Cao Cao failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo, so he fled back to Chenliu, scattered all his wealth, and recruited brave men from the village. He contacted Yuan Shao, and distributed Dong Xiwen to all states and counties, which received responses from all over the world. In the first month of the first year of Chuping (190 A.D.), the eighteen princes, in order to support the Han Dynasty, made an alliance with blood. Yuan Shao ordered his younger brother Yuan Shu, the prefect of Nanyang, to be the governor of food and grass, and Sun Jian, the prefect of Changsha, to lead the army to advance to Sishuiguan.

The Eighteenth Route Army marched into Luoyang, Dong Zhuo sent the brave general Hua Xiong to fight. Yuan Shu was afraid that Sun Jian would take the lead, so he deliberately refused to distribute food and grass, which caused Sun Jian to be defeated. Hua Xiong beheaded several generals including Bao Zhong, Zu Mao, Yu She, and Pan Feng, and the princes of all walks of life were astonished. Guan Yu volunteered to fight, but Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu despised him because of his low status. Cao Cao admired Guan Yu's courage and ordered him to pour a cup of hot wine to embolden Guan Yu. Guan Yu said: "Put down the wine, I will come as soon as I go." He went out of the tent, picked up the knife, and flew away on his horse. There was loud drumming and shouting outside the tent, the princes from all walks of life were in shock and doubt, Guan Yu had brought Hua Xiong's head back to the tent, and the glass of wine was still warm.

Hua Xiong was beheaded, so Dong Zhuo killed Yuan Shao's uncle and Tai Fu, Yuan Kai, and raised an army of 200,000 troops, divided into two groups: one was led by Li Jue and Guo Si to guard Sishui Pass; The main force of 150,000 is stationed at Hulaoguan.

Yuan Shao sent eight princes to Hulao Pass to meet the enemy, and Cao Cao led the army to meet them between the two passes. Lu Bu fought bravely and invincibly, stabbing Fang Yue and Mu Shun to death, beheading Wu Anguo, and defeating Gongsun Zan. Zhang Fei couldn't hold back, he held out his spear and went out to fight. He fought with Lv Bu for fifty rounds, regardless of the outcome. When Guan Yu saw him, he slapped his horse, danced with the eighty-two catties of Qinglong Yanyue knife, and attacked Lu Bu. The three Martins fought, but failed to defeat Lu Bu. Liu Bei, holding his double-strand sword, also came to help. Three brothers surrounded Lu Bu, and the four horses fought together like a revolving lantern. Finally, Lu Bu couldn't resist and was defeated back to Hulao Pass.

The eighteen princes have their own concerns and are suspicious of each other. Lv Bu was newly defeated, and his soldiers had no fighting spirit. Dong Zhuo followed Li Ru's words and led his troops back to Luoyang, where he moved the emperor to Chang'an. Seeing that Dong Zhuoxi was going to Chang'an, Cao Cao asked Yuan Shao to pursue him. Yuan Shao refused to send troops on the grounds that the princes were tired and could not move lightly. Cao Cao walked away in a huff.