Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 7: Siege of the City
In August of autumn, the sky is gloomy.

"Poof!" "Poof!"

Ladders leaning against the wall were constantly pushed down, and the people on the ladders fell to the ground. They were trampled in the chaos, struggled for a few times, and soon became silent.

"Whizzing!"

The rain of arrows from the top of the city never stopped. The farmer who was not wearing armor and holding a hoe was pierced through the chest by an arrow. He fell to the ground with blood foaming from his mouth. Before he died, he subconsciously glanced at the dense dark clouds.

The shouts and cries of killing were deafening, and the fighting on the entire battlefield did not stop even though anyone died.

The attackers wore less armor, and those who were shot by arrows screamed in pain and fell to the ground miserably.

There was a battle in front of the city, with blood flowing everywhere.

At this moment, the dull sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded behind the Yellow Turban Army.

The Yellow Turbans turned their heads to look back and saw that the armored cavalry, who had no traps or chevaux de frise to stop or delay them, had already charged fiercely into their rear formation and headed straight for the plain-colored flags.

There was a flag decorated with ivory, and on it were written in large characters: "Thirty-six Directions Commander Cheng".

It is the banner of their "Fang" leader.

The cavalry general at the front, wearing iron armor and holding a lance, led the way. When the weapons engaged in close combat, no one could stop him.

The knights in the Yellow Turbans' central army were unable to stop the brave cavalry generals on the opposite side and were all stabbed and fell off their horses.

Seeing the cavalry approaching, they let out a shout, finally unable to bear the pressure, and the Yellow Turban army scattered in panic. A few of their trusted followers, accompanied by their leader, rode away in a panic.

The army formation became chaotic without anyone giving orders. Zhao Yun caught up with the unlucky man who was running for his life while still carrying the flag on his back, and stabbed him to death with a spear.

He seized the flag and threw it to the ground, shouting, "The Yellow Turban leader is dead!"

The other cavalrymen also shouted along with their commander.

In the chaotic battlefield, the shouts were getting louder and louder. The Yellow Turban Army who were attacking the city at the front heard the shouting from behind and looked around, and sure enough, they could not see the Yaqi.

When they were at a loss, their colleagues had already skillfully discarded their armor and weapons, took off their weapons and threw them away, and fled in the opposite direction without looking back.

The new soldiers seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and they followed suit and scattered like birds and beasts.

Only those who were close to the Han cavalry and had no time to escape could only kneel on the ground and beg for surrender to save their lives.

The county magistrate of Zhucheng, who had hurried to the top of the city wall, witnessed this scene with his eyes wide open in disbelief. The city was under siege and even the county magistrate was killed by a stray arrow.

The Yellow Turban Army, which almost succeeded, was defeated so easily?

However, only a few hundred cavalrymen defeated thousands of people. Could such a strong army be the reinforcements from Youzhou?
The county magistrate was hesitating whether to open the city gates and accept reinforcements into the city. Since ancient times, soldiers and bandits have been like combs, and the imperial court's army is not necessarily better than the Yellow Turban bandits.

Not to mention those far away, even the Han army under Dong Zhuo, who was nearby, not only robbed property but also raped women everywhere.

He also wantonly killed innocent people to claim credit for his achievements, falsely claiming to have defeated the Guandong coalition forces, hanging the heads of civilians on the shafts of his carts, singing triumphant songs, and returning to Luoyang, claiming, "We have defeated the rebels and won a great victory."

Youzhou is close to the border and is mixed with the Xianbei and Wuhuan. The place where they grew up is no different from Liang and Bingzhou, so they are afraid that the soldiers will be barbaric by nature.

What if we let them into the city and cause trouble?

But if they didn't let go, they were afraid that the "Youzhou Army" would get furious and leave directly.

The Yellow Turban bandits turned back, and with only their own wounded and disorganized troops and the frightened county soldiers, they were completely unable to defend the city.

After taking over the city, the Yellow Turban bandits would probably not let any of the powerful people in the county, including him, the county magistrate, go.

The county magistrate was caught in a dilemma and could not make a decision for a while. He could not help cursing in his heart, "Unfortunate county magistrate. You just died in the battle, but I have many more problems to consider."

Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided to let reinforcements into the city. He agreed to whatever they requested.

As for other people, he couldn't care less. He had to save his own life first. At least if he cooperated well, the Han army would definitely not kill him.

It is hard to say about the Yellow Turban bandits. Before attacking the city, they threatened everyone in the county to quickly kill the county magistrate and the county magistrate, open the gates to welcome the Yellow Turban army, and promise not to carry out other killings.

It was only because he and the county magistrate had been in office for many years and had great prestige that these people did not dare to act rashly.

Otherwise, he would have been forced to surrender his head long ago, and there would have been no chance for reinforcements to arrive.

Suddenly, the battlefield changed again.

As the drums beat, the neatly-arranged troops slowly approached.

Wearing iron-black armor, holding a spear, and with a murderous aura, he led the way.

Behind him followed an archer carrying a ring-handled sword with a sharp blade on one side and a straight handle at the end. He had a bow and arrow on his right waist and was able to move forward and backward.

Each army formation had its own flag, and during the march, the soldiers were in good order. The captains and military commanders each led their troops to provide cover in turns without leaving any flaws, and even if they were suddenly attacked, they could defend themselves in time.

Behind them was a wagon camp carrying military supplies and baggage, pushed by auxiliary soldiers.

When Liu Bei arrived outside the city of Jinan, the battlefield had returned to calm. All he saw were the corpses of the Yellow Turbans scattered all over the ground and the surrendered soldiers squatting on the ground in panic.

As he expected, the Yellow Turban Army rose up too quickly, and although they had a large number of people, they were like a pile of loose sand without many backbones, just like before.

Most of them were civilians who were coerced, which led to the defeat in one blow. If it was the Yellow Turban Army that started the uprising, they would never expose their backs so easily.

The central army must be placed in the most important position of the entire army, and must be particularly vigilant. The central army will not become the rear army during a battle and ignore the enemies that may appear behind them.

After the patrolling scouts in the distance were shot and killed, they became blind, and the commander was stabbed in the vitals by the pole.

The Yellow Turbans' leader was very amateurish in his use of troops and had no plan at all.

It shouldn't be the ones he is familiar with, maybe it's the new commander.

Otherwise, Liu Bei would not have burst into laughter and said to his generals after his scouts got the news: "The siege of the city can be lifted immediately!"

He immediately ordered Zhao Yun to lead the cavalry to charge the enemy commander.

Zhao Yun did not disappoint his expectations and completed the task successfully.

When the surrendering soldiers heard the footsteps, they couldn't help but look up, but they just looked once and didn't dare to look again.

The head lowered even more.

What did they see?
The armored infantry that appeared behind slowly and methodically approached the top of the city.

It became increasingly clear that many people's armor was still stained with blood, and in the gaps between some people's armor there was flesh and tissue of unknown individuals.

Maybe he came all the way here to kill me?!
A large crimson banner was held high in the battle formation, with the characters "Prime Minister Liu of Pingyuan" engraved on it in large letters.

The county magistrate on the city wall and the survivors were extremely shocked. How could their Qingzhou have such a strong army equipped with armor and weapons and capable of fighting?
The county magistrate wondered, could it be Liu Xuande from Pingyuan County who came?
I heard that this man is quite capable of leading troops and had wiped out the Yellow Turban bandits in the past.

There are chaos everywhere at the moment, and Pingyuan County is the closest to Jinan State. If reinforcements come quickly, they should be from Pingyuan County.

But when did Liu Xuande become the Prime Minister of Pingyuan? Wasn’t it Liu Ji before?

(End of this chapter)