Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Battle of Julu (1)
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The road from Luoyang toward Ji Province was littered with nothing but ashes and silence.
"Damn those rebels...! Look at that mess. This isn't something humans should do!"
Wei Sok, riding beside me, gnashed his teeth as he spoke.
At the end of his gaze lay the ruins of a village, its roofs collapsed and only blackened scorch marks remaining.
A stinging smell of something burned assaulted the nose from the village wreckage, mingled faintly with the stench of rot.
"Hunger turns men into beasts. Those aren't people anymore."
Zhang Liao's voice was cold, but he wasn't wrong.
"Ha..."
"Eek!"
"A-Ar-Army..."
An old man slumped by the roadside let out a sigh, staring blankly at the sky with empty eyes, while a frightened child hid behind his mother's skirt, peeking at us.
I took in the entire scene in silence.
But my attention was also drawn elsewhere—to the fine silk ribbon embroidered with delicate stitching, tightly bound to the shaft of the spear in my hand.
Even on the march, I kept fussing over it, worried it might get dirty or worn, adjusting it constantly.
"Brother, you really like that ribbon, huh? You've been fiddling with it nonstop."
Wei Sok sidled up, chuckling as he asked.
"Shut it. Watch the road ahead."
"Heh, whoever gave it to you put a lot of heart into it. Wait... was it that strict young lady from the Chae household? No one else would give you something like this!"
Instead of answering Wei Sok's jab, I recalled the moment just before we set out.
Chae Yeom handing me a small pouch at the door. And her voice saying, "I pray for your victory in battle."
"Plenty of people would give me one."
"No way, Brother—when did you win over all those ladies in the prefectural city?"
We bantered with Wei Sok like that for a few more days until a scout from the vanguard came galloping back in a panic.
"Enemies ahead...! Their army's in sight!"
"Whole army, up to the hill!"
"Yes, General!"
At Lu Zhi's command, the troops ascended the hill. And there, we faced an overwhelming sight.
".........Gods."
Wei Sok's voice cracked.
A vast yellow sea of humanity stretched to the horizon.
Endless rows of tents, murky yellow banners blotting out the sky, and the colossal roar from hundreds of thousands of throats.
".........So this is the Yellow Turbans' main force."
Even Zhang Liao muttered in a hardened voice.
At the center of that immense host stood three enormous banners piercing the heavens.
—Heavenly Duke General Zhang Jiao
—Earthly Duke General Zhang Bao
—Human Duke General Zhang Liang
I could only mutter in a daze at the sheer numbers.
".........How many... hundreds of thousands is that?"
Way too many.
The air inside the command tent was taut as a drawn bowstring.
Lu Zhi sat motionless in the seat of honor, eyes closed, while the Northern Army colonels lined up before him didn't even dare swallow.
As a unit commander, I sat in the front row alongside Tiger and Wolf Cavalry Commander Zong Yuan, with Zhang Liao and Wei Sok standing like shadows behind me.
"...Hmph."
Finally, Lu Zhi slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a steady voice.
"Latest report: Nanyang's administrator is dead. The first punitive force sent to Yanzhou—wiped out. The rebels' morale is sky-high right now."
"Nanyang's administrator dead...?"
"The punitive army annihilated?!"
A murmur rippled through the tent.
The colonels' faces paled. Lu Zhi gazed down at them coldly and continued.
"But they're just a rabble driven by hunger—mostly peasants who've never swung a spear in their lives."
Lu Zhi began outlining his grand strategy to quell the fear around him.
"'The people take food as heaven.' To sustain those hundreds of thousands, they'll need massive supplies. So we cut their grain lines. They won't last long."
His gaze turned to Zong Yuan and me.
"Tiger and Wolf Cavalry Commander Zong Yuan, Unit Commander Lu Bu."
"Kahaha! Sounds good, General! Burning those rats' food stores will be a blast. So we take the lead, harass their rear, and sever their supply routes?"
Zong Yuan laughed heartily as he asked. Then one Northern Army colonel voiced concern.
"General, but considering weaponry and training, wouldn't it be better to deploy the Northern Army's 7,000 cavalry?"
"Northern Army cavalry excels at smashing enemy lines head-on. It's not suited for hit-and-run raids in the rear."
Lu Zhi shook his head firmly. Curious myself, I asked,
"When we strike their rear, how will we signal the main force?"
"We'll light beacon fires on that distant peak. When they flare, the Northern Army's 15,000 will advance, pinning their main body from the front. While you hit the rear and cut supplies, we'll hold their attention upfront."
The colonels' faces turned ashen the moment Lu Zhi finished.
"G-General... you mean we'll fight those hundreds of thousands...?"
Lu Zhi cut them off sharply.
"The enemy is peasants."
"...Ahem..."
"Tiger and Wolf Cavalry Commander Zong Yuan, Unit Commander Lu Bu—mobilize at once."
""Understood, General!""
With no room for questions, Lu Zhi issued our marching orders.
As we exited the tent, my eyes met Zong Yuan's. He clapped my shoulder with his usual booming laugh.
"Kahaha, Unit Commander! Looks like the general's using us as his sharpest blade."
"Sharp blades fetch the highest price."
"I like the sound of that! Alright, let's wager—who catches more rats in our sectors?"
"I prefer hunting tigers over rats."
"Hahaha! Big talk! Can't wait to see your feats."
Zong Yuan waved as he strode out.
After parting with Zong Yuan, I returned to camp and immediately summoned my men.
Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Wei Sok—even Cheng Lian and Wei Yue.
Unlike Lu Zhi's tent, mine reeked of blood and raw anticipation.
"You've heard the general's orders. Our mission: disrupt the rear, sever supplies."
Wei Sok clenched his fist and bellowed the instant I finished.
"Then we burn it all! Kill and smash everything in sight!"
"When do we finish that? And without a target, we'll miss the real prize chasing embers."
I sketched a rough map in the dirt with a stick and pointed to a spot far from their main camp.
"...To burn, we burn big. We hit their grain depot. A host that size must have it centralized."
My bold plan paled even Wei Sok's face, but Zhang Liao and Gao Shun's eyes gleamed.
I issued orders on the spot.
"Zhang Liao, take 100 and infiltrate deep. Locate the depot."
"Yes, Unit Commander."
"Wei Sok, with Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, lead 2,000 cavalry. Feint multiple supply routes—make a huge racket."
"Aw, Brother, I wanna draw my sword too..."
"Cheng Lian, Wei Yue—if Wei Sok disobeys, knock him out. Got it?"
""Yes, Unit Commander!""
Wei Sok puffed his cheeks in protest, but a man acting cute was pathetic.
"Ow! B-Brother, don't flick my head! It hurts!"
I gave Wei Sok a knuckle rap and turned to Gao Shun.
"You and I take the remaining 1,000 cavalry, lie in wait. Strike the depot the moment Zhang Liao signals."
Gao Shun asked gravely,
"A bold stroke, Unit Commander. But if the depot's guards are heavier than expected...?"
"They won't guard it heavily. With the general baiting them into battle, they'll crave his head. Never dream of a rear strike."
"Hm... So that's why the general plans to engage their main force head-on."
Gao Shun nodded, finally grasping Lu Zhi's intent.
In the Yellow Turbans' main camp, Heavenly Duke General Zhang Jiao's massive tent.
It felt less like a tent and more like a grand altar.
Strange talismans fluttered on all sides, and at the center hung a huge Yellow Heaven banner.
The mood brimmed with confidence and fanatic zeal from successive victory reports.
"Brother! Those government rat bastards are cowering behind stockades, shaking! We should charge and take their heads now!"
Earthly Duke General Zhang Bao couldn't contain his temper and shouted.
His hand already gripped his sword hilt. His youngest brother, Human Duke General Zhang Liang, restrained him.
"Second Brother, calm down. Lu Zhi's a sly old fox. That's surely a trap to lure us. Move rashly, and we'll fall for it."
"A trap?! They're barely 20,000! Our 150,000 charging head-on—they won't last a day!"
"That's exactly why it's suspicious. Lu Zhi wouldn't command so foolishly."
Zhang Jiao, seated above, cleared his throat dryly to settle his bickering brothers.
"Cough... cough... Liang's right. Heaven's hour hasn't come yet. Lu Zhi's digging his own grave there. We just wait for the chance."
The moment Zhang Jiao soothed them with "wait for the chance,"
"General! Government troops are moving! Lu Zhi's main force—advancing straight at us!"
Zhang Bao whooped in triumph.
"Kahaha! The fools walk to their deaths! Perfect!"
But Zhang Liang's face froze in shock.
"Impossible... Why would Lu Zhi...? What scheme is this?"
Unlike his brothers, only Zhang Jiao rose slowly. Fanatic light gleamed in his eyes.
".......Heaven has sent us its will."
Zhang Jiao strode out, and the 150,000 Yellow Turbans surged like a yellow tide.
"Waaaaah!"
"Long live Heavenly Duke General!!"
The roar spread instantly across the army, shaking earth and sky.
Zhang Jiao raised both hands skyward, silencing the din as if by miracle.
As all eyes fixed on him, a solemn voice rang out.
"The time has come to show those fools the Yellow Heaven's might! All forces, shatter the Azure Heaven!"
""Azure Heaven perishes! Yellow Heaven rises! Cycle complete! World in great peace!""
The Yellow Turbans tightened their yellow headscarves and turned eyes toward Lu Zhi's oncoming army.