Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1233 Seeking an Audience with Ma Chao: Flying Back Home

Ma Chao stared directly at Lü Bu, his eyes calm and silent for a long time. His gaze wasn't particularly sharp, but it possessed a strange penetrating power that made Lü Bu's heart tighten, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

Suddenly, Ma Chao spoke, his voice steady yet carrying a deeper meaning: "How long has it been since Marquis Wen returned to Bingzhou?"

Lu Bu was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to ask this. After a moment of hesitation, he cupped his hands and said, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

Ma Chao's lips curled up slightly, his tone carrying a hint of frankness: "I have personally witnessed the might of Marquis Wen, and this is not the first time we have clashed. To be honest, if Marquis Wen were not a bit older than me, I'm afraid I might not have been able to gain the upper hand at Hulao Pass last time."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a hint of joy unconsciously appeared on his face—being recognized by his nemesis was ultimately a pleasant thing.

Before he could reply, Ma Chao changed the subject: "Like Marquis Wen, I grew up on the border and naturally know the suffering of the border people. I think Marquis Wen and I are of the same mind. But I want to ask, Marquis Wen has roamed the world for many years. In all these years, have you ever returned to Bingzhou?"

Lu Bu's smile faded slightly, and he seemed taken aback by the question. After a long pause, he bowed and said truthfully, "Indeed, no. I haven't been back for many years." As soon as he finished speaking, a strange feeling welled up in his heart, as if he had been gently stung by something.

Ma Chao's voice was heavy, as if weighed down by lead, each word carrying the roughness of wind and sand: "The border is bitter... That year, Kebineng unified the grasslands, the allied forces invaded, their iron hooves trampled Bingzhou, crushed Xiliang, fire was everywhere, the sky turned red." His Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if he were seeing the scene of that year again, "I stood on the land of Xiliang, seeing the people crying out in agony, their cries louder than the wind. At that time, I knew that fear was useless, I could only take up my sword and fight my way out."

“After annihilating the enemies of Xiliang, I turned around and marched into Bingzhou, wiping out the Xiongnu in one fell swoop. Then I marched onto the grasslands, and the entire Xianbei tribe... not a single one was spared.” He paused, his voice chilling yet revealing a hint of weariness. “Slaughtering a million... sounds glorious, but when I close my eyes at night, all I hear are the cries of the people of Xiliang.”

Lu Bu was startled by this, and his fingertips trembled slightly as he cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty is incredibly brave; Lu Bu is ashamed to admit his inferiority."

"Heroic?" Ma Chao suddenly chuckled, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "That's not what I meant."

The two spoke almost simultaneously, then stopped at the same time.

Ma Chao took a deep breath and stared intently at Lü Bu: "What are the swords in our hands for as generals? To command a million soldiers and roam the world? In the end, we can't even protect our own homes. What good is all this martial prowess!"

He took half a step forward, his voice suddenly rising: "You and I have been fighting and killing each other in the Central Plains, vying for territory and fighting for victory. What good is it if we win? When the city falls, the people squat in the corner and cry, and the children clutch their empty bowls and cry out that they are hungry. Have you ever seen any of this?"

“You fight at the door, then run back inside, leaving the people to clean up the mess. You're the ones who get all the glory, but they're the ones who suffer!” He pointed outside, his fingertips trembling. “I, Ma Chao, kill foreign tribes so that the children of Xiliang can eat in peace; you, Lü Bu, conquer the world, don't you think about how to spare the people of Bingzhou from the ravages of war?”

Lu Bu opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked, and after a long while, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "I..."

The tent was so quiet you could hear the candlelight crackling. Ma Chao's words were like a stone, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

The tent remained silent for a long time, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on the table. Ma Chao looked at Lü Bu, his voice tinged with melancholy: "I know of Wen Hou's abilities, but I do not approve of his character. A true man is born between heaven and earth, yet he only knows the thrill of fighting on the battlefield, but he does not see the suffering of the people. Even if he has unparalleled martial arts, what use is it in the end?"

He paused, his gaze frank: "Therefore, I do not wish to see you. If you wish to regroup and recruit your old troops, I will not stop you; it will simply be a matter of deciding the outcome on the battlefield in the future. I, Ma Chao, am upright and honorable; I would not do such a thing as taking advantage of your weakness. You may leave."

Lu Bu's face flushed and paled in turns, his clenched fists bulging with veins. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to flattery and fear, but never had anyone so bluntly dissected his strengths and weaknesses. After a long pause, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he knelt on one knee with a thud, his voice unusually deep and somber: "Your Majesty's magnanimity is admirable. Though I am a reckless man and have committed many killings over the years, I also know right from wrong. Today, I am impressed by Your Majesty's character and wish to serve under your command, even as a subordinate general. I will have no disloyalty whatsoever; if I betray you, may I be struck down by heaven and earth!"

Ma Chao was somewhat stunned, looking at the once unruly and fierce general before him, whose eyes now held no ruthlessness, only a complex sorrow, and whose temples were already streaked with white. He reached out to help Lü Bu up, his fingertips touching the old scratches on the other's armor, and said softly, "Lord Wen, do not speak of surrendering."

"I, Ma Chao, strive for the world not to establish myself as king, but only to alleviate the suffering of the people." He looked out the window, his voice filled with emotion, "The world has been in chaos for too long. The warlords fight each other for territory, but it is the people who suffer. Has Marquis Wen not come to this realization all these years?"

Seeing Lü Bu remain silent, Ma Chao continued, "If you are interested, why don't you go back to Bingzhou? That's where you were born and raised. In the past few years, there has been no war, and the people are busy rebuilding their lives. New seedlings have been planted on the ridges of the fields. Go back and take a look; perhaps you will understand something better than fighting on the battlefield."

Lu Bu stood frozen, gazing at Ma Chao's calm profile, a sudden jolt running through his heart. Years of campaigning had made him forget what his hometown looked like, and now, its mention stirred a strange, warm feeling within him. The wind outside the hall blew through the eaves, carrying the faint sounds of distant city life—sounds only heard in peaceful times.

Lu Bu's eyes grew increasingly red, and tears finally streamed down his face, staining his clothes and leaving a small, dark patch. He looked at Ma Chao, his voice choked with emotion, almost incoherent: "You...you know what I was like in my youth..."

Before he could finish speaking, memories flooded back: the border sands swirling with the stench of blood, the iron cavalry of foreign tribes trampling through villages, the image of his parents lying in pools of blood, and the vacant eyes of his fellow villagers huddled among the ruins. Back then, he gripped a rusty knife, his mind filled with only one thought: to become stronger, strong enough to tear these wolves apart.

But as he walked, he became known as "Marquis Wen" to others, his sword was replaced by an exquisite halberd, and the land beneath his feet became a battleground. The hatred that had once sustained him was gradually worn down by the desire for power. He couldn't remember the last time he thought of his fallen fellow villagers, nor had he ever asked himself: In the city he now stood on, were there people like his parents struggling in the flames of war?

“I used to think that winning was good, and taking over territory was good…” Lu Bu raised his hand to wipe his face, tears mixed with dust streaming down his face. “But after hearing what you said just now, I realized that even though I have won so many battles, I have not been able to fulfill my simplest wish from back then: to let people like my parents live in peace.”

He recalled how, after the government troops repelled the foreign invaders, they were only concerned with rewarding those who had contributed to the victory, ignoring the villages that were devastated. He recalled how, when he conquered a city, he was only concerned with counting the spoils of war and did not pay attention to the hungry children by the roadside. He recalled how, every time he went to war, he was followed by cheering soldiers, but he never turned around to look at the people who were watching their backs with fear in their eyes.

"It turns out I'm no different from those government troops who don't care about the lives of ordinary people..." Lü Bu's voice was filled with self-loathing. "The power I fought for only made me a more respectable perpetrator of violence."

Ma Chao listened quietly without interrupting. He could tell that Lü Bu at this moment was not the arrogant Marquis Wen, but a young man awakened from the past, who had finally rediscovered his original self in the illusion of power.

"It's not too late if you can figure it out." Ma Chao patted his shoulder, his tone gentle yet firm. "The world is too big. One person can't protect all the people, but even if it can bring a little more peace to the people around you, it's not a wasted life."

Lu Bu suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, like a drowning man grabbing onto a piece of driftwood. He stood up, bowed deeply to Ma Chao, his usual arrogance gone, replaced by a heavy solemnity: "I understand. From now on, the halberd in my hand will not only be used to fight for territory, but also to protect those helpless and destitute people."

Ma Chao remained silent for a long while, gazing at the northern horizon, towards Yanmen Pass, where a long wind seemed to be carrying sand and dust from the grasslands. He spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of years of battle: "Lord Wen, go back and check on Bingzhou."

"Now that the grasslands are temporarily free from the iron hooves of foreign tribes and the borders are relatively peaceful, those foreign tribes are like weeds burned by wildfire. As long as the roots are still there, they will sprout again one day." He paused, his tone becoming more earnest. "Hao Zhao, the garrison commander of Yanmen Pass, is a promising talent. He is young but very composed, but he lacks experience. Your martial arts skills and the strategies you have honed on the battlefield should be passed on to someone."

“I won’t force you to submit, nor will I ask you to do anything for me.” Ma Chao looked at Lü Bu with an open and honest gaze. “But Bingzhou is your root. Just hold onto it and let the people behind the passes get a few more peaceful nights of sleep. That’s enough.”

Ma Chao pointed to the map hanging on the wall, his fingertip tracing the location of the grasslands: "After I swept across the grasslands, I devised a strategy: every two years, I would send a general to lead troops into the grasslands to eradicate any newly emerging foreign tribes, extinguishing their thoughts of moving south. By then, the Central Plains might still be in chaos, but the borders would be as stable as Mount Tai. If Marquis Wen is interested, you can lead a large army to the grasslands then and display your flying general's prowess once again."

Lu Bu was taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of surprise and emotion flashing in his eyes: "Your Majesty is still willing to let me command the army? Aren't you worried about me...?"

"Hahahaha!" Ma Chao laughed loudly, his laughter causing the candlelight in the tent to flicker. "If the Flying General Lü Bu, who has roamed the world, cannot command an army, wouldn't that be like locking a fierce tiger in a cage, possessing great skills but having nowhere to use them? That would be a real waste of talent!"

He stepped forward and patted Lü Bu on the shoulder: "Go, protect the borders and keep the people safe. It's better than scheming and fighting with the other warlords in the Central Plains. Your martial skills should be used to defend the territory."

Looking into Ma Chao's open and honest eyes, Lü Bu felt the pent-up resentment that had been building up in his heart for years vanish in an instant. He suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a firm voice, "Your Majesty understands me! From this day forward, Lü Bu is willing to be loyal to Your Majesty and will never have any disloyal intentions. If I utter a single falsehood, may my whole family suffer a terrible death!"

"Lord Wen, get up quickly!" Ma Chao hurriedly helped him up, his eyes full of relief. "With you guarding Bingzhou, I have no more worries."