The Realm

In the blink of an eye, seven months passed. So much had happened over those seven months. First, the Daoist Court formally issued a proclamation across the realm, designating Luoyang as its capital and establishing the Court of Administration, the Court of Science, and the Court of the Dao to govern the land, demanding that every province and commandery submit to its rule. When the proclamation went forth, the entire realm trembled. The officials of the counties and commanderies across Sili did not hesitate for a moment, declaring unconditional obedience to the Daoist Court's command. Ji Province was the Yellow Turban Army's stronghold, so it naturally raised no defiance. Bing Province and You Province were leaderless, and yearning for stability, they dispatched emissaries to the capital to negotiate terms with the Daoist Court. The officials in Liang Province threw their lot entirely behind the Daoist Court, followed by desperate pleas for aid—for the Qiang of Liang Province had revolted! Song Yang, Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou, and others took up arms in rebellion, electing Bian Zhang and Han Sui as their leaders. They killed Grand Administrator Chen Yi and amassed nearly a hundred thousand men, invading Liang Province and threatening the Three Capital Regions. Faced with the savage Qiang, the officials and garrison generals of Liang Province turned to the Daoist Court without a second thought. Whatever else it was, the Daoist Court was composed of their "own people"—civilized Huaxia—while the Qiang were barbarians. Given the choice, anyone would choose the former, not to mention that the Daoist Court possessed terrifying might, having effortlessly toppled the Han court. It was a sturdy backer. After deliberations in the Court of Administration, the Daoist Court appointed Zhang Liang as commander-in-chief, with the surrendered Lu Zhi as his deputy. Leading thirty thousand Yellow Turbans and twenty thousand reorganized Han troops, they set out on a punitive campaign against the Qiang. The mission assigned to them was simple: tie down the Qiang, avoid major blunders, seek no glorious triumphs, and merely stabilize the situation in Liang Province. The purpose, of course, was to buy time until Zhang Jiao or any of the others completed their foundational cultivation, after which they could unleash their full strength to eradicate the rebelling Qiang. Seeing the Daoist Court's forces seemingly tied down in Liang Province while also having to garrison Sili and Ji Province, the other provinces and commanderies reckoned the court lacked the spare hands to attack them. Thus, they turned a blind eye to the proclamation. Yet they dared not openly oppose it either, planning only to entrench themselves in their own territories and live comfortably. Yet events never unfolded as people expected. When the displaced commoners of Yan, Yu, Xu, and Qing Provinces learned that the Yellow Turbans had captured Luoyang, they were tremendously emboldened, igniting another wave of sizable rebellions. Flying the banner of the Yellow Sky's Way of Peace, they stormed cities and overran strongholds, driving local officials and gentry to their wits' end as they scrambled frantically to raise troops for suppression. At that opportune moment, Zhang Bao, garrisoning Ji Province, received orders from the Daoist Court. Leading forty thousand elites and twenty thousand local levies divided into two columns, he advanced east and south simultaneously. Because his troops maintained strict discipline and never harmed the common folk, people everywhere welcomed them with open arms. Corrupt officials scrambled over walls to flee, with hardly anyone daring to resist. Often before the Yellow Turban Army even arrived, many city officials had already fled at the mere rumor, leaving behind only a few honest, duty-bound clerks guarding the yamen to await the Yellow Turbans for the handover. In just four months, Zhang Bao's forces swept across most of the four provinces, eradicated numerous aristocratic clans that preyed upon the locals, and successfully joined forces with the rebel armies. Yet at that point, new conflicts erupted. While some rebel bands maintained discipline and willingly submitted to Zhang Bao's command to undergo reorganization, there were ambitious opportunists who led mobs in slaughtering villagers, looting, raping, and plundering fortunes—committing atrocities that rivaled or even surpassed the Han army. Having perpetrated such villainy, they prided themselves on "enforcing justice on Heaven's behalf." Unfortunately for them, they crossed a man as ruthless as Zhang Bao. Zhang Bao decisively deployed troops to surround them. Every commander at or above the rank of company leader was beheaded and had their head displayed; for platoon leaders, squad leaders, and corporals, one in every three was executed; ordinary soldiers were identified by the common folk, and anyone proven to have murdered innocents was executed on the spot. After these brutally severe measures, the newly defected rebels were stricken with terror. They immediately tightened their discipline and took the initiative to undergo reorganization under Zhang Bao's army. Thus, over the course of five months, eight provinces—including Ji, Yan, Qing, and Xu—were brought entirely under the Daoist Court's dominion. By then, Zhang Jiao and the others had also successfully crossed the threshold into cultivation and acquired a basic grasp of the Earth Puppet Technique. Huang Shao, He Yi, and four others immediately rode swift steeds to Liang Province to link up with Zhang Liang and Lu Zhi's army. Zhang Liang then launched an offensive against the Qiang host in Tianshui Commandery. Over a hundred thousand men clashed across the wilderness, locked in a brutal stalemate for two straight days. It was not until the third day, when twelve colossal earthen giants appeared on the battlefield, that the Qiang army was routed in a single stroke. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Liang and Lu Zhi led their troops in a ferocious pursuit, ultimately slaying over ten thousand enemies, capturing sixty thousand soldiers, and leaving countless missing. Mortally crippled, the Qiang dared not cast their eyes eastward again. This battle irrevocably cemented the Daoist Court's peerless prestige. The governors of the four remaining provinces—Jing, Yang, Yi, and Jiao—yielded and dispatched emissaries to submit to the Daoist Court. With that, the realm was largely pacified. "This violet orb is nearly complete, just short of a little more..." Inside the imperial palace of Luoyang, Huang Tian looked inward into his sea of consciousness, noticing that the violet orb had grown increasingly round and harmonious. "It's likely because Jing, Yang, Yi, and Jiao Provinces have only yielded in name. Once the armies march in and officials from the Court of Administration take over local governance, it should reach true completion." Huang Tian speculated quietly to himself, then closed his eyes. With a slight shift of his intent, time and space intertwined before him. The next moment, he snapped his eyes open and found himself back in his familiar apartment. "In the late Han world, I broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement, and in reality, I've reached the third level..." Feeling the changes within his body, delight welled within him. He was quite satisfied with his pace of breakthrough; after all, he had been cultivating for less than a month, yet he had already surpassed what others achieved in years. Getting up and stretching, Huang Tian took a tangerine from a bag on the nightstand, peeled it, and walked over to the window to eat quietly. It was dusk. The sky was awash in evening mist and rosy clouds. Orange sunlight washed over the camphor trees lining the street, tinting the leaves with a touch of pink. Vehicles shuttled back and forth along the road, and through rolled-down windows, one could glimpse the weary faces of people after a long day's toil. *Beep beep—* Chimes rang out as an electric scooter weaved nimbly through the traffic, riding off toward the distant sunset. "The evening looks beautiful, and the tangerine tastes great." A sweet and tart burst danced across his tongue. Even after swallowing the pulp, a faint citrus fragrance lingered between his lips and teeth. Huang Tian popped another wedge into his mouth until he had finished the entire fruit. Drawing in a light breath of the cool dusk breeze, he walked over to the sink to wash his hands, then returned to the window. Leaning against the frame to catch the gentle wind, he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. September 30. National Day was right around the corner. "Little Zong has her holiday tomorrow..." Huang Tian remembered, and was just about to send Zong Wenjun a message. *Whoosh, whoosh—* Two Feixin messages popped up. Looking down, he saw they were from Zong Wenjun. [PattingCatHead.jpg] [Vacation starts tomorrow, I'm coming over to see you.] Huang Tian smiled and replied: [Did you buy your tickets yet?] *Whoosh—* [Bought them days ago! But I could only snag an afternoon ticket (sigh). I should land in Chang City around four tomorrow afternoon. I'll take a taxi straight from the airport to your place, so I'll probably get there around five-something.] Huang Tian: [Remember to double-check before you leave. Don't leave anything behind.] Zong Wenjun: [Don't worry~]