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

In order to eliminate the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Huangfu Song submitted a memorial requesting Liu Hong to lift the ban on partisan strife.

He ordered the various prefectures and counties to recruit soldiers and unite with local powerful families to fight against the Yellow Turbans.

The scholars regained their freedom and returned to the imperial court.

Empress He's brother, He Jin, was thus promoted to Grand General, in charge of the national army, and set up eight passes in the capital Luoyang to defend against the Yellow Turbans.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi were appointed as Left General of the Central Army, Right General of the Central Army, and Northern General of the Central Army, respectively, to lead troops to quell the rebellion.

But the provisions were not ready, and the army had not yet set off.

Liu Hong, however, was so anxious that he could hardly sit still.

Every day there were news of defeats in various prefectures and counties, and not a single victory. This situation made Liu Hong very upset.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, Huangfu Song asked Liu Hong to lift the ban on partisans, saying, "The resentment caused by the ban on partisans has been building up for a long time. If we collude with the Yellow Turbans, the country will be in danger."

Fearing this, Liu Hong immediately lifted the ban on political parties and promoted his brother-in-law, He Jin, to balance the power of the literati.

In the imperial court, Yuan Wei, He Jin, and others were present, while a junior eunuch was reading out battle reports and requests for aid from various regions.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, and others were also listening nearby.

"Your Majesty, the battle report from Ji Province has arrived. Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turbans, has besieged Ye City with 150,000 men."

"Bo Cai, the leader of the bandits in Yingchuan, led tens of thousands of men to commit atrocities throughout Yingchuan."

"Zhang Mancheng of Nanyang gathered hundreds of thousands of people and besieged the city of Nanyang completely."

……

"That's enough!"

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Hong flew into a rage.

The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.

"We've suffered defeat after defeat, and every day brings bad news. Is our Han Dynasty really that weak?"

After Liu Hong roared, his face turned red.

His long-term debauchery had completely drained his body.

If the world hadn't been in chaos, Liu Hong would never have been so diligent in his political affairs.

"Isn't there any good news at all?"

Liu Hong stared at the assembled officials and questioned them.

Under their intense gaze, no one dared to speak, and they all lowered their heads.

The once arrogant and domineering Ten Attendants have toned down their arrogance and are now all cautious in their words and actions.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion implicated two eunuchs, and the court demanded their execution to quell public resentment.

As the power of the aristocratic families rose, the eunuch clique led by Zhang Rang began to protect themselves.

Seeing the high-ranking officials bowing their heads in silence, Liu Hong became even angrier.

"Useless, all of them are useless!"

"Urge the supply of provisions; troops must be dispatched within ten days to quell the rebellion."

Liu Hong stared at Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi.

He waved his hand to signal the end of the court session, showing his annoyance.

Just as Liu Hong stood up, hurried footsteps and shouts suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, an urgent battle report from Youzhou, delivered by express messenger!"

A young eunuch ran into the main hall.

Liu Hong frowned.

"Another battle report? Haven't I seen enough battle reports already?"

"Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, and Liu Wei, the prefect, are both incompetent!"

He rebuked him sharply, his anger causing the veins on his forehead to bulge.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of your health."

Zhang Rang, the Imperial Attendant, bowed and offered his advice.

The eunuch, terrified by the reprimand, knelt on the ground, raised the battle report high with both hands, and said in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, this is a report of victory from the front lines in Youzhou."

"What?"

Liu Hong, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks.

All the officials in the hall were staring at the battle report in the eunuch's hand.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, General He Jin, Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, and Palace Attendant Zhang Rang, all these important officials, were watching the nervous young eunuch.

"What did you just say? Was it good news?" Liu Hong pressed.

The kneeling eunuch kept kowtowing.

"Your Majesty, it's a report of victory delivered by urgent messenger from Youzhou!"

"Read it to me quickly!"

Liu Hong's voice was very excited.

Since the start of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all the battle reports Liu Hong received were of defeats.

This is the first time we've received such good news.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was the first to step forward, took the battle report from Xiao Huang, and slowly unfolded it.

Zhang Rang, the Grand Eunuch, smiled.

Guo Xun was born into a eunuch family and belonged to the eunuch clique.

Guo Xun was the hero of the great victory at Youzhou, which proves that the eunuchs played a role.

The eunuchs are currently in a difficult situation, and this victory is crucial for them, so Zhang Rang is naturally pleased.

Yuan Wei stepped forward to confirm whether Guo Xun had truly distinguished himself in battle.

If true, the scholar-official group will suffer another setback.

But after Yuan Wei unfolded the battle report, his expression changed from worry to a smile.

Seeing Yuan Wei's smile, Zhang Rang and the other ten attendants all felt uneasy.

Was Guo Xun not the victor?

Yuan Wei announced loudly, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! A great victory at Youzhou!"

His face was beaming with joy.

The ministers in the court immediately looked at Yuan Wei with suspicion.

Yuan Wei was a leader of the literati, while Guo Xun was a eunuch. Why would he so publicly praise Guo Xun for his achievements?

There must be a hidden story behind this.

"Tell me quickly, what great victory was it, and who made the contribution!"

Liu Hong was so excited that his hands trembled.

Yuan Wei unfolded the battle report and read it aloud: "In early March, Cheng Zhiyuan, the leader of the Yellow Turbans, gathered more than 100,000 troops and directly attacked Ji County, the capital of Youzhou."

"Governor Guo Xun and Prefect Liu Wei immediately mobilized troops from nearby counties."

"Gongsun Zan, the Chief Administrator of Liaodong, led three hundred cavalrymen, while Chen Xin, the Magistrate of Zhuo County, led one thousand soldiers to reinforce Ji County."

Upon reading this, Yuan Wei looked up at Chen Ji and Chen Chen, who were standing behind the court.

After the persecution of the partisans, a large number of gentry from Yingchuan would enter the imperial court, and the Chen family would be an indispensable force.

Chen Ji and Chen Chen also learned about their fourth brother's whereabouts from the battle report.

Yuan Wei glanced at Chen Ji and Chen Chen again, and then continued reading.

"On the first day, the rebel leader Cheng Zhiyuan shouted insults in front of the battle line and was killed three times by Chen Xin's fierce generals."

"Chen Xin's son, Chen Ming, seized the opportunity and immediately ordered his cavalry to leave the city and pursue them."

"Gongsun Zan, the chief administrator of the Liaodong Dependent State, led his troops to pursue the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, killing more than a thousand enemies before returning to the city."

"The next day, the enemy leader challenged again, and Governor Guo Xun and Prefect Liu Wei led their troops out of the city."

"The enemy took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. They were no match for them and suffered a crushing defeat, fleeing back to the city."

Zhang Rang, who was standing next to Liu Hong, frowned when he heard this.

Zhang Rang immediately understood why Yuan Wei was laughing.

This victory had little to do with Guo Xun and Liu Wei.

But Zhang Rang did not expect that what Yuan Wei said next would shock all the officials.

"Among the routed army, Governor Guo Xun and Prefect Liu Wei have been killed by the enemy, and the Yellow Turban army is taking advantage of the situation to attack the city!"

"Bang!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Liu Hong slammed his hand on the table and stared at Zhang Rang with a piercing gaze.

Zhang Rang quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at the emperor.

"Useless thing, deserved to die!"

Liu Hong roared.

Yuan Wei's smile widened.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Magistrate Chen Xin of Zhuo County fought bravely and saved Ji County."

That night, his son Chen Ming suggested a night raid on the enemy camp, taking advantage of the enemy's laxity.

"Chen Ming and Gongsun Zan led 500 elite cavalry in a surprise attack on the enemy camp."

"Chen Ming personally beheaded Cheng Zhiyuan, the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels. Chen Xin led his troops in pursuit, and the Yellow Turban rebels were routed."

"The battle lasted until the early morning of the next day. In this battle, tens of thousands of enemy soldiers were killed, more than 100,000 were defeated, and tens of thousands were captured."

Yuan Wei exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, this is a great victory!"

"Magistrate Chen Xin defeated more than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels with only 2,000 soldiers."

"This battle has demonstrated the might of our great Han Dynasty."

Chen Ji and Chen Chen, standing in the distance, were equally excited, because this victory was thanks to the Chen family.

Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, and Liu Wei, the prefect, became stepping stones for the Chen family.

"Good, very good, excellent!"

Liu Hong said "good" three times, as this was the best news the Yellow Turban Rebellion had brought in more than a month.

"This great victory deserves a generous reward. What do you suggest for those who have contributed to this victory?"

Liu Hong, beaming, asked directly.