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

Li Chang sighed and looked towards the direction of the ward camp. He knew, of course, the real reason why these people fell ill: heatstroke, getting caught in the rain, and catching a cold!

It has absolutely nothing to do with any sorcery, but he can't say.

The entire Han army firmly believed that Zhang Jiao's magic was a form of remote attrition against their "Master Li," with both sides "depleting their vital energy." The reason why ordinary soldiers could not withstand it was because they were affected by the magic of both sides!

This explanation, while completely untrue, perfectly explains why more and more people are falling ill!

Once the truth is revealed, the grand spectacle of the battle of wits will come to an end.

Zhang Jiao's "sorcery" will continue to instill fear in the Han army, and his "solutions" will lose their persuasiveness!

Left with no other choice, Li Chang had to continue impersonating the fortune teller!

Hehehe!

"Wait a little longer."

Li Chang closed his eyes and rubbed his dark circles:

"Zhang Jiao won't last many more days. He's gone against the natural order and is even more exhausted than I am. He's also older than me, and he vomits more blood every day than I sweat!"

He definitely won't be able to perform on stage for at most three to five days.

He was right.

Zhang Jiao could no longer even drink rice porridge.

Before going on stage each day, Zhang Liang would apply more than a dozen plasters to his back and repeatedly wipe his hands and feet with hot towels before he could barely move his joints.

There are dozens of steps to climb to the platform, and even if someone helps him up, his body can't handle it!

He was so thin he was just skin and bones, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes. Only his eyes still burned with passion!

Zhang Liang knelt on the steps, hugging his legs and crying:

"Brother! Stop fighting! Let's abandon the city and break out! As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"

Zhang Jiao looked down at his younger brother.

He thought of Zhang Bao.

I remember that day in Quyang, when my younger brother's head was hung on the city gate, and now it's hanging on the opposite side.

He has already lost one brother, and this is the last remaining family member he has!

"I can't leave," Zhang Jiao said in a hoarse voice.

"If I leave, what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of brothers? They all took this path because they believed in me and in the Way of Peace. If I abandon the city, they will truly have no way to survive."

He gazed at the sky, his eyes clouded yet resolute.

"I promised them a peaceful world. I couldn't do it, but at least... at least I want them to believe that Heaven has not abandoned them."

He looked down at his withered hands.

"Even if I die, I want to die on this high platform. To die in front of them."

Two more days passed.

Li Chang stepped down from the stage and collapsed at the tent entrance. Liu Bei and Guan Yu helped him inside. He slept for several hours, then woke up, drank two bowls of porridge, got up, and went back up to the stage, muttering something under his breath.

Zhang Fei asked, "What's Fourth Brother muttering about?"

Liu Bei listened carefully, but it seemed to be something like "going to work," "attendance," or "perfect attendance bonus," none of which he understood.

"It's probably some kind of Taoist incantation," he guessed.

Day 15.

Before dawn, fires suddenly broke out on the walls of Guangzong City.

Li Chang was startled awake and rushed out of the tent, throwing on his clothes. He looked up at the city wall, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Zhang Jiao stood on the high platform.

He wasn't being helped by his disciples, nor was he tied to a pillar with ropes; he was standing on his own!

Instead of wearing the tattered Yellow Heaven Taoist robe, he put on a brand new white Taoist robe embroidered with Taiping Dao runes.

Her hair was combed so neatly it looked like a dead person's, and an unusual blush appeared on her thin face!

He stood in the morning light, his posture upright, like a withered tree suddenly sprouting new buds.

"A final burst of energy before death," Li Chang murmured.

"What?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled.

"Before a person dies, there will be a very short period of time when they appear to be completely recovered. They are energetic, have a rosy complexion, and may even be able to eat."

Li Chang stared at the white figure on the city wall. "It's very short, probably today."

He turned around and strode towards the execution platform.

"Bring out all the yellow paper! Place the tiger tallies of General Huangfu and General Zhu in the center of the platform!"

Paste all the names I wrote last time—Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and the tablets of the Han Emperor—onto the table! Quickly!

At the same time, quickly summon two lieutenant generals to assist!

The three quickly ascended the high platform, with Li Chang holding the peach wood sword horizontally in front of him.

Below the stage, Han soldiers, rubbing their sleepy eyes, poured out of their tents, while Yellow Turban soldiers also gathered on the city wall.

Everyone felt that today was different!

Zhang Jiao slowly raised his nine-section wooden staff.

He chanted like an old charlatan, repeating a line, and the Yellow Turbans echoed it:

"The heavens have fallen apart, the Han dynasty is crumbling, but in the year of Jiazi, we can inquire about peace and prosperity."

"The Purple Star departs from the North, the Seven Killings seize the Sun; Heaven and Earth intend to treat me like a straw dog once more."

As soon as the sound faded, the world changed dramatically.

Dark clouds surged in from all directions, obscuring the dawn. A fierce wind whipped up sand and dust, causing the Han army's banners to sway wildly.

Beneath the walls of Guangzong City, tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers knelt down simultaneously, shouting loudly:

"General Heaven! General Heaven!"

Zhang Jiao's gaze swept over the thousands of troops and landed on Li Chang.

His eyes were eerily calm, devoid of anger or resentment, only displaying a serene acceptance of life and death.

He continued speaking, his voice higher and more sorrowful than before, like weeping, or perhaps accusing:

"The path I seek is neither wealth nor immortality, but only peace throughout the world!"

"Your swords are sharp enough to slay hundreds or even tens of thousands of heads, but can they truly extinguish peace in the world?"

Li Chang's grip on the sword tightened slightly. He knew this was not a performance, not an illusion, but a dying man using his last strength to question the heavens.

He didn't ask "Why me?" but rather "Why can't this world tolerate peace?"

The names on those yellow papers—Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Liu Bang, Liu Xiu—rustled in the wind, as if bearing the weight of questions for this dynasty!

God, Yama, if there really are gods and a Book of Life and Death, you should deduct their lives first!

Li Chang took a deep breath. He had to confront this directly, or he would be infamous for eternity. People would really say that he couldn't even beat an old guy!

He pointed the peach wood sword forward and said loudly:

"The Han dynasty has endured for four hundred years; how can we allow demons to falsely claim to be gods! Protected by the true dragon of the Han, how dare you ants defy Heaven! As the supreme commander of the Han, relying on the auspicious fortune of the current emperor of the Han, I hereby command the Six Ding and Six Jia to subdue all demons—to vanquish evil!"

Every word was spoken with resounding force.

The Han soldiers below the stage, as if divinely aided, straightened their backs!

Zhang Jiao did not back down, and his voice rose even higher:

"The heavens have been stained with my tears; behold, the Yellow Heaven proclaims peace! Yellow turbans cover our heads, tens of thousands unite; this strike can shake the centuries-old Han Dynasty!"

boom!!

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and thunderclaps boomed over the city walls of Guangzong.

Large raindrops pelted down, falling only over Guangzong City and the Yellow Turban camp.

The rain poured down on the Yellow Turban soldiers, but instead of trying to avoid it, they tilted their heads back and let the rain wash over their faces, shouting even louder.

The Yellow Turban banners fluttered wildly in the rain, and the swords and spears in the soldiers' hands gleamed coldly. In an instant, the rabble seemed to exude the chilling killing intent of battle-hardened elites!

A commotion immediately broke out in the Han army ranks. Some people instinctively took a step back.

The Yellow Turban rebels on the city wall erupted in deafening cheers, raising their weapons and roaring in unison:

"Heavens above! Heavens above!"

Li Chang slammed his peach wood sword heavily on the table, its tip pointing towards the city wall of Guangzong, and shouted sharply:

"Build a mound of corpses to suppress the mountain of corpses, and erect a Han dynasty stele to sever the cycle of reincarnation! Demons and heretics, upon seeing this starlight, shall retreat in fear! Burn away your centuries of cultivation to rectify the heavenly order!"

He took out the sword talisman he had prepared beforehand—a small wooden plaque engraved with runes—and threw it with all his might toward Guangzong.

He knew the wooden sign wouldn't reach the city wall, but he didn't need it to. It was enough that the Han soldiers saw him counterattacking.

The sword talisman drew an arc in the air, but lost its strength halfway and fell into the tall grass between the two armies.

Zhang Jiao saw it. He looked in the direction the wooden plaque had fallen, a very faint smile appearing on his face.

That wasn't mockery; it was more like a confirmation!

He realized that the young man standing opposite him, like him, was also using the opportune moment and secret techniques to put on a show.

One is acting and will surely lose; the other is acting and will surely win!

He slowly raised his nine-section wooden staff and pointed it to the sky.

"The sword was forged at the Thunder Pool; now its frosty blade is complete, ready to illuminate the world!"

"You who eat the people's blood and squander their wealth deserve to die a divine punishment!"

The wind and rain in the world stopped for a moment.

Zhang Jiao lowered his head, his gaze passing over the thousands of troops and landing on Li Chang.

Then, with the last ounce of strength in his body, he let out a shout that shook the very foundation of the burly man:

"The Azure Heaven is dead, and the Yellow Heaven shall rise! The year of Jiazi is associated with water, which is an omen of the impending demise of the Han Dynasty."

With the Three Dukes appearing, they lead the Great Way and establish themselves in the Yellow Heaven. Heaven, Earth, and the Three Powers carry profound virtue to drive away evil spirits.

I unite the people of the nine provinces, and shake the royal court of one family! I offer my body as medicine, wishing to cure the ailments of the world.

"Heaven is dead; this humble Taoist shall act on its behalf!"

"This humble Taoist priest is Zhang Jiao..."

"please……

The mighty man is going to his death!!!

"!!!"

"Please, great man, prepare to die!"