During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the reigning Emperor Liu Hong was incompetent and indulged in debauchery, handing over the court to the ten eunuchs led by Zhang Rang. The Han dynasty was in decay, and the common people suffered greatly.

At this time, the three Zhang brothers from Julu, Jizhou, learned secret arts from the celestial being Huangtian Zhenxian and practiced medicine in the world. Their teachings were widespread, and their followers were countless. Taking advantage of the long-standing grievances of the people, Zhang Jiao harbored anti-Han sentiments. In the winter of 183 AD, he established the "Taiping Dao" and launched an uprising in the spring of the following year, known in history as the "Yellow Turban Rebellion."

In a certain place in Youzhou, a man dressed in modern clothes lay unconscious by the roadside. Strangely enough, just a moment ago, the clear sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds, and within a minute, the weather changed dramatically. A ball of light fell from the sky and landed here, seemingly transforming into this man.

"..."

After a long while, the man lying on the ground finally moved, shakily standing up while holding his still throbbing head.

"Damn it... Am I dead?" The man looked at the unfamiliar world before him, his mind a blank.

Flashes of the last twenty minutes came to him. His name was Qin Longyang, a recent college graduate and a lowly worker.

However, this seemingly ordinary person must have offended some deity, as he was struck by a golden lightning bolt while walking, and upon awakening, found himself in this strange place.

"Where is this?" Confused, he looked around, finding himself in the middle of nowhere.

With no other choice, Qin Longyang began to slowly move his weak body along the seemingly endless dirt road, hoping to find signs of life.

In modern thinking, when lost, one would naturally take out their phone to check the map. Qin Longyang skillfully reached into his pocket, but his glimmer of hope was shattered.

"Damn, my phone that I saved for months to buy!" Looking at the cracked and smoking phone, Qin Longyang lamented.

The lightning must have fried his phone too. Now he was truly at a loss.

The long, winding path stretched over one hill after another. Exhausted and thirsty, Qin Longyang stumbled and rolled down a slope by the roadside.

"Ah!" The slope led to a dense bamboo forest, and after many bumps and bruises, Qin Longyang lay at the bottom, battered and bruised.

"Cough, cough... Misfortune never comes alone."

Struggling to his feet, Qin Longyang, now looking as disheveled as a beggar, spotted a clear stream nearby and quickly ran to drink.

After drinking, his face suddenly stiffened as he realized several ancient soldiers in armor were standing around him, staring at him.

"Uh... Are you guys filming?" Qin Longyang forced a smile, looking at them awkwardly.

The soldiers exchanged glances and simultaneously drew their swords, pressing them against Qin Longyang's neck. The cold touch of the blades made his hair stand on end, realizing these weapons were real.

A leader-like soldier scrutinized Qin Longyang. "Strange clothes. This man must be a Yellow Turban scout! Arrest him!"

"Yes, sir!" Two soldiers stepped forward with ropes, binding Qin Longyang tightly.

"Hey! What are you doing? I'm just here for a drink!" Qin Longyang panicked.

"Stay quiet!" The leader's eyes turned cold, pressing the blade harder against Qin Longyang's neck.

Realizing the seriousness, Qin Longyang shut his mouth, a drop of cold sweat falling on the gleaming blade, internally cursing his bad luck.

"Mm..." Hoping to ask about the current situation, he was silenced as the soldiers found him too talkative and gagged him with a rag, leading him to an open area.

Around a thousand similarly dressed soldiers were there, looking like ancient soldiers from films. Qin Longyang pondered, gradually understanding.

"General Sun!" The leader saluted a leather-armored general, presenting Qin Longyang.

"What's this?" General Sun asked.

"While fetching water, we captured this man by the river. His strange attire and suspicious behavior made us think he is a Yellow Turban scout, so we brought him here."

"A Yellow Turban scout?" General Sun mumbled. Qin Longyang caught on, piecing together information. Could it be that he had traveled back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty?

"If he's a scout, his attire shouldn't be so conspicuous. I don't think he's from the Central Plains." General Sun scrutinized Qin Longyang's bizarre outfit, pulling the rag from his mouth.

Qin Longyang took a deep breath, bombarding General Sun with questions about the current emperor, the year, and the location, making the general's doubts resurface.

"Still claiming not to be a scout?" the leader barked.

Qin Longyang shut his mouth again, realizing asking such questions would only arouse suspicion in this era.

"Keep him tied up. We should remain vigilant. The Yellow Turbans are still pursuing us. Tell the men to rest briefly and prepare to move out." General Sun ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The leader saluted, pushing Qin Longyang to a small tree, tying him up.

"What a mess." Tied to the tree, Qin Longyang looked around helplessly, his behavior only making him look more like a spy to the soldiers.

Yellow Turbans, spies... These fragmented pieces of information formed a picture in Qin Longyang's mind. If he had indeed traveled back to the late Eastern Han, this was the beginning of a chaotic era.

Not knowing what had happened or if he could return to his world, Qin Longyang decided that if he was stuck in this familiar yet strange world, he might as well carve out a future here.

His thoughts took a strange turn, and he laughed, drawing wary glances from the soldiers.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Finally, a soldier with a kind face approached, and Qin Longyang seized the opportunity.

The soldier glanced at him indifferently, "Don't expect to get anything from me. We're all scattered troops from different places."

"Scattered troops?" Qin Longyang followed up.

The soldier briefly explained their situation, and Qin Longyang began to understand.

The thousand-strong group were remnants of garrison forces. Recently, the Yellow Turbans had advanced rapidly, causing most officials to flee without a fight, leaving these soldiers leaderless and scattered.

A few days ago, Zhao Li, the Prefect of Gong County, gathered the remnants, fortified the city, and held off the Yellow Turbans with twenty thousand soldiers.

However, vastly outnumbered by the Yellow Turbans, led by Guan Hai with fifty thousand troops, they eventually fell. Zhao Li died, and these survivors were now retreating north under Deputy General Sun Lang's command, heading for Ji City to seek refuge with Governor Liu Yan.

"I see..." Qin Longyang nodded, understanding why the soldiers were both fearful and hateful of the Yellow Turbans. Seeing their weary and poorly equipped state, he frowned.

"So you're just going to keep retreating? What about the civilians who can't escape in time?" Qin Longyang asked pointedly.

The soldier glanced at him but didn't respond. After a while, he stood up, "We can't even save ourselves, let alone others. The Yellow Turbans are close behind; staying means death."

The soldier left, and Qin Longyang sighed. "Thank goodness for Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. Otherwise, this ragtag bunch would never have held Luoyang against Zhang Jiao."

At noon, while the soldiers ate their meager rations, two soldiers stumbled in from afar.

"Bad news! The Yellow Turbans' cavalry is coming!"

"What? Run!" The mention of Yellow Turbans sent panic through the troops. Qin Longyang, barely awake, was jolted by the news, cursing his luck for being with such a cowardly group.

"Don't panic!" Sun Lang's commanding presence calmed the troops. Though he was also a retreating soldier, his bravery in Gong County had made him their anchor.

"How many troops?" he asked.

"About a thousand cavalry!" the scout reported.

A thousand cavalry! The soldiers felt their doom approaching, as if the ground was already shaking under the hooves.

Sun Lang's brow furrowed, his gaze firm. "Brothers! The enemy will be here in less than half an hour. Running means death; staying means death. As Han soldiers, we've been fleeing for days. Why not fight to the death, take some down with us?"

Despite his rousing speech, the soldiers remained hesitant, exchanging doubtful looks.

Laughter broke the silence. The bound "Yellow Turban scout" was the source.

"What are you laughing at?"

Sun Lang glared at Qin Longyang.

Qin Longyang smirked, "Laughing because I finally understand why you've been getting beaten and retreating. General Sun, look at them. They've lost the spirit of soldiers; they're just walking corpses. Instead of telling them to fight to the death, tell them there's a chance to live."

Sun Lang sneered, "Boy, how can we win against cavalry with foot soldiers? Tell me that."

"Simple. Just follow my lead, and everyone can survive..." Qin Longyang's sly smile revealed his plan. Sun Lang was speechless, unsure of what to do next.