Chapter 67: Zhao Yun's First Battle Shocks the Four Seats

  The next day, Yuan Shao led the various lords to bid farewell to Gongsun Zan in person, giving him enough face. During this time, Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan had a lingering conversation, agreeing to support each other afterwards. Finally, Gongsun Zan left with great fanfare.

  Looking at those white horses, they are majestic and refreshing. The other princes naturally have different ideas, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao naturally think that one day I will also form my own elite troops.

  Lü Bu entered Tiger Trap Pass, but none of the Western Liang generals came to welcome him. Only his old acquaintance Li Su came to comfort him with a few words.

  "Obey the order, Taishi orders you to go to the Governor's mansion. Taishi is not in a good mood, so pay attention to your emotions and don't provoke him again." Li Su and Lü Bu were considered fellow countrymen, but Li Su, who had recommended Lü Bu, did not receive much favor from Dong Zhuo and was also excluded by the Western Liang generals. Therefore, he also had to choose to cling to Lü Bu's thigh.

  Lü Bu urged his horse and headed towards the Tai Shi mansion. As he entered the mansion, he coincidentally ran into Li Ru, who was deep in thought. Lü Bu couldn't help but greet him. Li Ru was one of Dong Zhuo's most trusted advisors, so naturally, he was a target for the Western Liang generals as well as Lü Bu's Bingzhou soldiers to win over. And Li Ru also understood how to get along with people, so his relationships with these generals were extremely good.

  "Wen You, why are you so worried?"

  "Feng Xian, Taishi is going to give up Luoyang. Today, Taishi saw the 18 vassals' momentum and since you've been fighting hard for a long time without winning, Taishi has already had the intention of retreating. Just now, Taishi sent a message to Li Jue and Guo Si, ordering them to retreat to Luoyang first and loot it once. I tried to persuade him but couldn't, alas! Taishi is no longer the Dong Zhuo I followed in the beginning."

  Li Ru shook his head, sighing incessantly, unsure whether it was for Dong Zhuo or the future of the Western Liang army that he sighed. Initially, Li Ru believed that Dong Zhuo possessed a certain aura that others did not, which was why he followed him and brought along his good friend Jia Xu.

  Dong Zhuo indeed trusted Li Ru very much, and even married his daughter to him. However, everything changed when Dong Zhuo returned from the battlefield against the Yellow Turbans. The overbearing air about him was gone, replaced by a murderous aura. His temper had greatly changed, and he would often kill people just for fun.

  After entering Luoyang, Dong Zhuo carried out a series of suppressions and persecutions against the generals who had participated in the extermination of the Yellow Turbans. He first exiled Huangfu Song, then killed Zhu Jun, forced Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to flee, and made countless enemies without reason. Li Ru did not know what kind of conflict Dong Zhuo had with these generals during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans.

  And he himself had to follow Dong Zhuo, making plans and strategies for him. After all, he had already been branded with Dong Zhuo's mark, who else would accept him? Moreover, now he was also a sinner with blood-stained hands, which was completely opposite to his original intention.

  "Uncle, you're looking for me?" Lü Bu strode into the grand hall with large steps.

  "I've called you here this time to tell you that I'm ready to abandon Luoyang. The eighteen vassals, haha... what a grand momentum, joining forces to attack me, but in the end it's all about fame and profit. I'll give them fame and profit."

  "Father, we have taken control of the two strategic passes. Why should we give up Luoyang and other places? If you are not satisfied with my battle this morning, I will go out again to fight against the allied forces. Why should we give up our current advantageous position?" Lü Bu couldn't understand what Dong Zhuo was saying at all. After all, a warrior's nature is to fight and kill, and he really can't tell these tricks apart.

  "Don't worry about the farewell, this Luoyang is already useless in my eyes. I'll take away all the officials and nobles, then plunder all the wealthy families, leaving them a dilapidated Luoyang to fight over, haha... However, your adoptive father needs you to go out of the city tomorrow to challenge them, delay the allied army for one day, and then join forces with the main troops. Remember, this time you only have one task, which is to kill that black-faced Zhang Fei for me."

  Dong Zhuo patted Lü Bu's shoulder and walked towards the inner hall, leaving Lü Bu standing there in a daze. Lü Bu now felt like Li Ru, taking away high-ranking officials and nobles? Plundering the wealthy households of Luoyang? In the past, when Lü Bu was in Bingzhou, he hated the Hu people who raided the borders, so he would constantly kill them on the frontier, honing his skills.

  Because Lü Bu is a mixed breed of Han and Hu, his mother was born after the Hu people invaded the border, and his mother could not bear the name of this crime. After giving birth to Lü Bu, she took her own life. So Lü Bu hated the feeling of family destruction, separation of wives and children. I didn't expect that I, Lü Bu, would become a helper for such people, now my two hands are stained with fresh blood, it's all in vain for being a hero.

  Lü Bu quietly left the Taishi Mansion, his heart filled with helplessness. If things continued like this, he would also become a murderous tyrant just like Dong Zhuo. It seemed that he needed to find another way out. But now, everyone called him the Three Surnames' House Slave, where could he go?

  Stroking the Red Hare under him, how could others understand the great attraction it had for him? Since he rode the Red Hare, other horses were nothing to him. Which general could withstand the Red Hare's **? Forget it, don't think too much about it, tomorrow delay one day as per Godfather's request... And that black-faced big man, sorry.

  The Allied Army camp, Yuan Shao had just sent away Gongsun Zan and received a report from the messenger, Lü Bu was challenging outside the camp again. Cao Cao, who had just taken Zhao Yun, was eager to see Zhao Yun's ability. Fortunately, although Gongsun Zan left, Liu Bei was still there, plus Dian Wei, they were not afraid of Lü Bu yesterday, and today would not be afraid to go out to battle.

  All the vassals arrived at the camp, and under the Tiger Trap Pass, they still saw Lü Bu alone, holding a halberd in his hand, sitting on his Red Hare horse, as majestic and powerful as ever.

  "The allied forces are so numerous, will they only gang up on the few? Is there anyone who dares to engage in a one-on-one duel with me, Lü Bu?" Since we're going to waste time anyway, it's best to have a solo fight, which would be the most time-consuming. If the allied forces were to come at him all at once, he wouldn't be able to complete his mission either. But if someone were to engage in a one-on-one duel, he could deliberately drag out the battle for several hundred rounds, and the task entrusted by his adoptive father would basically be accomplished. It seems that Lü Bu is not completely brainless after all.

  "Lü Bu is getting arrogant, I, Zhao Yun, will go and meet him." Under Zhang Fei's signal, Zhao Yun grasped the Dragon-Headed Silver Spear tightly in his hand, patted the Night-Shining Jade Lion head on his saddle, and then charged out of the formation.

  Lü Bu saw a young general rush out, and at first he didn't take it to heart. He just didn't expect Zhao Yun's horse to be so fast, and the spear technique in his hand was also extremely fast. He himself almost got hit without being prepared.

  Zhoa Yun was also somewhat nervous, this being his first battle. Moreover, Lü Bu was so formidable that from yesterday's observation, he knew he wasn't a match for him. So when he took to the field, he was very cautious, with both sides probing each other.

  All the vassals only saw a small general rushing out of Cao Cao's formation, not one of the three fierce generals from yesterday. Everyone closed their eyes, afraid to see Zhao Yun's miserable state. So young and handsome, exactly my standard for a good general, what a pity for this Zhao Yun! Yuan Shao shook his head.

  Unfortunately, the result shocked everyone. This Zhao Yun seemed to be quite capable and had already exchanged over a hundred blows with Lü Bu, and was even more formidable than Cao's army's first general, Dian Wei.