The Yellow Turban Rebellion - Finale
Zhang Jue might have spat out some nonsense about how unfair it all was, but to Zhao Yun, it was nothing short of absurd. The bastard had ranted about hating the clear blue sky so much that he would turn it yellow, and now he was crying that Heaven was punishing him? That Heaven had abandoned him? What a pathetic fool. If there really was someone up there, they would have struck these lunatics down long ago.
But Heaven was simply Heaven. Whether some insignificant insect called himself the Son of Heaven and pretended his sons were divine, or whether that same insect threw a tantrum and tried to dye the sky with yellow sand because he found the blue displeasing, Heaven did not rejoice or grieve over the babbling of mortals. Whether men plundered others at will while claiming it was Heaven’s will, or whether the victims grabbed rusty sickles and stabbed those plunderers in the neck out of resentment, it was all just the arbitrary actions of creatures crawling on the ground. None of it was Heaven’s will. Heaven did not punish anyone, nor did it appear in anyone’s dreams to issue commands… It simply watched over everything with cold indifference.
Was it because, from above, all men looked the same? Or perhaps it found the antics these insects performed in its name so ridiculous that it simply enjoyed the show. Or maybe, from the very beginning, there was no one up there at all. Zhao Yun didn’t know. But one thing was certain: it was far too late for Zhang Jue to be blaming anyone.
“You rampaged about wanting to overturn Heaven itself, and now you resent it for abandoning you? How utterly shameless you are, Zhang Jue.”
Zhao Yun, who had finally broken through the Yellow Turbans’ fierce resistance, sneered. Zhang Jue stopped gazing at the sky and glared at him with murderous intent.
What Zhang Jue saw was utterly horrifying. Zhao Yun and his heavy cavalry had slaughtered, trampled, and gutted countless Yellow Turbans on their way here. Some of them even had someone’s intestines dangling from the edges of their armor… To Zhang Jue, they looked like evil spirits sent down by Heaven to punish him.
“Has Heaven sent you here to punish me? Is that why you’ve come to greet me looking like demons who crawled straight out of Hell?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Why would Heaven send anyone because of the likes of you? These men are simply soldiers who received the Emperor’s orders to come and crush one madman.”
Zhang Jue foamed at the mouth in rage, as if something about those words had struck a nerve.
“The Emperor’s orders?! Are you saying I’ve been driven to this state because of that pathetic Emperor?! He never cared for us when we were suffering…! That man has lost the right to stand in Heaven’s place! With what qualifications does he presume to judge me?! I am the one who rose up to create a new Heaven for the sake of the people! Even if it were Heaven itself, an Emperor who has abandoned Heaven’s will has no right to judge me!!”
After delivering his grandiose speech, Zhang Jue panted heavily. Zhao Yun found the words so ridiculous that he burst into laughter. He dismounted from his horse, walked right up to Zhang Jue, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and whispered so only the man could hear.
Zhang Jue’s eyes widened so much they looked like they would tear apart.
“Nonsense! The people of Han willingly risked their lives to follow my righteous cause and came here! They are nothing like you dogs who were forced here by the Emperor’s threats!!”
“Just look at me. Because of those so-called Peaceful Way bastards, I lost my entire family and ended up here. What kind of righteous cause drags in bandits and makes them slaughter other people’s families? Dressing up bandits filling their own bellies through plunder as some grand cause… Hahaha!!! How utterly laughable.”
“…It couldn’t be helped. If I hadn’t drawn them in, this uprising wouldn’t have grown this large… Then who besides the people of Ji Province would have shared in the Yellow Turban dream! I simply wanted the people of other provinces to join our dream as well! Look! Thanks to that, half the empire has gathered under the Yellow Turban banner…!!!”
To think he could speak so proudly even after offering other people’s necks to the blade. Zhao Yun stared at Zhang Jue with an expression of utter disbelief.
“No. All I see are bandits. To my eyes, you’re nothing but a hideous old man who deceived half the people of Han and still shamelessly runs his mouth.”
“It doesn’t matter what you babble. The seeds of the Yellow Heaven have already been sown… Even if I die, someone else will carry on the dream of the Yellow Heaven!”
“Shut your damn mouth! Because of you, wolves and jackals have been unleashed upon the world! The powerless will have no choice but to pick up blades and serve under those bastards just to survive!”
“If the wolves and jackals keep fighting each other without knowing their place, they will eventually grow weak. When that time comes, those who inherit the will of the Yellow Heaven will rise again to judge them!!”
“Even if they rise up, they’ll just beg sorcerers for power like you did!! Do you still think those bastards gave you some magic book or whatever to overturn the world?! No! You were just advertising the power of sorcery to the people! You stupid fool! You took the bait and went on a rampage, yet you’re still deluding yourself…”
A mere herb-gatherer from the countryside had gained the power to shake half the nation thanks to the magic book given to him by a so-called Taoist master. Once that rumor spread across the entire Han Empire, the sorcerers’ plan had already succeeded no matter how Zhang Jue’s rebellion ended. From now on, the people’s lives would only grow harder because of the atrocities committed by ambitious men… and who would they turn to then? They would seek out those same Taoist masters who could turn a nobody like Zhang Jue into a major figure in the blink of an eye. In the end, rather than rising up with their own strength to create a new world, the people would rely on sorcery to build one…!
And Zhao Yun himself was the first example of that.
…If sorcerers were allowed to run wild, what kind of horrifying world would it become…?
Only then did the color drain completely from Zhang Jue’s face, the same face that had been smugly boasting even in the face of death.
“I… I was just…”
“You won’t be remembered as a pioneer like you hoped. You’ll just be remembered as an idiot. Fuck! To think I’m suffering like this because of a bastard like you!”
Zhang Jue’s legs gave out and he collapsed weakly to the ground. When he looked up at the sky, the rain had stopped at some point and the dark clouds had vanished without a trace. The sandstorm that had raged with the tempest and covered the sky had been washed away, leaving only a clear blue expanse.
“The dream of the Yellow Heaven covered the sky like dust… Now a storm will come. After the storm passes, what kind of sky will look down upon us…?”
Zhang Jue himself would never see that sky after the storm had passed.
The rest of the events proceeded smoothly.
“Cut off Zhang Jue’s head and hang it high on a pole. Then they will lose the will to fight. They’ll either run or surrender… one or the other.”
Unless they were particularly stubborn, most would choose surrender, right? With that hope, Zhao Yun gave the order to one of his subordinates. The man, whose eyes sparkled with respect, answered vigorously and sliced off Zhang Jue’s head.
…Yes. This was the correct choice now. The option of avoiding the coming turbulent times and living out his days quietly as a county magistrate in some remote village had already sailed away. Only one path remained.
To prevent the turbulent times from arising in the first place.
To do that, he had to become endlessly famous. It would be especially advantageous to hold a high official post in Luoyang. Whether he saved He Jin, saved the Ten Eunuchs, or prevented the two factions from fighting at all… no matter what choice he made, he first needed to build as much fame as possible to secure a high position. Only then could he even attempt to stop the chaos.
For that purpose…
“Yellow Turbans, look here! I, Zhao Zilong of Changshan, have beheaded the rebel leader Zhang Jue!!!”
“I-it’s General of the Household! The Heavenly General’s head…!!!”
“Brother…? Is that really Brother’s head?!”
“Z-Zhang Jue is dead!!”
“It’s over… I don’t want to die!”
“Fuck… it’s finished here. We have to run somehow!”
Instead of running from the storm, he had chosen to charge straight into it.
And the result was—
“Aman! Look! Zilong really forced his way through them and hung that bastard Zhang Jue’s head on a pole!”
“…Hahahahaha!!! My goodness, he actually succeeded! The more I see him, the more I want him… Don’t you agree, Wonyang? This Cao Cao has no intention of keeping such a talent as a mere guest general in some vague position. …No matter what it takes, I will make him mine. …Perfect! Since Father is in Luoyang right now, it might be good to ask for his help, wouldn’t it?”
Cao Cao.
“Miss! Zhang Jue’s head is hanging over there!!”
“Yes, and that is… Hmph! That insolent bastard!!!”
“…Miss?”
“……Haa. Fine. Since he has such talent, I, Yuan Gonglu, shall graciously give him one more chance. Ji Ling, as soon as we reach Luoyang, tell Father to prepare a position for him. …And make it as quickly as possible.”
Yuan Shu.
“Hoo, so he personally took Zhang Jue’s head. Judging by how loudly he’s shouting and rampaging, it seems he possesses not only skill but considerable ambition as well. If our Dong Baek’s father had even half that boy’s qualities, I wouldn’t have neglected him… Well, anyway, what do you think? …Hehe, Red Hare. It looks like you’ve decided where this walk will take us.”
And so Dong Zhuo began to keep a close eye on Zhao Yun.