Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

”Finally, everything has begun. After so much preparation, this day has finally arrived,” Chen Xi said, holding the bamboo slip. His face flashed with excitement before calming down again.

Under the leadership of Yellow Turban leaders Chen Bai, Hou Qian, and Fu Yun, more than a million Yellow Turban soldiers surged out of Qingzhou and moved towards Yanzhou in search of food.

”Although we were mentally prepared, this number is just too much,” Chen Xi said, staring at the intelligence report in disbelief.

”Over a million Yellow Turbans,” Lu Su remarked, his expression tense.

”If we try to swallow them whole, we’ll choke,” Liu Ye added.

”If we don’t, we’ll be beaten to death later,” Chen Xi responded, turning his head. ”Let’s do our best. We need to take as many as we can.”

”Yellow Turbans, huh? I captured a lot when I was in Qingzhou,” Fa Zheng said dismissively, feeling no pressure from the Yellow Turbans.

”Ah, still too naive,” Guo Jia sighed with a lonely expression, placing a hand on Fa Zheng’s shoulder. ”Young man, you still need more training!”

”I’m already of age!” Fa Zheng angrily brushed off Guo Jia’s hand and shouted.

”Maturity on the outside doesn’t mean maturity in the mind,” Guo Jia replied with a melancholic look, as if he were saying, ”I failed to educate you properly; I failed your father.” This deeply stung Fa Zheng.”Leave it to me. I can handle these Yellow Turbans. Give me fifty thousand troops, and I can devour them all,” Fa Zheng, provoked by Guo Jia, spoke with some mania. It seemed he had forgotten the previous lessons learned from being repeatedly bested by Guo Jia. His impulsiveness was about to get him into trouble again.

Chen Xi glanced at Fa Zheng, wondering why he still acted so impulsively around Guo Jia, while being relatively composed at other times.

Lu Su and Liu Ye exchanged looks and sighed. They couldn’t rely on those two at the moment. Guo Jia had done all he could, but Fa Zheng still lacked caution in his actions, taking too many risks.

”Report! News from Dongjun!” A messenger shouted, presenting the latest intelligence.

Chen Xi casually opened the report and then smiled bitterly. Liu Dai was dead. He had lasted only three days against the million Yellow Turbans before being killed. As a man neither accomplished in literature nor martial skills, Liu Dai, a Han royal, had led his troops in a reckless charge. It took a special kind of fool to do something like that.

The group read the report and immediately had a better understanding of the Yellow Turbans’ combat capabilities—definitely enhanced by sheer numbers.

At first, Chen Xi had thought that the Yellow Turbans, being undisciplined and without formation, would be easy to deal with. In this world, top-tier generals had little trouble breaking scattered troops but struggled against organized formations.

Once soldiers formed a battle array, their energies synchronized, creating a barrier that could mitigate the impact of a general’s inner energy. This diffusion worked similarly to how a force spread across multiple points, weakening its overall effect. Closer soldiers absorbed more impact, while those farther away took less, but it was all about neutralizing the internal energy.

An excellent commander leading a thousand elite soldiers with interconnected inner energy could render even a top warrior like Guan Yu helpless if he charged alone, facing certain death.

However, this diffusion was not entirely reliable, as soldiers near the point of attack absorbed more energy. Thus, even in formation, the soldiers’ collective energy could only partially offset a general’s inner energy. Physical attacks like arrows or spears were barely affected by this thin layer of energy, which offered minimal protection.

Chen Xi had long since figured out the mechanics of inner energy. Essentially, anyone could develop a small reserve of energy if they had enough food. Starvation precluded any such development, which explained why the vast majority of people lacked inner energy—they simply didn’t get enough to eat.

The main difference between those with and without inner energy lay in their potential for explosive strength. A person with inner energy could momentarily surpass their normal capabilities, like lifting a several-hundred-pound rock. Normally, though, they were just slightly stronger than average.

In a battle formation, soldiers with inner energy provided significantly better defense than those without.

Chen Xi’s initial assessment was that the Yellow Turbans in their current state had neither inner energy nor organized formations, making them easy targets.

But the current situation showed Chen Xi that even without inner energy or formations, the sheer number of Yellow Turbans made a significant difference.

Liu Dai had died because he underestimated the potential of a large, disorganized force. Even without proper food and energy, the sheer number of Yellow Turbans allowed them to manifest a thin but noticeable aura, forming a yellow cloud above their heads, mimicking the effects of a battle array. Liu Dai, not expecting this, was easily cut down.

Realizing this, Chen Xi knew the Yellow Turbans wouldn’t be easy to handle. With their aura, they were far more dangerous. Without it, Guan, Zhang, and Zhao could charge in with three thousand men and emerge unscathed. With it, those three thousand men might be overwhelmed and wiped out.

”The Yellow Turbans truly are a troublesome group,” Chen Xi thought, frowning. But at least their strength was tied to their numbers. Split them up, and they’d be easy prey.

Weaknesses made things easier. If they were truly invincible, strong attacks would be the only option, which would be much more difficult. Given that the Yellow Turbans needed large numbers to maintain their aura, Chen Xi decided on a strategy: split them up.