Yuan Shao didn't want the alliance to collapse before the battle for Hangu Pass even began.
This would not only damage his reputation but also deprive him of a chance to avenge his previous defeat.
"Gentlemen, listen to me. Lu Ming is currently entrenched in Guanzhong. If we cannot capture Hangu Pass today, storm into Guanzhong, and arrest this traitor, he can then march east out of Hangu Pass, leaving us with no way to survive! This vengeful man will surely bring ruin upon us!"
"We have no past grudges or recent enmity with Lu Ming. We are only here today at your invitation to attack Hangu Pass. You refuse to send troops, relying on us. Are you perhaps planning to wait until we are desperate before invading our territory?"
Kong Rong was somewhat annoyed.
He was, after all, a renowned scholar. Being defeated was bad enough, but to be ridiculed by his own people was unacceptable.
Cao Cao's face was ashen, his expression sinister; no one knew what he was thinking.
A few days ago, he received a letter from Hangu Pass informing him that Lu Ming had taken his two wives, Lady Ding and Lady Bian, as concubines, and that he should forget about them, as they were preparing to bear children for Lu Ming!
This was a letter written by the two women themselves, which infuriated him!
He didn't know how he had managed to restrain himself, but now, besides Yuan Shao, the person who most wanted to kill Lu Ming was probably Cao Cao.
"Prefect Kong," Cao Cao chimed in, "Lu Ming's land reclamation in Guanzhong produces enough grain to feed an army of 500,000 in a year. Moreover, he has long harbored rebellious intentions, even sleeping in the imperial palace at night. Such disloyalty is tantamount to treason! Furthermore, there are rumors that he plans to depose His Majesty and support the late Emperor's eldest son, Liu Bian, the Prince of Fufeng, to ascend the throne. How can such behavior be compared to that of a beast?"
Cao Cao also offered his advice, emphasizing the power of numbers and his desire to leverage the strength of the other warlords to conquer Hangu Pass.
If that doesn't work, then at least cripple them.
Then he can seize their territories, strengthen himself, and have a chance to get revenge on Lu Ming later!
Cao Cao's words caused considerable worry among many.
After all, Lu Ming's reputation wasn't good. Ever since he abducted Wang Lang's wife and daughters, he seemed to have been constantly toying with the wives and daughters of his colleagues.
The most typical example was Feng Fang, currently serving as a palace guard in Luoyang.
His wife and daughters were kidnapped by Lu Ming, and it was rumored that he was even pregnant. Now he was truly cuckolded.
Since ancient times, many things have been infuriating and irreconcilable.
Among these, the hatred of killing one's father is irreconcilable, and the hatred of having one's wife stolen is deeply abhorrent; these are things that incite extreme anger.
Therefore, those whose wives and daughters were taken by Lu Ming, if they had any sense of decency, would not let Lu Ming go.
While the words were reasonable, not everyone agreed.
Therefore, Kong Rong scoffed disdainfully: "You're nothing but a descendant of a worthless scoundrel. What right do you have to speak of such things? Lu Ming is at least a prince consort and the governor of Liangzhou. And you? A descendant of a worthless dog! I'm ashamed to serve as your courtier."
"You old fool, what did you say!"
Before Cao Cao could even unleash his anger, Xiahou Dun behind him couldn't hold back any longer.
Wasn't this tantamount to publicly insulting someone's mother?
Cao Cao raised a hand to stop his cousin's outburst and instead stared at Kong Rong: "Lord Kong is right. I, Mengde, am unworthy, but I must hear Lord Kong's insightful opinion."
Cao Cao claimed to be magnanimous, but that depended on the situation.
If it was something beneficial to him, being insulted was nothing to worry about.
However, if it didn't benefit him, but he kept arguing, the outcome could easily be beheading.
The most typical examples are Zhang Xiu and Xu You.
Both are excellent case studies.
Zhang Xiu initially served as a county official. He earned praise from the people of the prefecture for killing Ju Sheng. He then gathered young men from the prefecture and became a prominent figure in the Zuli area.
Later, Zhang Xiu followed Zhang Ji in campaigns, rising through the ranks to become General Jianzhong and being enfeoffed as Marquis Xuanwei.
After Zhang Ji's death, Zhang Xiu succeeded him as commander, joining forces with Liu Biao.
When Cao Cao launched his southern campaign, Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao. However, learning that Cao Cao intended to kill him, he led his troops in a surprise attack, resulting in a major defeat for Cao Cao.
Zhang Xiu then retreated to Rang County and garrisoned there. Cao Cao launched years of campaigns against him but was unable to conquer it.
Later, when Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in a stalemate at Guandu, Zhang Xiu, heeding Jia Xu's advice, led his troops to surrender to Cao Cao. He also formed a marriage alliance with Cao Cao and was appointed General Yangwu.
During the Battle of Guandu, he was promoted to General Poqiang for his meritorious service. Xu You was originally a strategist under Yuan Shao. During the Battle of Guandu, his family was arrested for committing a crime.
Xu You then betrayed Yuan Shao and joined Cao Cao, devising a plan to raid Yuan Shao's grain depot at Wuchao, leading to Yuan Shao's crushing defeat at Guandu.
Later, Xu You followed Cao Cao in pacifying Ji Province. Overconfident in his achievements, he repeatedly made boastful remarks, ultimately angering Cao Cao and being executed.
These two men, one avenging Cao Cao's son's death, the other a hero of the battlefield.
However, their fates were drastically different. Angering Cao Cao might not necessarily lead to death, but continued anger would certainly result in certain death.
Kong Rong, feeling uneasy under Cao Cao's gaze, initially feared, but then his anger surged again.
He was, after all, a descendant of Confucius, a great Confucian scholar, a renowned gentleman. How could he be intimidated by the descendant of such a despicable person as Cao Cao!
"Hmph, Cao Mengde, I admit you have some skill. But that's nothing but brute force. Governing a country and ensuring its stability isn't about fighting and killing! I'm not feeling well, I'll take my leave. Let's go! Hmph!"
"We're going too!"
Kong Zhou, who had a good relationship with Kong Rong, also stood up to express his support upon seeing Kong Rong leave.
The Yuan family, four generations of high-ranking officials?
Sorry, that was in the past. If the Yuan family can't break through Hangu Pass now, they're nothing but a joke!
Sun Jian looked around at his colleagues, his bandage still bandaged and soaked with blood: "Alliance Leader, we were ambushed last night while supporting Lord Kong, and we've suffered heavy casualties. Please allow us to rest in the rear. After we've rested, we'll fight Lu Ming again!"
"Yes."
Yuan Shao knew this wasn't the time to refuse. Judging from the other's demeanor, he wasn't lying. He still held Sun Jian in some contempt, simply because the other was a warrior.
Although Sun Jian claimed to be a descendant of Sun Tzu, the founder of Sun Tzu's Art of War,
that the era was too long to verify, and who knows if it was true?
"The Marquis of Wucheng is very kind. Guards, escort the Marquis of Wucheng away and summon the best physician to treat him. Gentlemen, anyone who wishes to withdraw, please speak up. I will certainly report today's events to the court and inform His Majesty."