Chapter 68: Zhang Jue's Death

  Guangzhou City.

  Six infantry phalanxes lined up under the west gate of Guangzong, and under the command of the leading military officer, they launched a fierce attack on the heavily fortified city of Guangzong. More than 100 catapults were arranged in a row at the foot of the city wall, with stern-faced soldiers standing beside them, waiting for the order to pour down boulder-sized stones onto the heads of the Yellow Turbans inside the city using the catapults.

  In front of the official army formation.

  Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi rode side by side, personally directing the troops in attacking the city.

  Zhou Jian looked at the hundreds of catapults not far away, and was quite skeptical about their practicality. With human power as the driving force, both the throwing weight and range of the catapult were very limited.

  This era has no oil and no gunpowder; the biggest problem with long-range weapons is power.

  As long as the power problem can be solved, the throwing weight and range of the catapult will be greatly improved.

  Zhou Jian has knowledge that exceeds this era by over a thousand years, his vision and insight surpassing those of people in this era. With just one glance, he thought of several methods to solve the problem of the trebuchet's power source.

  As for whether it is feasible, craftsmen need to try it out to know.

  In the midst of a shocking war drumbeat, two thousand light infantrymen, under the cover of heavy infantry, charged to the city wall amidst a dense hail of arrows, setting up cloud ladders on the city head and holding shields to climb up quickly.

  Lu Zhi looked at him for a moment, then said to Huangfu Song: "The Wuqi Colonel Zhou Jian is good at shooting, and has the strength to open a strong bow of five stones. The other day, he shot and killed Zhang Liang, the younger brother of the bandit leader Zhang Bao. Why not let Zhou Jian look for an opportunity to shoot and kill the rebel general with his strong bow, and help the army attack the city?"

  "This is very good."

  Huang Fu Su immediately said: "Zhou Jian is listening to orders."

  Zhou Jian hastily urged his horse forward and cupped one hand in the other, saying: "Your subordinate is here."

  Huang Fu said: "It is possible to use strong bows and arrows to kill the rebel general, and assist the great army in attacking the city."

  "I will obey orders."

  Zhou Jian hastily received the order and rode out of the formation alone, galloping around the city to find an opportunity to shoot and kill the great general of the Yellow Turban rebels.

  Guangzong City Head

  Zhang Jue, although he had been bedridden for a long time, after Zhang Liang's death, the tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans were leaderless, and he could not help but personally ascend to the city wall to direct the battle, with dozens of personal guards protecting him on both sides, firmly keeping Zhang Jue in the middle.

  Next to him, his personal soldiers kept persuading: "Tiān Shī, there are divine archers in the Han army, and General Ren was killed by a sneak attack from one of them. It's too dangerous here, you should go back."

  "Rubbish!" Zhang Jue shouted. "The Han army is besieging the city, our soldiers are fighting to the death, how can I sit idly in my office?"

  The guards did not dare to persuade him again, and had to set up three layers of inner and outer guards around the perimeter, on high alert.

  Zhou Jian spurred his horse to gallop for a while, and from afar he saw that Zhang Jiao was surrounded by dozens of armor-clad personal guards, and at a glance he knew he was an important figure among the Yellow Turban rebels. He immediately drew his powerful bow made of five stones, and a wolf-toothed arrow as thick as a thumb had already been notched.

  Buzz!

  The moment his five fingers relaxed, the wolf-toothed arrow shot towards the city gate like a meteor.

  "Be careful, Master Tian."

  The black dot in the pupil suddenly enlarges.

  Zhang Jiao's guards, always on high alert, didn't have time to think twice, let out a loud shout, and with a swift movement, immediately knocked Zhang Jiao to the ground. Suddenly, his eyes bulged out, and he let out a mournful scream as his chest cavity had been pierced by wolf-fang arrows.

  "Hurry, protect Tian Shi."

  The guards immediately shouted loudly, and the city head was in a state of panic.

  Zhang Jiao got up with a start, adjusted his helmet and shouted loudly: "What's the panic about!"

  The guards were in a flurry of confusion, and quickly gathered around, holding Zhang Jiao firmly in the middle, their minds highly tense.

  "Pffft!"

  At this moment, Zhang Jiao suddenly spat out a blood arrow and fell backwards.

  Dozens of guards around him immediately panicked and hurriedly carried Zhang Jiao down from the city tower.

  "It's actually Zhang Jiao Lao Dao!"

  Zhou Jian clenched his fists and pounded his palm, looking up at the city wall again, but he couldn't see Zhang Jiao's figure anymore, blocked by his own soldiers from behind, and couldn't help but feel a great pity.

  If we can successfully kill Zhang Jiao, the Yellow Turban rebels will lose their mainstay, and I'm afraid the city will be broken in ten days.

  Zhang Jue's old way will not die. Now the great army surrounds the city, and instead it arouses the determination of more than 100,000 Yellow Turban bandits to fight a decisive battle with their backs against the water, which is difficult to overcome.

  Even if the Han army's armor and equipment were more advanced, they only had 50,000 troops, and half of them were unreliable provincial soldiers. Wanting to break through a city guarded by over 100,000 people, unless there was a major change that caused the Yellow Turbans' morale to collapse, breaking the city would be almost impossible.

  Zhou Yu encircled the city several times and shot dead dozens of Yellow Turban leaders, but there were no major gains in the battle.

  Zhang Jue personally climbed the city wall to direct the battle. More than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebel soldiers were in high spirits and launched a fierce attack for several days, but it was difficult to capture the city quickly.

  Huang Fu Song and Lu Zhi feared that the court situation would change, and they were eager to break the city. They ordered the army to attack fiercely at all costs.

  Guangzong City, the rear courtyard of the county government office.

  Dozens of Huang Shu soldiers paced back and forth in the outer hall, seemingly having encountered some difficulties.

  "Cough! Cough!"

  The violent coughing sounds coming from inside the hall made these officers even more nervous.

  It wasn't until half a small time unit had passed that a eunuch finally came out from the inner hall.

  "Lang Zhong, how is Tian Shi?"

  Dozens of Yellow Turbans immediately surrounded Lang Zhong and asked in unison.

  Lang Zhong's eyes dimmed, and he shook his head: "The Heavenly Master is plagued by illness, I'm afraid it's..."

  The rest of the words didn't come out, but as long as you're a perceptive person, you can guess the outcome.

  Dozens of Huangjin students were immediately stunned, their eyes dull and confused, with a sense of helplessness and unwillingness in their gaze.

  The first Yellow Turban leader to react stared at Lang Zhong with a fierce gaze, his voice dripping with killing intent: "The Heavenly Master's condition cannot be leaked out. If even half a word gets out, you know the consequences."

  Lang Zhong nodded, "No need for the general's orders, I naturally understand."

  "Oh no!"

  Just then, a close guard rushed out from the inner hall in a flurry, wailing and crying: "Something terrible has happened, all you generals, Tian Shi, Tian Shi... he's gone to heaven..."

  "What?"

  Dozens of Yellow Turbans suddenly boiled over, each and every one of them shouting loudly with furrowed brows.

  Within a few days, more than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels in Guangzong City were all dressed in white, casting a thick layer of dark clouds over the entire city. Zhang Jiao's death left the more than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels without their spiritual pillar, and they lost all their will to fight.

  The commander's tent in the Han army.

  "General, something big has happened!"

  Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi were gathering the generals to discuss strategies for breaking into the city when a soldier rushed in, beaming with joy, and shouted loudly: "Generals, wonderful news! The rebel leader Zhang Jue is dead!"

  "What?"

  "Zhang Jiao is dead."

  "It's actually so fast."

  "This is truly fantastic news."

  The generals under his command immediately cheered and were overjoyed, clenching their fists and rubbing their palms together.

  Huangfu Song struck his thigh and exclaimed: "Zhang Jiao has actually died of illness at this time, this is truly a heaven-sent opportunity!"

  Lu Zhi also said, "That's right. Zhang Jiao died of illness, and the more than 200,000 Yellow Turbans in the city lost their leader. They must be in disarray. The generals under his command do not have enough prestige to control the crowd. Their collapse is only a matter of time."

  "Huang Fu said: 'Our army can temporarily withdraw its troops, wait for the rebel army to fight internally, and when the opportunity arises, take advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on the city. We will surely break through Guangzong in one battle and thoroughly quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion.'"

  Lu Zhi said: "This plan is very good, let's follow Yi Zhen's words."

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  Recently, there have been a lot of things going on at home. My brother got married and my grandmother passed away, all happening together. There are many things to take care of, and it's hard to find time to write at night. I can only try my best to keep updating continuously, but the quality and quantity may decline. In the past week, I didn't even have time to review the chapters I posted, so there might be many typos. Please forgive me, everyone. After this busy period is over, I will spend more effort and write better plots with care.

  Finally, I'd like to ask for your recommendation. This week's new book selection is recommended, but the number of collections has increased a bit less, not even half of the strong push category. If you think this book is still worth reading, please collect it.

  ;