Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

The two were none other than Li Jue and Fan Chou!
"Damn it, they'd rather demolish houses than test us? Why now...? Did they know we were going to launch a sneak attack?" Fan Chou roared in a low voice, filled with resentment.

Hidden in the streets not far from the two were densely packed troops...

It turns out that they had pulled some clever tricks before storming the Kwantung Army's camp.

They took advantage of the departure of the main forces of the Nine Suns Legion and the Thunder Legion to launch a surprise attack on the garrison left on the west city wall.

Although this move will not cripple Lin Mu's 400,000 men, it will still yield some gains.

Afterwards, they would stir up trouble elsewhere to continue wearing down Lin Mu's army. Once an opportunity arose, they would pounce and completely annihilate these 400,000 men.

However, even after they'd been lying in ambush here for several days, things hadn't gone as planned...

“Let’s retreat… I have a feeling the Kwantung Allied Army will start attacking Hulao Pass soon.” Li Jue, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up.

"Alright..." Fan Chou sighed helplessly.

"I'll go and clean up those two battlefields that I set up in advance later," Fan Chou added.

It turns out they had already set up ambushes targeting horse archers in other locations long ago...

After agreeing on the plan, the two immediately set off, leading their troops back to Dongcheng District.

On the eighteenth day, Yuan Shao hurriedly returned to his camp. After a quick wash, he summoned the feudal lords for a meeting.

By this time, the feudal lords were already harboring resentment.

The alliance leader, Yuan Shao, has been missing for so many days!
There's still no explanation... Are we even going to deal with this Kwantung Army?!

The news of the meeting spread quickly, and when Cao Cao saw the messenger, he kicked him away.

Still angry, Cao Cao was no longer paying much attention to Yuan Shao.

As for Yuan Shu's camp, Yuan Shu was currently in a rage.

He sent a message back to Yuan Shao's messenger on the grasslands: Yuan Shao had achieved his goal and retrieved the divine artifact—the resurrection artifact!
This enraged Yuan Shu... He had staked his beloved general on the table, only to lose not a single chip and even several life-saving items... How could he not be furious... He almost beheaded Yuan Yi, who often came to appease him...

Fortunately, Yuan Shu didn't want to push things too far, nor did he want others to see him kill his own brothers for internal strife. That would ruin his reputation within the clan… He was the one destined to become the head of the Yuan family; his reputation couldn't be tarnished!
Despite his sullen expression, Yuan Shu ultimately attended the meeting. Cao Cao, however, was nowhere to be seen…

However, he still received the benefits from the meeting's resolutions.

What kind of welfare is this resolution? Food supplies!
That's right. Yuan Shao, who had been missing for so many days, held a meeting as soon as he returned, and the first thing he did was to target Yuan Shu!

The supplies of the Guandong Coalition would no longer be supervised, escorted, and distributed by Yuan Shu. In other words, the supplies of the Guandong Coalition would be distributed to the various warlords and controlled by them, reducing the risk of the vital supplies being destroyed by Dong Zhuo's army.

This way, there would be no need for grain inspectors.

This resolution was supported wholeheartedly by all the other warlords except Yuan Shu.

Although most of the supplies for the Kwantung Coalition were raised through donations in the name of the Yuan family, a considerable amount was obtained by other warlords through alms-begging. It was truly distressing that Yuan Shu, that incompetent fool, controlled them.

Upon hearing this news, Yuan Shu jumped up in anger.

He pointed at Yuan Shao's nose and cursed him, saying that he was settling personal scores and disregarding the overall situation. In short, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were no longer brothers!
Yuan Shao's attack also officially signaled that he would begin a struggle with Yuan Shu.

The warlords present largely agreed to this decision, because their lifeline was finally no longer in Yuan Shu's control.

How disgusting was Yuan Shu? He used public grain to win people over and do his own private business.

Moreover, the vanguard suffered heavy losses because of the failure to deliver supplies... In short, everyone started digging up and discussing Yuan Shu's faults.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Yuan Shu had no choice but to reluctantly agree to the decision. Otherwise, he might have been besieged by other warlords, with at least ten warlord factions standing against him!

Upon receiving this decision, Yuan Shao immediately ordered the transport of provisions. Seeing this, the other warlords also began sending their own people to procure supplies…

"Damn it! I should have embezzled more resources; now they're just getting away with it!" Yuan Shu sat back down, his face ashen, glaring hatefully at the other warlords. The so-called friendship they had maintained was shattered in that instant…

At this point, the cracks in the Kwantung Army finally began to appear.

After agreeing on this matter, we moved on to the second item on the agenda: the siege!

Several sieges have failed, some even ending in failure. What will happen this time?
However, the very first point of the second issue silenced all the princes.

The first sub-point of the issue: the choice of the vanguard.

The reason is simple: none of the feudal lords wanted to be the vanguard, because the losses would definitely be huge!
With Dong Zhuo having already moved the emperor to Chang'an, and the people of the capital embarking on their migration, the situation was gradually changing. Therefore, everyone wanted to preserve their strength and protect themselves.

The objective of this attack was clear: the breach in the wall. However, only one force from a single warlord could enter at a time. Therefore, a vanguard was necessary.

The first point of the agenda caused a long silence in the room...

Yuan Shao sighed and looked toward Gongsun Zan's position. Beside him stood Liu Bei.

Yuan Shao's purpose was simple: he wanted Gongsun Zan's troops to serve as the vanguard.

With Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong, absent, Gongsun Zan takes his place.

"Coward!!" Zhang Fei, standing behind Liu Bei, almost shouted it out, but Guan Yu stopped him.

"Alliance Leader, my troops are willing to serve as the vanguard!" After considering for a long time, Gongsun Zan exchanged glances with his junior brother Liu Bei, then stood up and volunteered.

"Good! Good! Good!" Yuan Shao said "good" three times in a row. He almost lost his authority as the leader of the alliance... Gongsun Zan still supported him.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Bei.

In this duel with Lü Bu, although Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei fought together, they managed to force Lü Bu to flee, which can be considered a successful outcome. Liu Bei should not be underestimated!

After looking at Liu Bei, Yuan Shao glanced at Zhang Fei and Guan Yu again.

Compared to the hot-tempered Zhang Fei, Yuan Shao valued Guan Yu more!

He was tall and imposing, with a sharply defined face and a ruddy complexion. His phoenix eyes, when slightly narrowed, exuded an aura of authority without anger. Even when the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand was not drawn, it seemed to gleam with a cold light. One look was enough to tell that he was a peerless warrior, one in a million.

It wasn't just Yuan Shao; all the other warlords were now eyeing Guan Yu.

Yuan Shao thought to himself, "With such a figure under Liu Bei's command, it's no wonder he dared to challenge Lü Bu at Hulao Pass. It seems that Liu Bei, who came from a humble background of weaving mats and selling shoes, is no ordinary person and may become a significant variable in the future."

However, now is the time when manpower is needed. Gongsun Zan is willing to volunteer, and Liu Bei is on good terms with him. This vanguard position can only fall to them. They should be able to play a good role as the vanguard and clear the way for the allied forces.

Yuan Shao cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "General Gongsun is a man of great righteousness and bravely shoulders heavy responsibilities. He is truly a model for our Guandong Coalition! Prefect Liu, do you have any objections to going with General Gongsun?"

At this moment, Yuan Shao had begun to take Liu Bei seriously.

Liu Bei rose, bowed slightly, and said loudly, "We are honored by the Alliance Leader's trust and will certainly do our utmost to fulfill the Allied Forces' expectations and open a passage for the subsequent army!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stepped forward at the same time. Although they did not speak, their upright posture and sharp eyes conveyed their silent attitude and demonstrated their determination to follow Liu Bei and fight to the death.

The various lords present had different expressions when they saw that Liu Bei had such a loyal and brave general under his command. Some were envious, some were wary, and some were secretly plotting.

This battle against Lü Bu made Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei famous, with Guan Yu, who was considered to have an MVP title, becoming beloved by countless people.

Afterwards, the group began to discuss other details, further refining their siege plan.

Compared to the previous sieges, with the breach created by Lin Mu, the difficulty of breaking through Hulao Pass has decreased a hundredfold.

The Kwantung Allied Forces are poised for battle! (End of Chapter)