Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Back here, Xu Rong's troops surrounded Zu Mao like a tide. Zu Mao was trapped in a desperate situation, but he showed no fear. His eyes were red, like a trapped beast in a desperate situation.

He swung his weapon wildly, exhausting all his strength in each blow, fighting the enemy with a determination to die. Blades flashed, blood splattered, and countless wounds appeared on Zu Mao's body, but he still fought desperately, trying to carve a bloody path out of the encirclement.

However, the enemy was too numerous and too densely packed. No matter how hard he charged, he couldn't break through the ironclad siege. His strength was draining away, and his movements were becoming increasingly sluggish. But he refused to give up, gritting his teeth and persevering.

Finally, Zu Mao, exhausted, was captured alive by a crushing force of enemy soldiers. His body was bloodstained, his clothes tattered, and he looked utterly miserable, yet his eyes still shone with unyielding determination, as if expressing his unwillingness to surrender and his loyalty to Sun Jian. At this moment, the world seemed to be silent at Zu Mao's tragic death, a scene of profound sorrow and heartbreak.

After Zu Mao was captured, he was quickly escorted to Xu Rong and Niu Fu. Xu Rong said with a hint of sarcasm, "Sun Jian, you finally get this day! You've attacked my passes so many times, but you never expected such a crushing defeat today, did you?" Zu Mao, unfazed, laughed heartily and said, "Xu Rong, open your eyes and take a good look. I am General Zu Mao, also known as Zu Dashou. My master has already broken through the siege!" Xu Rong took a closer look and saw that it was indeed not Sun Jian, and he was immediately furious.

Xu Rong was furious and was about to order the soldiers to kill Zu Mao. At this time, Niu Fu hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, Xu Rong! Do you know that Sun Ce and Ma Chao are sworn brothers?" Xu Rong frowned and said bewilderedly, "So what? What does this have to do with us?" Niu Fu explained anxiously, "Think about it, Prime Minister Dong likes Ma Chao very much, and Miss Dong Bai has deep feelings for Ma Chao. If we kill the general of Sun Ce's side today, it will definitely make Ma Chao unhappy. Will Miss Dong Bai be happy? Moreover, Xu Rong, think about it more deeply. Prime Minister Dong is getting old, and this foundation will most likely be passed on to Miss Dong Bai in the future! By then, if we make enemies with Ma Chao because of what happened today, it will be very disadvantageous to our future!" Xu Rong listened, with a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if he had not completely turned around. Niu Fu continued to analyze earnestly: "Think about it, if our reckless behavior leads to the deterioration of the relationship with Ma Chao, we will encounter obstacles in many things in the future. It will be difficult for us to explain to Miss Dong Bai, won't this cause trouble for ourselves?" Xu Rong began to slowly understand. He pondered for a moment, his face gradually became solemn, and finally realized the seriousness of the matter. He no longer talked about killing Zu Mao, but ordered people to detain him, and also arranged for soldiers to treat Zu Mao's wounds.

Zu Mao looked at the scene in front of him, his heart full of astonishment and confusion. He thought to himself: "What's going on? They didn't kill me for such a reason? This is really beyond my expectation. I was ready to die, but I didn't expect things to develop like this. What are these Ma Chao and Dong Bai they are talking about? The relationship between them is so complicated that it makes people confused. But no matter what, I am able to survive for the time being, but I don't know what fate will be waiting for me next." Zu Mao's heart was full of confusion and incomprehension, and he was extremely surprised by this sudden change.

The coalition forces had been at a stalemate for the past few days. Ever since their last successful defeat, inflicting heavy losses on Lü Bu, he had chosen to remain entrenched. With Lü Bu at their side, the coalition forces were unable to mount an effective attack on Hulao Pass. Desperate, the coalition forces turned their attention to attacking Lü Bu, but the Xianzhen Camp's defenses were as impenetrable as a fortress, impenetrable no matter how hard they attacked. Despite the taunts and provocations, Lü Bu refused to initiate the fight, leaving the warlords to rack their brains in their tents, desperately trying to devise a countermeasure.

Ever since the Emperor's sudden decree, the relationship between Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan has become delicate and tense. Gongsun Zan wholeheartedly supports the Emperor, harboring dreams of becoming the father-in-law of the throne. Meanwhile, the other vassal statesmen within the camp harbored their own ulterior motives and were gradually being suborned by Yuan Shao. Just as everyone was at a stalemate, at a loss as to how to proceed with the war, Sun Jian arrived furiously at the camp, completely ignoring the formalities of requesting an audience and storming inside.

Sun Jian stormed into the camp, his furious outbursts leaving everyone stunned and bewildered. He cried out injustice and attempted to pull Yuan Shu away, but the other princes quickly separated him.

Sun Jian roared with rage, accusing Yuan Shu of deliberately withholding his provisions, leading to the loss of his army and his ultimate defeat. Yuan Shu, however, cowered behind the other princes, feigning composure and defending himself: "Your failure is your own fault, and you are unjustly accusing me of withholding provisions? Why not ask these princes, has anyone failed to receive the provisions I allocated to them on time?" The other princes, their own interests at stake, sided with Yuan Shu, echoing his words, claiming they had indeed received their provisions on time. Only Yuan Shao remained silent, uncommitted. Seeing this scene, Sun Jian was furious. His eyes widened, veins popped out on his forehead, and he roared angrily: "You are in cahoots with each other! It was clearly Yuan Shu's fault, but you all helped him! I, Sun Jian, fought desperately on the front line, but failed because of his withholding of food and grass. How dare you confuse right and wrong!" Sun Jian's roar resounded throughout the tent. His anger seemed to overturn the tent. He looked almost crazy, which shocked everyone present.

As everyone was discussing, the emperor, having heard the heated argument, hurried to the tent. Frowning, he demanded with a stern look what had happened. Sun Jian, upon seeing the emperor's arrival, explained everything in detail: "Your Majesty, I had divided my forces to attack Xingyang as planned, advancing bravely. However, we could not have imagined that our morale would be severely weakened by a lack of food and fodder. Meanwhile, Xu Rong and Niu Fu, under Dong Zhuo's command, attacked us from both sides, resulting in a crushing defeat!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face darkened, and he was about to reprimand Yuan Shu on the spot. However, before the emperor could even begin to speak, Yuan Shu bluntly and bluntly retorted, stiffening his neck and shouting, "I have never withheld food and fodder! Absolutely not!" His attitude was unyielding and unbridled, as if he had no regard for the emperor at all. This truly humiliated the emperor, leaving him extremely embarrassed and unable to step back. The other princes watched this scene, some with expressions of surprise, others secretly shaking their heads. The scene was filled with awkwardness and tension. Meanwhile, Yuan Shu acted as if nothing had happened, maintaining an arrogant and uninhibited demeanor.

Seeing Sun Jian's increasingly violent behavior, it was already having a significant impact on the unity and harmony of the alliance. Yuan Shao, observing Yuan Shu's embarrassment, quickly began to think: if he stood up for Sun Jian and provided him with additional soldiers and equipment, he could, firstly, maintain his position as the leader of the alliance, secondly, lower the emperor's influence in the eyes of the people, and show his incompetence. Thirdly, he could use this opportunity to embarrass Yuan Shu, and fourthly, he could win over Sun Jian, a powerful general.

With this in mind, Yuan Shao was the first to speak: "Wentai, don't be so angry. Calm down first." Sun Jian thought to himself, "Hmph! I'll see what you, Yuan Shao, have to say." But on the surface, his anger still lingered. "Hmph! How can this General remain calm?" Yuan Shao raised his voice and said, "Men, we have formed an alliance to defeat Dong Zhuo in order to support the Han Dynasty and restore peace to the world! This is our common mission and goal. As long as we work together, there is no need to worry about the destruction of Dong Zhuo!" The princes nodded in agreement, and Sun Jian had to admit that this was true. Then Yuan Shao looked at Yuan Shu and said sternly: "Gonglu, you did not do the right thing this time! How could you withhold Wen Tai's food and fodder? The soldiers at the front are fighting bravely, how can we afford to lose food and fodder? You shouldn't have acted like this!" Yuan Shu bowed his head and nodded, "Yes, Alliance Leader, I know I was wrong." Sun Jian was secretly pleased, feeling that Yuan Shao's words had hit the nail on the head.

Yuan Shao then turned to Sun Jian and said in a gentle tone, "Tai Wen, I will immediately allocate 8,000 of my own troops to you as compensation. I will also give you priority in the supply of food, fodder, and weapons. What do you think?" Sun Jian's expression eased slightly, and he thought to himself, "This Yuan Shao seems sincere. 8,000 troops can make up for some of the losses." But he still pretended to be serious and said, "Humph, I hope the leader will keep his promise!"

Yuan Shu knew that he was in the wrong, and even though he was angry, he was afraid that Sun Jian, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, would disregard the feelings of the princes and tear his face off. He could only watch Sun Jian's performance with a pinch of his nose and had to accept the matter.