[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-150":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1222909,1620,"Chapter 150: Wild Boasts","overthrowing-han-chapter-150",150,"\u003Cp>\"What are you thinking?\" Lady Gongsun, who was idly sitting and petting a cat with her daughter-in-law and the others, laughed out loud when she saw her son so indignant. \"How would he dare call himself a king? That's a nickname I gave him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was immediately relieved: \"That's one thing, but how did this nickname come about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you remember that dried good you ate in soup as a child... the kind I called mushrooms?\" Lady Gongsun said casually. \"He sent all of them, and because he was afraid of sending the wrong kind, he would send dozens or even over a hundred varieties to our home every time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So that's how the saying 'Mushroom King' came about?\" Feng Zhi, beside them, had just begun to smile, and couldn't help but interject with a grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Gongsun smiled but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun tilted his head up and pondered for a moment, then suddenly flew into a great rage: \"It's actually that Mushroom King? Does that man still not give up? And since when did he become the chieftain of one of the Five Tribes of Goguryeo?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Zhi was startled, and Zhao Yun and Bian Yu also looked over curiously, but Lady Gongsun burst out laughing again: \"He was originally the son of the chieftain of the Guanna tribe. His father died, so naturally he became the chieftain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun's face alternated between green and red, and he could only flick his sleeves and walk out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that Gongsun Xun did know of this Mushroom King, but he had been very young back then, and the Anli Trading Company was not yet so powerful, nor was that man any chieftain. At that time, the man had personally brought goods from his own tribe to Liaoxi to sell... and thinking back on it now, it was likely more about gathering military intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, ever since Goguryeo rebelled against the Xin dynasty and seized the chance to grow strong, the Great Han dynasty's northeastern policy had always been to support the weakest Fuyu people and prevent the expansion of the Goguryeo people. The most important function of the current Xuantu Commandery itself was, in fact, to deal with Goguryeo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But let's not dwell on these trivial matters. In short, at that time, this man came to Liaoxi to do business, and because he had a large quantity of goods, he was granted an audience by Lady Gongsun, who was expanding her business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this audience was a big deal. Just imagine, when had such a Goguryeo bumpkin ever witnessed the elegance of a Central Plains noblewoman? So, after meeting Lady Gongsun just once and seeing her bearing and appearance, he couldn't help but regard her as a celestial being. Hearing that she was a widow, he became obsessed and repeatedly expressed his desire to propose marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the outcome goes without saying. Why would Lady Gongsun ever go off to be some Goguryeo savage's wife? Not only was he beaten and thrown out on the spot, he nearly lost his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this man was persistent. Over several years, he repeatedly sent gold, silver, pearls, and mushrooms from Goguryeo. Lady Gongsun grew annoyed and gave him the title 'Mushroom King.' This name was less a jest about the many types of mushrooms he sent and more an expression of her irritation at his pestering, grating persistence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun had heard people around him joke about this matter when he was a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet times have changed. Now, Lady Gongsun was probably about to have grandchildren, and Gongsun Xun had grown from a young child into the Prefect of Xiangping. This hateful Mushroom King, Yaya Keli, was actually still alive and had even come to Liaodong specifically to visit an old acquaintance, which was truly infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But infuriating as it was, as long as the man did not breach decorum, Gongsun Xun was truly helpless in front of his own mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By evening, a grand banquet was laid out. Lady Gongsun unceremoniously took the seat of honor, with the former Grand Administrator of Xuantu, Gongsun Yu, the 'Notorious Criminal of the Realm' Zhang Jian, her son and Prefect of Xiangping Gongsun Xun, and others like Lu Fan and Lou Gui as company. Right there in her own hall, she entertained this guest from neighboring Goguryeo, Yaya Keli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, Lady Gongsun even displayed her new creations, meticulously crafted by the Iron Office—several iron woks—and had someone demonstrate on the spot in the hall how to stir-fry dishes with lard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, it turned out, Zhang Jian had guessed correctly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, the taste of stir-fried dishes was indeed novel. The appearance of these woks seemed poised to overturn everyone's understanding of food and could be considered exquisite items... Everyone ate extremely comfortably, and the banquet's atmosphere rose to another level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Yaya Keli, whom Gongsun Xun had been staring fixedly at, perhaps he was now at an age considered 'decrepit,' his belly bulging. The past was like smoke and clouds, and he seemed to have seen it all, so there were no extraneous topics or discourteous behavior throughout. Moreover, his Han speech was not bad, he knew his etiquette, and with his beam-shaped hat, straight-hemmed robe, trimmed hair, and cultivated beard, he was dressed entirely like a plump, old Han Confucian scholar. Naturally, everyone's contempt lessened, and a sense of harmony prevailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since Gongsun Xun was intent on finding fault, how could he possibly fail?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over the years, I have been much obliged to Madam Gongsun and Grand Administrator Gongsun for looking after our tribe's business. Whatever wealth our tribe has managed to save is all thanks to the face you two have given us. Allow this old man to toast you both.\" Yaya Keli stood, raised his cup, and drained it in one go before sitting back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of the Goguryeo trade route,\" Gongsun Xun suddenly interjected just as Lady Gongsun and Gongsun Yu were about to raise their cups in return, \"I happen to have some difficult matters related to it, and I was just about to take this opportunity to share them with you all...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of an outsider, Lady Gongsun still gave her son considerable face and immediately set down her wine cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what Gongsun Xun spoke of were precisely those case files that had been delivered to his residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In less than three years, over a hundred people have lost their lives on the trade route.\" By candlelight, Gongsun Xun tapped the table with his cup and sighed. \"Who knows how many lives have been lost over the previous decade or so because of this? We must find a way to curb it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wenqi, you're overthinking it.\" The first to refute him was, unexpectedly, the former Grand Administrator of Xuantu, Gongsun Du's godfather, Gongsun Yu. He too was now old and decrepit, but he was ultimately a frontier commandery Grand Administrator who had seen battle, so his words were blunt. \"The lives of frontier savages are worthless. Why dwell on it... In my opinion, if they die, they die!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Lady Gongsun furrowed her brow seriously: \"Innocent deaths are ultimately a matter of conscience. If there is a way to reduce them, it would be for the best.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There truly is no way!\" Gongsun Yu quickly urged. \"Aunt, you must not give up eating for fear of choking. If this truly affects the trade route, the harm would likely be greater! This sort of thing is unavoidable on frontier trade routes. Before our Anli Trading Company expanded, when it was just the horse and cloth business here, it was even more chaotic... In the frontier commanderies, especially near foreign states, there is no order to speak of! As for these case files, Wenqi, take my advice and just burn them all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That may be so,\" Gongsun Xun couldn't help but frown, \"but now that we are organizing civil defense, if we could increase patrols, it would likely improve things considerably.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't joke,\" Gongsun Yu immediately became stern. \"Although there have been no battles between our dynasty and Goguryeo for several years, if troops are suddenly added to the border, it will likely provoke conflict. When that happens, it won't just be one or two people dying!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Gongsun Xun immediately turned his head to look at that Goguryeo Mushroom King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of sudden understanding appeared on everyone's faces. From Gongsun Yu to Lady Gongsun, and even Lu Fan and Lou Gui seated below, all turned their gazes toward this man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Yaya Keli couldn't help but smile bitterly: \"From the perspective of my Guanna tribe, we naturally hope for a stable border and harmonious coexistence. But do you all know the current situation within Goguryeo?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I naturally know it,\" Gongsun Yu shook his head and sighed. \"But my clansman here does not. Elder Keli, you might as well speak frankly with him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun frowned slightly. He had originally just wanted to use a pretext to make the man appear incompetent in front of his mother, thereby venting his anger. He truly hadn't thought much about Goguryeo's affairs. Yet now, given the situation, was there really some inside story to Goguryeo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The origins of us Goguryeo people naturally need no elaboration,\" Yaya Keli, seeing this, didn't overthink it and simply began explaining to Gongsun Xun and the others with a serious expression. \"We originated from the Fuyu in the north. At that time, the first king, Jumong, failed in his bid for the Fuyu throne and led a group of subordinate tribes southward. They then encountered the Great Han border and settled here, submitting to the Great Han as a marquisate under Goguryeo County of Xuantu Commandery. At that time, there was a division of one Marquis and five tribes. Later, when Wang Mang usurped the Han, he drove our people north to attack the Xiongnu. Our people were unwilling to go, and King Jumong was executed. From then on, we Goguryeo declared ourselves a kingdom and became independent, gradually expanding and growing stronger... These details need not be repeated. However, the structure of one king and five tribes has never changed. The king is the king, but political affairs come from the nobles of the five tribes. Even when the royal clan weakened and a strong tribe took over the kingship, it remained one king and five tribes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded slightly... Setting aside the well-known history of Goguryeo, what the man was emphasizing was Goguryeo's internal political system. According to him, the five tribes of Goguryeo did not include the royal clan. In other words, there should be six tribes, and these six tribes could even rotate the kingship among themselves! All the dividends of later expansion were shared by these six tribes together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these six tribes formed the fundamental political base within Goguryeo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However,\" Yaya Keli suddenly shook his head and sighed, \"about twenty-some years ago, the Chuanna tribe, one of the five, gradually grew powerful, far surpassing the other four of us. Among them, a figure named Myeongnim Dap-bu emerged. This man had always held military power. Over a decade ago, when his power reached its peak, he arbitrarily deposed and installed the ruler, and nearly all the adult members of the royal clan were slaughtered by him. The current so-called king of ours, though the younger brother of the murdered king, is nothing but a puppet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is nothing new under the sun—this was the emergence of a powerful minister!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the very beginning,\" Yaya Keli continued, \"Myeongnim Dap-bu was still willing to make some exchanges with the other four tribes. Eobi-ryu of the Hwanna tribe and I were even invited by him to manage state affairs for a time. But as his power grew day by day, at his advanced age, he even married a princess and divided public land as his private domain. He also repelled two attacks by the Great Han... Now, he monopolizes all major political decisions. He has even imitated your nation's Grand General precedent and created an official post called the Mangniji, monopolizing court affairs, and plans for it to be passed from father to son!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All affairs under heaven are the same,\" Zhang Jian remarked with rare emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I once clashed with Myeongnim Dap-bu,\" Gongsun Yu also recalled. \"At that time, hearing of internal strife in Goguryeo, I raised five thousand troops, planning to help the Fuyu people reclaim some lost land and balance the situation. But when the five thousand cavalry reached Jwawon, fortifications had already been built there along the rivers and mountains. The cavalry could not assault strongpoints, so we had no choice but to retreat!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Myeongnim Dap-bu went back and boasted,\" Yaya Keli beside him couldn't help but laugh, \"saying that Grand Administrator Gongsun's five thousand cavalry were routed by him head-on, thus his prestige grew even greater...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Yu sneered: \"If I had truly been defeated by him and suffered losses, I would probably have been sent to Luoyang in a prisoner's cart. How could I be here drinking and laughing about this matter with you, Elder Keli?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not all!\" Yaya Keli continued, laughing. \"Later, when Grand Administrator Gongsun left office and was succeeded by Grand Administrator Geng Lin, he also raised five thousand cavalry from Xuantu Commandery to probe Jwawon. By then, the fortress defense line at Jwawon was even more solid, and Grand Administrator Geng simply turned back midway... As a result, Myeongnim Dap-bu returned to our Goguryeo court and boasted again, saying that of the Han army's five thousand elite cavalry, not a single horse returned. From then on, with his protection, Goguryeo could be at peace!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Yu and Gongsun Xun choked simultaneously... If the Goguryeo people had truly killed five thousand Han cavalry, Xuantu Commandery would probably no longer exist! How did this Myeongnim Dap-bu dare to boast like that?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was true that with a powerful minister causing chaos internally, Goguryeo could not expand, and after two unsuccessful probes, the Great Han ceased its efforts. It was likely that many of the ignorant people within Goguryeo believed it as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That seems to be a tradition of the Goguryeo people,\" Lady Gongsun also shook her head with a rare laugh, though no one understood her meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In summary,\" Yaya Keli said seriously, cupping his hands toward Gongsun Xun and then rubbing his own large belly, unable to help but sigh with emotion. \"County Prefect Gongsun, I naturally understand your meaning. But although I am the chieftain of one of Goguryeo's five tribes, those I can command now are merely the people of my own tribe. Protecting the trade route is already the limit of my strength. As for state affairs, it is not that I am unwilling to coexist peacefully with the Great Han, but that I am truly helpless! Otherwise, how could a five-tribe chieftain like me, who once served as a state minister, be so idle as to visit friends in Liaodong? It is truly because I have been squeezed out of my own country to an unbearable degree.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was momentarily speechless... He had merely wanted to embarrass the man and hadn't thought much further. But with the man being so candid, not only revealing the internal situation of Goguryeo but also directly explaining his own awkward predicament, Gongsun Xun found it difficult to press him further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he immediately nodded and dropped the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed, naturally, was iron-wok stir-fried dishes, fine wine, and old friends—they drank until they were thoroughly drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the banquet ended and Gongsun Xun, attended by Lady Bian, returned to the government office a street away, preparing to rest, Lou Zibo and Lu Ziheng, who had shown no particular performance during the banquet, followed him in together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without needing a word, Bian Yu tactfully withdrew from the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\" Gongsun Xun casually picked up a case file from the couch and flipped through it with his back to his two trusted aides, his expression showing considerable helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Gui and Lu Fan exchanged a glance, each remaining silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you have something to say, just say it…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Lord, just now that Yaya Keli was up there speaking in detail about the situation in Goguryeo — he was clearly hinting at something!\" Lou Zibo said with a serious expression. \"And while Zihéng and I were discussing it below, we happened upon an excellent plan. Not only can it let you, Young Lord, achieve extraordinary merit before the imperial court and bring some benefit to the scholars and commoners of Liaodong, but it can also let you personally use this plan to escape the cage of Liaodong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I also think Zibo's plan is feasible. I just don't know, given the current situation, whether Wenqi is still willing to leave this place?\" Lu Fan's words were always more direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun stood stunned for a long while, then suddenly tossed aside the dossier in his hand, turned around and sat down: \"If it is truly useful, then by all means speak. Do not imitate the Goguryeo people with their grandiose boasts, making yourselves a laughingstock before all under heaven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————I am the mushroom-delivering dividing line——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Ancestor relocated to Xiangping in Liaodong. Liaodong was originally a neighboring commandery of the Grand Ancestor's, its land rich and its people respectful, and so he settled there. At that time, Lu Ziheng and Lou Zibo were at his side. Troubled that Liaodong was remote and isolated, and that they could not unfold their ambitions, they thus emulated the old stratagem of Chong'er in Qi, feigning his drunkenness to carry out their plan, secretly borrowing his name to form ties with the Goguryeo exiles. Upon his return, the Grand Ancestor sat upright on the couch waiting for them: 'Is the agreement already made?' Only then did the two realize his ambition, and their resolve was greatly roused.\" — New Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor, Grand Ancestor\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: After Minglin Physician deposed and installed a king, he did indeed let Keli and Yubiliu jointly govern, though later he pushed them out. The Battle of Zuoyuan is only recorded in Korean historical sources; Han histories do not mention it… quite obviously a fabrication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why two updates… yesterday was so stiflingly hot I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up and wrote a bit ahead of time… now I'm dead tired, but can't fall asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, new book group 684558115, everyone please join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3119,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","46c2a8932b07a1bdd2741859c2e7a250ca8bb42be43e6a69f60623a644113ff0","overthrowing-han-chapter-151","overthrowing-han-chapter-149",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]