Han Ji

"That man riding the black horse is probably Chen Bai."

Zhang Fei's eyes reddened: "Brother, let's do it!"

Guan Yu held him down: "I'll follow my brother's orders."

Liu Bei surveyed the terrain. To the east of the village was a forest, and to the west, a dried-up ditch. The main force of the Yellow Turbans was concentrated in the threshing ground, with only scattered sentries on the outskirts.

"Yun Chang, take three hundred cavalry and maneuver around them from the eastern woods to cut off their retreat."

"promise."

"Yide, take two hundred cavalry and charge straight into the threshing ground. Target the man on the black horse."

"Yes, sir!"

"The rest of you, follow me, sneak in from the western ditch, and wait for Yide to make his move before we all charge out."

"yes!"

Split up.

Guan Yu led his troops silently down the slope and disappeared into the woods. Zhang Fei licked his lips and gripped his eighteen-foot spear tightly. Liu Bei led the remaining men, creeping forward along the shadows of the ditch.

When they were three hundred paces away, Chen Bai, who was on the threshing ground, seemed to notice something and looked up in their direction.

"Kill!" Zhang Fei leaped up and mounted his horse.

Two hundred riders swept down the slope like a black torrent.

The Yellow Turbans were thrown into chaos.

Chen Bai reacted swiftly, drawing his sword and shouting, "Form ranks! Form ranks!"

But it was too late. Zhang Fei charged ahead, his spear flashing, sweeping away the first two Yellow Turban rebels. The cavalry followed closely, crashing into the crowd and cutting them down like vegetables.

Liu Bei drew his sword: "Kill!"

Five hundred riders rushed out of the ditch and cut off the Yellow Turban army in half.

The battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

The Yellow Turbans were not a regular army to begin with, and they were immediately routed by the cavalry charge. Some fled to the villages, while others fled into the fields.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Chen Bai turned his horse to leave.

A lone rider in green emerged from the woods on the side.

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade trailing behind him, his horse's hooves kicking up mud. When they were twenty paces apart, he raised his blade, drawing a streak of green light.

Chen Bai raised his knife to parry.

"clang!"

A deafening crash. Chen Bai's knife flew from his hand, his tiger's mouth split open. He looked up in horror and saw a crimson face and eyes as cold as ice.

The second strike landed.

A head flew off, and blood spurted ten feet high.

Guan Yu reined in his horse, a severed head impaled on the tip of his blade, and shouted, "The bandit leader has been slain! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The Yellow Turbans, who were still resisting, were stunned for a moment, and then threw down their weapons.

Zhang Fei, caught up in the killing frenzy, wanted to pursue the fleeing soldiers, but Liu Bei stopped him, shouting, "Enough!"

The battlefield gradually quieted down.

The villagers stood up tremblingly, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, and then at the government troops on horseback.

An old man walked out shakily, knelt down and kowtowed: "Sir...Sir, save me..."

Liu Bei dismounted and helped him up, saying, "Please rise, old man. The imperial army has arrived, and Wen County can be recaptured today."

The old man wept uncontrollably.

A headcount of the battlefield was taken. One hundred and twenty-seven were beheaded, and over three hundred were captured. Eleven government troops suffered minor wounds, with no fatalities.

Jian Yong led his men to appease the villagers and distribute dry rations. They then pursued and captured several dozen more deserters.

Zhang Fei returned carrying Chen Bai's armor, grinning, "Brother, this armor is alright, want it?"

"Keep it," Liu Bei said, looking at the prisoner.

More than three hundred people knelt on the ground, most of them pale and emaciated, with fear in their eyes. Some were weeping softly.

Liu Bei walked over.

"Which of you volunteered to become thieves?"

No one answered.

"Who is being coerced?"

After a moment of silence, a boy raised his hand, his voice trembling: "I... I was captured. They killed my father..."

Then, people started raising their hands.

Of the more than 300 people, more than 200 raised their hands.

Liu Bei nodded and said to Jian Yong, "Register your names and hometowns. Those who wish to return home will be given grain and dismissed. Those who do not wish to leave will be incorporated into the auxiliary troops. They will not carry weapons and will only be responsible for transporting grain, digging trenches, and building camps."

Jian Yong noted it down.

One of the prisoners suddenly looked up: "General...you're not going to kill us?"

"The court only punishes the ringleaders," Liu Bei said, looking at him. "If you wish to become good citizens again, you can leave now."

The prisoner paused for a moment, then suddenly kowtowed, his forehead slamming onto the ground with a loud thud.

Liu Bei turned and walked away.

Guan Yu caught up and whispered, "Brother, among these people, there's no guarantee that none of them are feigning surrender."

"I know," Liu Bei said, "that's why I only made them auxiliary soldiers and sent people to keep an eye on them. But at least, we have to give them a way out."

He looked out at the fields. The winter wheat had just turned green, but it was trampled into a mess by the horses' hooves.

"This world drives people to thievery," he said. "We need to help people start anew."

Zhang Fei scratched his head: "Brother, you really do speak in a very literary way."

Guan Yu glared at him, but a smile appeared in his eyes.

That night, the army entered Wen County.

The county town was half deserted, with the remaining residents hiding in their homes, their terrified eyes peeking through the cracks in their doors. Liu Bei ordered a strict ban on disturbing the people, and all the soldiers were stationed in the old camp outside the city.

Inside the county government office, Liu Bei looked at the map.

Wen County has been captured; the next stop is Heyang, a key town on the north bank of the Yellow River ferry, where Zhao Hong has deployed his defenses.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Lu Zhi entered.

"Well done." Lu Zhi sat down. "With Chen Bai dead, the Yellow Turbans in Hanoi are terrified. Zhao Hong should be feeling uneasy now."

"The students plan to march on Heyang tomorrow."

"No," Lu Zhi shook his head, "Wait two more days."

Why?

"Let the news travel for a while." Lu Zhi tapped the map with his fingers. "What will Zhao Hong think when he learns that Chen Bai's entire army has been wiped out? He will strengthen the city's defenses and ask Zhang Jiao for help, but we will deliberately not attack Heyang."

Liu Bei understood: "Attack Huaicheng?"

"That's right." Lu Zhi smiled. "Huaicheng is the capital of the prefecture, and Zhao Hong will definitely come to its aid. If he comes out of the city to rescue it, we will ambush him on the way. If he dares not come to its aid, the morale of the Huaicheng garrison will collapse when they see him standing by and watching them die."

"Encircle and attack reinforcements."

"Exactly."

Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bei with satisfaction in his eyes: "Xuande, you've grown up very quickly."

"It's all thanks to the teachers' excellent instruction."

"No," Lu Zhi shook his head, "it was you who had the intention."

He got up and walked to the window, looking at the night outside: "In this chaotic world, we need people with heart. Only with heart can we see the suffering of the people and know how to fight a war."

Liu Bei remained silent.

"Go and rest," Lu Zhi waved his hand. "We'll set off the day after tomorrow, heading straight for Huaicheng."

"Yes."

As Liu Bei left the county government office, he saw Guan Yu wiping his sword in the courtyard. Zhang Fei was bathing by the well, shirtless, the cold water pouring down on him, steam rising from his body. Jian Yong and Qian Zhao were checking the grain registers, arguing quietly about something. Zhang Wu, holding his spear, leaned against a pillar and dozed off.

Liu Bei walked over and patted Zhang Wu on the shoulder.

Zhang Wu woke up with a start: "Big Brother!"

"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch tonight."

"That won't do..."

"This is a military order."

Zhang Wu scratched his head and left.

Liu Bei sat down by the well. Zhang Fei leaned over and offered him a ladle of water: "Brother, would you like a drink?"

Liu Bei took it, drank a sip; it was cold, but it quenched his thirst.

Previously, he had only killed barbarians; now he was killing his own people. Liu Bei's modern soul found it hard to accept this.

"Yide".

"Why."

"Do you think we can win?"

Zhang Fei was taken aback for a moment, then grinned: "Of course we can! With Guan Yu, me, Zijingxian and Old Zhang, and you, Big Brother, in command, the Yellow Turbans are nothing!"

After wiping his sword, Guan Yu sheathed it and sat down.

"My older brother is worried," he said.