People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 1 Am I the leader?
The seventh year of Guanghe was a very special year. It was in this year that the chariot of the Han Empire began to head towards its end.

The vigorous Yellow Turban Rebellion, after creating a storm, quickly fell into a low ebb and then died out, leaving the Han Dynasty with a broken body.

Zhang Jue, the spiritual leader of countless Yellow Turbans and the great sage, was defeated by successive attacks from Lu Zhi, Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song, and eventually died of illness in worry.

Even General Zhang Bao, the Duke of Earth, and General Zhang Liang, the Duke of People, were successively killed in the pursuit and suppression by the Han army.

The Han army led by Huangfu Song was like a cold killing machine. No matter how many Yellow Turbans fought, they could not stop their orderly and powerful pace.

The ruthlessness and strength of the Han army frightened the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou, and in the end only 5,000 remnants were left, and they fled in panic.

Huangfu Song personally led the army in pursuit. Given his absolute advantage, he would never allow the remnants of the Yellow Turbans to continue causing chaos in Jizhou.

The chase lasted for nearly half a day, and when they were about to catch up, a strange situation caught Huangfu Song's attention.

As they chased along the way, there were constant deaths or falling behind on the road. When Huangfu Song saw the condition of these bandits, he was immediately shocked and quickly ordered the army to retreat and stop.

Most of these weaklings who died or fell behind had sallow complexions and foam at the mouth. In serious cases, they would suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, high fever and coma. With his many years of military experience, he immediately concluded that the bandits had contracted a plague!

After careful consideration, Huangfu Song finally chose to pursue cautiously.

Every plague means corpses everywhere.

Under the ravages of the terrible plague, Huangfu Song didn't think how many of the 5,000 Yellow Turbans who fled could survive.

There is no need for me to take action myself. Most of them will die of illness. Even if a few of them survive by chance, it will not be a big deal.

If we rush to wipe them out, the plague will easily spread to the Han army, which would be fatal.

To be on the safe side, Huangfu Song ordered to leave behind a thousand elite cavalry to pursue the Yellow Turbans instead of suppressing them. This way, they could drive the Yellow Turbans away without having to engage in direct contact.

He himself led most of the troops back to Julu and began to clean up the mess left by the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

……

"General Wang, we can't keep running around like this. There's an epidemic in the army right now. If we keep running around, the plague will spread. Who knows how many innocent people will be killed!"

At dusk, the remaining Yellow Turban soldiers began to set up camp in a wilderness. Night was one of the few times they could rest in peace.

Because even for the elite Han army, it would be difficult to pursue the marching troops at night.

In a tattered tent in the center of the camp, two people were arguing.

One of them was a burly man with a square face and a steel beard, and he looked fierce when he glared.

This person is none other than Wang Dang, one of the Yellow Turban leaders in Jizhou. This group of remnant soldiers is now under his control.

The other person was a Taoist boy wearing a khaki Taoist robe and a square hat. He was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with red lips and white teeth. He was Xu Chen who traveled from the later generations to the end of the Han Dynasty.

Hearing Xu Chen's words, Wang Dang felt upset. Didn't he know how terrible the plague was? But he was not in the mood to care about these things at the moment.

"Nonsense! Do you think I don't know this? But the Han army is chasing us relentlessly. If we don't run, should we just stretch our necks and let them chop us down?"

Wang Dang replied unhappily, tilted his head back and took a sip of water, but after drinking it, he smacked his lips and felt it had no taste, which made him even more annoyed.

If the three generals of heaven, earth and man had not died one after another, leaving him without anyone to give him advice, he would not have bothered to listen to this kid's nagging.

Although this kid is just a little Taoist boy beside General Tian Gong, he can read and write and is quite smart. It will be useful for him to be kept by his side.

Just like when the battle situation was unfavorable before, it was this guy who suggested gathering the remaining troops and escaping at the right time. If it was a little later, he would not have been able to get out alive.

Xu Chen was very anxious. If the Yellow Turbans ran around with the plague, people would die wherever they went.

The people at the end of the Han Dynasty were already living a hard life, so there was no need to make things more difficult for them.

"General Wang is right. Of course we have to run, but can we try to run to a place with fewer people?"

Having said that, Xu Chen pointed to the dense forest in the distance to the north. In the moonlight, one could vaguely see the densely packed branches and leaves intertwined there.

"I think it's better for us to escape into the forest. This way, the enemy will have a hard time chasing us. After we get rid of them, we will have time to deal with the disease. Otherwise, if we delay for too long, I don't know how many brothers will be killed."

Wang Dang's face grew solemn. There were only about 5,000 Yellow Turbans left and they really couldn't afford any more losses.

Xu Chen's suggestion was not without reason. After escaping into the forest, the Han army's cavalry that was pursuing the main force would become useless, and he could also take a breath and rest.

What worried him was that even without the threat of the Han army, the plague was still a horrific disaster and it was possible that the entire army would be wiped out if things went wrong.

Wang Dang had seen too many plagues, each of which took away countless lives.

Human beings are too powerless in the face of the plague and have never had any way to resist it.

At this time he thought of the dead man again, and couldn't help sighing and shaking his head.

"It would be great if the Great Sage Master was still here. With his magic and talismans, he would be able to solve the current epidemic."

When Xu Chen heard this, he immediately started to complain.

Do you really think Zhang Jiao is an immortal? It's ok for him to make some magic water and cure minor illnesses, but forget about it if you want to solve the plague.

He had been traveling by Zhang Jue's side for some time and knew that Zhang Jue's methods were not all just tricks, but that he really possessed some medical skills.

In fact, it is always the decoctions that can really cure patients, and the talismans are just a means to fool people.

In this era, the theory of ghosts and gods is really popular. As long as you have the ability, others will really believe it. Even the imperial court is very superstitious about the theory of prophecies, not to mention the common people.

"Captain Qu, I have some ideas that may be able to stop the plague."

Xu Chen came over and recommended himself to Wang Dang.

If possible, he didn't want to watch the disaster happen.

These Yellow Turban bandits might be considered rebels and rioters in the eyes of the imperial court, but in Xu Chen's opinion, they were just ordinary people. If they had not really been unable to survive, they would not have come to this day.

Of course, another important goal of Xu Chen is to preserve the strength of this remnant army, because his fate is firmly tied to that of the Yellow Turbans.

The Yellow Turbans were an existence deeply hated by the Han court, and Zhang Jue, the rebel leader, was naturally a thorn in their side.

Therefore, all the people around Zhang Jiao were wanted by the imperial court, and the little Taoist boy Xu Chen was naturally not left out.

Being labeled a traitor by the Han court meant that he could only accompany the Yellow Turbans to the end.

There was no other way but to either be caught by the Han court and executed as a traitor, or to overthrow the Han court and turn the offensive.

Now that the situation has come to this, we must do everything we can to help the Yellow Turbans preserve their strength.

"You?"

Wang Dang frowned and looked Xu Chen up and down. The little Taoist boy, who was about fourteen or fifteen years old, didn't even have a strand of hair on his chin. He didn't look reliable at all. Then he shook his head.

"Do you think you are a great and wise teacher? Just stay here quietly!"

Wang Dang obviously didn't believe this young boy.

This made Xu Chen feel helpless. He only hated that he was too young when he traveled through time and it was difficult for him to gain people's trust.

Wang Dang is now the leader of the Yellow Turbans. If he cannot get his approval, no matter how capable he is, he will not be able to display his abilities.

To address this epidemic, we must take action now, while it is still early.

There was no time to waste, so Xu Chen was extremely anxious.

But then an idea suddenly occurred to him. Isn't it just a trick? Everyone can do it. Since you like to play tricks, why don't I just obey you?

Thinking of this, Xu Chen cleared his throat and his expression suddenly became serious.

"General Wang, you don't know that when the Great Sage Master passed away, he had already passed on all his Taoist teachings and magical powers to me."

After saying this, Xu Chen immediately attracted Wang Dang's attention. Wang Dang looked at him blankly, and was a little stunned at first.

Xu Chen shook his head and sighed, looking very helpless.

"Actually, I was planning to talk about this after the war has settled down, but the plague is about to rage, so I have no choice but to reveal my identity."

Xu Chen looked at Wang Dang calmly and said word by word: "Yes, I am the only designated successor of Taiping Dao. Only I can solve the current plague!"

The broken tent was quiet for a while. Wang Dang was stunned for a long time, obviously thinking about the credibility of Xu Chen's words.

No matter how he looked at it, he didn't think Xu Chen looked like a heavenly master.

But to be honest, it is not impossible that this kid is indeed the Taoist disciple of the Great Sage Master.

After looking at Xu Chen for a long time, he said: "I don't believe it, but it's not difficult to verify the truth. If you can really eliminate the plague, then I will have to believe it, but if you can't do it..."

Xu Chen immediately responded: "If you can't do it, I will leave it to the general to decide!"

Xu Chen spoke with confidence, but he was actually unsure.

However, if we don’t rescue more people and preserve our strength now, we will be killed by the Han army sooner or later. So no matter whether we have the confidence or not, we have to give it a try.

If it succeeds, it succeeds. If it fails, no matter whether the king punishes me or not, it will be meaningless. We will just wait to die together.

Seeing Xu Chen issue a military order, Wang Dang couldn't help but believe it a little. No one knew the horror of the plague better than him. Since this kid was so arrogant, maybe he really had something.

At this moment, a Yellow Turban soldier entered the tent, half-knelt on the ground and preached.

"Report, among the Han officers captured by our army, one person wants to see the general!"

"Ok?"

Wang Dang was startled when he heard this, then he said happily: "Could it be that those Han officials have finally come to their senses and are willing to work for the Yellow Turbans?"

At Wang Dang's nod, the soldier quickly led a person into the tent. It was a man wearing a Han official uniform.

This man is in his thirties, with an average appearance and a calm temperament, which makes people feel close to him for some reason.

"I am Zhang Ji from Nanyang, nice to meet you, General Wang." Zhang Ji bowed to Wang Dang.

Although he appeared polite on the surface, there was a glimpse of contempt for the Yellow Turban bandits in his eyes.

"Please know that the Yellow Turbans are suffering from a plague. I have some knowledge of medicine and may be able to save a few lives. If you need anything, I will do my best."

(End of this chapter)