Toward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty （25-220）， state power fell into Dong Zhuos hand， a very cruel and manipulating person. Yuan Shao， the leader of an opposition force， led a punitive expedition to Loyang， the capital. Dong Zhuo sent a very battlewise general named Hua Xiong to meet sent a very battlewise general named Hua Xiong to meet the expedition army. Hua killed several generals in run from Yuan Shaos side. Guan Yu volnteered to meet Hua Xiong， saying if he failed to kill him he would kill himself. At this， Cao Cao， in admiration， poured a cup of heated wine for Guan Yu for encouragement. But Guan said， Keep the cup here until I come back. When Guan Yu returned with Hua Xiongs head， the wine in the cup was still warm. Dong Zhuo was alarmed at the news that his brave general Hua Xiong had been killed.
He dispatched L Bu with 150，000 troops to guard the Hulao Pass outside the capital. Yuan Shao sent eight armies to attack. When the two sides met， no generals from Yuan Shaos side seemed able to withstand L Bu； several generals had been killed by him. Zhang Fei charged L Bu， but after fifty rounds of fierce combats he still did not succeed. At the sight of his sworn brother Zhang Fei unable to gain an upper hand， Guan Yu lifted his crescent-moon shaped sword to join the battle. After thirty more rounds， hteir elder sworn brother， Liu Bei unsheathed his sword and charged up too. The three brothers closed in. This proved too much for L Bu， who feigned a lance attack and while one of the three dodged， ran back to Hulao Pass for his dear life.
东汉末年，董卓把持朝政，凶狠专横。各诸侯，举袁绍为盟主，带各路兵马杀向洛阳，讨伐董贼。董卓派华雄迎战，连杀数将。关羽立下军令状，愿去斩华雄的首级。曹操佩服关羽，敬一杯热酒，关羽说： 酒先放在这里，我去战罢再喝。说完，拍马出阵。当关羽提华雄人头进帐时，那杯酒还微微烫手。董卓听说华雄被杀，派吕布领十五万兵驻守洛阳城外的虎牢关。袁绍派八路大军前去攻打。虎牢关下吕布连杀数位将领。这时，张飞冲杀上去，连战五十回合。关羽见张飞胜不了吕布，便舞动青龙偃月宝刀前去助战。
三匹战马，丁字摆开，厮杀三十回合，仍胜不了吕布。刘备见状掣宝剑，骑黄鬃马斜刺过来，三个人把吕布围在当中，走马灯般的轮流厮杀，吕布毕竟难敌三人，渐渐觉得难以招架，便朝刘备虚晃一戟，拍马冲出了包围圈逃回虎牢关。