Chapter 24: Lü Bu Among Men

  Like withering yellow leaves! The Iron Riders of Ping State were like a black dragon, baring its teeth and claws, charging into the wailing Allied Army, bringing a bloody storm.

  The cavalry had an overwhelming advantage over the infantry, completely crushing them. Those who were lucky enough to dodge the cavalry's blades were spared, while those who were less fortunate were beheaded. The most tragic fate befell the soldiers who were trampled by the warhorses, almost being crushed into pulp.

  These vassals' soldiers were used to fighting against the weak Yellow Turbans, and they had always been victorious in their battles. They had never seen such a formidable enemy as this one, and they immediately collapsed.

  Zhang Liao was about to lead the Iron Cavalry over to kill Yuan Shao, when he suddenly saw Taishi Ci grasping his bow and staring intently at him. After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned around and charged towards Lü Bu's battle formation instead.

  This is not Zhang Liao being afraid of Taishi Ci. Just now, in the previous battle, although Taishi Ci had a slight advantage, he still couldn't intimidate Zhang Liao.

  The main thing is that the speed of the cavalry charge is very important, Zhang Liao as the arrowhead figure does not want to entangle with Taishi Ci and go on, in that case there would be no opportunity to play the speed advantage.

  Launched a surprise attack on Yuan Shao's central army, mainly to cause chaos among the allied forces and give Yuan Shao a warning. Zhang Liao was not Lü Bu, he could not have killed off Taishi Ci and beheaded Yuan Shao, Zhang Liao was not that arrogant.

  The original generals who surrounded Lü Bu were not in a superior position, almost risking their lives to besiege Lü Bu. When Zhang Liao charged from the outside, they immediately suffered heavy casualties. After Lü Bu killed several enemy generals, he also became somewhat exhausted. After meeting up with Zhang Liao, he coldly glanced at Yuan Shao, turned around and killed his way out, leaving behind a field of broken corpses.

  Yuan Shao secretly let out a sigh of relief, the situation just now was too critical, if not for dozens of generals fighting to the death around Lü Bu, he feared that his life would not be preserved. From now on, when arriving at the battlefield, he must bring along fierce generals like Yan Liang and Wen Chou, in order to ensure his safety without worry, after all, no matter which lord it is, they cannot always have dozens of brave generals by their side.

  The generals all came to protect themselves, then who will command the soldiers?!

  Yuan Shao glanced at Taishi Ci and thought to himself: Taishi Ci is not bad, although he is Cao Cao's man, but just now he also saved me once, I don't know if there will be an opportunity to recruit him under my command.

  The Allied Forces of Guandong were busy gathering the defeated troops, and it would take a lot of time. They could only watch as Lü Bu sailed away, returning to Tiger Trap Pass.

  Li Chong stood beside Cao Cao, looking at the scattered limbs and headless corpses, the groaning and crying wounded soldiers, and clenched his fists secretly.

  He secretly congratulated himself on his choice, if he hadn't taken in these remnants of the Yellow Turbans, and gained some status, perhaps one of the corpses lying in the snow would have been him. Li Zhongke didn't believe that these "righteous soldiers" were truly righteous soldiers, but rather strong men forcibly conscripted by the various lords.

  In this chaotic era, ordinary people have no right to decide their own fate. To survive, one must stand out and reach the pinnacle of power.

  After the battle, after checking, there were more than 2,000 casualties. To think that Lü Bu only brought 500 iron cavalry and caused such heavy losses, Yuan Shao didn't dare to imagine how many people would have to die in order to capture Tiger Trap Pass.

  All the vassals surrounded the main tent of the central army, each with a low expression and sighing.

  Li Chong's status was originally lower, and he couldn't even enter the main military tent. However, because Yuan Shao highly valued Taishi Ci's bravery, he allowed Li Chong to stand at the outermost edge. This was somewhat presumptuous, but the various lords were bound by their gratitude for Taishi Ci's protection, so they didn't say much. To put it bluntly, even Da'er Zei didn't have the qualifications to enter the main tent.

  After a long while, Yuan Shao finally spoke in a low voice: "Lü Bu is valiant and fierce. If we can't defeat him, it will be difficult to capture Tiger Trap Pass. Does anyone have a good plan?"

  Kong Rong was injured by Wu An Guo, and he felt very depressed in his heart. At the same time, he was somewhat resentful of Taishi Ci. Upon hearing this, he said: "The iron cavalry of Pingzhou is indeed invincible, but without Lü Bu, they are not a threat. It's just that we need to find someone to resist Lü Bu, and it will be no problem. I think General Taishi should take the lead in resisting Lü Bu."

  Yuan Shao glanced at Kong Rong, sneering in his heart. He was also a powerful leader and had guessed what Kong Rong was thinking. He had a good impression of Taishi Ci, so he waved his hand and said: "It's not possible. I think Lü Bu's martial arts are unmatched in the world. Taishi Ci alone is probably no match for Lü Bu. It's a pity that Yan Liang and Wen Chou are not here. If they were, with the combined strength of three people, we would definitely be able to defeat Lü Bu."

  As for Lü Bu, Li Chong didn't take him seriously. If all else failed, he could push out Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to take the blame, although it was a bit presumptuous. He thought that Yuan Shao wouldn't blame himself.

  But Li Zhong did not plan to do so. Liu Bei was the second most powerful warlord after Cao Cao, and Li Zhong did not intend to give him a chance to take the lead.

  At this time, Cao Cao suddenly said in a low voice: "I have a plan! Tonight, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren will escort the grain back. I'll let them tie up Lü Bu, and General Taishi will take advantage of the opportunity to shoot and kill Lü Bu with arrows. The rest of us will then attack Tiger Trap Pass."

  At this time, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had a very good relationship. Upon hearing the words, he frowned and said: "Lü Bu is invincible in bravery, and with Zhang Liao as his helper, it's likely to be extremely dangerous for your younger brother to hold off Lü Bu."

  Cao Cao sighed to the sky and said, "A great man has things he will do and things he won't do. To eliminate Dong's villainy and restore peace to the Han dynasty, even if I have to take the field myself, it is not impossible."

  "Huh!" Li Chong secretly glanced at Cao Cao, feeling puzzled in his heart. Cao Cao was really willing to let Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan brothers go on the battlefield to resist Lü Bu. It's worth noting that Cao Cao was originally a member of the Xiahou clan, and he and the Xiahou brothers were considered cousins. Could it be that Cao Cao was truly loyal to the Han Dynasty?

  Looking at Cao Cao, Li Zhong suddenly had an idea in his mind. Why did Lü Bu surrender to Dong Zhuo? Was there some inside story or was the historical record biased? Thinking of this, Li Zhong became more eager to meet with the world's number one warrior. He said in a low voice: "General Yuan, I have something to say."

  Yuan Shao glanced at Li Zhong and nodded, saying: "Speak."

  Li Chong cleared his throat and said: "Lü Bu was originally under the command of Governor Ding Jianyang of Bingzhou. On that day, Governor Ding led his troops to enter Luoyang, scolding Dong Zhuo, who harbored resentment in his heart. This is why he instigated Lü Bu to rebel, causing Governor Ding to be trapped in Luoyang. According to what I know, Dong Zhuo used money to buy over Lü Bu, which shows that Lü Bu was not loyal to Dong Zhuo. Now that General Yuan's power shakes the four seas, it is a good opportunity to persuade Lü Bu to abandon darkness and turn to the light!"

  Yuan Shao thought for a long time, then shook his head and said: "Now that Dong Zhuo is in control of the imperial court, plundering the wealth within, whether it's prestige or wealth are all above ours, wanting to persuade Lü Bu to surrender, isn't it even more difficult?"

  Li Zhong said solemnly, "What Yuan Gong said is extremely right. Although I didn't think it through carefully, if I can persuade Lü Bu, Luoyang will be easily obtained. On the other hand, if Yuan Gong's righteous army doesn't work out, there won't be any loss at all. Li Zhong is willing to personally persuade Lü Bu."

  "All right, tomorrow you persuade Lü Bu, but be careful." Yuan Shao thought for a moment, even if Lü Bu turned against him on the spot, it would not be himself who died, but this Li Ziyue. At that time, Taishi Ci would have no choice but to surrender to him, which would be killing two birds with one stone.

  Moreover, this is not taking advantage of someone's misfortune, Li Zicheng himself actively requested to persuade Lü Bu to surrender, and it was not forced by himself, so his reputation was not damaged.