My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 296 The only choice
Just when Liu Yan, Liu Bei and others were feeling desperate, the Yellow Turban Army, which had already stormed the city wall and was sure of victory, suddenly retreated like a tide.

Even Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao, who had already fought with Liu Bei, Zou Jing and others, hurriedly abandoned Liu Bei and Zou Jing who could no longer hold out, and fled down the city in panic.

"what's the situation?"

"Aren't the Yellow Turbans about to win? Why are they retreating now?"

Liu Bei, who survived the disaster, and Zou Jing, who was covered in blood after the battle, looked at each other in surprise when they saw this.

Liu Yan, who had been hiding under the protection of the guards, came to the city wall with a frightened look on his face to check the battle situation.

In Liu Yan's vision, a bright white torrent suddenly appeared in the yellow ocean composed of countless yellow turbans under the city of Zhuojun.

This torrent, which is only one-tenth the size of the ocean, turned the much larger yellow ocean upside down as soon as it appeared.

Wherever the torrent went, the yellow ocean was completely unable to resist and could only be forcefully separated by the white torrent, leaving a bright red trail.

That was the blood left behind by countless Yellow Turban soldiers who were killed and wounded!

"This armored cavalry has such a majestic military might!"

"This is a one-sided massacre!"

Zou Jing supported himself on the city wall with both hands, his eyes filled with shock and even fear.

“I wonder who is the commander of this army?
"A man should be like this!"

However, Liu Bei, who was standing beside Zou Jing, had a look of longing on his face, and he only regretted that he was not the general commanding this elite force under the city.

However, the highest administrative officer of Zhuo County, Cheng Yuanzhi, who had originally besieged the city, and Liu Yan, whom the Yellow Turban Army most wanted to kill, had a look of mixed surprise and joy on his face.

Liu Yan, who was originally thought to be dead, now has a turn of events and survived the disaster, as if he had returned to heaven from hell.

He quickly pushed away the guards who were still protecting him, stepped forward and stared at the flag of reinforcements that suddenly appeared.

"The governor of Yanmen County?"

"Lu Ziqi?"

"It's Lu Yi from Yanmen County!"

Seeing this, Liu Yan immediately knew the identity of the reinforcements.

"Just why is it him?"

However, after Liu Yan learned the identity of the reinforcements, he became suspicious.

Although Zhuo County is not far from Yanmen County, Liu Yan and Lu Yi have never had any contact with each other, nor have they had any intersection or friendship.

Why did this man leave his own Yanmen County unguarded and instead lead his troops to rescue my Zhuo County?

"Is there someone important to Lu Yi in this Zhuojun City?"

Liu Yan was worthy of being the first king of Shu, as he guessed Lu Yi's thoughts at once.

Most people in later generations know that Liu Biao rode into Jingzhou alone, but in fact, Liu Yan also controlled Western Shu single-handedly.

After he arrived in Western Shu, he not only quickly won over the heroes and powerful families in Shu, but also stabilized the situation.

He also sent his general, Zhang Lu, who was also the biggest religious leader in the late Han Dynasty besides Zhang Jue, as the governor of Hanzhong. He pretended to rebel and cut off the connection between the court and Shu. Thus, he actually completed the secession of Western Shu.

This person not only has extraordinary abilities and foresight, but his methods and courage are also top-notch.

If he had not been old when he entered Shu, and had not lost his eldest son, he would have passed away within a few years, leaving his huge foundation to Liu Zhang, the second Shu ruler who was as famous as the future Liu Chan, the last ruler of the Han Dynasty.

If Liu Yan could last as long as Sima Yi and last another ten or twenty years.

So it’s really hard to say how the world will develop.

Under the city, Lu Yi, who was leading 5,000 Bingzhou cavalrymen, who were at an absolute disadvantage among the 50,000 General Huang's, was in an absolute advantage in the battle situation at this moment.

Although these Yellow Turban troops were numerous, they were simply a sea of ​​people.

However, in front of the Bingzhou cavalry, which had been carefully trained by Lu Yi for many years and equipped with the most powerful weapons of the era, it was like butter being cut by a hot knife.

Before the knife even got close, the butter melted.

Countless Yellow Turbans died tragically under the charge of the Bingzhou cavalry.

But even more people died from being pushed, trampled and hacked by their companions who were in panic and madness.

Under the attack of the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry, who were armed to the teeth with both men and horses, no one could resist the iron hooves of the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry, not even for a moment!
These warriors, who were recruited from the bitter and cold frontier areas and have been proficient in riding and shooting since childhood, have become a truly powerful army with the support of years of training, excellent equipment and sufficient meat.

These warriors didn't even need to make an effort to hack, chop or stab these Yellow Turban rebels who had completely lost their organization. They could just urge their horses to charge and knock away the Yellow Turban soldiers who had their backs to them.

The ferocious destructive power is to kill anyone who stands in the way and kill gods who stand in the way!

It turned out that as early as last night when he camped outside the city of Dai County, Lu Yi had already received a report from the scouts he had sent out in advance and learned about the current unfavorable situation in Zhuo County.

After learning the news, he acted decisively and rejected the repeated attempts of the officials and gentry of Dai County to retain him. He rushed towards Zhuo County, hoping to reach the battlefield of Zhuo County before the city was captured and Liu Yan was killed.

Fortunately, when Lu Yi arrived, he happened to see Cheng Yuanzhi's entire army attacking the city from all sides.

Lu Yi made a prompt decision to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Regardless of the fact that the horses of his Bingzhou soldiers had not yet recovered to their peak strength after charging for the whole morning, he immediately commanded all 5,000 cavalrymen under his command to follow Cheng Yuanzhi's example and attack with their entire army.

Unlike Lu Yi who attached great importance to intelligence and scouts, although Cheng Yuanzhi was an excellent martial artist, his command ability was mediocre. Even the military camp was a collection of shacks randomly arranged without any order. How could he think of arranging scouts to be scattered around to guard against the enemy?
Therefore, the appearance of Lu Yi can be said to have hit the weak spot of the Yellow Turban Army in Zhuo County.

The victory of capturing Zhuozhou seemed to be just around the corner. From the generals Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao to the ordinary soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army, no one had expected that just when they had one foot in victory, a group of the most elite troops in the world except for the Youzhou Cavalry and the Liangzhou Cavalry would appear behind them and launch a fierce offensive against them.

The peaceful and prosperous era that Zhang Jue advocated to them was still in the distant future, and it was unclear whether it could be realized.

But at this moment, the killing hell created by Lu Yi was right in front of them.

The bloody example is right in front of us. If we run a little slower, we will immediately repeat the fate of our unfortunate companions who died tragically under the charge of the Bingzhou cavalry.

As a result, the Yellow Turban Army was defeated immediately, and all the soldiers lost interest in fighting and fled in all directions.

Although Lu Yi wanted to capture as many surrendered Yellow Turbans as possible, he was not sure he could subdue the Yellow Turban Army, which now had a strength of 50,000 people, without fully demonstrating his own military strength.

Kindness does not command the army, and justice does not command wealth. Under such circumstances, killing is inevitable.

Moreover, Lu Yi knew very well that the more brutally he killed now, the more people would be frightened and intimidated by his iron-blooded methods, and would not dare to rebel again.

If Cao Cao were to tolerate the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, as he did in history, it would only lead to rebellion and unrest again and again.

"Have you forgotten the Great Sage Master's orders?"

"If we run away, we will be caught up and killed by this cavalry one by one. Only by forming a battle formation and resisting on the spot can we have a chance of survival!"

"That's right. As a member of the Yellow Turbans, even if we don't live to see the Yellow Turbans' heyday, after we die in battle, we can still follow the Great Sage Master and enjoy wealth and health in heaven forever!"

Seeing Lu Yi wantonly slaughtering the troops they had spent half their lives to recruit, the two generals Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao were furious. They immediately returned to the outside of the city from the wall of Zhuo County and wanted to organize troops to resist Lu Yi's attack.

After hearing the orders from Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao and recalling Zhang Jue's call, the defeated Yellow Turban Army barely regained some organizational ability and Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao organized tens of thousands of troops.

But in the face of absolute strength, any struggle is futile.

Although the Yellow Turban Army regrouped 10,000 troops, which was still twice as many as Lu Yi's, they still failed to stop Lu Yi's charge in the slightest.

Soon, after another charge by the Bingzhou cavalry, the 10,000-strong army that Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao had organized with great difficulty fell apart again after more than half of them were killed or wounded.

Thousands of remaining soldiers have lost their courage and now they no longer think about the future or the heaven after death. They just want to escape from the Asura hell in front of them.

"How dare the dog official hinder my Yellow Turban plan!"

"I, Cheng Yuanzhi, would rather die than chop off the head of you, the dog official!"

Seeing that defeat was inevitable, Cheng Yuanzhi was so sad and angry that he felt ashamed to face Zhang Jue, so he made up his mind to die.

He was so confident of his own bravery that he wanted to drag his main general Lu Yi to die with him before he died.

He called upon the hundreds of still determined remnants of the Yellow Turban Army around him, and immediately launched a countercharge against Lu Yi, who turned his horses around and charged towards him again.

However, Deng Mao, who was beside him, hesitated when he saw this, slowed down his pace and fell behind.

"How brave!"

"Let Guan give you a ride!"

Guan Yu, who was standing behind Lu Yi, always admired brave warriors who were ready to die.

In history, after Guan Yu was shot by Pang De with a poisonous arrow, Pang De still appreciated his loyalty and admired his courage and wanted to surrender him.

Seeing Cheng Yuanzhi who was determined to die at this moment, he felt a little admiration in his heart and wanted to kill Cheng Yuanzhi with his own hands to fulfill his bravery.

However, Guan Yu's behavior was displeased by Zhang Fei who was standing by.

"Yun Chang is really going too far!"

"You killed the Yellow Turban leader yesterday and took the first place. Why are you trying to steal my credit today?"

"Since this general dared to attack our army, I, Zhang, should send him off. Why would I need to trouble Yunchang to do anything?"

Zhang Fei shouted loudly, and regardless of Guan Yu's objection, he immediately rode out of the army formation, and even imitated Guan Yu's behavior yesterday and rushed into the charging Yellow Turban remnants alone.

"Zhang Fei from Yan is here!"

"The thief will die!"

Zhang Fei rode his horse and held his spear, fighting against all the enemies, killing dozens of Yellow Turban soldiers.

"Don't kill my Yellow Turban brothers!"

"A certain Cheng Yuanzhi is here to meet you!"

Seeing that his comrades had suffered heavy casualties, Cheng Yuanzhi was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end. He stepped forward and started fighting with Zhang Fei.

Cheng Yuanzhi was indeed one of the bravest and most powerful men among the Yellow Turbans. He was able to fight with Zhang Fei for several times and was not killed instantly by Zhang Fei.

But Zhang Fei was born with supernatural powers, and now with the Zhangba Snake Spear in his hand, he was even more powerful.

Although Cheng Yuanzhi was determined to fight to the death, he was no match for Zhang Fei. After he held out for ten rounds, Zhang Fei seized a flaw and stabbed him through with his spear.

"I only regret that I, Cheng Yuanzhi, am not as skilled as you and died at the hands of you dog officials!"

"However, although Cheng Yuanzhi is dead today, the Great Sage Master will definitely overthrow the tyrant and avenge me in the future!"

Cheng Yuanzhi pointed at Zhang Fei angrily and cursed him for the last time. Then he shook his body twice and fell off his horse and died.

"Humph! You, a bandit, are about to die and yet you still dare to speak so shamelessly!"

Zhang Fei was furious when he heard this, and stepped forward with his spear to kill Cheng Yuanzhi's body to vent his anger, but was stopped by Lu Yi.

"Although this man is a follower of the enemy, his zeal is not in vain. You can kill him, but don't humiliate him!"

Although Guan Yu behind Lu Yi did not say anything, the expression on his face clearly showed his approval. Unlike Zhang Fei, who was hot-tempered and prone to violence, Guan Yu had always admired loyal and righteous people the most in his life. This appreciation of Guan Yu even exceeded the limitations of the enemy and friendly camps.

The reason why Lu Yi showed leniency to Cheng Yuanzhi was because he saw things further than Guan Yu.

It is true that Cheng Yuanzhi was a Yellow Turban rebel, but if we were to dismiss him as rudely as Zhang Fei did, without thinking about the deeper reasons why he became a rebel.

We cannot understand the real reason why the Yellow Turban Rebellion emerged. At the same time, even if the Yellow Turban Rebellion is quelled this time, it is difficult to avoid the emergence of new Black Turban Rebellions and White Turban Rebellions in the future.

Let’s not discuss for now what the original intention of the three Zhang Jue brothers was, who initiated this unprecedented uprising that swept across China.

However, the reason why most of the middle and low-level Yellow Turban members who joined the group like Cheng Yuanzhi and were willing to die for them chose to betray the court and join the Yellow Turbans was actually very simple.

That is, compared with the imperial court that had completely left them no way out, Zhang Jue, who founded the Taiping Taoism, gave them a new choice.

Even though the Yellow Turban heyday that Zhang Jue preached to them was just a pale blueprint, it was just a huge pie that he used to encourage the world.

As a latecomer who traveled through time from the future, Lu Yi clearly knew that whether it was the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising before the Yellow Turbans or the larger-scale Li Zicheng in the late Ming Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the late Qing Dynasty, even if they temporarily gained the upper hand, they would only destroy without building, and their destruction would be the inevitable outcome sooner or later.

Even though they all sounded the death knell of the dynasties of their respective times, they were only pioneers for the kings.

However, there are few people in the world who can have the vision that transcends the times like Lu Yi. Most people in the world find it difficult to break free from the shackles of the times throughout their lives.

And, this is another bad era.

Although Zhang Jue's Yellow Turban dream was not a reliable option, it was the only choice for the poor masses besides the corrupt Eastern Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)