Ding Yuan, leading his formidable army, had already arrived and set up camp on the outskirts of Luoyang City.
This formation, like dark clouds pressing down, brought immense psychological pressure and a heavy psychological shadow to the eunuch faction and Dong Zhong's forces in the Imperial Court.
Dong Zhong's side had been urging Dong Zhuo to enter the capital quickly.
He Jin seized the opportunity and formally memorialized the Imperial Court, recommending Ding Yuan as the Colonel Director of Retainers.
The Ten Attendants, realizing with dread He Jin's resolute intent to utterly destroy them, these insidious and cunning fellows, after a secret deliberation, decided to take a desperate gamble and strike first.
Thus, with ulterior motives, they gathered around Empress Dowager He, weeping and wailing, fabricating lies that He Jin was surely going to put them to death.
Empress Dowager He was so foolish as to naively believe there was still room for maneuver, and so she hastily summoned He Jin to the palace for a discussion.
Initially, He Jin was unwilling to enter the palace, but under the repeated urging of Empress He, this incompetent person foolishly believed that the Ten Attendants had softened.
His worthless nature fully exposed, he still swaggered arrogantly and haughtily into the palace.
After He Jin departed, the belated Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, and others finally woke up as if from a dream, realizing the urgency of the situation.
They were burning with anxiety and quickly mobilized large armies, rushing like the wind to the Imperial Palace to rendezvous with He Jin.
However, fate played a cruel trick; He Jin had already been brutally murdered by those insidious eunuchs.
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and others, upon hearing the news of He Jin's death, were immediately filled with grief and indignation, their anger blazing.
They unhesitatingly commanded their armies to surge like a tide towards the forbidden zone of the city gate, engaging in a thrilling, life-and-death struggle with the eunuch faction.
In this fierce battle, they had only one firm belief: to completely eradicate the eunuch faction, to remove this huge cancer from the Imperial Court, and to vent their hatred.
For a time, the entire palace fell into chaos, and countless young eunuchs and Imperial Maids were tragically slaughtered.
The Ten Attendants, realizing the urgency of the situation, were terrified.
They seized the Emperor, Empress Dowager He, Prince Liu Xie, Grand Empress Dowager Dong, and a host of other palace nobles, and fled in a panic out of the palace.
Lu Zhi, hearing the earth-shattering cries of battle in the Imperial Palace, was greatly alarmed and quickly ordered Dian Wei to guard the gate, then led Zhao Yun and the White Horse General to quickly investigate the situation.
It was precisely at this moment that they encountered the Ten Attendants fleeing the palace with the Emperor and others, with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and others in hot pursuit behind them.
Neither side seemed to genuinely care about the Emperor's safety.
Lu Zhi was utterly helpless; he simultaneously ordered the White Horse General, who had long been ambushed outside Luoyang City, to come to their aid, and he and Zhao Yun and the remaining White Horse General joined the eunuch faction's group protecting the Emperor.
At the palace city, flames blazed, soaring into the sky, and the entire Luoyang City was plunged into chaos.
Ding Yuan, stationed outside the city, also noticed this sudden turn of events.
Lü Bu, Ding Yuan's chief clerk, rushed to report the situation to Ding Yuan, urgently requesting that Ding Yuan send troops into the city to stabilize the situation.
However, Ding Yuan was an extremely stubborn and rigid man; he insisted that he could not act rashly without receiving explicit orders from He Jin.
He turned a deaf ear to Lü Bu's suggestion, even reprimanding Lü Bu with a hint of disdain: "How can state affairs be interfered with by a mere chief clerk like you!"
Lü Bu, hearing these words, was filled with resentment, but faced with Ding Yuan's stubbornness, he could do nothing.
In fact, Lü Bu possessed a keen sense of war; he could acutely perceive the urgency and seriousness of the situation.
He understood that if the chaos in the city was not controlled in time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But Ding Yuan's obstinacy prevented him from displaying his talents, which filled Lü Bu with helplessness and indignation.
Ding Yuan's stubborn character and his disdain for Lü Bu also, to some extent, hindered the response and handling of the situation.
Lü Bu's keen perception contrasted sharply with Ding Yuan's dullness, further highlighting the contradiction and conflict between the two.
Lü Bu returned to his quarters in a huff, plopping down on a chair, his face full of anger and unwillingness.
Zhang Liao saw this, followed him in, and looked at him with concern.
Lü Bu said angrily, "Wen Yuan, tell me about this Ding Yuan.
Although he took me as his adopted son, he doesn't trust me at all!
All I see in his eyes are suspicion and dissatisfaction!
I have this peerless martial skill, yet he doesn't let me charge into battle; instead, he makes me a chief clerk in this tent!
Now that the situation in the capital is so urgent, when I offered my advice, he scolded me head-on!
What kind of adopted son am I in his eyes? I'm just an insignificant person he can summon and dismiss at will!"
Zhang Liao frowned, pondered for a moment, then calmly and reservedly advised, "Fengxian, Lord Ding is indeed a loyal and patriotic man; perhaps he is just a bit stubborn and rigid in his ways sometimes.
Unlike your passionate and aggressive nature, he prefers to seek stability through caution.
You shouldn't harbor too much resentment in your heart."
Lü Bu, upon hearing Zhang Liao's words, became even more furious.
He suddenly stood up, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I risked my life for him, yet he treats me like this!
How can I swallow this indignity!"
Zhang Liao sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on his face.
He looked at Lü Bu and continued, "Fengxian, you and I are currently serving under him; we should prioritize the greater good.
Lord Ding's actions may have his reasons; we should try to understand more.
Moreover, you and I possess skills; there will always be a time to display our talents.
Don't ruin your great future because of a momentary fit of anger."
Lü Bu remained silent for a long while, then slowly said, "Wen Yuan's words also make sense, but the frustration in my heart is truly hard to dispel."
Zhang Liao stepped forward, gently patted Lü Bu's shoulder, and comforted him, "Don't dwell on it anymore; I believe there will be a turn for the better in the future."
——Divider——
Under Dong Zhong's incessant urging, Dong Zhuo led his army in a frantic, non-stop march.
One day, when they finally arrived at Mangshan and other areas outside Luoyang City, Dong Zhuo saw from afar flames soaring into the sky from the city.
The blazing fire seemed to burn through the entire sky, and thick smoke billowed, pervading the air, shrouding the city in darkness and terror.
Upon seeing this, Dong Zhuo was burning with anxiety.
His rugged face was etched with worry and urgency, and his wide eyes revealed his inner unease.
He constantly waved his horse whip, urging his troops to speed up their march, as if every moment of delay would cause the fortune that was about to be within his grasp to slip away.
Dong Zhuo was very different from Ding Yuan; he was by nature bold and had a fearless audacity.
Upon seeing such a shocking change in the capital, his first reaction was not hesitation or retreat, but a decisive desire to quickly enter the city.
In his heart, having troops in the city was the cornerstone for achieving his ambitions.
No matter how many difficulties lay ahead, he would charge forward without hesitation, and stabilize the situation.
At this moment, the coveted immense fortune seemed within reach, shimmering with enticing light under the glow of the fire, filling Dong Zhuo's heart with desire and impulse; he was eager to firmly grasp it in his hands.
Gongsun Xu keenly perceived the unusual chaos in Luoyang City and immediately dispatched scouts to investigate the situation.
Unexpectedly, these scouts unexpectedly met with the White Horse General dispatched by Lu Zhi, and both sides brought urgent and crucial news.
Gongsun Xu did not delay at all and immediately ordered the White Horse General, under his command, to gallop towards Luoyang City.
At this time, inside and outside Luoyang City, there was utter chaos.
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and other generals led their soldiers in pursuit of the eunuch faction, while the Ten Attendants, seizing a group of nobles from the Imperial Palace, fled in panic towards the city outskirts.
Lu Zhi and Zhao Yun also resolutely joined the escorting team to protect the Emperor's safety.
At the same time, outside the city, Dong Zhuo's large army was already on its way and about to arrive.
And the White Horse General, led by Gongsun Xu, was also galloping towards Luoyang.
Several forces were about to meet, and the situation became increasingly tense and complex.