At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, who could control the overall situation? "The sky is dead, and the yellow sky should stand! At that time, Zhang Jiao led a peasant uprising, holding high the banner of the "Yellow Turban", claiming to overthrow the corrupt Han Dynasty and establish a peaceful society.
The Yellow Turban Army swept through the Central Plains in a short period of time, occupying most of the prefectures and counties, and the momentum was extremely large. However, can this peasant rebel army, with its loud slogans and large numbers, be able to unify this troubled era?
The Battle of Duchang was a turning point in the defeat of the Yellow Turban Army. The defeat in this battle reflected the strategic and tactical deficiencies of the Yellow Turban Army, which could not match the forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, who had learned their lessons and regained their strength.
The night before the Battle of Duchang, Zhang Chun learned that Liu Bei's reinforcements were about to join forces with Kong Rong. He could have taken the opportunity to storm and then move quickly to avoid a direct conflict.
But Zhang Chun was too conceited and ignored Liu Bei's reinforcements. When he saw Liu Bei's banner, he was still afraid and fell into chaos, which was not where his strength lies.
In the Battle of Duchang, Guan Hai was a rare fierce general in the Yellow Turban Army. In the face of Guan Yu's fierce attack, he resisted dozens of rounds in a row. This fully demonstrated his superb martial arts, wielding the broadsword lightly, and effectively resisting the attack of the Blue Dragon Glaive.
However, this valiant warrior was killed in the war, and his life ended in a river of blood.
Guan Hai's death is the helplessness of troubled times. He was excellent in martial arts, but he was born in troubled times and was forced to join the peasant rebel army. He was originally a loyal and righteous man, but he could only serve Zhang Jiao in troubled times.
He has a loyal personality, does not like power struggles, and is even more reluctant to kill his compatriots. Although he was equal in strength to Guan Yu, he had no desire to win in his heart, and just died indifferently after completing his mission.
In this showdown, Guan Hai's defeat is predictable. Although his strength was not inferior to Guan Yu, his mood and attitude made him lose on the battlefield. This reveals the difference between the Yellow Turban Army and the Princes' Army.
Although the princes' armies will also kill their siblings, they are determined to repay the country's hatred and support the Han family; The peasant rebels, on the other hand, were there to vent their anger and gain profits. This fundamental difference doomed the Yellow Turban Army to make it difficult to make a difference, even if it was a large number.
They lack loyalty to the country and love for the people, and only lose themselves in the pursuit of self-interest and the venting of resentment.
Liu Bei stabilized the rear of the north and engaged in a fierce battle with Yuan Shao in Jizhou. Cao Cao instigated Yuan Shao and sent Yan Liang to attack Baima in an attempt to cut off Liu Bei's allies and besiege them on all sides.
In order to repel Yuan Shao's fierce attack, Liu Bei personally led his army to Baima for a defensive battle. Among them, the famous "flooded Seventh Army" took place during this period.
Pang De, the Wei general in the Seventh Army, was originally Liu Bei's subordinate, but secretly colluded with Wei and planned to defect and attack at a critical moment. However, Liu Bei thought carefully and had already seen through Pang De's conspiracy.
So, he feigned defeat, lured the enemy army deeper, and then activated the water conservancy facilities to drown the pursuers.
Pound hurriedly tried to defend himself, but before he could speak, a burly yellow turban general rushed in front of him, knocked him unconscious with a punch, and then slashed him down without hesitation.
This heroic general is Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang was Zhang Bao's subordinate, born in Quyang, Chuyi, and in the same county as Guan Yu. He had a strong personality and was decisive and decisive, so he was sent by Zhang Bao to fight on the front line.
However, during a border conflict, Zhou Cang was captured and his family was killed. This incident made him deeply remorseful, and he vowed to take revenge. Zhou Cang was smart and keen, and he saw that Liu Bei had great ambitions and would definitely achieve a great career.
Therefore, he decisively put aside his hatred, followed Liu Bei, and helped him achieve his goal of unifying the world. This is also an important reason why he changed his fierce personality in the past and became calm and introverted.
In the famous Battle of the Flooded Seventh Army, Zhou Cang was brave and fearless, and successfully captured Pang De alive. He performed well under Guan Yu and became Guan Yu's proud close comrade-in-arms.
The two experienced life and death together, and shared weal and belonging. Even when Guan Yu was defeated and captured, Zhou Cang did not hesitate to choose to die to repay Guan Yu's kindness.
Therefore, Zhou Cang's life is full of magnificent legends, although he was born in troubled times, he is not confused by troubled times. He could have relied on his talents to become famous and a great minister, but he chose to follow Guan Yu and Liu Bei and accompany his best friend through the last journey of his life.
This kind of selfless righteousness makes people sincerely admire.
In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208) after Liu Bei occupied Yizhou, he began the process of stabilizing the front and expanding his strength. However, there are still remnants of the Yellow Turbans roaming around Ba County, often harassing them.
To this end, Liu Bei sent Liao Hua, who was born in the Yellow Turban Army, to exterminate these enemies. Liao Hua has a strong personality, is good at using soldiers, and has made great achievements in siege field warfare. Therefore, Liu Bei sent him to make full use of his advantage of being familiar with the enemy's situation and pacify Ba County as soon as possible.
Sure enough, Liao Hua soon succeeded in exterminating the Yellow Turban Army. He then began to crack down on the local indigenous population. He adopted a policy of gentleness and strictness, bringing the rebellious native chieftains under his command and severely punishing the rest.
Such a strategy worked very well and successfully stabilized Liu Bei's rear.
Liao Hua served as the commander of the reserve army on Liu Bei's Northern Expedition. In the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, he showed excellent resourcefulness and bravery, successfully luring the main force of the enemy army, and then joined forces with Guan Yu and Zhao Yun to counterattack and defeat Cao's army.
This victory established Liu Bei's dominance in the Hanzhong area, and also allowed Liao Hua's talents to be fully displayed. In the years of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Liao Hua continued to make miraculous achievements.
After Jiang Wei succeeded to the throne, he remained at the forefront of the Northern Expedition and fought countless fierce battles with the Wei army. Although he was over eighty years old, he still led the army to fight more than 300 rounds with the Wei general Zhonghui, and finally died heroically on the battlefield.
Liao Hua first rose to prominence in the Yellow Turban Army and was once a person buried in troubled times. However, he eventually became a loyal martyr of Shu Han and was closely linked to the rise and fall of the state.
His life was full of ups and downs, but he was eventually remembered for his incomparable fortitude and bravery.
In the first year of Jian'an, when Cao Cao conquered the Yellow Turban Remnants, the fierce battle with He Man became a hot topic of discussion. He Man was the most prestigious general in the Yellow Turban Army, and he saw through Yuan Shu's difficulty in achieving great things, so he led his subordinates to defect to Sun Jian.
After Sun Jian's death, he and Liu Bi, Huang Shao, and others tried to protect themselves, but they were besieged by Cao Cao's army between Zhou Nan and Tiger Prison. In the vicinity of Sheep Mountain, they engaged in a fierce decisive battle.
He Man's force was amazing, the broadsword in his hand swung like a golden flame, and his face was full of anger and calmness, as if this terrible killing had nothing to do with him.
Seeing this, Cao Hong, the commander of the Cao army, did not dare to take it lightly, and personally went into battle to confront He Man. The two fought inextricably, and Cao Hong, in order to end the battle as soon as possible, resorted to a strategy and pretended to retreat.
He Man took advantage of the victory to pursue and plunged headlong into the preset encirclement.
When He Man faced the hundred people alone, Cao Hong rode his horse from the side to kill, the sword flashed, and He Man's head fell to the ground. Several Yellow Turban generals were killed in battle, and the soldiers were shaken and surrendered to Cao's army.
Since then, the strength of the Yellow Turban Army in the Central Plains has collapsed. He Man, the most outstanding general of the Yellow Turban Army, and his defeat was a warning of the plight of the peasant rebels. They lack unified leadership and can only fight on their own; They also lacked strong rear support and struggled to compete with the regular army.
Cao Cao saw this, and boldly annihilated the main force of the Yellow Turban Army. He Man's bravery and tragedy painted a magnificent picture of the beginning of the Three Kingdoms. However, his fate could not escape punishment and teasing after all.
His despair and regret before his death may only be understood by the soul on the Huangquan Road.
Guan Hai, Zhou Cang, Liao Hua, and He Man, the four fierce generals of the Yellow Turban Army, each have their own characteristics, and they also symbolize the different fates of the peasant rebel army.
Although Guan Hai is heroic, he has no choice but to end his life in obscurity; Although Zhou Cang was born hostile, he became a brother-in-law by chance; Liao Hua went through all the vicissitudes of life and finally became a loyal minister of Shu Han; He Man fought bravely and showed the glory of life.
Heroes, no matter what era they are, have their figures. However, there are very few people who can really create a great cause and achieve a great achievement. Although these four Yellow Turban generals ultimately failed, they may be the merciless mockery of the fate of the troubled times.
When Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan and other heroes fought side by side, the glory of the Yellow Turban Army was gone. However, without their heroic iron horses, where would the stage for future generations to compete for hegemony come from?
That's the wonder of history. Every seemingly ordinary person will leave their own unique traces in the gears of fate. Although their deeds may have been overshadowed by the wind and sand of time, their blood and courage will always shine between heaven and earth.