Chapter 185: The Yellow Turban Rebellion
[Though it's a bit of a blow to your pride, a calm and objective assessment of your current abilities places you somewhere between a second-rate and third-rate general. However, you have an edge over others—your mastery of cold weapons is maxed out, and your archery and horsemanship far surpass those of your peers. Thanks to this superior skill set, you quickly caught the attention of Chunyu Qiong. At first, he tried to test you, but your enhanced physique made you a completely different opponent from before. After a hard-fought battle, you "barely" managed to defeat him.]
[November 6th, in the sixth year of Guanghe—today is your birthday. You've also received your first gift from this world: a promotion to the rank of Company Commander in the army, placing 500 men under your command. During this period, you've continued your training without letting up. According to the original timeline, the Yellow Turban Rebellion—which would deeply impact the political landscape of the late Eastern Han—will break out in three months, in February of next year. If you want to rise in this world, strength is non-negotiable.]
[Over the past three-plus months, you've not only improved physically and technically but also gained a better understanding of the world. Here, it's not just generals who are formidable; civil officials are no less impressive. The most powerful among them can resonate with the heavens and earth, alter the weather, and even wield complex formations capable of severely suppressing top-tier generals. It's utterly absurd.]
[Striving for progress, you tried your hand at becoming a plagiarist scholar and participated in several literary gatherings. But this world is brutally realistic—without status or literary fame, you can't even get in the door. In the short term, your aspirations of becoming a copycat scholar seem out of reach. You met a fellow in the same boat—a chubby man named He Jin. He was a butcher until recently and is now an idle official with no real power, stuck at the bottom of the social hierarchy like you. With your knowledge of history, how could you pass up this opportunity? You deliberately befriended him, and before long, the two of you became close friends.]
[As the saying goes, "Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank—never underestimate a young man's potential." According to your knowledge of history, He Jin is set to rise rapidly and become Grand Marshal. "A true man, born into this world, how can he endure living beneath others?" So when he invited you to join him, you didn't hesitate in the slightest and switched allegiances to serve under him. (You have earned the achievement: Chameleon.)]
[In December of the sixth year of Guanghe, your friendship with He Jin continued to deepen. In mid-December, his sister Lady He became Empress He, instantly turning He Jin into one of the most sought-after figures in the empire. As the first person to back the right horse, you were appointed as his Chief Clerk, a clear promotion in status. He even gifted you a high-quality Fangtian Huaji (a halberd-like weapon), which touched you deeply. The only pity was that you two were about the same age. You have received an Epic Weapon: Fangtian Huaji.]
[January of the seventh year of Guanghe marked your first New Year in this world since transmigrating. Just as you remembered, before launching his rebellion, Zhang Jiao sent his disciple Tang Zhou to Luoyang to report on their contacts within the court—eunuchs Feng Xu and Xu Feng. But Tang Zhou turned coat and reported Zhang Jiao's plans to He Jin, leading to the arrest and execution (by dismemberment) of Yellow Turban sympathizers like Ma Yuanyi in Luoyang.]
[In early February of the seventh year of Guanghe, as in recorded history, Zhang Jiao, forced to act prematurely after his plans were exposed, launched his uprising in Wei Commandery. Within mere weeks, the entire nation responded.]
[And on your side, you didn't need to wait thirty years—only three months. Your friend and superior He Jin got his big break: Emperor Ling of Han appointed him as Grand Marshal, putting him in command of the Left and Right Feather Forest Corps to defend the capital. Thanks to He Jin's recommendation, you received your greatest opportunity yet since arriving in this world. You were appointed as Military Advisor (Zuojun Sima) under Huangfu Song, tasked with quelling the Yellow Turban rebels in the Yingchuan region. If you stick to the original script and follow Huangfu Song's orders diligently, you should be able to defeat the rebels and build a solid foundation for your career.]
[From March to April of the seventh year of Guanghe, after arriving in Yingchuan, you were thrown into a nonstop string of battles. As expected, your current combat ability—though significantly improved—is still not first-rate. Even when facing the relatively weaker Yellow Turban forces, you didn't hold an overwhelming advantage. Still, thanks to your refined cold weapon skills, your battlefield record looks quite impressive on the surface.]
[What really surprised you is that sorcery actually exists in this world—and it's powerful. Some Yellow Turban commanders can summon wind and rain or conjure soldiers from beans. Enhanced by such magic, a single Yellow Turban strongman can boost his combat power by 40–50%, nearly rivaling an average general. Even you find them tough to deal with.]
[In a series of subsequent battles, though victory didn't come easily, the crucible of combat continued to hone your abilities. By May, after defeating Bo Cai and Peng Tuo, you could clearly feel how far you'd come since first arriving in this world—you might now be approaching the level of a top-tier second-rate general. War truly is the best training ground.]
[Especially in your duel with Peng Tuo, who was roughly a third-rate general—he couldn't even withstand ten moves before falling under your halberd. During these battles, you also reconnected with your old acquaintance Cao Cao and the familiar face of Sun Jian. Truth be told, you had several chances where you considered killing Cao Cao, but the man turned out to be stronger than expected and had a few capable second- and third-rate generals under him. Left with no better option, you decided to befriend him instead.]
[By August of the seventh year of Guanghe, thanks to your joint efforts, your forces defeated the Yellow Turban faction led by Bu Yi at Cangting, capturing him and killing over 7,000 enemies. You alone accounted for nearly one-tenth of that number. At this point, Zhang Jiao had entrenched himself in Guangzong and taken control of Hebei's heartland. However, Lu Zhi, who had been fighting in Hebei, was falsely accused by eunuchs and recalled. His replacement—your former adoptive father (ugh), Dong Zhuo—was defeated. The court then issued an edict ordering Huangfu Song and you to march against Guangzong.]
[There, in Guangzong, you encountered your former adoptive father from your previous life, Dong Zhuo—still every bit the kindly figure he once was. You also witnessed firsthand two of this world's top combatants: Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In your original world, the two of them together would've only been on par with you. Their technique and physique were inferior. But in this world, with razor-sharp weapons and powerful builds, the situation was completely reversed—you couldn't even beat one of them. The contrast was staggering.]
[You saw Guan Yu single-handedly kill nearly 40 Yellow Turban soldiers in one swing of his blade—completely extinguishing your desire to fight him. If not for the overly powerful sorcery of Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang, you suspect Guan Yu and Zhang Fei alone could have decided the outcome of the entire battle. Based on your calculations, at your current rate of progress, you'll need at least another 3 to 4 years before you can contend with the two brothers—and even then, victory won't be guaranteed.]
[By the end of August in the seventh year of Guanghe, with Zhang Jiao's death from illness, the war drew to a close. With Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and—well—yourself leading the charge during the assault on Guangzong, the defenders didn't stand a chance. The city fell in a single day. Zhang Liang was killed, over 30,000 were slain, and another 50,000 drowned themselves in the river. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was, for all intents and purposes, over.]
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