Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Lü Bu hurried back to the camp, and even before entering the tent, he sensed an unusual atmosphere. Inside, he saw Gao Shun leading his troops in a tense standoff with his personal guards. Diao Chan, hiding behind Lü Bu, her face pale, her body trembling with fear.

Lü Bu's face was so gloomy it looked as if water could drip from it. He pushed Gao Shun aside and demanded angrily, "What happened?" Diao Chan burst into tears, wailing bitterly, "General, I don't know what happened. This general and his soldiers barged into the tent and, without a word, threatened to kill me. Fortunately, the general's personal guards intervened, otherwise I would have died at his hands."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu turned his head fiercely, his eyes blazing with fire. He gritted his teeth and said to Gao Shun, "Gao Shun, is that really the case? What do you want?" Gao Shun, unfazed, looked Lü Bu in the face and shouted, "General, I don't want anything. I just see that you're obsessed with women and have been bewitched by this woman. If this continues, our army will be in danger! I intend to kill this evil woman to prevent any future trouble!"

Lu Bu was furious and roared, "How dare you do such a thing! Diao Chan is my beloved, and you, as my general, are showing no respect for me by acting this way! I will not let you off lightly for what happened today!"

Gao Shun remained unconvinced by Lü Bu. With eyes wide open, he roared, "General, you've been bewitched by this enchantress. If you don't wake up, it will be too late to repent!" He attempted to swing his sword at Diao Chan through Lü Bu. Lü Bu, furious, struck back without mercy, each strike piercing the air. Gao Shun struggled to defend himself, caught between two opposing sides, facing a dangerous situation.

A group of personal guards rushed forward and desperately pulled Lü Bu and Gao Shun apart. Diao Chan clutched Lü Bu's robe tightly, tears welling in her eyes as she said, "General, please don't let me damage the camaraderie between you and your men." Lü Bu turned back to Diao Chan, the anger in his eyes slightly subsiding. He then turned to Gao Shun and said, "Look, even though you wanted to kill her, she still worried about you and pleaded for you. Don't you feel guilty?"

Gao Shun was furious, his face filled with grief and indignation. He said in a trembling voice, "General, I never thought you would completely disregard brotherhood for a woman. This woman will only confuse you and make you lose your former wisdom!"

Lu Bu was extremely furious and roared, "Shut up!" He raised the sword in his hand and was about to chop Gao Shun, but his personal guards held him back tightly.

Gao Shun was also furious. He threw the long sword in his hand to the ground with a loud "clang" sound, and shouted angrily: "Forget it! Forget it!" Then he led his guards out of the camp angrily.

Lü Bu stared at Gao Shun's departing figure, his chest heaving violently, and remained silent for a long time. Diao Chan whispered soothing words beside him, and Lü Bu slowly lowered his sword, his expression still grim.

Lü Bu, comforted by Diao Chan's gentle words, delayed no further and ordered Wei Xu and Cao Xing to withdraw their troops 30 li without informing Gao Shun, who was left alone with his Xianzhen Camp. Gao Shun gazed at the retreating army, feeling both angry and desolate. He had never imagined that Lü Bu, whom he had followed for so many years, would treat him this way.

Despite everyone's dissuasion, Lü Bu, uneasy about leaving Diao Chan behind, brought her with him to the front of the pass to reunite with Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao, seeing Lü Bu approaching with Diao Chan, expressed frustration. Before Zhang Liao could speak, Lü Bu declared, "Wenyuan, how rude of a traitor Gao Shun! He was trying to harm Diao Chan just as I was returning to camp. I will settle this with him later."

Zhang Liao bowed and replied, "General, Gao Shun is thinking of you. The current discord between the general and the commander may affect the morale of the army."

Lu Bu said: "The army has retreated 30 miles. I will leave him in the trap camp to see how he copes with it." After saying that, a fierce look flashed across Lu Bu's face.

Zhang Liao, standing by, could not help but advise, "General, Gao Shun has always been loyal. This time, perhaps he was just impulsive. I hope you will reconsider and not disappoint the soldiers."

Lu Bu snorted coldly, "How dare he openly disobey my orders? If I forgive him so easily, how will I manage my army in the future?"

Diao Chan whispered beside him, "General, don't get angry. It will hurt your body."

Lu Bu glanced at Diao Chan, his expression softening slightly. "Forget it, let's see if he can correct his mistakes in the future."

Zhang Liao remained silent, his heart sinking. The soldiers in the army were whispering among themselves, discussing Gao Shun's fate, and morale seemed somewhat low.

Seeing this, Lu Bu shouted, "Everyone, cheer up! Don't let the morale of the army be disrupted!"

Although the soldiers did not dare to say anything more, their worries were still there.

Lu Bu no longer paid attention to the soldiers behind him, and shouted at the city wall in a voice like a bell: "I have kept my promise and retreated 30 miles. Quickly release Wang Yun and his family!" His voice was full of urgency.

Liu Fan stood on the city wall, clasped his hands together, and responded: "General Lu is indeed trustworthy. Don't worry, I will arrange to release them right away." After that, he turned around and ordered his men to do it quickly.

After a while, the city gate slowly opened, and Wang Yun and his family were escorted out of the city by soldiers. Seeing this, Lu Bu's tense expression finally relaxed, and a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

Diao Chan rushed forward eagerly. When she saw that her adoptive father and his family were safe and sound, she burst into tears of joy. Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string. She sobbed and said, "Adoptive father, I thought I would never see you again."

Wang Yun was also in tears, and the family hugged each other and cried. Lu Bu was secretly moved.

Wang Yun saluted Lü Bu respectfully and said solemnly, "General Lü, you've lost many soldiers to save our family." Lü Bu waved his hand nonchalantly, saying, "It doesn't matter. As long as Diao Chan is happy, that's all."

After hearing what Lu Bu said, Zhang Liao felt an indescribable feeling in his heart and couldn't help asking, "General, shall we return to the camp next?" Lu Bu didn't hesitate at all. He waved his hand and said, "Don't delay any longer, let's set off immediately." Then, everyone marched towards the camp together.

When passing Gao Shun's trap camp, Lu Bu did not look around, his pace did not slow down at all, and he did not even stop for a moment.

Gao Shun, left behind, watched Lü Bu and his army pass by with no intention of stopping. He was instantly filled with anger and helplessness. Even so, he knew his loyalty to Lü Bu had never wavered. It was just that Lü Bu's disregard for the greater good for Diao Chan was difficult for him to accept.

Zhang Liao rode his horse forward quickly and said, "General, should we notify Gao Shun to garrison the camp together?" Lu Bu hesitated for a moment and groaned in response.

Zhang Liang hurriedly said, "General, you agree. I will go and inform Gao Shun right away." After that, he quickly turned his horse around and galloped towards Gao Shun.

Lu Bu continued to lead everyone towards the camp.

Zhang Liao approached Gao Shun and said with a sincere expression, "Gao Shun, the general was just impulsive. Don't take it to heart. The situation is complicated and full of dangers. We should prioritize the overall situation."

Gao Shun's expression was gloomy, filled with resentment. He spoke in a low, sorrowful voice, "I, Gao Shun, have always been loyal and courageous. I followed Lü Bu on his campaigns, enduring countless hardships and dangers, and never wavered from my loyalty. But now, he treats me like this for a woman. It's truly heartbreaking."

Zhang Liao continued his earnest persuasion, "Brother, you possess a noble character, integrity, and loyalty. I fully understand the injustice you've endured. However, this is a crucial moment, and the situation is extremely dire. If we allow internal dissension to develop, it will only give the enemy an opportunity to exploit our weakness. Perhaps the general, once he calms down, will understand your unwavering loyalty."

Gao Shun sighed helplessly and said, "Forget it, forget it. For your sake, I will go back with you. But I will not integrate into the camp. I will lead my men to camp next to the main camp."

After returning to camp, Lü Bu was busy appeasing Diao Chan and ignored Gao Shun's concerns. Gao Shun, however, had set up camp with his trapping detachment near the main camp, keeping a distance from it. Lü Bu, now preoccupied with Diao Chan, had no plans for the future, leaving Zhang Liao and Gao Shun feeling uncertain about the future.

--split line--

After Cao Cao and Sun Jian arrived in Luoyang, Sun Jian decided to remain there, while Cao Cao resolutely chose to pursue Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao's sworn brothers, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong, all tried to dissuade him. Dong Zhuo, despite his hasty escape, remained formidable under his command, the Western Liang cavalry, and Dong Zhuo's strength remained. If the eighteen vassal states had joined forces to defeat Dong Zhuo, they might have had a chance of victory. However, if Cao Cao had pursued Dong Zhuo alone, he would have likely depleted his hard-earned strength.

However, Cao Cao's only unwavering conviction at this moment was to pursue Dong Zhuo relentlessly. Even if he couldn't completely crush Dong Zhuo, he had to hold him there, preventing him from escaping quickly and buying more time for the allied forces. Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan were right. If Cao Cao had led his own troops solely to pursue Dong Zhuo, there was a real chance he would have been counterattacked. But Cao Cao was completely focused on pursuing him, and as his clan brothers, they had no choice but to give him unconditional support and follow him.