Chapter 6: The Allied Forces Suffer a Defeat!

  On the second day, Chengdu city was bustling with activity. After the previous day's imperial conference, Liu Bei immediately made a decision: Li Yu would be the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Left State Minister Guo Jia and Guo Fengxiao would be military strategists in charge of planning, while Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Deng Mao, Cheng Yuanzhi, Zou Dan, Zou Jing, and others would serve as generals under his command. Liu Bei would personally lead the expedition.

  He knew that Dong Zhuo's troops were powerful, being the elite Western Liang Iron Cavalry of the Great Han, and also had the first fierce general Lü Bu, who was highly praised by Li Yu. With such a strong alliance, plus Dong Zhuo's years of experience in battle, how could Liu Bei not participate? Liu Bei was eager for battle, but he also had some misgivings.

  In Chengdu, Right State Minister Chen Gong was left in charge with full authority, assisted by his mentor Lu Sheng. The powerful and fierce General Yan Yan was left to guard the capital and intimidate Yi Province, as a precaution against unexpected events. Everything was arranged.

  Single table Li Yu Li Hanxing, school military field point big army 200,000, infantry 100,000, start army 100,000, what kind of formation is that? Li Yu fears the battlefield because during peacetime each unit cooperates less and has low tacit understanding, so for three days day and night * practice. After * practicing until it's almost done, Left State Minister Guo Jia sets the date, selects a lucky yellow road, only then prepares to offer sacrifices to the great flag and set out against Dong Zhuo. Li Yu Jin Tai worships the commander-in-chief this day, extremely grand. Liu Bei also wears full armor, waist selects precious sword, hurries to school military field, holds a grand review of troops, then offers sacrifices to heaven and earth, again holds a ceremony to grant seals and flags. Liu Bei looks at the review of troops with surging emotions, shouts to the lower-ranking generals: "Generals, our great Han dynasty has reached an extremely critical moment! You see, today in the imperial court the treacherous minister Dong Zhuo privately murdered our great Han emperor and established Chen Liu Wang as Emperor Xian of Han, using poisonous wine to kill Emperor Shao of Han. Dong Zhuo is even more arrogant every day, his momentum is extreme, the treacherous minister Dong Zhuo has no regard for the ruler, *chaotic palace, crime deserves punishment, I deeply know that death is lighter than a feather, heavier than Mount Tai's distinction, today I decide to set out against Dong Zhuo to clear the imperial court and revive our great Han dynasty! Generals, are you afraid? Are you willing to follow me to live or die and revive the great Han dynasty?" Li Yu leads the way, below 200,000 soldiers together shout: "Willing to follow Emperor Xian of Han to live or die and revive the great Han!" Afterward Chen Gong recalls that Liu Bei's voice echoes for three days without stopping, it can be seen how high the morale is at this time! Liu Bei continues to say: "Grant Li Yu Li Hanxing as commander-in-chief of the three armies, grant the commander-in-chief seal, order to pursue and reward the former emperor's gift of the precious sword, all matters do not need to report to me, have the right to behead first then report later, Commander Li is just like me, all matters of the three armies are handled by Commander Li, I will not interfere again. After finishing speaking Liu Bei personally hands over the commander seal and precious sword to Li Yu, Li Yu understands that this is Liu Bei's trust in him! Li Yu hangs the lion head fiery golden seal on his chest, holds the heavenly sword in his arms, this counts as taking over the great power. From now on, military matters are all handled by Li Yu. Whoever disobeys will be punished according to military discipline. Li Yu issues the first commander order, orders the central army officer to take out the name list, call out names one by one, not missing a single person, not lacking a single person. Li Yu announces 17 forbidden laws and 54 beheadings at that time, strictly requires the great army to pass through places without disturbing civilians, violators will be beheaded without pardon! Decides to set out at noon on the same day after offering sacrifices to the flag.

  Han Xing Wang Liu Bei personally attended the completion of the military review ceremony and granted the flag, feeling a bit tired, retreated to the central army's main account to rest for a while, preparing to get up with Li Yu's central army in a while!

  The three loud cannons stopped, and the 200,000-strong iron-clad army marched out of Chengdu City in an imposing manner. The vanguard was led by General Guan Yu, who held a giant green dragon crescent blade, accompanied by Deputy Vanguard General Zhang Fei, leading 10,000 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. They cleared the way through mountains and built bridges over rivers. The rear army was led by Generals Zhang Ren and Deng Mao, commanding 10,000 cavalrymen and 10,000 infantrymen, responsible for escorting the grain transport team. The left wing was led by Generals Zhang Fei, Li Hui, and Zou Jing, with 10,000 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. The right wing was led by Generals Zhao Yun and Zou Dan, with 10,000 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. Liu Bei, the commander-in-chief, accompanied by Military Advisor Guo Jia and his wife, Lady Gan, led the central army of 60,000 cavalrymen and 20,000 infantrymen. The 200,000-strong army was a magnificent sight! As the saying goes, "When people gather in numbers, it's like a boundless sea." This army formed a beautiful landscape during the Three Kingdoms period, marching forward without disturbing the civilians. Along the way, they encountered remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels and some blocking troops sent by Dong Zhuo, but the morale of the soldiers was high, and they advanced with ease. In just a few days, Liu Bei's army arrived at the outskirts of Luoyang City, near the Xingyang Pass. Liu Bei had originally intended to gather all the grain together, but Li Yu opposed it, so he issued another decree, ordering Chen Gong and Liu Hua to quickly supervise the grain transport and hide it in a safe location.

  At this time, various lords had already arrived, possibly because Liu Bei's Yizhou army was the farthest away and was the last to arrive!

  These lords were:

  1. The first camp, General Who Guards the South and Governor of Nanyang, Yuan Shu.

  2. The second camp, Inspector of Jizhou, Han Fu.

  3. The third camp, Inspector of Yuzhou, Kong Rong.

  4. The fourth camp, Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai.

  5. The fifth camp, Governor of Henan, Wang Kuang.

  6. The sixth camp, Governor of Chenliu, Zhang Miao.

  7. The seventh camp, Governor of Dongjun, Qiao Mao.

  8. The eighth camp, Governor of Shanyang, Yuan Yi.

  9. The ninth camp, Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin.

  10. The tenth camp, Governor of Beihai, Kong Rong.

  11. The eleventh camp, Governor of Guangling, Zhang Chao.

  12. The twelfth camp, Inspector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian.

  13. The thirteenth camp, Governor of Xiliang, Ma Teng.

  14. The fourteenth camp, Governor of Beiping, Gongsun Zan.

  15. The fifteenth camp, Governor of Shangdang, Zhang Yang.

  16. The sixteenth camp, Marquis of Wucheng and Governor of Changsha, Sun Jian.

  17. The seventeenth camp, Marquis of Qixiang and Governor of Bohai, Yuan Shao.

  18. The eighteenth camp, Colonel Cao Cao, with three to ten thousand soldiers each, led by civil and military officials, marched towards Luoyang.

  Among these lords, only Liu Bei's army had the most soldiers and horses, with a full 200,000 troops! This made the various lords look at each other in dismay. The great Han imperial relative is indeed making an effort!

  Cao Cao was even more courteous and welcomed the various lords from afar. The many lords also arrived one after another, each setting up their own camps, stretching over 200 miles. Cao Cao then issued an order to slaughter cattle and horses, hold a grand meeting of all the lords in the land, and discuss strategies for advancing the army. Governor Wang Kuai said, "Now that we are upholding great righteousness, we must establish a leader; everyone will listen to his orders, and then we can advance." Cao Cao saw this and said, "Han's resurgent king Liu Bei is the current imperial uncle, shaking the world with his might, holding in his hand the precious jade sword bestowed by the former emperor, having the power to execute first and report later. He can be the leader of our alliance!"

  Just as the words were spoken, a man with an eagle mouth and monkey cheeks stood up and said: "No, no! Yuan Benchu has been a high-ranking official for four generations, and his family has many officials. He is a descendant of a famous Han dynasty prime minister and can be the leader of our alliance." Everyone saw that it was Yuan Shao's brother, Yuan Tu!

  The people in the court were arguing with each other, and it was very lively! Later, Cao thought of a compromise and let Liu Bei be the leader of the alliance, while Yuan Shao would be the commander-in-chief of the allied army. Liu Bei and Yuan Shao repeatedly declined, but everyone said that only they could do it, so they agreed.

  The next day, a three-story platform was built, with flags from all directions displayed on it. A white umbrella and a yellow flag were set up, and a military symbol was placed on the platform to invite Yuan Shao to ascend. Liu Bei and Yuan Shao dressed neatly, wore their swords, and ascended the platform with a solemn expression. They burned incense and bowed twice.

  The oath they took read: "The Han dynasty is unfortunate, and the imperial power has been lost. Today, the traitor Dong Zhuo occupies the court, and the young emperor of the great Han has been killed by poisonous wine. Dong Zhuo's crimes are too numerous to count, and he has no regard for the emperor. He is a rebel who has brought chaos to the palace and committed great atrocities. We, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, fear that the country will be destroyed, so we have gathered righteous soldiers to rescue the nation.

  All of us who have joined this alliance must work together with one heart and strive to achieve our goal. If anyone betrays this oath, they will be punished by heaven and earth, and their descendants will suffer. We swear to this oath in front of heaven and earth, and our ancestors' spirits are witness to it!"

  After reading the oath, they signed it with their blood. Everyone was moved to tears by the solemn words. After signing the oath, they descended from the platform.

  Everyone supported Liu Bei and Yuan Shao as they ascended to their seats in the tent, arranged according to their ranks and ages. Cao gave a toast and said: "Now that we have established our leader and commander-in-chief, everyone should listen to their orders and work together to support the nation. Do not think about who is strong or weak."

  Liu Bei said: "I, Liu Bei, have become the leader of this alliance. I hope that all heroes in the world will unite and work together to restore the great Han dynasty!"

  Yuan Shao also said: "Although I am not talented, I have been entrusted with the position of commander-in-chief. Those who have merit will be rewarded, and those who commit crimes will be punished. The country has its laws, and the army has its discipline. Everyone should follow them and not violate them."

  Everyone said they would obey. Yuan Shao said: "My brother, Yuan Tu, is in charge of supplies and should distribute them to all camps without any shortages. We also need someone to be the vanguard and challenge Dong Zhuo at the Sishui Pass. The rest will occupy strategic positions to provide support."

  Everyone agreed to this plan.

  As soon as the words were spoken, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were about to stand up and take orders, but seeing Li You giving a subtle signal with his eyes, they had no choice but to return to their original positions! After all, they only regarded Li You as the commander-in-chief, what was Yuan Shao to them? In their eyes, he was nothing. Li You's prestige was established in battle after battle, while Yuan Shao was different! At the time of the decisive battle against the Yellow Turbans in Guangzhou, it was Li You who was the commander-in-chief, and today Liu Bei also wanted to insist on this, fortunately, Li You persuaded him secretly. Let's just drop the matter!

  But the governor of Changsha, Sun Jian, stood up and said: "I, Sun Jian, am willing to be the vanguard, attack Xingyang Pass, and fight against Dong Zhuo." Yuan Shao saw this man stand out and burst into laughter, saying: "Wentai is brave and fierce, he can take on this task. The allied army has nothing to worry about!"

  Sun Jian led his troops to attack the pass of Xiangyang. The officers guarding the pass saw that it was Sun Jian and immediately sent a messenger with a flying horse to report the emergency to Dong Zhuo's mansion in Luoyang. After Dong Zhuo took control of the imperial court, he indulged in drinking and feasting every day, becoming more and more tyrannical. Li Ru received the urgent message and came to report it to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was shocked and lost his color when he heard the news from the arrow tower, and immediately ordered his men to gather and discuss what to do. Lü Bu stepped forward and said: "Don't worry, father. The lords outside the pass are like weeds in my eyes; I want to lead the tiger wolf troops to cut off their heads and hang them on the city gate. This is to repay your kindness!" Dong Zhuo was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "I have a son like Lü Bu, so I can rest assured!" Before he finished speaking, someone behind Lü Bu shouted loudly: "Why use a cow knife to cut a chicken? No need for the Marquis of Wen to go in person. I will cut off the heads of these lords as easily as taking things out of my pocket!" Dong Zhuo looked at him and saw that this man was nine feet tall, with a tiger-like body, wolf-like waist, leopard head, and ape arms; he was from Longxi and had followed Dong Zhuo to conquer the Western Regions. His surname was Hua and his name was Feng. He had the bravery of a thousand men! Dong Zhuo was overjoyed when he heard this and appointed him as a cavalry commander. He dispatched 50,000 troops, led by Li Su, Hu Zhen, and Zhao Cen, to rush to Xiangyang Pass overnight to fight against Sun Jian's army.

  At this time, the Allied Forces had just formed an alliance and already had different intentions. Among them was Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei, who thought that Sun Jian, as the vanguard, would take all the credit, so he secretly sent his younger brother Bao Zhong to lead 3,000 cavalry and infantry to take a shortcut and attack the pass first. Hua Xiong led 500 iron cavalry down from the pass, shouting: "Bandit generals, don't run away!" Bao Zhong was about to retreat when he was beheaded by Hua Xiong's sword, and many of his officers were captured alive. Hua Xiong sent someone to bring Bao Zhong's head to the prime minister's mansion to report the victory, and Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and appointed Hua Xiong as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces.

  But Sun Jian led tens of thousands of elite soldiers to the banks of the Zhi River to do battle with Hua Xiong! Sun Jian was indeed worthy of being the descendant of the war god Sun Wu, and his military prowess was admired by his soldiers. Behind him followed four generals all the way to the pass. Who were these four generals? The first one was from Pingbei in Youbeiping, surnamed Cheng, named Pu, styled Demou, wielding an iron spear with a snake-shaped head; the second one was surnamed Huang, named Gai, styled Gongfu, from Lingling, wielding an iron whip; the third one was surnamed Han, named Dang, styled Yigong, from Lixi in Liaodong, wielding a large single-edged sword; and the fourth one was surnamed Zu, named Mao, styled Dahrong, from Fuchun in Wu Commandery, wielding a pair of swords. Sun Jian wore a suit of silver armor, wrapped his head with a red turban, held a ancient broadsword, rode a flower-maned horse, pointed at the pass and cursed: "Hua Xiong, you evil wretch! Why don't you surrender quickly? Now you dare to resist the heavenly army, I will surely execute you!" Hua Xiong was enraged upon hearing this and wanted to go out to battle. His deputy general Hu Zhi said behind him: "Great General, why use a cow cleaver to kill a chicken? Let me go take this dog's life!" Hua Xiong nodded in agreement!

  Hu Zu led 5,000 troops out of the pass to fight. At the city gate, Sun Jian ordered Cheng Pu to ride out and battle Hu Zu!

  Cheng Pu flew his horse and held up his spear, directly attacking Hu Zhi. When he arrived near Hu Zhi, it was three spears, Hu Zhi narrowly dodged, in the second round, Hu Zhi took the initiative to be strong, rotating his big knife towards Cheng Pu was a move called "Force Splitting Mount Hua", Cheng Pu calmly held up his snake spear to block it, two top generals, each showing their spirit, but Hu Zhi was no match for General Cheng Pu, after fighting a few rounds, Cheng Pu took advantage of the momentum and stabbed Hu Zhi's throat with one spear, dying under his horse. Sun Jian saw Cheng Pu win, replaced military orders with long guns, led the army to kill straight to the front of the pass, arrows and stones rained down on the pass. Sun Jian saw this and had no choice but to lead the troops back to Liangdong Village to camp, sent someone to report the victory to Yuan Shao, and urged grain from Yuan Shu. The three armies had no food, it was not possible, but Yuan Shu still hadn't delivered the grain today!

  Yuan Shu was a narrow-minded person who couldn't bear to see others better than him. At this time, one of his advisors said to Yuan Shu: "Sun Jian is a fierce tiger from Jiangdong; if he breaks through Luoyang and kills Dong Zhuo, it would be like getting rid of a wolf only to get a tiger instead. Now, if we don't provide them with grain, let the two tigers fight each other, Sun Jian's army will definitely disperse, and Dong Zhuo's army will also be killed by Sun Jian's army until they are almost wiped out. At that time, it will be clear who is the superior one." Yuan Shu was overjoyed after hearing this and thought what the advisor said made sense, so he didn't send any grain. You guys say, with such a grain officer, can the allied forces still win? Fortunately, Liu Bei's army didn't have such worries, and Li Yu had already ordered Mi Fang to secretly stockpile grain in preparation for unexpected events!

  But on the other side, Sun Jian's army was poorly clothed and fed, and morale was low. For a day or two, Sun Jian's prestige could still hold things together, but as time went on, the army began to fall apart. At this point, Hua Xiong's scouts reported back to Guan Yu. Li Su was overjoyed at the news and presented a plan to Hua Xiong: "Tonight, I'll lead an army down the small road and attack Sun Jian's camp from behind. You can attack his front camp, and we can capture Sun Jian! When that happens, our great general will be even more renowned for his bravery!" Hua Xiong was delighted and said: "I'm willing to share wealth and glory with you, brother Li! Ha ha!" Li Su saw that Hua Xiong agreed and ordered the three armies to eat their fill and prepare to secretly descend the mountain under cover of night. At this point, Sun Jian's army had no will to fight, so how could they be at ease on guard duty?

  It was a clear and windy night. When they arrived at Jianzhang, it was already midnight. Li Su ordered the drums to beat loudly and advance, which was also intended to intimidate Sun Jian. Li Su knew that Sun Jian was a fierce tiger from Jiangdong, but he couldn't handle him himself. He thought that scaring away Sun Jian would be the best option. Anyway, with such a big commotion, Sun Jian wouldn't dare to come forward, unless he had a pig's head.

  Sun Jian heard the sound of killing in the rear camp and hastily put on his armor and mounted his horse. He met Hua Xiong. The two horses intersected, and Sun Jian had no intention of fighting. Otherwise, Hua Xiong would not have been Sun Jian's opponent. The two raised their knives and guns, but they didn't fight for several rounds. Behind them, Li Su led the army to kill them. Li Su ordered the soldiers to set fires everywhere.

  Sun Jian's army was originally without a fighting spirit. With the sudden night attack, they didn't know how many soldiers Hua Xiong had. Sun Jian's generals could only fight separately, and only Zu Mao followed Sun Jian closely, protecting him as he broke through the encirclement.

  Hua Xiong chased after them from behind. Sun Jian took out his arrows and shot two of them in a row, both of which were dodged by Hua Xiong. When shooting the third arrow, he used too much force and snapped the bowstring. He had to abandon his bow and horse and flee.

  Zu Mao saw this and said: "My lord's red scarf is a target for the enemy. Can you take it off and give it to me?" Sun Jian saw Zu Mao's reminder and took off his scarf, exchanging it with Zu Mao's helmet. They split up and fled in different directions.

  Hua Xiong's army only chased after the person wearing the red scarf. Sun Jian ordered him to escape through a small path. Zu Mao was chased by Hua Xiong and hung the red scarf on a pillar of an unfinished house, then hid in the forest.

  Hua Xiong's army saw the red scarf under the moonlight and surrounded it. They knew that Sun Jian was skilled and didn't dare to approach him. They shot arrows at him, but soon realized it was a trick. Hua Xiong took the red scarf and led his troops forward.

  Zu Mao saw Hua Xiong fall into the trap and killed him from behind, swinging his double knives. Everyone thought that Zu Mao couldn't be Hua Xiong's opponent! But Hua Xiong let out a loud shout, and Zu Mao was startled. He thought to himself: "You're fighting, why are you shouting?" But Hua Xiong didn't have any time to spare, and in the moment that Zu Mao was stunned, he cut down Zu Mao with one knife.

  Li Su and Hua Xiong led their troops to pursue and kill until dawn. Hua Xiong then ordered his army to retreat back to Xiakou Pass. At this point, Sun Jian's army had lost more than half of its men! This was all because of Yuan Shu. If it weren't for him, Hua Xiong would not have been Sun Jian's opponent! Unfortunately, it was too late to regret now!

  Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and Han Dang, the three veteran generals, broke out of the siege and searched for Sun Jian everywhere. After a long search, they finally found Sun Jian, who was covered in blood, revealing the intensity of the fierce battle! Sun Jian ordered his troops to regroup and camp after seeing the three veteran generals arrive. Sun Jian searched for Zu Mao everywhere, but the soldiers returned to report that Zu Mao had been beheaded by Hua Xiong. Sun Jian was deeply grieved by the loss of Zu Mao and sent someone to inform Yuan Shao under the cover of night.

  You can see it from my sincere heart, don't let your heart break before you know this love is true!

  Click to watch, come and see! All kinds of requests, all kinds of visits! Today, my rosary suddenly broke, so I went to the Mahayana Temple at home to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. Therefore, the update is a bit late, please forgive me! After all, I'm also human, with seven emotions and six desires! Sorry about that!