded in ice, "Quickly mobilize the entire army! Even if we chase him to the ends of the earth today, we will bite off Kebineng's tail!"

General Ma Xiu gripped his spear tightly, gnashing his teeth as he watched his brother retreat. Suddenly, sharp horns blared from the Xianbei camp. Amidst the chorus of horns, Ma Chao led the vanguard into the vast snowy plains. Amidst the howling cold wind, he pointed his silver spear toward the sky, the rage burning in his eyes more intense than a bonfire—this time, he would not let Kebi escape his grasp again.

The cold night wind whipped up the fine snow, blowing Ma Chao's blood-stained cloak into a fluttering battle banner. He leaned over his horse's neck, his dark silver armor soaked with sweat, his eyelashes frosted with frost, yet he stared intently at the snow mist rising from the Xianbei army ahead. As they raced for dozens of miles, the ice shattered by their horse's hooves, mixed with blood, splattered like a furious trail across the snow.

As Zhang Xiu led his reinforcements at a gallop, the moonlight was swallowed by the horizon. Gazing at the increasingly faint hoofprints ahead, his grip on the reins etched with blood, he shouted, "Hurry!" Behind him, the thirty thousand Xiliang cavalry responded in unison, the clatter of hooves rolling like thunder across the snowy plains. As the sky began to pale, the outline of Wushaoling loomed in the morning mist, and the rapid blast of the Xianbei army's horns pierced the clouds—Left Xianwang Hu Yanye had finally been cornered. Thirty thousand soldiers lined up at the foot of the ridge, a silver-gray wall of scimitars and round shields gleaming coldly in the morning sun.

"Well done!" Ma Chao's golden tiger-head spear slammed heavily onto the ground, sending snow tumbling down. Five thousand cavalry formed a cone, like a silver spear piercing the heart of the enemy. Left Wise King Hu Yanye, wielding his nine-ring broadsword, formed a triangular formation with Left General Helan Gui and Ten Thousand Household Member Tuoba Ya. The moment the four horses collided, sparks flew and a mournful whine of twisted metal echoed. Ma Chao, facing three alone, his silver spear transformed into a dragon, darting through the flashes of swords and sabers. Wherever the spear tassel swept, blood splattered like blooming red plum blossoms.

Hu Yanye's nine-ring broadsword, Helan Gui's serrated mace, and Tuoba Ya's three-pointed, double-edged sword attacked from three directions like poisonous snakes spitting out their tongues, and the strong wind they brought up cut through the surrounding air.

Ma Chao, however, seemed to have seen through everything. He gently raised his spear, and the golden tiger-head spear transformed into a silver dragon soaring into the sky. "Clang!" Sparks flew as he dodged Tuoba's thundering blow and swept the butt of his spear across, accurately hitting Helan Gui's wrist. The mace deflected half an inch, just brushing past his shoulder, and the blast of air it created lifted a few strands of hair. Before Tuoba Ya's blade could get close, Ma Chao suddenly abandoned his upper body, clamping his left leg around the horse's belly like an iron clamp, his whole body hanging upside down from the horse's side. The three-pointed, double-edged sword slashed against his breastplate, leaving hideous scratches on the fine steel.

"What a skill!" Hu Yanye roared and changed his moves, the blade pouring down like a rainstorm. Ma Chao chuckled, and his silver spear swung out seven spear flowers, instantly blocking the offensive of the three people. The crisp sound of the spear tip colliding with the blade continued, as if heavy rain was beating on a war drum. Sometimes he slid through the gap between the blades like a fish, and sometimes he swooped down on the flaws in the enemy formation like an eagle. Every block contained a counterattack, and every evasion contained a murderous intent. When Tuoba Ya's blade stabbed again, Ma Chao suddenly dropped the spear and grabbed the blade. His knuckles were cracked and blood gushed out, but he took advantage of the momentum to fly into the air and kicked the opponent's face hard with the sole of his boot.

Helan Gui seized the opportunity to swing his mace down. Ma Chao twisted and turned in mid-air, unexpectedly using Tuoba Ya as a shield. The muffled thud of the mace hitting Tuoba Ya's back, mixed with a scream, startled Helan Gui's pupils into shrinking. In a flash, Ma Chao had snatched up his spear from the ground, the tip of which, like a snake emerging from a hole, aimed straight for Helan Gui's throat. This series of movements was fluid, as if the three had ingrained the techniques into their very bones. No matter how fierce the opponent's attack, he remained unfazed. Wherever the spear passed, the calm and domineering power of the Xiliang God of War was revealed.

The morning mist over Wushao Ridge was dyed crimson with blood. Ma Chao's silver spear wove an impenetrable silver net through the blades of Tuoba Ya, Helan Gui, and Zuo Xian Wang. As the three Xianbei generals closed in on him again, he suddenly spun and leaped, his boot sole slamming down hard on the back of Tuoba Ya's blade. In that instant, using the momentum to soar into the air, his tiger-headed golden spear plummeted like a meteor, its tip piercing the enemy's throat with pinpoint accuracy. Tuoba Ya's eyes widened, a hoarse gasp emanating from his throat. The immense force pinned him to his horse's back. Blood gushed down the spear shaft, creating a dazzling crimson blossom on the snow.

"Give me your life!" Helan Gui's fury was flaring as he swung his jagged mace with immense force. Ma Chao dodged, the tip of his spear glancing just below his opponent's ribs. Just as he was about to strike, Zuo Xian Wang's nine-ring broadsword stopped him. Sparks flew, and the three riders engaged once again, the flashes of swords and spears shattering the morning light.

At this critical moment, a deafening roar of war suddenly rang out from the foot of the mountain. Zhang Xiu's black wolf-colored banner pierced the morning mist, and thirty thousand Western Liang cavalrymen surged across the hillside like a silver torrent. The ice shattered by their iron hooves, mixed with the cries of battle, soared into the sky. "Your Majesty!" Zhang Xiu's white horse trampled over Tuoba Ya's corpse, his silver spear pointed at Zuo Xian Wang. "Let me share your worries!" Before he could finish his words, their weapons collided with a bang, the blast of air sweeping over the surrounding Xianbei soldiers.

Without his support, Helan Gui felt the pressure mount, his mace attacks becoming increasingly chaotic. A cold glint shone in Ma Chao's eyes, and his silver spear suddenly transformed into countless phantoms. General Zuo instinctively raised his mace to block, but the opponent's spear suddenly changed its momentum, the tip of the spear like a venomous snake, piercing his carotid artery with precision. Blood gushed from Helan Gui's throat, and his weapon clanged to the ground. His massive body staggered twice, and he fell heavily from his horse. In the morning breeze, Ma Chao stood among the corpses, his blood-stained spear tassel billowing in the wind, like an undefeated god of war.

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, beneath the crimson setting sun of Wushao Ridge, Left Wise King Hu Yanye gazed at Helan Gui's still-twitching corpse, his hand gripping his sword trembling uncontrollably. Two trusted generals lay dead on the spot, and around them, Xianbei warriors fell like straw. The shouts and cries of the Western Liang cavalry threatened to shatter his eardrums. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ma Chao's silver spear dripping with blood, slowly approaching him. His dark silver armor shone with a chilling, haunting light in the sunlight, like a savage Asura from the netherworld.

"Retreat!" Hu Yanye suddenly shouted, his nine-ring broadsword swung in a feint, sending a hail of blade shadows through the air. He spun his horse abruptly, only to hear Zhang Xiu's cold, sneer from behind: "Want to escape? Ask my spear first!" The silver spear shot out like a snake, piercing his back. Hu Yanye hurried back to defend, the loud noise of the weapons clashing numbing his palms and causing his horse to stumble half a step.

As he fled, Hu Yanye looked back at Ma Chao standing before the enemy line, a chill running through his chest. He had been so calm fighting one against three before, but now, facing one on one, it was like a death sentence. He was already exhausted, and filled with fear, and every move was erratic. Zhang Xiu's attack became more and more fierce, the tip of his spear slicing through his cloak, leaving a bloody mark on his back.

"Why don't you surrender!" Zhang Xiu's roar made his eardrums hurt. After five or six rounds of fighting, Hu Yanye's swordsmanship had already become a mess. When the silver spear stabbed again, he instinctively raised his sword to block, but Zhang Xiu took away the force and the tip of the spear opened his throat. Hu Yanye made a hoarse sound in his throat, covered his hands with the blood that kept gushing out, and fell heavily from his horse. Before he died, he vaguely saw Ma Chao stepping over the corpses and walking towards him, with the black wolf flag of Xiliang fluttering behind him.

The wind from Wushao Ridge blew the remaining snow past corpses. Ma Chao stood there, leaning on his blood-drenched spear, his dark silver armor frosted dark red in the twilight. The sounds of Zhang Xiu directing his soldiers to tie up prisoners and count the spoils echoed incessantly, but they couldn't conceal the frown on his brow. It wasn't until his deputy general arrived with the captured Xianbei tiger talisman that he seemed to jolt from his reverie.

"Your Majesty, shall we pursue them?" Zhang Xiu rode his horse closer, watching the hoofprints gradually fade across the snowy plain. In the distance, the wails of the Xianbei captives rang out, ripped to shreds by the cold wind.