Scatter Beans to Make Soldiers?

It was as if an earth dragon were turning over.

On the front lines where tens of thousands of Yellow Turban Army soldiers clashed with the Han Army, the ground suddenly trembled violently. Gravel leaped into the air, dust billowed, and the crowd was so terrified they retreated again and again.

The next instant, the soil and sand on the ground rapidly converged, rising and coalescing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dozen or so sounds erupted as the earth and rubble shattered, revealing fifteen behemoths.

They were fifteen earth-men molded entirely from soil and rock, each nearly a zhang tall—nearly twice the height of an ordinary man. Their forms were rough and sturdy, lacking facial features and possessing only the vague outline of a human shape. In their broad right hands, they gripped massive stone hammers that appeared to weigh several hundred catties.

The appearance of the Earth Giants plunged the Han Army into a momentary, deathly silence.

"W-what is that?!!"

On his carriage, Huangfu Song felt as if he were in a dream. How could there be such towering giants made of stone and mud in this world?!

"This is impossible! This is impossible! Can it be that immortals and gods truly exist in this world?!" He had completely lost his composure.

Lu Zhi, meanwhile, was both shocked and grief-stricken. "The Yellow Turban rebels are protected by Huang Tian; our Great Han..."

On the battlefield, seeing the tall and ferocious Earth Giants, Fu Xie's mind went blank for a split second. Then, he saw Han soldiers shrieking in terror, discarding their weapons, and fleeing while clutching their heads, throwing the formation into chaos. He immediately roared, "That is an illusion! Do not panic! Kill them!!"

Under his loud exhortations, the Han soldiers barely managed to stabilize their formation. A Han Army captain clad in bright armor even took the initiative to lead a dozen personal guards, charging forward with all his might.

"Clang!"

A long spear pierced precisely into the chest of an Earth Giant, yet it failed to penetrate even a fraction, leaving only a shallow white mark on the giant's torso.

The Earth Giant lowered its head to look at the "little person" before it, seemingly puzzled by what the man was doing. The Han captain stood stunned for a moment, and just as he raised his weapon to strike again, a massive stone hammer swept over with a suffocating gale.

The Han captain's pupils contracted violently; he wanted to spur his horse and retreat, but it was already too late.

"Bang!!!"

A sound of muffled, extreme vibration rang out. The terrifying force carried by the heavy stone hammer struck the captain and his horse alike. The warhorse let out a short, mournful whinny before being smashed away like a rag doll, while the captain was instantly reduced to a mass of mangled armor fragments and flesh.

This horrific scene instantly shattered the morale of the Han Army. Fu Xie's expression changed completely; he could no longer claim the Earth Giants were an illusion.

The fifteen Earth Giants did not pause, rumbling as they strode into the heart of the Han formation. They required no techniques, merely the simplest swings of their stone hammers.

Every time a hammer fell, the ground trembled slightly. The surrounding Han soldiers were either killed or maimed; a mere graze meant broken bones. Some who foolishly tried to raise their shields to block the blow were crushed into meat paste along with their shields.

The Earth Giants carved several paths of blood and gore through the main formation. Countless fanatical Yellow Turban soldiers followed behind them, hacking and slashing at the Han troops, whose morale had collapsed as they wailed for their parents.

In an instant, the situation reversed. The tens of thousands of Han soldiers wished only that their parents had given them more legs to run with, fleeing frantically away from the Earth Giants and leaving the formation in tatters.

By this point, no one cared about military formations anymore. Huangfu Song acted as if insane, having no heart to command; Lu Zhi was lost and dejected, filled with anxiety for the Han Court; Cao Cao was terrified to the point of despair, feeling his worldview suffer a massive impact; and Dong Zhuo was trembling all over, the fat on his face quivering uncontrollably.

Only Fu Xie remained resolute, forcibly suppressing his fear to rally the retreating troops. Yet, the strength of one man is so feeble when a river bursts its banks; he could not stop the frenzied rout, and even his own personal guards were scattered.

"Die!!!"

Gritting his teeth, he picked up a long spear and roared as he charged toward an Earth Giant rampaging through the crowd.

But before he could drive the spear into the giant, he was swatted away by a single blow, collapsing to the ground unconscious. Several Yellow Turban soldiers quickly stepped forward to bind him tightly, while more soldiers continued to pursue the remnants of the enemy.

Looking down from the sky, one could see a rolling yellow torrent surging toward the red tide across the vast wilderness, quickly engulfing it. Only a few tiny red tributaries managed to escape in time, avoiding the pursuit.

However, of the forty thousand Han troops, most were either killed or captured. Even Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi failed to escape; as the primary targets on the battlefield, the Yellow Turban Army pursued them relentlessly until they were finally captured.

"Victory! Our army has won!!"

On the carriage, Tian Feng laughed heartily, and Zhang Jiao also revealed a smile.

This battle not only completely crushed the elite forces of the Han Army but also captured Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song. The two pillars of the Han Court were destroyed, leaving them with no strength to engage the Yellow Turban Army in open battle again.

As for Zhu Jun... he was still far inferior to Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi and was not worth worrying about.

"You all, clean up the battlefield. I am going to pay my respects to the Holy Venerable."

Zhang Jiao gave the order, stepped off the carriage, mounted his horse, and entered Guangzong City. He arrived at the city wall and bowed to the figure standing tall:

"Master, the Han Army has been routed. Our army has captured or killed Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, Fu Xie, Li Jue, and other generals. Only Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao escaped with a few dozen cavalrymen. Huang Shao and He Yi are currently leading troops in pursuit."

Huang Tian smiled and nodded. "After this battle, rest and reorganize for a few days. Then, send fast riders to post notices in all the commanderies and counties of Ji Province, ordering them to surrender their cities. Tell them not to offer meaningless resistance. Those who dare to disobey shall have their chief officials executed, and their accomplices imprisoned."

"This disciple understands!"

"After taking Ji Province, expand the Political Academy. Recruit more literate commoners and scholars from humble backgrounds. Train them briefly, then send them to survey the fields of Ji Province. Clear out the land and population hidden by the great clans, powerful families, and wealthy merchants."

"Confiscate the land, return the serfs and slaves to the status of commoners, and distribute the confiscated land to the peasantry. As for how much each household should receive, you must deliberate on that carefully."

Surveying the land and population of the great clans would inevitably incite the dissatisfaction of the aristocratic families. Even if the Yellow Turban Army took Ji Province, it would likely cause no small amount of trouble.

Have you not seen how, when Emperor Guangwu of the Han founded the dynasty, he used the prestige of an emperor to issue the Land Measurement Edict, yet it still caused "bandits to rise everywhere in the commanderies and kingdoms; when the authorities came to suppress them, they would disperse, and when they left, they would gather again, especially in Qing, Xu, You, and Ji Provinces"?

It took a long time of turmoil before the uprisings were finally quelled.

If it was so difficult for Emperor Guangwu to survey the land, it would be even harder for the Yellow Turban Army, which had only just taken Ji Province.

But Zhang Jiao, acting under the decree of the Sovereign Yellow Absolute God, was not in the least bit flustered.

Dare to defy?

Then kill!

Heads rolled as they slaughtered!

Blood flowed like a river as they slaughtered!

Everyone trembled in fear as they slaughtered!

If all those who opposed them were simply wiped out, wouldn't Ji Province finally be pacified?

As for the possibility of capsizing in a gutter, that was impossible; even the elite of the Han Army had been defeated, so no matter how fierce the private militias and retainers of those noble clans might be, they could not withstand the blade of the Yellow Turban Army!