Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

......

Lightning, which is the most unpredictable wrath of the heavens, has now become a plaything in that person's hands.

The things he was most proud of in his life were washed away clean at this moment, like mud in the rain.

He remembered the first time he knelt before his master.

Learn the talismans and Taoist magic in the "Taiping Jing".

The Master said that Heaven has its majesty, and humans have their own way. Holding talismans can summon gods and exorcise ghosts, and reciting incantations can drive away evil and avert disasters.

He believed it his whole life.

He even forged this belief into a weapon.

Tell everyone who follows him: The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise, the Central Yellow Taiyi is our only God, and we are the chosen soldiers of God.

But now?

That person stood right in the middle of the lightning and fire, completely unharmed.

This is not something an ordinary person can do.

He couldn't do it, his master couldn't do it, and none of the enlightened masters he knew could do it.

The most terrifying thing was that the man shouted, "Zhonghuang Taiyi is nothing more than my halberd-wielding guard."

These words truly pierced Zhang Jiao's soul.

He understood better than anyone what this system meant for the soldiers below him.

Of these soldiers, eight out of ten are illiterate.

They don't know what it means for alkaline water to foam when it comes into contact with vinegar, or what it means to use a bamboo pole to pick up silk.

All they knew was that after drinking a bowl of water, the old man, who had been paralyzed for half a year, stood up.

All they knew was that someone had told them something in their dream last night, and it had come true today.

The moment they tied the yellow turbans to their foreheads, they truly felt they had become the chosen ones, that knives couldn't cut through them, and that they could ascend to heaven even after death.

This is the power of faith.

How terrifying is the power of faith?

If the imperial court cannot pay its soldiers, there will be a mutiny.

But soldiers of faith are different.

Military pay may be withheld, and food may go uneaten, but as long as that yellow flag continues to fly, and as long as he can still stand on the altar and chant a few incomprehensible spells, this army will not disband.

This is something he built up over half his life.

But now, it's over, completely over.

His opponent's skills were more than ten times superior to his.

Or rather, the counterfeiters have run into the real deal.

That person not only broke his technique, but also destroyed his very foundation.

Zhang Jiao suddenly turned around and grabbed Zhang Bao by the collar.

He has incredible strength.

"Go! Leave now, before he catches up and before the mountain path is blocked. This is your last chance!"

Zhang Bao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head frantically:

"No! I won't leave! Big brother, we'll die together, I'm not leaving!"

Zhang Jiao raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

"You bastard, are you trying to drive me crazy?"

"Do you want the Zhang family line to end?! Our parents only had three sons, and our third brother is already gone. Are you going to die here too? Get out! Get out now!"

With one slap, Zhang Bao's face immediately turned red and swollen.

But he had no interest in caring.

His face was already covered in tears.

"No, I won't leave. I want to die with my brother..."

Several of Zhang Jiao's personal guards immediately grabbed his arms and ran away.

Zhang Bao dragged his legs on the ground, struggling incessantly.

He was dragged several meters away before turning back again.

Seeing that his elder brother had already turned around and was walking step by step toward the donkey in the lightning, he realized that his brother had already turned around and was walking toward the donkey in the lightning.

That silhouette...

Lonely and desolate.

Like a withered branch that has been blown by the wind for too long and is finally about to break.

Just then.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the clouds. Sunlight streamed down through the crack.

Like a golden sword cleaving through the gloom on Panlong Ridge.

Sunlight pierced through the dark clouds in beams.

Immediately afterwards, the heavy rain stopped abruptly, and the thunder faded into the distance.

In a short while, the sun was high in the sky, making every puddle on Panlong Ridge sparkle.

Chen Shao rode on the back of a donkey, shirtless, the water droplets still glistening in the sunlight.

Zhang Bao rubbed his eyes vigorously.

Only then did he realize that it was not a god, but Chen Shao.

"General, if we don't leave now, we will be letting His Majesty down!"

The guard beside him added a reminder.

Zhang Bao stopped struggling completely and gritted his teeth.

"Walk!"

......

Chen Shao rode his donkey all the way to Zhang Jiao.

As soon as he reined in the donkey, the donkey lowered its head, its face almost touching Zhang Jiao's face.

The donkey's panting breath caused Zhang Jiao's hair to flutter slightly.

Chen Shao looked down at the man standing in the mud.

He tossed the banner to Zhang Jiao's side.

"It's over, General Tiangong."

Zhang Jiao remained calm as he looked at the Yellow Turban Banner that had already rolled into the mud beside him.

There's a sense of melancholy and reluctance to part ways.

After a moment of silence, he drew the peach wood sword from his waist, slowly knelt down, and raised it high above his head.

"They are all farmers who can't make a living. Some were forced by the government, some were driven by famine, and some joined the group in a daze."

"They don't understand anything, please..."

"Whether we recruit them into our own ranks, send them back to their hometowns, or have them become conscripts, we should give them a way to survive."

"When a person is about to die, his words are good. This is not because the Yellow Turbans are about to rise again, but because killing the innocent is an ominous sign."

"I, Zhang Jiao, am willing to offer my neck for execution!"

The fighting over there has also ceased.

The Yellow Turban army surrendered without a fight.

Yu Qi'an's army has also pressed forward.

Everyone held their breath.

Waiting for fate to arrive.

Chen Shao slowly opened his mouth:

"They are innocent; the sin is the state of the world."

"I have seen the corpses of children piled up in dry wells, the elderly, women and children who were used as shields against arrows, and the people of an entire prefecture slaughtered by government troops."

"The world is a cannibalistic place, and some people rebel. I don't blame them, not even you."

"But you, Zhang Jiao, were once considered a real man."

"They fought against the local tyrants, distributed land, and spoke up for the people, but what happened later? Why didn't they restrain their subordinates and turn the righteous army into a bandit army?"

"Since when did 'acting on behalf of Heaven' become a pretext for burning, killing, and looting, and in your eyes, Zhang Jiao, there is only the throne left?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiao felt completely free of any worries.

He murmured:

"I can't stop."

"At the beginning, there were only a few hundred people. A few hundred people needed to eat, so killing a landlord was enough."

"Later, a few thousand people took over a county town, and then tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of mouths to feed."

"If all you see when you open your eyes every day is provisions, military pay, weapons, and camps, then you can only fight for bigger cities."

"The government of the Great Yan is truly corrupt and utterly vulnerable."

"In a short period of time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion swept across the northern lands."

"But the human heart... is insatiable."

"At first, just having a life was enough. Later, once you had a life, you wanted food. Once you had food, you wanted silver. Once you had silver, you wanted women. Once you had women, you wanted to become an official."

"Once you have an official position, you'll want other things."

"It will never stop! Never!"

"Now it's too late for regrets, Chen Shao. The victor is king, the loser is villain. Kill me."

Chen Shao sneered:

"The so-called lenient punishment is because the benefits of the crime are great, while the punishment imposed by the superiors is small."

"The people are attracted by its benefits and disdain its crimes, so wickedness will not cease."

"It would be too easy for you to die like this."

"I will first imprison him and await trial. I will thoroughly investigate each of his crimes and give the people of the world an explanation."

Chen Shao turned around and looked at Yu Qi'an, who had already arrived.

"First, take out the military rations and give them a full meal."

"Select the elite to be incorporated into the Iron Fist Army, while the old, weak, and those unwilling to serve will be sent back to their hometowns to farm, thus providing them with a way to make a living."

There are two principles for winning over surrendered troops: winning their hearts and minds is paramount, and integrity is essential.

Yu Qi'an was naturally well-versed in this.

They were able to execute it with ease.

After arranging everything, Chen Shao suddenly remembered something.

He slapped his forehead!

"Quickly! Go save General Yuwen!"