The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Their forces pose no threat to our Xiliang army. Most importantly, abandoning this area will allow our forces to search for reinforcements and strengthen defenses in various locations.

"The Guanzhong region is easy to defend and easy to attack. As long as the Guandong Allied Forces fall into disarray and begin fighting amongst themselves, our army can take this opportunity to recuperate and wait for the opportune moment. When the Guandong Allied Forces are severely weakened, that will be the time for our army to march east," Li Ru analyzed to Ding Yuan. He walked to the front of the map and said to Ding Yuan, "Father-in-law, you see, as long as our army holds the line of Huayin, Huangni, and Wuguan, we can resist the Guandong Allied Forces to the east. Then, this large area will become a secure rear for our Xiliang army. In the future, no matter which direction our Xiliang army attacks, the initiative will be in our hands. How can the Guandong army, which is constantly fighting amongst themselves, contend with our well-rested Xiliang cavalry?"

"Wen You is a great talent!" Ding Yuan pulled Li Ru's hand and pulled him back. Even Dian Wei, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but nod. Li Ru was indeed quite capable. "Having Wen You is like Emperor Gaozu having Zhang Liang."

As Ding Yuan spoke, he also thought of Dian Wei behind him. Hmm, he couldn't be biased. Ding Yuan said to Dian Wei, "And my son Dian Wei, that's equivalent to Emperor Gaozu getting Fan Kuai!"

Hearing Ding Yuan value Dian Wei so highly, Li Ru couldn't help but feel wary of Dian Wei. Strictly speaking, Ding Yuan was the real culprit in the murder of Ding Yuan, yet Dian Wei showed no reaction, which was quite abnormal. However, Li Ru couldn't change Ding Yuan's mind, so he could only take it one step at a time. But it seemed that Dian Wei didn't have any bad intentions. If he wanted to make a move, he would have done it long ago, and there was no need to wait until now. Li Ru thought that perhaps Dian Wei was just a cold-hearted and ungrateful person.

News of the Luoyang reinforcements being held up quickly reached the allied camp outside Hulao Pass. Although Yuan Shu still outwardly disdained Chen Er, he had to admit in his heart that Chen Er was trustworthy. Of course, Yuan Shu still did not have any goodwill towards Chen Er. After all, Chen Er was the culprit who caused the Yuan family to lose their Ji Province base, and he could not be easily forgiven.

On May 29th, after receiving news that Chen Er's army was threatening the north of Luoyang, Yuan Shu resumed his attack on Hulao Pass. However, the allied forces were still not putting in enough effort. Yuan Shu was furious and kicked over a table. After his anger subsided, Yuan Shu calmed down and realized that this would not do. How could he avenge his father if things continued like this? Yuan Shu finally sent his elite troops to participate in the siege. With this, it would be unacceptable for the various warlords not to put in any effort.

However, Yuan Shu was completely unaware that reinforcements had arrived at Hulao Pass. Dian Wei's original Bingzhou army reinforced Hulao Pass with 5,000 Xiliang musketeers, buying more time for Ding Yuan's plan to relocate the capital.

This time, Yuan Shu suffered a crushing defeat at Hulao Pass. He had no idea that Dian Wei had arrived at Hulao Pass. The allied forces, who had just formed their attack formation, saw the gates of Hulao Pass open before they could even begin their assault. Just as the allied forces were wondering what was happening, cavalry units rushed out from inside the pass, led by Dian Wei. Dian Wei charged ahead of the allied forces' melee infantry.

Under the combined attack of the Bingzhou wolf cavalry and the Xiliang cavalry, and with the two powerful generals Dian Wei and Hua Xiong leading the charge, the cavalry quickly broke through the allied infantry. If it weren't for the tens of thousands of musketeers in the rear of the allied forces, and the veteran general Lu Zhi, who was proficient in firearms warfare, Dian Wei might have actually broken through the allied forces. It's unclear whether Dian Wei was still afraid of the Youzhou army's musketeers in Jizhou last time, because upon hearing the muskets, he immediately retreated, faster than anyone else. However, Hua Xiong and the Xiliang army did not mock Dian Wei, after all, they had also suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Western musketeers. But Yuan Shu was in a terrible situation. At the forefront were his 10,000 elite troops, and now they had been decimated!

The allied forces suffered another major defeat. With the advent of firearms, battles in this world had almost completely abandoned the practice of dueling on the battlefield. Faced with the inability to capture Hulao Pass after a long siege, Yuan Shu was filled with despair.

Yuan Shu was in despair, which pleased Yuan Shao. As Yuan Shu returned to his command tent in a state of dejection, undercurrents began to stir in the allied camp, and people were filled with unease, as if a storm was brewing.

Unexpectedly, everyone is blaming Yuan Shu, saying that the current situation is due to Yuan Shu's poor command.

We can't entirely blame Yuan Shu, but the army's morale is low right now, and we need to find someone to step up. That's where Yuan Shu comes in.

When Yuan Shu heard that the warlords had such plans, the hot-tempered Yuan Shu immediately erupted. These warlords were all shirking their duties, and now that the allied forces were in trouble, instead of thinking about how to defeat the enemy, they wanted him to take the blame. Yuan Shu immediately resigned, summoned the warlords, and said, "You all think I, Yuan Gonglu, am easy to bully? Don't you all want this position of alliance leader? From now on, whoever wants this position can be the alliance leader. I, Yuan Gonglu, don't care!"

Yuan Shu's actions once again proved his poor political ability. If it were Yuan Shao, he would not have acted this way. Yuan Shao would have apologized to the entire army in front of them, then regrouped and fought again. Yuan Shao was patient enough, especially after experiencing many hardships, which greatly improved his mental state.

Yuan Shu has resigned, so someone has to take over the position of leader of the alliance. The Guandong coalition has been sworn an oath of brotherhood for nearly two months, but it has still stopped at Hulao Pass. If this reputation spreads, the various warlords will still have to save face.

So, after much persuasion from everyone, Yuan Shao feigned refusal three times before finally taking the seat of alliance leader. The first thing Yuan Shao did upon taking the seat was to announce Lu Zhi as the deputy leader, to command the allied forces in battle.

Of course, this was not Yuan Shao's own idea, but rather a suggestion given to him by Xu You and others. Although Lu Zhi and the Ji Province army had been enemies, they were now allies. Moreover, the 20,000 elite musketeers that Lu Zhi brought were a force that the allied forces had to rely on. In addition, Lu Zhi was undoubtedly the best commander of the allied forces in terms of firearms. In order to break through Hulao Pass as soon as possible, Yuan Shao finally agreed to let Lu Zhi serve as the deputy leader of the alliance and command the allied forces in battle.

Yuan Shao's appointment as the leader of the alliance was a process of compromise among various forces. Of course, this was also a reflection of the status of the Yuan family. In addition, Yuan Shao's abilities were far superior to Yuan Shu's. The first thing Yuan Shao did after taking office was to appoint Lu Zhi as the deputy leader of the alliance, which further won over the hearts of various warlords.

Yuan Shao was secretly pleased with himself, thinking, "See? I, Yuan Shao, am the best heir to the Yuan family. My magnanimity is far superior to that of Yuan Gonglu. Talented people from all over the world will flock to me."