In the main hall, Dong Zhuo was indulging in drinking and merry-making. Suddenly, a clamor of noise from outside disrupted the pleasant atmosphere. Dong Zhuo couldn't help but frown and shouted in annoyance, "What on earth is going on outside?" Li Ru, Fan Chou, Zhang Ji and other Xiliang generals and advisors looked at each other blankly upon hearing this, not knowing how to respond.
However, before they could send anyone out to figure out what was happening, they saw Lu Bu, who was always imposing and overbearing on normal days, stumbling into the hall at this moment.
"Fengxian, my dear son, you... What in the world is the situation?!" Dong Zhuo was truly astonished, his face full of shock.
"Father, I... I'm so incompetent. I've been defeated by those rebels." Lu Bu looked utterly dejected, his face extremely gloomy, and his voice was filled with despondency as he said, "Now, the rebel army has seized the opportunity and rushed into our pass like a tidal wave."
As soon as Lu Bu said these words, everyone in the hall was thrown into an uproar. They all looked incredulous. After all, Lu Bu was renowned for his extraordinary martial prowess and was known as the bravest in the army. Who would have thought that he could lose? Moreover, what shocked them even more was that those rebels had actually managed to break into the pass. What were they to do now?
After coming to his senses a bit, Dong Zhuo was so furious that he grabbed the wine cup on the table without hesitation and threw it at Lu Bu, shouting angrily, "You useless wretch! All the trust I placed in you has been in vain!"
Fortunately, Lu Bu was extremely agile. He quickly dodged to the side and managed to avoid being hit by the wine cup.
Looking at Dong Zhuo, who was raging furiously on the hall, Lu Bu, who had always been proud and arrogant, was also extremely angry in his heart. He thought to himself, I've risked my life for you, going through fire and water. Just because of this one defeat, you're humiliating me like this. It's really too much! Thinking about it, he felt a rush of blood to his head and couldn't help but wish he could immediately rush forward, raise his Fangtian Hua Ji, and stab Dong Zhuo to death.
Fortunately, at this moment, Li Ru, the advisor who had been standing by, saw that the situation was going south and quickly rushed forward. He immediately stood between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo and tried to persuade them in a gentle tone, "Prime Minister, please calm down. In my opinion, it must be that those rebels were too cunning and treacherous. General Fengxian just didn't notice their schemes for a moment and unfortunately suffered a defeat. However, this is not the time to dwell on this. Now that the rebel army has already broken into our city, the most urgent matter for us is to come up with a solution quickly."
Under Li Ru's painstaking persuasion, Dong Zhuo reluctantly suppressed his anger and asked grudgingly, "So, in your opinion, what should we do now?"
"Look, Prime Minister. Yuan Shao and his men have divided their troops into two routes, and their actual manpower isn't that large. We have over a hundred thousand troops inside the pass. If we engage them head-on, we may not necessarily lose to them." Li Ru said with confidence, patting his chest as if he already had victory in his grasp.
After hearing Li Ru's words, Dong Zhuo subconsciously touched his chin, his eyes flickering with a glint of thoughtfulness. True, that's what he said, but even Lu Bu, the most capable fighter under his command, had already been defeated by those rebels. Could they really win this battle? Dong Zhuo was thinking about this while listening to the increasingly clear shouts of battle approaching from outside. He just didn't feel confident at all.
Back in Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo was a very forthright and chivalrous person. He liked to uphold justice and do good deeds. Later, after embarking on his official career and becoming a military general, he was extremely brave in battle and had defeated the barbarians several times. However, after years of living a dissipated and wanton life, his former courage and lofty aspirations had long been worn away.
After careful consideration, Dong Zhuo finally said in a muffled voice, "This doesn't seem reliable. Let's retreat!"
"Prime Minister!" Li Ru exclaimed anxiously upon hearing this. "Prime Minister, you can't think like this! Hulao Pass is the gateway to Luoyang, a strategic point that every military strategist covets. Once we hand it over so easily to the allied forces, they will be able to march straight in and attack Luoyang directly. The consequences will be unimaginable!"
"I've made up my mind. Stop your blabbering!" Dong Zhuo waved his hand impatiently, then stood up and rushed out in a panic. The others looked at each other, and after a moment of hesitation, they could only helplessly chase after Dong Zhuo.
Thus, with Dong Zhuo fleeing in such a panic, the allied forces effortlessly captured Hulao Pass.
When Yuan Shao learned that it was Cao Cao who had captured Hulao Pass, he was overjoyed and immediately led the remaining troops to come and rendezvous.
In the evening, Yuan Shao ordered his men to prepare a sumptuous banquet to celebrate today's great victory.
"Mengde, you were amazing today! You managed to repel the Xiliang Army and capture Hulao Pass. This is a great achievement! Here, I'll drink to you!" Yuan Shao said with a big smile, holding up his wine cup.
"Lord Alliance, you're being too kind!" Cao Cao quickly waved his hand and said earnestly, "Actually, today's victory is entirely due to Mr. Lin Yu!"
Everyone was slightly taken aback upon hearing this and then turned their eyes to Lin Yu sitting in the corner.
During this period of time, because of the continuous battles, everyone had been eating dry military rations and had no chance to go hunting to improve their lives. Lin Yu's mouth was so bland that he could hardly stand it. Finally, when Yuan Shao prepared this banquet, Lin Yu naturally wouldn't let go of this great opportunity and ate to his heart's content. When Cao Cao mentioned him, he was just grabbing a roast chicken and eating it with relish.
Being stared at by everyone, Lin Yu didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. He calmly put down the remaining chicken bones in his hand, cupped his greasy hands, and said with a smile, "Lord Cao, you're flattering me too much. Today's victory was entirely due to the unity and cooperation of our entire army. Plus, my second brother Dian Wei and third brother Zilong managed to repel Lu Bu, which led to this great victory."
"Right, right, right! Today's great victory, Dian Wei and Zilong are truly indispensable!" Cao Cao suddenly realized and patted his head, then said.
"Here, I'll drink to the two heroes!" Yuan Shao said as he held up his wine cup and gestured towards Dian Wei and Zhao Yun. Dian Wei and Zhao Yun quickly raised their wine cups and drank them down in one gulp, looking quite bold.
After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively. Many princes and generals came forward one by one to talk to Lin Yu and his two brothers, hoping to build a good relationship with them. Cao Cao, as usual, stayed by their side, watching closely to prevent them from being poached by others.
In a corner on the side, Zhang Fei watched Lin Yu and his two brothers, who had become the center of the banquet, with a sour feeling in his heart. He couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "What's there to be proud of? If it were me and Second Brother, we could have done it too!"
"Third Brother, be careful with your words!" Liu Bei sighed helplessly upon hearing Zhang Fei's words and then looked at Gongsun Zan, saying with a wry smile, "I really didn't expect that this Zhao Zilong would be so brave..."
Gongsun Zan's face turned ugly upon hearing Liu Bei's words. When Zhao Yun came to seek refuge with him before, he didn't take Zhao Yun seriously at all. After all, Zhao Yun was from a humble family with a low status. That's why he casually agreed to give Zhao Yun to Lin Yu. Who would have thought that Zhao Yun would show such extraordinary martial prowess on the battlefield today and become famous overnight. Now he not only gave away a powerful general for nothing but also made himself look short-sighted and unable to recognize talent. How could his mood be good?
After the banquet and being full, Cao Cao led his men back to his residence. He dismissed everyone around him, leaving only Lin Yu in the room.
"Mr. Lin Yu, you're really my lucky star. If it weren't for you today, we wouldn't have been able to capture Hulao Pass so easily." Cao Cao said with a smile. "The Lord Alliance has just rewarded a lot of money. I'll send someone to deliver it to you later so that you can distribute it to your two brothers."
"Thank you, Lord Cao." Lin Yu just smiled faintly and said.
At this moment, Cao Cao stretched himself and suddenly said with a smile, "Mr. Lin Yu, you don't seem to be interested in becoming an official, nor do you seem to care much about money. I really don't know what you like."
Just as Lin Yu was about to answer, his eyes accidentally met Cao Cao's. In that instant, he saw a glint of suspicion in Cao Cao's eyes. Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, Cao Cao's suspicious nature was kicking in again! It was no wonder. Cao Cao had invited him to become an official before, but he was too lazy to do it. When given money, he didn't show much excitement either. Such behavior was really not like that of a normal person. No wonder Cao Cao was suspicious of him.
Lin Yu's mind started to work at high speed like a spinning gear. In the blink of an eye, he finally came up with a coping strategy. He scratched his head, deliberately looking embarrassed, and said, "To be honest, Lord Cao, what I like are... women."
He was actually telling the truth. In his previous life, he was a pure and innocent virgin. Besides having some stuff stored on his computer hard drive, he had never even held a girl's hand.
After hearing Lin Yu's words, Cao Cao was first stunned and then burst into laughter. "I thought you were a person without emotions and desires! That's easy. I'll reward you with a few beautiful women later."