[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-328":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},1223087,1620,"Chapter 328: A White-Haired Scribe of the Han Court","overthrowing-han-chapter-328",328,"\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun did not lie. Though he was unsure of the exact situation in Luozhong, the day he returned to Lulong Fortress he had immediately sent a victory report on the pacification of the rebellion to Grand General He in Luozhong, and now he had even sent the disposition results regarding Yan Rou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not opportunistic speculation; it was simply performing his duties step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around late May, the first formal victory report reached Luozhong through official channels, and at that time Luoyang was, as expected, mired in yet another new deadlock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course it was in a deadlock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, ever since Emperor Ling died, the entire realm had gradually changed in flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many did not understand why the situation deteriorated so rapidly soon after Emperor Ling's death. The answer was actually very simple: Emperor Ling of Han was simply too much of a troublemaker. The state had been ravaged by him to such a state, and everyone knew he was the one who ravaged it, yet they were hindered by his stable identity as the Son of Heaven for over a decade and could do nothing about it. So, the moment he died, people's hearts instantly felt a sense of being unshackled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Dong Zhuo clutched his troops and refused to take up his post; thus, Liu Yan instigated Zhang Lu to cut off Hanzhong and carve out Yizhou; thus, Gongsun Xun, upon returning his army, tore off all pretense and dealt with Liu Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, the same was true in Luozhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhong died, the Ten Regular Attendants defected to the He clan, Jian Shuo was defeated and perished, Empress Dowager Dong collapsed in Yongle Palace... Barely a month after the Son of Heaven died, the protective membrane he had painstakingly built for the imperial second son had completely vanished. But what was even more ironic was that He Jin had no intention of moving against the imperial second son himself; from beginning to end, the threat to the He clan's authority had only been the existence of Dong Zhong and Jian Shuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Emperor Ling's arrangements themselves were the biggest problem; the root still lay with that Son of Heaven who, though dead, still exerted influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the current problem actually lay within the He clan itself, or rather, certain disagreements had arisen between He Jin and his family members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must understand that after resolving the Dong clan's threat and establishing the He clan's authority, the scholar-officials naturally demanded that He Jin fulfill his promise and execute the Ten Regular Attendants. He Jin, having presided over court politics for many years, understood very well the strange cycle between scholar-officials, eunuchs, and consort kin, and also understood that he could only choose one between the scholar-officials and the eunuchs. Moreover, since consort kin had historically always been defeated by the eunuchs, his stance was actually quite firm... Yet at the same time, Empress Dowager He, who controlled the Northern Palace, and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, He Miao, were very easily won over by the eunuchs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Miao was one thing, but the fact that Empress Dowager He, the de facto master of the Northern Palace, stubbornly protected the Ten Regular Attendants was truly frustrating. Even though Yuan Shao, Xun You, Xun Yu, Xu You, Guo Tu, Pang Ji, Liu Biao, Kuai Yue, Lu Zhi... and so on and so forth, the combined intelligence of these people could exceed Empress Dowager He's by dozens of times, yet when facing a secluded palace mistress, they were utterly helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even He Jin, as her elder brother, was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, left with no choice, under everyone's counsel, He Jin no longer hesitated and immediately proceeded according to the original plan to summon external troops into Luo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, at this stage, it was certainly not about tearing off all pretense right away. What the He-Yuan alliance was thinking at this point was still primarily to use the external troops to intimidate Empress Dowager He and force her to submit...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, everyone had thought about tearing off all pretense and starting a massacre, but no one was truly prepared for it. Although He Jin wrote to Gongsun Xun about nine armies, that was actually just a so-called backup plan in case the proper procedures failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Gongsun Xun and Xi Zhong had once discussed this matter. Watching the fire from across the river, they saw more clearly that at this time, following procedures was bound to fail, maintaining balance was extremely difficult, and tearing off all pretense was instead inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything went according to plan. In early May, Yuan Shao became Colonel Director of Retainers, bearing a warrant; Wang Yun became Intendant of Henan; Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, and Qiao Mao each led their troops to the vicinity of Luoyang. Qiao Mao was at Gongxian east of Luoyang City, Ding Yuan at Mengjin to the northwest, and Dong Zhuo at Jiyang Village in Henan County to the southwest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A further note here: Dong Zhuo was not that arrogant and domineering. After he arrived from Hangu Pass and advanced to Xianyang Park, only a few li from Luoyang City, He Jin sent an envoy, and the man obediently followed orders, shifting his troops to garrison at Jiyang Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That place was a full thirty li from Luoyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, aside from some minor details that did not harm the overall situation, the three armies showed no signs of exceeding control. They acted entirely according to the instructions of the de facto alliance of the execute-the-eunuchs faction in Luozhong, such as He Jin and Yuan Kui... which was to pretend not to obey the central government's orders, raise the banner of executing the eunuchs to intimidate people, but in reality, they did nothing particularly out of line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if one had to speak of going out of line, it could only be Ding Yuan. This former Inspector of Bingzhou, now Commandant of Ferocious Valor, actually set fire to Mengjin. The blaze illuminated dozens of li, clearly visible even from the Northern Palace of Luoyang. Yet this was still done under orders—specifically, under Grand General He's orders to intimidate the Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Dong Zhuo, with great tacit understanding, submitted a memorial, murderously demanding that the Empress Dowager permit him to lead troops into Luo and slaughter Zhang Rang and his ilk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This method... how to put it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect was actually extremely effective, even far exceeding He Jin's expectations... because this action, like a bared blade, reminded everyone that after the Ten Regular Attendants had betrayed Jian Shuo and with external troops already arrived, the eunuchs had in fact lost the foundation for armed resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager He was frightened, and the eunuchs were panicked and helpless, even publicly kneeling to beg He Jin for mercy in the Jiade Hall court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interesting part of politics lies here. At this moment, He Jin could have directly ordered the guards to arrest them, yet he merely reprimanded them and then simply sent these people back to their respective homes in Luoyang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Grand General He no longer want to execute the eunuchs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not. Matters had reached this point, and He Jin had only one path: to execute the eunuchs. Otherwise, he would face the wrath of the noble houses, the scholar-officials, and even the border generals! Years ago, Han Sui had already made it very clear: the situation in the realm was worsening, and no one in the realm knew what to do, so the only course was to execute the eunuchs!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Grand General He foolish then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps he was indeed somewhat foolish, but it was not without reason. In truth, He Jin merely wanted to wait a little longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was under such a bizarre deadlock that Gongsun Xun's victory report arrived in Luoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dong Zhongying is a retainer of the Grand Tutor (Yuan Kui), Qiao Mao is a partisan, and the origins of the Northern Army and Western Garden troops are too mixed and unreliable... The reason the Grand General is unwilling to execute the eunuchs now is that he fears doing so would trigger chaos, allowing the Yuan clan to dominate instead.\" That evening, in the former residence of Liu Kuan in Luoyang, Gongsun Yue, who had just seen off Cao Cao, was chatting idly with someone. \"That is why Cao Mengde said earlier that the Grand General is waiting for someone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Waiting for the recruiters he sent out?\" The person sitting beside Gongsun Yue was unexpectedly Tian Chou. Having received Gongsun Xun's orders midway, he had turned back with over a hundred men into Luoyang and also had a fair understanding of the Luoyang situation, so with a little thought he understood what was going on. \"Or do you mean he saw the victory report sent by the Lord today and is preparing to wait a bit longer for the Lord? One must understand, abandoning such a perfect opportunity to execute the eunuchs will inevitably lose people's hearts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need to wait too long.\" Gongsun Yue replied calmly. \"Zitai, you may not know, but Yuan Shao and the others are extremely dissatisfied with this and have urged him repeatedly. Coupled with the unexpectedly favorable situation, the Grand General has already urgently sent men to swiftly recall the recruiters from various places. If nothing unexpected happens, within three to five days, Wang Kuang and Zhang Liao can return to Luoyang, and Zhang Yang and Bao Xin can also turn back within seven or eight days. Only Liu Xuande, who went to Danyang, might be a bit later, but by now he is probably already on the road... I believe the Grand General will only wait for a few of the recruiters to return before making his move, because the scholar-officials' patience will only last until then! If he drags it out any longer, as you said, the realm will begin to suspect the Grand General's intentions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three to five days?\" Tian Chou sighed with emotion. \"I still hope that no further disturbances arise after three to five days. The realm is already chaotic enough. But if the Grand General can stabilize the court internally, and the General of the Guards can sweep clean the provinces externally, perhaps this realm can still be saved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zitai, you think too much.\" Gongsun Yue, who was always blunt, suddenly laughed upon hearing this. \"I served in the Yellow Gate Supervisory Office for several years and have inevitably seen more of the realm's affairs... How can this realm still be saved?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean by this, Brother Wenchao?\" Tian Chou's expression changed slightly. \"The realm's turmoil originates precisely from the eunuchs. If we can eliminate those wretches and then purge the rebels...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who bring calamity and chaos to the realm are hardly limited to eunuchs and rebels.\" Gongsun Yue replied quietly. \"It is merely that the eunuchs' conduct is the most vile, and they do not know how to gloss over their faults with rhetoric, that is all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Chou showed a peculiar expression for a moment but found it inappropriate to say much more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, what Gongsun Yue, Tian Chou, Cao Cao, and others could see, others could naturally see as well. And compared to those standing aloof from the matter, some people could hardly bear even a single moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That pig-slaughtering general is truly hateful!\" Yuan Shao, already bearing the warrant as Colonel Director of Retainers, had just returned home from outside and plopped down onto the couch in the rear hall, still seething with indignation. \"This is the third time! Today I went to him again, along with Wang Yun, Hua Xin, Xun Yu, Xun You, Zheng Tai, Huan Dian, all present, all urging him together, asking him to permit me to directly slaughter those eunuchs hiding in their homes, and he refused again! Could he really have gone back on his word?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand General would not go that far.\" Guo Tu, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, quickly and carefully advised from the side. \"I see this as merely a stalling tactic, waiting until the situation is firmly in his grasp before making a move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know that too, but I worry about the unexpected.\" Yuan Shao grew even more indignant upon hearing this, even developing a headache. \"Tell me, what if the various recruiters enter the court, the Grand General's advantage is complete, and he no longer cares about us, and then at that time he truly wants to maintain the eunuchs? Are the eunuchs of this dynasty so easy to deal with? He, He Jin, wants to be Dou Wu, but I do not want to be Chen Fan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It won't come to that.\" Guo Tu, standing to the side, was about to speak again when Xu You, slouched casually on the nearby couch, suddenly stroked his beard and interjected. \"Gongsun Wenqi sent a memorial today—the Liaoxi matter is settled. Didn't the Grand General want to promote him to General of the Agile Cavalry and have him lead troops to Henei to secure the situation? Think about it, Benchu: Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, and Qiao Mao, just three men, were enough to frighten the Empress Dowager into releasing the eunuchs from the palace; five recruiters are enough to give the Grand General full control of the situation. Once the General of the Guards arrives, will Grand General He still have a choice? Even if he doesn't want to execute the eunuchs, it won't be up to him, right? Gongsun Wenqi will not hesitate on such a matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then it's even worse!\" Yuan Shao immediately responded. \"We have toiled for months, only to make a wedding dress for someone else?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, Benchu, your intention is to leave no room for reconciliation between the Grand General and the eunuchs?\" Xu You could not help but sneer. \"And preferably, to do it as quickly as possible, before Gongsun Wenqi returns? Correct?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ziyuan, if you have a plan, speak plainly.\" Yuan Shao felt his forehead burning, the pain unbearable for a moment, and was too lazy to bandy words with him. \"Why waste words at a time like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Simple!\" Xu You suddenly straightened his expression. \"The Grand General has his own leeway, and you, Benchu, may find it hard to pressure him directly for now, but you can certainly pressure others! Aren't you the Colonel Director of Retainers? Why not immediately, under the false pretense of the Grand General's intent, order local government offices everywhere to arrest the family members and clansmen of the Ten Regular Attendants?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao was stunned for a moment, then looked towards Guo Tu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Gongze pondered for a moment, then rarely nodded in agreement with Xu You's suggestion: \"This plan is extremely clever. The significance of this move does not lie in whether the local government offices believe it, nor in whether they have the courage, nor even in signaling to the Grand General that we are unwilling to wait any longer. It lies solely in telling those eunuchs hiding in their homes that the Grand General cannot possibly pardon them, that no one in the realm can possibly pardon them, and that their only path is death! Once the Grand General understands the state of mind of these eunuchs, he will naturally no longer hesitate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao held his forehead and pondered for a moment, then suddenly rose and went straight to the Colonel Director of Retainers' office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the next day, countless official documents from Luozhong were indeed openly and grandly dispatched to various regions. The documents were direct and to the point, naming and ordering the arrest of the family members and clansmen of Regular Attendants and Yellow Gate officials such as Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and Duan Gui in the name of Grand General He Jin. The deadlock in Luozhong was instantly broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And interestingly, just when He Jin had been caught off guard and the surrounding strategists had not yet had time to explain to him the underlying meaning of Yuan Shao's move, at noon that day, his half-brother by a different father and mother, the General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao, came to visit once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean? What is 'peacefully enjoying wealth and rank'?\" He Jin, holding the jade ornament at his waist, frowned and asked in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder Brother.\" He Miao, who had just taken his seat, replied helplessly. \"What I mean is, we siblings were originally just an ordinary family from Nanyang. Now that we have attained such wealth and rank, why must we keep stirring up trouble? Enjoying wealth and rank is the proper principle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jin opened his mouth to speak but was so angered by this younger brother with whom he shared no blood ties that he was speechless... Pitifully, he had painstakingly balanced everything, winning over this one, suppressing that one, seeking only to prevent the He clan from meeting an end of total annihilation, yet in his younger brother's eyes, he was actually hindering his enjoyment of wealth and rank?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until finally he directly tore off the jade ornament in his hand and smashed it fiercely onto the ground, shattering it in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Miao saw this and knew he had angered the other party. He could not help but feel embarrassed, so he immediately took his leave and departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the eunuchs' final attempt to plead for reconciliation, because of He Miao's stupidity, had ended before it even began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This day was the twenty-fourth of the fifth month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General of the Guard Gongsun Xun had just finished annexing the Shanggu Wuhuan; Liu Bei was still on his way back from Yangzhou; Bao Xin would need another five or six days to return; Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang would need another three or four days to reach Luoyang; and Wang Kuang had already led his troops back to a point twenty li east of Luoyang city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Ding Yuan was at Mengjin, Qiao Mao at Gongxian, Dong Zhuo at Jiyang Pavilion... everyone was watching the scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am the dividing line before it began—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the sixth year of Zhongping... Yuan Shao feared Jin would change his plan, so he threatened him, saying: 'The alliances are already formed, the situation is already exposed. What more does the General await, that he does not decide this early? Matters prolonged breed change; you will become another Dou clan!' Jin thereupon made Shao Colonel Director of Retainers, bestowed him a staff of authority, and gave him full power to judge and execute; he made Attendant Clerk Wang Yun Intendant of Henan. Shao sent Luoyang strategist military clerks to investigate the eunuchs, and urged Dong Zhuo and others to send courier reports to the throne, wishing to advance troops to Pingle Observatory. The Empress Dowager then became afraid and dismissed all the Regular Attendants and Lesser Yellow Gates, sending them back to their homes, leaving only those whom Jin had long trusted to guard the palace interior. All the Regular Attendants and Lesser Yellow Gates went to Jin to apologize, leaving everything to his disposition. Jin said to them: 'The realm is in turmoil precisely because of you, my lords. Now that Dong Zhuo is nearly here, why do you not each retire to your fiefs early?' Yuan Shao urged Jin to settle the matter then and there, pressing him again and again; Jin did not permit it. As Shao was about to withdraw, he suddenly heard that the Grand Ancestor's victory report had arrived, and he looked worriedly to his attendants, saying: 'If the General of the Guard arrives, where will there be any place for you and me?' Thereupon, following the schemes of Guo Tu and Xu You, he forged letters to the various provinces and commanderies, falsely proclaiming Jin's intent, ordering the arrest of the eunuchs' relatives. By this point, Jin's plotting had gone on for many days and had leaked considerably; the eunuchs, in fear, began to contemplate revolt.\" — Dianlüe, Yan, annotated by Pei Songzhi\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, I don't want to play the pity card, but yesterday's chapter was truly very difficult...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday I tried to catch up on sleep, had acid reflux, a stuffy nose, and I don't even know if I had a fever. Anyway, I didn't sleep well. When I woke up it was actually already nine or ten at night, and then I didn't want to break the streak, but the back of my head hurt terribly and I was unbearably sleepy, so writing was especially grueling. Around two or three in the morning, I was suffering in every way and really couldn't hold on, wanted to stop, but then I saw people in the group chat still waiting. I flipped through the previous chapter's comments, and there were even people mocking the late update. So I gritted my teeth and kept writing, because I really didn't want to get scolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, every person has this flaw: they assume what they think is what everyone thinks. And once a group grows large, there are bound to be all kinds of people. When my sleep schedule collapsed before, many people advised me to take two or three days off to fully reset, and some even said they wouldn't mind the updates. But this book has over four thousand follow-up subscriptions, so there are definitely people who care about updates. I know most people would agree to me taking leave, but if I really did take leave, there would certainly be people who would open their mouths and curse, just as there are certainly people who care deeply about my sleep schedule. This is something you simply cannot avoid once there are many people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Writing all this has a bit of a venting purpose, but more than that, I hope everyone won't wait up at night. When you're waiting there, it puts me in a difficult position, and it's hard on you too. Like this time, even though the historical source analysis was already clear in my mind, I simply couldn't type out a single word. Seeing the people waiting for updates in the group chat, I didn't dare speak, and I didn't dare look at the review section. I just lay there motionless, collapsing both physically and mentally. What finally got typed out was truly unsatisfactory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3763,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","9e1bfe8026d2d1e026af1ba4a7eb0b1ccbbb6152d8b0c29ddb8ffc10db0db60a","overthrowing-han-chapter-329","overthrowing-han-chapter-327",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]