Chapter 14

Remember when Li You read the original text of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," he felt that the eighteen warlords each had their own intentions, and not every family wanted to fight a hard battle against Dong Zhuo! Yuan Shao always talked about Yan Liang and Wen Chou, but he never brought them along, and he didn't even bring generals like Zhang He and Gao Lan. Yuan Shu also didn't bring his great general Ji Ling! It seemed they were thinking of preserving their strength! Han Fu only brought Pan Feng, leaving the more powerful Ju Yi in Ji Province, which was probably the same as what the Yuan brothers were thinking.

Among the other warlords, there were certainly those who had similar intentions to just go through the motions, but the most genuine ones were Sun Jian, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei. Cao Cao brought several ten thousand troops and had great generals like Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong, almost bringing all his forces!

Sun Jian not only brought his trusted generals like Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, but he also fought bravely in every major battle, which once caused the Yuan brothers to be unhappy and withhold supplies, leading to Sun Jian's failure in his offensive.

Liu Bei, who was just the magistrate of Pingyuan County, was determined not to miss this great opportunity to establish his reputation. As a member of the Han royal family, he certainly regarded Dong Zhuo, who oppressed the Han, as a great enemy.

Gongsun Zan, as a governor, led from the front, first engaging Hua Xiong and then Lu Bu, though he didn't win, his eagerness to fight was evident!

As for Ma Teng, he and Dong Zhuo had both served in Xiliang. Given Dong Zhuo's arrogant and domineering nature, there might have been personal conflicts between them!

With the addition of a soul-swapped Han Fu, these few forces became the only ones among the eighteen warlords who truly wanted to fight. They joined forces and, under Cao Cao's command, launched a fierce attack on Hulao Pass.

Gongsun Zan's White Horse Riders, known as the best light cavalry of the time, faced an enemy with no heart for battle. After a few charges, they routed the enemy! At this moment, Cao Cao stroked his beard and said to Lu Bu, "Fengxian, I have no intention of killing innocents. Are you willing to accept their surrender for us? If they are willing to surrender, I can let them form their own army under your command!"

The last sentence moved Lu Bu. He was now just a commander without troops, and seeing the opportunity to reassemble his forces, how could he refuse? Although he knew these surrendered troops would not be solely under Cao Cao's command but would also be shared with Han Fu, Sun Jian, Gongsun Zan, and other warlords, having something was better than nothing! He immediately clasped his hands and said, "I am willing to serve my lord!"

With that, he spurred his red rabbit steed toward the chaotic troops. Lu Bu's bravery and high prestige in the army made the Dong Zhuo troops outside the pass lay down their weapons and surrender! This made the Yuan brothers gnash their teeth in frustration!

What frightened them even more was the thunderous roar coming from Hulao Pass! At this moment, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Riders had already disengaged and were covering the gate with a rain of arrows, allowing Li Yuanba to focus on the gate!

Every time Li Yuanba struck the gate with his hammer, it produced a thunderous sound, shaking the Dong Zhuo troops on the gate and making them tremble with fear! It seemed as if the next strike would shatter the gate!

"I will go to Chang'an to gather reinforcements! Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, you two must hold this pass! Just wait a few days, and I will lead a large army to your aid!" With that, Dong Zhuo left the city tower with his trusted generals Li Jue, Guo Si, and strategist Li Ru, fleeing directly out of the pass.

With Dong Zhuo gone, the generals had no heart for battle! Just as they were hesitating, they heard a loud crack, and the gate could no longer withstand Li Yuanba's divine strength. The door bolt broke, revealing a gap!

"Ha ha! This is fun! One more time!" Li Yuanba, seeing this, was overjoyed. He raised his hammers high and struck the gate again, sending countless Dong Zhuo troops flying, and the gate was finally opened!

"Men, the time to establish our reputation is now! Generals, follow me and charge through the gate!" Ma Teng, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately led his troops to attack! The Dong Zhuo troops, with no heart for battle, immediately scattered and fled.

"General Fan, we..." Zhang Ji looked at Ma Teng, who was fighting fiercely with his spear, but hesitated to speak.

"Surrender and you will be spared! We only seek to punish Dong Zhuo! The rest will not be questioned!" Just then, a loud shout came from below the gate. Looking closely, it was Han Fu, who had ordered Guan Sheng to lead his guards to call out.

"Let's surrender!" Seeing that their side was already weakening and that Dong Zhuo had abandoned the pass, Zhang Ji was unwilling to die for him. He immediately surrendered to Cao Cao, who had just entered the city.

"Ha ha! Generals, please rise!" Cao Cao was in high spirits, having taken the formidable Hulao Pass with little cost. He immediately helped Fan Chou and Zhang Ji to their feet.

"Where did Dong Zhuo go?" Zhang Fei, his eyes wide and his tiger beard bristling, asked sternly.

"Dong Zhuo just left the pass! He... he is probably already far away!" Fan Chou and Zhang Ji answered nervously.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go after him!" With that, Zhang Fei brandished his eighteen-foot spear and was about to charge forward.

"Yi De, hold on!" At this moment, Li You, under the protection of Guan Sheng, entered the pass. After a moment's thought, he stopped Zhang Fei, "The Dong troops inside the pass have not been cleared yet. If we let them scatter, the people near Hulao Pass will suffer! Let's gather the scattered troops first, and then pursue them!"

Liu Bei nodded in agreement. Cao Cao, though reluctant, considered that their attack on Hulao Pass had already taken a toll, and pursuing immediately might be risky. He then said, "Wen Jie is right!" He ordered the Xiahou brothers and the Cao brothers to lead Fan Chou and Zhang Ji to gather the scattered troops, and he ordered Lu Bu to lead the newly surrendered Dong troops to block the gate, preventing Yuan Shao and others from entering.

Yuan Shao and others cursed loudly below the gate, but Cao Cao laughed and shouted, "My lord, do not be angry. The battle inside the pass is not yet over. Your noble status makes it unsuitable for you to enter dangerous territory! Once we have cleared the scattered troops, we will welcome you into the pass!"

Well done! Li You secretly gave Cao Cao a thumbs up! With Yuan Shao, Yuan