[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-348":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},1223107,1620,"Chapter 348: The Great River Freezes Over, Chaos and War Arise (Part 1)","overthrowing-han-chapter-348",348,"\u003Cp>No one expected that, as the new year approached, a battle would suddenly erupt on the north bank of the Yellow River in the winter night. Even less did anyone expect the fight to be so swift and decisive, or the outcome so utterly inconceivable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By all reason, one side had five thousand cavalry, the other likewise around five thousand cavalry — a match in strength. One side was the elite main force under Dong Zhuo; the other was the personal core army of Yuan Shao, the Guandong coalition leader against Dong. One side was led by Lu Bu, the famed Bing Province general whom Dong Zhuo had painstakingly recruited; the other was led by Yan Liang, the warrior Yuan Shao relied on most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in the black of night, the two armies collided head-on...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, by all reason, this battle should have been a drawn-out, desperate struggle to the death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, the world is full of things that defy reason — and besides, Jia Xu had already been very reasonable. In his words: strike where they least expect it, attack where they are unprepared. Those eight words were enough to decide the battle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One side was fully forewarned; the other was caught utterly off guard. One side’s commander displayed his might in the thick of battle; the other side’s commander was dead before the fighting even began. Add to that both sides being cavalry — the battle erupted suddenly, and the retreat was just as sudden. In the end, in barely two quarters of an hour, the relief force Yuan Shao had dispatched collapsed entirely. Several thousand already terror-stricken cavalry abandoned a few hundred of their comrades’ corpses and scattered in panic into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some fled north into the interior of Henei — those were the most astute. Some fled back the way they had come, only to be overtaken by Dong’s troops; they either died or were forced to veer off course. As for those who fled blindly, rode their horses up onto the Yellow River’s Golden Embankment, and then plunged headlong onto the frozen river surface — their fate was left to Heaven’s will. But no matter which direction they took, these routed soldiers could never again maintain unit cohesion or combat effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By contrast, Lu Bu’s army suffered only a few dozen casualties in this battle — it was simply unbelievable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after this battle, from Lu Bu himself down to every last cavalryman, all were practically elated! Lu Bu no longer doubted Jia Xu’s stratagems, and these soldiers drawn from all quarters no longer doubted Lu Bu’s command ability. As for the officers of every rank sandwiched between the two, they now doubted neither. In a word, the blood of these five thousand cavalry was now thoroughly fired up, and they firmly believed that this night belonged to them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Lord has orders: ignore those routed troops — in such darkness they can never regroup. The entire army is to ride at full speed, straight for Yuan Shao’s main camp!\" Huang Yuan had long since remounted and was now shouting orders at the top of his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, just as he said, according to the plan, the next step for this iron cavalry was precisely to attack Yuan Shao’s main camp, which still held a force five times their own number! Because at this moment, Yuan Benchu, encamped at the north-bank ferry of Wushe Ford, would never dream that not long after he had sent five thousand cavalry upstream, an attack by a cavalry force of roughly equal size would come from that very same direction!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did they come from? Fall from the sky?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they really did fall from the sky, then one ought to be guarding against the sky, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this is the battlefield. Since ancient times, on the battlefield, inconceivable yet traceable events happen again and again, leaving men astonished and then suddenly enlightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now then, in order to strike where the enemy was unprepared, Lu Bu led his five thousand cavalry along the Yellow River’s Golden Embankment, racing east through the night. But as midnight approached, when they were only five or six li from the enemy camp, the keen-eyed man gazed from afar at the brightly lit Yuan Shao camp at Wushe Ford and began to grow suspicious. And when they were only two or three li away, he ordered the entire army to halt and dismount, lying in wait in the shadows of the Golden Embankment. He himself climbed the embankment to observe from afar, his expression shifting between dark and bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the Yuan Shao camp ahead was brightly lit was to be expected — after all, fires had broken out upstream at Xiaoping Ford, and a five-thousand-strong cavalry relief force had just been dispatched from the camp heading upstream. It was only natural for the camp to remain illuminated and for the central command to await news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, at that moment, on the south bank of the Yellow River, Wushe Ford, which was under Dong Zhuo’s control, was likewise brightly lit. One could well imagine that Hu Zhen and the Commandant of Wushe Ford were also staring upstream at the flames, shocked and uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here at Yuan Shao’s camp, it was far more than merely keeping the lights on. From Lu Bu’s elevated vantage point, he could see clearly: the camp’s four gates were wide open, and countless armored soldiers were moving to and fro within. It seemed an army of enormous size — perhaps even over ten thousand men — was forming up in ranks both inside and outside the camp, preparing to march out and do battle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this sight, Lu Bu and his subordinates felt their hearts pound and their flesh crawl, inwardly crying out that this was dire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My Lord, what are we to do in this situation?\" Huang Qianjiu cautiously edged up to Lu Bu and asked. \"Are those bandits over there preparing a second wave of reinforcements? No wonder the first wave of troops was only four or five thousand cavalry... that must have been merely the vanguard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu’s face was grim, and he did not answer. He wanted to curse Jia Wenhe for miscalculating, but he simply could not bring himself to utter the words. Yet, leaving aside why Jia Xu had not foreseen this situation, Lu Bu himself was exceptionally unwilling to give up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what good was unwillingness? Should he now lead his troops forward to engage this nearly ten thousand fully armored soldiers near Yuan Shao’s main camp, which likely held a total force of twenty or thirty thousand men? Would that not be seeking his own death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what if the entire army withdrew to a safe distance, ensuring that the other troops in Yuan Shao’s camp could not reinforce this force in time, and then staged an ambush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was: useless! Because if this force marched upstream openly with torches blazing for a sufficient distance, the scattered remnants and stragglers of Yan Liang’s routed troops — who had fled both north and south — would inevitably converge toward them one after another, and the existence of Lu Bu’s surprise attack force would be immediately exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they simply waited here, it was entirely possible that routed soldiers would return and report the military situation to Yuan Shao’s camp. Of course, that no longer mattered, because from their dark vantage point on the Golden Embankment, they could clearly see that the force of nearly ten thousand had already begun splitting into four columns, each marching out of the camp. Judging by the speed of these ten thousand-plus troops, it would not be long before they reached this spot and discovered the five thousand enemy soldiers hidden here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu grew even more unwilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just a moment later, Lu Fengxian’s eyes widened, and then he was overcome with wild joy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that after this force split into four columns and marched out of the camp in force, not only did they not head upstream, nor did they carry torches openly, but instead, just like his own army, they silenced their drums and banners and, in an extremely broad formation, headed for the shadows beneath the Golden Embankment of the Yellow River. Lu Bu understood at once: this force was not a relief army heading upstream at all. Rather, seeing the fires upstream, they had decided to seize the moment to cross the river and raid Wushe Ford on the opposite bank!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is truly...\" The surrounding officers had clearly also realized what was happening. Huang Yuan shook his head repeatedly. \"Commandant Jia is indeed formidable! And it is Heaven’s will that the Lord should succeed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu gave a cold laugh, paying no heed whatsoever to his subordinates’ words. He simply waited in silence for the moment of battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the moment of battle came as soon as it was called. Watching that Yuan army of over ten thousand spread out, then surge up onto the Golden Embankment in droves and carefully descend onto the frozen river, Lu Bu hesitated no longer. He immediately descended the embankment and mounted his Dilu treasure horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group of officers also quickly gathered before Lu Bu’s horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remember this: in a moment, the entire army will raise torches and follow me in a direct charge on the enemy camp. When we reach the camp, first hurl your torches to set fires, then circle the stockade and slaughter at will! But while you kill as much as possible, you must, as Commandant Jia instructed, not become entangled in battle. No matter what, when each unit sees the troops in the river turning back to relieve the camp, withdraw immediately. We will rejoin along the Golden Embankment. Have you all remembered?\" As he finished speaking, Lu Bu, now utterly without reservation, actually let out a great roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various commanders, each struck with awe, likewise dropped all pretense and answered directly, then swiftly returned to their units to prepare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu sat astride his Dilu horse, spear in hand, casting a disdainful glance forward and back. After a brief wait, unhurried and unflustered, he gradually urged his horse forward, following the Golden Embankment toward the Yuan army’s main camp, which was established behind the north-bank ferry at Wushe Ford. The five thousand iron-clad cavalry, their horses’ hooves wrapped in hemp cloth, followed behind him, swaggering boldly eastward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they had advanced to within a few hundred paces of the Yuan army’s main camp, some watchtowers had already spotted the shadowy, indistinct figures in the darkness. Of course, those men assumed they were their own troops and were utterly without vigilance, paying them no mind at all. But Lu Bu himself suddenly halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impatient and making no effort to conceal himself, he simply gave the order: \"Raise torches!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five thousand iron-clad cavalry, long prepared, helped one another and immediately lit the second of the two spare torches they had brought for this march. A fiery dragon materialized almost instantly on the western side of the Yuan army’s main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers on the western watchtowers of the Yuan camp were dumbstruck, completely at a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, without issuing further orders, Lu Bu raised his spear toward the enemy camp and declared in a booming voice: \"An old acquaintance from Luoyang, Lu Bu of Jiuyuan, comes to pay his respects to General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his words fell, he spurred his horse and charged straight for the enemy camp. The five thousand iron-clad cavalry, torches in hand, followed at a gallop, circling the camp on all sides and setting fires. The Yuan army’s main camp, utterly defenseless and even somewhat thinly manned, instantly burst into flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to over a shichen earlier: seeing the fires rise at Wang Kuang’s camp at Xiaoping Ford upstream, and having received Wang Kuang’s earlier message that his main force was not at Xiaoping Ford, Yuan Shao immediately began deploying troops, preparing a large-scale relief effort for his ally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as he was issuing orders to assemble the army and summoning his senior generals and staff advisors to discuss who should lead the relief force and further countermeasures, one man stepped forward and opposed his relief plan outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dare I ask, my lord, did you not earlier remark with admiration how the General of the Guard commands the northern lords like limbs of his own body, driving them as if they were servants — nominally an alliance, but in truth a relationship of lord and vassal?\" The speaker was Xin Ping, Xin Zhongzhi of Yingchuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, this man had followed and assisted Yuan Shao as early as when Yuan Shao was still living at home cultivating his reputation. Later, however, when the Proscription was lifted, he returned home for a time to take up office on his own, temporarily leaving Yuan Shao. And this time, when Xun Yu returned to his hometown, it happened that Han Fu, the Governor of Jizhou, had sent troops back to escort his family to Yecheng, and Xun Yu advised the Xun clan and the Yingchuan gentry clans to take this opportunity to go to Jizhou and escape the warfare in their homeland. Some did not go, but quite a few chose to accept Xun Yu’s counsel and moved their entire clans toward Yecheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the Chen clan, part of the Xun clan, and the Zhong clan did not leave, while the Xin clan, the Guo clan, and the other half of the Xun clan set out together and came to Jizhou, seeking refuge under Han Fu. Later, when Han Fu chose to rely on Yuan Shao to defend against Gongsun Xun, he dispatched a large number of reinforcements and provisions to Henei to support Yuan Shao. Many of these gentry elites, being old acquaintances of Yuan Shao, came to serve at the front in Henei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xin Ping, as an old acquaintance from those days, naturally gained trust and importance as soon as he arrived. And when he spoke up now, Yuan Shao immediately grasped his meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, Yuan Benchu had long harbored his own designs. After being driven out of Luoyang by Dong Zhuo, he had initially still wanted to return. Even during the early stages of organizing the campaign against Dong, he had been sincere in wanting to go back — after all, that was Luoyang, and its political significance was beyond question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, seeing Gongsun Xun consolidate the north and march his troops through Yanmen, Yuan Shao began to entertain other thoughts. He knew perfectly well that in the realm today, only three men could pose a threat to him, Yuan Benchu: one was Dong Zhuo, one was Gongsun Xun, and one was Yuan Shu. Setting aside Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu for the moment, the reason Gongsun Xun could do so was clearly his territory and his army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, as a matter of course, Yuan Benchu conceived the intention of strengthening his own power. Not to say he meant to carve out a separatist domain outright, but at the very least, he began to harbor the idea of comprehensively controlling the Guandong coalition. His earlier refusal to show his face at Suanzao, and his lordly airs in ordering those lords about — rather than mere pique at Yuan Shu or the arrogance of a petty man who had risen above his station, it was more a test of obedience imposed on the Guandong lords, exploiting his indispensability to the campaign against Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the results were very disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no time to dwell on it. Soon, just a few days ago, even as the Suanzao coalition was still engaged in their blood-oath alliance, Dong Zhuo had gone so far as to poison the deposed Son of Heaven, Liu Bian, politically outmaneuvering Yuan Shao once again. And this former paragon of the realm, who had styled himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, also suddenly awoke to the fact that he truly must abandon political efforts and resolve matters through territory and troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And where were territory and troops to come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this very moment, the simplest, and indeed the most reasonable, targets for plunder were precisely these Guandong lords. Fully integrating the Guandong coalition, absorbing the compliant among them, and annexing those who resisted — that was now Yuan Shao’s primary task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it had to be done under the banner of the campaign against Dong, making full use of his position as coalition leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when Xin Zhongzhi offered his reminder, Yuan Shao naturally understood at once: although Wang Kuang had always been obedient, this was the perfect opportunity to swallow up Wang Kuang’s forces!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handled well, Henei, which was already practically under his control, could be directly seized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Five thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry is far too many — not worth it,\" Xu You also said, stroking his beard and expressing agreement with Xin Ping’s opinion. \"Sending out all five thousand cavalry from the camp is sufficient!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed. Although Governor Wang Kuang went further upstream this afternoon, if Xiaoping Ford is in danger, he will be the most anxious of all. He is bound to turn his entire army around and rush back to the rescue,\" Feng Ji added, darkly hinting at the idea of watching the tigers fight from the mountain and then seizing the chance to swallow them up. \"Why not let Governor Wang fight fiercely first? Our army can use the advantage of cavalry to rush to his aid, observe the situation, and simply ensure that Xiaoping Ford does not fall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Yuan Shao, having fully grasped the intent of his staff advisors, nodded repeatedly and thus dispatched a mere five thousand cavalry. As for why Yan Liang had hesitated earlier, it was not that he dared not fight, nor that he did not know how to fight, but that he had long been tipped off to exploit the cavalry’s advantage and ensure that Wang Kuang’s strength was greatly depleted before sending in the troops to hold Xiaoping Ford.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that he had the worst luck imaginable, running into a combination of Lu Bu and Jia Xu — he set out on his campaign only to die before victory, his allies unscathed while he perished first, which truly makes one sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since Yan Liang had already led his troops away, the ten thousand infantry had also finished equipping, yet now had to disband and return to camp. Xu You, however, suddenly seized the chance to suggest: why not take this opportunity to launch a surprise raid on Hu Zhen’s forces across the river, to secure victory in this battle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they were still at war, still in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and now the enemy had been the first to open hostilities and flaunt their strength — the proper response was to strike back, to pay them back in their own coin, as the saying goes, and set the record straight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, Yuan Benchu, after a moment’s thought, also felt this plan was the most reliable and grew increasingly delighted. He immediately appointed Wen Chou, Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Han Meng — four outstanding officers in the army — as commanders to lead troops in a sneak attack on Wushe Ford on the opposite bank. He even personally, accompanied by the various strategic advisors in his staff, escorted the four commanders and their soldiers up onto the great embankment… This was precisely the scene that Lu Bu and the others had witnessed upon their arrival earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as the four commanders were leading their troops carefully over the Golden Embankment, while Yuan Benchu and the various famed scholars outside the southern camp gate were still waiting for flames to rise on the opposite bank, they never imagined that no fire would rise there, but a fiery dragon would suddenly appear on the western side of their own camp! Then, from a distance, they heard Lu Bu demonstrating his might before the camp… Before they could even think further, flames had already sprung up all around, and they even immediately saw scattered Dong Zhuo cavalry appearing within their field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, quickly enter the camp and take shelter for a while!” Guo Tu was the first to react, stepping forward and grabbing hold of Yuan Shao. “There are still over fifteen thousand men in the camp, and the four generals will turn back to reinforce us at once. Since the rebels are launching a surprise attack, their numbers cannot be large — at most they will set a fire, then circle the camp killing and burning for a spell before leaving… They would not dare enter the camp!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Yuan Shao, fully armored and awe-inspiring, merely shook off the other man’s hands in fury, then raised his head and declared: “A true man who aspires to serve the realm — how can he enter the camp and hope merely to live? Is it not just Lu Bu? That day at Xianyang Park, when I faced Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, I retreated once already. Today, I shall retreat no more!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone around, whether the various strategic advisors in the staff or the ordinary military officers, could not help but feel genuine admiration for this scion of a clan that had produced three Excellencies in four generations, and they all rallied their spirits, declaring they would advance or retreat together with General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is Chunyu Qiong?” Yuan Shao, having summoned his courage, continued to direct operations with perfect composure. “Swiftly assemble troops and follow the camp’s outer wall to meet Lu Bu on the western side. As long as you can tie him down for a moment, once Wen Chou and the others turn back, we can achieve a great victory!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chunyu Qiong was a man of Yingchuan with deep seniority. When Emperor Ling established the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, this man was among them — his standing was evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And upon receiving the order, the man did not decline in the slightest: “If the General of Chariots and Cavalry dares to stand firm and not flee, how could Qiong dare to retreat and forfeit his honor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao was overjoyed. Imitating the bearing that Gongsun Xun was rumored to have, he personally drew his saber and handed it to the other man as a token of trust. Chunyu Qiong took the blade without further words, simply turned around and had his men raise the banners, then, brimming with martial valor, mounted his horse, gathering soldiers as he went to meet the enemy on the western side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Yuan Shao on down to the various strategic advisors around him, all stroked their beards and sighed in admiration at his bearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before Chunyu Qiong could disperse the few Dong Zhuo troops that had surged nearby, he saw several hundred armored riders flash out from the flames on the western side, setting fires and slaughtering as they came, colliding with Chunyu Qiong head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the one leading them, in a pheasant-plumed helmet and iron armor, black cloak and white horse, a long spear in hand and a bow and arrows slung across his saddle, charging at the very front — it was none other than Dong Zhuo’s newly appointed General of Tiger Might, Lu Bu Lu Fengxian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two old acquaintances from Luoyang meeting face to face — Chunyu Qiong was first startled, then hurriedly reined in his horse, preparing to call out from a distance. But Lu Bu, seeing who stood before him, was not startled but delighted. He could not be bothered to heed the other’s words at all; he simply hung his long spear calmly on the other side of his horse Dilu, took up his bow and arrow, and from a distance, with a single shot, sent Chunyu Qiong — who was still reining in his horse and standing upright, thus making himself a living target — tumbling to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow struck squarely in the face, the arrowhead buried completely — it was clear he could not be any more dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitiful, this renowned general of Luoyang with such profound seniority, before he could display his talents, was struck by an arrow in the night and breathed his last, which makes one lament… He was thirty-eight years old at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a hundred paces away, Yuan Shao watched as someone so close and familiar was dispatched so cleanly and crisply, and for a moment he was utterly horrified. Before he could react, suddenly, from within the flames across the way, someone cried out in delighted surprise: “My lord, look! That man is Yuan Benchu — I once met him with you in Luoyang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Bu, who had just put away his bow and switched to his spear, preparing to scatter the cluster of troops behind Chunyu Qiong’s corpse, was startled by these words. He raised his head to look — how could he not recognize Yuan Benchu? He too was overcome with delighted surprise, and while spurring his horse forward, he gazed at Yuan Shao and once more put away his spear and took up his bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitiful General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan, who just moments before had been ready to “serve the realm,” was now so terrified that his seven souls scattered and six spirits fled, his whole body turning cold and his hairs standing on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am the hairs-standing-on-end dividing line—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shao once fought with the Grand Ancestor and fared poorly. Returning, he wept bitterly, and the generals comforted him. Shao, tears streaming, said: ‘I do not weep for defeat; I weep for Chunyu Qiong. Had he not been slain by Lu Bu’s hidden arrow that day, how could we have come to such a defeat today?’ The generals were all ashamed.” — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter on Deceit\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the thirty-sixth sprout, super awesome classmate, from today onward, I too am one with the thirty-six Heavenly Spirits… Endless gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4379,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","e745a8b6fa0d59237b3293ce89f54c9e099f4febc01e1990bdf32cc707521158","overthrowing-han-chapter-349","overthrowing-han-chapter-347",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]