Chương 59: The army attacks the city, escorting Zhang Ning

Two days flew by in the midst of intense preparations.

On the third day, at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the Han army camp.

All the soldiers had eaten their fill, were fully armored, and had their weapons drawn. Under the leadership of their respective generals, they formed a neat and orderly military formation in the open space in front of the camp.

An atmosphere of chilling dread soared into the sky.

Liu Ce, mounted on his horse, stood at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over the tens of thousands of troops before him, and shouted:

"My lords! I have just received a secret report from our spies in the city! The bandit leader Zhang Jiao has died of illness!"

This news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, and an uncontrollable cheer and commotion immediately erupted in the Han army ranks.

Liu Ce raised his hand to suppress his voice and continued:

"Now, within Guangzong City, the bandits are leaderless and the people are filled with fear. This is the perfect opportunity for our army to break through the city and achieve merit!"

We've been training our troops for a thousand days, but we're going to use them for one! Whether we can wipe out the Yellow Turbans in one fell swoop depends on this battle!

"All soldiers, heed my command! The entire army marches forth! Our objective—the four gates of Guangzong! Advance without retreat, victory without defeat!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

"Suppress the Yellow Turbans! Advance, not retreat!"

The earth-shaking slogans rang out, and the morale of the Han army soared to its peak.

"Let's go!" Liu Ce swung his longsword forward.

The army surged forth like a flood bursting its banks. According to the established plan, Zong Yuan, Guo Dian, and Liu Bei each led their troops, rushing towards the east, west, and south gates respectively.

Liu Ce personally led Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and other generals, along with his own 8, 000 elite troops, straight to the north gate.

Outside the North Gate of Guangzong.

Liu Cejun had completed his battle formation, and the siege equipment was ready; it seemed a fierce battle was about to begin.

However, just as Liu Ce was about to order the first wave of feint attacks, the heavy north gate suddenly creaked and slowly opened from the inside!

A Yellow Turban general, unusually burly with a dark complexion and wielding a large sword, strode out alone from the doorway.

He went straight to the front of the Han army formation, knelt on one knee before Liu Ce, who was sitting upright on his horse, and spoke in a loud but complex voice:

"This humble general, Zhou Cang, has come to welcome General Liu on the orders of the Great Teacher! The defense of the North Gate has been taken over by my subordinates and is absolutely safe. Please enter the city, General!"

Looking at Zhou Cang kneeling on the ground, Liu Ce understood that Zhang Jiao's arrangements had begun. He nodded and said in a deep voice:

"General Zhou, please rise. In that case, thank you for your trouble."

He immediately ordered: "Yun Chang, Yi De, Shu Bao, each of you take 1, 500 soldiers and follow me into the city!"

"Zilong, you lead the remaining troops to continue the feigned attack on the city, creating momentum and preparing for any unforeseen events!"

"Yes, sir!" The generals accepted the order.

Liu Ce took the lead, and under Zhou Cang's guidance, led 4, 500 elite troops through the wide-open north gate into the last stronghold of the Yellow Turban Army.

Near the city gate, as expected, there were no Yellow Turban soldiers offering any resistance. Only a few Yellow Turban warriors, who looked tense but held weapons and had special insignia on their arms, were maintaining order. They were clearly Zhou Cang's confidants.

Led by Zhou Cang, Liu Ce and his party soon arrived at the mansion where Zhang Jiao had lived before his death. The mansion was quiet inside and out, filled with a sorrowful atmosphere.

Liu Ce dismounted, leaving most of his soldiers on guard outside the mansion, and entered the mansion with only Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and a few personal guards.

In the courtyard, a young woman dressed in plain white mourning clothes stood quietly outside the main house. She was slender and beautiful. Although her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was still wet with tears, her natural beauty was still undeniable.

She glanced at Liu Ce and his group as they entered, her gaze lingering on Liu Ce for a moment before she lowered her head again.

Liu Ce walked up to her, stopped, and asked in a calm tone:

"Are you Miss Zhang Ning? The great teacher... he's already gone?"

Zhang Ning raised his head and looked at the man in front of him, who was much younger than he had imagined and was also the "enemy" who had killed his two uncles.

His gaze was complex, containing sadness, confusion, and perhaps even a deep-seated resentment, but in the end, it all turned into a resigned indifference.

She nodded slightly, her voice a little hoarse:

"Yes... my father... passed away half an hour ago."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce straightened his clothes, faced the closed door, his expression solemn, bowed respectfully, and said softly:

"Respectfully bidding farewell to our great and virtuous teacher!"

He spoke softly, yet it carried a sense of respect for his opponent and a sigh at the end of an era.

Hearing Liu Ce's words and seeing his solemn actions, Zhang Ning, who was standing next to him, had her previously icy eyes flicker slightly, revealing a complex and indescribable emotion.

She hadn't expected Liu Ce to show such... respect to her father, the "rebel leader" appointed by the imperial court. This was completely different from the victor's demeanor she had anticipated.

She was silent for a moment, then took out two items from her bosom: an old-looking thread-bound book and a map drawn on silk. She handed them to Liu Ce, her voice still cold and clear:

"This is the 'Taiping Yaoshu' that my father instructed me to personally deliver to the general, as well as... a map showing the burial locations of the Yellow Turban Army's accumulated wealth over the years."

Liu Ce reached out and took it, quickly flipping through the "Taiping Yaoshu" (Essential Techniques for Peace). It did indeed contain many talismans, medical techniques, and some seemingly mysterious governance concepts.

He then unfolded a map, on which some hidden locations in Jizhou and other places were clearly marked.

With his mind made up, he carefully put away the two items and said to Zhang Ning:

"Miss Zhang... please accept my condolences. Rest assured, Liu Ce will never forget his promise."

This place is no place to linger. Please prepare immediately. I will arrange for someone to escort you and... your father's coffin, along with those followers who wish to follow, away from this dangerous place.

He looked around at the courtyard and continued:

"To avoid arousing suspicion from the court, we need to find a body that resembles your father's, dress him in his clothes, and place it in the house."

After we leave, we'll burn this place to the ground.

Zhang Ning nodded, indicating that she understood. Although she was grieving, she knew that this was part of the plan and a necessary measure to save more people.

With the assistance of Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, everything was proceeding in a tense but orderly manner.

Zhang Jiao's body was carefully moved into an ordinary coffin that had been prepared beforehand, and carried by a group of absolutely loyal Yellow Turban warriors.

Zhang Ning quickly packed some of her personal belongings.

Meanwhile, the body of a Yellow Turban soldier who had died from injuries or illness was found, dressed in the Taoist robe that Zhang Jiao usually wore, placed on Zhang Jiao's bed, and doused with kerosene.

About an hour later, everything was ready.

Liu Ce ordered Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao to lead two thousand Yellow Turban warriors to guard the coffins of Zhang Ning and Zhang Jiao, as well as some of Zhang Jiao's core family members and those willing to follow him to the death.

The group quietly and quickly withdrew from the North Gate and headed to a secret location arranged by Liu Ce in advance for temporary refuge.