Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

During this period, rumors spread that Lu Zhi had plundered and murdered the emperor, leading to his being labeled a traitor and placed under a nationwide wanted order. Dong Zhuo's subsequent appointment of Liu Xie as the new emperor did not cause much shock among the local authorities. For the prefects and governors, it was merely a change of emperor, who had only been on the throne for a short time. Regardless of who replaced him, the Liu family still held sway; at most, it was just another powerful official, so there was no significant reaction.

After leaving Luoyang, Yuan Shao met the three Liu Bei brothers along the way and safely arrived in Jizhou under their protection. Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, and Yuan Shao had been friends for many years, and Han Fu and his family had close ties with the Yuan family. Unable to find reliable information about the emperor, Yuan Shao and Han Fu were deeply dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo's decision to install a child emperor. They planned to select a highly respected member of the Han royal family to replace the emperor, and they would support this new emperor. After much deliberation, the two men set their sights on Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou.

Yuan Shao and Han Fu sent envoys to contact Liu Yu. At this time, Liu Yu was angry because Gongsun Zan refused to hand over Lu Zhi and Emperor Liu Bian, so he raised an army and fought against Gongsun Zan.

Liu Yu controlled most of Youzhou, while Gongsun Zan only held a small part of it. Gongsun Zan was in a difficult position when fighting Liu Yu.

At this time, Liu Yu received a proposal from Yuan Shao and Han Fu. They believed that Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, had misruled the country, leading to rebellion. Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, was young and had been established by the treacherous minister Dong Zhuo. The distance between Guandong and Chang'an made it difficult to understand the situation, leaving the people with no one to turn to. However, Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, was highly respected and considered the most virtuous of the imperial clan. Therefore, Yuan Shao, Han Fu, and others proposed to support him as emperor.

Upon hearing this news, Liu Yu had other thoughts. He had originally only wanted to seize the "rare treasure" of Emperor Liu Bian and become a powerful official like Dong Zhuo. However, Han Fu and Yuan Shao, lacking accurate information about the emperor, mistakenly believed Dong Zhuo's rumors, believing that Emperor Liu Bian had been killed by Lu Zhi. Furthermore, Dong Zhuo had established a new emperor to combat the powerful families, so Yuan Shao and Han Fu wanted to support him as emperor. This instantly amplified Liu Yu's desires, extending beyond simply wanting to be a powerful official.

He immediately suspended the war with Gongsun Zan, fearing that Gongsun Zan would fight him to the death if forced into a corner. Then he spread the news that Emperor Liu Bian and Lu Zhi were in Youzhou, and sent a large army to blockade Youzhou, making it impossible for Gongsun Zan to communicate with the outside world. After doing all this, Liu Yu quietly waited for Yuan Shao and Han Fu to build momentum for him.

After receiving Liu Yu's reply, Yuan Shao and Han Fu immediately began to build momentum for Liu Yu.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu had already fled to the Runan area and, with the help of his family's influence, successfully occupied Nanyang County. Numerous prominent figures, including counselors like Yan Xiang and Yang Hong, as well as military commanders like Lei Bo, Ji Ling, and Chen Lan, flocked to his side, rapidly increasing Yuan Shu's power. To support Liu Yu's enthronement, Han Fu sought to woo Yuan Shu, also a member of the Yuan family. He wrote a letter to Yuan Shu, stating that the current emperor was not the son of Emperor Xiaoling, Liu Hong, and that he planned to follow the example of Marquis of Jiang Zhou Bo and Marquis of Yingyin Guan Ying, who had deposed Emperor Shao, Liu Hong, and enthroned King of Dai, Liu Heng. Han Fu also declared that Liu Yu's merits and governance were exceptional in China, and that no other member of the imperial family could match his achievements. The letter further stated: "In the past, Emperor Guangwu was five generations apart from Prince Ding of Changsha. He served as the Grand Marshal and ruled Hebei. Geng Yan and Feng Yi persuaded him to ascend the throne and eventually replaced Emperor Gengshi. Now Liu Gong (Liu Yu) is a descendant of Prince Gong of Donghai (Liu Qiang) and is also five generations apart from Prince Gong. He serves as the Grand Marshal and rules Youzhou, which is exactly the same as the situation of Emperor Guangwu at that time." At that time, four stars converged at the end of the Ji constellation, and Han Fu claimed that there was a prophecy saying that "the gods and men will separate in Yan." He also said that a man named Wang Ding from Jiyin obtained a jade seal with the words "Yu is the Son of Heaven" on it, and that he had seen two suns appear in Dai County, which was a sign that Liu Yu would replace him.

However, Yuan Shu scoffed at this, as Yuan Shao and Han Fu were on the same side. Because of his rivalry with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu simply did not respond. Yuan Shu's constant delay in responding prevented Yuan Shao and Han Fu from taking immediate action, while Liu Yu was also held back by Gongsun Zan, preventing them from joining forces. Consequently, this plan could not be implemented, and Liu Yu had no choice but to recruit soldiers and expand his military.

After Dong Zhuo established a new emperor, Cao Cao keenly perceived the situation was irreversible. He deliberately befriended Dong Zhuo's closest associates, including generals like Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou. Cao Cao bribed them generously and feigned loyalty to Dong Zhuo. Over time, Cao Cao gradually gained some of Dong Zhuo's trust. Then, through Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou, Cao Cao advised Dong Zhuo to appoint Cao Cao as a local official and release him to his home province. Dong Zhuo's subordinates tirelessly recommended Cao Cao, and Dong Zhuo, not wanting to create too many enemies and believing that sending Cao Cao to the countryside would help reduce dissenting voices in the court, ultimately agreed to Cao Cao's request.

Cao Cao first contacted Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu, and then began to recruit soldiers with the support of Zhang Miao and Wei Zi, a Yanzhou nobleman behind him. However, the results were not ideal, so he returned to his hometown.

Cao Cao returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers, a process that went smoothly. His clan members, including Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong, joined him, along with talented individuals like Le Jin, Li Dian, Xi Zhicai, and Cheng Yu. Cao Cao's army quickly took shape, and he began actively preparing forage and training his troops. With the help of these individuals, Cao Cao began to steadily expand his power.

After leaving Luoyang, Sun Ce resolutely journeyed to Changsha to join his father, Sun Jian, in order to gain experience. During this period, Changsha enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility under the governance of Sun Jian and his son. Furthermore, with exceptional courage and military prowess, they successfully suppressed rebellions in Lingling and Guiyang counties. However, these actions deeply resented Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou. Sun Jian's unauthorized actions across counties fueled Liu Biao's growing resentment. Furthermore, Sun Jian's rapid rise unnerved the aristocratic families of Jingzhou. They harbored resentment and sought to suppress Sun Jian, a deeply frustrating development for both Sun Jian and Sun Ce.

Sun Ce actively participated in his father's military operations in Lingling and Guiyang prefectures, successfully suppressing the rebellions and significantly honing his martial arts and commanding abilities. Furthermore, the weapons meticulously crafted for him by Ma Chao, delivered to him via the Xiliang merchant caravan, further enhanced Sun Ce's unique and sharp weaponry, significantly boosting his combat effectiveness. By this time, Sun Ce had already far surpassed Sun Jian's generals such as Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Zu Mao, becoming the undisputed leader of Sun Jian's new generation of generals.

Ever since receiving news from the imperial court that Lu Zhi had kidnapped and murdered the emperor, Sun Ce and his son, Sun Jian, were both deeply shocked and reeling from the shock. Sun Ce had previously met Lu Zhi in Luoyang, while Sun Jian had served under him during the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Both knew Lu Zhi's character intimately, fully aware of his integrity and loyalty, and they could not believe he would commit such an outrageous act. The subsequent shocking news of Dong Zhuo's attempt to establish a new emperor only deepened their conviction that there must be a hidden conspiracy, a deliberate fabrication to slander Lu Zhi and achieve ulterior motives. In Changsha County, Sun Jian and his son were actively expanding their military and conducting intensive military training, aiming to be fully prepared for any eventuality.

In this turbulent era, those in power who possessed a modicum of foresight and foresight were all keenly aware of the subtle signs of impending war. Not daring to slack off or neglect their duties, they all took active action, devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the intense preparations.