Seeing that the situation was not good and worried about Niu Fu's safety, Dong Zhuo hurriedly ordered Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou to go up together.
Upon hearing the order, Li Jue and his three companions grabbed their weapons and stepped forward.
Seeing the four men rushing towards him, Lü Bu showed no fear. Instead of retreating, he advanced, brandishing his halberd and charging into the midst of them.
Swords and spears clashed, sand and stones flew.
These four men were also formidable generals, skilled in archery and horsemanship.
However, Lü Bu fought against four opponents single-handedly, and became increasingly fierce in battle.
After only ten or so rounds, Li Jue, exhausted, was the first to be defeated.
The other three generals were even more exhausted. Lu Bu swept through the army with his halberd, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Their internal organs churned, their tiger's mouths split open, and blood seeped from the corners of their mouths.
Dong Zhuo was terrified.
Unexpectedly, this general beside Ding Yuan could easily defeat four men by himself. He was so brave that probably few people in the world could match him.
He hurriedly ordered his men to retrieve the unconscious Niu Fu, and together with the four generals, ordered a retreat of ten miles.
When Lü Bu returned to the city in triumph, Ding Yuan was overjoyed and came down from the city to congratulate him.
"Haha, my son Fengxian, you are brave and invincible! After this battle, you will be famous throughout the world!"
Ding Yuan took Lü Bu's hand and returned to the city, where they held a grand banquet to celebrate.
He then drafted a report detailing how Zhang Yi had accepted bribes from the Xiongnu, only to be assassinated by them instead.
At the same time, he appointed Lü Bu as a Commandant and Chief Clerk of the Governor's Office of Bing Province.
As for the Xiongnu's defeat outside the pass and the death of the Qiangqu Chanyu, not a word was mentioned.
After drafting the report, he dispatched a fast horse to detour out of the city and head to Luoyang to report.
Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, Niu Fu, was knocked unconscious by Lü Bu in one move.
After this battle, Li Jue and his three companions were terrified.
All four of them had previously claimed to be the bravest warriors in the army, invincible against ten thousand men.
Only today did I realize that there are nine heavens beyond heavens.
Their bravery was beyond their reach.
Dong Zhuo himself was even more depressed.
He came to Bingzhou from Hedong by imperial decree, ready to make great strides.
But little did anyone know that he still hadn't been able to control the military and political affairs of Bingzhou.
Remembering the special instructions given by He Jin's trusted advisors, He Jin had sent him to recover the four prefectures of Yunzhong and make a name for himself!
If he fails to live up to the General's trust, Dong Zhuo will surely be removed from his current position by He Jin.
For a moment, Dong Zhuo felt somewhat dejected.
"Damn Ding Yuan, why are you blocking my way?"
"When will the important task entrusted to us by the General be completed?"
If Dong Zhuo wanted to complete the task of recovering the four counties of Yunzhong arranged by He Jin, he first had to take control of the governor of Bingzhou and completely take over the troops in Bingzhou before he could make his move.
Otherwise, with his newly recruited 7,000 soldiers plus his original 3,000 followers, 10,000 men would not amount to much.
Furthermore, as of now, Dong Zhuo has no idea what has happened between the prince and the Xiongnu in Dingxiang outside Yanmen Pass, or how their battle is going.
After all, he had only just arrived in Jinyang when the governor of Bingzhou was assassinated.
With the border blocked, sending anyone out of Yanmen Pass to gather intelligence was out of the question.
Seeing Dong Zhuo complaining, Li Ru, who was standing nearby, quickly said:
"Ding Yuan is nothing to worry about. I have inquired about him. The man who defeated Bai Ye and Li Jue and the other four generals today is named Lü Bu, courtesy name Fengxian, from Jiuyuan."
"He lost both his parents and learned martial arts from a master from a young age, and he is brave enough to fight ten thousand men."
"He is now Ding Jianyang's adopted son and is at his beck and call."
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo immediately sighed, "If I could obtain this man, recovering the four commanderies of Yunzhong would be a piece of cake."
“Father-in-law, everyone has weaknesses. Since he can become someone else’s adopted son, it means he can be lured.” Li Ru smiled slightly.
In fact, Li Ru was an underestimated strategist.
Dong Zhuo valued his resourcefulness and wisdom, which is why he took him as his son-in-law.
Li Ru lived up to Dong Zhuo's expectations, frequently offering advice and solutions to his problems.
Upon hearing that Lü Bu could be subdued, Dong Zhuo's face lit up with joy: "Wenyou, what brilliant plan do you have?"
"Heroes love beautiful women, and fierce generals love fine horses!"
"When my father-in-law was quelling the rebellion in Liangzhou, didn't he acquire a prized horse named Red Hare?"
"If we were to give it to Lü Bu privately and promise him a high-ranking official position, he would surely be persuaded to join us."
Li Ru blinked his small eyes and said confidently.
He had carefully observed Lü Bu on the battlefield today and found that every move he made revealed a reluctance to be subservient to others.
If you want someone like that to betray you, it just depends on whether you're willing to do it.
"This horse is a top-quality steed from the Western Regions, I adore it...this..."
It's like a nouveau riche boss in a modern company, with the word "willing to give" hanging on the office wall, trying to poach talent.
It's the same situation where the HR person advised him to give away the BMW 730 he bought outright to a talented person.
Dong Zhuo was actually quite reluctant to part with him.
"Father-in-law, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and you can't catch Lü Bu without risking Red Hare!" Li Ru advised Dong Zhuo immediately after he hesitated.
"Alright! Red Hare it is!"
Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth and agreed, and immediately sent an envoy to meet Lü Bu in secret.
Just then, someone else came to report:
"General, Mr. He Chang from the General's residence has arrived!"
Dong Zhuo was taken aback, then his face lit up with joy: "Quickly, please invite Mr. He in..."
......
Right now.
After a day of rest, Liu Wei's army in Wujin City was in high spirits and full of fighting spirit.
Zhang Liao's spear battalion lost two thousand soldiers in this battle.
Liu Wei then supplemented the force with 20,000 laborers and gave them the troop template of the White Robe Army to Zhang Liao, maintaining the Long Spear Battalion's strength of 5,000 men.
Currently, the troop shop for one-star units, apart from the White Robe Army, only offers basic soldier templates.
The Xiongnu and Xianbei camps each lost less than a thousand men, and these troops could not be replenished.
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