Scattering Beans into Soldiers?

As though an earth dragon were turning over beneath the soil. At the very front line where tens of thousands of the Yellow Turban Army and the Han army clashed, the ground suddenly violently convulsed. Sand and gravel leaped into the air, and billowing dust swirled outward, forcing everyone back in stark terror. In the next instant, the soil, sand, and stones on the ground rapidly coalesced, mounding upward and fusing together. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* A dozen thunderous roars erupted as earth and crushed rock burst outward, revealing fifteen colossal monstrosities. They were fifteen earthen men molded entirely from soil and stone. Each stood nearly a zhang tall—roughly twice the height of an ordinary man. Broad, thick, and rough-hewn, they had no facial features, possessing only the crude silhouette of a human form. In each of their massive right hands, they clutched an enormous stone mallet, each looking as if it weighed scores or even a hundred jin. The emergence of these earthen giants cast the Han army into an instant, dead silence. “Wh-what is that?!” Aboard his carriage, Huangfu Song felt as though he were trapped in a dream. How could such towering giants fashioned of stone and soil possibly exist in this world?! “Impossible! This is impossible! Could there truly be immortals and gods in this world?!” He had completely lost his composure. Meanwhile, Lu Zhi was filled with both shock and sorrow. “The Yellow Turban rebels have received the protection of Huang Tian! My Great Han…” On the battlefield, catching sight of the towering, imposing earthen giants, Fu Xie’s mind went blank for a heartbeat. Then, he saw terrified Han soldiers shrieking in panic, throwing down their weapons and clutching their heads as they fled, shattering their own formation. He immediately roared at the top of his lungs, “It’s a trick of illusion! Do not panic! Kill them!!” Spurred by his desperate rallying cries, the Han soldiers managed to barely hold their lines. A Han colonel clad in shining armor even took the initiative, leading a dozen personal guards in a valiant charge straight to the fore. *Clang!* A long spear struck the chest of one of the earthen giants with pinpoint accuracy, yet it failed to pierce even half an inch, leaving only a faint white scratch across the giant’s torso. The earthen giant lowered its head to glance at the “tiny human” before it, appearing puzzled by what the little creature was trying to do. The Han colonel froze for a split second, about to raise his weapon to thrust again, but an enormous stone mallet had already swept across in a suffocating gust of wind. The colonel’s pupils contracted violently. He desperately tried to wheel his horse and pull back, but there was no time. *Boom!* A dull, catastrophic concussion resounded. The terrifying force carried by the heavy stone mallet slammed directly into the Han colonel and his mount. With a brief, agonizing whinny, the warhorse was batted away like a tattered rag doll, while the colonel instantly turned into a mangled ruin of splintered armor plates, flesh, and blood. This horrifying sight shattered the Han army’s fighting will in an instant. Fu Xie’s face drained completely of color; no longer could he claim that the earthen giants were mere optical illusions. Without pausing for a moment, the fifteen earthen giants strode rumbling into the Han army’s grand formation. They required no intricate martial arts, merely swinging the stone mallets in their hands with crude, brutal simplicity. With every descent of a stone mallet, the earth trembled slightly. Surrounding Han soldiers were either killed or maimed; even a grazing blow shattered sinew and bone. Some foolishly tried to raise their shields against the strikes, only to be hammered into meat pies along with their shields. The earthen giants carved several blood-soaked avenues straight through the grand host. Countless fanatical Yellow Turban soldiers surged closely behind them, hacking and slashing at the Han troops, whose morale had collapsed as they wailed for their mothers and fathers. In an instant, the tide had turned. Tens of thousands of Han soldiers wished only that their parents had given them an extra pair of legs as they fled frantically away from the giants, tearing their own formation to shreds. By this point, however, no one cared about battle arrays anymore. Huangfu Song seemed half-crazed, having lost all will to command. Lu Zhi was dazed and dejected, consumed by anguish over the Han court. Cao Cao was terrified out of his wits, feeling as though his entire worldview had suffered a catastrophic blow. Dong Zhuo was trembling all over, the fat on his face wobbling uncontrollably. Fu Xie alone remained resolute, forcibly suppressing his terror as he tried to rally the routing troops. Yet the strength of one man was insignificantly feeble against a bursting dam. He could not stop the mad stampede of fleeing soldiers, and even his own personal guards were scattered by the rushing mob. “Die!” Gritting his teeth, he scooped up a long spear and roared, charging straight at an earthen giant wreaking havoc among the crowd. Yet before his spear could even pin into the giant, a single slap from the colossus swatted him through the air. He crashed unconscious to the ground. Several Yellow Turban soldiers swiftly rushed forward and bound him tightly with ropes, while even more Yellow Turban soldiers continued surging ahead to pursue the fleeing remnants. Looking down from the sky, one could see a surging yellow torrent sweeping across the vast wilderness toward a crimson tide, rapidly swallowing it whole. Only a few thin red trickles managed to flee in time, escaping pursuit. Nevertheless, of the grand Han army of forty thousand men, the vast majority were either slain or captured. Even Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi failed to escape; as the most prominent targets on the battlefield, they were pursued relentlessly by the Yellow Turbans and captured in the end. “Victory! Our army has won!” Atop the carriage, Tian Feng laughed with hearty delight, and Zhang Jiao smiled as well. This battle had not only completely crushed the elite force of the Han army, but had also resulted in the capture of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song. With two pillars of the Han court ruined, the court was left powerless to engage the Yellow Turban Army in open battle. As for Zhu Jun… he fell far short of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, and was nothing to worry about. “Clean up the battlefield,” Zhang Jiao instructed. “I am going to pay my respects to the Holy Venerable.” Having given his orders, Zhang Jiao stepped down from the carriage, mounted a horse, and entered the city of Guangzong. Ascending the wall, he bowed toward Huang Tian, who stood tall and erect: “Master, the Han army has suffered a crushing defeat. Our army has captured or killed commanders like Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, Fu Xie, and Li Jue. Only Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao fled with a few dozen cavalrymen. Huang Shao and He Yi are leading forces in pursuit.” Huang Tian smiled and nodded. “After this battle, rest the troops for several days. Then dispatch fast couriers to post proclamations across the commanderies and counties of Ji Province, instructing them to surrender their cities and cease all pointless resistance. Should any dare defy us, execute the chief officials and imprison those coerced into following them.” “Your disciple understands!” “Once Ji Province is secured, expand the Court of Administration. Recruit more literate commoners and scholars of humble background. Give them a brief period of training, then send them to survey the lands of Ji Province, rooting out the concealed lands and unregistered populations held by the prominent clans, powerful gentry, and wealthy merchants. “Confiscate the land, emancipate the bonded retainers and slaves as free commoners, and redistribute the confiscated land to the populace. As for how much each person and household should receive, you must deliberate carefully.” Surveying the land and population of the great clans was bound to provoke resentment among the powerful gentry. Even if the Yellow Turban Army secured Ji Province, it would likely stir up considerable unrest. Had not Emperor Guangwu of Han, after pacifying the realm and issuing the Land Measurement Decree with all the prestige of a founding emperor, still caused “robbers and bandits to arise everywhere across the commanderies and kingdoms; when local authorities pursued them, they dispersed upon arrival and regathered upon their departure, especially in the four provinces of Qing, Xu, You, and Ji”? In the end, it took quite a long struggle before those widespread rebellions were fully quelled. If even Emperor Guangwu of Han had faced such hardship in surveying the lands, how much harder would it be for the Yellow Turban Army, which had only taken a single Ji Province? Yet Zhang Jiao, who acted on the divine decree of Zhonghuang Taiyi, was not flustered in the slightest. Anyone dared to disobey? Then kill them! Kill until heads rolled! Kill until rivers of blood flowed! Kill until everyone trembled in fear! As long as all who opposed them were slaughtered clean, wouldn’t Ji Province naturally be pacified? As for suffering an unexpected reversal, that was impossible. Even the elite forces of the Han army had been broken and destroyed. No matter how formidable the private retinues and retainers of those prominent clans and gentry might be, they could never withstand the vanguard of the Yellow Turban Army!