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

"I've found someone good, Wang Jiang. If he hadn't been the first to figure out a way to counter the strongmen on the battlefield, our casualties would have been many times greater."

Liu Bei followed the gaze and saw Wang Jiang leading his brothers to collect the dead and wounded soldiers. His expression was solemn, showing no trace of pride or arrogance.

"This man is steady and knowledgeable in military affairs; he has potential." Liu Bei immediately decided:

"Issue an order to the entire army: promote Wang Jiang to the rank of centurion, and reward him with five thousand coins and ten bolts of silk. All other meritorious officers and soldiers shall be rewarded according to their military achievements!"

When the order was given, the camp erupted in jubilation.

Wang Jiang stood there, stunned, unable to believe it.

From a country recruit who didn't even know the rules of the army, he rose all the way to the position of centurion through his own hard work and understanding of combat tactics!

He looked up in the direction of Liu Bei and Li Chang, his eyes filled with gratitude.

He gripped the ring-pommel sword tightly and secretly vowed to follow his lord and strategist to the death, fight on the battlefield, make meritorious contributions, and never fail to live up to this appreciation and opportunity!

Li Chang gazed at Wang Jiang's composed back, lost in thought.

A strong army is never just about a few exceptional generals.

It is through the trials and tribulations of countless ordinary soldiers like Wang Jiang, who were tempered and transformed in the flames of war, that an invincible iron army was forged!

What he had to do was give these low-ranking soldiers a chance to rise up, make a name for themselves, and find refuge in the chaos of war!

"Brother," Li Chang withdrew his gaze and spoke solemnly, "Gao Sheng is dead, and the Jieqiao defense line is wide open. Our army can advance immediately and take advantage of Zhang Liang's lack of preparedness to break through his camp in one fell swoop."

A sharp glint flashed in Liu Bei's eyes, and he decisively ordered, "The entire army will rest for half an hour, then break camp and advance to Jieqiao!"

Half an hour later, the army regrouped and marched towards the boundary bridge in a mighty procession.

The army marched to a place ten miles outside the border bridge and set up camp. That night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong, making it the perfect opportunity to launch a night raid on the camp.

Li Chang summoned Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan into his tent, and, pointing to the map on the table, directly outlined his plans:

"Zhang Liang's army has just suffered a major defeat, and morale is wavering. They must be convinced that our army has been fighting hard for days, and they will surely rest and regroup that night."

You two each lead three hundred elite troops, change into the armor of Gao Sheng's remaining troops, disguise yourselves as defeated soldiers fleeing from the forest, and sneak into the outer camp of Jieqiao under the cover of night.

At midnight, using firelight as a signal, Second Brother and Third Brother will personally lead the main force in a strong attack from the outside. You two will provide support from the inside, launching a pincer attack to raze the Jieqiao camp to the ground in one fell swoop.

He looked at Zhao Yun and said, "After you enter the camp, go straight to the main tent of the defending general, kill the general, and open the camp gate."

He then looked at Xiahou Lan and said, "Take your men straight to the supply camp, set fire to the grain, and disrupt the enemy's morale. Remember, do not engage in prolonged battles; simply create chaos."

"Yes, sir!" The two accepted the order.

At the third watch of the night, the Yellow Turban camp at Jieqiao was completely silent, with only a few torches flickering slightly in the night wind.

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan led six hundred elite soldiers disguised as routed troops, their clothes tattered and armor askew, stumbling and running to the camp gate, shouting loudly:

"Open the camp gates quickly! We are brothers under General Gao, we broke through from the Black Pine Forest and escaped back!"

The Yellow Turban soldiers guarding the gate peered out and saw that the newcomers were all dressed in their own clothes and looked disheveled. They immediately lowered their guard, cursed under their breath, and opened the camp gate.

"Where is General Gao?" a Yellow Turban junior officer stepped forward and questioned.

Without uttering a word, Zhao Yun suddenly thrust out his gleaming silver spear, piercing straight through the junior officer's throat.

"Let's do it!"

Zhao Yun gave a low shout, and six hundred elite troops attacked simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, they took down the guards at the camp gate.

Xiahou Lan led his men straight to the grain and fodder camp and casually set fire to the mountain of grain and fodder.

The fire shot into the sky in an instant, the flames illuminating the entire night sky.

"Oh no! The government troops have raided our camp!"

"The supplies are on fire! Run!"

The Yellow Turban camp was thrown into chaos in an instant. Soldiers were awakened from their sleep and fled in all directions, disheveled, with no way to assemble and form ranks to defend themselves.

Seeing flames shooting into the sky in the camp, Li immediately ordered the entire army to attack.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei led their main army like a tidal wave towards the camp. The camp gates had already been controlled by Zhao Yun, and the army advanced unimpeded.

Zhang Liang was awakened by the shouts of battle in the camp. He put on his clothes and went out of the main tent. He saw flames everywhere and the government troops had already attacked the central army.

Enraged, he drew his sword and killed two fleeing soldiers, shouting, "Don't scatter! Form ranks and hold your ground!"

However, morale had already collapsed, and no one obeyed orders; they only cared about fleeing for their lives.

Guan Yu charged ahead, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade unstoppable, none able to withstand his might.

Zhang Fei, caught up in the excitement of the battle, swept his eighteen-foot spear left and right, carving a path through the chaotic army.

The fierce battle raged until dawn, and the outer camp of Jieqiao was completely lost.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhang Liang had no choice but to gather his remaining 20,000 troops and hastily retreat back into Guangzong City, closing the city gates tightly and daring not to go out into the open again.

Liu Bei's army entered the Jieqiao camp and took stock of the battle losses and achievements.

In this battle, one or two thousand Yellow Turbans were killed, several thousand were captured, and the seized grain, fodder, and weapons piled up like mountains.

However, his forces were limited and he was unable to immediately encircle Guangzong. He could only hold his ground and wait for Huangfu Song's main army to arrive.

Three days later, Huangfu Song led 50,000 of the imperial army's main force to Jieqiao, where they joined forces with Liu Bei's troops.

When Lu Zhi’s former subordinates heard that Huangfu Song was leading an army, they rushed to join him, and the Han army’s momentum grew stronger.

After the entire army rested for three days, Huangfu Song ordered an attack on the city.

Hundreds of siege ladders and battering rams were pushed to the foot of Guangzong City. The Han army shouted battle cries and swarmed towards the city walls.

Just then, the gates of Guangzong City suddenly burst open, and more than a thousand Yellow Turban warriors, their bodies painted with red runes and wielding giant axes and hammers, charged out, fearlessly rushing straight towards the Han army's front lines.

These warriors were far more formidable than any they had seen before; ordinary weapons could not harm them, and arrows could not penetrate their defenses.

The giant axe swung down, shattering even heavy battering rams on the spot. The Han army's vanguard formation crumbled instantly, and casualties skyrocketed.

On the high platform atop the city wall, a gaunt old man with white hair, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe and holding a nine-section wooden staff, burned incense and chanted incantations. He was none other than General Zhang Jiao, the Heavenly General.

As he chanted his incantation, the once clear sky quickly darkened, and soon a light drizzle began to fall.

The rain soaked the Han army's bows and arrows and gunpowder, greatly reducing the effectiveness of their siege weapons.

"Sound the retreat!"

Huangfu Song's face turned ashen, and he had no choice but to order a retreat.

In this battle, the Han army lost more than 3,000 men, and they couldn't even climb the city wall.

Upon returning to the main camp, Huangfu Song immediately summoned his generals for a meeting.

The tent was deathly silent, and all the generals had solemn expressions.

"Zhang Jiao's sorcery is too bizarre! It's clearly not the rainy season, yet it rains as soon as he says he will! And those Yellow Turban warriors are invulnerable to swords and spears; this battle is impossible to fight!"

One of the generals sighed.

Others echoed his sentiments, creating a unique atmosphere in the camp.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei stood up:

"Generals, do not panic. If Zhang Jiao's sorcery were truly invincible, he would have already led his army out of the city to launch a counterattack. Why would he be defending the city to the death?"

In my opinion, although those Yellow Turban warriors are strong, their numbers are ultimately limited, and this rain cannot continue indefinitely.

Such evil arts will surely come at a price; Zhang Jiao will suffer divine retribution!

As long as we hold our ground, we will always find a way to defeat the enemy.