[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-307":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},1223066,1620,"Chapter 307: White Horse Hunts the Long Plain","overthrowing-han-chapter-307",307,"\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the first month, with the sun hanging high overhead, east of Chencang City and west of the Qian River, the Han army and the Liangzhou army engaged simultaneously across a battlefield fifteen li wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dazzling sunlight and the lingering cold after the new year, battle cries, hoofbeats, calls for help, and the clash of blades rose one after another without cease, while dust swirled up from all sides, submerging the battlefield; soldiers and horses fought in chaos, formations lost front and rear, and smoke and fire burst forth, blotting out the sky and sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chaos was manifold and beyond full description.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such circumstances, for men of the tier of Gongsun Xun, Dong Zhuo, and Huangfu Song to attempt any further battlefield command was nothing but a fool’s dream; even Xu Rong, who commanded somewhat more troops, could only issue rough orders down to the level of Li Jue, Huangfu Li, and the various division commanders, while the ones truly responsible for directing the advance on the battlefield were the mid-ranking officers of each division, each company, and even each squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, at this moment, beneath the White Horse banner on the eastern side of the battlefield, just like Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song several li away to his left and right, Gongsun Xun, having thrown all of his so-called \"Sanhe cavalrymen\" who lacked warhorses into the battle to assault the encampment directly before him, had only a few hundred men left at his side, making the scene appear rather empty and sparse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, facing such a broad battlefield, Gongsun Xun, having made up his mind, had held back no reserves from the very start, pinning his hopes on a single decisive blow through a massive assault and advance to settle victory and defeat at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as it now appeared, his tactics had succeeded beyond any doubt, for even though the specific details of the battlefield were unclear, the Han army’s banners and the dust at the front lines of engagement were steadily moving westward along the gaps between the encampments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Congratulations on a great victory, General of the Guards!\" After observing for a long while, Liu Biao, the Inspector of the Northern Army, who was one of the few senior generals remaining at Gongsun Xun’s side, could not help but show a trace of excitement, despite his usual calm and composed demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A victory it is.\" Hearing Liu Biao’s words beside him, Gongsun Xun, who had been maintaining a faint smile, could not help but let his expression grow more animated, yet he still did not become overly excited. \"But not necessarily a great victory. The enemy’s forces are massive, their battlefield experience is rich, and their soldiers are fierce and hardy. I fear we may be able to break their army but not shatter it, or shatter it but not devour and destroy it... You and I would do well to advance a little and clarify the situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Biao nodded slowly; though he did not understand military affairs, he grasped the other man’s meaning very clearly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was meant by breaking their army was precisely the scene before them, with the Han army advancing on a grand scale... As soon as battle was joined, the opposing Liangzhou army’s cavalry was forced back by the Han cavalry, and the palisade walls of all five great encampments were breached in a single stroke by the Han infantry. For the rebels, it was as if they could no longer hold their ground and could only retreat from the battlefield in defeat, and the corresponding siege of Chencang would naturally be lifted;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what was meant by shattering their army was that the Han army, riding the momentum of this grand advance, inflicted considerably effective casualties and blows upon the rebels during their retreat, so that at the very least, this one battle would leave them utterly demoralized and their command structure in disarray, unable to hold their ground even after falling back, and forced to flee back to Liangzhou;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the meaning of devouring and destroying their army, it went without saying... However, to achieve that standard, it was not necessarily required to capture or kill them all. If the Han army dealt a more direct and effective blow to the rebels on the battlefield—whether by killing a great many of their rank-and-file soldiers or by capturing a large number of their key officers, causing the rebels to lose their organizational capacity on a massive scale and rendering them utterly incapable of venturing out of Liangzhou for several years—that too could be considered a form of devouring and destroying their army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no one could enter Liangzhou at present, and preventing these soldier-bosses, who had already degenerated into warlords great and small, from coming out to wreak havoc on Guanzhong was already the best possible outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, compared to Liu Biao, who could only grasp the reasoning on this level, men on the battlefield with richer experience—such as Lou Gui, Jia Xu, and also Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song—had already formed clearer judgments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment alone, observing how swiftly the Han army had won this battle, it could not be merely a case of breaking their army, and to speak of devouring and destroying their army seemed somewhat unimaginable; only the notion of shattering their army and forcing the Liangzhou rebels to flee back to Liangzhou in panic was rather convincing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was already a situation that no one had dared even to imagine during the earlier hasty dispatch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after Gongsun Xun moved his banners and canopy forward, suddenly several roving riders, their faces beaming with joy yet drenched in sweat, came galloping head-on to report to the army’s Regional Commander. \"The Intendant of Jingzhao, Lord Gai, has sent us to report that the encampment before him has been completely breached, and the rebel leader, the former Administrator of Jiuquan, Huang Yan, has abandoned his camp and fled in haste!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, everyone in the central army was shaken, then overcome with astonishment and delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good!\" Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, finally showing a hint of pleasure. \"Gai Yuangu truly lives up to his name as a famed general of the western provinces—to breach the stockade so swiftly! Return and tell Gai Yuangu that he need not seek further instructions from me, but may decide for himself how to handle the battle situation... Send two more men to inform Lord Huangfu and Lord Dong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The rebels had five encampments arrayed side by side; once one stockade is breached, all five are effectively broken.\" After the scouts departed, Gongsun Xun, continuing to rein his horse forward, briefly explained to Liu Biao. \"Let us advance a little further and simply set up headquarters in Huang Yan’s camp, so as to spare the roving riders the toil of coming and going to report the ceaseless tide of battle results.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Biao and the rest of the central army staff naturally had no objection, and so they all escorted Gongsun Xun, now without the White Horse Volunteers at his side, as he continued westward without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, at the same time, five or six li to the left and right, as if by unspoken mutual understanding, Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo, who had not even received word of Huang Yan’s camp being breached, each moved their own command forward to press the advance. However, unlike the General of the Guards in the center, who did so for the convenience of issuing orders and supervising the troops, their move was more because they noticed Gongsun Xun’s White Horse banner advancing and so followed suit, wanting to see just how far Gongsun Xun could push this battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle situation was proceeding with unimaginable smoothness; instances of slaying enemy commanders and seizing their banners occurred repeatedly, and roving riders came and went without pause along Gongsun Xun’s path forward, delivering reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But interestingly, unlike Liu Biao and the others who grew increasingly relaxed, Gongsun Xun, as an experienced military commander, gradually grew more serious the further west he went, for he knew full well that what came next was the true key to determining the fruits of this victory... Specifically, it depended on how deep Lu Bu could penetrate, how closely Xu Rong could follow, and whether Han Dang could effectively execute his flanking maneuver from the north!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it all hinged on whether the cavalry’s strategic maneuvers could be completed, and to what degree they could be accomplished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is Han Sui?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several li away, beyond the rebels’ five great encampments, Lu Bu, benefiting from Xu Rong’s effective support to his rear, continued to advance westward along the Wei River astride his horse Dilu. However, whenever he encountered someone who looked like a Liangzhou army officer, he was never in a hurry to kill them, but would first brandish his long spear from afar and shout to demand Han Sui’s whereabouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be understood that the five rebel leaders should all have been within the main camp. Lu Bu, tasked with serving as the army’s vanguard blade, had not initially thought much of it, but since he knew that the man who had earlier led the cavalry to block him was precisely Han Sui, how could he let such a merit slip by?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with this bizarre battlefield interrogation, at first, most of these Xiliang officers responded with furious curses and raised spears to meet him, but one after another, nearly all of them were killed by Lu Bu and the White Horse Volunteers behind him in the chaos of battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later on, partly because Lu Bu’s performance was too overwhelmingly fierce, and partly because the cavalry battle line to the east kept collapsing and fleeing westward, most men gradually lost their nerve, and when he pointed his spear at them from afar, they mostly just fled in silence and panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Lu Bu, relying on his exceptionally divine steed, his sharp long spear, and his peerless archery skill that could pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces, was still able to single out and cut down quite a few of them from their horses. Not to mention that the White Horse Volunteers behind him were also exceptionally sharp, frequently able to encircle from the left and right and assist in the slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that in the end, some men, in their terror, actually began pointing out Han Sui’s location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the situation such that the enemy could almost be said to have lost all courage, as Lu Bu continued to lead the White Horse Volunteers westward without pause, he himself grew increasingly agitated... for he found that his charge was becoming faster and smoother, so much so that the Xiliang rebel cavalry ahead of him had gradually grown sparse, and yet the first task Gongsun Xun had given him was to push all the way west, smashing through every obstacle until he reached the very walls of Chencang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that he was getting further and further away from the great merit of capturing Han Sui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, earlier, in his pursuit of Han Sui, he had veered south all the way to the banks of the Wei River at the battlefield’s southernmost edge, which had already aroused the dissatisfaction of several leaders among the White Horse Volunteers and drawn their reminders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu had no desire to lose the greater prize for the sake of a single Han Sui, but to let him slip by like this truly felt like a pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where in the world is Han Sui?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing another group of rebel cavalry fleeing westward in panic ahead, Lu Bu grew desperate and once again charged alone into the enemy ranks. Fortunately, the enemy’s courage was already shattered, so Lu Bu’s move was like a fierce tiger pouncing on sheep, scattering them in all directions before they could even think of resisting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you seen Han Sui?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After charging into the midst of this cavalry unit, seeing an armored rider before him wearing a battered helmet and ducking low to flee, Lu Fengxian, having found nothing, directly struck the man hard on the helmet with his long spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metal clashed against metal, instantly striking a trail of sparks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebel officer, having taken such a blow, felt his neck go numb and sore for a moment, but not daring to make any unnecessary reaction, he hastily flattened himself against his horse’s back, threw down his weapon, and pointed a finger toward the northwest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu raised his eyes to look and saw a large band of cavalry there, numbering no less than several hundred, fleeing toward the northwest. Overjoyed for a moment, he abandoned this man and spurred his horse in pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Horse Volunteers behind him had originally intended to turn and follow to swallow up this cavalry unit, but seeing this, they too abandoned these mere few dozen men and followed Lu Bu northwest to seek out those several hundred rebel cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And amid the rolling dust, as Lu Bu and the White Horse Volunteers turned away one after another, the armored rider with the damaged helmet took the opportunity to let go and roll off his horse, then, under the protection of several warriors who likewise tumbled from their saddles, fled in panic and hid among the withered-yellow-greening grass along the northern bank of the Wei River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after those white-horse riders had begun a running pursuit with the cavalry unit to the northwest did the man shakily raise his head—and it was none other than one of the five rebel leaders, and the de facto principal leader among the rebels, Han Sui Han Wenyue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that the horse he had just ridden was not the piebald steed he had been mounted on when Lu Bu first caught sight of him, and the conspicuous helmet plume was also completely gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We truly underestimated the heroes of the realm!\" A Han officer beside Han Sui, likewise crouching in the grass, still had a trembling voice at this moment. \"Before we left Liangzhou this time, I only thought that the bravest warriors under heaven were men like Yan Xing and Pang De, and that the champions in the Han army opposite us were no more than the likes of Li Jue and Guo Si. How could I have imagined that the General of the Guards had such a formidable man under his command?! So many of our army’s braves were like mere children before him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A mere brave man?!\" Han Sui felt like weeping but had no tears. \"You all actually took him for nothing but a man of brute courage? That fellow is clearly not only brave and skilled in battle, but also well-versed in the art of war! Today, leading the White Horse Volunteers, he pursued us relentlessly. It seemed like he was merely chasing us down, but in truth, while pushing all the way west, he was specifically hunting and killing our officers! Had that wretch not slain dozens of our officers today along the way, how could I have been reduced to being unable even to maneuver my troops? Nine thousand cavalry, defeated so utterly—it was all because of those few dozen officers and leaders!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several Qiang and Han leaders and trusted aides in the grass nearby were all horrified at these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after a brief pause, once they had caught their breath and seeing that the Han army showed no intention of searching this area, one of them—a trusted aide of the former Administrator of Longxi, Li Xiangru—suddenly spoke up inexplicably, offering encouragement: \"Lord Han, do not lose heart... In my view, you are still favored by Heaven’s mandate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone around glared at him angrily. Defeated to this extent, reduced to cowering in the riverside grass to save their lives, and he still had the face to speak of Heaven’s mandate? Even Han Sui’s eyes widened in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would have thought that this man, living up to his reputation as a man of letters beside Li Xiangru, would remain unflustered and actually, while lying prone in the grass, present a line of reasoning: \"Lord Han, think about it. Had it not been for that earlier fall from your horse, which snapped off your helmet plume and forced you to change horses, you would surely have just been skewered through by that man’s spear! And now here you are, safe and sound. Is this not proof that Heaven’s mandate rests with you, that the unseen currents of fortune secretly protected you, causing your horse to stumble specifically during your flight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, for a moment, no one could find a reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Han Sui also came to his senses. This was no time for lamentation. Moreover, he understood the other man’s thinking—Li Xiangru was behind them, and who knew if he could survive? In any case, the odds of his survival were not as great as Han Wenyue’s. The man before him was harboring thoughts of switching allegiance, so his words were truly not ill-intentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, Han Wenyue forced himself to put away his mournful expression and anger, and said with a strained smile: \"What Commander Wang says is true. Though I have suffered defeat this time, I remain whole and safe here. Surely great achievements await me in the future... As the Huainanzi says, ‘When the old man at the frontier lost his horse, how could he know it was not a blessing?’ And as Mencius said, ‘Thus, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first embitters his heart and mind...’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, suddenly, the dozen or so men in the grass all changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that all of them were men of Xiliang, mostly experienced in warfare, and so they had almost simultaneously sensed the trembling of the ground and judged that a large force of cavalry was approaching from the east.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without even thinking, one could tell this was the main Han cavalry force, following close behind the White Horse Volunteers, tasked with slicing apart the Western Liang army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, as the men cautiously raised their heads in the grass, they faintly saw the White Horse Volunteers, who had been fighting with rising fervor, hesitate briefly. After exchanging something with the commander riding the divine white horse at their head, they simply wheeled around, abandoned their pursuit of the Western Liang cavalry here, and headed west toward the direction of Chencang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sui was briefly stunned, then sighed with even deeper admiration: \"This man is truly a fine general. Knowing the rear force has arrived, he prioritizes the larger objective — heading west to Chencang to cut off our army's retreat... Such a thing is easy to say but hard to do. Put in his place, who could so easily give up the kills right before their eyes...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Han!\" The Adjutant Wang beside him suddenly came to his senses and hastily called out to stop him. \"While this man has left and the main Han cavalry has yet to arrive, let us flee at once!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sui and the others suddenly saw the light. They immediately rose, trying to find riderless horses on the battlefield to seize the chance to escape. But just as Han Wenyue found a horse, he, like the few men around him, abruptly froze in place, cold sweat streaming down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Han, where shall we flee?\" Adjutant Wang, who had just been preaching about the Mandate of Heaven, was again the first to voice the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sui was at a loss for words... Indeed, those white-horsed riders had already passed them and gone toward Chencang, and a large force of Han cavalry was about to arrive from behind. Where could they flee?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>East was impossible, west was impossible, north was not impossible... but they had been chased all the way along the Wei River by those white-horsed riders and had unknowingly reached the southernmost edge of the battlefield. If they went north, they probably wouldn't make it in time, would they?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the trembling beneath their feet continued unabated, Han Sui and the few men beside him looked at each other, then all turned their eyes, as if by unspoken agreement, toward the Wei River gleaming with a certain mesmerizing light to the south!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can we cross the Wei River?\" Adjutant Wang's voice trembled again. \"How thick is the ice still? I remember when we fetched water earlier, a long spear could easily pierce through the ice layer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Abandon the horses, shed your armor.\" Han Sui released the reins in his hand, his voice also trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, these dozen or so men, heedless of all else, turned and fled swiftly toward the Wei riverbed. As they hurried along, they frantically stripped off their armor and other encumbrances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was just past noon, and the ice surface was wet and slick. The men, having discarded their armor and helmets, were carefully supporting each other as they crossed. Before they were even halfway, the large Han cavalry force appeared behind them, startling several of them into slipping and falling, dragging all those supporting each other down onto the ice together!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't look back!\" Han Sui, sprawled on the ice with a bruised and swollen face, clenched his teeth and shouted. \"The Han army won't risk crossing the river to chase us. Let us cross quickly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed, although these cavalrymen saw scattered defeated soldiers attempting to cross the Wei River, and even spotted these dozen or so men who had shed their armor — likely realizing they were of some importance — they did not take the risk, nor did they waste any time. Instead, they hurriedly followed Xu Rong's earlier orders, wheeling northward at this point to split and encircle the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Han Sui and his men were even allowed to crawl safely across the hundred-plus paces of the Wei River ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once across the river, the men knew they had truly escaped with their lives and could not help but heave long sighs of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at that very moment, Han Sui, who just moments before had been quoting the Huainanzi and the Mencius, and who had shown no fear even when falling on the ice, now that he had barely escaped with his life, was overcome with grief and sorrow. Finally, he raised his head and wept, and the more he wept, the harder it was to find solace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that at first, he was only thinking of the shame of being forced to kowtow and answer the white-horsed warrior's challenge, and of crawling across the ice. But then he thought of Cheng Gongying, who had stayed behind to hold the main camp for him, and Yan Xing, who had been unhorsed in the earlier hasty engagement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, it was not only Han Sui; the others felt much the same... That battle just now had been far too shameful. They had roamed Liangzhou unchecked for years — when had they ever suffered a rout of this magnitude?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nine thousand cavalry, confused from the very start of the engagement, and then routed all the way to this point!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But shame aside, what could be done now that things had come to this? Yes, up to this point, the Liangzhou army had only been routed; the actual death toll had not yet reached that level. Especially the cavalry — if they could rally some of them, perhaps they could still fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But having barely crawled across, were they supposed to crawl back again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could only say, who could have imagined that the vanguard sent by the General of the Guard, Gongsun Xun, would be so ferocious, piercing through the entire Liangzhou army in one charge? And who could have imagined that the main force following behind him would arrive so promptly and execute the division?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After weeping for a good while, it was still Adjutant Wang who, considering the increasing probability that his own lord, Li Xiangru, was dead, managed to offer a word of consolation: \"What's done is done. Lord Han, do not grieve too much. Although the Han cavalry's division was swift, our army's strength is after all substantial, and the battle line is so wide. They may not have completely encircled us — at least more than half our men might escape from the north, no? Let us move at once, circle around from upstream to rally the troops, then return to Liangzhou to recuperate for a few years. Who says we cannot make a comeback?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sui forced himself to put away his grieving expression and slowly nodded. But as soon as he rose, supporting himself on his numb legs amidst the withered grass of the riverbed, his face suddenly turned ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Han?\" The men around him all grew alarmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could more than half the men still escape with their lives?!\" Han Sui, having lost his composure, pounded the ground and demanded. \"What I fear now is that Gongsun Xun has also placed a cavalry force in the north... Not many, just two or three thousand, enough to coordinate with the main Han cavalry and infantry to drive our defeated troops southward! And given how Gongsun Xun uses his troops, how could he forget such a deployment? Judging by yesterday's warmth and today's ruthlessness, how could Gongsun Xun be the kind of man to leave a net open on one side?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faces of all those around him changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For now,\" Han Sui's gaze suddenly grew vacant again, and then he abruptly knelt in the thicket on the southern bank of the Wei River, \"we can only hope that the main forces of our army's various camps to the rear do not collapse too quickly. In truth, if we can hold out until nightfall, there may still be some paths of survival...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once it's dark, the Han army won't be able to identify us, and some can slip away in the darkness from various points. More crucially...\" The thoroughly bedraggled Han Wenyue stared at the ice surface of the Wei River before him, his face full of hope as he spoke. \"After dark, the river ice will freeze solid again, and perhaps many more can successfully cross the river and escape.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men all nodded in agreement, but when they turned to look at the sun hanging high above distant Chencang City, they were each struck speechless. Then, one after another, they followed Han Sui's example, kneeling and prostrating in the riverbed grass, gazing northward...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still the same question: at this point, what could they do besides this? Were they supposed to crawl back again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same moment, Gongsun Xun had no idea to what tragic and stirring straits his former acquaintance had been reduced, nor did he know that Lu Bu, displaying his divine might, had, after searching everywhere for Han Sui in vain, effectively completed the task of piercing the entire enemy formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, this General of the Guard was still making his way forward at a leisurely pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that not long after the battle began earlier, Gongsun Xun had received a report that the camp of the weakest rebel leader, the former Administrator of Jiuquan, Huang Yan, had already been breached, and he had then headed straight for that location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as Gongsun Xun arrived at Huang Yan's camp, he received word that another rebel leader, the Administrator of Longxi, Li Xiangru, had also abandoned his camp and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not to say that Li Xiangru's action was entirely wrong... It must be understood that the rebels' five main camps were arrayed side by side, stretching fifteen li from south to north, starting from the banks of the Wei River: Ma Teng, Wang Guo, Li Xiangru, Huang Yan, and Han Sui, in that order. Among them, Li Xiangru's camp was in the center, theoretically meant to form a mutual horn-and-tooth formation with the adjacent camps of Huang Yan and Wang Guo. But Huang Yan's strength was too weak, and for some unknown reason, no one came to his support. Thus, he was defeated in a single battle by Gai Xun, a top-three general in Liangzhou, leading five thousand Liangzhou veterans, forcing him to abandon his camp and flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this situation, Li Xiangru's centrally located camp was instantly thrust into a multi-front battle, and it was even highly likely to be swiftly divided and encircled by the interpenetrating cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, to preserve his strength, choosing to retreat before the Han army had completely encircled him could not be called entirely unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, his retreat in turn exposed the camp of Wang Guo on his other flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guo was the nominal leader of the rebels, with a large number of miscellaneous troops under his command. He had not sent cavalry to support Han Sui in this battle either, so his forces were strong, making his camp the linchpin of the various camps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, Gongsun Xun once again moved his banners, setting out from Huang Yan's camp, passing through Li Xiangru's camp, and heading toward the front of Wang Guo's camp, with the intention of overseeing the battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet before he could reach that place, Bao Xin, who was tasked with attacking this position, simultaneously received support from both flanks... On one side was naturally the Han army that had been facing Li Xiangru before his retreat; on the other side was reinforcements that Huangfu Song, having reached the front and noticed the situation, had taken the initiative to dispatch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As events proved, this tactical maneuver, ordered on the fly by Huangfu Song, had a miraculous effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Ma Teng, who was directly facing him, had fewer troops than Wang Guo, his combat effectiveness and tenacity far surpassed Wang Guo's, so he could not be overcome for a time. But now, by shifting infantry to assist Bao Xin and forming a three-sided assault on Wang Guo's camp, they caught the enemy off guard, and the camp was breached in short order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a voluntary retreat was entirely different from a collapse caused by a sudden three-sided assault. Wang Guo's camp fell into complete disorder, his army utterly out of control, almost instantly degenerating into a routed force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Teng had set up his camp with its flank against the Wei River. Although his fighting strength was intact, seeing the situation in Wang Guo's camp beside him, he realized he was about to be left as an isolated camp with his back to the river. Moreover, the two thousand cavalry he had sent to Han Sui as a so-called \"support force\" had been so thoroughly smashed by the enemy cavalry that not even a horse hair remained... With no external reinforcements, how could he dare remain trapped in a death ground?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Ma Teng hastily abandoned his camp and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost at the same moment, Dong Zhuo's forces on the northernmost flank had also completely breached Han Sui's camp, which was now fighting alone and unsupported, and captured the camp's commanding general.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Sui was the greatest power broker in the Western Liang army and the most troublesome opponent. Hearing this news, Gongsun Xun assumed it was Han Sui who had been captured. With no time to deal with Wang Guo or the fleeing Ma Teng, he turned north again, intending to go to Han Sui's camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, upon arriving there, he discovered that Han Sui had actually taken the initiative to \"flee with his cavalry\" before the battle even began, and they had only captured Cheng Gongying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could say much more, another report came from behind, saying that one of the rebel leaders, the former Administrator of Jiuquan, Huang Yan, had been surrounded at the front. Knowing he could expect no good end, he was putting up a desperate, last-ditch resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by the time Gongsun Xun continued to move his retinue and arrived at Huang Yan's location, he only saw the man's head... It was said to be suicide...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he gave the order to hang the head up for public display, word came from another direction that Wang Guo had been captured...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unlike Gongsun Xun, who was constantly turning and moving, Dong Zhongying, on a terrace north of Han Sui's camp, had been coldly watching Gongsun Xun's great banner travel south and north, east and west, for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, not long after the battle began, Dong Zhuo had moved to this terrace with its excellent vantage point and had not moved since, only gazing out over the battlefield from afar:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw the combination of Lu Bu and the White Horse Volunteers in the distance, unstoppable, piercing through the rebel cavalry formation in one charge;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Gai Yuangu, proving himself the only true Liangzhou general seed after himself, breach Huang Yan's camp in a single battle with a fierce assault;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Xu Rong’s cavalry, following closely the dust cloud raised by Lü Bu, first swiftly complete the separation of the five main camps, then boldly thrust and interweave the moment the camps fell one after another, turning to attempt to divide and encircle the entire enemy army;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw directly to his west how Han Dang’s two thousand cavalry, coordinating with the battle situation, first rapidly executed a flanking cut, then used every tactical maneuver to block the rebel cavalry’s flight with all their strength, and finally waited until Xu Rong’s reinforcements arrived, only to turn back and coordinate with the infantry to complete the interception;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw that as the rebel positions fell in succession, Gongsun Xun’s White Horse Banner, like a player in a cuju match within the camp, kept shifting and turning as if chasing something… but this thing was not a leather ball, but the news of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only that the news of victory was too plentiful, and victory came too swiftly, which gave rise to an appearance that seemed somewhat laughable at first glance, yet was in truth deeply terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With Gongsun Wenqi’s ability, though the realm under heaven is vast, where could he not go?” Dong Zhuo, hands resting on his belt, facing the afternoon sunlight, finally gazed out at the battlefield and sighed aloud. “What he accomplished today, he can do, but I would find it hard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Li Ru was momentarily speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Wenyou,” Dong Zhuo turned back, squinting at his son-in-law, “tell me, why is this Gongsun Xun so capable? So young, yet able to fight such a fine battle, able to become General of the Guard, able to outrank me and serve as my commander? What does he rely on? Where does his ability come from? Why can he fight this kind of battle, while I can only suffer grievances under someone like Zhang Wen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ru gave a bitter smile, not daring to speak. After all, he knew his father-in-law’s temper very well; he knew that the man already had an answer in mind that brooked no dispute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had this doubt before,” Dong Zhuo turned back to gaze at the battlefield and sighed. “As early as when he first took command as a seasonal commander to quell the Yellow Turbans, I found it hard to accept. When I failed to take Guangzong and he achieved great merit at Xiaquyang, I was even so jealous at heart that I could not sleep at night… Both frontier commandery warriors, why has his path been so much smoother than mine? But today, I have finally and suddenly awakened!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, Father-in-law, grant your guidance,” Li Ru said helplessly, bowing his head in deference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In a word, he is stronger than me!” Dong Zhuo’s face suddenly twisted with ferocity as he spoke harshly. “His soldiers are stronger than mine, his generals stronger than mine, his family background stronger than mine, his backers stronger than mine — everything is stronger than mine! I cannot change my family background, but if I could possess Lü Fengxian’s valor, the White Horse Volunteers’ splendor, the support of Luoyang’s nobles, and the wealth of the Anli Trading House… I could have accomplished the matter at Xiaquyang, I could accomplish today’s matter, and I could accomplish future matters as well!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ru made to speak but stopped. He merely glanced at his father-in-law’s fierce gaze and hurriedly lowered his head even further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the battle situation had long since changed. After the main leaders successively committed suicide, fled, or were captured, the rebels could hold out no longer. Countless Liangzhou Qiang and Han soldiers fled in all directions across the narrow Weishui plain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early stage, quite a few may have scattered and escaped by relying on the advantage of their horses, but after Lü Bu, Xu Rong, and Han Dang had all completed their tactical maneuvers, and after the infantry, seizing the momentum, had swept through and destroyed the camps the rebels depended on like crushing dry weeds and rotten wood, tens of thousands of rebels were finally, according to the Han army’s strategic plan, stuffed into a sack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this sack was not tied shut — at least, that was how it seemed to many Liangzhou rank-and-file soldiers who lacked knowledge of the local geography and climate. In their view, or according to their impression, the Weishui River stretching over ten li to the south was frozen with very thick ice, could be crossed directly on foot, and was unguarded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhuo vented his feelings, then coldly watched as these Liangzhou rebels were driven southward. Although he had guessed Gongsun Xun’s intent, his face remained expressionless. He merely ordered his attendants to pass the word, instructing his other son-in-law commanding at the front, Niu Fu, to lead his own ten thousand men south and west to assist Han Dang’s still somewhat weak unit in completing this tactical maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, under the gradually sinking afternoon sunlight, hands resting on his belt, he walked slowly down from the terrace to rendezvous with Gongsun Xun’s White Horse Banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at that very moment, fifteen li away by the banks of the Weishui, Huangfu Song, who had likewise grasped Gongsun Xun’s tactical intent, was somewhat dumbstruck, so much so that he could not move his feet for half the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because just moments before, right before this General of the Left, upon the Weishui which gleamed like a bright ribbon, pressed by the troops under this general’s command, countless rebel soldiers were forced to swarm in flight across the Weishui… At first, the ice layer seemed very solid; some carefully crossed the river using their weapons as staffs. But under the direct afternoon sunlight, after the first wave successfully ‘crossed the river,’ the ice surface quickly became covered with a great deal of dirty water stains and wet, slippery scratches. And as more and more people crossed the river with increasing urgency, these scratches and pools of water grew ever more numerous. Yet, many Qiang and Han soldiers and officers, whose individual military quality was quite high, were unwilling to abandon their warhorses, armor, and weapons. Some, to evade the pursuit behind them, even rode their horses directly across the ice at a run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, they slipped and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then entire men and entire horses crashed onto the ice surface, colliding with each other, trampling each other, and then, starting from the center of the Weishui, which was over a hundred paces wide… the ice that had been frozen all winter suddenly split open!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the debt-repayment dividing line————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The next day, the two armies clashed at the Weishui. The Han had fifty thousand troops, the rebels also fifty thousand. The rebels linked camps for fifteen li to defend. Xun then linked his formations for fifteen li to attack simultaneously, and the momentum of his troops was like a roaring mountain and a howling sea; the rebels could not withstand it… Not long after the troops were dispatched, a report came that one rebel camp had been broken. Xun then shifted his formation toward that place. Just as he was about to arrive, word came again that another camp had been broken, this one in the very center, so he moved again. Before he could settle after arriving, another report came that the rebel main camp had lost its flank and could be encircled, so he shifted his formation a third time and went to oversee the battle. Before he arrived, the rebel main camp was already broken, and word came again that a rebel leader had been captured nearby, so he set off once more. Within a single battle, this back-and-forth repeated itself over and over without end, and in the end, there was no place where his formation was fixed, yet the battle gradually approached total victory. Dong Zhuo and his son-in-law observed the Grand Ancestor’s banner from afar. The son-in-law laughed and said: ‘As I see it, Xun also has no ability in command!’ Zhuo flew into a rage: ‘As I see it, I only feel that the supreme strength under heaven is right here, and I am terrified and uneasy. How can a brat like you see incompetence?’ He then had him flogged several tens of times.” — Records of Heroes at the End of Han, by Wang Can\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Just finished coding… I did my best… I probably won’t be able to get up tonight, so count this as a two-in-one chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",6967,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","1176be4ac33c51c256f0f64d373c9ac4926455e6f5c35cc1b6291c518d7bc217","overthrowing-han-chapter-308","overthrowing-han-chapter-306",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]