Three Kingdoms: Intercepting Liu Bei's forces and marrying Lady Mi.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his body was torn to pieces by five warhorses.

Only a mutilated corpse remained on the ground, with blood flowing continuously.

Zhang Rang turned to look at Tang Zhou, whose face was pale.

"See? This is what happens to traitors."

"If you know the truth, tell me immediately, and you might save your life!"

Zhang Rang threatened sternly.

Seeing Ma Yuanyi's miserable state, Tang Zhou's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"I said, I confessed everything!"

Tang Zhou swallowed hard and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Besides Ma Yuanyi, more than a thousand other Taiping Dao followers were also executed.

The eunuchs Feng Xu and Xu Feng were discovered because of Tang Zhou's betrayal and were eventually executed.

The news quickly reached Zhang Jiao.

……

Jizhou, Julu!

Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban followers gathered here, all wearing yellow turbans, creating a massive spectacle.

On the high platform, Zhang Jiao, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe and holding a nine-section staff, stood majestically.

His younger brothers, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, stood on either side of him, their expressions serious.

"The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

"In the year of Jiazi, great fortune will befall the world!"

"Today, the Azure Heaven is dead; we, the Yellow Heaven, will surely take its place!"

"This tyrannical ruler is cruel and disregards the lives of the people. We must overthrow his tyranny and establish a new dynasty!"

Zhang Jiao brandished his nine-section staff from the high platform, his voice booming.

Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers below the stage raised their weapons and shouted along with Zhang Jiao, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

……

February 184 AD.

Because Ma Yuanyi was killed and the uprising plan was leaked, Zhang Jiao launched the uprising in Julu ahead of schedule.

Soon, all eight provinces of the land responded, and a million-strong Yellow Turban army swept through the various provinces and counties.

The ranks of those wearing yellow turbans ranged from a few thousand to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.

They conquered cities and seized land with unstoppable momentum, and the flames of war spread rapidly, plunging the world into chaos.

Memorials requesting aid after defeat continued to arrive in Luoyang.

Zhang Jiao was able to instigate such a massive rebellion.

Jizhou was where Zhang Jiao started his rebellion, and it was surrounded by heavy troops.

This is Zhang Jiao's stronghold, where elite Yellow Turban troops are stationed.

The corrupt government was no match for them.

The government troops fled at the first sign of trouble, abandoning their armor and weapons, and several counties in Jizhou were quickly occupied by the Yellow Turban army.

In order to preserve his throne, Liu Hong was forced to lift the ban on political factions and adopt Huangfu Song's advice.

He also called on local powerful families to recruit private armies to fight against the Yellow Turbans.

This practice sowed the seeds for future warlordism.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong dispatched Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song to suppress the Yellow Turbans in three separate routes.

He promoted He Jin to the rank of Grand General and set up eight passes around Luoyang to protect the capital.

Liu Yi, from Zhuo County in Youzhou, stood on the city wall, gazing at the Yellow Turban Army that covered the mountains and plains.

"The Yellow Turbans are here! Chaos has truly arrived!"

In the early stages of Zhang Jiao's uprising, apart from the main Yellow Turban force already organized in Jizhou, the Yellow Turban army in other regions was still in a state of sporadic gathering.

If the local forces possess strong military strength, they can take the initiative to launch attacks and defeat the Yellow Turban forces that have not yet formed a significant force.

However, due to the weakness of local military forces at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, this opportunity was missed.

As the capital of Youzhou Commandery, Ji County became the primary target of the Yellow Turban Army.

Deng Mao has been killed in action, but Cheng Zhiyuan is still alive.

After recruiting his followers, Cheng Zhiyuan led over 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers straight to Ji County, his spearhead aimed directly at the capital of Youzhou.

When Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, and Liu Wei, the prefect, learned of the news, they were in a panic.

Inside the governor's mansion in Ji County, Guo Xun paced anxiously, while Liu Wei wore a worried expression.

The garrison in Jixian City numbered less than a thousand, and was unable to withstand the fierce attack of tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers.

In addition, the two men embezzled military funds, were ignorant of military strategy, and did not know how to deploy troops.

With 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers pressing in, the two were completely panicked and had no idea what to do.

"Your Excellency, pacing back and forth like this is useless. We must immediately discuss how to repel the enemy."

Liu Wei stared at Guo Xun with a worried expression.

Guo Xun sighed, "What good ideas do I have? The imperial reinforcements simply won't come."

"Even if reinforcements arrive, they will first go to pacify Ji Province."

"I have already sent people to ask for help, but it's too late to help in this situation."

Guo Xun paced anxiously in circles, extremely agitated.

"So we can only wait to die, until the city falls and everyone is dead?"

Liu Wei felt particularly aggrieved thinking about how he hadn't spent the gold and silver he had amassed, nor had he enjoyed any comforts in Luoyang.

I shouldn't have come to Youzhou.

The situation is so chaotic now that the emperor has no control over it.

The Yellow Turban Army was so powerful that all the towns and cities were terrified of them.

There were fewer than a thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers in Jixian City, which was far from enough to hold the city.

"I just remembered something."

Guo Xun walked to the desk, searched through the documents, and took out a document.

This is an official document from Chen Xin, the magistrate of Zhuojun County.

Chen Xin was a descendant of the Chen clan, a prominent family in Yingchuan, which is why Guo Xun noticed him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even pay attention to a county magistrate's clerk.

Guo Xun unfolded the document, and as the contents reappeared, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Look at this."

Guo Xun handed the document to Prefect Liu Wei.

Liu Wei frowned and glanced at it.

The letter mentioned rampant banditry, and Chen Xin wanted to organize a county army to suppress the bandits, planning to recruit a thousand men.

According to the rules, Guo Xun would never approve it.

This is clearly an attempt to ask for money.

Guo Xun would never allow anyone to touch his money, so he was prepared to refuse.

Chen Xin made no mention of the money in the document.

Guo Xun immediately agreed because Chen Xin came from a prominent family in Yingchuan.

More than a month has passed since this incident.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei's eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "Does Your Excellency mean that Chen Xin already has an army capable of fighting?"

Guo Xun nodded in confirmation.

"Very good!"

Liu Wei stood up excitedly, slammed his fist on the table, and said, "I will immediately order Chen Xin to bring the county troops to Ji County to provide support."

"By the way, I've also heard that the Chief Administrator of the Shu Kingdom in Liaodong is a formidable general. He commands a very brave cavalry force. Why don't we transfer him here as well?"

"Are you referring to Gongsun Bogui, the son-in-law of the Prefect of Zhuojun?"

Guo Xun asked.

Liu Wei nodded and said, "That's him. I heard he's incredibly brave!"

"Alright, immediately send a messenger to order Chen Xin of Zhuo County to lead his old troops to reinforce the area."

"At the same time, immediately summon Gongsun Zan to Ji County and mobilize the people of the city to defend it!"

Guo Xun seized the last opportunity and acted immediately.

……

Ji County and Zhuo County are very close, and letters can be exchanged quickly.

Guo Xun's letter was immediately delivered to Chen Xin.

Inside Zhuo County, Chen Xin was putting on his new armor.

Chen Ming was also wearing silver armor and a white cloak in the room.

"Yun Qing is right. Guo Xun and Prefect Liu Wei jointly requested assistance."

Chen Xin handed the letter to Chen Ming.

After reading it, Chen Ming's lips curled up in a smile.

"Father, if we don't send troops, Ji County will fall within ten days!"

Chen Xin looked at Chen Ming and said.

"So tell me, should we send troops or remain inactive?"

"We must provide support, but the recipients of that support are definitely not Guo Xun and Liu Wei!"

"These two are only interested in corruption and breaking the law, they have no regard for the common people at all, they should be executed!"

The people of Jixian are completely innocent, and our army must win a battle to boost morale!

Chen Ming squinted and spoke slowly.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

Chen Xin nodded slightly.

Guo Xun and Liu Wei must die.

If these two are not eliminated, I will be unable to realize my ambitions in Youzhou.

Chen Ming made up his mind.

In 1512 AD, an army was slowly advancing on the official road from Zhuojun to Jixian.

This army of over a thousand men was led by Chen Xin.

Chen Ming served as the vanguard cavalry general, commanding approximately two hundred cavalrymen.

Thirty of them were elite cavalrymen he had personally recruited.

These cavalrymen were equipped with their own warhorses, armor, and weapons when they enlisted.

Each cavalryman rode a jet-black steed and wore dark armor.