Chapter Fifty-ninth: Zhang Liang dies, Guangzong city breaks down
The Yellow Turban Army turned around one by one and looked at the Han Army not far behind. Their faces were full of fear. They were already exhausted. They were exhausted after escaping here.
It seems that the only thing waiting for them is death.
Zhang Liang saw that his soldiers were all crying, as if they had died under the sword of the Han army. He couldn't help shouting: "If a man dies, he will die! It's nothing to cry!"
These words could not stop the despair spreading among the Yellow Turban Army.
The Han army soon stopped opposite the Yellow Turban Army and formed a military formation.
"Zhang Liang, you have no way to escape!" Huangfu Song said loudly while looking at the Yellow Turban Army on the river bank.
"Hmph! If you hadn't resorted to despicable means, you would have been the only one who died today!" Zhang Liang said angrily. He was very dissatisfied with the current results and also very angry with Huangfu Song's night attack.
"Hahahaha!" Huangfu Song laughed, "You can be considered a person who understands military strategy. Don't you know that soldiers are deceitful?"
Zhang Liang just snorted coldly and couldn't say anything else to refute.
He wanted to organize his men to break out again, but now the Yellow Turban Army still doesn't look like they can fight at all. They hate iron but can't make steel!
Zhang Liang had no other choice, so he jumped out of the horse and went straight to Huangfu Song's location!
"What a courage! If he hadn't raised an army to fight against the Han, he could still be considered a hero!" Huangfu Song praised, "The archers fired a volley!"
The neatly arranged archers drew their bows and set arrows. Zhang Liang saw this and showed no intention of retreating. There was still dried blood on the big knife in his hand. The morning light reflected on the blade's surface, and wisps of fierce light were reflected.
"Fire arrows!" Huangfu Song gave the order, and the sound of arrows piercing the air was heard endlessly. Thousands of people fired at Zhang Liang. Even if he was the reincarnation of Xiang Yu, he would not survive.
Zhang Liang blocked a few arrows with his long sword, but more arrows hit his body or his horse.
"stop!"
The archer stopped, and at this moment Zhang Liang also fell to the ground from his horse. His body was covered with arrows and was beyond recognition. The horse under him was also shot to death.
"General!" the core believers shouted in pain!
Zhang Liang, the dead yellow turban, had no fighting spirit anymore and was kneeling down to beg for surrender.
"Bring Zhang Liang's body back, and kill the others without mercy!" Huangfu Song concluded the lives of more than 10,000 yellow turbans on the river bank.
The archers fired another volley, and the Yellow Turbans fell to the ground. A large number of Yellow Turbans jumped straight into the water, but in the end no one survived.
More than 30,000 Yellow Turbans from Zhang Liang's tribe were killed in this battle, and the leader of the thieves, General Zhang Liang, died.
After handling everything, the Han army embarked on their return journey. In this battle, they only killed the main force of the Yellow Turbans in Guangzong City and the thief Zhang Liang. Guangzong City was not breached, and the thief Zhang Jiao was not seen.
It was already dusk when we returned outside Guangzong City. Huangfu Song predicted from previous intelligence that the number of Yellow Turbans in Guangzong City at this time would not exceed 20,000, and most of them would be weak people.
Fu Xie led a horse and rode straight to the downstairs of Guangzong City. He was holding Zhang Liang's head in his hand. There were several bloody holes in it from arrows. Zhang Liang's appearance was unrecognizable.
"Listen, moth thief, Zhang Liang is dead, and his head is in my hands! Quickly open the city and surrender!"
Several soldiers on the tower stuck their heads out and took a look, but couldn't see clearly at all. However, during the chaos last night, they heard the news that the general was dead, and now they were convinced when they looked at the head.
"What to do? All the generals and heroes were killed by them."
"What else can we do? The army has been pulled out. Can the few of us who are old, weak, sick and disabled be able to hold on?"
"In my opinion, how about running away?"
"Escape? Where are you going?"
"You are stupid! General Di Gong is still in Xia Quyang! We just need to take off our clothes and change into ordinary people's clothes, escape to Xia Quyang and tell General Di Gong the information. Then General Di Gong will help General Ren Gong take revenge!"
"Okay, okay! Let's go now!"
Fu Xie shouted several times under the tower, but no one answered or made any sound.
"General Huangfu, no one answered!"
"Don't be anxious. Maybe the bandits on the tower still don't believe it. Everyone is ready to attack the city. If no one responds within half an hour, we will launch a large army to attack the city!"
"Here!"
The Han army did not wait for half an hour. After half an hour, the gate of Guangzong City opened. What came out were not yellow turban bandits, but ordinary people wearing ordinary clothes.
"What's going on?" Liu Jing was a little surprised.
Cheng Yu on the side saw the people and figured it out, "It seems that the bandits have fled!"
Everyone reacted, and the people had already marched in front of the army. "General, please come into the city! The people from Taiping Road have already fled to the north!"
"The army is entering the city!"
The Han army followed the people into Guangzong City. Different from the previous scenes of conquering the city, there was little sense of dilapidation and depression in Guangzong City. The people were still doing their own things. Under Zhang Jiao's governance, not much happened here.
Variety.
It's just that the homes of some wealthy gentry and wealthy merchants were looted by Zhang Jiao, while ordinary people lived a normal life.
Huangfu Song also couldn't believe it and asked the people: "Have the thieves robbed you?"
"Great Master...oh no, the thieves only asked us to hand over the surplus grain, and everything else will be as before." The people blurted out the title Great Master, and then changed it in reaction.
However, Huangfu Song has already understood that Zhang Jiao's reputation and prestige here have reached an unprecedented level. If he is really allowed to drag on, even if he regains Julu County, he will not be able to regain the hearts of Julu County!
"Zhang Jiao also escaped?" Huangfu Song remembered the most crucial point. He had never seen Zhang Jiao since he came here.
"I don't know." The people replied, maybe they hadn't seen Zhang Jiao for a long time.
Seeing this, Huangfu Song stopped asking questions and ordered the army to camp and rest in Guangzong City.
Not long after setting up camp, a man came to see him.
"General Huangfu, there is news that a hundred people claim to be the thief Zhang Jiao, and they have come to ask for an audience." Fu Xie said.
"Hurry and tell him to come in!" Huangfu Song hurriedly summoned him. As long as he could capture Zhang Jiao, it would undoubtedly be a serious blow to the morale of the Yellow Turban Army!
A guy with a sinister eyebrow and a rat's eye quickly entered the big tent. He stared left and right with his rat's eyes. When he saw Huangfu Song, he knelt down quickly and said, "The common people are here to see the general."
Although Huangfu Song felt that this person was a bit wretched, the news about Zhang Jue was more important at this time. "Get up and talk. You said you have news about the thief Zhang Jue?"
The wretched man quickly stood up and said, "Yes, yes! General, I saw it with my own eyes that day...General, don't laugh when I tell you that. A villain lives in no fixed abode and steals for a living. He sneaks into Guangzong City and then leaves."
I can’t go, so I can only live in hiding and steal some things to survive the day. That day I happened to meet a group of people carrying a big package and leaving."
"The younger one was also curious, so he followed all the way, and found that they had erected a tombstone in a hidden place on the hill inside the city. On it was written the tomb of the great sage and great general Zhang Jiao!"
Huangfu Song was shocked. Zhang Jiao was actually dead. "Are you serious about this? If you lie, I will put you in jail!"
"The young ones will never dare to deceive the general. The young ones can take the general to see him!"
"Fu Xie, take the troops and go to check. If the news is true, bring Zhang Jue's coffin back. If the news is not true, kill this man on the spot!" After Huangfu Song finished speaking, he glanced at the wretched man.
The wretched man originally wanted to come and receive some reward, but as a result, his life was in danger and he did not dare to mention the reward again.
The group of people hurried back, and not long after, Fu Xie and others returned to the camp carrying a coffin with dirt.
"General Huangfu, Zhang Jue's coffin has been carried back to the camp!"
"Let's go and have a look!"
The two of them walked to the camp, where a fine coffin was displayed.
Huangfu Song looked at it and ordered: "Open the coffin!"
The sergeants on both sides came forward to pry open the coffin. It was October now and the weather had turned cooler. After the coffin was opened, a faint unpleasant smell could be heard.
Huangfu Song and Fu Xie covered their mouths and noses and stepped forward to check. There was a person lying in the coffin. His face was haggard and slightly rotten. He was wearing purple lining and yellow robes, and he held a nine-section staff in one hand.
"It looks like Zhang Jiao is really Zhang Jiao!" Huangfu Song said. The material of the coffin was excellent, the Taoist robe on his body was also of the best quality, and he also had a staff in his hand. These factors confirmed the identity of the person in the coffin.
"General Huangfu, how should we deal with it?" Fu Xie asked.
"Cut off the head! Send it back to Luoyang!" Huangfu Song said coldly.
The sergeants on the left and right were all a little confused at the moment. Didn't they leave the corpse alone?
However, Huangfu Song's prestige in the army was very high, so even though the officers and soldiers felt that something was wrong, they followed suit.
Liu Jing and Cheng Yu also received the news and came here. Liu Jing did not think about Huangfu Song's decision to open the coffin and kill the head. Now his attention was entirely focused on Zhang Jiao's nine-section staff.
When the coffin was opened, the system popped up to remind him that the Nine-section Scepter was a treasure!
[Ding! The system found the treasure Nine-section Staff!]
"Check!" Liu Jing stared at the nine-section staff held in Zhang Jiao's corpse.
【Name】Nine-section Staff
[Ability] Intelligence 5
【Story】Zhangjiao Magical Artifact, a symbol of Taiping Road!
"Intelligence 5, what a treasure!" Liu Jing thought to himself, and then said to Huangfu Song: "General Huangfu, I have a request!"
Huangfu Song was about to leave here, but when he heard Liu Jing speak, he turned around and said, "What's the matter, Your Majesty? It's okay to just say it."
"Young man wants to use this nine-section staff, and I hope General Huangfu will give me permission." Liu Jing said, cupping his fists.
When Huangfusong heard that this was not a "one use", he clearly fell in love with the Nine-section Staff. Logically speaking, the Nine-section Staff should also be given to His Majesty, but Liu Jing had made many achievements along the way and never asked for it.
Without hesitating for long, Huangfu Song nodded and said: "If the prince likes it, you can take it for yourself!"
"Thank you, General Huangfu!" Liu Jing quickly went up and took out the nine-section staff.
Cheng Yu on the side also showed deep confusion, "Why is the prince so interested in this thing?"
"Hahaha! Uncle Cheng, you don't understand!" Liu Jing replied with a smile.
Cheng Yu was even more puzzled, wondering if it was possible that the prince liked the things buried with him? It was said that all the children of this royal clan had some unusual hobbies, but he didn't expect it to be true.
Liu Jing was completely unaware that his actions had left a "perverted" impression in Cheng Yu's mind.