The Han Army had a full forty thousand combat troops and tens of thousands of support soldiers. They marched along the broad road, their ranks stretching for dozens of miles until the end vanished from sight.
Often, the vanguard would set out a day ahead and reach the next location to make camp and rest, while another contingent of troops still hadn't left the previous day's camp.
Amid such a mighty army, everyone felt an overwhelming sense of security.
Only the defeated generals Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan felt uneasy, along with the anxious Protector-General's Sima, Fu Xie.
Fu Xie hailed from the Fu Clan of Beidi. Eight feet tall, with an imposing presence, he had studied under Grand Commandant Liu Kuan and entered officialdom after being recommended for his filial piety and integrity.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he happened to be serving as an official in Luoyang. He was appointed Protector-General's Sima and sent to suppress the Yellow Turban Army alongside Left General of the Household Huangfu Song. Before setting out, Fu Xie submitted a memorial urging Emperor Liu Hong to keep away from treacherous ministers, earning the hatred of Regular Palace Attendant Zhao Zhong.
After the campaign began, Fu Xie repeatedly distinguished himself in battle. Most notably, during the Battle of Cangting in Dong Commandery, his troops slew three Yellow Turban Army commanders: Bu Si, Zhang Bo, and Liang Zhongning. His unit claimed the greatest merit.
For such a great achievement, Fu Xie should have been made a marquis, or at the very least promoted. But Zhao Zhong obstructed him and brought false charges against him. Liu Hong "still remembered Fu Xie's words," so he did not punish him, but neither did he reward him. Instead, he had Fu Xie continue the campaign against the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province under Huangfu Song.
Fu Xie had no craving for high office or generous rewards, so he felt no resentment. Yet after arriving in Ji Province, he grew deeply uneasy.
The tale of "Sovereign Yellow Absolute descending into the world" was all the rage in Ji Province. From commandery governors and clan heads to ordinary foot soldiers, everyone had heard the rumors that Immortal Gods were protecting the Yellow Turban Army.
That alone would not have been enough to worry Fu Xie. There were plenty of bandits in the world who falsely claimed to be Immortal Gods. Hadn't they all eventually been proven frauds?
The key was that the Yellow Turbans of Guangzong were acting strangely.
They clearly had more than fifty thousand elite troops, and Zhang Bao's force in Xiaquyang added another hundred thousand men. Yet they had only taken Julu Commandery. They showed no hunger for more territory, no haste, and no sign of worry. They were taking their time, perfectly at ease.
It was as if they were deliberately waiting for the Han Army to come to Guangzong and meet them in a pitched battle, force against force.
This march had only strengthened Fu Xie's judgment. Tens of thousands of Han troops had set out from Lieren to attack Guangzong, making an enormous commotion. Yet along the way, they had seen only a handful of Yellow Turban scouts. The scouts followed them from a distance, making no move to attack, their eyes full of disdain.
Fu Xie suppressed his unease, rode over to Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan, and greeted them with clasped hands.
"Lord Lu, General Zong."
The two returned his greeting. Seeing the worry on Fu Xie's face, Lu Zhi asked, "Nanrong, are you concerned about the battle ahead?"
Fu Xie nodded. "Could I ask Lord Lu and General Zong to describe in detail once more the scene of God Huang Tian's descent that day?"
"I'll tell you," Zong Yuan said.
He recounted the entire course of the previous Battle of Guangzong in detail, then sighed. "To be honest, Nanrong, Lord Lu and I are very pessimistic about this battle. In any fight, you must know yourself and your enemy. We know nothing about God Huang Tian, and we don't even have a way to counter him..."
Fu Xie furrowed his brow. "General Zong, are you certain what you saw was a god and not an illusion?"
Zong Yuan couldn't help laughing. "If an illusion can deceive tens of thousands of people on a battlefield, then it's a true immortal art. Besides, I may be old, but I'm not blind. How could I have mistaken what I saw?"
Fu Xie immediately asked the question that puzzled him most. "If you believe that was an Immortal God, and one close to the Yellow Turban Army, why were you and Lord Lu able to escape unharmed?"
Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan had been the highest-ranking commanders in Ji Province on behalf of the Han Court. If they were captured or killed, the whole realm would be shaken at once. The Han Court's authority would teeter, ambitious men would rise up everywhere, and the Yellow Turban Army would have all the more chance to establish itself amid the chaos.
And yet that "god" had simply stood by and watched as Lu Zhi and the others escaped.
Could it have lacked the power?
Moreover, judging from Lu Zhi and Zong Yuan's accounts, neither had personally seen a deity strike. So Huangfu Song, Fu Xie, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and the others had reasonably concluded that "God Huang Tian" had no divine power at all!
Zong Yuan was at a loss for words.
That was one of the things that puzzled him and Lu Zhi most, too.
Why had the god let them go?
Had he been unable to capture and kill them?
Lu Zhi coughed. "If I hadn't been unable to make sense of that, I would have stopped Lord Huangfu from marching, even at the cost of my life."
"So Lord Lu has doubts as well!"
Fu Xie felt a little more at ease. "I hope the deity was only an illusion."
Lu Zhi replied in a distant voice, "Let us hope so..."
Several days later.
The Han Army's forty thousand troops gathered outside Guangzong City, where they pitched camp, set up barriers, and raised a clamor that shook the heavens.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Guangzong City was not tense. The Yellow Turban soldiers trained in formation as usual and patrolled the city, while the clerks handled government affairs and logistics at an unhurried pace.
Only Tian Feng took the initiative to seek Zhang Jiao out with a plan. "Great Virtuous Teacher, the enemy has traveled a long way and is weary. Their camps are not yet secure, and their morale is unsettled. We could send out a force to challenge them. If they accept, our rested troops will face a weary enemy, and victory will be easy. If they refuse, their morale will suffer."
Zhang Jiao praised him. "Yuanhao, you truly understand military strategy. But there's no need to send troops to challenge them."
"Why?" Tian Feng asked, taken aback.
"Because tomorrow, the whole army will march out and fight the Han Army in a decisive battle."
Tian Feng felt as if his head had gone a little fuzzy.
When two armies met, they wouldn't even probe each other first? They would go straight into a decisive battle?
Who fought wars like that? Whenever a city was attacked or defended, didn't it always drag on for half a month, a month, or even a year and a half?
"This is the Holy Venerable's will," Zhang Jiao explained.
Tian Feng immediately understood. "I understand."
He had been in Guangzong for quite some time. Though he had not seen the Holy Venerable Huang Tian, he had witnessed "divine miracles" and knew just how powerful the gods were. Naturally, he had no reason to doubt the Holy Venerable's plan.
The next day, during the hour of the Snake.
The sky was a deep blue, and wisps of cloud drifted away on the breeze.
Thud, thud, thud—
A deep, powerful drumbeat sounded from within Guangzong City, followed by the clatter of armor and weapons and the dense tramp of marching feet.
In the Han Army's camp, Huangfu Song wore black armor and a crimson cloak. Accompanied by a group of generals and scholars, he watched the movements around Guangzong City from a distance.
"Are the Moth Bandits coming out to fight us in the open?" Dong Zhuo guessed as he saw people crowding the city walls and heard the thunder of drums.
Cao Cao exclaimed excitedly, "I've been worrying that Guangzong's walls are too high to take. If the Moth Bandits dare to come out and fight, that's just what we want."
He turned to Huangfu Song. "I'm willing to lead the troops into battle and cut down the Moth Bandits' arrogance!"
Huangfu Song raised a hand to stop him. "Don't rush. Let's watch a little longer."
Fu Xie cautioned Cao Cao. "The enemy is taking the initiative. They may have a plan. Be careful not to fall into a trap."
Cao Cao thought to himself, How many schemes can there really be in the world? With superior troops and overwhelming strength, we'll naturally sweep all before us.
But he couldn't say much more just then, so he forced himself to hold back his urge to take the field and prove himself.
As they spoke, Guangzong's heavy gates slowly swung open. Yellow Turban soldiers poured out from within like a surging tide. No longer did they wear only plain clothes and carry farm tools and pitchforks. Every man now held a spear, and some wore leather armor and carried swords and shields.
Wave after wave, the Yellow Turban soldiers poured out without end. Under their officers' command, the infantry marched in orderly ranks and formed several lines outside the city. Thousands of cavalrymen thundered out, stirring a gale and trampling up clouds of dust.
Then an apricot-yellow banner emblazoned with "Great Virtuous Teacher" emerged behind Zhang Jiao's carriage. Cheers shook the heavens and the earth across the army!
The entire Yellow Turban Army had come out.
The first battle would be the decisive battle!
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