Sky Is Changing

At this time in the county of Julu was a certain Zhang family, of whom three brothers bore the name of Zhang Yu, Zhang Ba, and Zhang Lian, respectively.

The eldest Zhang Yu was an unclassed graduate, who devoted himself to medicine. It is said that from his childhood, he is a person of great ability

And he laments that the Yan empire uses the practice of selling official title and lament the fate of the common people.

He once saw a person ding of an illness and was so affected by it, that he changes his learning vocation and study medicine

One day, while culling simples in the woods, Zhang Yu met a venerable old gentleman with very bright, emerald eyes and fresh complexion, who walked with an oak-wood staff.

In just a glance, Zhang Yu could tell that this person is not someone ordinary

The old man beckoned Zhang Yue into a cave and there gave him three volumes of The Book of Heaven.

"This book," said the old gentleman, "is the Essential Arts of Peace. With the aid of these volumes, you can convert the world and rescue humankind. But you must be single-minded, or, rest assured, you will greatly suffer."

With a humble obeisance, Zhang Yu took the book and asked the name of his benefactor.

"I am Saint Hermit of the Southern Land," was the reply, as the old gentleman disappeared in thin air.

This are the story that is said about Zhang Yu divine encounter.

Zhang Yu studied the wonderful book eagerly and strove day and night to reduce its precepts to practice.

Before long, he could summon the winds and command the rain, and he became known as the Mystic of the Way of Peace.

The Way of Magic has long dissipated but the existence is well documented.

This is the beginning of the formation of the Yellow Turbans. And it needed only a push to rise.

In the years since the eunuch faction took the Empire, the Empire was neglected.

One years, there was a terrible pestilence that ran throughout the land, whereupon Zhang Yu distributed charmed remedies, talisman and purified water to the afflicted.

The divine medicines brought big successes, and soon he gained the tittle of the Wise and Worthy Master.

He began to have a following of disciples whom he initiated into the mysteries and sent abroad throughout all the land.

They, like their master, could write charms and recite formulas, and their fame increased his following.

Zhang Yu become bigger and bigger and his influence became even more spread out and he has more and more disciple

Seeing this, he began to organize his disciples.

He established thirty-six circuits, the larger with ten thousand or more members, the smaller with about half that number.

Each circuit had its chief who took the military title of General.

They talked wildly of the death of the blue heaven and the setting up of the golden one; they said a new cycle was beginning and would bring universal good fortune to all members; and they persuaded people to chalk the symbols for the first year of the new cycle on the main door of their dwellings.

With the growth of the number of his supporters grew also the ambition of Zhang Yu.

The Wise and Worthy Master dreamed of empire. He sees the suffering of the common folk and sees how the nobles, the scholars an those who are ta the top abuses the people

He lives among the people, and the feels their pain

One of his partisans, Ma Yuan, was sent bearing gifts to gain the support of the eunuchs within the Palace.

To his brothers Zhang Yu said,

"For schemes like ours always the most difficult part is to gain the popular favour. But that is already ours. Such an opportunity must not pass."

And they began to prepare.

Many yellow flags and banners were made, and a day was chosen for the uprising.

Then Zhang Yu wrote letters to Feng Xu and sent them by one of his followers, Tang Zhou, who betrayed his trust and reported the plot to the court.

The emperor summoned the trusty Regent Marshal He Jin and bade him look to the issue. Ma Yuan was at once taken and beheaded.

Feng Xu and many others were cast into prison.

The plot having thus become known, the Zhang brothers were forced at once to take the field.

They took up grandiose titles: Zhang Yu the Lord of Heaven, Zhang Ba the Lord of Earth, and Zhang Lian the Lord of Human.

And in these names, they put forth this manifesto:

"The good fortune of the Yan is exhausted, and the Wise and Worthy Man has appeared. Discern the will of Heaven, O ye people, and walk in the way of righteousness, whereby alone ye may attain to peace."

Support was not lacking all over the Empire.

On every side of the Empire people bound their heads with yellow scarves and joined the army of the rebel Zhang Yu all with their own ambitions and desire,

Soon, the strength of this Yellow Turban Rebellion was nearly half a million strong, and the official troops melted away at a whisper of his coming.

Regent Marshal and Imperial Guardian, He Jin, memorialized for general preparations against the Yellow Scarves, and an edict called upon everyone to fight against the rebels.

In the meantime, three Imperial Commanders Lu Zhu, Huang Song, and Zhu Qin —-marched against them in three directions with veteran soldiers.

Meanwhile Zhang Yu led his army into Youzhou, the north-eastern region of the empire. The Imperial Protector of Youzhou was Jiang Yan, a scion of the Imperial House.

Learning of the approach of the rebels, Jiang Yan called in Commander Zhou Jing to consult over the position.

Zhou Jing said, "The Yellow Turbans filled the land. They are many and we few. We must enlist more troops to oppose them."

Jiang Yan agreed, and he put out notices calling for volunteers to serve against the rebels.

And so, begins the recruitment notice against the Yellow Turbans

…

The notices were posted all over the empire.

One of these notices was posted up in the county of Zhuo, where lived one man of high spirit and of great ambition

He was a scholar who also learn the Analects, the Three Teachings and other arts.

But he is not a bookish scholar and he did not find any pleasure in study

But he was liberal and amiable, albeit a man of few words, hiding all feeling under a calm exterior.

He had always cherished a yearning for high enterprise and had cultivated the friendship of humans of mark.

He was tall of stature. He has a large body and his body is full of muscle.

He is accustomed to hard work, different from most of the scholars that people would think. This person comes from a dubious lineage o the imperial family

He is the descendant of Prince Zheng of Zhongshan. This is what most people know of him. But he was not famous among the scholars or the nobles of the Empire.

His name is Jiang Bei. Many generations before, one of his ancestors was even a governor of the province but had lost his rank for some reason

His father insist that his ancestor was framed by the powerful people in the court.

That branch of the family had remained on in his place, gradually becoming poorer and poorer as the years rolled on by

His father is Jiang Hong, a scholar that died young. The widow and orphan were left alone and Jiang Bei as lad won the reputation for filial piety among the people of his county

The family of great men now had sunk deep in poverty.

There was one time when his mother was arguing with the neighbours and his mother told him that he is the descendant of Prince Zheng of Zhongshan.

Not only the Jiang family of Zhou County did not get respect and surprise from the neighbour but he and his family were even ridiculed and sneer at.

As his name is not recorded in the imperial family, as he comes from the side branch, his title is basically what he said but have no power.

Jiang Bei had two younger brothers and these three brothers gained their living by selling straw sandals and weaving grass mats.

The family home was in a village near the chief city of Zhuo.

Near the house stood a huge mulberry tree, and seen from afar its curved profile resembled the canopy of a wagon.

Noting the luxuriance of its foliage, a soothsayer had predicted that one day a man of greatness would come forth from the family.

As a child, Jiang Bei played with the other village children beneath this tree, and he would climb up into it, saying, "I am the Son of Heaven, and this is my chariot!"

His uncle, Jiang Yuanqi, recognized that Jiang Bei was no ordinary boy and saw to it that the family did not come to actual want.

Jiang Bei grew up to be a strong man. When he was fifteen, his mother sent him travelling for his education.

To not burden their uncle, only he was sent to education while the other two brothers of him stay and make a living in the county

He served many great people as their disciple and apprentices and learn a lot about the world.

He became friends with people of great distinction and of great conduct.

Now, he is twenty-eight years old

He looks at the notice board and sighed as he reads the notices.

The sight of the notice saddens him and he returns home with a heavy heart

'The Sky is changing' he thought to himself.

The sky above his head is clear without clouds and the wind breeze is gentle but he could not help but feel that the sky above is dark and the wind that is blowing is the cold winter wind

>