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In the Prime Minister's Residence of Luoyang, Dong Zhuo lounged in an intricately carved mahogany chair, toying with a glass of fine wine. His gaze was half-drunken and half-awake, seemingly indifferent to the murmurs of the outside world. Li Ru hurried in, clutching an urgent document, his face grave. Noticing this, Dong Zhuo furrowed his brow and impatiently asked, "Li Ru, what has you so flustered?"
Li Ru knelt on the ground, presenting the document with both hands, and said in a deep voice, "My lord, Si Shui Pass is in distress! Sun Jian has personally led his army to attack; the soldiers defending the pass fear they cannot hold out."
Dong Zhuo's previously languid demeanor instantly darkened. He slammed the wine glass down heavily, splashing some of the liquid onto his fingers without noticing. He sprang to his feet, furious. "These rabble dare to challenge my authority!"
He surveyed the crowd and declared loudly, "Generals, I alone am supreme in this world! Those so-called lords are nothing but toads; how dare they invade! Who among you is willing to clear away these treacherous rebels for me today?"
Wen Hou Lü Bu stood up from his seat, tall and imposing, with eyes like lightning. He clasped his hands and said, "Father need not worry! The lords beyond the pass are but ants. I am willing to lead one hundred thousand Elite Troops to Si Shui Pass and behead them one by one, hanging their heads at the city gates to proclaim your might to all under heaven!"
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo's face broke into a wild grin as if he had heard the most beautiful music. He patted Lü Bu on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "With Fengxian here, why should I fear Sun Jian! I truly need not worry, hahahaha!"
However, just as Dong Zhuo's laughter faded, a powerful voice came from behind Lü Bu: "My lord, such trivial matters do not require the presence of Wen Hou. 'Why use a bull's knife to carve a chicken?' Allow me to take action; within three days, I will surely bring Sun Jian's head to your table!"
The crowd turned to see a burly man striding out from among them. He stood nine feet tall with a waist as slim as a wolf's and a head like a fierce leopard; his arms were as thick as those of a monkey. He cupped his fists in greeting, exuding confidence and arrogance.
Dong Zhuo sized him up and asked, "Who are you?"
The man raised his head proudly and replied, "I am Hua Xiong from Guangxi, willing to serve you with all my strength!"
Dong Zhuo paused for a moment before bursting into laughter that echoed through the hall. He waved his hand and said, "Good! What a fine Hua Xiong! Since you are so confident, I shall let you take the field!"
Then he turned to Li Ru and commanded, "Immediately appoint Hua Xiong as Xiaoqi Xiaowei and assign him fifty thousand cavalry troops. Let Li Su, Hu Zhen, and Zhao Cen accompany him to Si Shui Pass. If he achieves victory within three days, he shall be richly rewarded!"
Hua Xiong bowed and accepted the command, his gaze sharp as a blade, his voice echoing through the hall, "I will not disgrace my mission!"
Li Ru nodded silently, though he harbored doubts, he did not dare to oppose. He whispered to Dong Zhuo, "Prime Minister, although Hua Xiong is valiant, we must not underestimate the coalition of warlords. We should prepare backup plans early."
Dong Zhuo waved his hand dismissively, a look of disdain on his face. "A coalition? Just a rabble. Do they know that I, Dong Zhuo, command the Xiliang Elite Troops and am invincible in this world? What can a mere Sun Jian do against me?"
He picked up a wine cup and leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of fine wine, his voice low and arrogant. "Li Ru, this world will eventually be mine. The higher they jump, the harder they will fall!"
Inside the tent, Bao Xin, the Prime Minister of Jibei, furrowed his brows tightly, lightly tapping his fingers on the table. His eyes revealed a hint of unease and jealousy. He looked at his trusted aide beside him and whispered, "That brute Sun Jian has already led the vanguard. If he claims the first achievement, how can we accept it? Once a mere lowly clerk, he now stands equal with us. If we allow him to achieve great merit today, what face will we have left?"
His brother Bao Zhong stood up and clasped his fists. "Brother, there is no need for concern. Although Hua Xiong is brave, he may not be able to guard against our surprise attack. If I lead three thousand troops to take a shortcut directly to Si Shui Pass, we can surely seize the first victory!"
Upon hearing this, Bao Xin's eyes brightened as he nodded. "Good! This aligns with my thoughts perfectly. I entrust this matter entirely to you, but remember to strike swiftly and decisively; do not let Sun Jian catch wind of our plans."
That night, Bao Zhong led three thousand cavalry quietly out of camp along the winding path towards Si Shui Pass. By dawn, he had brought his troops close to the pass. He raised his sword and shouted, "Hua Xiong! Dare you come out to battle? The Bao family army is here, waiting for your death!"
The drums of war thundered as the city gates slowly opened. A tide of iron cavalry surged forth like a black wave. At the forefront was a general on horseback clad in dark armor, wielding a massive blade and glaring fiercely. His voice boomed like thunder: "You dare disturb Si Shui Pass! I am Hua Xiong; prepare to die!"
Before he finished speaking, Hua Xiong suddenly struck his horse's back and charged at Bao Zhong like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain. The iron cavalry followed closely behind him with an overwhelming momentum; the sound of their hooves was deafening. Seeing this, Bao Zhong was alarmed and hurriedly swung his sword to engage in battle. However, before he could even approach Hua Xiong, the latter's massive blade came crashing down like lightning.
Bao Zhong quickly raised his sword to block it but heard a loud crack as his blade shattered. His eyes widened in terror; before he could recover from his shock, Hua Xiong followed through with a single stroke that sent him tumbling off his horse, blood splattering across his battle robe.
"The Bao family army should surrender!" Hua Xiong's voice rang out like thunder as he pointed his blade around him. Seeing their commander slain, Bao Zhong's troops were already thrown into disarray and began fleeing in all directions. Taking advantage of this chaos, Hua Xiong's cavalry pursued relentlessly; flashes of blades cut down one Bao soldier after another. In less than an hour, over half of Bao Zhong's three thousand troops had been defeated; the remaining officers were captured one by one.
Hua Xiong waved his hand to stop the pursuit and sneered, "A bunch of insignificant pests dare to cause trouble here. Bring me Bao Zhong's head, and let's return to the Prime Minister's Residence to report our victory!"
At noon that day, Hua Xiong returned to Si Shui Pass with Bao Zhong's head. His armor was stained with blood, yet a contemptuous smile adorned his face. He presented the head to the Herald and coldly stated, "Tell the Prime Minister that Hua Xiong has fulfilled his duty and has beheaded the traitor."
Before long, the head and the report of victory were delivered to Dong Zhuo's residence in Luoyang. Upon hearing of the great triumph, Dong Zhuo slammed his hand on the table and laughed heartily, "What a Hua Xiong! Truly lives up to my expectations!"
He turned to Li Ru, a proud expression on his face as he asked, "Li Ru, how was this battle?"
Li Ru smiled slightly and cupped his hands in respect, saying, "Hua Xiong's might terrifies the enemy at the pass; their generals are filled with dread. This is a testament to the Chancellor's keen insight in selecting capable generals."
Dong Zhuo was even more delighted and immediately ordered Hua Xiong to be promoted to General and allocated more troops for the next offensive. He laughed uproariously, "These mere lords cannot shake me! What can they do against me?"
At that moment, Sun Jian arrived at Si Shui Pass with four mighty generals on horseback. The cold wind carried the sound of war drums as he sat high upon his Flower Mane Horse, clad in shimmering silver armor, wearing a crimson battle scarf, and wielding an Ancient Coin Blade. His gaze was piercing as he fixed it on the gate.
The four generals who followed him each exuded their own formidable presence: Cheng Pu, a man from Beiping, held an Iron Spine Snake Spear with steady armor and fierce eyes; Huang Gai, a warrior from Lingling, swung a heavy Iron Whip with mountain-like momentum; Han Dang, a hero from Liaoxi, bore a Dadao on his shoulder with sharp energy; Zu Mao, a talented figure from Wu Commandery, wielded Dual Sabers with agile steps.
Sun Jian pointed his sword at the gate and bellowed like thunder, "You rodents of Guanzhong who assist Dong Zhuo in tyranny, come down quickly and surrender! Do not bring about your own destruction!"
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