Julu Commandery, Guangzong County!
Inside a Zhang family mansion in the city, a large number of young, strong men were gathered, their heads wrapped in Yellow Turbans, wielding sharp blades.
They looked at the middle-aged man at the head, their eyes filled with fervor, their faces respectful.
The leading middle-aged man had a Yellow Turban wrapped around his head, wore a yellow robe, intricately carved with various complex patterns.
His face was refined, his build slender, his eyes bright and piercing, and his entire being exuded a majestic aura. He was precisely the Great Virtuous Teacher, Zhang Jiao.
Beside him stood his two younger brothers, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao.
Zhang Bao's face showed anxiety, and he immediately stepped forward and declared loudly!
“Big Brother, let’s start the uprising quickly. The matter in Luoyang has been exposed, and that emperor’s child is sending people to arrest us. If we delay even a moment longer, we will lose our chance.”
Zhang Liang, standing nearby, frowned deeply and urged him on!
“Yes, Big Brother.”
“Let’s not wait any longer. Although it will be a hasty uprising, after more than ten or twenty years of cultivation, we have our people in every province of the Han Dynasty.”
“As long as you give the call, the surrounding believers will surely respond, and we will definitely be able to replace the Han Dynasty.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the crowd behind them filled with fervor, and they all shouted!
“Great Virtuous Teacher, let’s revolt! We are all willing to follow you in rebellion and honor you as our lord!”
“Overthrow this Han Dynasty court and liberate the people of the world!”
Hearing so many voices, Zhang Jiao’s hesitant eyes became completely resolute.
He had originally intended to unite all the different factions to jointly rise in rebellion, sweep across all the provinces of the Han Dynasty, and deliver a decisive blow to the Han Dynasty court.
Unexpectedly, the incident erupted; someone exposed them, leading to the beheading of over a thousand Yellow Turbans in Luoyang by the imperial court.
Not only that, but a warrant was heading towards this location; the imperial court intended to make an example of their three brothers.
Clearly, there was no chance to unite with them for a joint uprising. They could only start the rebellion first, hoping that the surrounding factions would respond.
Zhang Jiao did not hesitate. He drew a sharp blade from his waist, looked at his subordinates, and shouted coldly!
“The Han Dynasty is in decline, treacherous officials are in power, oppressing the people, and causing chaos everywhere.”
“Today, I, Zhang Jiao, officially launch an uprising to replace the Han court and liberate the people of the world.”
“The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise. In the year of Jiazi, there shall be great prosperity for all under Heaven!”
His deafening voice resounded throughout the entire courtyard. The eyes of the surrounding believers burned with fervor, their bodies boiling with excitement. They all raised their weapons and shouted loudly!
“The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise. In the year of Jiazi, there shall be great prosperity for all under Heaven!”
As the words fell, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liang, and Zhang Bao, the three brothers, led numerous Yellow Turban soldiers directly towards the county yamen.
They intended to control the entire Guangzong County, gather the surrounding Yellow Turban factions, and then sweep across the world together.
The entire Guangzong County and its populace were basically controlled by Zhang Jiao; they were all followers of his Way of Great Peace.
Upon hearing the slogan, the common people on both sides of the houses all put on Yellow Turbans, wielded sharp blades, gathered together, and followed the main force towards the county yamen.
The county magistrate of the county yamen, upon learning of this, was filled with terror.
He never expected Zhang Jiao of the Way of Great Peace to dare to raise an army and revolt, inciting so many common people.
He immediately intended to mobilize the yamen runners in the mansion to encircle and suppress Zhang Jiao’s group of Yellow Turbans.
Who would have thought that the yamen runners in the mansion had already been turned by the Way of Great Peace, wielding sharp blades and joining the Yellow Turban ranks, beginning to slaughter the government officials?
Especially the county magistrate, who was killed on the spot by several yamen runners. His bloody head was even thrown out and then hung on the city wall of Guangzong.
In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the entire Guangzong City was occupied by Yellow Turban soldiers.
Zhang Jiao then used this place as a base, absorbed the surrounding Yellow Turban factions, and then ordered his two younger brothers to lead troops and sweep across the surrounding areas.
He intended to control the entire Julu Commandery, and then use Jizhou as a springboard to sweep across the world.
The news of Zhang Jiao leading the Yellow Turban Rebellion spread like a storm, sweeping across the surrounding areas.
After learning of this, many people in the surrounding counties responded, and even county magistrates and high-ranking officials in the commanderies joined the ranks of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Several days later!
In the military camp ten li outside Yi County, Liu Jin, clad in armor, was inspecting the camp.
After a period of recruitment, the troops had been fully replenished: four hundred combat soldiers and one hundred auxiliary soldiers, totaling exactly five hundred men.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Ergou, Han Dang, and others were training them with ease.
The army originally had over two hundred veteran soldiers, plus the hundred men Liu Jin brought, who had eliminated mountain bandits and seen blood. With two months of training, they could already be considered elite soldiers.
Only about a hundred were newly recruited soldiers, mostly serving as auxiliary soldiers, which did not weaken the combat effectiveness of the main force.
Liu Jin looked at the army before him, feeling quite satisfied.
With fierce generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Han Dang among them, the army's morale would also increase, and its combat power would be greatly enhanced. Even facing a thousand men, they could defeat them.
Just then, a fast horse galloped from outside the military camp towards this location. Before the person arrived, their voice already resounded!
“Report!”
“News from the county, extremely urgent!”
Hearing this, Liu Jin turned his head to look in the direction of the military camp, only to see the messenger riding wildly, sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyes even showing some panic.
Seeing this, he already had some suspicions; it was likely that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had already erupted and was now spreading to Youzhou.
After the messenger arrived beside Liu Jin, he dismounted directly from his horse, took out the letter from his embrace, and respectfully handed it over!
Liu Jin took it and examined it carefully, his brows deeply furrowed.
Indeed, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had erupted. The three Zhang Jiao brothers had risen in Guangzong, proclaiming themselves Heavenly Duke General, Earth Duke General, and Rengong General.
They had killed the county magistrate, rallied tens of thousands of rebels, occupied the entire Julu Commandery, and were sweeping across the surrounding areas.
In the surrounding commanderies and provinces, followers of the Way of Great Peace had all raised armies in response, already numbering over a hundred thousand, even claiming thirty-six Qu Shuai, with the large ones having tens of thousands of people, and the small ones several thousands.
Fan Fang, the magistrate of Yi County, had ordered him to lead his troops into the city to garrison, to prevent the Yellow Turbans from causing trouble within the city and leading to its loss.
After digesting the news, Liu Jin immediately ordered several personal guards to gather Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Han Dang, Zhao Ergou, and the others.
He himself headed towards the main tent of the army, then sat at the head of the table, lost in thought.
Now that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had erupted, it was a good opportunity for him to rise, and he could not miss it.
However, as a Military Marquis of Zhuo Commandery, his first priority was to quell the Yellow Turbans in his own commandery before he could consider going to other places to suppress the rebellion.
If he dared to lead his troops out of Zhuo Commandery without authorization to suppress the Yellow Turbans, it would be no different from rebellion.
First, Wen Shu, the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery, would not let him off. Even if he killed Zhang Jiao, he would still be treated as a rebel.
So, he could not rush; he had to proceed step by step, suppress the Yellow Turbans in Zhuo Commandery, establish merits, and see if he could be promoted to Thousand-Stone Sima Xu.
Having clarified his next steps, Liu Jin relaxed.
Soon, footsteps were heard outside the main tent. Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Zhao Ergou, Han Dang, and others walked in quickly.
They all knew that something significant had happened; otherwise, they wouldn't have been called so urgently.