Chương 284: A large-scale rebellion breaks out

People crowded the streets to watch the excitement, and children chased after them asking for wedding candy.

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Distribute! Everyone who sees it gets a share!"

Butler Liu and his men carried out more than a dozen baskets of maltose and dried fruit, scattering them everywhere.

The whole city was like it was on holiday.

Laughter, the sound of drinking games, and congratulations never stopped.

Liu Ce, slightly tipsy, looked at the scene before him and felt a surge of emotions.

Now, the brothers all have families and responsibilities, and Youzhou has truly become their root.

Chaos is approaching, but only when there is a home to protect and loved ones to safeguard can a man have a reason to fight to the death.

...

For the next two weeks, there was a constant stream of celebratory banquets in Zhuoxian County. Today it was the Zhang family's banquet, tomorrow the Xu family's, the day after the Fang family's... The generals took turns hosting, and the common people also benefited. Every day in Zhuoxian County felt like a festival.

The homes of Dian Wei and Xu Chu were the most lively, with people visiting their "fertile" wives every day.

The two rough men weren't bothered at all, and they would show off their wives to everyone they met, becoming a big joke in Zhuoxian County.

Just as Youzhou was filled with joy, the situation in the world took a sharp turn for the worse.

...

In the fifth year of the Zhongping era, during the Spring Festival, the Prince of Yan's residence hosted a family banquet.

The generals and advisors arrived with their families, filling fifty or sixty tables in the courtyard, while children ran all over the place.

After a few rounds of drinks, Liu Ce tapped his glass.

The whole place fell silent.

"Today is a family reunion dinner, and we shouldn't be saying anything that would spoil the mood," Liu Ce raised his glass.

"But there are some things we need to let everyone know: the world is about to descend into chaos."

He briefly recounted the rebellions in various places, without going into too much detail, but it was enough to make everyone solemn.

Dian Wei slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Let it be chaos! Anyone who dares to come to Youzhou, I'll be the first to chop them down!"

Xu Chu nodded vigorously and said, "Exactly! My wife just got pregnant. If anyone bothers me, I'll fight them to the death!"

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, "Wherever you point, brother, I'll fight!"

The strategists remained silent, but through their exchange of glances, they all understood that the days of peace and tranquility were numbered.

...

Around March of the fifth year of the Zhongping era, large-scale rebellions broke out in many parts of the Han Dynasty, far exceeding the scale of previous uprisings.

The first problem occurred in Yizhou.

In the three years since Prefect Xi Jian took office, he has only known how to exploit the people, depleting the prefecture's military and military strength to the point of being empty, with all military and political power in the hands of local powerful families. He, as the prefect, is nothing more than an empty shell sitting on a pile of brocade.

No one noticed that a few men wrapped in old yellow turbans were glancing at the city defenses from the corner of their eyes at the street corner.

The leader, Ma Xiang, gripped the short sword at his waist. Beside him, Zhao Zhi whispered, "Brother, Xi Jian is hosting a banquet at his residence today; the guards are at their weakest. Shall we make our move?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Ma Xiang's eyes as he spat out the grass stalks from his mouth: "I've waited three years for this day! Issue my order: the righteous men of Mianzhu, Luoxian, and Wuyang shall rise up simultaneously. Take Mianzhu first, then kill Xi Jian!"

At 3: 45 AM, flames suddenly shot into the sky from the Mianzhu County government office.

Ma Xiang and Zhao Zhi led over a thousand remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, along with displaced people driven to revolt by exorbitant taxes, and shouted slogans such as "Kill the corrupt officials and restore peace!" as they broke down the city gates.

The county soldiers, who were inexperienced in battle, scattered instantly upon seeing the surging mob.

In less than an hour, Mianzhu changed hands, and Ma Xiang opened the granaries to distribute grain, attracting thousands of people in an instant.

When the news reached Luo County, the capital of Yizhou, Xi Jian was embracing a beautiful concubine while listening to music.

Upon hearing that Mianzhu had fallen, he was so shocked that he knocked over his wine cup and cried out in panic, "Quickly! Send troops from the prefecture to quell the rebellion!"

After stammering for a while, he finally dared to reply, "My lord, many of the county's soldiers are being held captive by powerful local magnates. You don't usually have command of the troops, so you can't mobilize them..."

Xi Jian then panicked.

He obtained this lucrative position by bribing eunuchs and never intended to command troops. Now, with rebellious people pressing in, he has no soldiers to use.

He tried to escape, but was stopped by local strongmen from Luo County who said, "If you, my lord, flee, Yizhou will surely descend into chaos, and our lives and fortunes will be in danger!"

They forced him to go up to the city walls to oversee the battle.

But Ma Xiang's rebel army had already surged in like a tidal wave.

These people were mostly former members of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, knowledgeable in warfare, and had gathered tens of thousands of starving people with them, making them incredibly powerful.

The city walls of Luoxian were not sturdy to begin with, and the soldiers had no will to fight. In less than half a day, the city gates were breached.

Xi Jian tried to slip away through the back door, but he was spotted by Ma Xiang as soon as he stepped out of the mansion.

"Corrupt official Xi Jian, prepare to die!" Ma Xiang swung his sword down, and Xi Jian fell into a pool of blood before he could even scream.

The state seals, household registrations, and grain supplies all fell into the hands of the rebel army.

Having killed the governor, Ma Xiang became even bolder.

He appointed Zhao Zhi as general and divided his troops into two routes: one to attack Guanghan and the other to capture Jianwei.

Upon hearing that Xi Jian was dead, the governor of Guanghan fled without a fight.

Although the troops of Jianwei County put up a resistance, they were defeated by the rebel army through a coordinated attack from within and without.

Within a month, all three prefectures of Yizhou fell into the hands of Ma Xiang, and his followers expanded from tens of thousands to over one hundred thousand.

Ma Xiang built an altar in Jianwei to worship Heaven, proclaimed himself "Son of Heaven," appointed officials, and bestowed titles upon generals and ministers, openly challenging the authority of the Eastern Han court.

The entire Yizhou was shaken. Powerful local lords in Ba County, Yongchang County, and other places raised troops to protect themselves. Half of the six counties of Yizhou broke away from the control of the imperial court. The former "land of abundance" was completely reduced to scorched earth in the chaos.

Things are also not peaceful in Liangzhou.

The rebel forces led by Han Sui and Ma Teng continued to cause trouble, capturing the three prefectures in succession. The imperial court sent troops to suppress them many times, but to no avail.

Bingzhou fared even worse; the Xiongnu raided southwards, and Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou, was killed.

News of the Ma Xiang uprising in Yizhou... was gradually transmitted to Youzhou through the channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Liu Ce was looking at the secret report in his study, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Prime Minister Ma... a remnant of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, within a month he captured three prefectures, killed Governor Xi Jian, and proclaimed himself emperor..." He pounded the table, "Yizhou is utterly rotten."

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, and others circulated the secret report, their faces grave.

Xun Yu said in a deep voice, "Xi Jian is greedy and incompetent. In the three years since he took office, he has only known how to exploit others and has not improved military preparedness. Military and political power has fallen into the hands of powerful clans. Ma Xiang has only a few thousand remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, yet he was able to coerce refugees and advance with unstoppable momentum.

This is not because Ma Xiang is capable, but because the official system in Yizhou is corrupt and the governor has no power."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "It's not just Yizhou. The rebellion of Han Sui and Ma Teng in Liangzhou led to the destruction of the Three Auxiliary Regions; the Xiongnu invaded southward in Bingzhou, and the governor Zhang Yi was killed... The governors in various places have the power to supervise, but no real power to command troops. They are simply powerless to deal with cross-prefecture rebellions and foreign invasions."

Fang Xuanling added: "What's even more troublesome is the expansion of the power of local strongmen. Fortified villages are everywhere, and private armies are countless. The governors have no military or financial power, so how can they suppress these powerful families? Instead, they are often coerced by them, and their orders cannot even leave the prefecture."

Liu Ce listened, understanding dawning on his mind.

The wheels of history continued to roll toward "abolishing historians and establishing ministers."

News of the chaos reached Luoyang, shaking the imperial court.

Liu Hong sat on the dragon throne, looking at the urgent reports pouring in from all over the country, his head throbbing with pain.

"Useless! All of you are useless!" He slammed the memorial on the ground.

"A prefect who can't even control a few rioters!"

The court officials remained silent, trembling with fear.

At this moment, Liu Yan, who was then serving as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, stepped forward.

This member of the Han imperial family understood both the predicament of the central government and the chaos in the local areas.

Therefore, he declared loudly in the court: "Your Majesty, the current governors have little power but heavy responsibilities, and are powerless in the face of great chaos. I request that the system be reformed, that virtuous and respected officials be selected to serve as regional governors to pacify the realm, and that the governors be changed to provincial governors, granted full military and political power, and their rank raised to over two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure).

Only in this way can the regions be pacified!"