Chapter 1

In the first year of the reign of Zhongping (184 AD), during the mid-Mengxia (mid-April).

At the Licheng Yellow River ferry in the Jinan State of Qingzhou, it was just dawn, and a group of civilians were waiting to cross the river.

A ferryboat slowly approached from the opposite bank. When it got close, the civilians were shocked to see the boat covered in arrows, with no sign of the boatman.

As the crowd was in a panic, a bloodied hand suddenly emerged from the side of the boat, and a man, riddled with arrows and covered in blood, struggled to climb out. He hoarsely shouted, "I am the chief of Dingkou Pavilion in Qihé. Quickly inform the county magistrate that over ten thousand Yellow Turban rebels from Pingyuan State attacked and broke through Qihé City last night..." His voice abruptly stopped, and he fell silent.

...

Liyu Prison.

The prison was cold and damp, with snoring sounds coming from the cells as the prisoners slept on dry grass. Suddenly, the sound of a noisy gong echoed through the corridor, startling the prisoners.

A tall, fierce-looking prison guard was urgently beating the gong and shouting, "You scoundrels, get up quickly..."

The prisoners, not knowing what was happening, stood up and heard the guard say, "The county magistrate has ordered that all prisoners be given weapons and sent to defend the city walls. If you kill the rebels and establish merit, your crimes will be pardoned!"

The prisoners were surprised and began to ask questions, surrounding the iron bars.

The guard, with a stern face, did not respond but opened each cell, roughly pushing the prisoners out. Those in shackles were also released, and anyone who moved slowly was whipped or kicked.

When it was time to open the Jia cell, the guard's demeanor changed. He tiptoed to the cell, glanced at a figure sleeping inside, and said cautiously, "Brother Liu, wake up quickly, something big has happened outside!"

There was no response.

The guard swallowed hard and was about to call again when the figure inside moved and said irritably, "So early in the morning, disturbing my sleep!"

The guard's body trembled, and he quickly lowered his voice, "The Yellow Turban rebels have attacked, and Qihé County was captured yesterday. The county magistrate has ordered us to release the prisoners to reinforce the army and defend the city. Brother, don't make things difficult for me."

Before he finished speaking, the figure sat up, revealing a thin, furrowed face, about eighteen or nineteen years old. Despite wearing prison clothes and being unkempt, he still exuded a fierce and unruly aura. The guard, however, did not know that his heart was already in turmoil.

Yellow Turban rebels, so this is the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Ye sighed, what a chaotic era.

He had been in this world for over a month, but due to the original owner's troubles, he had been confined in the dark prison, only able to gather some information from the prison guards and other prisoners. He knew that the current dynasty was the Han, the emperor's name was Liu Hong, and the era name was Zhongping, but he knew nothing else.

However, now everything was clear. The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty saw the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the rise of various warlords, and the formation of the Three Kingdoms, a period that would be celebrated in history.

Liu Ye smiled bitterly. Others who traveled through time had golden fingers, but he had nothing. However, the original owner's background was somewhat similar to Liu Bei's, both being distant relatives of the Han royal family. However, their fates were vastly different. Liu Bei had great ambitions, was supported by his elders, studied under the famous scholar Lu Zhi, and befriended future heroes.

Liu Ye, on the other hand, admired the heroes like Ju Meng and Ji Bu, and was known for his chivalrous and martial spirit, making him a well-known wanderer in the Jinan State. He was imprisoned for injuring an enemy of a friend out of loyalty, which, in modern terms, would make him a delinquent.

Seeing that the other prisoners had all left, the guard bowed and pleaded, "Brother Liu, come out quickly. The county lieutenant has sent people to take attendance outside. If you are late, both of us will be in trouble."

Liu Ye knew why the guard was so respectful to him. It wasn't because of his family's influence. Although the Liu family in Licheng was a powerful clan, Liu Ye was not from a strong branch and had lost his parents early, leaving him with no support within the clan. What made the guard respect him was his reputation as a wanderer.

As a well-known wanderer in the Jinan State, many young wanderers were willing to fight and die for him, so the guard had to address him as "Brother" and not dare to offend him.

Liu Ye did not make things difficult for the guard. He had been in the prison for a month and was eager to get out. He put on his straw shoes and walked out.

As soon as he stepped out of the prison, he felt a cold and solemn atmosphere. The area was filled with soldiers in red armor and black armor, holding spears. The prisoners were silent, standing in line, and several soldiers were taking attendance.

Liu Ye did not dare to act rashly and quickly joined the end of the line, waiting quietly.

Soon it was Liu Ye's turn. The officer in charge was a young man in his thirties, with a dark, sharp face and a fierce demeanor. He glanced at Liu Ye and demanded, "State your name, age, residence, crime, and whether you can use a sword or spear."

Liu Ye bowed and replied, "Liu Ye, courtesy name Shaoqing, eighteen years old, from Yufu Village, sentenced for injuring a member of the Pei family in the east of the city."

He paused and added, "I am skilled in archery, horsemanship, and the use of swords and spears."

The officer looked at Liu Ye with interest and said, "So you are Liu Shaoqing. I have heard of your name. It is said that on the day of the Pei family's wedding, you went to their house alone and injured dozens of people. Is this true?"

He was genuinely surprised. This incident had caused a stir in Licheng. The Pei family was a powerful clan, and being attacked and having dozens of people injured was a great loss of face. He had expected the person who did this to be a strong and fierce man, not a young man who looked unremarkable.

Liu Ye did not show any pride and said humbly, "Yes, it was me. I am ashamed, ashamed."

The officer wrote down the information on a bamboo slip and his expression softened. "Your martial skills are impressive. This is a good opportunity to redeem yourself."

After the registration, the soldiers led the prisoners to the training ground to receive weapons and armor. Liu Ye saw that not only prisoners but also many peasants in rough clothes were brought by the soldiers, given weapons, and formed into units. He estimated that there were about a thousand people on the training ground, enough for one battalion according to the Han military system.

Liu Ye received a poorly fitting cloth armor, which at least provided some protection against arrows. When choosing a weapon, he hesitated for a moment. The original Liu Ye had studied swordsmanship under a famous swordsman in Qingzhou and was skilled with swords and spears, capable of fighting ten or more people. However, in his previous life, he was a direct descendant of Li Shuwen, a master of Bajiquan and spear techniques, and was also skilled with the spear. In modern times, cold weapons were only used for physical fitness, without any real combat opportunities. Now, on the battlefield, he wanted to test his skills with the spear.

In the end, he chose a long spear. The weapons of the Han soldiers were quite varied, including long weapons like halberds, spears, and pikes, and short weapons like swords, daggers, and axes. Although the prisoners were equipped with weapons and armor, they still looked like a disorganized mob.

Liu Ye wielded the spear a few times, gradually regaining the spirit and energy of his past spear training. Suddenly, someone whispered to him, "Brother Liu, do you remember me?"

Liu Ye turned around and saw a short, rat-faced man with a ring-headed sword bowing to him. He thought for a moment but had no memory of this man and frowned, "Who are you?"

The short man looked disappointed and said, "Brother, two years ago, a group of bandits from Dongping Mountain killed Hou Sheng from Dongping Village. You called on the local wanderers to eliminate the bandits, and I was there that day."

Liu Ye remembered. This incident was true. Dongping Village was a neighboring village to Yufu Village. Hou Sheng had often played with him in the past, but later became a merchant, traveling between Qingzhou and Licheng. He was killed by bandits from Dongping Mountain, and Liu Ye, enraged, led a group of wanderers to eliminate the bandits, for which he was rewarded by the county magistrate. However, he still had no clear memory of this man. He smiled and said, "I remember now. Thank you for your help that day. What is your name?"

The short man's face lit up, and he bowed, "Brother, just call me Wude."

Liu Ye nodded. At that moment, a mournful ox horn sounded, and the prisoners were divided into units and sent to the four city walls.

Liu Ye and the other prisoners were assigned to the east wall, which was slightly damaged and lower in height. The prisoners complained, but Liu Ye remained silent. Looking down from the wall, it was only about two stories high, which did not inspire much confidence. He scanned the area and, mimicking the experienced soldiers, hid behind a parapet, holding the spear and basking in the sun, feeling quite comfortable.

As the day wore on, the soldiers on the wall became less vigilant, whispering and discussing the number of Yellow Turban rebels, their leader, whether there would be reinforcements, and whether the city could be defended. The atmosphere was tense and uncertain.

Suddenly, someone on the wall shouted, "Look!"

The soldiers gathered at the wall and saw a rider galloping towards the city. Everyone knew this was a scout sent by the county lieutenant. The scout shouted hoarsely, "The rebels are three miles away from the city!"

The wall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in chaos. The soldiers quickly prepared, archers drew their arrows, and the prisoners, who were a disorganized mob, clenched their weapons, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Listen to the military rules: Those who retreat in battle, those who abandon their weapons... will be executed!" The officer, sword in hand, patrolled the wall, solemnly reciting the military rules. Each rule was followed by a gong, and the soldiers all felt a chill.