Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Dong Zhuo glared at him and said, "Sue for peace? Do you think Liu Ce would agree to that?"

Li Ru fell silent.

He also knew that Liu Ce was determined to wipe them all out this time, so how could he possibly agree to a peace treaty?

Dong Zhuo was trapped in Hulao Pass, like a turtle in a jar.

They didn't even dare to leave the city gates, let alone run away.

...

The Second Army, led by Xu Da and Li Ji, was characterized by its strategy of "doing big things quietly".

When they made their move, they wiped out Dong Zhuo's entire stronghold, sealing off even the last possible escape route.

The two had clearly divided their tasks before setting off:

Xu Da and Yuchi Gong led 10,000 cavalrymen on a surprise attack on Luoyang, traveling day and night.

After all, Dong Zhuo's main force was all at Hulao Pass, and Luoyang was as empty as an unlocked house, ready to collapse at the slightest push.

Li Ji, Qin Qiong, Yuwen Chengdu, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong led the main force straight to Hangu Pass, securing this only natural barrier between Luoyang and Chang'an, completely cutting off Dong Zhuo's escape route to the west, and keeping an eye on the heavy troops in Chang'an to prevent them from coming out to reinforce.

For Xu Da, attacking the undefended Luoyang would be a piece of cake.

Furthermore, there were Imperial Guards in Luoyang acting as inside agents.

The general defending Luoyang was Dong Min (in the novel version), a complete incompetent fool.

He thought that with Dong Zhuo blocking the way at Hulao Pass, Luoyang was perfectly safe, so he spent his days drinking and chasing women in the city, and he didn't even bother to check the city gate guards.

Taking advantage of the early morning hours, when it was darkest and people were most tired, Xu Da led his troops to sneak out of Luoyang.

The Imperial Guards had already infiltrated the city's defense forces.

They sneaked up to the city wall and slit the throats of the sleeping guards one by one, their movements swift and clean, without making a sound.

Then, the city gate was quietly opened.

Xu Da and Yuchi Gong waved their hands, and ten thousand cavalrymen surged into Luoyang like a tide!

The sound of horses' hooves awakened the sleeping city of Luoyang. The people huddled in their houses, trembling with fear, not knowing what had happened.

Dong Min was still in bed dreaming sweet dreams with his concubine when suddenly the door was kicked open, and several fierce soldiers rushed in and dragged him out of bed.

"What are you doing! I am Dong Xiangguo's younger brother! How dare you arrest me?"

The soldier, not wanting to waste words, slapped him across the face: "That's who we're after!"

Dong Min, naked from the waist down, trembled and cried, "Spare me...spare me! I surrender! I surrender!"

The soldiers ignored him, tied him up, and threw him aside.

Xu Da entered Luoyang and accomplished three things clearly:

First, seize the palace and firmly grasp the Imperial Seal of the State. That is the symbol of the emperor; whoever obtains it will have the right to rule.

Secondly, he sealed off Dong Zhuo's treasury and family property... The treasury was filled with mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, all of which were the ill-gotten gains Dong Zhuo had plundered from the people of Luoyang. Xu Da didn't touch a single hair; everything was sealed away, awaiting Liu Ce's disposal.

Third, they seized all the passes from Luoyang to Hulao Pass. They dispatched fast horses to set up roadblocks along the way, completely cutting off Dong Zhuo's hopes of returning to Luoyang.

The whole process took less than half a day, and Luoyang changed hands without even causing a ripple.

The people of Luoyang only noticed after daybreak: Hey? The flags on the city walls have been changed? There seemed to be some commotion last night?

They were stunned for a moment, then burst into thunderous cheers!

"The Prince of Yan is here! The Prince of Yan has come to our rescue!"

"That treacherous dog Dong Zhuo is finally gone!"

"Long live the Prince of Yan!"

......

The streets were filled with cheers, even more lively than during the Lunar New Year.

...

At the same time, Li Ji led the main force straight to Hangu Pass.

Hangu Pass is a natural fortress.

One man can hold the pass against ten thousand.

The pass is flanked by steep mountain walls, with a narrow passage in the middle. The gate is built at the narrowest point, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Dong Zhuo originally left a considerable number of troops here to guard the area, led by his generals Li Su and others.

When Li Ji arrived at the pass, he looked up at the towering walls.

Li Su stood on the pass, looking down at the dark mass of Youzhou soldiers, and felt a little panicked.

But he still gritted his teeth and shouted, "Who goes there! This is a natural fortress; you cannot take it! Retreat now, or I will spare your lives!"

Li Ji, too lazy to waste words with him, waved his hand and said, "Attack the city!"

The soldiers of the Second Army were all fully armored and well-equipped, and they were not afraid at all.

They also brought a full range of siege equipment, including ladders, battering rams, and catapults.

Most importantly, there's Qin Qiong, who's incredibly powerful.

Who is Qin Qiong?

That's a ruthless person who can collect "first to storm, break through enemy lines, kill generals, and seize flags" like stamps.

As soon as the siege began, Qin Qiong led a team of elite soldiers, braving a hail of arrows, and charged directly onto the city wall.

When Li Su saw this scene from the pass, he almost burst out laughing and said, "Are these people crazy? They dare to charge through Hangu Pass?"

He ordered the arrows to be fired.

Arrows rained down on Qin Qiong's troops.

But Qin Qiong's soldiers were all clad in gleaming armor, which ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate at all! With a series of clanging sounds, all the arrows were deflected, and surprisingly, very few of them were injured.

Qin Qiong took the lead, rushed to the pass, and climbed up the cloud ladder.

The people behind them rushed upwards.

Li Su was stunned and shouted, "Rolling logs! Bouldering stones! Smash them!"

The guards above threw logs and stones down, but he dodged left and right and managed to avoid being hit.

Halfway up the ladder, a large rock came crashing down. He dodged to the side, and the rock grazed his shoulder as it struck down, knocking a soldier behind him off the ladder.

Qin Qiong gritted his teeth and continued climbing.

Finally, he was the first to rush onto the city wall!

He went up and started smashing everything in sight, swinging his double maces like windmills, injuring or killing the guards around him who were touched.

As he hacked away, he shouted, "Qin Qiong is here! Who dares to stop me!"

The defending soldiers were terrified by his killings and retreated in droves.

People kept climbing up, and the gap in the city wall grew wider and wider.

Li Su looked on, his face turning pale.

"Fire arrows! Shoot him dead!"

The archers aimed at Qin Qiong and fired a barrage of arrows.

Qin Qiong grabbed the corpse of a garrison soldier as a shield to block the rain of arrows and continued charging forward.

The soldiers behind them swarmed forward and engaged the defending troops in a fierce battle.

Li Ji, watching from below, said to Yuwen Chengdu, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong, "It's your turn."

The three men, leading their large army, charged forward.

Yuwen Chengdu swung his phoenix-winged gilded halberd, smashing a whole bunch of things with each swing.

Cheng Yaojin's three-strike axe can bring down anyone he strikes.

Huang Zhong's arrows were incredibly accurate, hitting their mark every time.

Half a day later, Hangu Pass fell.

Li Su was beheaded by Qin Qiong, and the defending troops were either killed or surrendered...

Li Ji occupied Hangu Pass, closed the gates, and had them guarded tightly.

Let alone Dong Zhuo's men, not even a fly could get past them.

When Li Jue of Chang'an heard that Dong Zhuo was besieged, he led tens of thousands of Xiliang troops to come out and reinforce him.

He thought: Hangu Pass is guarded by our people, so it should be fine.

As soon as they arrived at Hangu Pass, they saw that the flags on the pass had been changed.

A large flag bearing the character "Liu" fluttered in the wind.

Li Jue was stunned and asked, "What's going on?"

Before he could react, arrows rained down from the slit.

Huang Zhong personally commanded the archers, and thousands of powerful crossbows fired simultaneously, the arrows swarming towards the Xiliang army like locusts.

Caught off guard, the Xiliang army suffered heavy casualties from the arrows, with men and horses falling to the ground.

Li Jue shouted, "Retreat! Retreat now!"