皇漢軍紮營，襄國附近[1]
廣宗縣，河北省，漢朝
公元一八四年，漢靈帝在位
皇汉军扎营，襄国附近[1]
广宗县，河北省，汉朝
公元一八四年，汉灵帝在位
Imperial Han Army Encampment, near Xiangguo
Guangzong County, Hebei Province, Han Dynasty
184 C.E., under the reign of Emperor Ling
"Late last afternoon, loyal Han forces under General He Jin has once again liberated several more villages in Henan Province from the rampaging scourge of the Yellow Turbans! Deep in hot pursuit of the fugitive leader, Zhang Jiao, the honourable He Jin has vowed a no-holds-barred campaign to root out the insurgent threat and bring the despotic criminal to justice! Already, our brave armies are converging on the main rebel stronghold in Guangzong County for the final assault on the deviant cult and its self-proclaimed messiah! Soon, the world will know the charlatan's true colours, and peace will once again reign in the Central Plains! Long live the Emperor! Love live the Han!" - Radio Luoyang
Henan, 184 C.E. In a time when Man had yet reach the depths of the farthest stars, chaos reigns supreme in the Middle Kingdom. Decades of corruption and political intrigue by the powerful eunuchs had crippled the Han Dynasty, and the people were left to pay the price for the wickedness of their officials. Despair and desperation plagued the ranks, and poverty drives many to banditry and ills. And among the disillusioned, many clamoured to voices who would promise them the world. One of them was Zhang Jiao, the megalomaniac cult leader of the Yellow Turbans.
蒼天已死，黃天當立。歲在甲子，天下大吉。
"The Azure Sky is already dead; the Yellow Sky will soon rise. When the Jiazi year has come, there will be prosperity under Heaven!" - Zhang Jue/Zhang Jiao
"The Azure Sky is already dead; the Yellow Sky will soon rise. When the Jiazi year has come, there will be prosperity under Heaven!" - Zhang Jue/Zhang Jiao
Said to have been granted vast knowledge in Taoist alchemy by a mysterious sage, the self-declared saviour has mixed his heterodox Taoist preachings with insidious chemical warfare, waging a bloody insurgency against the authorities and expanding his revolt to the gates of Luoyang. Only with the effort of local lords and loyal generals that the Yellow Turban advance has been stemmed. Unfortunately for them, their greatest enemies laid no on the battlefield, but in the very court they had put their very lives to protect.
"Damn those girl-men," cursed an officer at the operations table in He Jin's command tent, slamming his fist on the wooden surface as he scorned the eunuchs in court, "'arrest on conspiracy charges'? Is this really the time to be wielding daggers against each other!?"
"Calm down, Colonel Zou," the bearded commander-in-chief stated, looking over his table of assembled generals, "we'll lament Lu Zhi's arrest later. As of now, we must redouble our efforts on the rebel threat. I'm... sure Lord Dong Zhuo would... be more than up to the task of assisting us in our effort."
Of course, the wary gaze of the general was clear to see. He had reason to doubt the portly, fatuous official, more so than he had of the scheming eunuchs back in Luoyang. However, with his worries compounded by mounting casualties in Yellow Turban attacks, he had no way of turning him down. Moreover, he had Lü Bu, which was a force of nature by himself. As for the other generals, he could only sigh in relent. Not all of them were really altruistic in vanquishing Zhang Jiao, though he was sure they would at least be sated by the chance at glory. Muted in his lament for the low nature of his cadre, he once again highlighted his plan. This time, he hoped, would finally put an end to the Yellow Turbans' reign of terror, and he was going to aim for the head.
"Anyway, to recap," he informed his commanders, "Zhang Jue, or Zhang Jiao, is on his last legs. We believe he intends to flee, but with his base in Xiangguo[1] encircled, we do not expect him to be able to. Nonetheless, we must be wary when storming the city. His fighters will be hiding everywhere, and he and his followers are notorious for their use of chemical weapons. Mustard gas, chlorine, whatever that would allow him to gain an edge. His fanatics appear to care little for their own well-being too, so be prepared for anything. Any questions?"
"Uhm, I have one."
Raising her trembling hand among the cast of burly officers was a diminutive young girl with odd beige hair tied in a pair of bunches, and a nervous disposition. A lowly captain, her audacity seemed rooted in her apparent naivety, something her superior, Colonel Zou, appeared well aware. Forcing her hand down in a panic, the colonel blurted in a nervous spat, "my apologies, general. She's new here. My colleague, Colonel Gongsun Zan, recommended her to command the volunteer militia for our operation. She... has a way of persuading the masses to join up, but is in no way adept in military hierarchy. Please forgive us."
"I don't mind," He Jin stated, smiling a bit at the girl's frankness, "your captain probably knows the situation on the ground better than we do. It would be refreshing to hear her insight once in a while, wouldn't you say?"
Her cheeks turning a bit rosy, the young officer stood up excitedly as she declared in a slight stammer, "y-yes, Sir. I'll try my best!"
This girl was Liu Bei, head of the volunteer militia and one of the trio of sworn sisters. Peering at the commanders around her, she could tell her directness appeared unwelcome, but she could not afford to keep silent, not since the problems within the Han ranks was beginning to manifest, one the Yellow Turbans were certain to exploit.
黃巾基地，襄國
廣宗縣，河北省，漢朝
公元一八四年，漢靈帝在位
黃巾基地，襄国
广宗县，河北省，汉朝
公元一八四年，汉灵帝在位
Yellow Turban Base, Xiangguo
Guangzong County, Hebei Province, Han Dynasty
184 C.E., under the reign of Emperor Ling
If the situation with the imperial forces was complex, then the situation with the Yellow Turbans was virtually hopeless. Cut off on all sides, Zhang Jue's forces appeared to have settled for a final stand, committing themselves to final salvation in the next life as they prepared their defences. Donning their rudimentary cloth masks wrapped with activated charcoal, the sinister insurgents prepare for their ultimate weapon. And characteristic of the cult nature of the revolt, the self-proclaimed messiah was once again at one of his sermons, preaching in his underground temple as he hollered his meditating followers in a thick fog of incense.
"Hearken, my children," he bellowed, urging on his faithful in an echoing voice, "the final reckoning has come! Those who are devoted to the Way of Heaven shall be granted absolution of their sins! Make it known that your sacrifice will inspire countless generations more! This is not the end! This is not even the beginning of the end! No, our day has come to deal a crushing blow to the despotic emperor and his lackeys! Rest assured! Final victory is at hand!"
Whatever his plans, it was clear the mad priest did not see his final stand as such. Instead, this was his chance to lure the Han into a defeat they would never hope to recover, and his mysterious canisters would be his trump card, if he could lure in enough troops into his stronghold...
OOC Notes
- Modern day Xingtai - I was kind of torn whether to use the names of Han dynasty provinces or the one in Warlord Era China, so I'll go for a middle ground, with cities being called by their Han dynasty names, and areas called by the Warlord Era one, for the sake of ease.
