12dz Chapter 30 Dong Zhuo Insists on Holding Hulao Pass? Pan Feng Invites Su Yu
Chapter 30 Dong Zhuo Insists on Holding Hulao Pass? Pan Feng Invites Su Yu
With his Red Hare horse, Lü Bu's speed naturally far surpassed that of the allied generals.
But what Lü Bu didn't know was that Zhao Yun and Xiahou Yuan were both archers.
Xiahou Yuan, in particular, was a master archer.
An arrow shot out from beside Xiahou Yuan like a shooting star.
"Pfft!"
It hit Red Hare's rump squarely, without missing a beat.
Hearing the mournful cry of Red Hare, Lü Bu's chest heaved with rage, wishing he could rush back and kill the archer with a single blow!
But obviously.
No matter how strong Lü Bu was, he was no match for so many powerful generals of the allied forces.
Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry
Zhang Liao and Gao Shun realized the situation was dire and immediately ordered the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to launch a charge.
This method was used to cover Lü Bu's retreat.
On the allied side, Yuan Shao waved his hand, and many soldiers also stepped forward.
In the battle, although the Bingzhou wolf cavalry were brave, the allied forces outnumbered the Bingzhou wolf cavalry several times over.
Leaving behind nearly a thousand corpses, Lü Bu slunk away with his Bingzhou wolf cavalry back to Hulao Pass.
The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry only numbered five thousand men in total.
This battle resulted in the loss of one-fifth of their forces, which shows how heartbroken Lü Bu must have been.
On the other hand, the morale of the allied forces was greatly boosted, creating a stark contrast.
No matter how shameless or despicable the way you win!
In short, the morale of the allied forces was greatly boosted.
……
Hulao Pass
Seeing Lü Bu flee back in such a disheveled state, Dong Zhuo felt deeply puzzled.
"Fengxian, what exactly happened?"
Lu Bu's head and face were covered in dust, but upon hearing Dong Zhuo's question, he still quickly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, those traitors from Guandong are utterly shameless!"
"I fought them in battle, but who knew they would send more than ten generals to surround and attack me!"
As he spoke, a look of grievance appeared on Lü Bu's face.
Honestly, if Lü Bu didn't have Red Hare today...
Faced with the siege of so many powerful generals of the allied forces, even if he were Lu Bu, a man among men, he would very likely perish on the spot!
Dong Zhuo stared wide-eyed, saying in disbelief:
"Are Yuan Shao and Cao Cao really this cunning?"
"Damn it!"
"How dare these scoundrels bully my adopted son like this?"
It must be said that Dong Zhuo was quite adept at winning people's hearts.
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's protective remarks, Lü Bu's eyes welled up with tears.
The four men standing behind Dong Zhuo—Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji—sneered repeatedly.
The four of them were quite pleased with Lü Bu's defeat.
They might even be hoping for Lü Bu's death!
Never underestimate the darkness in people's hearts.
Although Li Jue, Guo Si, and others were temporarily on the same side as Lü Bu.
But this doesn't mean they would consider Lü Bu one of their own.
Just like Yuan Shao, whenever he had the chance, he would be keen to weaken the power of warlords such as Yuan Shu, Han Fu, and Gongsun Zan.
"Fengxian, you've had a long and tiring journey. Please go and rest."
"What those traitors from Northeast China have done today, I, your father, will repay them tenfold in the future!"
Dong Zhuo reassured Lü Bu and ordered him to go and rest.
After Lü Bu left, Dong Zhuo entered the council hall at Hulao Pass and summoned only Li Ru in.
"Wenyou, what do you think of this matter?"
Li Ru cupped his hands and said:
“Father-in-law, the allied forces are not lacking in fierce generals.”
"Although it's not certain that anyone among them can defeat General Lü in terms of martial arts."
"But the matter of fighting generals is no longer advisable."
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo nodded.
In his view, the coalition forces have completely lost all shame!
Instead of sending over a dozen generals to besiege Lü Bu in a perfectly good duel, this guy has absolutely no shame.
It's obviously a disadvantage to use a respectable approach when dealing with shameless people.
Li Ru paced back and forth in the council hall, speaking haltingly:
"The only course of action now is to hold Hulao Pass."
"Given enough time, the allied forces will retreat."
"Moreover, the allied forces lacked siege weapons, so they could not take advantage of their numerical superiority."
"The advantage still lies in my father-in-law's hands!"
These words pleased Dong Zhuo greatly.
But the thought of not being able to deal with the various warlords diminished the joy on Dong Zhuo's face.
"Wenyou, do you have any strategies to make the allied forces fight amongst themselves?"
"I only deposed an emperor, but these guys are like leeches, sticking to me like glue!"
Dong Zhuo casually uttered the words "depose the emperor".
Even Li Ru's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Yes, when Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, the emperor was not the current Liu Xie, but the young emperor Liu Bian who had been supported by He Jin and others!
Why did Dong Zhuo want to depose the emperor?
the reason is simple.
Dong Zhuo and the young Emperor Liu Bian had absolutely no connection whatsoever.
Moreover, Emperor Shao Liu Bian was installed by He Jin and others, and all the warlords in Guandong accepted Emperor Shao Liu Bian.
Deposing Emperor Shao Liu Bian would establish Dong Zhuo's hegemonic position and solidify his authority.
Simultaneously.
Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, was raised by Empress Dowager Dong, the biological mother of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong.
Empress Dowager Dong and Dong Zhuo both shared the surname Dong.
By supporting Liu Xie to the throne, Dong Zhuo could take the opportunity to establish a relationship with Empress Dowager Dong and control the government as a relative of the empress.
Even further, they could replace the Liu Han imperial family!
However, the matter of deposing the emperor had both gains and losses.
With the deposition of the emperor, the warlords of Guandong reached their limit in their tolerance of Dong Zhuo.
With Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others taking the lead, all the warlords in the Guandong region who wanted a share of the spoils joined the coalition against Dong Zhuo.
If Dong Zhuo were to eliminate the Guandong Coalition, his prestige would rise even higher, reaching an unprecedented peak!
But if Dong Zhuo loses, not only might the emperor be lost, but he himself and the Lord of Xiliang might also be torn apart!
Li Ru himself did not initially advise Dong Zhuo to depose and install emperors.
But Dong Zhuo had been blinded by power.
Knowing the consequences of deposing the emperor, they still carried out the task without hesitation.
Li Ru had no choice but to follow Dong Zhuo, and after Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor, he personally poisoned the young emperor Liu Bian.
now.
Dong Zhuo didn't say it, but he was already starting to regret it.
The Kwantung Coalition was not as weak as Dong Zhuo had imagined.
Holding out at Hulao Pass for two or three months meant that Dong Zhuo himself would need to be stationed there.
For Dong Zhuo, who had become accustomed to indulging in a life of luxury and debauchery, these two or three months must have been incredibly frustrating!
……
Allied Forces Camp
As the leader of the alliance, Yuan Shao naturally had to express his gratitude to the allied generals who bravely attacked and fought against Lü Bu today.
He commended his generals and promised that after capturing Luoyang, he would grant them official positions based on their military achievements.
Su Yu sneered at this.
Others may not know the true strength of the allied forces, but surely Su Yu knows?
Once Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, none of the allied warlords, including Yuan Shao, would intend to continue pursuing him.
By then, all the promises made now will be nothing but empty words.
Just as they were about to return to Cao Cao's camp.
Several guards approached Su Yu from the other side and extended an invitation:
"Sir, I have come on General Pan's orders to invite you for a chat."
……