12dz Chapter 5: Hua Xiong Attacks, and the Warlords Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Yuan Shu Fall into His Trap?
Chapter 5: Hua Xiong Attacks, and the Warlords Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Yuan Shu Fall into His Trap?
"What! That old scoundrel Dong Zhuo arrived so quickly?"
All the feudal lords looked surprised.
Hua Xiong was one of Dong Zhuo's top generals, and he followed Dong Zhuo in many battles, making numerous contributions.
As the saying goes, a person's name is like the shadow of a tree.
With no fewer than 20,000 Xiliang cavalry, the pressure on the various warlords was immense.
In particular, there were several minor warlords within the main camp, whose total military strength was less than ten thousand.
Upon hearing that Hua Xiong had led a large army to Sishui Pass, he was filled with trepidation.
Even Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and others did not look too pleased.
This was just the vanguard, yet Dong Zhuo had already dispatched such a force.
If it were a decisive battle, wouldn't Dong Zhuo be able to directly mobilize an army of three to four hundred thousand?
Don't think this number is an exaggeration.
The original Dong Zhuo, as the top official of Liangzhou, led troops to guard the frontier for many years, and the Liangzhou army under his command was extremely powerful.
After entering the capital, they annexed the Luoyang Imperial Guards and the Eight Armies of the Western Garden, further expanding their power.
Later, the filial son Lü Bu killed his adoptive father Ding Yuan and led the Bingzhou army to surrender to Dong Zhuo.
Equivalent to Dong Zhuo today, his total military strength was at least three times that before he entered the capital!
He already commanded 100,000 armored soldiers, and after seizing power in the Han Dynasty, it was perfectly normal for him to raise an army of 300,000 to 400,000.
"That old scoundrel Dong Zhuo has gone too far!"
"How can we fear such people who have no father or ruler?"
As the leader of the coalition, Yuan Shao was the first to launch an attack on Dong Zhuo.
"Hmph, if you ask me, Dong Zhuo only looks down on us because someone else became the leader of the alliance."
Yuan Shu's indifferent words drifted over from the side.
In fact, the various warlords had just elected Yuan Shao as their leader.
Even if Dong Zhuo's intelligence system was incredibly powerful, it was impossible for him to learn about this situation so quickly.
Therefore, Yuan Shu's words were purely making trouble out of nothing.
"Gentlemen, our most urgent task is to defeat Hua Xiong as soon as possible and capture Sishui Pass!"
"Otherwise, if that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo were to mobilize all his troops, it would be even more difficult to deal with him."
Tao Qian stepped forward with a smile to act as a peacemaker.
Don't be fooled by his support for Yuan Shao just now.
However, as the governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian was undoubtedly a powerful warlord in the allied forces.
After the coalition disbanded, both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had to vie to win over Tao Qian.
Therefore, the various feudal lords listened to Tao Qian's words to some extent.
Yuan Shao's gaze swept over the various warlords, finally settling on Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian.
"Bo Gui, Wen Tai, and Hua Xiong are coming on strong."
"But our allied forces are also full of brilliant generals."
"In terms of achievements, you two are both outstanding."
"Is it acceptable to entrust the task of confronting Hua Xiong to the two of you?"
After saying this, a sincere look appeared in Yuan Shao's eyes.
Seeing this, Su Yu almost couldn't help but vomit.
To be honest, Yuan Shao was really good at pretending, and he was incredibly cunning!
Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian were, respectively, his future rival and an important figure in Yuan Shu's camp.
Sending these two men, who had suffered heavy losses, to deal with Hua Xiong was, in Yuan Shao's eyes, a case of using someone else to do the dirty work.
Gongsun Zan frowned.
Although he was bold and unrestrained by nature, he was not a fool.
How could Yuan Shao's scheme be so obvious?
Sun Jian also lowered his head in deep thought, considering the pros and cons.
Suddenly, Yuan Shu's voice rang out from the side:
"Wentai, go and prepare for battle with peace of mind."
"With you here, what is Hua Xiong anyway?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yu looked at Yuan Shu in disbelief.
If it were him, he would definitely choose to refuse to fight.
What benefits can such a thankless and arduous vanguard battle bring besides heavy casualties?
But in Yuan Shu's view, it was completely different.
The various warlords were well aware that Sun Jian and his Jiangdong army were able to travel all the way from Changsha to Suanzao for the alliance meeting because of Yuan Shu's covert support.
In other words, Sun Jian was a mercenary hired by Yuan Shu.
Sun Jian's victory was equivalent to Yuan Shu's victory.
At this moment, Yuan Shu encouraged Sun Jian to go to war precisely because he wanted to gain fame and hoped to surpass Yuan Shao in prestige.
But such empty fame is really rather useless.
Only a spoiled brat like Yuan Shu would crave such empty fame.
A mocking glint appeared in Yuan Shao's eyes.
I never expected that someone would be so eager to jump into the pit!
Cao Cao also shook his head.
Yuan Shu is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb; he is not worth fearing!
Sun Jian didn't care.
As long as Yuan Shu provides the necessary funds and supplies, there's no harm in going to war against Hua Xiong.
Thinking of this, Sun Jian clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yuan Shao and said:
"Alliance Leader, I am willing to fight!"
Yuan Shao smiled and nodded, his heart already bursting with joy.
Seeing that Sun Jian was willing to fight, Gongsun Zan, who was concerned about his reputation, was in a dilemma.
Fortunately, Liu Bei stopped him in time, shook his head slightly, and spoke on behalf of Gongsun Zan:
"My Lord, many of the Youzhou soldiers under Brother Bogui's command are showing symptoms of acclimatization problems and are probably unable to serve as the vanguard of our allied forces for the time being."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded and said:
"Youzhou and Suanzao are quite far apart, so it's normal for the soldiers to experience acclimatization problems."
"Please take care of your health, Bo Gui and all the soldiers of Youzhou Army."
After saying this, Yuan Shao's face showed a concerned expression.
Those who were unaware of the situation would probably think Yuan Shao was a good leader of the alliance if they saw this.
Little did he know, he was secretly cursing Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan in his heart.
But at this moment, he couldn't openly offend Gongsun Zan, so he could only say this.
Cao Cao gave Liu Bei a meaningful look.
The latter returned a slightly friendly glance.
Su Yu smiled. Liu Bei was indeed no ordinary person.
The fictional account that he only knew how to cry is pure nonsense.
If Liu Bei only knew how to cry, did he win the world through his tears?
If crying can bring down the world, why is it that throughout history only Liu Bei has succeeded?
To put it bluntly, sometimes, crying is a means to an end.
After removing this tactic, Liu Bei had other methods up his sleeve.
The term "tyrant" is used not only to describe Cao Cao, but also to describe Liu Bei.
As the saying goes, among all the heroes under heaven, none can rival Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
Liu Bei was no ordinary person; he managed to survive until the end and establish the Shu Han regime.
Knowing how to be patient is also a skill.
Like Yuan Shu, who attracted too much attention and jumped right into the pit, he was just asking for trouble.
……