Help, everyone come in

The Four Great Classical Novels are essential content for the Chinese language exam in the college entrance examination, so Xin, I plan to finish reading them. Although I can understand classical Chinese, it is somewhat time-consuming. I just spent a long time looking on Baidu, and found that many of the vernacular versions are abridged. After a lot of difficulty, I finally found something like the following, but the formatting is a mess. I am asking everyone to help me see if there is a better vernacular version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' either for online reading or for TXT download. //\ Since ancient times, the trend of the world has been that division leads to unity and unity leads to division. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the world was in disarray, and Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the land. After the fall of Qin, Chu and Han contended for supremacy. Emperor Gao of Han, Liu Bang, defeated the King of Chu, Xiang Yu, and established the Han Dynasty. By the time Emperor Huan came to power, he employed eunuchs and harmed loyal officials. Under Emperor Ling, the power of the eunuchs became even more rampant. The Grand General Dou Wu and the Tutor Chen Fan planned to eliminate the eunuchs, but because the secret was leaked, they were killed by the eunuchs. These ten powerful eunuchs were known as the Ten Attendants, treating Emperor Ling as a puppet under their control. Emperor Ling even addressed the leader Zhang Rang as 'Father.' The eunuchs abused their power, and heavenly disasters fell. The censor Cai Yong reported this to Emperor Ling, but was framed by the eunuchs and demoted back to his hometown. From then on, the world was in chaos, and bandits arose. \ In Julu Commandery, there were three brothers: the eldest called Zhang Jiao, the second called Zhang Bao, and the youngest called Zhang Liang. Zhang Jiao had initially failed the imperial exam but happened upon a mysterious encounter and obtained three scrolls of heavenly books called 'The Essentials of the Yellow Turban.' Zhang Jiao studied the heavenly books thoroughly, learned to call the wind and rain, and to transform beans into soldiers. \ In the first year of Zhongping, a plague spread, and Zhang Jiao used his magic to save countless people, calling himself 'Great Sage.' He taught 500 disciples, wandered the world, organized thirty-six branches, gathered hundreds of thousands of followers, and proclaimed: 'Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise. In the year of Jiazi, the world will be prosperous.' He sent the disciple Ma Yuan Yi with gold and silver to Luoyang to make contact with the eunuch Feng Xu as an insider. He also ordered the making of yellow banners and set the date for the uprising. Because a disciple in Tangzhou caused trouble, the authorities discovered it and reported it to the court. General He Jin killed Ma Yuan Yi and captured Feng Xu. Upon hearing the news, Zhang Jiao had to hastily start the rebellion, calling himself 'General of Heaven,' Zhang Bao called himself 'General of Earth,' and Zhang Liang called himself 'General of Man.' The rebel forces wore yellow scarves and were very powerful, causing the government troops to flee in fear. Upon receiving the report, Emperor Ling dispatched Generals Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun to lead troops to suppress the rebels. \ Liu Yan, the administrator of Youzhou, learned that Zhang Jiao was invading and posted a notice to recruit volunteers.In Zhuo County, there was a hero who was eight feet tall, with ears hanging down to his shoulders, and hands reaching past his knees. He was a descendant of Emperor Jing of Han, surnamed Liu, named Bei, with the courtesy name Xuande, and at that time he was twenty-eight years old. His family lived in Lousang Village in Zhuo County, and nearby was a great mulberry tree, a hundred zhangs high, which from afar looked like a carriage cover. A fortune-teller once predicted: 'This family will produce a distinguished person.' When Liu Bei was a child playing under the tree with other children, he said: 'I will become the Son of Heaven and should ride this carriage.' He had studied books and had taken Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi as his teachers, and was good friends with Gongsun Zan. Because his father died young, his family fell into decline, and he had to make a living by selling straw sandals and weaving mats. He saw a recruitment notice and could not help but sigh deeply. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him shout loudly: 'A true man does not lament but contributes to the country!' Liu Bei turned around and saw a man eight feet tall, with a leopard-like head, eyes like copper rings, a swallow-shaped chin, a full beard with each hair standing straight like tiger whiskers. His voice was like thunder. Liu Bei asked his name. The man said: 'My surname is Zhang, my name is Fei, courtesy name Yide. My ancestors lived in Zhuo Commandery, and we had some property, earning a living by selling wine and slaughtering pigs. I especially like befriending heroes around the world. I saw you sighing after looking at the recruitment notice, so I came to ask.' Liu Bei said he wished to eliminate rebels but felt powerless. Zhang Fei said he was willing to fund soldiers and join Liu Bei in great undertakings. The two went to a tavern to drink. While drinking, they saw a big man push a cart to the door and stop. He entered the tavern, calling for the innkeeper to quickly bring wine, drank it, and joined the army. Liu Bei saw the man was nine feet tall, with a beard two feet long, a face like a red date, phoenix-like eyes, sleeping-caterpillar eyebrows, and a handsome appearance, and invited him to sit and asked for his name. The man said: 'My surname is Guan, name Yu, courtesy name Shouchang, later changed to Yun Chang, from Xieliang in Hedong. I fought against injustice and killed a local tyrant, and have been fleeing for five or six years. Hearing about the recruitment here, I came to join the army.' The three became increasingly congenial and went to Zhang Fei's manor to discuss great plans. Zhang Fei said: 'Behind my manor is a peach garden, the peach blossoms are in full bloom. Tomorrow we will go to the garden, offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, become sworn brothers, work together with one heart, and pursue great undertakings.' The next day, Zhang Fei prepared offerings such as a black ox and a white horse in the peach garden. The three burned incense, knelt, and made a vow: 'The three of us shall become sworn brothers of different surnames, unite our hearts and strength, rescue the country and aid the distressed, repay the state, and bring peace to the people. We do not ask to be born on the same year, month, or day, but only wish to die on the same year, month, and day. Heaven above and earth below witness our hearts.'"Betraying righteousness and forgetting gratitude, deserve punishment from both heaven and man!"

Liu Bei was the eldest brother, Guan Yu the second brother, and Zhang Fei the youngest. After performing the ritual for heaven and earth, they slaughtered an ox and spread out a feast, recruiting three hundred brave men and drank heartily for a day. The three were worried about not having warhorses or weapons when two horse traders arrived, gifting them fifty warhorses, five hundred taels of gold and silver, and a thousand catties of iron. Liu Bei thanked the guests and invited skilled craftsmen to forge a pair of treasured swords for himself, an 82-catty Green Dragon Crescent Blade for Guan Yu, a steel spear for Zhang Fei measuring more than ten feet, and they also made armor. In a few days, they had gathered over five hundred men and went to join Liu Yan. Liu Yan, seeing the three exuded formidable presence, was very pleased. Upon discussing their ranks, he found that Liu Bei was a distant uncle and thus addressed him as his nephew.

In the battles with the Yellow Turban Army, the three not only relied on their superior martial skills but also cleverly used strategies to repeatedly win victories. Liu Bei heard that Lu Zhi and Zhang Jiao were engaged in a major battle in Guangzong, and because he had once studied under Lu Zhi, he led his army to provide support. Lu Zhi instructed Liu Bei to go to Yingchuan to support Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, so Liu Bei led his troops there overnight. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun devised a plan to attack the Yellow Turban Army with fire, causing Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang to suffer major defeat. Fleeing, the defeated troops ran into Cao Cao, who blocked their path and killed over ten thousand more. Cao Cao's father, named Cao Song, originally had the surname Xiahou, but as he was adopted by the eunuch Cao Sheng, he changed his surname to Cao. Cao Cao, nicknamed A Man and courtesy name Mengde, loved hunting and music from a young age and was full of cunning. At that time, several famous physiognomists who saw him said, “In times of peace, you will be a capable minister; in times of war, you will be a treacherous hero.” At twenty, he passed the Filial and Incorrupt Candidate exam and was appointed as the northern captain of Luoyang, responsible for public security. Anyone who broke the law faced ruthless punishment, and Luoyang's elites no longer dared violate it. Later, he was appointed the magistrate of Dunqiu County, and after the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out, he was promoted to Cavalry Commandant. Having met Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, he led his men to pursue Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang.

When Liu Bei arrived in Yingchuan, the Yellow Turban Army had already been defeated. Huangfu Song said, “Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang's troops have been defeated; you should return to support Lu Zhi.” Liu Bei then led his soldiers back. On the halfway journey, he saw a group escorting a prison cart containing Lu Zhi. Liu Bei hastily dismounted and asked, to which Lu Zhi said, “I have fought Zhang Jiao several times, but because he uses sorcery, I cannot achieve victory for now.The court sent Huangmen Zuo Feng to supervise the army. Zuo Feng asked me for a bribe, and I said that military funds were insufficient and that I had no money to flatter him. He claimed I was neglecting the morale of the army, so the court dispatched Zhonglang General Dong Zhuo to take command of the troops from me and had me escorted back to the capital to be punished. Zhang Fei was furious and wanted to kill the escorting soldiers to rescue Lu Zhi, but Liu Bei quickly stopped him, saying, ‘The court has its own judgment; we cannot act recklessly!' After Lu Zhi was taken away, the three decided to return first to Zhuo County. After traveling for two days, they suddenly heard deafening sounds of battle and saw that the official army had been heavily defeated, with the Yellow Turban Army pursuing them in overwhelming numbers, their large banners reading ‘Heavenly General Army.' Liu Bei said, ‘Zhang Jiao has come. We must join the fight immediately!' The three led their men and charged. Zhang Jiao was pursuing Dong Zhuo relentlessly, but when Liu Bei and the other two disrupted his attack unexpectedly, he retreated fifty li, saving Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo asked the three what official positions they held, and Liu Bei said they were righteous volunteers without official posts. Dong Zhuo then changed his demeanor toward his three saviors and didn't even follow proper etiquette. Zhang Fei bellowed, ‘We fought to the death and saved this man, and he behaves so disrespectfully! If I don't kill him, my anger won't subside!' He drew his sword, intending to slay Dong Zhuo. Liu Bei and Guan Yu hurried to stop him, advising, ‘He is a court-appointed official; we cannot kill him recklessly.' Zhang Fei said, ‘I refuse to obey him!' Liu Bei responded, ‘The three of us live and die together. Let's leave.' The three led their troops to join Zhu Jun and combined forces to attack Zhang Bao. Zhang Bao stationed eighty to ninety thousand troops in the hills behind. Zhu Jun appointed Liu Bei as vanguard to engage in battle. Zhang Bao sent his deputy general Gao Sheng to fight, who was killed by Zhang Fei with one spear after a brief clash. Zhang Bao then tore his hair, drew his sword, and performed sorcery. Suddenly, strong winds and thunder roared, and a black gas descended from the sky, from which countless troops emerged. Liu Bei's forces were thrown into disarray and retreated. The next day, Liu Bei ordered Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to each lead a thousand troops to ambush on a hill, each bringing the blood of pigs, sheep, and dogs. Zhang Bao went out to fight and again used sorcery; Liu Bei turned his horse to flee, and Zhang Bao pursued relentlessly. Just as he crossed the hilltop, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei ignited signal cannons, and the soldiers splashed the blood, breaking his sorcery. As Zhang Bao was about to return, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei simultaneously charged out, with Liu Bei and Zhu Jun leading the main army to attack, resulting in Zhang Bao's crushing defeat. Liu Bei pursued and shot an arrow that struck Zhang Bao's left arm. Zhang Bao fled into Yang City and held firm without coming out. Zhu Jun then ordered his troops to besiege Yang City completely.A few days later, the scout reported: "Because Dong Zhuo repeatedly suffered defeats in battle, the court ordered Huangfu Song to replace Dong Zhuo. When Huangfu Song arrived at his post, Zhang Jiao was already dead. After a great battle with Zhang Liang, he won seven consecutive skirmishes and killed Zhang Liang in Quyang. The court promoted Huangfu Song to General of Chariots and Cavalry and concurrently appointed him as Governor of Jizhou. Huangfu Song submitted a memorial stating that Lu Zhi had merits and was blameless, so the court restored Lu Zhi to his former position. Cao Cao assisted Huangfu Song in suppressing the rebels and was made Marquis of Jinan." After hearing this, Zhu Jun ordered his subordinates to intensify the attack on Yangcheng. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the rebel general Yan Zheng secretly assassinated Zhang Bao and opened the city gates to surrender. Zhu Jun pacified several nearby commanderies and reported the victory to the court.

The remnants of the Yellow Turbans, Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, and Sun Zhong, led tens of thousands of men to occupy Wancheng to avenge Zhang Jiao. The court commanded Zhu Jun to suppress them. Zhu Jun ordered Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to attack the southwest corner of the city, while he attacked the northeast corner and inflicted a severe defeat on Han Zhong. Han Zhong abandoned the city and fled. Zhu Jun, along with Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, pursued and killed Han Zhong with arrows. Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong sent reinforcements, forcing Zhu Jun to retreat. Zhao Hong and the others then recaptured Wancheng. Zhu Jun camped ten miles from the city and saw a group of soldiers approaching from due east. The leading commander had a broad forehead, a wide face, a tiger-like back, and a bear-like waist. He was from Fuchun in Wu Commandery, surnamed Sun, called Jian, and styled Wentai, a descendant of Sun Tzu.

At the age of seventeen, he gained fame for killing pirates and became a colonel. After his success in quelling rebellions, he was promoted to Xiayi Magistrate and later to Xiapi Magistrate. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he gathered over 1,500 elite troops from Huai and Si regions to reinforce Zhu Jun. Zhu Jun then ordered Sun Jian to attack the south gate, Liu Bei the north gate, and himself the west gate, leaving the east gate. Sun Jian was the first to scale the city walls, killed over twenty enemies, and leaped from the walls to strike Zhao Hong, killing him. Sun Zhong fled toward the north gate and was shot dead by Liu Bei. Over ten thousand rebel soldiers were killed, and countless others surrendered. The government forces quickly recaptured over ten commanderies around Nanyang.

Zhu Jun returned to the capital, and the court appointed him General of Chariots and Cavalry and Prefect of Henan. He submitted a report highlighting the contributions of Sun Jian, Liu Bei, and others. Sun Jian received rewards and was soon appointed Commandant of the Commandery, taking up his post. Liu Bei, having waited many days without receiving recognition, explained the merits of the three to Langzhong Zhang Jun. Zhang Jun then went to the court and told Emperor Ling: "The Yellow Turban Rebellion occurred because the Ten Attendants held excessive power and caused chaos across the world. Now, the Ten Attendants should first be executed, and those with merits should be rewarded richly. Then the world will become peaceful."The Ten Attendants reported that Zhang Jun had deceived the emperor, so Emperor Ling ordered the guards to drive Zhang Jun away. Fearing that the situation would escalate and become difficult to manage, the Ten Attendants advised Emperor Ling to reward the meritorious officers who had suppressed the rebellion. Emperor Ling appointed Liu Bei as the magistrate of Anxi County in Zhongshan Prefecture, Dingzhou. Liu Bei dismissed the troops and only took along Guan, Zhang, and more than twenty close followers when assuming his post. After taking office, he diligently governed the county and won the hearts of the people. In less than four months, the court suddenly issued an imperial edict to eliminate commoners who had been appointed due to military merits. Liu Bei, worried that he might be among those to be removed, coincidentally met the inspector coming to the county to conduct an inspection. Liu Bei went out to welcome him, but the inspector did not even dismount his horse; he merely waved the tip of his whip for Liu Bei to approach. Guan and Zhang were already angry. When they arrived at the guesthouse, the inspector sat high facing south and made Liu Bei stand at the step below. It was a long while before he asked, 'What is your background, Magistrate Liu?' Liu Bei said, 'I am a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, and I joined the campaign against the Yellow Turbans from Zhuo Commandery, fighting in over thirty battles, earning some military achievements, and thus received this position.' The inspector shouted angrily, 'How dare you falsely claim royal lineage and exaggerate your achievements! The court will eliminate officials like you!'