My name is Huang Tian, ​​what the hell is this "Heaven is dead" nonsense?

Chapter 21 The first battle is the decisive battle

The Han army consisted of 40,000 combat soldiers and tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers. They marched along the wide road, with the column stretching for dozens of miles, and the end could not be seen at a glance.

Often, the vanguard would set out for a day, arrive at the next location, and set up camp to rest, while another group of troops would remain at their previous day's encampment and not yet depart.

Being in such a powerful and imposing military unit, everyone felt a strong sense of security.

Only Lu Zhi, Zong Yuan, and other defeated generals felt uneasy, as did Fu Xie, the Protector-General of the Army, who was filled with worry.

Fu Xie was born into the Fu clan of Beidi. He was eight feet tall and had a dignified appearance. He studied under Grand Commandant Liu Kuan and was recommended for the civil service examination.

At the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he happened to be an official in Luoyang and was appointed as the Protector of the Army. He was tasked with suppressing the Yellow Turban Army together with Huangfu Song, the Left General of the Household. Before the expedition, Fu Xie submitted a memorial to Emperor Liu Hong, advising him to stay away from treacherous officials. As a result, he was resented by the eunuch Zhao Zhong.

After the expedition, Fu Xie made many military achievements, especially in the Battle of Cangting in Dongjun, Yanzhou, where Fu Xie's troops killed three Yellow Turban leaders, Bu Si, Zhang Bo, and Liang Zhongning, and he was the one who made the greatest contribution.

Having made such a great contribution, Fu Xie should have been ennobled or at least promoted. However, Zhao Zhong interfered and framed Fu Xie. Liu Hong "still remembered Fu Xie's words," so he did not punish him, but also did not reward him. Instead, he allowed Fu Xie to continue to fight against the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province with Huangfu Song.

Fu Xie did not crave high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, so he had no complaints. However, after arriving in Jizhou, he felt very uneasy.

Because the legend of "Zhonghuang Taiyi descending to earth" was spreading like wildfire in Jizhou, from local governors and clan heads to ordinary soldiers, everyone had heard the rumor that the Yellow Turban Army was protected by immortals and gods.

If that were all, it wouldn't be enough to worry Fu Xie. There are many scoundrels in the world who falsely claim to be immortals or gods, but in the end, they all proved to be fake.
The key point is that the behavior of the Yellow Turban Army in Guangzong was very abnormal.

They clearly had over 50,000 elite troops, plus Zhang Bao's troops from Xiaquyang, totaling 100,000 men, yet they only sent troops to capture Julu County. They showed no desire for territory, remaining calm and composed.

It was as if they were deliberately waiting for the Han army to come to Guangzong to fight them head-on.

This march further solidified Fu Xie's judgment: tens of thousands of Han troops set out from Lie Ren to attack Guang Zong, making a huge commotion, but along the way they only saw a few scattered Yellow Turban cavalrymen. The cavalrymen followed them from a distance without making any attacking moves, their eyes full of disdain.

Fu Xie suppressed his unease and rode his horse to Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan's side.

"Lord Lu, General Zong." Fu Xie bowed respectfully.

The two returned the greeting, and Lu Zhi, noticing the worry on his face, asked, "Nan Rong, are you worried about the upcoming battle?"

Fu Xie nodded, "Could you please ask Lord Lu and General Zong to recount to me in detail the scene of the Yellow Heaven God descending to earth that day?"

Zong Yuan spoke up, "Let me explain..."

He recounted the entire course of the previous Battle of Guangzong in detail, and sighed, "To be honest, Lu Gong and I are not optimistic about this battle. In any war, one must know oneself and one's enemy. Our army knows nothing about Huang Tianshen, and we don't even have a way to deal with him..."

Fu Xie frowned deeply. "General Zong, are you sure you saw a god and not an illusion?"

Zong Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "If there is a trick that can fool tens of thousands of people on the battlefield, then it must be a true magic. Moreover, although I am old, I am not blind. How could I be wrong?"

Fu Xie then asked the question that puzzled him the most: "Since you believe that it was a deity, or even a deity close to the Yellow Turban Army, how were you and Lord Lu able to escape safely?"

Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan were the highest-ranking generals of the Han court in Ji Province at the time. If they were captured or killed, the whole country would be shaken, the prestige of the Han court would be on the verge of collapse, and ambitious people would rise up, which would make it easier for the Yellow Turban Army to gain a foothold in the chaos.

But that "god" just stood by and watched Lu Zhi and the others escape.

Is it because they lack the ability?

Combined with the accounts of Lu Zhi, Zong Yuan, and others, none of them witnessed the gods taking action. Therefore, Huangfu Song, Fu Xie, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and others naturally deduced that the "Yellow Heaven God" did not possess any divine power!
Zong Yuan was speechless.

This was also a point of great confusion for him and Lu Zhi.

Why did God let them go?
Is it because they lack the ability to capture and kill them?
Lu Zhi coughed and said, "If I could understand this point, I would have risked my life to stop Lord Huangfu from sending troops."

'As expected, Lord Lu also had his doubts!'

Fu Xie felt a little more at ease. "I hope the gods are just putting on an act." Lu Zhi said quietly, "I hope so..."

a few days later.

Forty thousand Han soldiers gathered outside Guangzong City, set up camp, erected barricades, and created a deafening commotion.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Guangzong City was not tense. The Yellow Turban soldiers continued to practice their military formations and patrol the city as usual, while the civil officials calmly handled government affairs and logistics.

Only Tian Feng took the initiative to approach Zhang Jiao and offer advice: "Great wise teacher, the enemy army is exhausted from their long journey, their camps are not fortified, and their morale is not stable. We can send an army out of the city to challenge them. If the enemy responds, our army can wait in comfort and easily win. If the enemy does not respond, their morale will be dampened."

Zhang Jiao praised, "Yuan Hao is indeed skilled in military strategy, but there's no need to send troops to challenge him."

"Why?" Tian Feng was taken aback.

"Because tomorrow the entire army will march out to fight a decisive battle with the Han army."

Tian Feng felt a little dizzy.

When two armies clash, they don't even bother with probing; they go straight to a decisive battle.
There's no way wars are fought like this in the world. Throughout history, every siege and defense of a city has dragged on for half a month, a month, or even a year and a half.

"This is the Holy One's will," Zhang Jiao explained.

Tian Feng suddenly realized, "Feng understands."

Having spent so many days in Guangzong, although he had not seen the Yellow Heavenly Saint, he had witnessed "miracles" and knew just how powerful the gods were, so naturally he would not doubt the Saint's arrangements.

The next day, at 9:00 AM.

The sky was azure, with a few wisps of clouds drifting in the wind.

dong dong dong-

Deep, powerful drumbeats echoed from within Guangzong City, followed by the scraping of armor and weapons and the rapid sound of footsteps.

In the Han army camp, Huangfu Song, dressed in black armor and wearing a red cloak, observed the movements of Guangzong City from afar, accompanied by a group of generals and scholars.

"Are these bandits going to come out of the city and fight us?" Dong Zhuo guessed, seeing the crowds on the city wall and the booming drums.

Cao Cao said excitedly, "We were just worried that the walls of Guangzong were too high to be captured. The fact that the E'er bandits dared to come out of the city to fight is exactly what we wanted."

He turned to Huangfu Song and said, "Cao Cao is willing to lead troops into battle to dampen the spirits of the Moth Rebels!"

Huangfu Song raised his hand to stop him, "Don't rush, let's take another look."

Fu Xie warned Cao Cao: "The enemy's initiative to attack may have a scheme; be careful not to fall into a trap."

Cao Cao thought to himself, 'There aren't many strategies in the world. A powerful army is naturally invincible.'

But he couldn't say much at this point, and could only suppress his urge to go to the battlefield and compete for supremacy.

As they spoke, the heavy gates of Guangzong City were slowly pushed open, and countless Yellow Turban soldiers poured out of the city like a tide. They were no longer dressed in only a single garment and carrying farm tools and pitchforks as before, but each of them carried a long spear, and some soldiers were even wearing leather armor and holding swords and shields.

Wave after wave of Yellow Turban soldiers poured in, their ranks seemingly endless. The infantry, marching in orderly formations under the command of their generals, arrayed themselves in several formations outside the city. Thousands of cavalry roared out, stirring up a gust of wind and kicking up clouds of dust.

Immediately afterwards, a large apricot-yellow banner bearing the words "Great Teacher of Virtue" followed Zhang Jiao's chariot as it drove out, and a deafening cheer erupted from the army!
The Yellow Turban Army has mobilized its entire force.

The first battle is the decisive battle!
(End of this chapter)