Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1147 Chaos on the River Due to Unknown Inside Story

Inside Moling City, the sounds of battle from the military camp ten miles outside the city had already thrown the city into a state of panic. Those aristocratic scions who hadn't had time to evacuate, upon hearing that the Xiliang cavalry had arrived, were like frightened birds, hastily gathering their private armies, trying to take advantage of the chaos to escape through the gates. But Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were prepared, keeping the city gates tightly closed and deploying troops in every street and alley.

Several powerful families, driven to desperation, attempted to incite the common people along the streets to create chaos, hoping to seize the opportunity to escape the city. Huang Gai, carrying a large sword, personally patrolled the streets and stumbled upon a group of private soldiers looting homes. He immediately roared in anger and slashed down the head of the leading family. "Anyone who dares to cause trouble will suffer this fate!" His roar echoed through the streets, and the restless private soldiers, seeing this, dropped their weapons in fear and dared not move again. Cheng Pu, meanwhile, guarded the city gates, strictly inspecting all comings and goings. Anyone showing any unusual behavior was arrested, and in a short time, the chaos in the city was quelled.

Just past noon, the sound of orderly hooves came from outside the city. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai climbed the city wall and saw Ma Chao leading his iron cavalry back. Although his silver armor was stained with blood, it made him look even more heroic. Behind him was a string of prisoners, including Zhang Hong, Gu Yong and others. They breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the city gates to be opened.

The city gates slowly opened, and Ma Chao reined in his horse and entered the city. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai stepped forward, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard! How is the battle outside the city?"

Ma Chao dismounted and said in a deep voice, "I have fulfilled my mission. Lü Dai has been captured alive, Dong Xi and Pan Zhang were executed on the spot, and Zhang Hong, Gu Yong, and Lu Xun have all been captured. The remaining soldiers are either dead or have surrendered, and the camp has been completely wiped out." He paused, his tone tinged with regret, "It's just that that old fox Zhang Zhao managed to escape in the chaos."

Huang Gai spat and cursed, "That old killer is always up to tricks and schemes! When it comes to the battlefield, how could he be a match for Your Majesty?"

Cheng Pu also cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty personally led the iron cavalry and broke through the enemy camp in half a day, capturing and beheading the bandit leader. This is truly a divine feat!"

Ma Chao waved his hand, his tone earnest: "Generals, you flatter me. If it weren't for Generals Cheng and Huang guarding Moling and cutting off their retreat, I might not have been able to succeed so smoothly." He then changed the subject, asking, "Where is the old lady now? Has the Sun residence been undisturbed?"

Cheng Pu quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Although there was some unrest in the city, it was promptly suppressed by the two of us. The Sun residence has been reinforced with guards, and not a single tree or blade of grass has been disturbed. The old lady is safe and sound."

"That's good." Ma Chao breathed a sigh of relief. "Bo Fu's family must not be harmed in the slightest." He straightened his clothes. "Without further ado, you two old generals, come with me to pay our respects to the old lady and explain everything here."

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The group headed towards the Sun residence. Shops along the street were all tightly shut, and occasional glimpses of peeking from behind windows vanished in an instant. The empty streets were only echoed with the sound of horses' hooves, carrying a sense of post-war desolation. Ma Chao frowned slightly as he observed this scene—the people of Jiangdong had endured too much turmoil and were still deeply frightened.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Sun residence, Cheng Pu stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker. The sound of the copper ring striking the wooden door was exceptionally clear in the silence. On the mansion wall, arrows gleamed coldly, and the archers held their breath, clearly already on guard.

"Who's there?" A clear yet wary shout came from inside the wall; it was Sun Shangxiang's voice.

Cheng Pu announced loudly, "Miss Shangxiang, I am Cheng Pu. The King of Liang has quelled the enemy forces inside and outside the city and has come to pay my respects to the old lady."

Ma Chao dismounted, stepped forward, and said in a gentler tone, "Shangxiang, it's me."

Upon hearing this, Sun Shangxiang, inside the walls, instantly brightened her tone, her joy barely concealed: "Is that my brother? Open the door quickly! Open the gate!"

The mansion gate creaked open, and Sun Shangxiang, clad in silver armor, her sword still at her waist, gripped its hilt, clearly still on guard. Upon seeing Ma Chao, her eyes lit up, she dropped her sword, rushed forward, and threw herself into his arms: "Brother! You've finally come! The family has been frantic these past few days, worried day and night..."

Ma Chao gently patted her back and said softly, "Little sister, don't be afraid, we're here. Now that the rebels have been eliminated, no one will be able to disturb the Sun family anymore."

Upon seeing this, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai both felt a twitch in their eyelids and subconsciously turned their faces away. Although they knew that Sun Shangxiang had always been cheerful and uninhibited since childhood, it was still against the etiquette of "men and women should not touch each other" to rush into a man's arms in public like this, which made the two veteran generals quite uncomfortable.

Sun Shangxiang's third son, Sun Yi, her uncle, Sun Jing, and a group of younger members of the Sun family and their retainers were stunned into silence, frozen in place, not daring to utter a sound. They knew this young lady was fierce, but they hadn't expected her to be so close to Ma Chao. They didn't know how to react and could only lower their heads and pretend not to see her.

After a while, Ma Chao gently patted Sun Shangxiang's shoulder: "Alright, little sister, let go first. Where is your aunt? I need to go and pay my respects to her first."

Sun Shangxiang then came to her senses, her cheeks flushed, she hurriedly let go of his hand, straightened her clothes, and said in a low voice, "Mother is waiting in the inner hall, I... I will take my brother there."

Just then, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the mansion. A knight dismounted and staggered into the gate. It was Han Tao, Han Dang's personal guard general. The Han family and the Sun family had been on good terms for generations, and everyone in the mansion recognized him.

"Your Majesty! General Cheng! General Huang!" Han Tao knelt down, panting, his face grave. "I must report to you all that a large naval force has suddenly appeared on the Yangtze River outside Moling Ferry! General Han Dang and General Gan Ning have already led their troops to prepare for battle and have specially ordered me to come and deliver this message!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. Ma Chao frowned, and the atmosphere that had just eased instantly tightened again—the chaos in Moling had just been quelled, and now an unknown navy was attacking on the river. The turmoil in Jiangdong had not yet subsided.

"Do you know what banner the visitors bear?" Ma Chao asked in a deep voice.

Han Tao shook his head: "It's too far away to see clearly, but I can vaguely see a forest of sails, probably tens of thousands of people!"

Cheng Pu stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to go to the ferry crossing immediately to provide support!"

Huang Gai also cupped his hands and said, "I will guard Moling City to prevent any further changes within the city!"

Ma Chao nodded, his gaze sharp as an eagle: "Let's go to the ferry. I want to see who dares to disrupt Jiangdong's plans at this time."

On the mighty river, a misty haze hung in the air as a massive naval force slowly approached. On the lead warship, Liu Biao, clad in a faded brocade robe, gazed at the increasingly clear Moling ferry crossing in the distance, his brow furrowed. Behind him, Huang Zu, clad in naval armor, commanded twenty to thirty thousand Jiangxia naval troops following closely behind—it was he who had abandoned Jiangxia, leading the remaining naval forces to escort Liu Biao eastward, hoping to find refuge with Sun Quan in Jiangdong.

"My lord, sir, look at that ferry crossing." Huang Zu pointed ahead, his tone grave. "There are probably over ten thousand naval ships anchored on the river alone, plus the troops stationed on the shore, the number must be considerable. If we march over there in such a grand manner, it will inevitably arouse their suspicion, and they might just take action."

Liu Biao looked in the direction he pointed and saw a forest of warships at the Moling ferry crossing, giant ships stretching across the river, their sails appearing and disappearing in the mist, exuding a chilling aura. Already exhausted from Liu Bei's defeat, this sight only made him more panicked. He instinctively looked at Kuai Yue beside him: "Mr. Kuai, what... what should we do?"

Kuai Yue squinted at the arrangements on the opposite bank and pondered, "My lord, don't panic. We came here without informing Jiangdong in advance, so they naturally don't know our background. Sun Quan regards Moling as his capital, so it's normal for him to have naval forces deployed on the river. To avoid conflict, it would be better to send an envoy over first to explain our purpose."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, we have tens of thousands of troops. If we directly demand to land at Moling, even if Sun Quan agrees, he will inevitably be suspicious and wary. It would be better to send an envoy to negotiate first, saying that we are willing to submit to Jiangdong, only asking for a county to settle down in. We'll see how he responds and then make further plans."

Liu Biao had long lost his own opinion, and upon hearing this, he nodded repeatedly: "It's all up to you, sir. It's all up to you."

Kuai Yue made a quick decision and said to Huang Zu, "General Huang, first order the fleet to slow down and anchor in the middle of the river. Then send small boats to raise flags to reassure the other side."

Although Huang Zu was uneasy, he knew that it was not the right time to act rashly, so he immediately nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go and make the arrangements." He turned around and went to dispatch the fleet. Before long, several small boats carrying white flags slowly sailed out, displaying a gesture of goodwill on the river.

Kuai Yue then turned to Liu Biao and bowed, saying, "My lord, if the envoy is of low status and his words carry little weight, the other side may not believe him. If we want Sun Quan to believe in our sincerity, we need to send someone of sufficiently high status."

Liu looked troubled, glanced around, and his gaze fell on Liu Qi beside him. Liu Qi was nearly thirty years old this year, but because his mother died early and his father remarried Cai, he was ostracized. He was timid by nature, and when he saw his father looking over, he shrank back in fright and his face turned pale.

“This… Qi’er is the eldest son, of noble birth,” Liu Biao hesitated, “but he is timid and has never experienced such a scene before. How can he be entrusted with this task?”

Kuai Yue gritted his teeth: "My lord, rest assured, the eldest son only needs to come with me to prove our identities. As for the negotiations, I will handle them all. With the eldest son there, the other side will believe that this is my lord's sincerity."

Upon hearing that he had to go himself, Liu Qi panicked and tugged at Liu Biao's sleeve, shaking his head repeatedly: "Father, I... I can't do it! I don't know what to say. What if I say the wrong thing and anger them?"

Liu Biao was already dissatisfied with this son, and seeing his appearance, his brows furrowed even more. However, he knew that Kuai Yue was right, so he could only say in a deep voice, "Qi'er, this is a matter of life and death for us. As the eldest son, how can you back down? With Mr. Kuai here, you only need to straighten your attitude and don't need to say anything more."

Liu Qi wanted to argue, but was stopped by Liu Biao's stern gaze. He could only bite his lip and reply with a look of fear, "Yes..."

Before long, Huang Zu had anchored the fleet in the middle of the river, and the atmosphere on the river eased slightly. Kuai Yue helped the uneasy Liu Qi board a fast boat, with only two attendants behind him.

“Young Master, please don’t worry,” Kuai Yue reassured him in a low voice. “Once we reach the other side, you just need to stand aside and watch what I do. If they ask, just say, ‘My father sincerely submits and is willing to follow General Sun’s arrangements.’ There’s no need to say anything else.”

Liu Qi's palms were sweating with nervousness. He nodded and said in a voice barely audible, "I...I've got it."

The fast boat slowly pulled away from the warship, heading towards the Moling ferry. Kuai Yue stood at the bow, watching the warships on the opposite shore draw ever closer, and sighed inwardly—the success or failure of this mission not only concerned the lives of Liu Biao and his party, but also the survival of his Kuai clan in this chaotic world. He could only hope that the ruler of Jiangdong would grant them a way out.