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

For the next month or so, a strange stalemate ensued at the foot of Guangzong City.

Zhang Liang would send troops to launch night raids almost every day, sometimes at midnight, sometimes at dawn, with no discernible pattern.

Huangfu Song, on the other hand, adopted Li Chang's strategy of exhausting the enemy and countered head-on.

During the day, the Han army beat drums and shouted, pretending to attack the city, keeping the Yellow Turban soldiers from having any peace.

At night, small groups of troops would take turns harassing the Yellow Turban soldiers, occasionally launching rockets and beating war drums, keeping them awake all night long.

At the same time, Li Chang sent Zhao Yun to lead cavalry to continuously intercept the Yellow Turbans' supply lines and cut off Guangzong City's connection with the outside world.

Gradually, the food supplies in Guangzong City dwindled, and the morale of the Yellow Turban soldiers plummeted.

The initial grief and despair were worn away by hunger and exhaustion.

They no longer launched proactive night raids, but simply stood numbly atop the city walls, staring blankly outwards.

Mid-October, late at night.

The Han army camp was completely silent.

Huangfu Song secretly summoned all his generals: "The time has come. Tonight, at midnight, prepare dinner; at cockcrow, launch a full-scale attack on the city!"

"Yes, sir!"

The generals responded in unison, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

At midnight, the Han soldiers quietly got up, ate a hearty meal, donned their armor and weapons, and silently arrived at the city of Guangzong.

At this time, the defenses on the walls of Guangzong were unusually lax.

Most of the Yellow Turban soldiers guarding the city were dozing off against the city wall, and even the sentries were slumped over.

At cockcrow, the first crowing of a rooster pierced the night sky.

"Attack the city!"

At Huangfu Song's command, the war drums sounded in unison!

Tens of thousands of Han soldiers, like tigers descending a mountain, pushed ladders and charged toward the walls of Guangzong.

"Oh no! The government troops are attacking the city!"

The Yellow Turban soldiers on the city wall panicked and hurriedly picked up their weapons to resist.

But they were already exhausted from the ordeal, and were no match for the well-rested Han army.

In less than half an hour, Guan Yu was the first to breach the south gate.

"kill!"

The Han army swarmed in and engaged in street fighting with the Yellow Turban soldiers.

This battle lasted for several hours, until dawn!

Upon learning of the city's fall, Zhang Liang personally led his personal guards to intercept the enemy, only to run into Zhang Fei instead.

"Zhang Liang! Prepare to die!"

Zhang Fei roared and thrust his eighteen-foot spear straight at Zhang Liang's heart.

Zhang Liang hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself, but with a clang, the sword was knocked away.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Fei thrust his spear through Zhang Liang's shoulder.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Zhang Liang turned his horse and fled. He knew that Guangzong could no longer be held, so he could only lead his remaining troops to break through to the north and escape to Julu.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!"

Zhang Fei spurred his horse and gave chase.

Huangfu Song had already calculated Zhang Liang's escape route and laid an ambush on the banks of the Hutuo River north of the city.

Zhang Liang and his remaining troops had just reached the riverbank when they were ambushed and blocked by soldiers.

There were ambushes ahead and pursuers behind.

Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers were in dire straits and jumped into the river, trying to swim to the other side.

But it was already autumn, and the river water was icy cold in the early morning. Many people were frozen to death as soon as they jumped in and were carried away by the river.

When Zhang Fei arrived at the riverbank, he immediately saw Zhang Liang preparing to cross the river.

He spurred his horse into the riverbank, and with a flick of his eighteen-foot spear, he knocked Zhang Liang off his horse.

puff!

The spear pierced Zhang Liang's chest.

Zhang Fei impaled Zhang Liang's corpse on the tip of his spear and shouted, "Zhang Liang is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The Yellow Turban soldiers, having lost their commander, completely collapsed and surrendered, laying down their weapons one after another.

In this battle, the Han army killed more than 30,000 Yellow Turbans and more than 50,000 drowned in the river, turning the river water red.

Guangzong City has finally fallen!

As soon as the battle ended, Li Chang, accompanied by Wang Jiang and Xiahou Lan as guards, headed towards the Taiping Dao headquarters in Guangzong City.

Zhang Jiao's coffin was placed there.

Inside the main altar, everything was in a mess. Torn talismans and yellow headscarves were scattered on the ground, and the air was thick with the smells of blood and incense.

In front of the mourning hall, three young disciples of the Way of Peace quietly stood guard beside Zhang Jiao's coffin.

When they saw Li Chang enter, they showed no surprise, nor did they make a move; they simply stared at him with eyes full of hatred.

"You've arrived," the leading disciple said.

"Oh?" Li Chang was taken aback. "You knew I was coming?"

Then, he looked at Zhang Jiao's coffin, "It seems that my uncle already knows I'm coming."

Although the disciple was a little surprised by Li Chang's address, he still nodded.

He took out a scroll wrapped in yellow silk from his bosom and handed it over:

"My master, the Taoist of Great Peace, the Great Teacher of Virtue, and the General of Heaven, left a will before his death: if he dies, he should give this incomplete scroll of the Taiping Qingling Book to the person who can break his Taoist magic and make hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans submit to him."

He said, "Although you are an official of the Han Dynasty, you understand him. What he couldn't do, perhaps you can do."

Li Chang took the book; it felt heavy in his hands. He could sense that this book carried the ideals and tragedies of an era.

He didn't speak, but lit three incense sticks, placed them in front of Zhang Jiao's spirit tablet, and bowed three times respectfully.

It is not a tribute to an enemy, but a tribute to an idealist who was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of all people.

After the worship ceremony, Li Chang put away the tattered copy of "Taiping Qingling Shu" and turned to leave the mourning hall.

He had just stepped out of the main altar when he heard footsteps behind him.

Huangfu Song, accompanied by his personal guards, walked over with a stern expression.

"Mingdao, is that Zhang Jiao's coffin inside?" Huangfu Song asked.

Li Chang nodded, his previous respect for Zhang Jiao completely vanished: "Reporting to Zhonglang, it is the bandit leader Zhang Jiao!"

Huangfu Song waved his hand:

"Open the coffin! Cut off Zhang Jiao's head, along with the heads of Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, and send them to Luoyang for public display!"

"General!" Li Chang couldn't help but speak up, "Zhang Jiao is dead, why bother?"

Huangfu Song shook his head:

"Master Li, I am a general of the imperial court. The Yellow Turban Rebellion has shaken the foundation of the nation and must be severely punished. Only by dismembering Zhang Jiao and displaying his head can we deter other rebels and prevent them from harboring any disloyal thoughts."

Li Chang shook his head. "No, I mean, send the body along with the body!"

Huangfu Song: "..."

"Can!"

Soon, the sound of an axe chopping at a coffin could be heard, followed by the desecration of the corpse, right in front of those Yellow Turban cultists!

They were like incompetent disciples, tied to a pillar, watching helplessly as their master's corpse was desecrated!

My eyes are red and swollen from crying!

But soon, Huangfu Song, being a kind-hearted man, helped them reunite with their master!

I no longer have to worry about my master being humiliated!

……

As the sun set, it painted the sky above Guangzong City red.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion, which lasted for nearly a year, was finally quelled a month ahead of schedule!

When the news reached Luoyang, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was overjoyed and ordered a general amnesty and rewards for meritorious generals and soldiers.

When the news spread, the Han army camp did not erupt in the expected cheers and jubilation.

The soldiers silently cleaned up the battlefield, collected the remains of their fallen comrades, and counted the mountains of prisoners and spoils of war.

Squads of surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers were escorted out of the city, while emaciated civilians peered out from their collapsed houses, staring blankly at the devastation on the ground.

Huangfu Song set up a temporary camp in the county government office to arrange post-war matters: handling surrendered soldiers, allocating food and fodder, and writing battle reports.

That night, Huangfu Song held a victory celebration banquet in his main tent. Although it was called a victory celebration, alcohol was no longer prohibited in the army, and sheep and chickens were slaughtered.

Although the central command tent was spacious, it was now packed with generals from all sides.

Huangfu Song sat upright in the main seat, surveyed the generals in the tent, and slowly raised his wine bowl:

"We are holding this banquet today to thank all the generals and soldiers. We have been fighting for nearly a year, and have fought dozens of battles, large and small. First, we fought Bu Ji and Liang Zhongning, and then the three Zhang brothers."

It was only through everyone's concerted efforts that we were able to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion and recover Guangzong.

Come, let's drink to this together!

Everyone raised their bowls and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhu Jun put down his bowl and smiled:

"In this great victory, one person deserves the greatest credit. If it weren't for Mingdao's magical duel, which broke Zhang Jiao's sorcery and boosted our morale, Guangzong City would probably still be standing strong today."

"General Huangfu and I fell ill some time ago and almost lost our lives. If it weren't for Master Li using his ancestral jade pendant to protect us, we probably wouldn't be sitting here today!"