My name is Huang Tian, ​​what the hell is this "Heaven is dead" nonsense?

Chapter 10 Heaven descends
Outside Guangzong City, in the open fields.

Nearly 40,000 Yellow Turban soldiers surged like a yellow ant tide, their spears and halberds forming a forest, their banners fluttering, and their shouts shaking the heavens.

Meanwhile, the Han army had already observed the Yellow Turban army's movements. Under the command of their commander Lu Zhi, they orderly donned their armor, took up their spears, and marched out of the camp. The watchtowers were erected high, and Lu Zhi, accompanied by his deputy Zong Yuan, went up to the watchtowers.

The strong wind whipped Lu Zhi's crimson cloak. His face was square and his expression was cold. He stared at the Yellow Turban army formation in the distance without saying a word.

The clansman beside him stood on tiptoe to look out, his brows furrowed. "Lord Lu, the banner of the rebel leader Zhang Jiao has appeared. We've been besieging the city for over a month, and this is the first time we've seen Zhang Jiao's banner. Moreover, the Yellow Turbans have deployed almost all their troops this time; it seems they're going to fight to the death..."

Lu Zhi calmly said, "Zhang Jiao understands the principle that without external reinforcements, prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat, but it's too late. The entire Guangzong is heavily besieged by us, and the morale of the enemy army is low. Even with Zhang Jiao here, they can only fight like cornered beasts."

As they spoke, nearly ten thousand elite troops from the five schools of the Northern Army and more than ten thousand soldiers from various prefectures and kingdoms had already formed a great formation amidst the earth-shaking sound of war drums. Various general flags were also raised high. The entire army formation stretched for several miles, with swords and spears like ears of wheat, shimmering in the bright sunlight, yet giving people a cold feeling.

At this moment, Lu Zhi slightly raised his hand, and the commander's banner immediately began to wave. Seeing this, the flags of each army formation began to wave, and a huge cheer rang out.

The 20,000 Han soldiers either struck their shields with swords, slammed their spears into the ground, or rode on horseback, reining in their horses and shouting loudly:

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

The sound was powerful and the momentum soared to the sky.

On the carriage, Zhang Liang saw the Han army's orderly formation and imposing presence, and his face darkened. He subconsciously glanced at his elder brother Zhang Jiao, only to find that Zhang Jiao remained expressionless. However, Zhang Liang keenly noticed that his brother was unconsciously tightening his grip on the nine-section staff, causing his knuckles to protrude.

"Elder brother..." Zhang Liang whispered, as if trying to say something.

Zhang Jiao ignored him completely, and said in a slightly hoarse but as loud as possible: "Hair like chives, cut and it grows back; head like a chicken, cut and it crows again; officials need not be feared, but common people should never be underestimated!"

Hundreds of burly Yellow Turban warriors immediately repeated his words loudly, and countless Yellow Turban soldiers cast admiring and fanatical glances at Zhang Jiao.

"The world is suffering from a severe drought, and the people are destitute. They cannot even get a bite of food and are forced to exchange their own children for food and cook their own bones. Meanwhile, the noble families are enjoying music and singing, and their rice and meat are infested with maggots!"
How unjust the world is!

Today, I, Taiping Huangtian, raise the banner of righteousness in anger, not for anyone's wealth, titles, delicacies, or fine wine, but to free the people of the world from the suffering of hunger and cold, and to prevent them from being treated like livestock by the powerful!
The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; in the year of Jiazi, great fortune shall befall the world!

As soon as he finished speaking, tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers almost roared as they vented their inner pain and anger.

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky should be established, the year is Jiazi, and the world is blessed!!!"

The deafening sound stopped the clouds in their tracks, causing the shouts from the Han army's side to momentarily cease.

dong dong dong-

As the deep, resounding drumbeats rang out, the Yellow Turban Army advanced slowly under the command of squad leaders and platoon leaders at all levels. They had not received much training, and their formation was easily scattered during the march. They often had to stop and reorganize their formation after advancing only twenty steps.

"Advance!" Lu Zhizhong waved his command flag.

The war drums of the Han army suddenly sounded, and the crimson "reef" moved forward steadily. Their steps were heavy and orderly, and each step made the earth tremble slightly and the sand rise lightly.

Under the azure sky, two enormous forces, one yellow and one red, were engaged in a fierce battle on the open plains.

"Halt!" "Halt!"

When the two armies were close enough to be only a hundred paces apart, they stopped and lined up. The front-line soldiers of the Han army and the Yellow Turban army could even see the faces of the people opposite them. Their hearts were pounding and their breathing was getting heavy.

After several dozen breaths, the two armies continued their advance.

"shoot!!"

With a series of booming sounds, thousands of arrows flew out from the front ranks of the Han army like locusts, falling from the sky and shooting down several rows of Yellow Turban soldiers. However, this did not frighten the Yellow Turban army. They roared and charged towards the Han army, fiercely thrusting out their pitchforks and spears.

Benedict! Benedict! Benedict!
The Han army raised their large shields, blocking the Yellow Turban soldiers' spears. Immediately afterwards, halberds emerged from the gaps in the shields, precisely slicing across the Yellow Turban soldiers' necks, splashing up sprays of blood.

In an instant, hundreds of Yellow Turban soldiers fell to the ground, but more Yellow Turban soldiers rushed forward one after another. They carried heavy door panels and fiercely smashed them against the Han army's large shields, breaking a gap in the tight shield formation.

"kill!!"

A Yellow Turban squad leader, his eyes blazing with fury, chopped off the head of a fallen Han soldier with his knife. Blood splattered onto his face, and he wiped it away with his hand. With a sinister grin, he jumped into the gap, moved nimbly, and chopped off two more heads.

However, one person's strength is ultimately limited. Facing seven or eight spears thrusting towards him, even though he was wearing leather armor, he was easily pierced. His body was lifted high by the forest of spears, and then forcefully swung down onto the Yellow Turban soldiers who came to his rescue, knocking several of them to the ground.

On the battlefield, the Yellow Turban army was like waves surging on the sea, while the Han army was like an immovable reef. No matter how the Yellow Turban army charged, they could not break through the Han army's formation.

On the contrary, the Han army not only maintained its formation but also steadily advanced. With each step forward, the Yellow Turban army retreated, so much so that from the sky, the Yellow Turban army's formation had become a concave shape. If the Han army were allowed to advance steadily, the Yellow Turban army's formation would surely fall into chaos.

At the command of Zhang Jiao's central army, a force of over a thousand Yellow Turban warriors, clad in armor and led by their leader Huang Shao, rushed forward to relieve the exhausted front-line soldiers. Upon engaging the Han army, they achieved considerable success, surrounding and killing dozens of Han soldiers who had broken away from the main force. The battle line quickly reversed, becoming a straight line.

“Those are Yellow Turban warriors, the elite of the rebel army. They are all armored, strong and brave.” Zong Yuan squinted as he sized them up.

Lu Zhi acted as if he hadn't heard anything and didn't issue any orders. He believed that a mere thousand Yellow Turban warriors couldn't change the situation.

As he had predicted, Huang Shao's thousand men initially withstood the Han army's offensive after being deployed to the battlefield. However, as time went on, they were all driven back by the well-trained Han army, which acted like a cruel and cold machine, tirelessly reaping the lives of its enemies.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Zhang Liang was extremely worried and kept looking at Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao remained calm and only let out a very low sigh.

The Han army was truly elite, not only well-trained but also well-equipped, far superior to the Yellow Turbans who had little experience in major battles and lacked armor.

Even though the Yellow Turban army outnumbered the Han army by a factor of two, it was still unable to stop the latter's relentless advance.

Of course, Zhang Jiao had more than just Huang Shao's thousand-strong Yellow Turban warriors; he also had over two thousand armored warriors and nearly a thousand cavalrymen that he hadn't deployed. However, Lu Zhi also didn't bring out all of his most elite Han troops from the Five Schools and the Three Rivers Cavalry.

If everyone goes all out, the Yellow Turbans are highly likely to collapse completely, and it would be good if half of them could escape safely back to Guangzong City.

Just as Zhang Jiao was momentarily hesitant, Lu Zhi gradually relaxed.

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly echoed in the sky.

(End of this chapter)