(Because the Three Kingdoms period spanned more than eighty years, there are a few transitional words.)
After Diao Chan returned to Wang Yun's residence, she relayed what Wang Han had said to Wang Yun.
"Create your own opportunity." Wang Yun was overjoyed upon hearing this. He thought to himself that there was hope for the Han Dynasty. As long as Dong Zhuo died and stopped harming the loyal officials of the Han, the Han could be revived. He immediately began to think about how to contact high-ranking officials in the court and secretly make preparations to stabilize the situation after Dong Zhuo's death, so that Wang Han could take action. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Wang Han wanted the Han Dynasty to perish, and that the Han Dynasty's fate was already sealed.
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Soon, a month passed quickly. Before Wang Yun and the court officials he had contacted could prepare, Yuan Shao summoned eighteen warlords to form a righteous army. Armed with a fake imperial edict fabricated by Cao Cao, they came together to attack Dong Zhuo.
Upon learning this news, Wang Yun immediately sent Diao Chan to inform Wang Han. However, by this time, Wang Han and Xi Zhicai had already arrived outside Chenliu City, watching the alliance of the eighteen princes.
On the city wall of Chenliu, one of Yuan Shao's generals loudly read out the list of the feudal lords who had come to the alliance meeting.
"The first town of the righteous army, Yuan Shu, the governor of Nanyang, led 20,000 troops to join the alliance."
"The second town, led by Han Fu, the governor of Yizhou, has brought 20,000 troops to the alliance meeting."
...
"The sixth garrison, led by Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu,..."
"The seventh town, prefect of Dongjun, Qiao Mao..."
"The Eighth Garrison Commander, Yuan Yi, Prefect of Shanyang..."
...
"The tenth commander, Kong Rong, the Prefect of Beihai..."
...
"The thirteenth town, prefect of Xiliang, Ma Teng..."
"The fourteenth commander, Gongsun Zan, the Prefect of Beiping..."
...
"The sixteenth commander, Marquis of Wucheng and Prefect of Changsha, Sun Jian..."
...
Yuan Shao, whose family had held high office for four generations, was renowned throughout the land. The various warlords who came to the alliance meeting were all prefects and governors, and they all elected Yuan Shao as their leader.
The combined forces numbered 450,000 infantry and 90,000 cavalry, more than double the size of Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou army.
Subsequently, Cao Cao brought 4,000 soldiers from his family to the alliance meeting, and Liu Bei also brought Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to the meeting. Although they were ridiculed by various warlords, they still joined the alliance.
"I am General Hua Xiong, sent by the Prime Minister to punish the rebels. If any of you can bring me Cao Cao's head, I will spare your lives." Outside Chenliu City, Yuan Shao and others had just gathered their forces when Hua Xiong, a general under Dong Zhuo, was ordered to come and punish them.
"Report..." A soldier rushed into the main hall of the alliance and reported to Yuan Shao: "Reporting to the alliance leader, Hua Xiong, the vanguard general of Dong Zhuo, is leading the Xiliang army and says he wants to attack Cao Cao. He is shouting insults in front of the pass."
"Who is Hua Xiong? How dare he be so presumptuous?" one of the feudal lords asked.
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao said, "This man should not be underestimated. He is from Guanzhong and is known as the fourth fierce general under Dong Zhuo."
"Fourth?" Yuan Shu asked curiously, "Then who are the other three?"
Cao Cao said, "First is Lü Bu, second is Li Jue, third is Guo Yi, and fourth is Hua Xiong."
Yuan Shao said, “Generals, we have just gathered together, and the Xiliang army has come to challenge us. This is our army’s first battle against Dong Zhuo. In this battle, we must kill generals and make meritorious contributions to enhance the prestige of our allied forces.”
"This humble general is willing to fight. I will surely behead Hua Xiong within ten rounds." As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, a general stepped forward from the crowd and volunteered for the battle.
"This is my General Yu She," Yuan Shu introduced.
"Very well, bring some wine to send General Yu off on his journey," Yuan Shao said upon hearing this.
After drinking, Yu She went out of the city to meet Hua Xiong in battle.
Upon hearing that Hua Xiong was only the fourth-ranking general under Dong Zhuo, the various warlords did not care and continued to discuss plans to attack Dong Zhuo.
Unexpectedly, Yu She went out of the city and fought Hua Xiong for only one round before being killed by Hua Xiong.
"One round, one round." Upon hearing the soldier's report, the feudal lords were all taken aback.
"This Hua Xiong is indeed valiant." Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao asked loudly, "Who dares to challenge Hua Xiong?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Dai looked at the other warlords and said, “I have General Pan Feng, who wields a hundred-pound axe and is brave enough to withstand ten thousand men. This man can surely kill Hua Xiong.”
Unfortunately, Pan Feng went out of the city to fight Hua Xiong, but he was killed in a single round.
"If a mere Hua Xiong is so troublesome, what will we do when we encounter Lü Bu in the future?"
"Who is willing to fight Hua Xiong?" Yuan Shao asked upon seeing this. "If you capture Hua Xiong, you will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and a hundred horses."
"......"
"If my generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou were here, how could a mere Hua Xiong be allowed to act so presumptuously?" Yuan Shao said angrily when no one came forward to challenge him.
"Guan Yu, the horse archer, is willing to fight Hua Xiong." Just when everyone was at a loss, Guan Yu took the initiative to step forward and said.
......
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"This Hua Xiong may seem unremarkable, but his martial arts skills are quite impressive." On a distant hilltop, Xi Zhicai and Wang Han watched Hua Xiong kill two allied generals in succession, and Xi Zhicai couldn't help but say.
“The Xiliang army has always been known for its bravery, and Hua Xiong’s reputation has probably been overshadowed by Lü Bu’s fame,” Wang Han said.
Shortly afterward, Guan Yu rode out of Chenliu City. With just three strikes, he killed Hua Xiong.
"My lord, do you know who this man is?" Xi Zhicai asked, seeing Guan Yu kill Hua Xiong with three strikes. "Is this man's martial prowess comparable to Lü Bu's?"
'Guan Yu's strength was indeed formidable. He slew Hua Xiong with three strikes. Considering the time it took him to enter and leave the city, the farewell wine was probably still warm. The legend of Guan Yu slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm is indeed true.'
On the hilltop, Wang Han watched as Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong in just a few rounds. He nodded in admiration and then said to Xi Zhicai, "This man is Guan Yu. His strength is still somewhat inferior to Lü Bu's, but he is still a rare and fierce general in the world."
After their commander-in-chief died, the Xiliang army quickly retreated. The allied forces did not pursue them, firstly because the allied forces had just assembled, and secondly because the allied forces were all inside the city and had not deployed their troops outside the city, so they did not have time to pursue them.
"Xi Zhicai, you will take the imperial edict from Wang Yun and join the allied forces as a strategist. Assess the character of the various lords and offer them advice to help them capture Luoyang as quickly as possible. If you need anything, contact me by carrier pigeon. I'll return to Luoyang first," Wang Han said. This was the main reason Wang Han brought Xi Zhicai to Chenliu.
"Yes, my lord." Xi Zhicai asked, "Which warlord do you want me to join first?"
“Cao Cao,” Wang Han said.
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"Issue the order: the nineteenth garrison has been established, and Liu Bei will be the general in command." Yuan Shao said happily in Chenliu City after seeing that Guan Yu had indeed killed Hua Xiong.
"Liu Bei, I obey," Liu Bei quickly replied. They were now nominally on equal footing with the various warlords.
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"Report! A man has arrived outside the city, claiming to be a strategist from Luoyang, who has come to join the allied forces." Shortly after the Xiliang army retreated, while the feudal lords were discussing their strategy, a soldier ran in to report.
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