A fierce wind whipped the banner emblazoned with the words "Great Virtuous Teacher," snapping it loudly against the gale. Atop his carriage, Zhang Jiao remained impassive. Tian Feng stood behind him, craning his neck on tiptoe to peer across the chaotic battlefield.
"Great Virtuous Teacher, He Yi's unit needs reinforcement," Tian Feng said. "The cavalry has been checked; we must dispatch another force."
Zhang Jiao nodded and gave a quiet order. The grand yellow banner waved, and from the central army, two thousand armored Yellow Turban Strongmen marched forth to bolster He Yi.
The moment these two thousand fresh troops entered the fray, they quickly stabilized the retreating battle line and even pushed the Han soldiers back. Soon, however, the Han army drew upon a reserve unit of their own, driving the line forward once more.
Locked in combat around a low rampart of piled corpses, both sides traded blows as flesh and blood flew in every direction.
Just then, the blare of horns echoed from the Han central army, and signal banners waved. A thunderous roar of "Ten thousand victories!" erupted from the Han right flank as their troops surged forward through the churning dust.
"Those are Dong Zhuo's men," Tian Feng said, pursing his lips with evident tension. "Dong Zhuo possesses strength beyond ordinary men, along with keen wit and tactical cunning. His troops frequently fight against the Qiang and Xianbei tribes, making them exceptionally elite and difficult to counter."
He offered the warning out of concern that Zhang Jiao might not know Dong Zhuo's reputation and take him too lightly.
In truth, how could Zhang Jiao underestimate Dong Zhuo? Any commander entrusted by Huangfu Song to hold an entire flank independently was bound to possess extraordinary talent.
He ordered Huang Shao to lead a detachment forward to engage Dong Zhuo's forces, ensuring Dong Zhuo would find no opening to crash into the central army.
Taking his orders, Huang Shao led several thousand Yellow Turban troops to intercept Dong Zhuo. Yet the moment the two sides clashed, Tian Feng's sharp eye caught something amiss.
In sudden delight, he exclaimed, "The men under Dong Zhuo ought to be fiercer than Cao Cao's troops, yet they appear to be avoiding real combat!
"I see it now—Dong Zhuo is unwilling to spend his core Liangzhou veterans! Look, Great Virtuous Teacher, the soldiers at the very front of his formation are clearly far less elite than Fu Xie's men. They must be conscripted commandery troops, while his Liangzhou veterans are held safely at the rear, doing nothing more than loosing an occasional volley of arrows!"
Alerted by Tian Feng, Zhang Jiao noticed it as well. A thought instantly rose in his mind: *Even if the Holy Venerable Huang Tian had not descended into this world and our Way of Peace was defeated, the Han court would not last many years before disintegrating entirely...*
In a decisive battle that would determine the fate of the Han Empire, Dong Zhuo dared to harbor selfish schemes and drag his feet in secret. It was easy to imagine that warlords across the realm with any measure of strength were merely biding their time, watching the situation unfold.
The moment they confirmed the Han court lacked the power to hold the empire together, the realm would instantly fracture into warlord fiefdoms and internecine strife.
Tian Feng had noticed Dong Zhuo dragging his feet, and a seasoned veteran like Huangfu Song naturally saw through it as well. Yet there was nothing he could do. After all, Dong Zhuo had dutifully deployed his troops into battle; he had merely placed the commandery levies in the forward-most line of engagement.
If confronted, Dong Zhuo could easily claim he was using the commandery troops to exhaust the Yellow Turbans' strength, intending to commit his elite Liangzhou forces to shatter the enemy once they were thoroughly spent.
Huangfu Song snorted coldly, resentment mounting in his heart. *Another man with the savage ambition of a wolf,* he thought grimly. *Given the chance in the future, I will surely put him to death!*
He surveyed the overall situation. On the left flank, Cao Cao held the advantage, throwing the Yellow Turban cavalry into disarray and inflicting severe casualties. On the right, Dong Zhuo's force was entangled with the enemy in an apparently "fierce, inseparable" deadlock. At the front, Fu Xie's sector saw the most brutal combat, where Han soldiers and Yellow Turbans fell by the minute, never to rise again, though the Han troops steadily gained the upper hand.
Aside from the uncommitted central army, the Han host had virtually secured victory across the entire battlefield. It required only one of the three enemy sectors to collapse for the Han army to achieve a crushing, sweeping triumph—or they could throw their central army forward to smash the Yellow Turbans in a single blow.
For once, Huangfu Song hesitated.
Under normal circumstances, he would have committed his entire central army long ago, holding back only the necessary reserves to overwhelm the enemy. But now, he dared not act so recklessly.
Because...
"Holy Venerable Huang Tian!" he muttered under his breath.
Faced with such a dire disadvantage, Zhang Jiao across the field showed not the slightest panic, nor did the steadily retreating Yellow Turban soldiers break into a rout. The only explanation Huangfu Song could fathom was the fabled immortal god walking among mortals.
Lu Zhi recognized the hesitation in Huangfu Song's heart and said nothing. If he were the commander in chief, he too would be torn over whether to commit the central army. Thus, he held his tongue, keeping his eyes fixed intently on the towering walls of Guangzong.
He was certain that if any shocking reversal were to occur on this battlefield, it would undoubtedly stem from Zhonghuang Taiyi, who still remained within Guangzong!
After a moment's contemplation, Huangfu Song finally made his decision. "Opportunities once lost never return; a commander must be resolute and decisive!"
He abruptly drew the sword at his waist and shouted, "All central army, advance!"
An even more thunderous, heart-shaking drumbeat sounded. Under countless watching eyes, the great banner of the Han central army moved slowly forward. Immense cheers erupted across the various Han formations, their morale surging skyward!
Tian Feng grew suddenly tense. He knew the decisive moment had arrived!
The fate of the Great Han rested upon who emerged victorious from the impending collision!
He glanced sideways at Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao's expression remained as calm as a placid lake, yet his breathing grew deep and slow, and his aged eyes burned with razor-sharp intensity.
"Deploy!" Taking a deep breath, Zhang Jiao gave the command.
Banners unfurled. Outriders galloped through the ranks, relaying orders. Like a dormant war machine suddenly awakened, the Yellow Turban central army began its deliberate advance.
The soldiers wiped their weapons one final time and stepped forward to the commands of their officers. Every face was devoid of expression, none daring to look back or glance aside. With hearts pounding violently against their ribs, they fixed their gazes solely on the back of the man's head in front of them.
*Screech—*
A gray eagle glided across the azure sky, lazily spreading its wings. It tilted its head, peering down in confusion at the vast plain where two raging torrents crashed violently together!
*Boom—!*
A terrifying roar composed of tens of thousands of crashes erupted across the plain. It was the brutal impact of shield against shield, the splintering crack of blades hacking into iron-rimmed wood, the dull squelch of spears punching through flesh, and the agonized shrieks torn from dying throats.
In an instant, the battlefield grew several times more savage. Men turned blood-mad and frenzied, their breaths choked with the nauseating stench of fresh blood, the cold tang of iron rust, and the foul reek of sweat mingled with gore...
Standing amidst such slaughter, Tian Feng's face turned slightly pale. Within less than half a quarter-hour of total melee, the Yellow Turban battle line had begun to yield ground, sending a jolt of alarm through his heart.
Directing the Han assault, Huangfu Song grew increasingly exhilarated. A sweeping, glorious victory lay right before his eyes! He was about to achieve peerless renown, turning the tide where all seemed lost and propping up the collapsing pillars of the realm!
The vast world would ultimately be pacified by his hand; he would become the savior of the Great Han Empire!
Yet before his triumph could take root, an immense surge of prayer and cheering erupted atop the walls of Guangzong.
"What is that...?" Huangfu Song's face changed drastically as he looked up toward the ramparts of Guangzong.
"The Azure Sky is dead, the Yellow Sky shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, great good fortune under Heaven!"
Amidst the chorus rolling like an ocean tide, a youth wearing a green jade hairpin and cloud-patterned Daoist robes appeared atop the gate tower. His eyes were clear, yet held a faint detachment from the world. He lightly raised his right hand and tapped a slender finger against the empty air, sending brilliant golden spiritual light bursting forth from his fingertip.
*Rumble, rumble—!*
A series of deep, booming tremors surged from deep beneath the ground...
Chapter 23