Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Zu Mao shouted and ripped off Sun Jian's red headscarf, putting it on his own head.

He shouted at Sun Jian:

"My lord! Run that way! I'll draw them away!"

With red eyes, Sun Jian cried out, "Take care, brother!"

They turned their horses around and galloped down the side road.

Zu Mao, wearing a red headscarf, rode his horse in another direction.

As soon as Hua Xiong's men saw the red headscarf, they all followed after him.

Zu Mao ran for a long time, but seeing that he couldn't shake him off, he had a sudden inspiration.

He saw a burnt-out pillar by the roadside, so he took off his red headscarf and hung it on the pillar.

He rode his horse and hid in the nearby woods.

Hua Xiong led his men to catch up, and from afar they saw the red headscarf hanging there, assuming that Sun Jian was resting there.

He immediately gave the order: "Loose the arrows! Shoot!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—hundreds of arrows shot out, turning the pillar into a pincushion.

After shooting for a while, they found that no one moved and no one screamed.

Hua Xiong was puzzled, so he led his men closer to take a look...

Damn, I've been tricked! It's just a broken pillar!

Zu Mao watched from the woods, furious.

He thought to himself: So many of my brothers have died, and you, Hua Xiong, still think you can get away unscathed? I'll fight you to the death!

He charged out with his broadsword, intending to ambush Hua Xiong.

But he forgot that Hua Xiong was a famous and fierce general in the Xiliang army, with an astonishingly fast reaction time.

Just as Zu Mao rushed forward, before his blade could even fall, Hua Xiong turned around and swept his blade horizontally!

"clang!"

The two swords clashed, sparks flying! Zu Mao's tiger's mouth was cracked from the impact, and he almost dropped the broadsword.

Immediately afterward, Hua Xiong's second strike came. This strike was both fast and ruthless, and Zu Mao had no time to dodge. With a "crack," he was cut down from his horse by Hua Xiong!

By the time Hua Xiong finished cleaning up the battlefield, it was already dawn.

In this battle, Sun Jian's forces suffered a crushing defeat, with more than 10,000 men killed or wounded, and the majority of them losing their lives...

If Zu Mao hadn't died for him, he himself would have perished here.

Sun Jian led his remaining troops and fled all the way back to Suanzao.

He was covered in blood, some from enemies, some from his own brothers; his face was streaked with black and red, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour someone.

...

Sun Jian stormed into the alliance leader's tent. Without saying a word, he rushed up to Yuan Shu, pointed at his nose, and began to curse:

"Yuan Gonglu!!! You son of a bitch!!!"

Yuan Shu was startled and almost dropped the food in his hand.

"Who...who are you insulting?"

"I'll curse you!" Sun Jian said, his eyes turning red.

He recounted in detail how Yuan Shu withheld supplies, leading to his crushing defeat and the death of Zu Mao. His voice trembled with rage, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Yuan Shu! Are you even human? I was fighting Hua Xiong to the death in front of you, and you were cutting off my supplies from behind! Zu Mao fought alongside me for years, and he's dead just like that! Dead! What are you going to use to compensate me?!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's face immediately fell.

He turned and glared at Yuan Shu, saying, "Gonglu! What's wrong with you! I told you to allocate the provisions, how could you withhold Wentai's provisions! This caused Wentai to suffer a great defeat and lose a great general! What kind of mess have you made of?!"

What about Yuan Shu?

He had already prepared his explanation, spreading his hands innocently with an expression so sincere it could be an actor's performance:

"Oh dear! Alliance Leader! I'm innocent! How could I dare to withhold Wentai's provisions! The road was just too dangerous; the provisions were stolen by bandits! I was sending men to re-escort them when this happened!"

He said it aloud, but secretly he was happy, feeling no remorse whatsoever.

Sun Jian trembled with rage at Yuan Shu's despicable face.

He wanted to rush forward and beat Yuan Shu, but the people around him quickly pulled him back, saying, "Wentai, calm down! Wentai, calm down! The bigger picture is what matters!"

He wanted to curse, but after cursing for a long time, Yuan Shu just wouldn't admit it. What could you do about him?

Although Yuan Shao was angry, Yuan Shu was his younger brother, so he couldn't really do anything to Yuan Shu.

In the end, all that could be done was to compromise:

"Alright, alright, Wentai, calm down. This matter... this was indeed Gonglu's negligence. I'll definitely give him a good talking to later. Your lost troops will be compensated from the Allied Forces. General Zu Mao's pension will be doubled! Just rest and recuperate; there will be more great battles to come!"

Sun Jian looked at the two brothers and felt a chill run down his spine.

He realized that these people weren't there to demand Dong's help; they were there to divide the spoils.

Anyone who truly risks their life is a fool.

He flicked his sleeves, turned around and left without saying another word.

...

Inside Sishui Pass, Hua Xiong had won a great victory and was holding a banquet to celebrate.

He utterly thrashed Sun Jian and even beheaded Zu Mao; this feat is something he can boast about for a lifetime.

He sent someone to deliver the good news back to Luoyang.

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and immediately promoted Hua Xiong to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, rewarding him with countless gold, silver, jewels, silks, and satins.

Hua Xiong was extremely smug, thinking that all the warlords in Guandong were good-for-nothings and not worth mentioning.

He got completely carried away.

The next day, Hua Xiong led his men and charged directly to the outside of the feudal lords' Suanzao camp to hurl insults.

He rode a tall horse, carrying a large sword, and stood not far from the allied camp, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"You cowardly rats from Guandong! Who dares to come out and die! Didn't you want to overthrow Dong Zhuo? Didn't you want to storm Luoyang? Why are you all cowering inside like turtles!"

"If you've got the guts, come out and fight your Grandpa Hua for three hundred rounds! If no one dares to come out, then quickly open your camp and surrender, and Grandpa will spare your dog lives!"

After he finished cursing, he led his men around triumphantly, then stood there waiting.

In the Suanzao camp, Yuan Shao was holding a meeting with the various warlords.

The scout scrambled in, shouting, "Reporting to the Alliance Leader! Hua Xiong is outside the camp, hurling insults! He's saying we're all cowards, too afraid to go out and fight!"

Yuan Shao slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Outrageous! Who dares to fight and slay Hua Xiong?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a general stepped forward from behind Yuan Shu and said:

"This humble general, Yu She, is willing to go!"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed and quickly sent him into battle.

Yu She donned his armor, mounted his horse, and led his spear out of the camp.

Outside the camp, Hua Xiong was getting impatient. When he saw someone come out, his eyes lit up and he said:

"The general will be named!"

"I am Yu She, a subordinate of General Hou! Hua Xiong, prepare to die!"

Without saying a word, the two spurred their horses and charged forward.

Then...

That was the end of it.

Before three rounds had even ended, a scout rushed in and reported, "Reporting to the Alliance Leader! General Yu She fought Hua Xiong for less than three rounds before being killed by him!"

The expressions of all the feudal lords changed drastically in an instant!

They were just drinking and eating meat, but now they've stopped drinking and eating.

Those who were just bragging and chatting have now shut their mouths.

The person who was just picking at their nails has stopped.

The tent was completely silent.

...... ...... ......

Again and again...

Finally, Kong Rong quickly stepped forward, stroking his beard, and said:

"Alliance Leader, do not worry! I have the great general Wu Anguo, who possesses the courage of ten thousand men. He will surely slay Hua Xiong!"

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked Wu Anguo to go into battle.

Wu Anguo strode out of the camp, carrying a pair of iron hammers, mounted his warhorse, and headed straight for Hua Xiong.