Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The allied forces had been trapped outside Hulao Pass for a long time, unable to capture it and making no substantial progress. Gazing daily at the impregnable Hulao Pass, the soldiers' morale sank, and anxiety and uneasiness hung heavy over everyone's hearts.

That day, the princes gathered, as usual, in the spacious yet solemn tent. The flickering candlelight within illuminated the furrowed brows and sorrowful faces of the men. Each racked his brains, painstakingly pondering a strategy to defeat the enemy. Despite endless discussion, no one could come up with a solution. The entire tent seemed enveloped in a shroud of gloom and sorrow.

At this depressing moment, a general from Yuan Wei's household arrived in a flurry, demanding a meeting. Yuan Shao's expression tightened upon seeing him, and he quickly waved him in. He eagerly asked, "What brings you so much haste?" The general knelt on one knee, clasped his fists in salute, and, still breathless from the long journey, he said, "Sir, my master has important news. Chang'an, back home of Dong Zhuo, is in turmoil and destabilizing. To stabilize the situation quickly, a large force has been dispatched from Xingyang. Xingyang is now a hollowed-out city, depleted of troops and weakly defended. Now is the perfect time to attack!"

Upon hearing this news, the princes were in an uproar, whispering and discussing the matter. Cao Cao stepped forward, his eyes blazing, and he spoke firmly and forcefully, "Men, this is a godsend! We must seize this opportunity decisively. While Xingyang's forces are weak, we must strike swiftly and capture it in one fell swoop. Successfully capturing Xingyang will offer countless advantages. First, we can bypass the heavily guarded Hulao Pass and advance directly into Luoyang. Second, we can form a pincer attack with the army outside Hulao Pass, completely cutting off its food and fodder supply. This will inevitably put the enemy forces inside into a desperate situation of food and fodder shortages. Without reinforcements, and with their hearts in a state of panic, they will find it difficult to hold out. It will only be a matter of time before our army overtakes them. By then, Luoyang will be defenseless, and with our retreat cut off, we will be unstoppable, achieving a resounding victory, putting an end to Dong Zhuo's rebellion and restoring order to the world!"

Yuan Shu glanced at Cao Cao from the side, snorted coldly, and said sarcastically, "Meng De, you speak so lightly and eloquently, as if victory is certain. Have you ever carefully considered the risks involved? The last time we divided our forces, we were already weak, and Sun Wentai came back and blamed me. If we fail, can you bear the huge responsibility? Don't speak nonsense here and mislead people!"

Sun Jian was furious. Thinking back to the loss of his troops and generals in the previous defeat, he shouted at Yuan Shu: "Yuan Gonglu, you are bullying me too much!"

Yuan Shu looked at Cao Cao and said: "Meng De, look at it, don't get as angry as Sun Wentai when the time comes."

Cao Cao stood firm, his gaze fixed squarely on Yuan Shu as he responded righteously, "Gong Lu, the opportunity for battle is fleeting. If we let this precious opportunity slip away due to fear of even a small risk, how long will it take for us to defeat Dong Zhuo, save the people from their suffering, and restore peace to the world? While risks exist, hesitating and losing this precious opportunity would be the true sin!"

Yuan Shao stroked his chin, his expression serious and solemn. His gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, musing to himself: This is a rare opportunity to break the deadlock. I must carefully choose the leader. Last time, I appeased Sun Jian and provided him with troops, and he was grateful to me. If I give him another chance to achieve great success this time, I will surely be able to completely subjugate him and use him for my own benefit. Thinking of this, Yuan Shao nodded slightly and said, "Meng De's words are not without reason. However, who should we send to capture Xingyang? This is a crucial step that affects the overall situation."

Cao Cao bowed, stepped forward, and spoke again, "General Sun Jian is a fearless and brave general, renowned far and wide. He even fought at Xingyang last time and is familiar with the terrain. If he could join my forces, our two armies would surely complement each other and achieve victory."

Yuan Shao looked at Sun Jian, his eyes filled with expectation and a desire to win him over. He forced a gentle smile and said, "Wentai, I've always known you to be brave and courageous. Although you failed in Xingyang last time, you should always rise again wherever you failed. This time, capturing Xingyang is a mission of paramount importance. If you can shoulder this responsibility and successfully defeat the enemy, future glory, wealth, and promotion will be yours."

Sun Jian clasped his hands together and replied in a resounding voice, "I am deeply grateful for Lord Yuan's appreciation. I will definitely fulfill my mission and go all out to capture Xingyang!"

Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction and said loudly, "Alright! Then I'll rely on General Sun Jian and General Cao Cao for this expedition. I hope you will achieve immediate success and return triumphantly!"

So, Sun Jian and Cao Cao took the order and led their soldiers to attack Xingyang with the determination to win. A battle that would determine the outcome of the war was about to begin.

Cao Cao and Sun Jian led the high-spirited coalition forces and rushed towards Xuanmen Pass like a raging torrent.

When the allied forces arrived at Xuanmen Pass, they saw flags flying high. The defending general, Duan Wei, stood solemnly atop the city walls, commanding his soldiers to prepare for battle. Cao Cao reined in the reins, narrowed his eyes, and carefully observed the pass's defensive layout, already formulating a strategy to defeat the enemy.

Sun Jian showed no fear at all. He waved his ancient ingot knife and shouted loudly: "My men, follow me and charge!" In an instant, the shouts and sounds of killing were deafening, and Sun Jian's troops rushed towards the gate like tigers out of a cage.

Cao's army was not willing to be outdone. Cao Cao drew his sword and shouted, "We will defeat the enemy today. Soldiers, kill!" At once, bows and crossbows were fired, and arrows rained down on the city walls like locusts.

Sun Jian's vanguard troops set up ladders and quickly climbed up, engaging in fierce close combat with the enemy on the city wall. One soldier was cut down by an enemy soldier as soon as he reached the top of the city wall, but the soldiers behind him did not retreat and continued to rush up.

At the foot of the city wall, Sun Jian personally rode his horse and charged forward, forcing the enemy to retreat wherever he went. The ancient ingot sword in his hand flew up and down, splattering blood everywhere, and the enemy soldiers fell down screaming.

Cao Cao commanded the follow-up troops, using shields as cover, to push the siege vehicles and violently hit the city gate. Each impact was accompanied by the soldiers' shouts, shaking the entire pass.

Inside the pass, Duan Wei was extremely anxious, running back and forth, shouting at his soldiers to resist. However, the coalition's offensive became more and more fierce, like an overwhelming force, causing his defense to gradually collapse.

Finally, the city gate was knocked open with a loud noise, and Cao's army poured in like a tide. Sun Jian's troops also successfully occupied the top of the city and raised the coalition flag.

Duan Wei saw that the situation was hopeless and knew that he could not resist the surging coalition forces. In order to preserve his strength, he had no choice but to lead the remaining troops to retreat to Xingyang in a hurry.

Dong Zhuo withdrew his troops to support Chang'an, leaving the Xuanmen Pass weak in strength. In addition, the defending general Duan Wei was no match for Xu Rong. Sun Jian had failed last time, but this time it was easily captured.

Cao Cao and Sun Jian successfully captured Xuanmen Pass. Their flags fluttered in the wind, and the joy of victory filled the coalition forces. The two men relayed the news of their capture back to the coalition forces and began preparing for the battle of Xingyang.

The news that Cao Cao and Sun Jian had successfully captured Xuanmen Pass had just reached the allied camp. Before the dawn of victory could illuminate everyone's faces, a horrifying, sad and indignant piece of bad news came from the direction of Hulao Pass: Yuan Wei's family had been brutally slaughtered by Dong Zhuo. The heads of Yuan Wei and his relatives were now being hung high above Hulao Pass by the heartless Dong Zhuo, as if to demonstrate to the coalition forces.

Upon hearing this news, Yuan Shao felt a sudden blackness in his vision, the world spinning, and he froze in place as if struck by lightning. A moment later, he uttered a "wow!" and spat out a mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned ashen, his eyes widening almost beyond their sockets, bloodshot and filled with endless pain and hatred. "Dong Zhuo, old scoundrel, I, Yuan Shao, will not be a human being unless I tear you to pieces!" He roared at the top of his lungs, his voice like the roar of a wounded beast in despair, hoarse and shrill. His body trembled violently, his hands clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms. Blood dripped down, but he was oblivious.

Yuan Shu stood there at first, stunned, as if his soul had been instantly torn out. Then, regaining consciousness, he tore at his hair, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, sobbing at the top of his lungs: "Uncle! How could you have endured this calamity! Dong Zhuo, I, Yuan Shu, and you will never coexist. I will cut you into pieces in this lifetime to avenge this blood feud!" Tears streamed down his face, his expression contorted. His former arrogance and pride were gone, replaced only by grief and despair.

The other princes were also deeply shocked upon hearing this news. Some frowned, their faces gloomy as if water could drip from them, their clenched fists creaking. Some, tears glistening in their eyes, cursed Dong Zhuo's brutality. Others remained silent, but their clenched teeth and trembling bodies betrayed their inner anger and grief. A heavy and oppressive atmosphere permeated the allied camp, the rage for revenge burning in everyone's heart like a volcano about to erupt, poised to unleash devastating force at any moment.