Battle of Luyang 魯陽之戰

When Emperor Ling died and Dong Zhuo took control of the court's government at will, the provinces and commanderies raised volunteer troops, and Sun Jian, Administrator of Changsha, also raised troops. On his way he killed Wang Rui, Inspector of Jing Province, who had always treated him discourteously, and by the time he neared Nanyang his following numbered tens of thousands. He beheaded at the gate of his camp Zhang Zi, Administrator of Nanyang, who had neither repaired the roads nor provided military supplies, for the crime of holding up the loyalist troops; the whole commandery trembled, and there was nothing Sun Jian asked for that he did not get. Records, Wu 1 §13–14

When Sun Jian reached Luyang and met Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu memorialized making Sun Jian acting General Who Smashes the Caitiffs (polu jiangjun) and concurrently Inspector of Yu Province. Sun Jian put his troops in order at the city of Luyang, and before advancing against Dong Zhuo he had his Chief Clerk Gongqiu Cheng return to the province with troops and attendant officials to hasten the supply of provisions. Records, Wu 1 §15

When a curtained pavilion was set up outside the east gate of the city and a farewell banquet held for Gongqiu Cheng, with all the officials gathered, several dozen light horsemen, the vanguard of the tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry sent by Dong Zhuo, arrived first. Sun Jian went on passing the wine and chatting while ordering his retainers to put their ranks in order and not to move rashly. As more and more horsemen came up behind, Sun Jian calmly ended the banquet and led everyone into the city, and then told those around him that he had not risen at once for fear that the soldiers would trample one another and the guests would be unable to get in. Seeing how very orderly Sun Jian's troops were, Dong Zhuo's soldiers did not dare to attack the city and withdrew. Records, Wu 1 §15–16

Sun Jian afterward moved his garrison east of Liang, was hard pressed by Dong Zhuo's army and broke through the encirclement with a few dozen horsemen, escaping by a byway after putting the red woolen headcloth he always wore on his close officer Zu Mao. Gathering his troops again, he engaged at Yangren, crushed Dong Zhuo's army and beheaded its commander Hua Xiong and others, displaying their heads. Yangren was more than a hundred li from Luyang; when Yuan Shu, swayed by someone who sowed discord, did not send provisions, Sun Jian rode by night to see Yuan Shu and took him to task, and Yuan Shu at once sent the provisions. Records, Wu 1 §16–18

Dong Zhuo, wary of Sun Jian's valor, sent his general Li Jue and others to ask for peace and a marriage alliance, offering to make Sun Jian's sons and younger kinsmen inspectors or administrators, but Sun Jian rejected him, saying that if he could not exterminate Dong Zhuo's three sets of kin he would not close his eyes even in death, and advanced to Dagu, ninety li from Luoyang. When Dong Zhuo went west into Guanzhong and burned Luoyang, Sun Jian entered Luoyang, repaired the imperial tombs and filled in the places Dong Zhuo had dug up, then led his troops back and stayed at Luyang. Records, Wu 1 §19–20