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

(Believe in science; all cultivation practices are fiction!)

Huangfu Song nodded and echoed:

"Xuande is right. Zhang Jiao's trickery is nothing but a pretense of survival. Our army far outnumbers the Yellow Turbans. Even if they hold their ground and refuse to come out, we can wear them down."

Zhu Jun also spoke up:

"You are all seasoned veterans, how can you be intimidated by such underhanded tactics? Anyone who dares to speak of retreat will be dealt with according to military law!"

Upon hearing this, everyone calmed down a bit.

the other side.

Li Chang stood alone on a high slope outside the camp, gazing at Zhang Jiao performing magic on the walls of Guangzong City.

This time he was well-prepared; he wanted to see for himself whether Zhang Jiao really knew magic!

Then, I witnessed Zhang Jiao making talismans and transforming ordinary Yellow Turban bandits into Yellow Turban warriors! Then he went up to the platform to pray for rain!

It's practically open!

Zhang Jiao on the city wall seemed to sense something, and slowly turned his head, his gaze meeting Li Chang's from a distance of several miles away.

Those eyes were cloudy and deep, filled with weariness, resentment, and a hint of surprise.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Chang, following the etiquette of the Daoist school, raised his hand and performed the kowtow.

Zhang Jiao, standing atop the city wall, nodded slightly, then turned and slowly walked down from the platform.

Upon returning to his own tent, Li Chang immediately took out a blue Taoist robe that had been gathering dust for many years and put it on.

He then took out the "Twelve Arts of Taoism" left by his master, turned to the section that recorded the secret arts of Taoism, and read it carefully word by word.

Master, you should have said so sooner! If you had, I would have followed you to cultivate immortality!

Having experienced the shock before, Li Chang accepted this premise instantly!

They've all time-traveled, so what's wrong with a touch of fantasy? Isn't Romance of the Three Kingdoms a fantasy story too?

Despite his feelings of gratitude, he didn't stop working, carefully studying the things his master had left behind.

The tent flap was lifted, and Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei walked in.

Seeing Li Chang dressed in a Taoist robe, the three remained calm and showed no surprise.

"Fourth brother is indeed from the Taoist school," Liu Bei said. "I have long felt that you have a refined and elegant temperament, which is quite different from ordinary strategists. You are definitely not a worldly person."

Zhang Fei scratched the back of his head: "I knew my fourth brother was a master of everything—strategy, judging people, and arranging formations. Turns out he's a Taoist master!"

Guan Yu nodded slowly: "No wonder you can use black crows to scout the enemy and predict the direction of the army; it's all thanks to the Taoist spiritual arts."

Li Chang was not embarrassed by this and laughed, "So you brothers saw it all along."

"We've been observing your habits and conduct for many years," Liu Bei said, stepping forward and patting him on the shoulder.

"Whether you are a scholar, a strategist, or a Taoist cultivator, you are still our fourth brother. Even if you have a connection with Zhang Jiao, we will keep it a secret and never reveal it to outsiders."

A surge of warmth welled up in Li Chang's heart, and he cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your understanding, elder brothers. However, my master may truly be Zhang Jiao's closest friend."

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei: "..."

"That's the same! You'll always be our fourth brother!"

"Brother!"

At this moment, Li Chang seemed to feel less regretful!

At least it can help Liu Bei revive the Han Dynasty! To build the world he desires, instead of pursuing some vague notion of immortality!

His expression turned serious: "Zhang Jiao's secret techniques are powerful, but he is already exhausted. I see that his hair and beard are all white, and his body is emaciated. He is already exhausted and will not last much longer!"

If we simply hold our ground and wear him down until he is exhausted and dead, Guangzong City will fall without us having to attack it.

But before that, I plan to try and do something good for us first!

Li Chang calculated the time; Zhang Jiao had been gone for several days already! Even if he did have some skill, there was nothing he could do!

Using warplane tactics, we can outlast him!

Pretend to fight magic, exhaust that old man to death!

The next morning, Liu Bei, accompanied by Li Chang, went to the central command tent of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.

"Generals, I have a way to break Zhang Jiao's sorcery."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were at a loss as to how to deal with Zhang Jiao's sorcery, and upon hearing this, they both turned their heads in surprise:

"What effective strategies does Mingdao have to defeat the enemy?"

"I have studied Taoist scriptures since childhood and have a basic understanding of talismans and Taoist magic. Zhang Jiao can summon wind and rain, so I can use magic to stop him."

Li Chang said solemnly:

"Please give the order, General, to select a site three miles outside the city and build a platform three zhang high. Tomorrow I will ascend the platform and perform a ritual to fight Zhang Jiao from afar, breaking his magic!"

Although Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were half-believing and half-doubting, they had no other choice but to give it a try, even if it was a hopeless case, since they had nothing else to do anyway.

An order was immediately issued to build the altar overnight.

The following morning, a three-zhang-high earthen altar was erected in the open field outside Guangzong City.

Li Chang, dressed in a green robe and holding a peach wood sword, slowly walked up the stage.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others personally attended the ceremony, while tens of thousands of Han soldiers stood around, discussing the matter endlessly.

When the Yellow Turban soldiers on the walls of Guangzong City saw that the Han army had also built a high platform and that a Taoist priest had come up to perform a ritual, they were immediately in an uproar and rushed to report to Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang panicked and didn't know what to do, so he could only rush to the inner city to report to Zhang Jiao, who was bedridden.

Zhang Jiao coughed a few times, his pale face devoid of color. He weakly waved his hand, "Ignore him... let him do what he wants. I want to see what kind of skills this young upstart has."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Helpless, Zhang Liang could only retreat and ordered his men to keep a close eye on the movements of the Han army.

On the high platform, Li Chang stepped in the Seven Stars Step, chanting incantations as he waved his peach wood sword up and down, occasionally scattering handfuls of yellow talismans.

The movements looked quite professional and skillful.

I did learn something from that master.

Even if he didn't follow Liu Bei, he could still live a good life by swindling and cheating!

Those who saw his peculiar footwork thought his moves were mysterious but couldn't understand the underlying principles.

But as he performed his ritual, the continuous drizzle gradually stopped.

An hour later, the rain completely dissipated!

After resting for one hour, then another hour!

The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the earth!

"The rain has stopped! The sun is really shining!"

"Military Advisor Li's magic is extraordinary; he truly broke Zhang Jiao's sorcery!"

"The Yellow Emperor's fortunes have run their course; the Han Dynasty's fortunes are about to rise!"

The Han soldiers below the stage cheered loudly, and their morale instantly soared to its peak.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were utterly astonished, then clapped their hands and laughed, "Mingdao... no, Master Li is truly a remarkable person of our time! With Master Li here, the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion is just around the corner!"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei also looked proud. Their fourth brother was indeed proficient in wisdom, strategy, and magic!

In contrast, the Yellow Turban soldiers on the walls of Guangzong were all ashen-faced and their spirits had plummeted.

They have always revered Zhang Jiao as a living deity, believing in his supernatural abilities to summon wind and rain.

Now, his magic has been broken in public by a young Taoist priest outside the city, and his faith is about to collapse!

On his sickbed in the inner city, Zhang Jiao suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"How could this be...? Has the weather returned to normal?"

He struggled to stay upright, feeling utterly exhausted, and collapsed heavily onto the bed.

He sighed again, "Alas, is this the price of going against the will of Heaven?"

On the high platform, Li Chang sheathed his peach wood sword and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He knew nothing of the true magic of stopping rain, but based on his knowledge of weather and the little he had learned from his master, he estimated that the rain might stop and the sun would shine again today. He then put on a show of magic with Taoist steps and talismans.