[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-158":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},1222917,1620,"Chapter 158: The Fork","overthrowing-han-chapter-158",158,"\u003Cp>Amid the cheers, Gongsun Xun was momentarily stunned into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have to understand, fighting the Goguryeo people was of course no problem — no problem for anyone, because in this era the Great Han was the sole Central Kingdom… This doesn't mean the Great Han was so overbearing and aggressive that it fought whoever it wanted. After all, the Great Han could also get bogged down in wars, could also make strategic retreats, could also suffer crushing defeats. Rather, it means that deep in its bones, the Great Han never regarded the surrounding regimes as any kind of \"state\" at all. After striking you, after devouring you, no Han person ever felt it was striking you or devouring you…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They called this opening up frontiers and expanding territory, called it repelling the barbarians and assimilating them within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or to put it another way, between the Great Han and other regimes, no equivalence whatsoever existed. Borders, declarations of war, diplomatic maneuvering — these concepts had long since vanished when the First Emperor unified the Six Kingdoms, let alone four hundred years later at this very moment. Even the Xianbei, even a once-in-a-generation pride of heaven like Tanshihuai — Emperor Huan at first merely held his nose and wanted to enfeoff him as a king. If he refused to accept the imperial patent, then they'd just hold their noses and fight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when they did fight, the reports submitted by the border commanderies were often phrased as \"bandits raiding the frontier\"… The single word \"bandit,\" the single word \"raider,\" was enough to illustrate the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming back to the present, Xuantu Commandery was merely a small border commandery of five cities, yet it had gone back and forth fighting Goguryeo dozens of times, and no one ever called it unauthorized warfare. In practice, border commanderies launching counterattacks or mopping-up operations needed neither to report to the central government nor to notify the Inspector. In extreme cases, a mere Chief Clerk could lead troops beyond the border without even needing the Grand Administrator or the Commandant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, all this rested on two preconditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, you had to rely on your own strength. If it truly was like the last campaign against the Xianbei, where no offensive was possible without unified command, then naturally you'd have to discuss it with the Son of Heaven. Second, you had to be prepared to bear the consequences of your own military gamble. Success aside, if you lost, don't go blaming others — Xia Yu died with great dignity, after all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That said, Gongsun Xun did not think he would lose. He was only going to strike the Goguryeo people's Jwawon defense line. If Yaya Keli truly had the ability to pry open from within this line that had stymied Xuantu Commandery for over a decade, then he would naturally seize the momentum, and while the Hunjiang was frozen, charge straight to the Goguryeo capital at the foot of Mount Wandu and pull off something big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if Yaya Keli didn't deliver, and the Jwawon defense line couldn't be cracked — what then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it couldn't be cracked, so be it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a defense line so dense with fortresses couldn't be cracked in one go, was he, Gongsun Xun, insane enough to keep throwing lives at it? At worst, like Gongsun Yu and his successor Geng Lin, he'd just slink back in disgrace, and there wouldn't be excessive casualties either. Pay the pensions that need paying, apologize to Grand Administrator Gao and his own mother as needed — what else could come of it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it was precisely on this basis that Lu Fan and Lou Gui proposed such a plan, that Gongsun Yue and Gongsun Fan followed along so unreservedly, and that Zhao Bao held his nose and acquiesced… Because none of them considered military action against a foreign regime to be anything excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Shen Pei and Wang Xiu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Zhengnan was in a mindset of repaying a debt of gratitude. He admired the fierce integrity of the ancients — if Gongsun Xun told him to commit a crime, he would do it without the slightest hesitation. And Wang Shuzhi — Wang Shuzhi, though he had offered some remonstrance at the time, was urging Gongsun Xun to be more forthright with the Grand Administrator… And that was the real crux of the matter. Among these people before him, not everyone knew that Gongsun Xun had raised this army in secret, keeping Grand Administrator Gao Yan in the dark!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even so, even though Gongsun Xun himself was audacious in the extreme, privately he still felt some unease. What worried him most were these civilian auxiliaries who had practically been tricked into coming by him… These men were Han people, proper subjects of the Great Han. If they truly didn't want to fight, what could he do about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, this was precisely why, when Gongsun Xun initially calculated his troop strength, he had only regarded these men as civilian laborers for transporting provisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, upon hearing the news that this expedition was to go to war, these very men were cheering and leaping with joy… How could this not fill Gongsun Xun with both shock and delight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never imagined that Elder Brother, in less than half a year since coming to Xiangping, would have already won such hearts!\" Back in the present moment, amid the general astonishment, Gongsun Fan was the first to voice his emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord,\" Lu Fan, who was in charge of that large several-thousand-strong civilian labor contingent and naturally had some ear for the army's mood, after casually asking a few questions behind him, immediately stepped forward from the ranks. \"The soldiers all call my lord a famed general of the northern frontier — every battle a victory, every assault a conquest. Moreover, rewards and punishments are clear, grace and authority equally weighted… Therefore, the entire army, high and low, is willing to die for my lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun immediately burst into prolonged laughter, while the several tribal chieftains, watching the surrounding Han troops, each felt a chill of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Congratulations, Magistrate. Joy at the prospect of war — the army's morale is usable!\" At that moment, Shen Pei also strode forth boldly, cupping his hands in salute. \"Since that is so, I, Pei, shall not wait until tomorrow. I will cross the river to Goguryeo City right now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for your trouble, Zhengnan.\" Gongsun Xun promptly released Mo Hugou and turned to grasp Shen Pei's hands, bowing slightly at the waist. \"The situation here in Xuantu depends entirely on your sole efforts to maintain it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, when dealing with subordinates, no matter who they are, as a superior you must first and foremost guarantee their interests. You must give them the possibility of promotion, the reward of wealth… and so on — these tangible, palpable things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in concrete terms, these rewards differ vastly from person to person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people simply seek wealth and fear the superior's power — then promise wealth, display power, and they will naturally come and behave obediently, just like these tribal headmen before him. Others are already within the system, but because they are at the very bottom and perpetually denied fair treatment, as long as the superior is clear in rewards and punishments, granting rank and wealth while striving to be impartial, they too will willingly risk their lives — most of the civilian auxiliaries were exactly like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for someone like Shen Pei, you had to display something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly, Shen Zhengnan was a man who had transcended base pursuits. What he sought was a kind of spiritual fulfillment. Beyond the necessary rank, you also had to offer a degree of respect that slightly exceeded mere protocol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed, seeing Gongsun Xun perform a slight half-bow toward him, Shen Pei immediately answered with a solemn expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the Magistrate is willing to entrust the rear to me, how could I, Shen Pei, betray that trust? So long as I have a single life left in me, I will absolutely not permit anything here in Xuantu Commandery to hinder my lord in this campaign.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these words, Shen Zhengnan did not delay in the slightest. He took his leave directly and, leading a few guards, crossed the already frozen Little Liao River, heading straight for Goguryeo City, the capital of Xuantu Commandery… The others merely assumed Shen Pei was going to communicate with Xuantu's Grand Administrator Ju Teng about reinforcements and such. In truth, he was going to block Ju Teng from vying for credit, and even more so to prevent Ju Teng from hindering Xu Rong's forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen,\" Gongsun Xun, watching Shen Pei depart, could not help but feel immensely satisfied. \"Our army now has over three thousand Han troops and over three thousand Hu cavalry, totaling roughly seven thousand men. Once we reach West Gaima City at the far northeast of Xuantu, there will also be fifteen hundred elite Han cavalry permanently stationed in Xuantu Commandery, and the Buyeo people will also do their utmost to provide support. By then, our forces will be no less than ten thousand strong, with ample provisions and military supplies — truly a time when we should act.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding officers and soldiers grew even more stirred at these words, and even Tadun and the other Hu cavalry chieftains showed added delight… After all, having already decided to join the war, the only thing left to consider was naturally the question of victory or defeat. At a time like this, knowing that their side had an even more formidable force composition — who wouldn't be pleased?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, since they were still within Han territory inside the Long Walls and it was a rare assembly of forces, Gongsun Xun ordered the previously pickled meats to be brought out and specially permitted drinking, in order to boost morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Gongsun Xun formally gave the order to strike camp, then turned northeast along the Little Liao River, clearly bypassing Goguryeo City entirely and heading for West Gaima to find Xu Rong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was here that Shen Pei's role proved enormously effective… The newly appointed Grand Administrator of Xuantu, Ju Teng, a man from Qingzhou, had naturally heard of the Hebei famed scholar Shen Pei's reputation, and moreover respected him for having once served as household steward to Chen Qiu, and so treated him with exceptional courtesy. As for the matter of \"Liaodong Commandery\" wanting to \"borrow the route\" for military action because \"Goguryeo crossed the border to plunder the trade roads,\" although this new Xuantu Grand Administrator found it somewhat baffling, he merely followed Shen Pei's advice and refrained from rash action for the time being, only sending an official dispatch to Xiangping to make inquiries…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalling and muddling through — that's exactly how it was done. And shortly after that dispatch was sent, Gongsun Xun, taking advantage of the rapid passage formed by the winter freezing of the Little Liao River, swiftly arrived at West Gaima City (later known as Fushun) and met Xu Rong and his fifteen hundred elite troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Rong appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, right in the golden period for a mid-ranking military officer. But after two days of contact, Gongsun Xun found the man to be rather taciturn, even somewhat dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was more likely that as a proper, regular border defense commander, although he had to privately deploy troops at his patron's request, he had no desire to truly risk life and limb for this stranger before him, and so was deliberately cold… After all, unless Gongsun Xun could win this campaign, he, Xu Rong, and his core force of fifteen hundred elite cavalry would simply be working for nothing — even dying for nothing. At most, there would be some compensation in money and goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And without a doubt, Xu Rong largely believed Gongsun Xun could not win this battle. This point did not change in the slightest even after the army made a brief rest and reorganization at West Gaima, then marched out of the city and continued east, encountering the over one thousand Buyeo reinforcements that had long been agreed upon, bringing the total troop strength to nearly ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Magistrate Gongsun, please look.\" About fifty or sixty li east of West Gaima City, on the banks of the Liao River — the de facto military boundary between Goguryeo, Buyeo, and the Great Han — Xu Rong, seeming somewhat listless, explained: \"From here onward there is a crucial fork. If you continue northeast along the Little Liao River, it remains a broad, open road, with Goguryeo villages and fertile fields all along the way. But at the end of this route, several hundred li away, lies Liao Mountain, the source of the Little Liao River. This mountain is extremely strategic and is controlled by Goguryeo garrison troops. If, however, you leave the Little Liao River and turn southeast, there is another road. Although this road is hemmed in by mountain ridges on all sides and is far less passable than the Liao River route, it can still accommodate marching armies. The Goguryeo people's Jwawon defense line is positioned right on a stretch of open ground along this road most suited for military operations — the place is called Jwawon, no more than twenty li from here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This speech of Xu Rong's actually contained more words than all the sentences he had spoken in front of Gongsun Xun previously combined — clearly, with the military intelligence laid out before him, he had no choice but to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And most of the officers present, all possessing some degree of military acumen and experience, upon hearing this, each and every one immediately furrowed their brows in concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In other words,\" Lou Zibo, stroking his beard on horseback, asked, \"if we follow the Little Liao River corridor and march several hundred li further to attack Liao Mountain, or even just intend to sweep the several hundred li of territory upstream, the Goguryeo forces at Jwawon could easily pour out from this side road and cut off our rear and our supply lines?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct,\" Xu Rong replied frankly. \"This is also why the former Grand Administrator Gongsun and the previous Grand Administrator Geng both had to attack Jwawon. There truly was no choice — with Jwawon sitting there, to say nothing of attacking Goguryeo, even the several hundred li of territory along the upper Little Liao River could not be controlled at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To put it another way,\" Gongsun Xun said, frowning, \"it is precisely because of the existence of the Jwawon defense line that the several hundred li of rich, fertile land along the upper Little Liao River were completely swallowed by the Goguryeo people? And this is why both the Buyeo people and our Great Han can never forget this place?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly so,\" Xu Rong replied, respectful yet somewhat distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However,\" Gongsun Xun sighed, \"the Jwawon defense line has stood there for over ten years. Two successive Grand Administrators have returned without success — there must surely be reasons for this? What exactly is the situation there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In reply to Magistrate Gongsun,\" Xu Rong continued, somewhat helplessly, \"that place presents several difficulties…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it turned out, according to Xu Rong's explanation, Jwawon was difficult to capture for the following reasons:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the Goguryeo people had been fortifying it for a long time — the fortresses crisscrossed the area and were indeed sturdy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, although the place was open ground, it lay within a mountain valley, which not only made it somewhat cramped but also featured uneven terrain, truly disadvantageous for a decisive Han cavalry battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, the twenty-li road from the fork to Jwawon was neither long nor short — for the Han army and the Buyeo, both supply and advance posed problems. Yet the road behind Jwawon gradually widened, facilitating the rapid reinforcement of Goguryeo troops… And Goguryeo was a state of several hundred thousand people. If it could not be taken swiftly, the place would be crammed with reinforcements, making it exceedingly difficult to capture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Magistrate,\" Xu Rong finally sighed, \"even when the Xianbei's Tanshihuai went to raid the coast for fish-slaves back in the day, he detoured around behind Liao Mountain… But if we Han troops wish to enter the Goguryeo heartland, we can only face Jwawon head-on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening carefully to this briefing, Gongsun Xun, who had originally worn a grave expression, suddenly smiled and nodded: \"In that case, let us first make camp and settle down at this fork!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Rong was momentarily speechless… Was this man a fool after all, or did he have a well-thought-out plan? He had just explained — they needed to attack swiftly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————— I am a speechless dividing line ———————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Goguryeo set up ramparts at Jwawon, wholly devouring a hundred li of land along the Liao River. The Grand Administrator of Xuantu attacked repeatedly but could not take it. The Grand Ancestor, in Liaodong, troubled by this, campaigned against them.\" — from the \"Dianlue,\" annotated by Yan Pei Songzhi\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Awkward, a bit of writer's block. Will try to make up for it over the weekend… Also, new book group 684558115, everyone can join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2896,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","55da154bd5d1b660e08f717aca39bb17662deaf4266ad384c18453f7823aa2b8","overthrowing-han-chapter-159","overthrowing-han-chapter-157",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]