Only by Beheading You Can the Realm Find Peace

Guangzong, inside the county government office. Huang Tian focused his mind in meditation. Thin, invisible wisps of spiritual qi gradually flowed into his Yellow Court, circulated through the acupuncture points across his entire body for a full heavenly cycle, and then condensed back into the Yellow Court. His chest rose and fell gently. A faint white mist drifted around his breath, and his entire body radiated a faint, shimmering golden luminescence. After a long while, Huang Tian opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of white vapor. The mist condensed into the shape of a sword, flew three feet through the air, and only then dispersed into clouds with a soft *poof*. *I broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement long ago, and I am not far from the fifth layer...* Huang Tian felt a quiet joy in his heart. More than half a month had passed since the second battle of Guangzong. His cultivation had advanced another step, and the situation across Ji Province had completely stabilized. Striking out from Julu Commandery, the Yellow Turban Army had taken the whole of Ji Province with ease. Hardly any garrison officials put up resistance; the Yellow Turbans had captured cities as fast as their armies could march. In fact, not only was there no resistance, but many prominent and powerful gentry clans had proactively submitted to the Yellow Turban Army. Believing that the Han dynasty was not long for this world, they had rushed to board the Yellow Turbans' vessel, establishing ties in hopes of securing higher standing under the new dynasty. However, once the land surveys and land seizures began, many of them would undoubtedly come to loathe the Yellow Turban Army to the bone. When that time came... A smile touched the corners of Huang Tian's lips, carrying a faint tang of iron and blood. After letting his thoughts wander for a moment, he habitually "switched on" his voice lines. Indeed, in this late Han world, he could hear all manner of voices as well. Especially after the divine names of "Huang Tian God" and "Zhonghuang Taiyi" spread across the realm, more and more voice lines called out to him. Huang Tian did not care much about this, nor did he intend to glean any vital information from them. In this world, no one could stop him from doing whatever he wished, so intelligence gathered through voice lines was of little use to him. Even so, Huang Tian still habitually chose to "listen and observe." With a shift of his will, various voice lines linked together at once, and countless sounds poured into his ears. "Zhonghuang Taiyi, I beg you to bless my husband with good health, that he may suffer from illness no more." "The God Huang Tian is the only true god in this world! All the gods you worship are false gods and must be torn down!" "Ignorance! Sheer ignorance! Where in the world is there any God Huang Tian? I have lived for more than sixty years and have never heard of such a deity..." "We are the subjects of the God Huang Tian. The god will surely bless our fields with a bountiful harvest in the coming year!" "Teacher, the Master said to respect spiritual beings while keeping aloof from them. Yet now a true god appears to have descended upon Ji Province. How should we scholars view this?" "Brother Ji, I hear Ji Province has been seized by the Way of Peace of Huang Tian. Their soldiers are fierce and their horses sturdy, having crushed tens of thousands of Han troops. They have even established a Court of Administration and a Court of Science. Why do you and I not travel to Ji Province to see for ourselves? If it truly possesses the makings of a new dynasty, we might enter service and secure official posts..." "The moth bandits worship the false god Huang Tian. In the end, it cannot last..." "..." Scene after scene appeared before Huang Tian. He merely swept a brief glance across them, paying them little mind—until a deep black voice line caught his eye. Over such a long period, Huang Tian had already figured out the differences among the various colors of voice lines. Ordinary voice lines were colorless; cross-world voice lines were golden; those from people close or familiar to him when mentioning his name were cyan; and those from people who harbored extreme hatred and wished to kill him were black. *I've seen a few black voice lines before, but I've never seen one this intensely dark...* With a stir of Huang Tian's mind, his vision pierced across space. Within an exquisite chamber of the imperial palace in Luoyang. Emperor Liu Hong knelt upon his mat. Flanking him on the left and right knelt the most powerful and influential figures of the Han court. Minister of Works Zhang Wen, General-in-Chief He Jin, Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Commandant of Justice Yang Ci, Director of the Imperial Clan Liu Yan, Grand Commandant Deng Sheng... "Gentlemen, the moth bandits' momentum is immense, and they took Ji Province with ease. The people of Luoyang are in a panic. What ought We to do?" Liu Hong asked, fear gnawing at his heart. The ministers exchanged glances. Yang Ci stroked his white beard and spoke: "Your Majesty, the urgent priority is to summon troops from every province and commandery to garrison Luoyang. All Five Encampments of the Northern Army in Luoyang were assigned to Huangfu, Lu, and Zhu. The former two suffered defeat, their fates unknown, while Zhu Gongwei is still attacking Wancheng. Luoyang no longer has any elite troops." He Jin chimed in, "Luoyang is rather close to Ji Province. Several passes require additional troops for defense." Back when Zhang Jiao first launched his uprising, Liu Hong had reinforced the defenses of the passes, "establishing commandants across the passes of Hangu, Dagu, Guangcheng, Yique, Huanyuan, Xuanmen, Mengjin, and Xiaopingjin." Yet now, facing the Yellow Turban Army that had unified Ji Province and the miraculously rumored Zhonghuang Taiyi, He Jin still felt uneasy and proposed stationing more troops at the passes. Liu Yan frowned. "Additional troops are demanded everywhere, but where would the state find so many soldiers? Ever since the Yellow Turbans rose, the realm has been plunged into turmoil. The moth bandits in the various provinces have not yet been entirely wiped out. Recklessly reassigning troops might stir up unrest again in regions that have only just been pacified." He Jin took slight offense. "Are Your Majesty and Luoyang of greater consequence, or are petty provinces and commanderies?" At these words, Liu Yan was struck dumb. Yuan Wei coughed lightly to smooth over the awkward tension. "If we are to mobilize troops, Grand Commandant, from where can men and horses be drawn?" Deng Sheng was exceedingly advanced in years and visibly frail. Hearing the inquiry, he forced himself to muster his spirits. "Except for Jing Province, Ji Province, and Liang Province, some can be drawn from elsewhere." The Yellow Turbans in Wancheng of Jing Province had not yet been eliminated, tying down Zhu Jun there. Ji Province went without saying, having fallen completely to the Yellow Turbans. "Why not Liang Province?" He Jin asked in confusion. Deng Sheng explained, "The Qiang people of Liang Province have always been restless and prone to defying the imperial court. Even with commandery and principality troops suppressing them, this remains the case. If troops are withdrawn, the Qiang will rebel in an instant..." He Jin said skeptically, "Isn't that merely your speculation, Grand Commandant? Besides, even if they rebel, so what? Liang Province is impoverished and destitute; it would be better to abandon it." Infuriated by such outrageous nonsense, Deng Sheng flared up in rage, rising to his feet and glaring directly down at He Jin. "Only by beheading you can the realm find peace!" He Jin's expression changed abruptly. Liu Hong hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Grand Commandant, please be seated, be seated! Do not lose your temper!" At a glance from Liu Hong, Zhang Wen, who sat beside him, stepped forward to comfort Deng Sheng. "Grand Commandant, please sit. Do not agitate yourself." Deng Sheng suppressed the fury in his heart and sat down. Turning to Liu Hong, he spoke with heartfelt earnestness: "If the Qiang take Liang Province, it will be a calamity for generations to come! Without Liang Province, the Three Capital Regions are in peril; if the Three Capital Regions are in peril, the defense of the imperial capital will be worn thin! Your Majesty, under no circumstances must we abandon Liang Province!" Liu Hong nodded repeatedly. "You worry too much, Minister Deng. We will not abandon Liang Province." With that, he shot a reproachful glare at He Jin. Deng Sheng was at an advanced age; if the old man were to keel over and die in the palace from sheer rage, the blame would fall squarely upon the Emperor. He Jin pressed his lips together and remained silent. "Minister Deng, excluding Liang, Ji, and Jing, roughly how many troops can the imperial court mobilize in total to defend Luoyang?" Liu Hong swiftly changed the subject, asking the question that weighed most heavily on his mind. Deng Sheng pondered for a moment before answering, "Between the commandery and principality troops from each province, alongside some miscellaneous Hu cavalry, mustering seventy to eighty thousand men within three months is feasible. It is only that..."