I had to find another video source.
Because General Sun's army wasn't adequately supplied, they suffer a defeat, leaving the road wide open for Dong Zhuo and his million man march. However, Cao Cao convinces Yuan Shao to instead tell the other lords that Sun had a great victory so no one will lose hope. The Three Musketeers decide to leave the alliance.
Outside the fortress gate, Lu Bu challenges Cao Cao or Yuan Shao to come out for one-to-one battle. And then my second video source goes wanker on me and I'm forced to find a third feed. I think someone's trying to tell me something. Inside the camp the rebel alliance is falling apart. Cao Cao goes to try and convince the Three Musketeers to join his camp but Liu Bei refuses. Cao Cao then warns the brothers that they can't leave anyway as the legendary warrior Lu Bu and his Red Hare horse are outside the gates. What Cao Cao is really doing is egging the brothers to go out and prove themselves in battle with Lu Bu. Liu Bei isn't fooled by Cao Cao but he does agree to send Loudmouth/Zhang Fei out to fight.
What comes next is a pretty epic and protracted action sequence. You really need to watch it. First there is a duel on horseback between Lu Bu ("Bastard of Three Fathers" as Zhang Fei keeps calling him) and Loudmouth. Even the horses are used as weapons, which a well-trained battle horse would have been. But when Lu Bu unseats Zhang Fei and is about to dash his brains in, Longbeard/Guan Yu rides out and interferes. Two against one? Not right. Then Liu Bei decides to join in the action and now it is three against one. Where's the vaunted honor in that? During a break in the fighting Liu Bei complements Lu Bu's fighting skills and tries to convince the young jedi to turn away from the dark side. Lu Bu, with his fabulous Fabio locks flowing in the wind, instead is forced to ride away in defeat.
Cao Cao persuades Yuan Shao that now is the time for everyone to attack Dong Zhuo's troops. Everyone goes rushing out of the fortress. Everyone, that is, except Cao Cao. He hangs back and instructs his brother to gather their troops. They're going to head for the pass and attack the capital themselves. Clever, Cao Cao. Clever. Still, knowing you it won't be long before you do something totally asinine.
The next scene takes us back into the capital. There's old man Wang telling the other ministers about a tremendous battle (that we don't get to see) with the rebels victorious and Dong Zhuo presumed dead. With a light step in his decrepit bones, Wang plans to go tell the Emperor about the latest news, only to be stopped by a eunuch telling him that Dong Zhuo was alive and inside the palace right now. Oh, old man Wang, when will you ever learn to not count your chickens before they hatch?
Dong Zhuo announces his plans to move the Han capital westward to the city of Chang'an. He picks up the child emperor and takes off, setting fire to Luoyang so there will be nothing for the rebels. Cao Cao joins up with General Sun. Sun is frantic to know where Yuan Shao and the rest of the alliance is at. Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot! Cao Cao lays it on smooth that the others are miles away drinking wine while he's the only one who has come to Sun's aid. Cao Cao sways Sun into making his choice that they make a two-fold attack. Sun will march into Luoyang (does he not know about Dong Zhuo's scorched earth policy?) and Cao Cao will pursue Dong Zhuo.
I was teetering on the brink of giving up on this drama but I have to say, if there are more kick-ass action scenes like that horseback duel, I'll stick with it. Still no sign of Ruby Lin. *sigh*
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