Faith Under the Banner of the 99 Blood Red Cross

Zhao Yun paused briefly in thought before stepping forward and saying, “According to the teachings of our leader, our sect has no option but to fight to the death.”

“Indeed,” Luan Yi said with a slight smile, analyzing the situation, “but the enemy greatly outnumbers us. How shall we contend with such odds?”

“The leader need not worry,” Zhao Yun replied confidently. “Though the Yellow Turban rebels are many, they are merely farmers who have recently laid down their hoes. Our protective warriors, though small in number, have been trained for over a month and are a formidable force. The enemy’s combat effectiveness is far inferior to ours; victory is assured. That is the first point. Our Holy Mother Sect follows the righteous path, honoring heaven’s will, while the Yellow Turbans are traitors to the court, led by Zhu Ying, a wanted criminal. Thus, the hearts of the people are with us, not the rebels. Their support guarantees our triumph. That is the second point. The rebel troops are exhausted from their long journey, while our guardians rest and prepare; our morale is high, and we shall overcome all obstacles. That is the third point. Furthermore, our leader is a man of deep foresight and talent for salvation, whereas Zhu Ying is a tyrant. As the saying goes, the general is the soul of the army. With such a vast difference in leadership, victory and defeat rest clearly apart. With these four factors, our Holy Sect will surely overcome the rebels.”

Luan Yi had not expected that a casual inquiry to Zhao Yun would be met with such a thorough and eloquent response, complete with a touch of self-praise at the end. He silently admired Zhao Yun’s reputation as a famed general of the Three Kingdoms and smiled, saying, “What you say, Zilong, aligns perfectly with my thoughts. My resolve is firm; we shall face the Yellow Turban rebels and determine the victor. Everyone, heed my orders… Mao Jie, Wu Tian, and Li Zhuang will remain to guard the city; the rest shall assemble the troops immediately and march north with me to meet the enemy.”

“What?” Wu Tian was taken aback again. “Why does the leader not use the city’s natural defenses to repel the enemy, but instead take the risk of abandoning the city to confront them?”

“There is no other way,” Luan Yi said with deep reluctance. “Spring planting has just finished; the crops are sprouting tender shoots in the fields. If we hold the city, the rebels will ravage the fields, causing great loss to the people.” He looked at Wu Tian and reassured him, “Brother Wu, rest assured, I shall take no undue risks and will act with utmost caution to protect all our brothers and sisters in the camps.”

“May the Holy Mother bless us!” Wu Tian said devoutly.

The entire assembly echoed in unison, “May the Holy Mother bless us!”

Under Luan Yi’s leadership, everyone completed their prayer for the campaign and then left the hall to check their troops in their respective camps.

The next morning, with provisions and supplies ready, the Holy Sanctuary Warriors, the Holy Temple Knights, and the Protective Guards—totaling ten thousand souls—marched northward under Luan Yi’s command in a grand and unstoppable force.

This was the first time that Luan Yi, Dian Wei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Chu, Zhao Yun, and Tai Shi Ci had led such a large army into battle. Even Huang Zhong, who had seen many battles, had never commanded so many troops against tens of thousands of rebels. Their hearts were tense but also filled with the exhilaration that precedes war.

Watching the vast crowd amid the swirling dust, Luan Yi felt a surge of righteous spirit within. To command such a grand army was no small feat in this lifetime, and he took pride in having been reborn for this moment in the Eastern Han.

Traveling north from Licheng County in the Jinan Kingdom, one would arrive at Luokou, a strategic town on the southern bank of the Ji River—and the site of the Luan family’s factory.

Across the river to the north lay Shanghe County, one of the seventeen counties of the Jinan Kingdom, located at the northernmost point. Like all counties under Jinan’s jurisdiction, Shanghe had its own church.

That day, a scout arrived at the Shanghe County church with news that the Yellow Turban rebels led by Zhu Ying were now less than a hundred miles from the county seat.

Luan Lu, the former servant of the Luan family and now the Archbishop of the Holy Mother Church in Shanghe, was immediately alarmed. He summoned the county magistrate Sun Da and the county captain to the church for a strategy meeting. While dispatching swift horses to inform Leader Luan Yi, they closed the city gates and prepared rolling logs and piled stones, intending to defend with the city’s strong walls.

At noon the next day, the vanguard of the Yellow Turbans crossed the border. Under the blazing sun, ten thousand rebels swarmed across the land like a plague of locusts, their dark mass stretching as far as the eye could see. Their battle cries shook the heavens, and when fifty thousand marched in unison, the earth itself trembled.

As the sun began to slant, the rebel vanguard halted seven hundred paces from the city walls, arranging themselves as if ready to storm the fortress. The sight struck terror into the heart of County Magistrate Sun Da on the city wall, who trembled as he turned to Archbishop Luan Lu and pleaded, “Your Excellency, what shall we do? What can we do?”

Luan Lu remained calm and composed, saying softly, “County Magistrate Sun, do not panic. Trust in the Holy Mother for eternal life. The leader once said, ‘The Holy Mother lets one die at midnight, but no one perishes before dawn. She grants a hundred years of life; neither knife nor fire can claim you.’ This means the Holy Mother alone is the supreme arbiter of life and death; our fates are arranged by her and her angels, not by these demons before us. Understand?”

“Understood!” Sun Da saluted respectfully. “The Holy Mother delights in me! I shall not die, even if Zhang Jue himself comes to kill me.”

“That is not entirely correct,” Luan Lu replied.

“How so?” Sun Da was puzzled.

“If you die, it means the Holy Mother values you highly. She allows your body to perish so your soul may escape suffering sooner and enjoy endless blessings in heaven.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” At the thought of heaven, the tautness in Sun Da’s face softened into a smile, and visions of golden wheat fields and roaming cattle filled his mind. “Heaven… is my lifelong wish!”

“County Magistrate Sun is truly a faithful child of the Holy Mother,” Luan Lu praised.

“Not at all, it is thanks to Archbishop Luan’s guidance,” Sun Da replied humbly.

Luan Lu looked out from the city wall and said, “It seems the Yellow Turbans intend to attack. Come, let us pray together.”

“Right!” Sun Da called out, and the city’s defenders and soldiers echoed, “All troops, heed the leader’s command—pray together.”

“Oh, Mother in Heaven! Your devoted children, Archbishop Luan Lu of Shanghe County, County Magistrate Sun Da, and Captain Xing Shi, offer sincere greetings. We thank you for the blessed lives you grant us, the plentiful food, and the loving brothers and sisters among us. There is much more we wish to express, but time is short, so we speak briefly. Now, tens of thousands of rebels, bewitched by demons, rush upon us. They seek to tear down your temple, topple your sacred statues, and slaughter your people. We wish to protect your glory, but our strength is limited, and we fear we cannot do so fully. Therefore, we humbly beseech you, grant us your mighty power. We pray for our leader’s reinforcements to arrive swiftly, to repel the rebels and cast the demons back into hell. Your beloved children, Archbishop Luan Lu, Magistrate Sun Da, and Captain Xing Shi, pray thus. Amen… Heaven’s gates!”

As the prayer ended, the city’s soldiers and defenders, who had been weak-kneed moments before, stood tall. Their dark eyes gleamed with boundless light; gripping their shields and spears, they felt invigorated—truly as if the Holy Mother’s strength had been bestowed upon them.

“At your posts!” Captain Xing Shi commanded. Archers climbed the walls, nocking their long arrows to full draw.

“Choir, sing the hymn!” Luan Lu ordered, and nine servants of the Holy Mother Church, recently returned from advanced studies at the Great Cathedral of Saint Nuwa, took their places beneath the city walls.

The harp and zither harmonized, bells and drums began, and the choir sang aloud:

“Your righteousness towers like mountains, your faithfulness reaches the skies; your lovingkindness extends to the heavens, your judgments are as deep as the abyss. How precious is your grace, your gentleness soothes my soul; your glory shines in the heavens, your blessings endure through all generations. I will seek refuge beneath your wings; in your temple, I shall be satisfied with abundance; you make us drink from the river of joy and living water, for you are the source of life. In your light, we shall see the light.”

After one verse, all the city’s soldiers, guards, and volunteers joined in chorus. By the third repetition, even the townsfolk hiding indoors, upon hearing the hymn, began to sing and spontaneously emerge, grouping in threes and fives to gather atop the walls, eager to be assigned tasks to defend the temple.

By the fourth repetition, the Yellow Turbans launched their assault, surging over the hills and sweeping toward Shanghe County.

At that moment, a deafening clatter of hooves sounded from the south. Luan Lu looked up, eyes bright with joy. “The Holy Mother reveals her power! Brothers, our leader is here to save us!”

All eyes turned southward. Across the flat plains, several large banners fluttered in the wind. Unlike the Han imperial army’s flags, which bore the names of commanders, or the Yellow Turbans’ plain yellow cloth, these banners were clear and striking: a crimson cross embroidered on white silk—the exclusive banner of the Holy Mother Church, the Blood Red Cross. Near it flew another banner similar in shape but bearing at its center a magnificent celestial steed, pure white with wings and a pointed horn, noble and majestic. Luan Yi had told his followers that this was no ordinary horse but the Sacred Heavenly Steed, the mount of the Holy Mother Nuwa.

“The Sacred Heavenly Steed banner! It’s General Zilong and the Holy Temple Knights! Open the south gate quickly!”

“Huh?” Sun Da glanced down at the city and exclaimed, “Why does General Zhao seem unwilling to enter the city?”

Indeed, the Sacred Heavenly Steed banner galloped swiftly, circling the city of Shanghe and charging directly northward toward the Yellow Turbans.

“What? The Holy Temple Knights number only a thousand cavalry. Does General Zhao intend to fight tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans with just a thousand men?” Luan Lu’s face paled. “General Zhao is mad! Quickly, form ranks and follow me out of the city to support him. Open the gates…”

As Luan Lu said, the first reinforcements to arrive at Shanghe were indeed led by Zhao Yun. His entire Holy Temple Knights were cavalry units, highly mobile, making them the vanguard as ordered by Luan Yi, who commanded the central army to follow.

However, Luan Lu was mistaken about one thing. Zhao Yun’s decision to remain outside the city and charge directly at the Yellow Turbans was not a rash act but a tactical move. After observing the enemy’s formation and noting gaps and disorder, he made this calculated choice.

With his thousand horsemen, Zhao Yun charged like an arrow straight into the breached northwest section of the enemy lines.