Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 228 Bloodlight Illuminates the Sky for 30,000 Miles, Soaring Straight Up to the Heaven of Peace!

In the Battle of Jingzhou, Yuan Shu defeated Huang Zhong, surrendered Xing Daorong, captured Sun Quan, and flooded Xiangyang.

Since he entered Jingzhou, he has defeated a total of about 200,000 troops; the key was time.

From Changsha to Lingling and even Xiangyang, wherever they went, even the most fortified cities that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, even the armies of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of men, one after another, famous generals who were touted as gods by the scholars of Jingzhou took the stage.

Without exception, they crumbled at the slightest touch!
Undefeated and invincible, Yuan's army's power in Jingzhou surpassed even that in Yuzhou.

Since the rebellion of the three counties of Jingnan in the first month of the lunar calendar, and the subsequent military assistance from Yuan Shu, it is now only the fifth month, and Xiangyang has already fallen, with Liu Biao surrendering the entire province.

The might of the general's army has reached such a level that the nine prefectures of Jing and Xiang are filled with fear and trepidation.
The entire Yangtze River basin was in turmoil because of the might of Yuan Shikai's military force.

Apart from the three prefectures of Changsha, Lingling, and Xiangyang, which were already under Yuan Shao's control.

The four commanderies of Nanjun, Guiyang, Wuling, and Zhangling immediately submitted petitions to surrender, responding to Yuan Gong's call and expressing their willingness to obey the edict of the Regent General.

Apart from Jiangxia, which was still under Wen Ping's control, and Nanyang, which was under Zhang Xiu's control, the nine prefectures of Jingxiang were pacified by a proclamation.

On this day, the Great General, with his skill, shook the land of China.

Within a few months, they completely routed the 200,000-strong army of Jingzhou, breached the Yangtze River, and overthrew Xiangyang.

With such overwhelming ferocity, how could even the two prefectures of Jiangxia and Nanyang, who had not yet surrendered, not tremble with fear upon hearing this news?

Lujiang, the formidable city that once held off Sun Ce for two whole years, is once again stained with blood.

The entire city wall is covered with bloodstains and craters, a testament to the devastation it has endured over this period.

Outside the city, in the military camp, where a bloody battle had raged to this day, Cao Cao gritted his teeth and sneered.

"Hair like chives, cut and it grows back. Head like a chicken, cut and it crows again?"

Unruly people! Disrespectful people! Rebellious people!!!

This group of anti-government elements is truly like a never-ending cycle of killing and eradication.

For every city we've captured and killed these past few days, Shouchun will send just as many to their deaths!

He was truly enraged. After forging shields and siege weapons on the spot, Cao Cao's army, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front and archers behind, formed ranks to attack the enemy.

In recent days, these bloodless rabble have been slaughtered, their heads rolling and their blood flowing like rivers.

No matter how many people they kill, they can't stop Shouchun from sending supplies!

Kill three thousand today, six thousand tomorrow, kill every day, and they'll keep coming!

This thing is like you're cutting down a stationary city's health bar, but no matter how much Cao Cao's army cuts, Shouchun heals just as much. In fact, the more Cao Cao's army kills, the more health the city of Lujiang heals.

This is absolutely outrageous!

A person may experience despair many times in their life, but they may not know that this despair is only just beginning.

Cao Cao, who had rushed here with great enthusiasm, was now standing beneath the walls of Lujiang, a city he had been besieging for a long time, and he was truly feeling despair.

He also knew that time was of the essence and that he could not linger here indefinitely.

However, the Yellow Turban army sent by Shouchun, a massive force, was no match for the imperial army.

But if they continue to risk their lives and use human lives to buy time...

Having the advantage of defending the city, even Cao Cao's army had no good way to deal with them.

Of course, if time drags on, with Cao Cao's army killing thousands every day, they could wipe out the population of Jianghuai in a few months, causing Yuan Shu's foundation to collapse and leaving him with no strength to wage war.

The problem is that what they lack right now is time.

Both sides were racing against time, which is why Yuan Shu was willing to divert the Han River and risk the ruin of Xiangyang in order to defeat Sun Quan's 100,000-strong army in the shortest possible time.

From Yan Xiang down to the officials of Shouchun, from the common people of Jianghuai to the lowest peddlers, everyone had given their all, even their lives, to support his strategy of seizing Xiangyang.

And he, Lord Yuan of Huainan, must not let the people of Huainan down.

At this very moment, news that Xiangyang had been flooded, and that Liu Biao had been ordered to surrender and go to court to plead guilty, was already on its way.

Although Cao Cao has not yet received news from Xiangyang, he can recount Yuan Shu's past achievements.

He also knew that the situation was far from optimistic and that he didn't have much time left.

With this thought in mind, he couldn't help but urge everyone to ask.

"Gentlemen, you are all skilled generals and strategists. Given our current predicament, do you have a plan to quickly break through Lujiang?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yuan immediately cupped his hands in response:

"Reporting to my lord, although the city of Lujiang is fortified, it is no longer defended by elite troops and generals. The only thing it relies on are the Yellow Turban laborers, who are all a rabble!"
As long as we continue our strong attack, kill more people, and make these people tremble with fear, we can make them tremble with terror.

No one is unafraid of death. These unruly and rebellious people are the most cowardly and afraid of dying. Once we kill them until they are terrified, this city will fall without a fight.

However, he was immediately refuted by Xun You as soon as he finished speaking.

That's wrong.

If the people are not afraid of death, how can you threaten them with death?
General Xiahou's method can easily defeat the Yellow Turban Army, which is scattered across the nine provinces and led by the thirty-six regional leaders.

"This won't work against the Yellow Turbans in front of us."

As he spoke, he looked up at the yellow banner fluttering in the wind atop Lujiang City, his gaze deep and profound.

"General Xiahou, you also followed our lord in the campaign against the Yellow Turbans in the past. You should know that there are differences between the Yellow Turbans."

They were nothing more than a rabble who had never been on the battlefield, carrying hoes and sickles, wearing no armor, and knowing nothing of military strategy or how to form ranks.

Back then, Zhang Jiao raised the Yellow Heaven banner high and proclaimed: "The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise."

In a short time, eight out of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty rebelled, with the rebel army numbering in the millions, far surpassing the strength of the present.

But the result?

The rebel armies in various prefectures and regions were reduced to mere numbers on the merit list under the siege and suppression of the imperial court's elite forces.

How could a bunch of peasants, toiling in the fields, possibly contend with the well-equipped imperial army?

Xun You asked and answered himself, his tone growing increasingly somber.

"Take my life!"
While a million Yellow Turban rebels across eight provinces couldn't stop the Han army, there was one place that managed to do so.

It was Julu, where Zhang Jiao was located!

A group of ordinary people who had never been on the battlefield or seen bloodshed displayed a ferocity in their defense and a valiant attack that chilled the heart.

For more than a month, they held their own against the elite Han troops under the command of the famous general Lu Zhi in a single city and territory, without being at a disadvantage!

At that time, You was serving as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, close to the late emperor.

The late emperor was just as confused as you are now, General.

Aren't they just a bunch of anti-people people whose hair is like chives, which grows back after being cut; whose heads are like chickens, which crow again after being cut?
Just attack, launch a strong attack! Kill them until they're terrified, kill them until they flee, isn't that enough?

Why did the Yellow Turbans of the eight provinces all collapse in front of the Han army, but you, Lu Zhi, could not conquer them even after a long time?

Lu Zhi was thus transferred back to Luoyang for trial, and Dong Zhuo took over Lu Zhi's command of the war against the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Ji Province, leading the campaign against Julu.

Yes, it was Grand Tutor Dong Zhuo, who, with his iron cavalry of Xiliang, roamed the world, easily dealt with the eighteen warlords, and wreaked havoc on the land.

However, Dong Zhuo was defeated!

The imperial army, with its elite forces, launched a fierce attack on a group of peasants under Zhang Jiao's command who had tied yellow turbans for over two months, but failed to break through. They were then returned to Luoyang for trial. Xiahou Yuan and the generals of Cao Cao's camp, having followed Cao Cao in numerous campaigns against the Yellow Turbans and easily quelled a million-strong Yellow Turban rebellion in Qingzhou, had never taken these peasants with yellow turbans seriously.

At this moment, upon truly hearing Xun You, a courtier who had been close to the late emperor during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, recount the events of that year, I felt a profound, unspoken shock.

A group of peasants without weapons or armor stood up to the elite Han army for months without being defeated, and even defeated two famous Han generals, Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo.
But they're just a bunch of peasants! What makes them so special?
"Perhaps victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, and Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo's tactics in dealing with the Yellow Turbans were incorrect."
I heard that after Dong Zhuo, the court appointed General Huangfu Song to take over the war effort and easily quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion?

Upon hearing Cao Hong's words, Xun You couldn't help but chuckle. He looked at everyone, but the deeper meaning in his words sent chills down their spines.

"How much better was Huangfu Song than Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo? He was only able to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion because of good luck."

"lucky?"

Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Xun You spoke slowly and deliberately, explaining the situation in a gentle and detailed manner.

Yes, I was lucky.

Because Zhang Jiao died of illness right after Dong Zhuo left.

With Zhang Jiao dead, the Yellow Turban Rebellion at Julu lost its pillar of faith, and its defeat was only a matter of time.

Upon hearing this, Cao Anmin's eyes lit up, and he immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"I understand what the strategist means. General Xiahou, today you will attack the city. Find an opportunity to shoot and kill that old Taoist Yu Ji!"

"Once that old Taoist priest dies, these lowly people will lose their faith and will soon collapse on their own."

Xun You: "."

He glared at Cao Anmin with annoyance and shook his head.

"It's no use. The Yellow Turbans in Huainan are not quite the same as what happened back then."

Yu Ji was merely a spokesperson for this belief, while the great and virtuous teacher of today is none other than Yuan Gonglu, who is still attacking Xiangyang.

Can you expect Liu Biao to fight bravely and kill Yuan Shu in battle, or do you hope that we will be lucky enough to catch Yuan Shu dying of illness?

"If Yuan Shu doesn't die, what use would killing Yu Ji alone be?"

Having said this, Xun You then bowed deeply to Cao Cao and apologized.

"My lord, I could not have foreseen that Yuan Gonglu's influence among the people of Huainan is even greater than that of Zhang Jiao in the past."

Therefore, due to a momentary oversight, the plan to borrow a route through Nanyang was proposed, leading to today's disaster.

Nowadays, in Lujiang City, there is a Taoist named Yu Ji who spreads heretical rumors and misleads the masses.

I have heard that recently the garrison in the city has been advocating that people should die for the Yellow Heaven, and that the more tragic their death, the more protection they will receive from the Yellow Heaven, and that they will ascend to the Heaven of Peace after death.

There are even sayings such as: "To die from severe injuries and bleeding is to ascend to heaven in red robes; to die by beheading is to ascend to heaven in a crimson robe; to die in a bloodbath in the city, even to the point of rivers of blood, is to ascend to heaven in red light that shines for 30,000 miles."

Similarly, there is the saying: "The followers of Huangtian are protected by the Radiant Sage Daoist Lord Yingyuan, and are invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire."

If one dies, it is considered impious.

Such crooked and evil doctrines are only regrettable because the city's ignorant masses deeply believe in them.

Therefore, as General Xiahou thought, it was virtually impossible to frighten and drive them back.

Faced with your sword, they will not only not flee, but will fight you to the death in order to gain supreme glory, ascend to heaven in red robes, and enjoy eternal peace.

As You predicted, this is also why Zhang Jiao was able to fight against the elite Han army with a group of common people without being defeated.

The people are not afraid of death, so why threaten them with death?

"This"

Upon hearing this, how could Xiahou Yuan not be surprised, suspicious, and rebuke him?

"Have these people gone mad? They actually believe such nonsense? Ignorant! Foolish! Truly lowly people, utterly foolish!"

Xun You sighed, his tone filled with shock and speculation.

Such simplistic nonsense may not fool anyone.

But perhaps they are willing to believe it, because the peace they crave is not in the heavens, but right here in Huainan behind them.

Having finished speaking, he bowed again to Cao Cao, who sat in the main seat with a gloomy face and remained silent, and said:
"My lord, let's withdraw our troops."

The entire population of Huainan is determined to fight to the death. With our current military strength, a direct assault on this city would likely take more than ten days or half a month, or even a year or two, and we would still find it difficult to capture.

Cao Cao remained silent, staring intently at Xun You, his eyes revealing an unreadable meaning, before coldly uttering a single sentence.

"Gongda, are you also siding with Yuan?"

shock!
These words shocked the entire audience, who fell silent in fear.

Yes!

After careful consideration, the generals realized that it was Xun You who had advised the lord, refuted Sima Yi's strategy of seeking stability, and led the elite army to brave dangers and penetrate deep into this area.

The results of it?
After going through countless hardships and finally conquering the city, only two days into the siege, and you, Xun You, jump out again, saying something like:
This city is too difficult to conquer. Even if we fight for a year or two, we still won't be able to take it. Shall we go back?

Are you trying to boost the enemy's morale and disrupt our own?
What a fuss!

You were the one who started the fight, and you're also the one who said we should back down. You've said all the right and wrong things by yourself, so you think you're invincible?

For a moment, the generals looked at Xun You with rather strange eyes.

Xun You was well aware of what everyone was thinking.

He was quite embarrassed at this moment. The problem was that before he came, he did not know that Yuan Shu could pull out so many Yellow Turban soldiers who had little fighting power but could risk their lives to buy time!
Embarrassed and ashamed, he was about to speak up to explain and prove his innocence when Cao Cao, sitting in the main seat, suddenly laughed.

"Gongda, don't overthink it. We were just joking around."

Xun You: "."

"However, our army has come from afar, a long and arduous journey. If we return empty-handed, we will become a laughingstock."

"I hope that you, Gongda, can devise a clever plan and achieve some victory, so that I can have an explanation to give to Liu Biao, Liu Bei, and even His Majesty."

Xun You smiled wryly. He was about to offer some advice to Cao Cao to save face and achieve some respectable results when he heard cheers and jubilation from the people of Lujiang City not far away, which could be heard all over the sky.

I could only hear it from afar, it sounded like something:
"The Great General Daojun, with his divine might and the power of the Daoist arts, poured the waters of the Milky Way back to Xiangyang. With a wave of his sleeve, his army of 100,000 was reduced to dust!"

"This is the divine power and magic of Huangtian Yingyuan Xiansheng Daojun. It is said that the Great Teacher of Virtue could command thunder and lightning back then, which amazed us as a celestial being."

Unexpectedly, the Great General's magical powers transformed a thousand miles of land into a swamp in an instant.

"When a true dragon is enraged, millions will fall dead!"

This is not fate; who can bear it?

"The Cao army outside the city are nothing but withered bones in a tomb. Once the general returns in triumph, with his divine power, your defeat and death will be imminent!"

Cao Cao's men: "."

What kind of monsters are these Yellow Turban rebels?

From Zhang Jiao's ability to command thunder and lightning back then to General Hai Gong's ability to fly and disappear into the earth some time ago, the stories are getting more and more outrageous.

What's with all this talk of the Milky Way overflowing and a true dragon getting angry?
On second thought, these are all ruthless people who want to ascend to heaven with a red glow that stretches for 30,000 miles.
Hmm~ That's alright then.

However, before they could even be surprised, a new battle report from Jingzhou arrived, and Cao Cao's men fell silent.

(End of this chapter)