Chapter 8: The Great War Against Lü Bu!!!!!

  Li Ru knew that Yuan Shao's uncle, Yuan Wei, was currently the Taifu of the imperial court, one of the three dukes! If they were to respond from within and outside, Dong Zhuo's army would surely be attacked on both sides. Therefore, Li Ru advised Dong Zhuo: "Yuan Shao's uncle, Yuan Wei, is currently the Taifu of the imperial court, one of the three dukes! If we were to respond from within and outside, it would be very inconvenient. We should eliminate him first to prevent future troubles." Dong Zhuo highly appreciated his son-in-law Li Ru and strongly agreed with his words. He immediately ordered Li Cui and Guo Si to lead 500 soldiers to surround the residence of Taifu Yuan Wei, ordering them to kill everyone regardless of age, and then behead Yuan Wei and hang his head in front of the pass as a warning to the allied armies of the lords.

  The next day, Dong Zhuo personally led an army of 200,000 soldiers and divided them into two routes. One route was led by Li Jue and Guo Si, who took 50,000 soldiers to guard the Sui Water Pass, without engaging in battle, to support Li Su and prevent the loss of the pass. If the pass were lost, Dong Zhuo's allied army would suffer losses beyond his imagination! The other route was led by Dong Zhuo himself, with a large army of 150,000 soldiers, along with Li Ru, Lü Bu, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji, to guard the Tiger Trap Pass. This pass is fifty miles away from Luoyang and has always been a crucial location for military strategists. If it were lost, Luoyang would inevitably fall into enemy hands! Indeed, Dong Zhuo's army still had capable people, and he listened to Li Ru's suggestion. When the army arrived at the pass, Dong Zhuo ordered Lü Bu to lead 30,000 soldiers to set up a large camp in front of the pass. Dong Zhuo himself stationed his troops on top of the pass. With this, Tiger Trap Pass originally had an army of 100,000, and now it was joined by another 150,000, making a total of 250,000 soldiers. Adding to that, the pass was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and throughout history, any strong attack on the pass would result in heavy losses for the attacking side. Dong Zhuo ordered Lü Bu to station his troops outside the pass, forming a pincer movement. If the allied army of the lords were to launch a fierce attack on the pass, Lü Bu would naturally lead his troops to cut off their rear. And if they were to attack Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo could send reinforcements! Moreover, with Lü Bu's unparalleled martial arts skills, Dong Zhuo was extremely confident that this time, the allied army of the lords would be defeated without a doubt!

  On the other hand, because the allied forces of the vassals each had their own agenda, news was transmitted very slowly. By the time Dong Zhuo had already arrived at Tiger Trap Pass, the flying horse scout from the allied forces side only then found out and hastily reported back to Yuan Shao's camp.

  Yuan Shao heard the scout's report and hastily invited Han Xing Wang Liu Bei. It wasn't that Yuan Shao didn't dare to take charge himself, but after all, Liu Bei was a close relative of the Han Emperor at this time, with 200,000 elite troops in his hands, and many famous ministers and generals! On the other hand, he sent someone to order the various lords to come to the main tent to discuss the battle against Dong Zhuo's army.

  Liu Bei was invited to take his seat in the main position, and Yuan Shao returned to his commander's seat before all the other lords took their seats one after another.

  Yuan Shao led Dong Zhuo's army of 200,000, dividing the troops into two routes. One route had Li and Guo Sheng leading 50,000 soldiers to occupy the Ziwu Pass! The other route was led by Dong Zhuo himself, commanding an army of 150,000 stationed above the Tiger Trap Pass! The various lords were in a state of panic, unsure of what to do. Although they had more troops and generals, a fierce attack would inevitably result in heavy casualties. On the other hand, Dong Zhuo's forces may have been smaller, but he had the advantage of being on the defensive, waiting for his enemies to tire themselves out. Moreover, the most critical issue was that each of the lords had their own ulterior motives and could not unite to launch a desperate attack. At the crucial moment, someone would inevitably stab them in the back! This was the key point; otherwise, even if Dong Zhuo's forces were increased tenfold, they would still be nothing to fear!

  However, from this matter, it can be seen that Cao at this time was indeed a loyal minister of the great Han. As for how he later transformed into a treacherous minister who controlled the emperor to order the vassals, it may also be due to the expansion of his ambition!

  Cao Cao stood up and said: "Dong Zhuo has stationed his troops at Hu Lao, cutting off our middle route. Now we can lead half of the army to meet the enemy, otherwise our allied forces will be divided into two segments, and when the time comes, we will be attacked from both front and back, suffering heavy losses!"

  Yuan Shao was also very willing to listen to Li Yu's opinion this time, and asked specially: "Please ask General Han Xing, is there any suggestion!"

  Li Yu looked at Liu Bei and saw that he was indicating for him to speak, so he stood up and said: "I agree with General Cao's plan to divide the troops into two routes to attack Dong Zhuo's Tiger Trap Pass. However, I have another suggestion. At present, the Zishui Pass has no strong generals, we can quickly order the army to launch a fierce attack on the Zishui Pass, lure Dong Zhuo's troops out of the Tiger Trap Pass to rescue them, and then our allied forces will set up an ambush halfway, which can annihilate Dong Zhuo's reinforcements! However, this plan requires a brave general to guard the pass and withstand Dong Zhuo's fierce attack in order to succeed! Please decide, Commander-in-Chief!" This is Li Yu's strategy learned from Chairman Mao's guerrilla warfare tactics - "surrounding the point and attacking the reinforcements". Chairman Mao used this tactic to defeat the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek, showing how powerful it was!

  Cao rose up and laughed loudly, saying: "The plan of General Han Xing is indeed wonderful! It's a great strategy! With this plan, Dong Zhuo will surely be defeated! What is the name of this plan?"

  Li Yuhe burst out laughing: "General Meng De has given his seal of approval, but this is just a trivial trick, how can it be considered a great strategy? This tactic is called 'Surround the point and strike at the supporting troops'!"

  "What a great name! It's truly deserving of its reputation!"

  Yuan Shao did not think so, and the various lords also shook their heads in refusal. The plan's weakness was too glaring, and it could be said that the troops who blocked the gap would be risking their lives! Each of the lords had their own ulterior motives, and no one wanted to take on this task. After soliciting the opinions of the various lords, Yuan Shao ignored Li Yu's suggestion, which was within Li Yu's expectations. However, this made Cao extremely angry, and he even volunteered to lead the troops to block the gap. But Yuan Shao still refused to listen! Cao saw that it was hopeless and withdrew from the main tent.

  Yuan Shao still insisted on dividing the eight vassals, Wang Kuai, Qiao Rui, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Sun Rong, Zhang Yang, Tao Qian and Gongsun Zan, to go to Hu Lao Guan with Liu Bei to fight against Dong Zhuo's army. Cao saw this and had no choice but to lead his troops to rescue them, which was also the consensus reached by Li Yu and Cao , because there was a supporting force, so even if they lost the initial battle, they could still stabilize their position and fight again! Cao highly approved of Li Yu's suggestion and personally led the army as the general supporter to support the various vassals. The above eight vassals returned home one after another and started their troops.

  Everyone sees that Cao's victory in the Battle of Guandu was a foregone conclusion. Yuan Shao was jealous and envious, he didn't use Li You's clever plan to surround and attack, instead choosing to launch a strong assault. If such a person had defeated Cao at the Battle of Guandu, it would have been against the will of heaven! It can be said that Yuan Shao lost the Battle of Guandu not because of Cao, but rather because of himself.

  Li Yu returned to his own camp, Liu Bei sat at the top, Li Yu sat in the commander's seat, and ordered the middle army officer to read out the name list. The middle army officer checked one by one: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Ren, Guo Jia, Cheng Yuanzhi, Deng Mao, Zou Dan, Zou Jing and others were all present!

  Li Yu looked at the generals below and said, "Generals, in this battle, we must be extra cautious. Wen Hou Lü Bu is exceptionally brave and can be called the number one brave general in the world! When you face him, you must be careful not to be careless!" Li Yu did not doubt Lü Bu's bravery at all, nor did he doubt the ranking of the Three Kingdoms! Although he knew that the three heroes had defeated Lü Bu, the number one brave general in the world, Li Yu still thought it was better to be cautious. However, after saying this, the generals below became unhappy. First, Guan Yu stood up and said, "Fourth brother, don't praise others too much and undermine our own morale. I think that Wen Hou Lü Bu is just an ordinary person. If I were to meet him, I would definitely let him die under my Green Dragon Crescent Blade!"

  "Fourth brother, my great general," Zhang Fei said with a swagger, "when we fought against the Yellow Turbans and battled across the land, I've never seen you as timid as you are today! You're afraid of Lü Bu? I'm not. I'll let him witness the might of Yan's Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide's 8-foot-long snake spear!"

  Zhang Ren also stepped forward and said: "Since following the general, there has been no achievement of even an inch. If we encounter that Lü Bu, I will surely cut off his dog head to repay the commander-in-chief and the king for their kindness!"

  Zhao Yun also said: "General, in this battle, Zilong is willing to be the vanguard and meet that Wen Hou Lü Bu first!"

  Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao, Zou Dan, Zou Jing four generals also have complaints!

  Liu Bei also thought Li Yu was a bit too exaggerated in his estimation of the enemy!

  Li Yu saw this and had no choice but to order the three armies to set out, letting one of his trusted aides secretly pass on the information to Wang Xue, telling him to follow quietly in secret, in case their supply lines were cut off!

  Ten roads of vassals, vast and powerful, opened up to conquer, the governor of Hebei, Wang Kuai, was appointed by Yuan Shao as the vanguard general, leading 20,000 troops to arrive at Tiger Trap Pass first. Wang Kuai didn't know how formidable Lü Bu was, and as soon as he arrived at Tiger Trap Pass, he didn't set up camp, but instead went straight to challenge Lü Bu! Lü Bu was waiting for someone to come and die, personally leading 3,000 iron cavalry, rushing to welcome them. Wang Kuai's army formed a battle array, and when he looked down from the gate flag, he saw Lü Bu emerge: wearing a purple gold crown with three horns, wearing a red brocade robe with hundred flowers from Xichuan, wearing a beast-faced helmet and armor, and carrying a bow and arrow, holding a halberd, riding a fierce wind red rabbit horse. Indeed, it was "Lü Bu among men, Red Rabbit among horses"! Wang Kuai turned his head to ask the generals behind him: "Who dares to go out and fight? Replace me in defeating Lü Bu!" A general from behind, rode out on horseback with a spear. Wang Kuai looked at him, it was Hebei's famous general, Fang Yue. Lü Bu handed over the halberd to his left hand, looking at Fang Yue approaching, rotating the halberd, and striking towards Fang Yue. Fang Yue held up his spear to block, but only heard a loud crash, Fang Yue's two hands were shattered by Lü Bu's one move! The two horses confronted each other, Lü Bu raised the halberd and stabbed at Fang Yue, Fang Yue could only defend himself without any strength to fight back. He raised his spear to block, after four or five rounds of fighting, he was killed by Lü Bu's one stab in the heart, his corpse fell under the horse. Wang Kuai was shocked and lost color, in his eyes, Fang Yue was an invincible fierce general, but was so simply killed by Lü Bu! However, Lü Bu didn't give him time to be stunned, holding up the halberd, he charged straight at Wang Kuai's army, with 3,000 Western Liang iron cavalry closely following behind. Wang Kuai's army saw Fang Yue die in battle and had no will to fight, was defeated by Lü Bu, and scattered in all directions. Lü Bu wielded the halberd, charging east and west, like entering a land without people, like a god of death, Wang Kuai's army suffered heavy losses, and were chased for over twenty miles. Fortunately, at this time, Yuan Shao's reinforcements, Qiao Mao and Yuan Yi, arrived to rescue Wang Kuai. Lü Bu feared being surrounded by the allied forces and killed, so he broke out of the encirclement and retreated back to his camp. The three roads of vassals each lost some troops, Wang Kuai's 20,000-strong army was left with only a few thousand men! They could only retreat thirty miles and set up camp. Later, the five armies all arrived, and they discussed together, waiting for the alliance leader Han Xingwang Liu Bei and Yuan Shao to discuss their strategy!

  On that day, in the afternoon, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao led their troops to arrive, and the five roads of the vassals all said that Lü Bu was a hero, and no one could match him. Yuan Shao was greatly shocked and lost his color, and Liu Bei also thought in his heart that what Li Yu had said was not false! That Lü Bu was indeed a hero who had no equal!

  At this time, various lords were worried, and a small school came to report: "Lü Bu's camp is challenging us to battle." Yuan Shao ordered the entire army to observe the formation, and the ten lords all mounted their horses. The army was divided into ten teams, and they arrayed themselves on a high ridge. In the distance, Lü Bu's army could be seen, with embroidered flags fluttering in the wind, and it seemed as though they were dancing. Only Lü Bu himself could be seen, wearing a purple gold crown with three prongs to hold back his hair, a red brocade robe from Western Shu with a hundred flowers embroidered on it, a suit of armor with a beast face and linked rings, and a belt made of the skin of a fierce lion. He had bows and arrows at his side, and he held a halberd in his hand, sitting astride a Red Hare horse that was neighing loudly: truly, he seemed invincible!

  Lü Bu arrived at the high mound and saw that all the lords had arrived, so he led his army to charge first. Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang, sent out his general Mu Shun, who rode out on horseback with a spear to engage in battle. Lü Bu raised his halberd and killed him instantly under his horse. The various lords were shocked.

  Kong Rong, the governor of Beihai, sent out his general Wu An Guo, who wielded an iron mace and rode out on horseback. Lü Bu swung his halberd and charged forward to meet him. Wu An Guo was indeed a fierce warrior, swinging his iron mace wildly at Lü Bu, striking him repeatedly. Lü Bu began to feel dizzy after three or four rounds.

  However, Lü Bu suddenly rallied and swung his halberd with great force, like a windmill. This time, Wu An Guo was caught off guard, and his ears rang from the shock of Lü Bu's halberd. His hands were numb and his palms were split open. He thought to himself that Lü Bu's strength was not just in wielding a halberd, but it seemed even greater than his own iron mace.

  Wu An Guo barely managed to hold on for over ten rounds, but Lü Bu saw an opportunity when their horses crossed paths and struck Wu An Guo with a blow to the back of the head. Just as Wu An Guo was about to meet his demise, Li Jue cherished Wu An Guo as a brave general and shot an arrow that blocked Lü Bu's halberd.

  Although Lü Bu's halberd still knocked off Wu An Guo's helmet, Wu An Guo saw this as a chance to escape and threw away his mace, turned around, and fled back to his own troops. The various lords all led their armies out together to rescue Wu An Guo.

  Lü Bu retreated. Glaring at Li Yu, he shouted: "Shooting arrows in secret is not heroic! Do you dare to come and fight me?" Lü Bu was indeed a hero, his angry roar shook the three armies. Li Yu thought that he should warn others about Lü Bu, but unexpectedly he encountered him first. However, if he retreated now, Liu Bei's army would lose face in front of all the other lords! So Li Yu steeled himself and rode forward on horseback. Liu Bei wanted to stop him, but he trusted Li Yu to have the ability to protect himself even in defeat. In secret, he ordered Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Ren to prepare to support Li Yu.

  Li Yu came to the front of the two armies and said: "General Lu Bu, your bravery is indeed the best in the world! I am Li Yu, the Grand Marshal under the banner of Han Xing Wang, Marquis of Han Xing, General Who Conquers the East!"

  Lü Bu saw Li Yu wearing a golden helmet with the character "commander" on it, his body covered in iron chainmail armor, sitting on a yellow horse, holding a square heaven painting halberd, also a heroic general! Also, Lü Bu had long heard of Li Yu, whose name was too great. The Yellow Turbans rebelled and fought in all directions, beheading the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jue, which was also a renowned feat!

  Lü Bu did not dare to be careless and said: "General Li, why come here to fight with me? If you lose, won't it tarnish your reputation for being undefeated? Moreover, with your abilities, if you sneak into Dong Zhuo's camp, you can definitely become one of the three top officials! A good minister chooses his master wisely!"

  Li Yu saw this and burst out laughing, saying: "Lü Bu, I was born a Han minister, and will die a Han ghost. Since ancient times, loyal ministers and filial sons have been respected by all, while treacherous ministers and unfilial sons have been executed by all. You are such a hero, why not take the wrong path and then return to the right one? In the imperial court of the Han dynasty, you will certainly be important!"

  Lü Bu saw this and didn't say a word, brandishing the Guandao to fight Li Yu. Li Yu had no choice but to grit his teeth and also wielded the Guandao to fight back!

  Li Yu and Lü Bu engaged in a fierce battle, exchanging nearly twenty rounds. Both armies' generals were valiant, with an air of invincibility. The two sides' halberds danced like dragons riding the mist and grasping the clouds, while a team of tigers bared their teeth and unsheathed their claws. Yuan Shao was shocked by this sight, knowing Li Yu's bravery but not expecting his martial arts to be so exceptional. He ordered the entire army to sound the drums and beat the gongs to boost morale! The sound of the drums shook the earth; the soldiers shouted and the horses neighed, as if the mountains were crumbling. They fought on until the dark clouds dispersed, and the wildflowers and grasses were trampled, covering the ground with sorrow.

  Li Yu didn't expect himself to be so powerful after nearly ten rounds of fighting, and Lü Bu also admired Li Yu's high martial arts skills!

  Two men play chess, each paying attention to the other's moves. The painting of halberds intersects and stabs, the silver snake runs, the painting of halberds rotates and falls, the snowflakes invade. After more than a hundred rounds of fierce battle, neither side has won or lost.

  Li Yu danced with his spear, like a windmill, while Lü Bu used his spear to protect himself and his horse. Li Yu thrust his spear at Lü Bu, who countered with a swift strike of his own. The two exchanged blows, each landing a hit, but Lü Bu's strength was superior.

  After over 130 rounds, Lü Bu seized the opportunity to grab Li Yu's spear with his own, trying to wrest it from his grasp. Li Yu used all his might, but he couldn't match Lü Bu's power. Thinking quickly, Li Yu decided to let go of his spear and use his horse's familiar bronze mace to strike back at Lü Bu.

  Lü Bu was caught off guard and stumbled backward as Li Yu threw away his spear. Seizing the chance, Li Yu grabbed his mace and swung it at Lü Bu, who barely blocked the attack with his spear. The force of the blow sent Li Yu flying, and he spat out blood as he fell unconscious.

  Lü Bu was also injured, but he managed to stay on his horse. As he prepared to deliver the final blow to Li Yu, Liu Bei's men intervened, led by Zhao Yun, who charged down with his spear. Lü Bu tried to attack Li Yu again, but Zhao Yun arrived just in time, his silver spear dancing like a dragon.

  Although Lü Bu was not seriously injured, he could only defend himself against Zhao Yun's attacks and retreated back to his own camp. Zhao Yun, worried about Li Yu's safety, chose not to pursue Lü Bu further. As various warlords rushed to rescue Li Yu, Zhao Yun escorted him back to their camp.

  I saw you today, I don't know if you knew or not! I'm very tired, I've been persisting like this and I hope it's worth it!