Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Seeing the situation tense within the tent, Emperor Liu Bian finally couldn't resist speaking out. Liu Bian straightened his body, his expression solemn. His voice, though a bit childish, carried undeniable authority: "Lord Yuan, as the leader of the coalition, has made great contributions in defeating Dong Zhuo. Although Luoyang has been burned, the old villain Dong Zhuo has been forced to flee in panic. Now is the time to unite and kill Dong Zhuo in one fell swoop. You must not panic. Lord Yuan's arrangements are exactly what I want. Today, on New Year's Eve, with all the fine wine and delicious food, I offer a toast to you all. You are all my trusted ministers, and the future revival of the Han Dynasty depends on you."

Upon hearing that Liu Bian had personally intervened, the other princes all echoed his offer. The once tense atmosphere warmed up again, and laughter and cheers once again echoed through the tent. Liu Bian naturally didn't want to let any foul play occur at this moment. The situation was favorable, and it was time to destroy Dong Zhuo and restore the Han Dynasty. Although he had ascended the throne, it was still not legitimate. The most urgent task was to defeat Dong Zhuo and then slowly deal with those with ulterior motives. Lu Zhi, standing nearby, gave Liu Bian an approving look, nodding slightly, his eyes filled with relief. Lu Zhi also felt that at this critical moment, there was no need to let a quarrel of personal feelings ruin the overall situation.

Gongsun Zan, stopped by Liu Bian during the banquet, felt deeply depressed. His face darkened, his fists clenched, and he thought to himself that he had been humiliated. Yuan Shao, meanwhile, was also resentful of Gongsun Zan. He felt that Gongsun Zan's words and actions at the banquet were too arrogant, and he showed no respect to him, the leader of the alliance.

After the banquet, both men, resentful, each summoned their own allied vassal. In his own tent, Gongsun Zan angrily recounted the feast's events with his confidants, vowing to show Yuan Shao his power. Yuan Shao, too, felt a grimace. He accused Gongsun Zan of being ignorant of the larger situation and of attempting to rally the other vassal states to suppress Gongsun Zan's power.

--split line--

The night was as dark as ink, shrouding Hangu Pass with a heavy, gloomy veil. Li Jue and Guo Si sat facing each other in the room, sullen faces as they gushed back at each other. The room was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.

Li Jue gulped down a large gulp of wine and sighed deeply, "Think back to a year ago, we were all commanding generals, wielding immense power. Prime Minister Dong was even more influential, so we were so full of vigor and ambition." Guo Si, hearing this, sighed deeply with a look of sorrow on his face. "Alas, who could have predicted that Prime Minister Dong's situation would take a sudden turn for the worse, leading him to flee like a lost dog? And we two brothers have been repeatedly ordered into battle by him, suffering numerous defeats. Life has been incredibly frustrating!"

Li Jue and Guo Si drank in their room, lost in their complaints and sorrow. They kept pouring wine down their throats, unknowingly drinking too much. Their eyes gradually became blurry and their consciousness began to blur. They were not good drinkers to begin with, and with their depressed mood, they were already drunk from the binge drinking.

Li Jue slumped over the table, his eyes hazy, mumbling incoherently. Guo Si slumped in his chair, his head drooping, occasionally letting out a foolish laugh. At this moment, they had completely lost the vigilance and dignity of a general. However, they had no idea that danger, like a ferocious beast lurking in the darkness, was quietly approaching them, unaware of it.

After Liu Fan and Liu Dan arranged Chang'an's defenses, they led the high-spirited and well-organized Yizhou troops on a heroic expedition. After reaching Hangu Pass, they secretly awaited the perfect opportunity to attack. On New Year's Eve, Liu Fan, relying on his keen military intuition, determined that Li Jue and Guo Si would be lax in their defenses, and he made meticulous and detailed arrangements early on.

The high-spirited and well-organized Yizhou troops, led by Liu Fan and Liu Dan, quietly and stealthily approached Hangu Pass. These Yizhou soldiers were renowned for their skill as climbers, and under the cover of darkness, they moved with the agility and speed of monkeys. Using ropes and grappling hooks, they silently scrambled towards the city walls.

Some of the soldiers were exceptionally agile, scaling the city walls with swift, effortless grace. Guards were few on the towers, most of them relaxed on New Year's Eve. Seizing their opportunity, the Yizhou soldiers, with their swords drawn, dispatched those who remained unprepared. Their movements were clean, silent, and impassive, like ghosts in the night.

Another group of soldiers were preparing siege equipment in a tense and orderly manner under the city wall, their eyes fixed on the city wall, waiting for the signal from the tower.

When the Yizhou soldiers on the city wall successfully controlled the key position and sent out the agreed signal, Liu Dan took the lead and led a team of soldiers to the city gate with a roar. Everyone worked together and violently hit the city gate with thick wooden stakes.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The heavy crashing sounds were particularly terrifying in the silent night. The shouting and screaming from the city finally reached the room where Li Jue and Guo Si were staying. However, they were already drunk as mud and could not get up to respond.

The gate collapsed under the continuous and fierce impact, and the Yizhou soldiers poured into Hangu Pass like a surging tide. Like tigers descending from the mountains, they quickly occupied various key points and launched a fierce and brutal battle with the defenders.

Swords flashed and clashed, the cries of slaughter were deafening. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the cold ground red. The soldiers' roars and screams intertwined, leaving one's hair standing on end.

Li Jue and Guo Si were suddenly awakened by the fierce fighting and struggled to stand up to command the resistance, but they were dizzy and their steps were unsteady. They could not even stand steadily, let alone organize an effective defense. Seeing their commander in such a state of disgrace, the soldiers' morale collapsed instantly. They threw away their weapons and armor and fled in all directions.

Liu Fan and Liu Dan's armies swept through Hangu Pass with unstoppable force. Li Jue and Guo Si, dragged and supported by their own guards, fled Hangu Pass in a panic, their retreat illuminated by deafening cries of battle and towering flames.

Fearing Dong Zhuo's pressure, Li Jue and Guo Si dared not join him, and instead led the remaining troops in a frantic, desperate flight northward toward Hedong. Their faces were filled with panic and disarray, with clouds of dust and the cries of their pursuers trailing behind them.

The brothers Liu Fan and Liu Dan pursued their victorious forces. The sound of their horses' hooves was like a sudden, furious downpour, swift and fierce, and the clouds of dust they kicked up resembled rolling yellow dragons. They galloped along for a considerable distance before discovering that the remnants of Li Jue and Guo Si's army had not fled eastward toward Luoyang as they had expected. Instead, like frightened birds, they were fleeing northward in a panic.

Liu Dan was in high spirits at this moment, his eyes wide open, his face flushed red, brandishing his weapon, ready to continue his pursuit. However, Liu Fan quickly reached out to stop his brother, his eyes as deep as the sea, as if he could see through everything. At this moment, his mind was racing, thinking rapidly about the current situation, and he had already formed a new plan and a meticulous deployment in his mind. Liu Fan looked at Liu Dan with a serious expression and a firm gaze, and said solemnly: "Brother, wait a minute. Li Jue and Guo Si have not yet fled to Luoyang. That old thief Dong Zhuo must still be in the dark and not know that these two have been defeated. We can send soldiers disguised as Li Jue and Guo Si's Western Liang army to set up a tight defense at Hangu Pass. When Dong Zhuo leads his troops to Hangu Pass, he will definitely let down his guard. Then, we will catch him by surprise and capture him with lightning speed, eliminating this great threat to the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Dan's eyes lit up with excitement as he suddenly grasped the plan. He praised Liu Fan profusely, "Brother, this is a brilliant idea! We should then select some smart and capable men, dress them in Western Liang Army uniforms, and make sure they present themselves properly so Dong Zhuo doesn't notice a single flaw."

Liu Fan nodded slightly and continued, "Not only that, we must also arrange follow-up ambushes. We'll have some troops set up ambushes along key roads that Dong Zhuo might pass through. When Dong Zhuo leads his army through, we'll set up ambushes all over the pass and catch him off guard. Furthermore, we'll send a squadron of light cavalry to circle around Dong Zhuo's rear, cutting off his retreat and making it impossible for him to escape."

After making up their minds, the brothers Liu Fan and Liu Dan immediately returned to Hangu Pass and made careful preparations.

They first gathered their most trusted and capable officers and secretly made their deployment within the camp. Liu Fan, his expression serious and his gaze resolute, said, "Men, this operation is of grave importance and cannot afford to fail. We must select a group of soldiers whose builds resemble those of Li Jue and Guo Si's men and have them outfitted in the armor and uniforms of the Western Liang army." Liu Dan then added, "We must ensure this is convincing enough to not arouse Dong Zhuo's suspicion."

Afterward, they began to gather supplies. They had the fine weapons polished to a shine, checked the bowstrings for strength, and checked the supply of arrows. They also arranged for sufficient dry food and water to ensure the soldiers had enough strength for the operation.

Meanwhile, Liu Fan personally supervised the soldiers' training, requiring them to imitate the marching pace and combat methods of the Western Liang army, striving to make the fake look real. Liu Dan was busy cleaning up the traces of the battle, making sure that Dong Zhuo's army would not notice.