Chapter 479: Zhang Jiao
Chapter 479: Zhang Jiao
September 25, 2017
Jiuzhou, Liangqi County.
Zhang Jiao's army of several hundred thousand was amassed here, facing off against the Imperial Court's army led by Lu Zhi, who was entrenched in Ye City.
The battle between the two sides had been raging for over four months. Initially, Zhang Jiao's forces suffered some setbacks due to their lack of experience in large-scale battles and insufficient command talents.
However, as the fighting continued, Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban forces quickly grew stronger, and before long, they began to overpower Lu Zhi's army.
In history and legends, the Yellow Turban Army would not have grown so rapidly, as they lacked a sufficient number of military talents.
But this world is different. In this world, the Yellow Turban faction has a significant number of Outsiders, many of whom are naturally talented military strategists, not to mention their ability to cultivate warrior generals and civil officials.
With a large number of Outsiders in leadership positions, the rapid growth of the Yellow Turban Army is not surprising.
Moreover, the soldiers of the Yellow Turban faction are not the disorganized rabble as depicted in history or legends.
Not only do they have the 'Yellow Turban Warriors' and 'Zealous Yellow Turbans' as their core troops, but there are also numerous Yellow Turban Strengths.
Their troops are not inferior in quality to Lu Zhi's elite forces and can even be considered more elite.
Under these circumstances, Lu Zhi's army was at a disadvantage, and on several occasions, they were nearly annihilated. If it weren't for Lu Zhi's stubborn defense of Ye City and the city's sturdy fortifications, they would have been defeated long ago.
Liangqi County, Zhang Jiao's main camp.
Zhang Jiao, dressed in a Daoist robe, sat in the main seat, and upon closer inspection, this Great Sage and Benevolent Teacher indeed had a handsome appearance, exuding an ethereal and scholarly aura that commanded respect.
Seated beside him were not his brothers but a man and a woman, one on his left and the other on his right, both Outsiders.
The man was Daoshi Zhang Daosheng, and the woman beside him, with a light veil covering her face and wearing a pure white long gown, looked like a Pure Celestial and was indeed the Holy Maiden of the Yellow Turban Sect, one of the top Outsiders within the Yellow Turban Sect.
Not only were they the top talents among the Yellow Turbans and Outsiders, but even when including NPCs, they were undoubtedly among the highest-ranking members of the Yellow Turban Sect.
Apart from Zhang Daosheng and the Holy Maiden, there were also many other Outsiders in Zhang Jiao's camp, all of whom held significant positions within the Yellow Turban Sect.
Zhang Jiao was well aware that the strength of his Yellow Turban Sect was closely tied to these Outsiders, so he highly valued them and provided them with excellent treatment within the sect.
"How are the preparations for the formation coming along?" Zhang Jiao asked in the camp.
"Your Holiness, the preparation of formation materials is in its final stages, and it will be completed in three days at most," the Holy Maiden of the Yellow Turbans, seated to Zhang Jiao's right, replied.
A cold light flashed in Zhang Jiao's eyes, "Very good. Three days from now, this humble one will break through Ye City!"
As Zhang Jiao spoke, he glanced at Zhang Daosheng without leaving a trace, causing Zhang Daosheng to fall silent.
If he had known they had this trick up their sleeve, he wouldn't have been so insistent on persuading Zhang Jiao, ambushing him, and inciting the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all while keeping Lu Hai Kong confined in Taiyuan Prefecture.
It was evident that someone had set a trap for Zhang Daosheng, which was not unusual since, while there were many Outsiders in the Yellow Turban Sect, they were not all united.
Internally, they were divided into several factions: the Zhang Daosheng faction, the Holy Maiden faction, the Yellow Turban Sect faction, and some scattered factions and forces below them.
The Saintess faction and the Taoist faction were rivals, so Zhang Daosheng had no idea that Zhang Jiao had already arranged for them to set up a formation. That was why he was taken aback when he heard the news.
If he had known that Zhang Jiao was planning to take Ye City in three days, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to stop Lu Hai Kong.
There was no way Lu Hai Kong's army could reach Ye City in just three days.
...
Taiyuan Prefecture, Meng County.
After three days of marching from Yuanping County, Lu Hai Kong's army finally set up camp in Meng County.
Meng County had just experienced a Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the entire county was in disarray. Many officials from aristocratic families were killed, and the county was in complete chaos.
If it were an ordinary general, they would have moved on without hesitation, leading their troops to the battlefield and leaving the chaos behind.
But Lu Hai Kong was no ordinary general; he was a warlord or an Outsider Lord. In this situation, he had to stabilize the situation in Taiyuan Prefecture first.
In the 1969 version of the book, it was written that...
If Lu Hai Kong didn't stabilize the situation, he wouldn't have a solid rear base here, and his logistics would become a significant problem.
Although Lu Hai Kong could directly march his army into Jiuzhou, his logistics would be limited to foraging from the enemy or obtaining supplies from Lu Zhi.
Neither option was reliable. Before Lu Hai Kong even entered Jiuzhou, the other party had already fortified Taiyuan Prefecture. Lu Hai Kong estimated that if he were to attack Jiuzhou, the enemy would definitely scorch the earth and leave not a single grain behind.
As for Lu Zhi, he was even less reliable. Lu Hai Kong dared not entrust the lives of his tens of thousands of troops to another person.
After securing Meng County, Lu Hai Kong sent out his troops to pacify the other counties in Taiyuan while dispatching people to Northern Enclosure to bring Tian Feng and an entire administrative team.
Zhang Daosheng had incited the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Taiyuan Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of many officials. Lu Hai Kong had no choice but to transfer people from Northern Enclosure to manage this side.
In reality, the issue in Taiyuan Prefecture wasn't that severe, and Lu Hai Kong could handle it, but it would take considerable time.
Three days was nowhere near enough for Lu Hai Kong to resolve the problems in Taiyuan Prefecture. Even if Zhang Daosheng hadn't provoked the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Taiyuan, there was no way Lu Hai Kong could have brought his troops to Ye City within three days.
However, contrary to Zhang Daosheng's expectations, Lu Hai Kong's army didn't stop in Taiyuan Prefecture.
Lu Hai Kong directly handed over the management of Taiyuan to Gao Shun and Wang Ti, confident in their abilities. With such a small matter as Taiyuan, Gao Shun could definitely handle it, so Lu Hai Kong saw no need to linger in the prefecture.
Lu Hai Kong personally led the First and Second Cavalry Camps, carrying only three days' worth of supplies, and charged into Jiuzhou.
Thus, Lu Hai Kong officially joined the battlefield of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The question was whether Lu Hai Kong could reach Ye City before Zhang Jiao defeated Lu Zhi...
(End of Chapter)
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