Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

Li Ji's confidence was almost equal to Liu Bei's assurance.

Following Li Ji's suggestion, Liu Bei immediately reported to Yuan Shao and then dispatched Zhang Fei to challenge the enemy at Hulao Pass.

To be on the safe side, Liu Bei also had Zhao Yun and Guan Yu hold the rear.

However, Guan Yu and Zhao Yun were somewhat puzzled by Li Ji's order that only Zhang Fei was allowed to fight, while they could only hold the rear.

It wasn't until Zhang Fei launched his "Skill: Zuan Flame War" in front of Guan Yu and Zhao Yun for the first time that the two, who always adhered to the demeanor of gentlemen, were rendered speechless, feeling their brains buzzing.

Inspired by a certain self-proclaimed gentleman, Zhang Fei undoubtedly went further and further down this path, even reaching a new level.

Abandoning the superficial insults of "unrighteous, unkind, disloyal, and unfilial," he directly targeted Dong Zhuo's family tree.

Starting with Dong Zhuo's parents, he continuously expanded outwards...

Then, he returned to Lu Bu, seemingly proving with reason and evidence that Dong Zhuo was destined to have no children, so he even adopted a three-surname slave as his adopted son, almost attacking Dong Zhuo in a comprehensive and multi-faceted way.

Finally, in front of the assembled heroes and countless soldiers, Zhang Fei even began to study Dong Zhuo's history of success.

He stated that Dong Zhuo's ability to go from a dismissed Commandant to the Governor of Bing Province and the Administrator of Hedong Commandery during the Xiping years was due to Dong Zhuo selling his ass to Yuan Wei, the Minister of Works at the time.

And the reason why Dong Zhuo killed Yuan Wei was likely because he was worried that the story of selling his ass would be exposed...

For a time, the entire battlefield was almost silent, and countless soldiers showed strange expressions, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Not to mention Dong Zhuo, even Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who were originally watching the battle from further behind, turned completely green, trembling with anger!

Yuan Shao, on the verge of vomiting blood, said urgently.

"Nonsense... utter nonsense! My uncle has always been diligent and loyal to the country, how could he have such a relationship with the traitor Dong? Slander! This is slander!"

Yuan Shu even jumped up and down, shouting, "Liu Xuande, what is your intention in instructing Zhang Fei to slander my Yuan family like this? Quickly shut Zhang Fei up!"

Gongsun Zan, who had always been at odds with the Yuan family, said leisurely at this moment.

"It's hard to say whether this is slander or not, after all, the traitor Dong was once an old official of the Yuan family. It's hard to say what he used as a certificate of loyalty to join the Yuan family."

Suddenly, many of the lords who were just preparing to watch the excitement from afar couldn't help but show strange glances in their eyes when they looked at Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

In any case, at least one thing Gongsun Zan said was true, that Dong Zhuo was indeed an old official of the Yuan family.

Back then, Dong Zhuo's ability to go from a dismissed Commandant to the Governor of Bing Province and the Administrator of Hedong Commandery was precisely because Yuan Wei, the Minister of Works, first recruited him as a clerk and then recommended him to the imperial court.

Not many people knew about this, but it was also a fact that could be easily verified.

Now that it was mentioned again, some of the lords couldn't help but have many associations with the Yuan family.

Feeling the suspicious gazes, Yuan Shu drew his sword on the spot in anger and said.

"Gongsun Bogui! Time and time again, you insult my Yuan family, do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Looking at Yuan Shu's amateurish sword-wielding posture, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but smile contemptuously.

With Yuan Shu's level of swordsmanship, Gongsun Zan could easily take on ten of him without any fear.

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Liu Bei, with a gentle and harmless expression, stepped forward and said.

"Everyone, don't be angry. These were originally the words of Yide to provoke the traitor Dong. Why do we, the allied forces, have internal conflicts first?"

After a pause, Liu Bei continued.

"Furthermore, Yuan Wei, the Minister of Works, has a noble character and has recommended countless talents for the Han Dynasty. Naturally, it is inevitable that some people with ulterior motives like the traitor Dong will be mixed in. How can we judge the virtue of our predecessors based on individual cases?"

While Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu within the allied forces were getting anxious because of this, Dong Zhuo in Hulao Pass was so angry that smoke was coming out of his ears, and his fat trembled.

Never before had there been a moment that could make Dong Zhuo so angry for one person!

Even Cao Cao, who had once betrayed and assassinated him, was far less important in Dong Zhuo's heart than Zhang Fei at this moment.

And this only took Zhang Fei less than half an hour!

What was even more hateful was that Zhang Fei's voice was famously thunderous, loud and extremely penetrating, even if he was in Hulao Pass, he could still hear it clearly.

Since Dong Zhuo entered the capital and seized power, deposed and established emperors, slept in the dragon bed, and abused the harem, he had never suffered such humiliation!

Dong Zhuo roared almost hysterically, "Who... who will tear that Yan man's mouth for me? I will reward them handsomely, enfeoff them as a marquis, reward them with ten thousand gold, and a thousand acres of fertile land."

Such a heavy reward almost made the Xiliang fierce generals present instinctively want to step forward.

However, in the past month, Zhang Fei had repeatedly proven his level with his battle achievements, perhaps a bit inferior to Lu Bu, but definitely a fierce general.

Suddenly, many Xiliang fierce generals forcibly retracted their feet that they wanted to step out.

Among the Xiliang fierce generals, Zhang Xiu, who was the youngest, was still a little eager to try.

Even though Zhang Xiu joined Dong Zhuo's command with the help of his uncle Zhang Ji, he was repeatedly looked down upon due to his qualifications and age, which made the self-proclaimed extraordinary Zhang Xiu quite unwilling.

In particular, Zhang Xiu had once seen Zhao Yun's spear techniques from afar and discovered that they came from the same school, and that Zhao Yun might be his junior brother whom he had never met.

Now, even the younger junior brother Zhao Yun had become famous all over the world by fighting with Marquis Wen Lu Bu, which made many thoughts emerge in Zhang Xiu's heart.

Zhang Xiu admitted that Zhang Fei's martial prowess was strong, but Zhang Xiu claimed that he was not much weaker than Zhang Fei.

Moreover, the battlefield is not a comparison of paper data. If Zhang Xiu performed better, he might not be able to defeat Zhang Fei.

Even if he couldn't defeat Zhang Fei, Zhang Xiu believed that he could protect himself and also make a name for himself, letting the people of the world know that there was still a fierce general Zhang Xiu in the Xiliang army.

However, what Zhang Xiu didn't know was that his expression changes were almost completely seen by Zhang Ji. Seeing that Zhang Xiu was about to take the initiative to ask for a battle, Zhang Ji hurriedly stepped forward and said loudly.

"Zhang Ji is willing to fight!"

Zhang Ji's challenge not only stunned Zhang Xiu, but even the other Xiliang fierce generals were greatly surprised.

Zhang Ji's personality was different from the relatively rough and impulsive style of other Xiliang fierce generals. He was usually calm and cautious, and his martial prowess was not particularly outstanding.

Dong Zhuo was also a little surprised and said with suspicion in his tone, "Oh? What if you lose?"

Zhang Ji cupped his fist and said, "The shame of the lord is the death of the subject! That Yan man Zhang Fei has insulted the Chancellor too much. Even if I die, I dare not let him despise my Xiliang!"

In an instant, Dong Zhuo, who was originally extremely angry, showed a trace of appreciation in his eyes and felt great affection for Zhang Ji, who had served under his command for many years, was not outstanding, but rarely made mistakes.

Dong Zhuo said, "Since you have this intention, then let you go out to fight first. If you can defeat that Zhang Fei, I will reward you handsomely."

"Thank you, Chancellor!"

Zhang Ji replied calmly, and then said, "The Kanto rats are very despicable. I wonder if I can have my nephew Zhang Xiu hold the rear?"

Dong Zhuo glanced at Zhang Xiu, looked him up and down, and nodded, "Granted."

Immediately, Zhang Ji cupped his fists towards Dong Zhuo, Li Ru, and the other colleagues, and then led Zhang Xiu down the city tower to prepare for battle.

When they reached the bottom of the city tower, Zhang Xiu couldn't help but ask Zhang Ji.

"Uncle, what is the meaning of this? That Yan man Zhang Fei has the courage of ten thousand men, and I am afraid that uncle is no match for Zhang Fei."

"Then are you Zhang Fei's opponent?"

Zhang Ji asked back, which immediately made Zhang Xiu speechless. After a while, he asked.

"How did uncle know that I wanted to fight?"

Zhang Ji sighed and said, "Xiu'er, you are still too young. Everything is written on your face."

Zhang Xiu's face was a little unconvinced, and he retorted, "Nephew may not be Zhang Fei's opponent. Even if I don't win, I will definitely be able to retreat safely. Uncle might as well let me fight in your place."

"Retreat safely, where to retreat?"

Zhang Ji scolded in a deep voice.

"If the Chancellor is in a good mood, defeat can still be forgiven, but Xiu'er, did you not notice the Chancellor's anger just now? In this situation, even if you retreat safely, the Chancellor will definitely take Xiu'er's head to sacrifice to the flag to vent his anger!"

In an instant, Zhang Xiu's face turned pale, and then he suddenly reacted, looked at Zhang Ji in front of him, and murmured.

"Then uncle..."

"Xiu'er, remember not to be impulsive in the future. I have no son in my life, and I have always regarded you as my own..."

After a pause, Zhang Ji looked around to make sure no one was there, and leaned to Zhang Xiu's ear and whispered.

"The Chancellor is harsh on the living, but quite tolerant and sentimental towards those who die for him. If uncle dies outside the pass today, Xiu'er will surely be treated generously by the Chancellor."

"Moreover, the general trend of the world today is either with the Kanto lords or with the Chancellor. If the Chancellor wins, Xiu'er only needs to act cautiously, and you will have no worries about high officials and generous salaries for the rest of your life..."

"If the Chancellor loses, Xiu'er has not fought as a Xiliang general, and you can still find a good place to settle down in the future."

At this point, Zhang Xiu's eyes were filled with tears, and his heart was twisted, understanding that Zhang Ji was undoubtedly arranging his affairs.

This time, Zhang Ji was determined to die, and he was still dying to protect Zhang Xiu, how could this not make Zhang Xiu feel sad.

Finally, Zhang Ji patted Zhang Xiu's shoulder hard, his always tough expression softened a lot, and said.

"The troubled times are coming, Xiu'er should be more cautious, take care of yourself."

Immediately, Zhang Ji ignored Zhang Xiu, who was standing there in a daze, tears streaming down his face. He strode towards his personal guard, mounted his horse, and took the long spear handed to him by one of his men.

Suddenly snapping out of it, Zhang Xiu rushed towards Zhang Ji, shouting loudly.

"Uncle, wait! Let me fight. I swear, even if it costs me my life, I will kill Zhang Fei..." (End of Chapter)