Chapter 40

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the rulers were corrupt and incompetent, with empress dowagers and eunuchs taking turns to monopolize power. Border wars were frequent, and the country's strength gradually weakened. The government was in chaos, and the people lived in hardship. Due to a nationwide drought, the crops failed, but taxes were not reduced, leaving the impoverished farmers with no choice but to rise up under the command of Zhang Jiao from Julu. They tied yellow headbands and shouted, "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise, the year is Jiazi, the world will be at peace!" They launched the rebellion known as the "Yellow Turban Rebellion," which had a significant impact on the Eastern Han Dynasty and ultimately led to the arrival of the Three Kingdoms era!...

A grand and tumultuous era of famous generals and ministers in Chinese history was thus ushered in!...

...

Amidst a low, somber notification sound in the nightmare space, Zhao Futu slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself in a simple military tent, with a loud clamor outside, indicating a large army was gathered. He looked around; the tent was sparsely furnished, but there were some swords and weapons scattered around, as well as a set of ancient scale armor. These items were marked as white equipment with average additional attributes, but they could be exchanged for survival points, with a "military supplies" symbol.

Although Zhao Futu wanted to collect all of them, he knew that if he did, he might be sent to the military tribunal later!

"You're awake?" The tent flap was lifted, and a strong, honest-looking man walked in. He looked at Zhao Futu with a smile, examining him from head to toe, and said, "The talisman water given by the Great Virtuous Teacher is indeed extraordinary! It could even heal such severe injuries!"

Talisman water?

Great Virtuous Teacher?

Taiping Dao? Yellow Turban Army?!

A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Futu's lips. He never expected to be directly placed in the Yellow Turban Army. Only then did he notice an empty bowl beside him with some black residue, which must have been the remains of the talisman water. His appearance had changed significantly; he was now wearing simple hemp clothing, with a yellowish complexion. His body was still lean and strong, but his skin had been adjusted to look like that of a farmer who "faces the yellow earth and the sky."

"Since you're better, go report to Bochang later! Otherwise, you might be punished!" The man left, leaving behind a bowl of rice, two steamed buns, a plate of vegetables, and a piece of meat.

At this moment, Zhao Futu had the chance to check his attributes and other information:

"Contractor ID 1013, Codename: Swordsmith. Alias: Huangshi."

"Base Attributes: Strength 13 (9+2+2), Agility 9 (6+3), Intelligence 11 (9+2), Vitality 10 (8+2), Spirit 15, Perception 19, Will 13, Charisma 8."

"You will receive a 50% attribute bonus for this battlefield mission!... The bonus attributes will be activated after your faction is determined!..."

...

Zhao Futu originally had 6 points in strength, which increased by 1 point from the Head Wolf's strength, 2 points from free attribute allocation, 2 points from the Iron Branch, and 2 points from the Fine Steel Longsword, making his strength the highest main attribute, reaching 13 points.

"Attribute bonuses can only be obtained after choosing a faction?" Zhao Futu read the prompt on the attribute page and thought, "Could it be? I can still choose to join the Eastern Han army?"

He wasn't hungry at all, so he put the food aside and quietly peeked out of the tent. It was already dark outside, and there were many troops camped. Cooks were preparing meals, and the aroma of rice wafted through the air. A group of ragged, emaciated people were gathered around, staring hungrily, many of them swallowing their saliva, clearly very hungry. The camp was densely populated with about a thousand people, and there were Yellow Turban soldiers patrolling. These soldiers were well-equipped, wearing yellow headbands, and unlike the starving civilians, they looked quite formidable!

Zhao Futu used his reconnaissance skill from a distance, and a row of information appeared before his eyes:

"Yellow Turban Army (Sergeant):

Height 165 cm, Weight 61 kg.

Base Attributes:

Strength 18

Agility 15

Intelligence 7

Vitality 21

Spirit 5

Perception 9

Will 12

Charisma 5

Skills:

Formation Combat Technique lv3: Increases melee attack by 15%, increases health by 15%, automatically masters basic melee techniques, automatically masters basic footwork.

Combined Combat Technique lv1: When using Combined Combat Technique, increases melee attack by 10%, increases health by 5%.

Sergeant [Rank]: Passively increases main attributes by 2 points, passively increases health by 20%, and adds one level to Formation Combat Technique."

...

"These are the Yellow Turban soldiers? What about those refugees?" Zhao Futu was quite puzzled and used his reconnaissance skill again. The attributes were as follows:

"Yellow Turban Followers:

Height 158 cm, Weight 51 kg.

Base Attributes:

Strength 8

Agility 6

Intelligence 5

Vitality 10

Spirit 4

Perception 6

Will 10

Charisma 3

Skills: None."

...

"Hmm? No skills at all?"

Zhao Futu was taken aback but quickly understood. These were just ordinary refugees, swept up by the Yellow Turban Army and brought to the battlefield, hence the title "Yellow Turban Followers." They were ordinary farmers, with only slightly enhanced attributes, and otherwise, there was no significant difference.

"Should I join the Yellow Turban Army, or find a way to join the Han Army?" Zhao Futu closed his eyes and pondered.

Joining the Yellow Turban Army was clearly not a good choice, as this rebellion was destined to fail. However, he was now in the Yellow Turban territory, and if he wanted to join the Han Army, he would have to find a way to escape. There were at least three to four thousand people outside, and the camp looked like a military base. Escaping wouldn't be easy. Moreover, Zhao Futu couldn't be sure if the Han Army would accept him rather than treat him as a Yellow Turban spy.

After a moment of thought, he said softly, "It seems I can only join the Yellow Turban Army for now."

He had no idea where the Han Army was, and although the battlefield mission indicated an encounter, he didn't know when it would happen. Should he wait until he encountered the Han Army and then ask to join their ranks?

He quickly finished the rice, tidied up his appearance, and walked out of the tent. There were several patrols of Yellow Turban soldiers outside, but they didn't check him. One of the ragged men, who had been drooling over the pot, walked over and said, "Huangshi, you're really lucky! Bochang immediately recognized your potential and even used the Great Virtuous Teacher's talisman water to heal you!"

"Go over there! Bochang is waiting for you!"

It seemed this was the identity the space had assigned to him, fitting in with the other Yellow Turban followers.

Zhao Futu turned through several tents and saw a robust middle-aged man. The man was wearing leather armor, a yellow headband, a copper tiger belt, and general's boots, with copper wrist guards. He was wielding a large guandao, performing a series of fierce moves, making the heavy weapon seem weightless in his hands.

Seeing Zhao Futu, he immediately put down his weapon and laughed, "You recovered so quickly? You're indeed a strong and fierce man!"

Two towering, muscular men followed the Yellow Turban leader. They were bare-chested, with copper rings on their arms, and their veins bulged under their skin. Their arms were as thick as the thighs of the Yellow Turban followers, and they had a cold, murderous expression.

Zhao Futu could only see a "Yellow Turban Warrior" prompt when he looked at them and didn't dare use his reconnaissance skill, fearing unnecessary trouble.

"Take this! From now on, you're my personal guard." The Yellow Turban leader didn't give Zhao Futu a chance to refuse, handing him a yellow headband and patting his shoulder with a laugh.

Zhao Futu took the headband and immediately heard the space confirm his faction.

Then, his attributes began to increase, with the 50% attribute bonus raising his base attributes to: Strength 20, Agility 14, Intelligence 17, Vitality 15, Spirit 23, Perception 29, Will 20, Charisma 12.

The Yellow Turban leader waved his hand and said, "Take him to rest and have someone prepare a set of equipment for him!"

One of the extremely muscular Yellow Turban Warriors, who looked even more intimidating than a giant werewolf, stepped forward, silently pointing ahead, indicating for Zhao Futu to follow.

A set of clothing, a sword, a pair of boots, and a headband.

This was all the equipment Zhao Futu received. The first three were basic, and for him, they were almost useless. However, he was surprised to find that the Yellow Turban headband was a light green special item:

"Yellow Turban Headband." (Status: Enchanted)

"Origin: Yellow Turban Rebellion."

"Rarity: Light Green."

"Material: Hemp."

"Weight: 100 grams. (The weight of the item affects the requirements for wearing it.)"

"Equipment Slot: Head."

"Effect: Head Defense +5"

"Enchantment Effect: All Attributes +1."

"Requirement: Yellow Turban Army faction." (The equipment becomes ineffective if you lose the Yellow Turban Army faction.)

"Rating: This is a special headband soaked in talisman water, with the power of Taiping Daoism infused into it."

...

"Head Defense +5? Is the defense from equipment calculated separately?" Zhao Futu put on the Yellow Turban headband without hesitation and immediately noticed his attributes increased further.

After nightfall, the camp was under curfew, and everyone was forbidden from moving around or making noise!

Zhao Futu didn't sleep but sat cross-legged in the tent, meditating. He was full of energy and could go without sleep for several days. At such a time, he couldn't fall asleep!

Moreover, if the battlefield mission was as dangerous as rumored, it probably wouldn't be peaceful tonight!

At 2 AM, when people were the most drowsy, a few faint sounds came from outside the Yellow Turban camp, followed by the sharp whistling of arrows. Several Yellow Turban soldiers on patrol fell one after another. Before they could react, a group of elite Han soldiers rushed in, cutting their throats! The tent doors were thrown open, and flaming arrows were shot into the camp, setting the grain storage on fire!

Then, a deafening sound of hooves echoed, and over a hundred cavalrymen charged into the camp like a sharp blade, killing anyone in their path!

After the cavalrymen entered the tents, hundreds of infantrymen took advantage of the chaos to rush in!

These Han soldiers were elite, and upon entering the camp, they immediately split into three groups, heading straight for the central command tent of the Yellow Turban Army!

"Charge!"

"Men! Follow me to capture the rebel leaders!"

...

By the time Zhao Futu heard the commotion and rushed out of the tent, he found the Yellow Turban camp was already in chaos.

The leading hundred cavalrymen had already reached a hundred steps from the central command tent, followed by hundreds of infantrymen who broke through the Yellow Turban defenses and attacked the command tent. The Yellow Turban soldiers who had just woken up and hadn't even put on their equipment were quickly killed by the Han soldiers! The situation became chaotic, and the Yellow Turban soldiers fought individually, while the newly recruited Yellow Turban followers ran around, causing even more confusion!

"Less than eight hundred enemies! They're already in disarray!" Zhao Futu cursed under his breath and raised his sword to charge out.

At this moment, he realized that joining the Yellow Turban Army was not a wise choice. Although he knew the Yellow Turban Army had a lot of water in its numbers, he never expected it to be so watered down. The Han Army's charge had already left them disoriented. Especially the newly recruited Yellow Turban followers, who were now causing more chaos by fleeing, dragging the Yellow Turban soldiers into the fray.

"Eight hundred soldiers dare to attack a camp of five to six thousand! Who is their commander? Could I have encountered a famous general from the Three Kingdoms era?" Zhao Futu thought as he charged forward!

He looked around and shouted, "There are only eight hundred enemies! Follow me!"

At this moment, only by securing the central command tent could the defeat be reversed. In the darkness, others couldn't see clearly, but Zhao Futu could clearly see that the Han soldiers in the camp numbered no more than eight hundred! If the commander could steady the troops, they could gather the soldiers to surround and crush the Han soldiers, and with six thousand people, they could grind them down!

The originally chaotic Yellow Turban soldiers heard his shout and instinctively began to gather around him in the darkness.

However.

Before Zhao Futu could lead the men to the central command tent, he heard a loud shout from the central command tent!

In the firelight, a towering general, his face obscured, stood on horseback, drenched in blood, exuding a fierce aura. He held a severed head and roared to all sides, "The rebel leader has been killed by me! Surrender now!"

Zhao Futu, who was far away, was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but curse, "Damn! The leader was beheaded so easily!"

The central command tent had at least 1,500 people, yet it was breached by the general leading a hundred cavalrymen, and in less than three minutes, the leader was beheaded!

"Is this even human?"

In the darkness, Zhao Futu couldn't see clearly, but with a 15-to-1 ratio, the beheading was completed in just three minutes! The central command was filled with genuine Yellow Turban soldiers, each of whom was not much weaker than Zhao Futu! The 1,500 regular Yellow Turban soldiers were almost completely routed!

This was faster than slicing through melons!

This made Zhao Futu start to reconsider the combat abilities of the famous ministers and generals in this world.

With the leader killed, the defeat was irreversible. Zhao Futu looked around and saw that he had gathered over a hundred soldiers. He shouted, "Follow me out!"

He led the charge towards the western camp gate, preparing to fight his way out in the darkness!

...

(ps: Combined chapter, please give recommendations.)