[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-376":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},1223135,1620,"Chapter 376: Moving the Granaries to Qi — How Could One Rely on That?","overthrowing-han-chapter-376",376,"\u003Cp>In a certain sense, the area of Mei Dock, situated about two hundred li west of Chang’an, was constantly changing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calculated by a perimeter of four or five li — roughly 0.25 square kilometers in later terms — this was undoubtedly a region of enormous built-up area, enough to be called a small town. For 0.25 square kilometers equals 250,000 square meters, which equals 375 mu, and this meant that the four or five thousand people in Mei Dock averaged only a dozen or so individuals per mu, making it seem rather too spacious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reality was not so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, within the fortified settlement was an independent core architectural zone, with its own inner walls, towers, and gardens. There lived Dong Zhuo himself, along with his family, aides, and concubines. Only Dong Zhuo’s most trusted guards and subordinate officials could come and go freely; ordinary soldiers could not enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the rammed-earth walls on the outside of the fort were far too thick, and together with the moat, the passages behind the inner walls, and other supporting defensive measures, they undoubtedly occupied a great deal of the built-up area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same went for the storage areas… Do not forget, Dong Zhuo had piled up vast amounts of gold, silver, wealth, grain, cloth, and other supplies here. In his earlier quest to amass riches, he had not only used the capital relocation to openly plunder public and private goods across the Henan region on a massive scale, but after arriving in Guanzhong, he even had the Colonel-Director of Retainers impose harsh laws to force the wealthy households of Guanzhong to surrender their family fortunes. How enormous a sum of wealth and supplies was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, though Mei Dock was large, the three thousand armored soldiers garrisoned inside found it exceptionally cramped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, these three thousand iron-clad troops ordinarily operated entirely outside the fort. There was even a small military camp just outside Your Majesty Dock, and the place was connected to Mei County’s county seat by a post road, making it very easy to liaise with the county… It was only because Gongsun Xun had suddenly brought his army pressing down upon them that they were forced to hurriedly enter the dock to defend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And considering that Mei Dock had only recently been completed and many of its living facilities were inadequate, the problem was likely even more severe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, while the three thousand armored soldiers trapped inside the fort were suffering some discomfort, the “Youzhou Army” outside the fort was also somewhat uneasy. After all, the latter had spent four and a half days riding light cavalry five hundred li in a raid. The words “isolated force deep in enemy territory” — there had been no time to dwell on them while riding, but once they halted, the unease was considerable… Not to mention that these troops were originally all surrendered soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, if Wang Fang, Dong Zhuo’s subordinate general at San Pass, had arrived first with his main force and broken through to link up with Dong Zhuo before Your Majesty Dock, the outcome would have been uncertain. Even if he could not break through Gongsun Xun’s encirclement, merely establishing a foothold nearby would have been enough to turn the situation from General of the Guards besieging Grand Tutor Dong into a standoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was likewise something Gongsun Xun was unwilling to accept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, amid Dong Zhuo’s anxious anticipation, the torment of both armies’ soldiers, and Gongsun Xun’s cold detachment, the first to arrive was not Wang Fang’s force, but a conscript labor unit from the neighboring commandery of Left Pingyi. Under the leadership of a commandery clerk quite well-known in Left Pingyi, they arrived travel-worn at Mei Dock on the first day of the sixth month and went directly into Gongsun Xun’s camp to serve as wartime auxiliary troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be frank, even Gongsun Xun had not anticipated the arrival of this unit. One could only say that this young commandery clerk named Zhang Ji was far too bold — only upon meeting him did it become clear that this conscript labor unit of a full seven or eight hundred men had not been sent by the commandery at all, but was made up of his own household dependents and retainers in disguise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it must be said, the effect was superb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Ji, flying the banners of Left Pingyi Commandery, first declared his stance, and the shock this caused to the surrounding government offices was imaginable. His arrival also greatly steadied the morale of many surrendered soldiers of Guanzhong origin, and plunged Dong Zhuo’s army inside the fort into further panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this venture also made Gongsun Xun firmly remember the name Zhang Derong — this young man, though his family was immensely wealthy, was of typical humble origin, with not a single ancestor who had held a post of six hundred dan, the complete opposite of Jia Kui. Yet from this one act alone, it was clear that his caliber was in no way inferior to Jia Kui’s, and his courage was perhaps even greater!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, whether one called it buying horse bones with gold or rewarding merit, Gongsun Xun immediately appointed this newly capped minor clerk of Left Pingyi Commandery as the County Magistrate of Mei County in Right Fufeng, with a rank of six hundred dan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhang Derong, after bowing in thanks, directly expressing that he wished to temporarily act as County Magistrate of Mei County, and that once this matter was concluded he still wished to join the General of the Guards’ White Horse Volunteers for training… that pleased Gongsun Xun even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what was bound to come would come sooner or later. On the morning of the seventh day of the sixth month, the anticipated force of seven or eight thousand men under Wang Fang appeared on the southern bank of the Wei River. But, much to Dong Zhuo’s great disappointment, upon reaching Wuzhang Plain and seeing the camp fortifications on the hill, Wang Fang chose to withdraw several li and build a stockade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Gongsun Xun also felt very disappointed. So that evening, beneath the vast Milky Way, he once again ascended the broad command platform inside the camp, which had been rammed to a full seven zhang high. With his hands behind his back, facing the wind, he gazed out toward Wuzhang Plain south of the Wei, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that at this moment, none of Gongsun Xun’s usual trusted confidants were by his side. Not to mention Lou Zibo and Han Yigong, even Xi Zhicai and the men of the White Horse Volunteers had all been dispatched by him days earlier toward Pujin or Hedong — among them even Zhang Liao’s elder brother and Xu Rong’s cousin. And the only old associate left with him, Sima Lang, had also been ordered by Jia Xu to stay behind and lead men to block Wu Pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Jia Kui, who had not yet been capped, although he was open-minded and a talent worth using, he could hardly be counted as a trusted confidant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Jia Kui himself, as ever, had no such self-awareness. Standing in attendance behind Gongsun Xun, he finally could not hold back and spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, what are you looking at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rather than say what I am looking at, it would be better to say what I am waiting for.” Gongsun Xun felt somewhat listless. He turned and sat down directly on a camp stool that had been prepared atop the high platform, then continued gazing toward Wuzhang Plain and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what is my lord waiting for?” Jia Kui grew even more curious. “Could it be that Major Zhang previously said something or made some report?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all.” Gongsun Xun answered indifferently. “But I feel that tonight he might take some action, so I wished to come and see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui was utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to speak plainly.” Gongsun Xun sighed quietly. “The reason I keep you by my side is precisely so you may gain some training.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Jia Kui replied, and upon hearing this, he was quite sincere. “I am merely curious. My lord and Major Zhang certainly have some connection, but can it be called familiarity? It has been barely a month since he came to serve you, and in this past month or so, I have not seen my lord exchange many words with Major Zhang. That being so, why does my lord trust and value Major Zhang so highly, use him without doubt, and even hold expectations of him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is a good question.” Gongsun Xun finally showed some reaction, then chuckled softly and asked in return. “But do you think that I, the White Horse General, cannot even fathom the temperament of a single horse? Must I spend several years breaking it in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui immediately laughed. “My lord sees people as horses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also see some people as pigs and dogs!” Gongsun Xun answered frankly. “It is simply that I have seen many people, sorted them into categories, and know them at a glance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui seemed to grasp something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In truth, it is not only Zhang Wenyuan who is a horse; Xu Bojin is also a horse, and even Yigong was once a horse.” Gongsun Xun sighed softly. “These men were born in the borderlands, rely on their martial valor, and possess the talent of generals. They are born to be thousand-li horses raised by heaven and earth. But a thousand-li horse with no one to ride it is useless, so it must find a good master to truly gallop a thousand li… Yet then again, unlike the slow horses and strong oxen of the interior, these fine steeds of the border commanderies are either rash and unlettered, often committing harmful acts, or wild and hard to control, kicking out at anyone who cannot hold them down… In times of peace, such things are merely what they are, but in times of chaos, they will cause disorder, even to the point of bringing calamity upon a region.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui finally understood. “If that is so, then when these thousand-li horses meet someone who can subdue them, they will instead be utterly loyal and gallop with all their might? And only by meeting someone who can subdue them will they not bring calamity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.” Gongsun Xun laughed. “So I came to take a look — does this fierce horse of Bingzhou truly submit to me or not?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui laughed along as well. “In that case, I shall simply wait with my lord. But my lord…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Dong Zhongying also a man skilled at taming horses?” Jia Kui suddenly asked with a serious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He is.” Gongsun Xun glanced at him but did not deny it. “Dong Zhuo himself was born a wild horse; how could he not understand taming horses? It is just that this world does not only have wild horses. Our Grand Tutor Dong, accustomed to taming horses, ended up treating pigs, dogs, oxen, deer, and chickens all as horses to be tamed. As a result, not only did he fail to tame them, he left every post under heaven vacant, yet could only let those wild horses do the work meant for oxen and chickens, and in the end stirred up a great mess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui’s heart stirred, and he hesitated, wanting to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you wondering, what is a deer, what is a chicken, what is a dog, what is an ox, and then what sort of creature are you, Jia Kui?” Without even looking at him, Gongsun Xun knew what he wanted to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have been impertinent, truly impertinent.” Jia Kui said awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet capped, still just a youth, and by my side you do no more than write a few characters or carry a camp stool — even if you are impertinent, I can tolerate it.” Gongsun Xun spoke slowly. “Unlike some people, who, once they have come of age and bear important responsibilities, even think themselves capable of managing the affairs of the world — they must answer for their own conduct…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui dared not say more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In truth, when you asked about the distinctions between people of the world, I was merely drawing an analogy. If one truly tried to distinguish them seriously, how could people be sorted as clearly as oxen and horses?” Gongsun Xun continued earnestly. “Men of the border commanderies have the faults of the border commanderies — savage, crude, ignorant of ritual and decorum, and more importantly, they do not treat human life as worth much. And men of Wan and Luo have the vices of Wan and Luo — disciples and former officials, all interconnected, sharing glory and sharing ruin, to the point of shielding one another and bidding up each other’s worth. When it comes to the Qing and Xu region, there they grow white-haired poring over the classics, utterly useless, sour and pedantic to the point of ridicule. Then there are you from special commanderies and states like Hedong, Taiyuan, and Guanzhong — you have several of these faults, but you also retain several of each region’s virtues… Just like you and Zhang Ji: one from a humble family yet immensely wealthy, the other from an established clan yet impoverished, but in some respects you are exactly the same. Both of you understand what righteousness means better than men of the border commanderies, and both of you understand pragmatism better than men of the interior commanderies… So I say, how can the affairs of the world be so easily managed? And how can the people of the world be so clearly divided? Not to mention, there are truly some who possess the talent of a king’s counselor, the stratagems of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, the ability of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the valor of a hegemon-king — can such people be casually summarized with those categories?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Kui no longer dared to make a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, beneath the Milky Way, atop the command platform, the two men — one standing, one seated — remained silent for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this silence was soon broken — as the hour reached the middle of the third watch, around midnight, flames suddenly rose from behind the flank of Wuzhang Plain. The shouts of battle could be heard clearly across the river from several li away, instantly waking the entire camp and throwing Mei Dock into a flurry of chaos for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun had not waited in vain after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn the next day, a battle report arrived: Zhang Wenyuan had sortied with his entire force at night to raid the camp. With two thousand men, he had completely routed the enemy’s eight thousand. The enemy general Wang Fang had died amid the chaos of the soldiers. It took half a day of searching and identifying before his head was found in a soldier’s leather bag, and it was then hurriedly sent across the river… Of course, Gongsun Xun did not even glance at it before sending it into the fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the sixth month, another army arrived — it was Yuwen Heita and his light cavalry, who had come galloping under orders. The latter brought along the news that Dong Min’s entire army had retreated, but under the full-line pursuit and pressure of the Youzhou Army, the retreat had turned into a total rout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although this news had long been anticipated, it was still of the utmost importance, so Gongsun Xun once again did not forget to relay it to his old friend and former associate holding out inside the fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the thirteenth day of the sixth month, Cheng Lian and Wei Yue arrived with another three thousand cavalry as reinforcements, bringing with them the head of Dong Zhuo’s own younger brother, Dong Min… This too, of course, was sent by Gongsun Xun into Your Majesty Dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fifteenth day of the sixth month, Ma Teng and Han Sui led twenty thousand Liangzhou troops to the north of Meiyang City, several dozen li from Mei County, but upon hearing the news of Dong Min’s death, they chose to hesitate and advance no further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the eighteenth of the sixth month, Guo Si was captured at Huangbai City in Left Pingyi by a local village headman and transferred to the pursuing Taishi Ci. Upon hearing that he was to be sent before Your Majesty Dock, the man said he could not face Dong Zhuo and asked to be executed. Taishi Ziyi, pitying that the man still possessed some loyalty, granted him an intact corpse and had him buried on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Han Dang, Gao Shun, and Xi Zhicai arrived before Your Majesty Dock with the entire main force and the White Horse Volunteers, continuing to tighten the encirclement of Dong Zhuo. And Gongsun Xun finally learned the news that Lu Bu had fled back to Chang’an in panic and had now been taken in by the city’s current ruler, Wang Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last third of the sixth month, Wang Xiu, Lou Gui, and Tian Feng mobilized fifty to sixty thousand men from the good families of Hedong and Taiyuan, crossed the Pujin crossing, swept through the countryside, brought the government offices under control, and stationed twenty thousand troops beneath the walls of Chang’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Word arrived that Ma Teng and Han Sui had submitted their surrender, offering to send hostages and requesting to serve as attendants to the General of the Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the first day of the seventh month, the first night of autumn, a flying horse streaked across the sky, the Silver River hung slanting, and countless meteors tore through the night... The next day, having watched the meteor shower all night and lost all patience, Gongsun Xun sent a letter and an old keepsake into the Your Majesty Fortress, where deserters were already rappelling down the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old keepsake was, naturally, the token of their first acquaintance — that \"Broken Blade of Xiang Yu.\" For this, Dong Zhuo, who had grown so fat he refused even to descend the stairs, had long been prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the letter, opened and read, it was nothing more than a mere twenty-word doggerel verse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It went thus:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man's life spans sixty years,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a dream, like an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With birth comes death,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What regret has Lord Dong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does Gongsun Wenqi think a single letter can drive me to my death?\" Dong Zhuo, reeking of wine, slammed the table and laughed uproariously, then looked around. \"Today I am defeated, true — but to expect me to hand over my head with both hands, that would be underestimating me, would it not? Gentlemen, is there anyone willing to ride out with me? Even if we die on the road, so long as we can give that Gongsun brat a start, it will not have been in vain walking this world once!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence all around, and as Dong Zhuo peered closely, he suddenly sobered up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that at this moment, there was only one man below the hall — his military advisor of many years, Chief Clerk Liu Ai, who had earlier received the letter from the city wall and delivered it. Now, hearing his lord's drunken words, he could only stand in the hall with eyes shut in resignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those besides Liu Ai, the rest of the attendants filling the hall were all Dong Zhongying's concubines and beauties — not a single soldier among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did I, Dong Zhongying, fall to such a state?\" Dong Zhuo stroked his blade and sighed, dazed as if lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am the blade-stroking-and-sighing dividing line—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhang Ji, styled Derong, was a man of Gaoling in Pingyi. His family was wealthy but of humble station; at sixteen, he became a minor clerk in the commandery. At the end of Han, when Dong Zhuo usurped the government, the Grand Ancestor, following Jia Xu's stratagem, entered Tongguan and advanced five hundred li to Mei Fortress, trapping Dong Zhuo. At that time, men's hearts were unsettled, the battle at Pujin was not yet decided, and though the people of Guanzhong harbored inclinations for or against, none dared show it openly. Ji urged the commandery governor to dispatch all commandery troops to aid the Grand Ancestor and accomplish the great plan. The governor hesitated, so Ji donated his own family wealth, raised a thousand men, borrowed the commandery's banners and drums, and went. The Grand Ancestor, seeing him, was overjoyed and said to those around him: 'This youth's courage and resourcefulness are extraordinary — truly a scion of Guanxi!'\" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 74, Biography 24\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Continuing to offer sacrifice to a new book — \"Young Master Zhao,\" by author Bancheng Liuyan, a Warring States story starting after the Battle of Changping, a new book doing quite well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3528,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","ad903072f1d1a4533d19e564b68fe05de6a2445c791369700af245d0bb8a96bc","overthrowing-han-chapter-377","overthrowing-han-chapter-375",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]