Chapter 40: Gathering at the School Grounds

  "The report came that the messenger from Guangzong has arrived." On the second day, just after dawn, Xu Feng, who had been awake all night, had just finished washing up when he heard the news of the messenger's arrival.

  "Bring it over." Xu Feng adjusted his collar, sat up straight and gestured with a wave of his hand towards the door.

  Before long, the door creaked and Dian Wei led in a scholar of over thirty years old.

  "Congratulations, General Xu! The Emperor has issued a decree. General Xu has achieved great merit in battle and lifted the siege of Yingchuan. I have brought the latest appointment, please accept the order."

  "Master, good fortune! Xu Feng receives your order." Xu Feng hastily stood up and bowed.

  When Xu Feng finished reading the letter brought by Wen Shi, he was overjoyed and couldn't believe that Zhang Jiao had treated him so generously. Not only did he appoint himself as the commander of Yingchuan, putting him in charge of all military affairs in the region, but also took him on as a personal disciple. Xu Feng knew that although Zhang Jiao had many disciples, there were only eight who were considered his inner circle, including Zhang Mancheng, He Yi, Bo Cai, and Zhang Baiqi. These individuals were not only Zhang Jiao's most trusted followers but also the ones he relied on to govern different regions and command the Yellow Turbans' respect and admiration. Previously, no matter how great Xu Feng's achievements were, he was still an outsider with limited influence. However, now that he had become one of Zhang Jiao's inner circle disciples, his every word and action would carry the weight of Zhang Jiao's authority. This was a golden signboard worth more than a thousand pieces of gold, and having it would make everything he did twice as effective and guarantee success in all his endeavors.

  Xu Feng doesn't care what it is! However, in order to lead the Yellow Turbans and have better development, this opportunity cannot be missed!

  "Please be assured, Master. Xufeng will not disappoint your high expectations. He will devote himself wholeheartedly to your great cause and work tirelessly until his dying breath."

  "General, with all due respect, after you return, I will report to the Master. Moreover, the Master has an order: General Zhang Mancheng, Heaven's Messenger, was killed by Qin Song, the Governor of Nanyang. Please be sure to cut off Qin Song's head and avenge General Zhang for the Master." The messenger urged once again.

  "Tell the master, don't worry, I'm Xu Feng, this matter is not worth mentioning. Qin Jue's head, I will personally deliver it to his family." Xu Feng clasped his fists and bowed, a small Qin Jue was not even in his eyes.

  Xu Feng ordered someone to bring a letter and let him go to rest, carrying the imperial edict, holding Zhang Jue's appointment, striding forward, rushing straight to the military camp.

  The drill ground was packed with people, all the Yellow Turbans were present, but at this moment, everyone's heart was filled with terror. Why? The thousands of corpses of the Yellow Turban soldiers on the ground alone made one's hair stand on end. In just one night, thousands of brothers had been killed. This matter, many people knew a thing or two about it, but no one expected that Xu Feng would be so ruthless to his own men.

  "Please, Huang Lao, show us your Taoist skills." Xu Feng, accompanied by Dian Wei and others, slowly ascended the high platform. Wearing a yellow robe with a yellow scarf tied around his forehead, Xu Feng held a nine-section staff in his hand, his clothes fluttering in the wind, exuding an otherworldly aura that left everyone who saw him feeling solemn and subdued.

  Before long, the statue of Huang Lao, the founder of the Taiping Taoist sect, was carried to a high platform by the crowd. Xu Feng's face was solemn and respectful as he led the way in bowing and paying respects. The crowd followed suit, kneeling down and shouting: "Heaven will die, Yellow Turbans will rise, it is the year of Jiazi, great auspiciousness for all under heaven."

  The power of ancient beliefs should not be underestimated. As the direct disciple of Zhang Jiao, Xu Feng has this qualification and can also make people follow him better.

  "His Excellency, has just received the appointment from the Lord of the Teachings, and was summoned by the Lord as his ninth direct disciple. He is stationed in Yingchuan, commanding the three armies. This is a letter from the Lord himself, brought by the messenger. Please take a look." Xu Feng bowed three times to Fa Xiang, then stood up, took out Zhang Jiao's letter, held it high with his right hand and read aloud: "The blue sky has died, the yellow sky has risen! The Lord of the Teachings is forever blessed! The power of the Taiping Dao is mighty!"

  As the eyes of the crowd fell on the letter in Xu Feng's right hand, the dazzling golden light, shining through the yellow emblem of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, no one dared to have any more doubts, and they bowed their heads again, following Xu Feng's lead, shouting "The blue sky has died, the yellow sky has been established, the Master is forever blessed, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is mighty!"

  "All brothers in our way, regardless of wealth or status, are equal and are brothers. To overthrow the tyrannical government and establish a peaceful and prosperous world, we must unite and work together, without fear of sacrifice or bloodshed. Yesterday, these people were consumed by greed, disregarding the greater good, wanting to monopolize the wealth and grain that our blood has earned, tarnishing the righteousness of the Taiping Way and violating the rules of our leader. They deserve to be killed." Xu Feng angrily shouted, pointing at the thousands of corpses on the ground.

  "Ah..." Only then did everyone understand what was going on?

  "What they took was not Xu Feng's treasure, nor Xu Feng's money and grain, but the hard work of all of us, can you accept that?"

  "Can't. Won't answer."

  "But I, Xu Feng, am not an unfeeling person. No matter what, these people were once our brothers and had contributed to the Yellow Turbans. After their death, I will take care of their families and provide them with double compensation. I won't mistreat any brother. However, if such a thing happens again in the future, don't blame me for being unfeeling. Remember, from today on, you are no longer poor commoners. What you hold in your hands is not a firewood stick, but a deadly weapon, an instrument to overthrow the corrupt Han court and fight for a happy life. You are our Yellow Turbans' troops, soldiers, and warriors, not bandits."

  Seeing the crowd with doubts on their faces, most of them didn't understand. Xu Feng continued, "What is a soldier? It's you, not yourself, can't represent personal selfishness. You are our poor people's army, for our poor masses' beautiful tomorrow, let us no longer suffer from exploitation by scoundrels, no longer be exploited by the wealthy and powerful, no longer be oppressed by the imperial court. Tell me, one person, a few people, thousands of people, can they do it?"

  "It can't be done." This bit of reason, everyone still understands.

  Xu Feng stood on the high platform and shouted loudly, "So, we must unite, unite all the poor people, all the oppressed and persecuted brothers together. We can't just have money and grain and ignore others' lives and deaths. These supplies are our war materials, the common property of the Yellow Turbans, absolutely not mine or yours. Only when we overthrow this corrupt government can we truly live a good life. Of course, it's not easy to overthrow this rotten government, it's very hard and tiring, many brothers will die or be injured, maybe we'll all bleed to death. But our deaths are absolutely worth it, because our families, our brothers, they will never be oppressed again, they will live a good life forever. I, Xu Feng, won't force anyone, if there's anyone who doesn't want to do this, you can stand out now, I won't stop you, not only that, I'll even give you travel expenses and provisions."

  "We will not leave, we will forever follow the Lord, we will not overthrow the court, and we will never give up." Many passionate soldiers expressed their views.

  "Did you really promise to let us leave safely?" Of course, there were also a few who chose to leave, after all, the days of being a soldier and fighting wars are tough, not everyone can bear it.

  "You two dogs, you scoundrels! I never thought you'd be so spineless. If you dare to leave, I'll never look up to you again."