Chapter 7: The Last Day of the Yellow Turbans
Li Yu sat in the main tent of the Chinese army, with nothing to do but wait for He Jin's army to arrive so that they could complete their joint attack. Every day, he would spend time with Wang Xue, playing and having a good time together. Zhang Fei couldn't bear it and cried out, "You two are killing me! Can't you see I'm trying to study?" while holding onto his yellow beans. Liu Bei later said to Li Yu and Wang Xue, "Next time you go, bring me some bean powder!" Guan Yu, on the other hand, spent every day reading his Spring and Autumn Annals, but whenever Li Yu and Wang Xue went out, he would be very happy, and even more so when they returned. This was because every time they went out, Wang Xue would pull out a few of his whiskers.
It can be said that this period of time is wonderful, and it's wonderful for the brothers! Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Li Yu, the four brothers are even more close-knit! As for love, Li Yu and Wang Xue have become inseparable. Every morning they climb mountains to watch the sunrise together, every day Wang Xue helps Li Yu practice calligraphy, and every evening after dinner they watch the sunset together. It's truly like having a pair of wings that can fly in tandem, with hearts that are connected by a single thread! Sometimes when Li Yu practices martial arts, Wang Xue plays the zither beside him. When Li Yu plays the zither, Wang Xue blows the flute nearby. The two have even picked many wildflowers on the mountain and decorated their bedroom to make it extremely cozy. Their little home is filled with warmth, and they are a perfect match, never to be separated until old age. Such days are spent in great comfort!
One day, a messenger reported: "There is someone outside the gate, named Zou Dan, who has come with three others to request an audience!" Li Yu immediately jumped up and rushed out without even putting on his shoes. He thought that since there were three people, one of them must be Zhao Yun, also known as Zhao Zi Long, the historical general who never lost a battle. Zhao Yun was known as the Invincible General, and he was one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han. He was eight feet tall, with a strong and majestic appearance. During the late Eastern Han dynasty, when warlords were fighting each other, Zhao Yun joined the army of Gongsun Zan, also known as the White Horse General, after being recommended by his hometown. It was during this time that he met Liu Bei, but soon left to mourn the death of his brother. Seven years later, Zhao Yun met Liu Bei again in Ye City and followed him from then on. For nearly thirty years, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei and participated in many battles, including the Battle of Bao Wang Slope, the Battle of Chang Ban Slope, and the Jiangnan Campaign. He also led several successful campaigns on his own, including the Entry into Shu, the Han River Campaign, and the Ji Gorge Campaign. In addition to his military exploits, Zhao Yun also served as a civil official, holding positions such as Governor of Guiyang, Camp Commandant of Gong'an, and General Who Assists the State in Jiangzhou. He was known for his wisdom and kindness, and he often advised Liu Bei on important matters. After Zhao Yun's death, Emperor Liu Chan posthumously honored him with the title of Marquis of Shunping, citing his virtues as "gentle, kind, and wise" (shun), "having a clear sense of order and discipline" (ping). From this, it can be concluded that Zhao Yun was a true hero who excelled in both civil and military affairs.
Guo Jia was even more extraordinary, Guo Jia (170-207), courtesy name Fengxiao, from Yangzhai, Yingchuan (now Yuzhou, Henan). He was a strategist under Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty, serving as Military Advisor and Marquis of Wenyangting. He died at the age of 38 while accompanying Cao Cao on a campaign against the Wuhuan tribe, and was posthumously honored as Duke of Wen. A native of Yangzhai, Yingchuan (now Yuzhou, Henan), Guo Jia was an outstanding strategist during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He initially served under Yuan Shao, who had more powerful forces at the time, but later discovered that Yuan Shao would not be able to achieve great things and defected to Cao Cao. He made significant contributions to Cao Cao's unification of northern China, earning him recognition in historical records as a "strategist with exceptional talent and wisdom, a rare genius of his time." Cao Cao praised Guo Jia for his extraordinary insight, calling him his "remarkable assistant." It can be said that without Guo Jia, the outcome of the Battle of Guandu might have been different. If Guo Jia had not died young, the Battle of Red Cliffs might have turned out differently as well. This is what they mean by "Guo Jia, the legendary genius!"
Li Yuguang rushed over and hugged Zou Dan tightly, saying: "Zou Dan, I've missed you to death! You're finally back, the final battle is about to begin! It's great that you're back!"
Zou Dan was shocked! He didn't expect Li Yu to treat him like this, and at this time Liu Bei also came out to greet him! Liu Bei's ability to win people's hearts is indeed impressive!
Zou Dan cried: "After several months of separation, I have finally found the two people you ordered me to find, General. And there is one more person, Mr. Guo Jia has found and recommended!"
Liu Bei came out and said: "Let's go inside and talk first!"
Everyone was invited into the main tent of the Chinese army! The guests and hosts took their seats! At this time, the guards also brought Li Yu's shoes over, and Li Yu put them on.
Zou Dan introduced him saying: "This is Mr. Guo Jia, a filial son!"
Li Yu and Liu Bei looked up to see Guo Jia, who was 1.75 meters tall, with a fair complexion and two glasses shining brightly on his eyes! At first glance, he didn't seem like an ordinary person! They stood up and paid their respects!
"Here is Zhao Yun, General Zhao Zilong!"
Look at Zhao Zilong, he is over 1.8 meters tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, as handsome as Pan An, broad face and strong jaw, majestic and awe-inspiring. At a glance, one can tell that he is General Wen Hu! Liu Bei and Li Yu hastily paid their respects!
Zou Dan walked at the end, this person looked like a self-respecting and dignified appearance, wearing Confucian attire, similar to Guo Jia's introspection, but more profound! His height of about 1.7 meters set off his astuteness!
Zou Dan introduced: "This man's surname is Chen, his name is Gong and his style name is Gongtai!"
Li Yu was surprised, not expecting Zou Dan to have such a high efficiency in handling matters, and actually found Chen Gong. Chen Gong was the person Li Yu regretted the most, who assisted Lü Bu in obtaining Xuzhou! He was straightforward, strong and wise, with many strategies. Few people in the country knew him, but he was connected to all of them. When the Yellow Turbans rose up in Qingzhou, the governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, died in battle. Chen Gong and others advocated for Cao Cao to take over as the governor of Yanzhou. Due to Cao Cao's murder of Bao Xin, Chen Gong became enemies with Cao Cao and persuaded Zhang Miao and others to betray him and welcome Lü Bu into Yanzhou. He wholeheartedly assisted Lü Bu in attacking Cao Cao, and they defeated Cao Cao at Puyang. Chen Gong offered many strategies for Lü Bu on several occasions! However, Lü Bu almost never listened to them. After the city of Xiapi was breached, Lü Bu was defeated, and he was captured by Cao Cao along with others. He decided to die rather than submit.
The Biography of Lü Bu in the Records of the Three Kingdoms: Chen Gong, styled Gongtai, was a native of Dong Commandery. He was straightforward and bold, and from his youth had been acquainted with all the famous scholars within the seas. When the world became troubled, he first followed Cao Cao, but later grew suspicious and joined Lü Bu instead. He often devised strategies for Bu, who would follow his plans. After being defeated at Xiapi, the soldiers captured both Bu and Gong, and Cao Cao met them, speaking to them as in former times. Therefore, Bu had words of pleading for his life. Cao Cao said to Gong: "Gongtai, you have always considered yourself to be full of wisdom and strategy. What has become of it now?" Gong looked back at Bu and said: "It is only because this man did not follow my advice that we have come to this. If he had listened to me, perhaps we would not have been captured." Cao Cao smiled and said: "What should be done about today's affair?" Gong said: "As a minister, I was not loyal; as a son, I was not filial. Death is my own fault." Cao Cao said: "If that is so, what about your elderly mother?" Gong said: "I have heard that one who uses filial piety to govern the world does not harm others' kin. Whether my aged mother lives or dies depends on you, sir." Cao Cao said: "What about your wife and children?" Gong said: "I have heard that one who brings benevolent government to the world does not cut off others' posterity. The survival of my wife and children also depends on you, sir." Cao Cao did not speak again. Gong said: "Please let me go out and be executed, to make clear military law." He then walked out quickly, and could not be stopped. Cao Cao wept as he saw him off, but Gong did not look back. After Gong's death, Cao Cao treated his family with greater kindness than before. It can be seen that he was a man of strong will. How could Emperor Wu not feel sorrow for such a character!
Liu Bei and Li Yi paid their respects one after another, then said: "Fourth Brother, I don't know how you plan to arrange for General Zhao and the two gentlemen!"
Li Yu got up and knelt down saying: "Please, milord, personally invite Guo Jia and Chen Gong as the left and right military strategists, and Zhao Yun as the rear general!"
Liu Bei did not expect Li Yu to attach such importance to the three of them, and without hesitation, he ordered a propitious day to be chosen for their appointment as Military Strategists of the Left and Right.
Guo Jia, Zhao Yun and Chen Gong did not expect that they would be granted such high-ranking positions as soon as they arrived! Moreover, the King of Hanxing personally ascended to the platform to grant them the position of Military Advisor and the title of General-in-Chief! This further solidified their conviction that they had not made a mistake in coming!
Three days later, Liu Bei ascended the platform and appointed military strategists for the left and right armies. The three armies were in strict formation, with Liu Bei's morale high and his presence awe-inspiring, befitting a great hero of his generation. At present, Liu Bei has accumulated considerable capital: nearly 200,000 troops; brave warriors like Li Yu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Cheng Yuanzhi, Deng Mao, Zou Jing, and Zou Dan; and wise advisors like Guo Jia, Chen Gong, Lu Zhi, and Jian Yong. Moreover, he has the fertile plains of Yi Province as his base. Liu Bei appointed Guo Jia as Left Military Strategist, Chen Gong as Right Military Strategist, and Zhao Yun as Rear General. The three armies were in high spirits, eager to engage in a decisive battle with Zhang Jue's army when it arrives!
After a week, the situation changed and Cao Cao led his troops to fight against the Yellow Turbans. However, before reinforcements arrived, Huangfu Song had already come up with a plan. At dusk, he ordered his soldiers to secretly leave the city with torches in hand, using the weeds around the Yellow Turban army's camp to launch a surprise attack on the enemy. The city walls also responded by holding out torches, and Huangfu Song used drums to assist in the battle, charging into the enemy ranks. The Yellow Turbans were thrown into chaos, running wildly in all directions. They then encountered Cao Cao's reinforcements and were attacked from three sides by Huangfu Song, Zhu Huan, and Cao Cao, killing tens of thousands of people. The Han army won a great victory.
In June, Nanyang Governor Qin Jie and Zhang Mancheng fought a battle, killing Zhang Mancheng. The Yellow Turbans then appointed Zhao Hong as their leader, occupying Wan City with over 100,000 people. Meanwhile, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun continued to attack the Yellow Turbans in Runan and Chen State, pursuing them to Yangdi before defeating Peng Tuo at Xihua. The remaining troops attempted to flee to Wan City but were intercepted by Sun Jian, who led a charge up the walls, causing the enemy army to collapse, successfully pacifying the Yellow Turbans in the Yu Province area. On another front, Lu Zhi repeatedly defeated Zhang Jiao, killing tens of thousands of people.
Zhang Jue could only withdraw all the main forces that can be mobilized to Guangzong, Li Yu built a barrier, dug trenches, made cloud ladders, and waited quietly for the decisive battle! Zhang Jue gathered 600,000 troops in Guangzhou at this time, preparing to fight a decisive battle with the Han Dynasty in Guangzhou!
The Liu Bei army finally waited for He Jin, the great general! He Jin ordered all the troops fighting in various places to defend and reinforce Guangzhou. Huang Pu led 100,000 soldiers, Zhu Huan led 100,000 soldiers, Ding Yuan led 100,000 soldiers, Sun Jian led 50,000 soldiers, Liu Bei led 50,000 soldiers, Ma Teng led 50,000 soldiers, Cao Cao led 50,000 soldiers, Dong Zhuo led 100,000 soldiers, Liu Yan led 30,000 soldiers, Yuan Shao led 100,000 soldiers, Yuan Shu led 50,000 soldiers, Tao Qian led 30,000 soldiers, Kong Rong led 30,000 soldiers and so on. A total of 1.17 million troops gathered in front of Guangzhou to besiege Zhang Jue's Yellow Turban Army. At this time, the Han Dynasty government concentrated all its advantageous forces in Guangzhou to have a final battle with Zhang Jue! After this war, the Yellow Turbans would no longer pose a threat!
Emperor Ling of Han also understood the importance of this war and decided that it must be won! On the day of victory, he would personally welcome back the victorious generals. It can be seen how much Emperor Ling valued this!
At this time, the Yellow Turbans also gradually walked into a dead end! Failure was already doomed. Summing up their reasons for failure, firstly, the enemy faced by the Yellow Turbans at this time was very powerful. After the uprising broke out, not only did the large Eastern Han army suppress the Yellow Turbans, but there were also small and large armed forces of local despots. They faced the crazy suppression of the entire landlord class, and in the end, they were outnumbered and finally failed. Secondly, due to the betrayal of the uprising plan by traitors, the uprising had to be launched hastily, and it was extremely difficult for the insurgent armies in various places to coordinate with each other. Especially the failure of the Luoyang Uprising made the Eastern Han government relieved of its worries, allowing it to fully suppress the peripheral insurgent armies. Thirdly, the historical limitations of the peasant uprising. From a subjective point of view, the Yellow Turbans lacked military leaders with strategic minds, and their uprising plan was extremely incomplete. After the uprising, the insurgent armies in various places did not quickly gather together but were scattered in isolation, even without mutual support and coordination, and were eventually defeated by the government army one by one. At the same time, the leaders of the insurgent army lacked military command capabilities. Zhang Jue, Zhang Liang, Zhang Bao, Bo Cai, Zhang Mancheng, Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, etc., each only knew how to defend a city or a pool, or besiege a strong city for a long time and consume with the Eastern Han army, without knowing how to use flexible tactics and strategies to take the initiative, and were always passive and beaten until failure.
Fourthly, the Eastern Han generals sent to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion, such as Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao and others, were all capable and fierce warriors. Their ability to command troops, military strategic talent, and tactical maneuvering skills were superior to those of the Yellow Turban leaders, which is why they often managed to defeat them with fewer men and weaker forces, ultimately leading to the defeat of the Yellow Turbans.
Fifthly, they did not expect that this outsider, Li Jue, would be so formidable. More than 20 million people were killed under his command. Failure was already a foregone conclusion; it was only a matter of time! However, he succeeded in causing the corrupt Han Dynasty to completely collapse and enter an era of chaos.
Li Yu was also actively preparing for battle, on the one hand quietly waiting for the arrival of reinforcements from all directions, and on the other hand ordering the entire army to enter first-level combat readiness, ready to engage in a final decisive battle with Zhang Jue's Yellow Turban Army at any time! Meanwhile, Zhang Jue also knew that the imperial court intended to launch a final battle. On the one hand, he sent people to re-cast the city walls, and on the other hand, he continuously sent troops to fight Li Yu, but Li Yu always gained the upper hand and returned. He didn't care about large-scale battles! Li Yu was waiting, waiting for all reinforcements to arrive, and then deciding the outcome with one battle! He wasn't impatient, as the current Yellow Turban Army was not yet capable of independently responding to Liu Bei's army!
Li Yu followed the advice of Guo Jia, the military advisor of Zuo Jun, and ordered the setting up of a large number of鹿角 (deer horn) formations and traps. He also built numerous arrow towers in various locations, waiting for the final battle.
On another front, when encountering enemy harassment, Li Yu commanded Zhao Yun to lead a cavalry unit of 10,000 soldiers to launch a surprise attack, resulting in significant gains.
Meanwhile, following Chen Gong's suggestion, he sent Zou Dan and Zou Jing, two generals, to launch fake attacks on the city day and night, making Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban army exhausted from responding to these feints. Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang, the three brothers, were furious with Li Yu.
They wanted to capture Li Yu alive, but he never gave them the opportunity. Every time Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban army tried to launch a decisive battle, Li Yu would order Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, the three generals who could each defeat 10,000 enemies, to lead their cavalry units in a left and right flanking maneuver, not giving them a chance to form up.
Zhang Jiao was so angry that he couldn't sleep. Li Yu was more ruthless than Lu Zhi. If you don't attack me, I'll attack the city. You can't even get a good night's sleep! This person didn't sleep for days, and it was unbearable!
These days were very difficult for Zhang Jiao. When he tried to besiege the city, Li Yu would order the arrow towers to shoot arrows, and no one dared to approach the city.
Zhang Jiao couldn't find Li Yu, but Li Yu could always find him. As time went on, Zhang Jiao didn't dare to go out and look for battle anymore. He had to retreat and defend himself. Every day, he would let his soldiers take turns sleeping.
Zhang Jiao's days were very difficult, while Liu Bei's army was doing well. The most hateful thing was that Li Yu's side would always let their soldiers eat well, drink well, and even sing songs every day! This made the morale of Zhang Jiao's soldiers lower and lower!
The low morale of the soldiers was the best thing that could happen to Zhang Jiao now!
What's Li Yu doing? He spends his days playing Go with Chen Gong and Guo Jia. Li Yu has created a Go game that can make Zhang Fei and Guan Yu extremely happy every day, either I kill you or you kill me. On the other hand, Liu Bei specially sent someone to give Han Lingdi a set of Go pieces. Han Lingdi was so delighted that he spent his days playing Go with the ten attendants and didn't even leave the palace! Because of this, he specially dispatched someone to reward Liu Bei and Li Yu with 1,000 taels of silver, 1,000 miles of horseback riding, and ten horses. Additionally, Han Lingdi also sent someone to write a book on Go, which is China's earliest Go book! Kong Rong was even more amazed, comparing Li Yu's invention to his own ancestor Confucius' teachings! He said that this invention has great significance for future generations! Sun Quan, the descendant of Sun Wu, even compared Li Yu with Sun Wu! Cao Cao spent all day playing Go! Without a doubt, Li Yu is the original thief! However, this theft was extremely successful! Li Yu still wants to popularize Mahjong and Poker in the future! Haha! It can be seen that Li Yu's life is very comfortable at this time!
Li Yu has been spending all his free time with Wang Xuehua, enjoying a wonderful world of two! Today, they strolled around this military camp, and every day they went to another one. Although part of it was for inspection, another part was because there were no shopping malls here, and Wang Xue couldn't go shopping even if she wanted to. Li Yu hated going shopping the most. In the past, when Li Yu and Wang Xue first went shopping together, they started at 9 am and didn't stop until 4 pm. It was exhausting! But now, Li Yu is happy to do so because he knows that the bigger the war, the more dangerous it is! So he decided to spend this period of time happily with Wang Xue. As for reality? Everything has already passed! No need to investigate further! During this time, Li Yu lived very happily and was very satisfied, enjoying the calm before the storm. The documents from various military camps were delivered to Li Yu's hands every day without interruption, and Li Yu grasped the latest intelligence at all times! Moreover, Li Yu ordered Zhao Yun to pay close attention to Zhang Jiao's Huangjin Army Corps' intelligence, fearing that Zhang Jiao would make a desperate attempt to break through! So if such a situation were discovered, Li Yu would strangle it in the cradle! Lu Zhi also reminded Li Yu to be careful of Zhang Jiao's "fish dying and net breaking", making a desperate decision to fight to the death! But now Li Yu is not afraid because he received a battle report that Ma Teng, Cao , and Sun Jian's three troops would arrive at dawn tomorrow. Now it seems that Zhang Jiao's advantage has disappeared!
I am not an unfeeling person, yet I have done a heartless deed!
