Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After the various princes had left, Sun Jian, though anxious to leave, pretended to be calm as he approached Yuan Shao. With a look of apparent concern, he said, "Lord Yuan, you've been so busy fighting these days. Please take good care of yourself. Now that the princes have all dispersed, I'm worried about the many things I'm doing in Changsha. I need to return quickly to rectify the situation. I hope Lord Yuan will agree."

Upon hearing this, a subtle sneer flashed across Yuan Shao's face, and then he let out a strange laugh, a laugh that seemed particularly abrupt in the empty space. Sun Jian was surprised, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion, wondering what Yuan Shao's laughter meant.

Yuan Shao silently glanced at Sun Jian, his eyes revealing a hint of cunning and amusement. He chuckled teasingly, "Wentai, how could you not understand my thoughts? I wonder what treasure you found back in the Luoyang Imperial Palace. I hope you can broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge." Sun Jian's expression suddenly changed upon hearing this. His previously calm face flushed crimson in an instant. He flatly denied, "What treasure? Yuan Gong, don't be ridiculous! I, Sun Jian, am an upright person and have never found any treasure in the palace."

Yuan Shao snorted coldly and raised his voice, "Wen Tai, please don't lie to me. How can we hide the affairs of the palace from the eyes of the public? If you hand over the treasure now, I will forgive you."

Sun Jian's eyes widened in anger as he shouted back, "What do you mean, Lord Yuan? How can you accuse me of this without any evidence? I know nothing about the treasure!"

Yuan Shao pressed on: "Hmph, Wen Tai, do you think you can hide this from the world? There must be something behind this. You can't get away with it!"

Sun Jian clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly as he roared, "Yuan Shao, don't push me too far! I, Sun Jian, am upright and honest, and I'm not afraid of your random suspicions!"

The two men argued fiercely, one asserting the existence of the case, the other emphatically denying it, neither giving in. Sun Jian's voice grew increasingly high-pitched, and veins bulged on his forehead. Yuan Shao, on the other hand, folded his arms across his chest, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on Sun Jian, not yielding an inch.

Sun Jian's eyes were wide open with veins popping out on his forehead. He shouted back: "What do you mean, Lord Yuan? How can you frame me so wantonly without any evidence? I, Sun Jian, really know nothing about the treasure! I must say goodbye today and lead the army back to Changsha. I hope Lord Yuan will show mercy and not stop me. If I have offended you, please forgive me!" After that, he turned around resolutely and wanted to leave.

Yuan Shao snorted coldly and raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? What if I don't let you go?"

Sun Jian turned abruptly, and with a clang, his sword was half-drawn, a flash of cold light. Behind him, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other generals also held their weapons in their hands, their faces tense, ready to draw their swords to meet the enemy.

Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes, his face darkening as he demanded, "Are you going to resort to force?" He dropped the cup he'd been toying with to the ground. Suddenly, ambush troops surged out from all sides like a tidal wave, tightly encircling Sun Jian and his men. Qu Yi, Gao Lan, Zhang He, and other generals loomed large, as did two awe-inspiring generals Sun Jian didn't recognize. They were likely the Yan Liang and Wen Chou generals Yuan Shao had mentioned at Hulao Pass.

Sun Jian thought to himself, "It seems that Yuan Shao has received accurate information and is determined to get the jade seal. I'm afraid today will not end well." At this moment, his eyes became more determined, and the joints of his hands that were gripping the hilt of the sword turned white due to the force. He secretly planned a countermeasure in his mind.

Sun Jian thought: "Right now, Sun Ce is frantically preparing his troops, anxiously awaiting his return to Changsha." He currently has few soldiers and generals, with only a handful of officers and personal guards to accompany him. Faced with this impenetrable encirclement, beads of sweat formed on Sun Jian's forehead, his mind racing, racking his brains for a strategy. He was obsessed with first stabilizing Yuan Shao, then trying to trick Yuan Shao and his men into a chance to escape. If he could return to headquarters and secure the support of his troops and generals, he could fight tooth and nail, seeking a glimmer of hope for escape.

The atmosphere was heavy and the soldiers on both sides held their breath, as if a spark could instantly ignite the tense situation.

Sun Jian pondered for a moment, then suddenly forced a heroic smile on his face and said loudly: "Lord Yuan! Since I started the alliance, I first had victories, but then suffered defeats. When I was defeated and in dire straits, I was fortunate to have your magnanimity and generously gifted me with soldiers and generals, so that I did not lose face. For this, I have always been deeply grateful to you, Lord Yuan. Today I will tell you the truth, I did get that treasure, but how could I dare to carry such a precious thing on my body easily? I kept it in my military tent!" Sun Jian said as he quickly calculated in his mind.

Yuan Shao was slightly skeptical, but he also had a tinge of faith. If he had obtained the imperial seal, he certainly wouldn't have carried it with him during the meeting of the princes. Yuan Shao said, "Oh, in that case, the Minister of Literature can send for someone to bring it. The Minister of Literature will remain here."

Sun Jian continued to explain, "Lord Yuan, please listen to me. I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. If you were to obtain this precious treasure, would you simply give it away without even telling anyone to come and speak to me? My son, Sun Ce, may be young, but he's commanded troops for many years. How could he be manipulated by others? He would certainly not agree. How could he possibly retrieve this treasure without my presence?"

Yuan Shao pondered for a long time in his tent, his face solemn and his brow furrowed. Seeing this, Chunyu Qiong, standing nearby, hurriedly approached Yuan Shao and, in a low voice, cautiously suggested, "My lord, we now have a large army and numerous generals, and our strength is strong. You might as well agree to his proposal. Even if he harbors any ill intentions or resorts to some cunning trick, surrounded by our army, his few thousand men will be unable to cause any trouble. Furthermore, most of his soldiers were originally transferred from us." Yuan Shao, upon hearing Chunyu Qiong's words, fell into deep thought.

After a moment, Yuan Shao thought to himself, "That's certainly true." Moreover, he had a plethora of skilled generals and soldiers on his side, so why should he fear him? While Sun Ce's incredible bravery and strength were a cause for concern, his own generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, were both formidable warriors of their time, well-prepared for this event and more than capable of dealing with Sun Ce. Thinking of this, Yuan Shao burst into laughter and said, "Since that's the case, Wentai, let's go together!" Seeing Yuan Shao's agreement, Sun Jian said nothing more and turned to lead the way.

However, other generals like Zhang He and Gao Lan, observing this situation, grew concerned and wanted to intervene. Yuan Shao simply gave them a sharp look, and the two generals understood. Though still wary, they followed closely, weapons in hand. On the surface, it looked like Sun Jian was leading, Yuan Shao behind, a group of generals surrounding him as they headed towards Sun Jian's camp. But in reality, Sun Jian was surrounded by them, like a bird in a cage.

When they arrived at Sun Jian's camp, Sun Ce had already assembled his troops and was ready for battle, awaiting Sun Jian's return and the order to march immediately. From afar, Sun Ce saw Sun Jian, accompanied by a large group of generals, approaching with Yuan Shao. With his keen eyes, Sun Ce instantly sensed something was amiss, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

Sun Ce mounted his horse without hesitation and spoke loudly from a distance. Sun Jian, feeling guilty, replied vaguely. But the tacit understanding between father and son, long years in the making, was unknown to others, and Sun Ce immediately sensed something was amiss. Yuan Shao's generals, surrounded by them, each holding a weapon, their faces fierce and menacing. Meanwhile, Sun Jian, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and others, also secretly clutched their weapons, ready for battle at any moment.

Sun Jian feigned composure, saying, "Ce'er, take out the valuable treasure we found yesterday and show it to your Lord Yuan." Sun Jian knew Sun Ce had sensed something was amiss. While pretending to agree, Sun Ce squeezed his legs against his horse's belly and rode away at full speed. Wen Chou and Yan Liang, observing this, sensed something was amiss and were about to intervene. Suddenly, Sun Jian charged forward, instantly engaging Zhang He, Gao Lan, and the others nearby.

Faced with this sudden situation, Yuan Shao immediately realized that Sun Jian was cheating. His face changed drastically and he shouted angrily: "Attack!" With the order, the two sides instantly engaged in a melee. The shouts of killing were deafening, and the battle instantly entered a white-hot stage.

The following is further expanded for you:

Unfortunately, most of the soldiers under Sun Jian's command were troops given to him by Yuan Shao. When they saw Sun Jian turning against Yuan Shao and following Sun Ce to fight, those people were at a loss and stood there, not knowing what to do.

Sun Ce had no time to think, and his only thought was to lead his men into the battle, rescue Sun Jian, and then quickly retreat. However, the generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were indeed extremely brave and powerful, rushed forward in an instant, catching Sun Ce off guard and engaging in battle with them.

Sun Ce summoned his courage, brandishing his spear and engaging Wen Chou in a fierce battle. After several rounds, he seized the opportunity, feinted, and bypassed Wen Chou to continue forward. But before Sun Ce could catch his breath, Yan Liang's heavy sword roared towards him again. A fierce battle began.

Sun Jian, along with generals like Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, also fought bravely, valiantly. Zhang He and Gao Lan tried to intervene, but were powerless to withstand their ferocious attack. Sun Jian and his men gradually converged. Sun Jian quickly stepped forward to take over Wen Chou, significantly reducing the pressure on Sun Ce, who now faced only Yan Liang. Sun Ce grew more courageous as the battle progressed, gradually overpowering Yan Liang.

Yuan Shao was watching the battle from the rear. Seeing that the situation was not right, he became extremely anxious. He called out to Ju Yi to bring the vanguard camp as soon as possible in an attempt to turn the tide of the battle.