The Rise of History’s Most Powerful Empire

Chapter 63: Campaign

After three days, the entire Fangling Region's population was tense and rushing about.

None lingered outside more than they had to, returning home at the first chance they had. They'd bar their doors and wait in silence, not even caring about the sowed fields as if a beast flood was upon them. 

What could've made them so tense? Zhong Yu. In these three days, he canvassed the homes with his soldiers, one at a time. He combed every nook and cranny of the four counties to eliminate any clans.

None survive, neither woman nor child. All ended up headless and thrown to the side of the road as a warning.

Such violence and cruelty the county city folk had never seen or heard. It was the work of the devil.

All these people knew now was fear and horrors. Those of fainter hearts were out cold at the gruesome sight. Not that the rest were faring any better, managing to get back inside only to shake like a leaf.

Any that had fame, power or wealth was culled. Now the common people had lost their leader and couldn't rally to fight back. 

A revolt wasn't mere shouting and running in the streets like an angry mob.

All a peasant would ever achieve by acting like this was get a roll of the eye and thrown in the slammer.

A revolt needed the right conditions, such as a leader holding the masses' favor. In other words, a man of renown.

And of course a man of this value was no mere peasant or small-time merchant, but an educated clansman.

Only they had the money to equip soldiers, the brains to command them and the fame to make those who ate with him take up arms.

Without these conditions, they'd end up the same as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. They had the momentum but lost everything, in the end having no goal to hold them united.

The other could see it as well at some point and make use of it.

Without a leader, what hope could holding some farmtool give you in fighting back the oppression?

Instead, the mere mention of revolting had them pissing themselves and denouncing the ones they heard talking such nonsense.

The cleanup ended him a squeaky clean region. 

If some outsider wanted to rally the people in a pincer move against them, they'd be sorely disappointed. They had no one to cooperate.

You'd think picking some random guy in the streets would get him over his fear of having his family killed?

With the clans nothing but fertilizers, he had no trouble starting his campaign. 

Leaving 1,600 to defend Fangling Region, Zhong Yu had gained 400 soldiers through exchanging the fortune he got from the slaughter.

With a total of 800 soldiers and the 100 cavalry, it was barely enough.

The morning sun shone off the polished armors in a spectacular fashion. Zhong Yu led his army in a march for the Hanzhong Region.

His first target was Xicheng County.

It was Hanzhong's main seat of government, the most expensive area and developed, with 50,000 people.

Holding it was like having half of the Hanzhong Region.

He only took ten days to get Fangling Region under his grip, and in this age's slow means of communication, even with Fangling Region being a commercial stop between Hanzhong and Jingzhou, no news broke out.

And since only a few days passed, the people took the silence for rain blocking the road, or some other natural reason. In this area, there were dangers lurking everywhere.

Xicheng County was surrounded by other counties and had not experienced war in a long time.

And with no news of any invasion, the guard was lax, not even bothering with training. They were nothing more than armed peasants.

Mere thugs who would crumble at the mere sight of a real army.

Today they would pay the price for their carelessness. They even took the incoming cavalry for some bigshot's son.

Being Hanzhong Region's first base of government, Xicheng County's clansmen were many, all over the county and in control of everything.

Only when the riders were upon them, they realized these were enemies coming to end them.

Anyone could guess what followed. Blood spilled from being cut in half as the blades of the riders passed by.

These people were so scared they froze in place, all they could do was cry out.

The cavalry showed no mercy, killing the gate guards in a blink of an eye.

Next came the 800 soldiers entering the city in a single file.

While the cavalry went for the offices, to take control of the official before they fled to gather resistance.

Zhong Yu had no reason to worry, since these fools only knew how to fleece people and stuff their pockets.

All they knew was to fawn over their superiors. Or the fact the overdrawn peace weakened their vigilance.

Just like how every place the Yellow Turban Army touched ended up in chaos, letting them have an easy time pillaging for how quick these officials crumbled.

They treated the people like garbage, unaware that a cornered animal would bite harder.

All they lacked was a leader to rally under.

And Zhang Jiao more than filled that role, becoming the spiritual leader of hundreds of thousands.

To draw the curtain over the Han Dynasty. This rotten machine was about to collapse at the lightest breeze. 

That was why Dong Zhuo appeared and forced the Easern Han's vassals to rise up against him, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Three Kingdoms.

The killing in the Central Plains was so cruel, barely 1% survived. Such a slaughter only happened when Mongolia occupied China. 

This was all because of the pent up resentment Eastern Han gathered for centuries.

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