In the early morning, as the sun shone, Liu Family Village looked like a mess. People who had been busy all night were still gathered in the village. The bandits were tied in strings and squatted in the open space, each one looking dispirited. The injured bandits were still wailing, but no one paid them any mind. The dead bodies were laid out in rows, covered with straw mats. The children, unable to bear it any longer, fell asleep in their mothers' arms. The women had lost their usual interest in chatting and gathered together, keeping their distance. Only a few of the usually feisty women were preparing breakfast. A group of able-bodied men, however, surrounded Ma Chao, waiting for his further instructions.
Ma Chao sat on a dirt mound in the open space, contemplating his next arrangements. Village Chief Yang De led the able-bodied men to Ma Chao. Ma Chao asked, "Uncle Yang, were there any casualties among the villagers last night?" Yang De smiled and said, "Aside from a few who stumbled in the dark, no one was injured." After speaking, he led everyone to perform a grand bow. Ma Chao quickly got up to help them, but Yang De stopped him, saying, "Young Master, you deserve this bow from us. Originally, these bandits had nothing to do with you, yet you, with your great benevolence and love, devised a plan to eliminate this great disaster for us. That we could completely wipe out the bandits today and ensure the peace and health of our homes is all thanks to you, Young Master. In last night's battle, you fought valiantly, bathed in blood. Observing your martial arts, they are truly unparalleled in the world. Even if you had led us in a direct confrontation, we could probably have defeated the bandits. Yet, you expended your effort and devised such a brilliant plan. Now that I think about it, Young Master, you truly cherished our lives, which is why you went to such great lengths. How can our Liu Family Village ever repay your great kindness..."
Ma Chao helped everyone up and said, "Everyone, there's no need for this. I come from a military family; it is my duty to protect the borders and bring peace to the people. All of you villagers are honest people; how could I stand by and watch good people be bullied by bandits? A mere one or two hundred bandits, Ma Chao does not even put them in his eyes. Yesterday's arrangements were indeed to eliminate all the bandits, lest they seek revenge after I leave."
Everyone expressed their gratitude again. Ma Chao instructed them to first report to the officials, then send a message to Liu Family Village. The rest of the people were to first rescue the injured bandits, then fill in the traps and clean up the bloodstains. Everyone agreed and began to divide the work.
After breakfast, just as the bloodstains were covered, people from Liu Family Village arrived. Old Village Chief Yang and Ma Chao, along with the village chief and elders from Liu Family Village, explained the situation, informing them that the previous misfortune was caused by Liu San, who acted as an inside accomplice. The villagers of Liu Family Village gnashed their teeth, dragged Liu San over, and gave him a severe beating, waiting to take him back later to be punished by clan law. Then Ma Chao had someone bring up the young woman from Liu Family Village who had been abducted. The people from Liu Family Village looked at the woman with a bit of surprise, but without warm hospitality; they all looked at her with complex gazes. Ma Chao thought, "Oh no, I might have done a good deed with bad intentions." A woman who is abducted and loses her chastity, even if it's not voluntary, having been defiled by bandits, might be forced to commit suicide by her clan even if she is taken back now. Ma Chao could not bear it and inquired about the woman's family situation from the people of Liu Family Village. Only then did he learn that on the day the woman was abducted, her husband's family was killed by the evil bandits while resisting. The woman was in unbearable pain upon hearing this. Ma Chao, fearing she might suffer too many blows and commit suicide, specifically spoke with Old Village Chief Yang, requesting proper arrangements for this woman. Yang De, pitying her plight and entrusted by his benefactor, simply adopted her as his goddaughter. This seemed appropriate to all parties, and Ma Chao also felt relieved.
Meanwhile, the county magistrate, hearing that the people of Liu Family Village had annihilated the bandits of Huang Bing overnight, was both shocked and overjoyed. He quickly dispatched a team of government soldiers and laborers, rushing to confirm, and brought along several ox carts to transport the bandits' bodies back for credit.
At noon, the county magistrate and his retinue arrived at Liu Family Village. The people of Liu Family Village quickly entertained them, setting up a banquet. The county magistrate sat at the head of the table, and Yang De, Ma Chao, and the people from Liu Family Village were all seated at the table.
Yang De recounted the entire incident to the county magistrate, from Liu San leading people to plunder Liu Family Village, Ma Chao seeking lodging, to Yang Xiao Er stealing the horse, then Ma Chao interrogating Yang Xiao Er and Liu San at night, and finally the plan to annihilate Huang Bing, as well as the martial prowess Ma Chao displayed last night. He spoke with twists and turns, sparing no praise for Ma Chao, extolling him as the bravest of armies, resourceful, and unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness.
The county magistrate listened with gleaming eyes, looking at Ma Chao with a gaze full of admiration. "This brave man must be Brave Ma. May I ask where Brave Ma's hometown is, and what are his future plans? Brave Man has rendered such an extraordinary service to this county; I should petition the Emperor for your merits," the county magistrate said, with a clear intention to recruit him. Ma Chao cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, I am from Fufeng. My father is General Ma Teng. This time, I was merely passing through on business and happened to assist in a time of trouble. This is the duty of our generation and does not warrant such lavish praise." The county magistrate was surprised and stood up, saying, "So you are the son of General Ma! No wonder your martial arts are superb and your battle strategies are exquisite. You are indeed a tiger cub from a general's family. I have also had a simple acquaintance with your father. General Ma possesses a heroic spirit and acts decisively, truly the demeanor of a great general." Ma Chao could only stand and return the bow, addressing him as "Uncle." The county magistrate stroked his beard and smiled, "Nephew, you have rendered such an extraordinary service. I shall petition for your merits, but I wonder how you think this merit should be reported? This campaign completely annihilated the remnants of the Yellow Turbans. How about executing all the captives and reporting their heads as merits?"
Ma Chao said, "Uncle, I have no desire for fame. Among the bandits, though there are extremely wicked individuals, there are also starving commoners. These commoners were plundered and exploited by the bandits, and then coerced into becoming bandits; they are truly pitiable. If all of them are executed, I cannot bear it. The imperial court is corrupt, the Ten Attendants are causing chaos, coupled with natural disasters and man-made calamities, leading to great turmoil throughout the land, with lives being devastated and the common people struggling to survive. Do you not know how many common people have perished in recent years? The rise and fall are matters of the imperial family; it is always the common people who suffer. I hope, Uncle, you will reconsider."
The county magistrate said, "Though I cannot bear it, how can we distinguish between evil bandits and commoners?"
Ma Chao said, "This is simple. Observe the captives: those with emaciated faces and withered forms must be coerced famine victims. Those with bright clothes and plump, strong bodies must be evil bandits. The evil bandits have committed many wicked deeds and should not be spared death. As for the famine victims, I ask Uncle to resettle them. Our Western Liang is vast and sparsely populated, so I imagine they will be easy to resettle."
The county magistrate clapped his hands and praised, "Nephew, you are indeed a rare talent, possessing both courage and strategy, coupled with a benevolent heart. You are truly a top-tier talent."
The county magistrate followed Ma Chao's suggestion, arranging to identify the bandits. The evil ones were executed, and the famine victims were dispersed, with one or two people assigned to each village in each township. This ensured they would not gather together and would not cause resentment among the villagers. After the arrangements were made, the banquet began.
In a rural village, it was impossible to arrange a grand banquet. Killing chickens and fish, adding some wild game and mountain produce, and homemade rice wine, they simply set up a long table. It was far from the separate dining tables of Han Dynasty officials; one could say it was extremely simple. However, the county magistrate did not mind. He pulled Ma Chao to sit beside him, his intimacy clearly evident.
The county magistrate drank a cup of wine and said to Ma Chao with emotion, "I have never told you my name, Nephew. I originally thought you were just the son of a colleague, someone I would merely nod to, and did not wish for a deep acquaintance. I never expected you, Nephew, to possess such great talent, making me look at you with new eyes. Now I will tell you, this old man's surname is Han, given name Shuo, from Shanyin, Kuaiji."
Ma Chao asked in surprise, "Are you Attendant Han, who co-edited 'Dongguan Hanji' with Counselor Cai (Cai Yong) and Minister Lu (Lu Zhi)?"
The county magistrate smiled and confirmed it.
