Yellow Turban Raid (5)
"Finally, you've made it all the way here."
Zhang Jiao wiped the blood trickling from his mouth with his sleeve and drew his sword.
"Hah! I'll make you pay for the karma of deluding the people with your cheap tricks and plunging the world into chaos!!"
Guan Yu cried out in a tone brimming with righteous fury as she raised her Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"In the end, the words of a fraud who deceives people with empty power. Where are the soldiers and generals who'll protect you now?"
Guan Yu scanned her surroundings with the confident expression of someone assured of victory. The tower held only Zhang Jiao, leaning against the railing alone.
Uwaaaah! Chaaang!! Clang!! Puk!!
What should have been a splendid view was now stained blood-red. They fought like madmen, each burning with the desire to kill the other.
"I've already sent my cherished brothers and sisters to safety. My younger brothers, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, will carry on my will. That's why I've stayed behind alone."
Zhang Jiao said with a smile.
"And... you call it empty power, but if the common folk don't believe in even this empty power, what else can they cling to in life?"
Zhang Jiao raised his hand toward the two of us. Light began to emanate from his palm.
Oh, magic? It seemed that way at first, but to modern eyes, it was just crude sleight of hand. He'd simply coated his hand with fluorescent paint that glowed when rubbed for friction.
"Yes, it's an illusion. But without even this, the common folk have no choice but to wallow in misery. If anything, the truly empty one is this Han court."
Anger flared in Zhang Jiao's eyes.
"They spout Confucian virtues like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, but none of it is upheld. The Han dynasty merely exploits the people. That's the greater fraud!!! My rebellion doesn't even register as a scam!!!"
Zhang Jiao spat up another mouthful of blood in his rage. But this time, he didn't wipe it away. Even as he coughed blood, he gripped his sword and assumed his stance.
"We fight deception with deception alone."
Zhang Jiao caught his breath, then began chanting a verse.
"When the Great Dao crumbled, benevolence and righteousness arose."
With each line from Laozi's Tao Te Ching, he drew strength, lunging forward in a single bound and swinging his sword.
Whoooosh!!
The blade flew straight at me. He'd instinctively sensed I was weaker than Guan Yu and targeted me first.
Chaaaaang—!!!
I parried it instantly and locked eyes with Zhang Jiao.
"Kim!!!"
In that moment, sis Guan Yu swung her Green Dragon Crescent Blade to support me.
Puuuuk!!!
The blade sliced cleanly into Zhang Jiao's side. It was a blow that would have collapsed any ordinary man, but Zhang Jiao calmly pushed back against me with his sword.
"...?!"
Guan Yu's face flashed with surprise.
Just like in the game.
At this point, Zhang Jiao had doped himself with herbs, steeling himself for death. True to his expertise in pharmacology and medicine, he'd self-prescribed narcotic painkillers to firm his resolve. As the boss, he resisted stun effects. Rush in blindly, and you'd get countered. Beginners had to patiently parry until the drugs wore off. A boss designed to teach parrying.
"Ugaaaaaah!!!"
Zhang Jiao pressed me wildly, blood pouring from his body as he hammered with his sword.
Chaaang!! Clang!! Chajang!! Chaaang!!
I deflected each furious assault one by one, steadying my stance. Whoooosh! I spotted the momentary gap.
Pushaaaak!!!
The instant his wrist rose slightly, I slashed down, severing his arm.
"Kuh... heuk!!"
His left arm was cleanly lopped off, but Zhang Jiao raised his other.
Whoooosh!! No sword? Then fingers. In his dying obsession, he aimed to gouge out my eyes.
"Hya aaaap!!!"
At that moment, Guan Yu swung her Green Dragon Crescent Blade vertically in a massive arc. The diagonal slash reaching his legs unleashed devastating power. The heavy blade's cutting edge mimicked a small guillotine.
Puuuuuuk!!!
Zhang Jiao's foot flew off cleanly, tumbling across the ground. Thud!! He collapsed immediately. No amount of pain-numbing drugs could fight without limbs.
"Kuh... heup...."
Moreover, he was bleeding out. Even without game mechanics, lose too much blood, and anyone dies. Zhang Jiao crawled toward my feet on his stumps.
Snap.
He opened his mouth to bite my foot. But he'd exhausted every ounce of strength. His bite was weaker than a child's.
"What tenacity."
Guan Yu looked stunned by his vicious spirit.
"I... I swore the moment I obtained the Taiping Yaoshu... to become the symbol of the suffering masses... so I can't... lose...!"
Zhang Jiao glared at us with bloodshot eyes.
"My death is just the beginning... I'll become a martyr... the symbol of the suffering masses."
He was a monster who'd accelerate the world's ruin, but his hatred for the Han court seemed genuine.
"Yes, this country is rotten. But... it won't be saved that way."
Guan Yu shook her head and raised her crescent blade.
Squelch!!!
She lopped off Zhang Jiao's head cleanly.
Kaboooom!!
Right on cue with his death, the city gates shattered with a roar.
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
Imperial troops poured madly into Guangzong. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was nearing its end. The battlefield was hellish, but even from the tower, it was clear the Yellow Turbans were crumbling.
"Sis, take Zhang Jiao's head and shout that the battle's won. This is your achievement."
I yielded the credit to Guan Yu.
"...Heh. Alright."
Guan Yu smiled faintly and picked up Zhang Jiao's head. As she headed to the tower's edge, I subtly checked under the chair where he'd been sitting.
Sure enough, just like the game. A small compartment beneath the panel held the Taiping Yaoshu. I pocketed it secretly before following her.
"Everyone!!!!!!!"
Guan Yu bellowed from the tower with a voice worthy of a great hero, unladylike in its power.
Yes, letting her claim the glory works for me. I watched the scene unfold.
But Guan Yu did something unexpected. Whoosh!! She grabbed my hand and yanked me up.
Whoa, what strength...!
Before I could react, she pulled me into an embrace. Squish. Her side boob pressed against my face, leaving me oddly embarrassed.
"This Guan Yun-chang and my little brother!! Kim has beheaded the Yellow Turban leader!!! Zhang Jiao!!!"
Guan Yu thrust the head high. It was like Mufasa lifting Simba in The Lion King, but with a monkey grandpa vibe.
From the open tower, her shout drew every eye.
"Lord Zhang Jiao...."
The Yellow Turbans' last elites, lost in the chaos, deflated utterly.
Then General He Jin stepped forward and roared.
"Drop your weapons and surrender!!!! Surrender, and your lives will be spared!!!"
In this moment, the words of the imperial authority held the most sway. The Yellow Turbans tossed down their arms and prostrated themselves.
Thus, in 184, at the Battle of Guangzong, the Yellow Turbans' head, Zhang Jiao, met his end. The chaos engulfing the land had passed its peak.
Everyone sighed in relief, but the ambitious who knew the times sensed it vaguely. This was merely the beginning.
---------
After victory, the imperial troops normalized Guangzong and gathered to rest, laughing and chatting.
And the hottest topic was me and Guan Yu.
I'd never been the center of attention at any gathering... Becoming the protagonist like this was a novel experience.
"Whoa!! Yun-chang! Kim!! I thought you'd used some shrinking spell or something!! Sneaking into the city to take Zhang Jiao's head?!!"
Liu Bei laughed heartily. Ever humble, he was hyped this time. A mere volunteer captain beheading Zhang Jiao was inspiring. He was bragging a bit—These kids are mine!
"Tch... jealous. You rack up the merits... I only got small fry...."
Zhang Fei grumbled, doodling in the dirt with a stick.
[Kim Idiot]
[Guan Yu Sis Idiot]
Super childish scribbles!! If Zhang Fei were a cute girl, it'd be endearing, but a hairy uncle doing this gave me chills. Just a kawaii dad.
"Yide, you protected Brother Yu Bi, didn't you? You have the biggest credit."
Guan Yu said.
"Right. Yide, if Lord Xuande had died, our volunteers would be done. Lose the general, and the army's finished."
I joined in the blind head-pats like Guan Yu.
"Hehe. Next battle, Yide leads the vanguard."
Liu Bei smiled.
".....Hehe."
Yide's face lit up. Good thing he's so simple and wrinkle-free. Forbes' top pick for friend material.
As we enjoyed ourselves, a group approached.
"May I offer a drink to the heroes who turned the tide?"
Cao Cao, with Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan in tow, approached amiably.
"Hah!! Count me in! We didn't talk much last time!!"
Sun Jian with Sun Ce, and fidgety Sun Quan.
"Congratulations! I knew you two would accomplish great things."
Dong Zhuo arrived with his men, his tone oddly meaningful, and sat.
But their gazes lingered strangely on me and Guan Yu.
Ah.
I checked my status window to gauge the situation.
Kim's Fame: 24
Slaying Zhang Jiao has piqued Cao Cao's great interest.
Slaying Zhang Jiao has sparked Sun Jian's curiosity.
Slaying Zhang Jiao has earned Dong Zhuo's admiration.
My rising fame had caught the eye of these faction leaders. Screwed. All because Guan Yu linked arms with me, held up the head, and roared like a lion.