The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

After seeing off wave after wave of generals who came to offer their congratulations, Liu Bei returned to his central command tent, feeling utterly exhausted.

He took off his scholar's cap, casually placed it on the table, and sighed deeply.

"Are you tired, brother?" Li Chang handed him a bowl of cold tea. "Socializing is all just formalities. If you don't want to, you can just decline."

"I cannot refuse." Liu Bei took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "We are new to Yanzhou, unfamiliar with both the people and the land. Making good connections will ultimately be the best course of action. However..."

He looked up to the north, his expression full of urgency: "I only want to wipe out the Yellow Turbans as soon as possible, fulfill my mentor's wish, and let the people return to peace. This officialdom, with its constant comings and goings, is really exhausting."

Li Chang nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

He knew that Liu Bei was speaking from the heart, but in this chaotic world, there were very few people who could always keep their original intentions!

In July, the smoke of war in Yanzhou gradually dissipated.

Throughout the month, Liu Bei led his troops closely under the command of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, always taking the lead in every battle.

The three generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were incredibly brave and broke through more than ten Yellow Turban camps in Yanzhou, killing tens of thousands of enemies.

Bu Ji, the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels in Yanzhou, was captured and killed by Huangfu Song. The remaining Yellow Turban rebels in Yanzhou fled and retreated towards Guangzong.

By August, the main force of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou had been completely annihilated, and the Central Plains gradually returned to stability.

Meanwhile, the war in Jizhou took a sharp turn for the worse.

After Dong Zhuo took over Lu Zhi's military power, he became arrogant and underestimated his enemy. He was lured into the city of Guangzong by Zhang Jiao, where he suffered heavy losses and was utterly defeated.

The imperial court was furious and issued an edict to dismiss Dong Zhuo from all his posts, and urgently ordered Huangfu Song to lead the main force north to take charge of the war situation in Ji Province.

When the military order reached Yanzhou, the army immediately divided into smaller units.

Cao Cao volunteered to lead his troops south to Runan to wipe out the remaining Yellow Turban forces.

Before leaving, Cao Cao made a special trip to bid farewell to Liu Bei.

The two stood outside the camp gate, gazing at the distant wilderness, looking at each other.

"Xuande, take care." Cao Cao spoke first, his tone complicated. "The situation in Guangzong is perilous; be cautious in everything you do."

"Take care, Mengde." Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting. "Runan is a mountainous region, where the Yellow Turbans are hiding. It will not be easy to wipe them out. I hope you will achieve a great victory."

Cao Cao nodded and mounted his horse.

Before leaving, he took a deep look at Li Chang behind Liu Bei, his lips moved slightly, but he did not say a word and rode away.

Li Chang watched Cao Cao's departing figure, lost in thought.

This parting means that when they meet again, they may no longer be comrades-in-arms fighting side by side, but rivals vying for supremacy.

Li Chang withdrew his gaze and looked at Liu Bei.

This time, he only made a slight move, maximizing the abilities of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, and gave them the same starting point as Cao Cao!

No sooner had Cao Cao left than Liu Bei sought an audience with Huangfu Song, volunteering to be the vanguard and lead his troops northward, directly threatening Guangzong.

"It's good that Xuande has this fighting spirit."

Huangfu Song looked at him with admiration, as if he were looking at his own disciple:

"You have fought in Jizhou and are familiar with the local terrain. You will lead your ten thousand troops as the vanguard to clear out the Yellow Turban strongholds around Guangzong. I will lead the main force to follow."

"This humble general obeys!" Liu Bei's face lit up with joy as he bowed and accepted the order.

That afternoon, Liu Bei reorganized his troops and marched north. The army of over ten thousand men marched onward, heading straight for Guangzong.

However, just half a month later.

When the army reached the territory of Julu County, they suddenly heard shouts of battle coming from the valley ahead.

"Brother, there's fighting ahead!" Zhang Fei reined in his horse and shouted, pointing ahead.

Liu Bei frowned slightly: "Zilong, take a few scouts and go investigate."

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Yun responded and led several cavalrymen away at full speed.

A moment later, Zhao Yun rode back: "Brother, there are several thousand Yellow Turban rebels ahead, besieging a government army. Judging from the banners, they seem to be Dong Zhuo's troops."

"Dong Zhuo?" Everyone was taken aback.

"I didn't expect him to suffer such a humiliating defeat, being chased all the way here by the remnants of the Yellow Turbans." Li Chang chuckled. "Let's go take a look."

Upon discovering that it was Dong Zhuo, Li Chang decided that this man had to be saved!

Without Dong Zhuo, who would quickly resolve the crumbling Han dynasty?

Liu Bei was unaware of all this; he only knew that Dong Zhuo was one of his own!

He immediately ordered: "All troops, launch an attack and rescue this government force!"

"kill!"

At Liu Bei's command, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei split into left and right wings and led their troops in a charge.

Zhao Yun led his cavalry to circle around to the rear of the Yellow Turban rebels, cutting off their retreat.

The Yellow Turban soldiers besieging Dong Zhuo were already weak in combat. When they saw the government reinforcements arrive, they immediately collapsed and were annihilated in less than half an hour.

Dong Zhuo emerged from the valley, covered in blood and looking disheveled.

He learned that the one who led the troops to rescue him was the newly appointed Cavalry Commandant Liu Bei, and that he was not a commoner!

His arrogance vanished, and he stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Mandarin Liu, I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace!"

Li Changli stood aside, observing everything quietly, and also keeping an eye on Jia Xu, who might be among Dong Zhuo's troops.

If they were still those thousand-odd local militiamen from Zhuojun, Dong Zhuo would not only not thank them, but probably wouldn't even give them a second glance.

In this chaotic world, strength is what truly matters.

However, during the polite exchanges between Dong Zhuo and Liu Bei, Li Chang failed to spot his target and was hesitant to ask directly.

It's still too difficult to find someone based on just a name!

Before Li Chang could find the person, Dong Zhuo led his remaining troops away in haste, eager to return to Luoyang to apologize, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Li Changxin was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.

Jia Xu was a top strategist of his time, unparalleled in his calculations, a true ruthless strategist of the Han Dynasty. I couldn't sleep at night without keeping such a person under my command!

"Fourth brother, what's troubling you?" Liu Bei asked, noticing his unusual expression.

"It's alright." Li Chang shook his head. "It's just that we have too few top strategists under our command. Right now, I can manage on my own, but as our territory expands and wars increase in the future, I'm afraid it will be difficult to manage everything."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei remained silent.

He knew that Li Chang's words were true, and that he now only had two civil officials under his command: Jian Yong and Xiahou Lan.

Jian Yong was skilled in social interaction and diplomacy, while Xiahou Lan was proficient in military affairs and miscellaneous matters. However, there was only one strategist, Li Chang, who could devise plans and win battles from afar!

"We will surely find talented people in the future." Liu Bei patted Li Chang on the shoulder. "As long as we are benevolent and virtuous and widely recruit talented individuals, renowned scholars from all over the world will eventually come to our aid!"

Li Chang nodded and said no more.

After a brief rest, the army continued its northward march.

Three days later, Liu Bei's army arrived south of Guangzong, which was less than 100 li away from Guangzong.

The black crows had already flown out ahead to scout out the details of the outer defenses of Guangzong.

"Brother," Li Chang said, pointing to the map on the ground, "Zhang Liang is leading 30,000 Yellow Turban troops to garrison the area around the bridge outside Guangzong City. They are building a defensive line to block our advance. His vanguard general is Ming Gaosheng, Zhang Liang's number one fierce general."

"Thirty thousand?" Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, saying, "Perfect! I haven't had a good fight in a long time. Brother, make me the vanguard, and we'll definitely break through their defenses in one fell swoop!"

"No." Li Chang shook his head. "I don't know about Gao Sheng, but attacking Qi's camp head-on is a desperate and unwise strategy."

We can set an ambush to lure the enemy, annihilate their vanguard first, and blunt Zhang Liang's momentum.

"This plan is brilliant!" Liu Bei nodded. "Fourth brother, just make the arrangements. We will all follow your orders."