Insufficient balance

  As soon as Huang Zhong received the news, the Yellow Turbans surprisingly fled northward, and Qin Yong's heart was greatly relieved. From Jing Shan to the north is Wan Cheng, where Zhu Jun's army is stationed, and also has Dong Zhuo's Western Liang Iron Cavalry on patrol. Although the Yellow Turbans unexpectedly broke through the siege of Jing Shan, they will inevitably be heading for a dead end this time, and their defeat is imminent.

  Qin Lie didn't rush to gather his troops, and by noon, the three armies had barely arrived at the northern foot of Jing Mountain. News had already spread that Huang Zhong had been ambushed and defeated. Qin Lie was shocked again - were these Yellow Turbans going to be a bigger problem than he thought? They had already done two unexpected things: breaking through the siege under cover of night, and now setting up an ambush to defeat Huang Zhong. What other unexpected moves would they make next?

  In the twinkling of an eye, Huang Zhong's remaining soldiers retreated in disarray, abandoning their helmets and armor, and looking utterly defeated. Even the valiant Huang Zhong himself was wounded by an arrow.

  Qin Li blocked Huang Zhong's horse reins and asked with a scowl, "Han Sheng, you have always been well-versed in military tactics, how did you fall into the enemy's ambush?"

  Huang Zhong's face was filled with shame and he did not respond.

  Cai Mao had always been jealous of Huang Zhong's talent, and seeing this, he gloated: "Even with over a thousand defeated bandits, you still can't win, Han Sheng's brother is really capable of leading troops."

  Huang Zhong glared at him with anger in his eyes, while Cai Mao sneered incessantly.

  Qin Hui's heart was vexed, and he asked: "Where did Han Sheng encounter an ambush?"

  Huang Zhong sighed and replied dejectedly: "Twenty miles north of here is the Old River Gorge."

  "Old River Gully? Han Sheng, you!"

  Qin Lie was furious, wasn't the old river ditch where Huang Zhong ambushed the Yellow Turbans last night?! Now in the same location, he was actually counter-ambushed by the Yellow Turbans, it's really unbearable! Just as Qin Lie was about to scold Huang Zhong, Zou Jing, who had been cut off, suddenly galloped over hastily and shouted from a distance: "Sir, something's wrong!"

  Qin Mi frowned and asked: "What's wrong?"

  Zou Jingdao said, "I have just learned that the Yellow Turban bandit leader Ma Jue is among this group of thieves. This series of unexpected movements may very well be his doing."

  Qin Hui was shocked upon hearing this and exclaimed: "Is this true?"

  Ma Chao's ferocity was well-known to Qin Mi, and anyone who could be considered a thorn in the side of Zhu Huan was certainly not someone to be underestimated. No wonder the bandits were able to make a surprise night raid and then set an ambush at Laohegou, defeating Huang Zhong in a big way. If all this was indeed planned by Ma Chao, it would not be surprising at all.

  Ke Qin was still somewhat skeptical, and asked: "Isn't the bandit chief Ma Yue already wandering alone? How can he appear again in the midst of the bandits? And how do you know this?"

  Zou Jing sighed and said, "This matter is really too coincidental. Yesterday morning, the bandit leader Ma Yue escaped to Yu County, but unexpectedly was recognized by the gatekeeper soldier. My sister happened to be leading 300 righteous soldiers to arrive, so they assisted in the arrest. My sister's martial arts are not weak, and the bandit leader was no match for her. However, Ma Yue was too cunning and managed to trick and capture my sister, taking her hostage all the way to Jingshan. That's how he met up with the remnants of the Yellow Turbans who had fled here. It wasn't until later that our family general encountered the pursuers who had tracked them down to this place, and only then did we find out."

  "It's fate." Qin Hui sighed, and immediately his face changed greatly, and he exclaimed, "Not good! Ma Jue is among the bandit army, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen. All generals follow me to quickly counterattack."

  Unfortunately, Qin Lie's reaction was too slow. By the time he led his army to rush to Laohegou, he happened to run into Zhu Yan's large army heading south. Seeing that Zhu Yan's troops were neatly arranged and didn't seem to have been in a battle, it was clear that Ma Chao and the remaining Yellow Turbans had not continued to flee north, but it was unknown where they had gone.

  Qin Ming galloped up to Zhu Ling and anxiously asked: "General, have you encountered any remnants of the Yellow Turbans?"

  Zhu Ling said: "In the letter, General Qin didn't say that the remnants of the Yellow Turbans had been surrounded and killed by your troops at Jing Shan. Why are you asking about our general now? What's going on?"

  Qin Lie's face showed a look of shame and guilt, and he sighed: "I didn't expect the bandit leader Ma Yue to be on the mountain. I was careless for a moment, and the Yellow Turban remnants took advantage of it to escape. It's really shameful."

  Zhu Huan and Sheng said: "Qin, sir, do not blame yourself. Under your plan, the bandits Zhang Mancheng, Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, Sun Xia, Gong Dou, and Liu Bi were all beheaded, and tens of millions of Yellow Turbans in Nanyang have been annihilated. Although there are still some remnants fleeing, they are no longer a threat. Ma Jue may be capable, but he can't stir up any waves either. This great achievement is something that no one can take away from you. The general has already sent an urgent report to the imperial court yesterday, reporting your achievements and recommending your promotion. Just wait for the good news of your promotion, haha."

  Qin Xuan was secretly delighted in his heart, but on his face he humbly said: "I'm really ashamed."

  Zhu Huan's expression gradually became solemn, and he said in a low voice: "I have just received news from the north, the situation is quite unfavorable. Perhaps soon we will march north to attack Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao and other remnants of the Yellow Turbans, and the heavy responsibility of stabilizing the situation in Nanyang will be entrusted to Lord Qin."

  Qin Hui's expression changed, and he asked in a low voice: "Has there been a change in Guangzong's situation?"

  Zhu Ling's expression was solemn, and he nodded: "Lu Zhi is old and ignorant of military affairs. He underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, suffering consecutive defeats. Now he is besieged in a desolate city, and the bandits' momentum is overwhelming. The situation in Jizhou is worrying."

  Qin said solemnly: "I would like to take this opportunity to wish the general a victorious campaign, and may you annihilate the bandits in Ji Province soon."

  Zhu Yun hugged his fist and said, "Thank you for your kind words, General Qin. The military situation is urgent, and I shouldn't stay here for long. I will make preparations to lead the army back north immediately, so let's part ways for now."

  Qin Lie also cupped his fists and said: "General, take care."

  "Drive!"

  Zhu Yun whipped the horse's head, lashed it fiercely on the horse's back, and the warhorse, in pain, suddenly opened its four hooves and galloped northward. Behind Zhu Yun, nearly ten thousand troops turned around in unison, the rear formation becoming the vanguard, advancing slowly towards the north with steady steps. That vast ocean of iron armor and crimson tassels shook the souls of several thousand Nan Yang soldiers, this was the legendary Great Han Imperial Army, truly living up to its reputation.

  ……

  Ma Jue, with over 800 remaining Yellow Turban soldiers, took a shortcut from Laohegou to the east, advancing lightly and rapidly, covering over 100 miles in just one day. They left Qin Jiao's Nanyang army far behind. From Laohegou heading east, they entered the territory of Biyang County, which had suffered the most severe damage from the Yellow Turbans. Along the way, they saw desolate fields, ruined villages, and roads littered with corpses, with no signs of travelers.

  Within a hundred miles, Ma Chao couldn't find a village or town to plunder, and the soldiers had no choice but to continue fleeing on empty stomachs. However, every disadvantage has its advantage, as there wasn't a single living soul within a hundred miles, Qin's pursuing troops couldn't possibly track down this remnant of Yellow Turbans in a short period of time, giving Ma Chao a lot of strategic room for maneuver.

  As night began to fall, a magnificent estate finally appeared in front of us, with faint lights flickering in the twilight.

  Pei Yuanshao excitedly pointed to Ma Chao and said: "Boqi, look, what a big estate!"

  He licked his dry, cracked lips, and a wolf-like glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a low voice: "There must be mountains of grain inside, brothers, we can finally have a full meal."

  Ma Yue took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Old Guan, Old Pei, gather the brothers together, I have something to say."

  Guan Hai and Pei Yuanshao responded in unison and scurried off to gather the troops.

  "Brothers, come closer, all of you, the big leader has something to say."

  "Look at you, standing in line like a bear, straighten up your back for me, are you a man or not?"

  "Everyone hurry up and seize the time."

  "Lying on the ground pretending to be dead? Be careful or I'll hit you."

  Under the twilight, Pei Yuanshao's shouting and Guan Yu's scolding voices rose, and their two completely different styles were fully demonstrated in these shouts.

  Soon, more than 800 remaining Yellow Turbans stood before Ma Chao one after another. Under Guan Hai's stern gaze, each of them puffed out their chest and belly, straining to put on a spirited and full appearance.

  Ma Chao leaped onto a rock, took a deep breath and shouted in a low voice: "Brothers, the imperial court has framed us as thieves and bandits. Some of you are not even happy about it. I tell you, being called thieves or bandits doesn't matter, it's just a name. As long as we can survive, what harm is there in being thieves or bandits?"

  "This bandit gang we will make a name for ourselves, and also the most troublesome rebel to the imperial court! We still have over 800 brothers left, so it's called the Eight Hundred Rebels. After taking down the manor in front of us, I'll get someone to hastily create a banner with the words 'Eight Hundred Rebels' embroidered on it. From now on, we are no longer the Yellow Turbans bandits, we are the Eight Hundred Rebels!"

  "Eight hundred bandits!"

  Guan Hai responded first, waving his arm and roaring with anger.

  "Eight hundred bandits!"

  More than 800 Yellow Turbans responded and followed with a loud roar.

  Ma Chao suddenly raised his right arm, and the shouting of the Yellow Turbans quickly subsided, which meant that Ma Chao's prestige among the 800 bandits had begun to take shape.

  "We are bandits, but not scoundrels! We can rob and kill, but we absolutely do not harm the poor common people! Whoever dares to disobey my orders, don't blame me for being merciless."