[Administrator: Liu Bang answered one question correctly in "Rebel Army Q&A" and earned one reward-congratulations to Liu Bang on receiving a song video created by later generations, "Liu Bang's Tune," "Green Silk" (also known as "Entrepreneurship Tune").]
Liu Bang lit up at the message.
Earlier, he had been terribly envious when Zhang Jiao and Zhu Yuanzhang received song videos. Now he finally had one of his own. How could he not be delighted?
The translucent screen before his eyes went black.
After the characters for "Green Silk," which all three could recognize, appeared, the scene changed again, revealing a group of raggedly dressed men crossing the wilderness with farming tools, wooden clubs, and other "weapons" in their hands.
At the same time, voices all three could understand came from the video.
"Look at that bunch, all cowardly and dressed in rags. Don't they look like a pack of dogs?"
"How do you think I'm doing as their leader?"
"You're doing a terrible job as our lord."
A man who looked to be in his forties appeared in the video, his manner casual. Judging by his appearance and words, he was clearly the group's leader.
"I told you long ago I couldn't do it. You were the ones who insisted on making me your lord. Lord Xiao, why don't you take over?"
"Who says you can't do it? If you couldn't, what would we be following you for..."
Only after watching for several breaths did Liu Bang understand that the people in the video seemed to be acting out his story with Xiao He and the others-the story of his White Snake Uprising.
Although the "Liu Bang" in the video looked nothing like him, Liu Bang felt no offense whatsoever. On the contrary, he watched with great pleasure.
"Haha! When did your old man ever say that?"
"And how could I possibly have addressed Xiao He as 'Lord'?"
"It looks rather like Comic Opera, but there's no stage. How are people supposed to watch the performance? Could they be watching this Rebel Army Group video, just as I am?"
For a moment, Liu Bang became quite interested in the video's form of performance.
He was puzzled as well.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a song? Why can't I hear any music? Is this damned thing fooling your old man?"
Soon, a scene and its dialogue in the video drew Liu Bang's attention elsewhere, and his expression grew solemn.
"Zhang Liang" spoke with "him" by candlelight.
"Duke of Pei, I want to ask you something. After entering the passes, do you only wish to become a king? Have you ever thought of winning all under heaven?"
"Winning all under heaven? Becoming emperor?"
"Yes, becoming emperor."
"Ah, I've never thought about that."
"Three years ago, did you ever imagine you could lead tens of thousands of troops against the Qin army? But now you've done it. Duke of Pei, there's nothing you cannot do."
The scene changed again. His hair was still graying, but now he wore expensive robes and lounged inside a palace.
"I was a man of the poor wards, and I took up a three-foot sword to fight for the realm-and actually won it. This victory was the victory of the common people's wrath!"
As those words rang out, the music finally began.
Then he saw himself dancing at night with a group of sturdy men holding torches. Singing reached his ears as well.
"Before I knew it, time had turned through another year."
"For whom do the fireworks blaze? Tonight, I lie sleepless still..."
"Do you not see the tears I shed?"
"Do you not see-a strand of dark hair, a sigh!"
The video seemed to be nearing its end. His aged self led a little boy toward an enormous palace with even more steps than Changle Palace. Then the scene shifted to a sky of swirling winds and clouds, and "his" aged voice began to chant.
"A great wind rises, the clouds fly high."
"My might spreads across the seas; I return to my homeland."
"Where shall I find brave warriors to guard the four corners!"
Small print beside it explained: "Song of the Great Wind." In the tenth month of Emperor Gao of Han's twelfth year, after quelling Ying Bu's rebellion and suffering a wound, Liu Bang returned to Pei County and gathered his fellow townspeople for a feast. Flushed with wine, he struck a zhu and sang this piece, then had one hundred and twenty children learn to sing it.
The song video ended there.
But Liu Bang was no longer smiling as he had before. He fell silent.
After roughly two or three breaths, he smiled again, carefree.
"Who doesn't die? The First Emperor did, and your old man will too."
"Besides, this time I'm sure to live longer than I originally did!"
His leisurely expression restored, Liu Bang turned his attention to the group, where Zhang Jiao's reward was now being issued.
[Administrator: Zhang Jiao answered two consecutive questions correctly in "Rebel Army Q&A" and will receive one reward-congratulations to Zhang Jiao on receiving the video created by later generations, "Transmigrated as Zhang Jiao: Thunder God, Aid Me!"]
Transmigrated as Zhang Jiao: Thunder God, Aid Me!?
What did "transmigrated" mean?
Whether Zhang Jiao, Liu Bang, or Zhu Yuanzhang, all three were utterly bewildered by the title of Zhang Jiao's video.
Since no deity had been called the Thunder God in the early Han, Liu Bang even wondered who this Thunder God was. Could he be a rebel leader of the late Later Han whom the people respectfully called a lord after he rose in revolt, much like Liu Bang himself?
While the three privately speculated and waited in anticipation, more text appeared in the group.
[Administrator: Zhang Jiao, would you like to watch this video alone?]
They could watch videos alone, too?
All three were slightly surprised.
Remembering that they had already formed an alliance, and concerned that he might need Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang's advice on the video's contents afterward, Zhang Jiao soon made his decision.
[Zhang Jiao: There is no need to watch alone.]
Once Zhang Jiao made his choice, the video began playing.
Once again, it featured those illustrated figures who looked remarkably like real people.
First came a strange room. Apart from the bed and a few other objects, most of the things inside were unrecognizable to the three.
A short-haired man lay on the bed, looking at a palm-sized glowing treasure. He said angrily, "Zhang Jiao actually died of illness just like that, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion failed along with him. What a tragic waste!"
"If I could transmigrate into Zhang Jiao, I'd definitely lead the Yellow Turban Army to establish a new dynasty. There would be no Three Kingdoms, no Wei, Jin, or Northern and Southern Dynasties, and certainly no Uprising of the Five Barbarians!"
Then the man fell asleep with the treasure in his hand.
The scene shifted to a city and a great many Yellow Turban soldiers, seemingly preparing to defend it.
The middle-aged man at their head looked remarkably similar to the "Zhang Jiao" in the animated song from their first group chat. The arrival of a Yellow Turban general confirmed his identity.
"Elder Brother, the Han Army is about to surround Guangzong. What should we do?"
This "Zhang Jiao" did not move his mouth, but the video conveyed his thoughts.
Heavens, I was only saying that casually! How did I actually transmigrate into Zhang Jiao?
The Han Army is about to besiege the city, and I don't know the first thing about warfare! What do I do?
Right! I may not know how to fight, but I know how to make gunpowder!
With the knowledge people have in the Eastern Han, once I bring out gunpowder, this Great Wise Teacher will become an Immortal Master! If I make a few crude hand grenades and throw them out, they'll be just like Palm Thunder. I might even scare the Han Army into fleeing outright!
I, the humble Daoist Zhang Jiao, invite the Great Han to its death!
Thunder God, aid me! Boom! Hahahaha...
Listening to the extraordinarily lively thoughts of "Zhang Jiao" in the video, even someone as adaptable as Liu Bang was momentarily dumbstruck.
Still, the three finally understood what "transmigration" meant...
In the front hall of Changle Palace.
Liu Bang watched the group's video, his eyes shining.
"This man seems to be from a later age. He fell asleep, then woke looking like Zhang Jiao, yet retained the mind of that man from a later age... So this is transmigration?"
"I wonder whether later generations truly possess such a magical art, or whether this is merely that man's fantasy."
"And what is this gunpowder? From what he said, it seems to possess the might of thunder?"
"If that's true, once your old man learns how to make it, I'll beat the Xiongnu until they piss and shit themselves!"
Inside Guangzong City, Zhang Jiao had similar thoughts and eagerly anticipated gunpowder's power.
Only Zhu Yuanzhang, after understanding transmigration and seeing the animated "Zhang Jiao" order the Yellow Turban Army to collect saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to make gunpowder against the Han Army, showed a look of realization.
"How did I forget about gunpowder and firearms?"
"If I remember correctly, gunpowder wasn't invented until the Tang, by alchemists refining elixirs. It only became a military weapon in the Song. Cannons and fire-lances didn't appear until the end of the Southern Song, and only saw widespread military use under the Mongol Yuan."
"Just as the false Zhang Jiao in this animation said, people of the Later Han have never seen gunpowder. Even if the Yellow Turban Army can't make cannons or fire-lances, simply blowing up some powder barrels during battle could terrify the Han Army into a rout!"
"If I hadn't watched this animation, I would almost have forgotten I could help Zhang Jiao this way."
At that thought, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help patting his forehead, wondering whether age had made his mind less nimble than in his youth.
While each of the three pondered his own thoughts, the short animation approached its conclusion.
After ordering the Yellow Turban Army to collect saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, the transmigrated "Zhang Jiao" finally managed to make gunpowder with considerable difficulty. But he could not make hand grenades that would explode after being thrown. In the end, he settled for the next best thing: burying powder barrels beforehand in the battlefield outside the city, planning to ignite them with flaming arrows.
Once everything was ready, before the Yellow Turban Army and Han Army began fighting outside the city, "Zhang Jiao" built an earthen altar to perform a ritual.
After climbing onto the altar, he first raised his voice and shouted, "The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, great fortune shall bless all under heaven!"
The tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers outside the city shouted in unison, "The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise..."
The Yellow Turban Army repeated the cry three times, their voices shaking the clouds.
Then "Zhang Jiao" took a longsword and paced the Yu Steps upon the altar, making a show of casting a spell.
His spellcasting did not last long, finishing in just ten breaths. Then he held his sword as though offering incense and proclaimed loudly. Around the altar, a hundred booming-voiced Yellow Turbans Strongmen had been stationed to repeat his words in unison.
"The Blue Heaven departs; Jiazi honors water. This is the omen of the fiery Han's demise, and the hour when the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"
"Heaven, earth, and man-the three generals have appeared! We follow the Great Way to establish the Yellow Heaven, bearing profound virtue to drive out demons!"
"Your blades are sharp enough to sever a hundred heads, ten thousand heads, but can you sever peace from the mortal world?"
"Our Way of Great Peace unites the common people of the nine provinces to shake one family's royal court! We gather the Yellow Turban multitudes, a million across the regions, to destroy four hundred years of the fiery Han!"
"And I have forged a sword in the Thunder Pool. Now its frost-bright edge is ready, to save the living from water and fire and rouse all under heaven into the clear light!"
At that point in his proclamation, "Zhang Jiao" abruptly pointed his longsword at the opposing Han Army's formation.
"You feast on the people's fat and squander their lifeblood! Rather than protecting them, you help a tyrant wreak his cruelty and slaughter the common people. You shall perish beneath a tribulation of thunder!"
"Zhang Jiao" made another circuit of the earthen altar, then shouted, "I, the humble Daoist Zhang Jiao, invite the Great Han to its death! Thunder God, aid me!"
With "Zhang Jiao's" final cry of "Thunder God, aid me," his longsword pointed toward the Han Army once more. The animated "Zhang Liang" immediately led several dozen elite archers out of their formation, rushing forward with flaming arrows and shooting them at the ground before the Han Army.
Dozens of flaming arrows landed in the empty ground before the Han Army. Great tongues of flame immediately raced forth like dragons, reaching the Han ranks within a breath, followed by a thunderous explosion!
Smoke and dust filled the air. Dozens of Han soldiers were knocked to the ground, hundreds staggered and reeled, and thousands upon thousands were seized by terror, throwing their formation into chaos.
"Zhang Liang" immediately shouted, "The General of Heaven has summoned Divine Thunder and dealt the Han Army a grievous blow! Warriors of the Yellow Turbans, follow me and slay the enemy!"
"Kill-!"
Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers charged with thunderous cries, their morale soaring. With their formation already in chaos and their fighting spirit gone, the Han Army's defeat came crashing down like a collapsing mountain...