Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Lu Bu was a man who cared a lot about face. The rude pushing behavior of Ding Yuan's personal soldiers made Lu Bu feel greatly embarrassed in front of his fellow countryman Li Su. But even though he was extremely resentful in his heart, it was not a good time to show it at this time. He could only grit his teeth and endure his temper, and was pushed into the tent.

Upon entering the tent, Ding Yuan, his face blazing, sat aloft in the main seat, his face etched with rage. The other generals flanked him. Upon seeing Lü Bu enter, Ding Yuan's eyes widened, and he shouted in fury, "Who is this man who comes to see you? When did you find a fellow countryman in the capital?" Lü Bu quickly replied, "Foster father, calm down. This is my fellow countryman, Li Su, serving under Dong Zhuo. He recognized me in battle yesterday and has come to reminisce about the past." Hearing this, Ding Yuan glared at Lü Bu and sternly said, "Lü Bu, don't you know who Dong Zhuo is? You can't just meet his soldiers whenever you want. Do you have any respect for military law? Are you two really just reminiscing about the past?" Lü Bu hurriedly defended himself, "Indeed, foster father, please understand!" Ding Yuan, now furious, roared, "You, do you think I'm so easy to fool? Don't tell me yet, let your fellow countryman do the talking!"

Li Su was unhurried, calmly adjusting his clothes before slowly bowing and saying, "Lord Jianyang, I am Li Su, a General of the Central Army under Lord Dong. My master values ​​Lü Bu's talent and has seen him suffer from a lack of good horses during battles, hindering his ability to perform effectively. Since Lü Bu and I are from the same hometown, he has invited me to bring you a good horse."

Upon hearing this, Ding Yuan shouted angrily, "Lü Bu, you unfilial son! Is this what you call just reminiscing about the past?"

Ding Yuan angrily ordered his men to capture this member of Dong's army, and then ordered them to capture Li Su. Seeing this, Lü Bu quickly knelt and pleaded, "Foster Father, Li Su is from the same hometown as me. And although Lord Dong offered me a good horse, I refused. Please, Father, spare him, considering that envoys are not executed during a battle between two armies!"

Before Lü Bu could finish his words, Ding Yuan was already furious. He shouted, "You evil creature! Stop calling me foster father! You're flirting with that spy from the Dong army. How can you even think of me as your father? This man is not an envoy, he's just here to persuade you! If I continue to be so foolish as to trust you, you might even chop off my head tomorrow! My men, arrest this traitor and this envoy from the Dong army immediately!"

The generals hurriedly pleaded for mercy, as they all knew Lü Bu's character well, and his superior martial arts skills made them admire him immensely. In their hearts, Lü Bu was simply the object of their admiration. Lü Bu watched helplessly as this happened, feeling wronged and wronged for no reason. However, the generals pleaded for him, and Lü Bu himself did not put up a fierce resistance, and was simply pinned to the ground.

Ding Yuan went on to say, "Since he is a lobbyist, I'm afraid there are more than these. Let's quickly search his tent to see if there are any other items." His personal soldiers responded and left quickly. After a while, they came up with a bag of gold, silver and jewelry.

Ding Yuan opened the package and saw that it was filled with valuables such as gold, silver, and jewelry. He was immediately furious and threw the package at Lu Bu, shouting angrily, "Look at yourself! I have tolerated you time and time again, but you don't even tell me the truth. How can I trust you? Come on, take this guy down and behead him. Take these two people down and behead them!"

At this point, Ding Yuan was filled with disappointment and anger towards Lü Bu. He felt that his long-held trust and affection for him had been wantonly trampled upon by Lü Bu, and his actions left him feeling deeply betrayed. In Ding Yuan's view, Lü Bu's collusion with the Dong army's envoys was a serious challenge to his authority and a fatal blow to their relationship. This conflict was more than just a superficial disagreement; it was a deeper crisis of trust that plunged their once close relationship into the lowest point.

The personal guards received the order to take Lu Bu and Li Su away and execute them. Lü Bu's heart felt like it had been struck by a sledgehammer after hearing Ding Yuan's words. Endless despair surged in him. He violently broke free from his soldiers, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth chattering as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Foster father, I'll call you 'Foster father' one last time! Regardless of whether he's just a lobbyist, when have you ever truly trusted me? Ever since I followed you, I've fought everywhere, north and south, fighting on both sides. I'm a military commander, yet you've forced me to take on civil duties. I've made countless contributions, yet I haven't received any promotion! During this very battle, I fought desperately in several battles, until my strength was exhausted. And yet, you've berated me time and again, showing no sign of a father-son relationship! Now, I've come here with my fellow townsman, and you're threatening to execute me without any basis for truth! Since that's the case, our father-son relationship is severed. I'll return to the frontier and become a simple herdsman. I'll never protect you again!"

After hearing this, Ding Yuan was immediately furious, his eyes seemed to be spewing flames, and he shouted hysterically: "Kill him for me! Kill him for me now!" The personal guards rushed forward with weapons in hand. Lu Bu grabbed a spear with his bare hands, and in a few rounds, he beat the personal guards without any chance of fighting back.

Ding Yuan was so angry that he almost went crazy. He roared madly: "Quickly send the crossbowmen! Quickly send the crossbowmen! Kill this guy right here and now!"

Generals like Wei Xu and Cao Xing came to persuade Ding Yuan, but Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, seeing Ding Yuan's determination, tried to escort Lü Bu away. Guards outside the tent, hearing Ding Yuan's orders, quickly called in crossbowmen. The sharp arrows pierced the tent, and the generals felt a sense of mortal danger. Ding Yuan roared furiously, "Rebellion! Rebellion! All of you! You're a bunch of warriors! I know you have bad intentions! I swear to kill this official today! Anyone who dares to stop me will be killed!" The generals tried to persuade Ding Yuan again, but he wouldn't listen. He simply ordered his crossbowmen to prepare their arrows, showing no regard for anyone else. Seeing this, Gao Shun suddenly stood up in a rage and roared, "You heartless and ungrateful man! We risked our lives for you, and this is how you treat us? When did you ever consider us your own people?" He drew his sword from his waist and was about to strike Ding Yuan, but his guards hurried to stop him. Seeing this, generals Cao Xing, Wei Xu, and others joined in the fray, exclaiming, "Rebellion, rebellion! Since he won't let us live, let's kill him first." Drawing their swords, they charged at Ding Yuan's personal guards. Panicked, Ding Yuan dodged backward, shouting, "Crossbowmen, shoot! Shoot these traitors!" The archers immediately unleashed a barrage, sending the central camp into chaos as the generals scrambled for cover. Gao Shun abandoned his pursuit of Ding Yuan and, alongside Lü Bu and Zhang Liao, broke through the crossbowmen's encirclement from the side. The three generals charged like tigers descending from the mountains. The crossbowmen, caught so close they couldn't react and were felled. Cao Xing, Wei Xu, and their fellow generals overtook Ding Yuan and, with their swords, cut him down within the tent.

Seeing that things had come to this point and Ding Yuan had been killed, Lu Bu knew that it was impossible not to rebel. He immediately made arrangements and ordered Gao Shun to quickly mobilize the Xianzhen Camp to firmly guard the central army. Then he instructed Zhang Liao to lead the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to launch an armed suppression operation against those troops who were loyal to Ding Yuan.

Ding Yuan was a man of letters, valuing scholars. He was dismissive of his soldiers, generals, and even the common soldiers, and paid them no attention. Now, all the generals in command had rebelled. With the exception of those who were particularly loyal to Ding Yuan, all others laid down their weapons and expressed their willingness to support Lü Bu as their new leader. Those loyal to Ding Yuan were unable to stir up any significant rebellion, and were defeated by the Wolf Riders led by Zhang Liao.

After everything was settled, Lü Bu summoned Li Su and expressed his intention to have the Bingzhou army surrender to Dong Zhuo. Seeing his plan had succeeded, Li Su suppressed his joy and patted his chest, promising that Dong Zhuo would surely reward the Bingzhou generals with high positions and generous titles. Li Su then went to report the situation to Luoyang, leaving Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and the others in their tents in a state of anxiety.