In mid-July, outside Hulao Pass, a coalition of 300,000 troops from various warlords of Guandong were arrayed before the pass.
Despite being called 300,000, their miscellaneous forces, including laborers and auxiliary soldiers, actually numbered only around 200,000.
Their actual combat strength was negligible compared to Zhao Hao's battle-hardened cavalry and Lu Bu's soldiers who had undergone years of training.
"Shut up, General, come and speak with me!"
With Yuan Shao leading the charge, all the warlords donned their armor and went into battle.
"Fengxian, they're calling us. Let's go down and meet these worthless scoundrels!"
"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask!"
Zhao Hao and Lü Bu then led tens of thousands of cavalry, forming ranks on either side in front of Hulao Pass, confronting Yuan Shao and others not far away.
"You rats from Guandong, you neither fight nor retreat, what is the reason for this! I, Lü Bu, have been ordered by the Grand Tutor to guard this pass. And who are you? State your names at once!"
Lu Bu's question drew disdain from the crowd.
In their eyes, Lü Bu was nothing but a brute, and it was Dong Zhuo who promoted him to his current position in order to win over people's hearts and secure Ding Yuan's Bingzhou army.
If they had provoked Lü Bu as Hua Xiong had done, and had been severely punished, they probably wouldn't have underestimated him so easily.
Of course, Gongsun Zan's spreading of rumors also played a significant role in this.
"Hmph! Lü Bu, I am Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province. Do you dare to fight my general Pan Feng!"
Lu Bu gripped the reins, ready to go into battle.
Zhao Hao, who was beside him, grabbed him.
"Brother Fengxian, observe my command flag! If the red flag is raised high, kill the invading enemy. If it is my personal black flag, try your best to capture the enemy general alive!"
"Well... that's fine! I'm off then!"
Although Lü Bu was puzzled as to why Zhao Hao was doing this, he believed that Zhao Hao's actions must have a deeper meaning, so he stopped thinking about it and simply obeyed orders.
"Hey! You brat Fengxian, do you even know your grandfather, Lord Yuan, who commands General Yu She?"
Lu Bu had only taken a few steps when a general stepped out from the ranks of the warlords of Guandong.
Han Fu, however, stood behind Yuan Shu with his general Pan Feng, looking utterly aggrieved.
"Wushuang, rumors in the army say that Lü Bu is incompetent. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Pan Feng chuckled, then his gaze sharpened.
"But the restrained aura he exudes reveals that he is a peerless master! His words just now were merely to provoke him into revealing his killing intent, so that we could further assess his strength."
Based on current observations, Lü Bu is at least a top-tier military commander. Among the allied forces, only General Wu Anguo, fighting alongside me, could possibly defeat him.
"My lord, we only need to let these eager-to-stand-up individuals wear down Lü Bu. Then, I can simply request permission from General Wu'an to engage him in battle, and we will surely capture him in one fell swoop!"
"Hmm, not bad, not bad, Wushuang, you truly deserve to be a general of my Ji Province!"
"Report!"
Just as the two were whispering to each other, the battle report from the front arrived.
"Report! General Yu fought Lü Bu for three rounds and was cut down from his horse!"
The warlords of Guandong were all taken aback.
Is Lu Bu really that strong?
Lu Bu, however, glanced furtively at Yuwen Chengdu, who was standing next to Zhao Hao behind him, clutching the crimson banner tightly in his hand.
"This humble general, Liu Yidao, possesses a family-inherited swordsmanship skill. I request that the Alliance Leader send me to fight, and I will surely slay that Lü Bu!"
"Zu Mao, a subordinate of General Sun Polu, requests to fight Lü Bu!"
"This humble general, Fang Yue, possesses unparalleled spear skills; I am certain I can sever that dog Lu Bu's head!"
Although the generals were eager to volunteer for the battle, a few were still missing from the familiar storyline.
Of course, neither Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang, nor his general Mu Shun appeared among the allied forces.
The two of them had long been incorporated into the Jinyang City Guard, and were probably guarding Liu Xie under Wang Yue's leadership.
"Hmm... It's a pity that my two great generals, Wen Chou and Yan Liang, are not here, otherwise how could that Lü Bu have dared to be so arrogant!"
Yuan Shao feigned regret and sighed, then looked triumphantly at Yuan Shu, whose face was unfriendly, mocking his poor judgment of character.
"Ahem, in that case, why not let Sun Polu's general give it a try first? After all, Sun Polu's subordinates have fought against rebels in Xiliang and Jiangdong, and they must be brave warriors."
What do you all think?
"We will all listen to the Alliance Leader!"
"Yes, what the Alliance Leader says is very good, let's arrange it this way!"
Zu Mao, courtesy name Darong, was a subordinate of Sun Jian.
Command: 77 Strength: 89 Intelligence: 62 Politics: 48 Charisma: 75
Personality traits: 1. Guardian 2. Bloodstained Path 3. Sweep 4. Vanguard
"Huh? Sun Jian's men have actually arrived. Chengdu, raise the black flag!"
"Okay!"
Seeing Zu Mao, who was wearing a red turban like Sun Jian, appear on stage, Zhao Hao raised the black flag without thinking.
If the Sun family members ever become dissatisfied, we can deal with them at any time.
But what Zhao Hao cared about most was whether Sun's younger sister was worthy of being added to his harem.
If we deal with Sun Jian's veteran generals now, although the blame will fall on Lü Bu, Lü Bu will eventually be under our command. It's better to avoid bloodshed.
After all, she still had her sights set on his young daughter.
"Take this!"
"Hmph, come on!"
No sooner said than done.
Lü Bu and Zu Mao were already locked in battle.
Because of Zhao Hao's command flag, Lü Bu did not kill the enemy general as decisively as before.
Capturing your opponent alive requires skill.
Therefore, Lu Bu fought Zu Mao for about fifteen rounds before finding a weakness in Zu Mao's swordsmanship and breaking through his defenses, causing him to temporarily lose strength and fall off his horse!
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
