[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-401":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},1223160,1620,"Chapter 401: Again a Fierce Tiger Rises East of the River (Part 1)","overthrowing-han-chapter-401",401,"\u003Cp>The so-called \"Ambush on Ten Sides\" strategy is nothing more than a tactic used when facing an opponent of overwhelming combat strength, where a direct frontal engagement is truly difficult to win. One is forced to choose layered interdiction, whittling them down layer by layer, and finally delivering a single fatal blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly, it is using or creating a long, narrow battlefield environment to deal with the opponent through a disguised form of车轮战.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long, narrow battlefield needs little elaboration; the narrow strip between the immensely vast Yuan Army main camp and the city wall of Handan existed naturally. In fact, this was the fundamental reason Xin Ping proposed this stratagem. However, considering that Guan Yu could not possibly bring too many men on a绕城 raid, and the space in the narrow strip was not large enough, the forces either side could commit at one time could not be too great. Although the Yuan Army was powerful, it still needed to act in several dozen divisions, each division being merely a handpicked thousand-man unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at this moment, as the banners in the camp waved, these several dozen divisions, which had long been on standby, surged forth one after another, arriving behind the camp palisades and entering a state of combat readiness, which immediately alerted the defenders on the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Shen Pei, who held the vantage point from above, soldiers instantly waved a yellow banner... The flag signals passed layer by layer, clearly telling Guan Yu: there is an ambush, do not come!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Guan has ignored it completely and already passed the south gate.\" A military clerk came to report with a face full of anxiety. \"State Chancellor, what should we do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Pei, standing black-faced on the eastern city wall, was gazing distantly at the foundation of the援军 earth mound beyond the strike range, and was too indolent to say much... He naturally understood the military clerk's question, and knew what the other found so difficult to comprehend in his heart: why must Guan Yu sally forth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reasons not to sally forth were certainly many — the earth mound could not be built in a single day, the auxiliary troops could be gathered again even if dispersed, and even if the earth mound was built, it might not necessarily squeeze the city wall's foundation and cause damage... not to mention the ambush was already obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, they clearly had not considered that this was a strategic response. Guan Yu did not need the ability to demolish the earth mound; as long as he could reach this place under such troop interdiction and withdraw unscathed, it would directly prove that the method of building earth mounds was utterly meaningless for besieging the city, and also prove that the Yuan Army simply could not stop him, Guan Yu, outside the city... Did building earth mounds not require manpower and materiel? Did mobilizing troops on such a scale not cost resources, and would achieving no battle results not damage morale? If it failed this time, try again next time? Believe me, after a few such attempts, the援军 would arrive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, if the earth mound was built, the city could naturally add elevated structures atop the wall. If it truly came to an蚁附 assault, the city had long been prepared — but what did that have to do with him, Guan Yunchang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all these years, still so utterly arrogant, still so fond of贪功揽权, still so unwilling to lose to anyone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This subordinate means, apart from the archers on the city wall providing covering support, should we send troops out of the city to support him?\" The military clerk, seeing Shen Pei's expression growing worse, wisely abandoned the question and continued asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Make preparations at the city gate. If things go awry, immediately open the gate to receive him.\" Shen Pei breathed the somewhat oppressive air and replied in a slightly muffled tone. \"Aside from that, do nothing. He and I had an agreement beforehand: matters outside the city are his, matters inside the city are mine... If he wants to play the hero, let him go play!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military clerk could already tell the State Chancellor was angry; how would he dare say more? He hurriedly accepted the order and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as Shen Pei was fuming with indignation, and Guan Yu passed the south gate, continuing eastward, at the same time, although the Yuan Army was prepared, they did not rush to dispatch troops. Instead, they allowed Guan Yu to pass unhindered toward the east city... Clearly, they were somewhat worried that dispatching troops too early would make Guan Yu realize the difficulty and retreat, so they prepared to let him pass a stretch of road and place the killing blow on his return journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Guan Yunchang keenly perceived this as well, and accordingly slowed his pace, advancing along the front of the city neither hurriedly nor slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>South of Handan City, on the central command platform, Xin Ping turned his head to look at the sun already sinking in the west, wiped his sweat-drenched face, and his expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Zhongzhi,\" Guo Tu beside him had clearly also realized. \"Guan Yunchang must have already learned of the ambush from Shen Zhengnan on the city wall. He is stalling for time... He only dispatched troops in the afternoon, and by dawdling until now, he has just passed the north gate. If he enters the trap only after dark, I fear he might take the opportunity to slip away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see it.\" Xin Ping's expression was even worse than Shen Pei's on the city wall. \"Once the sky darkens, chaos is inevitable, and those fellows can naturally flee under its cover. With so much effort expended in this battle, as long as that man does not die, it is our defeat... This Guan Yu is indeed just as Ju Gongyu said, absolutely akin to Gongsun Wenqi — seemingly arrogant and reckless, but in reality, cunning to the extreme!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is not only that.\" Guo Tu continued to urge. \"Our lord personally oversees the eastern earth mound, and has Brother Zhongzhi commanding the ten divisions north of the city here to direct the main camp, yet has Chen Gongtai commanding the ten divisions east of the city to assist him. Let us not even speak of how it is clearly Brother Zhongzhi's stratagem, yet Chen Gongtai commands half of it... Just considering Guan Yunchang's cunning, if he drags this out until dark before leisurely arriving at the earth mound and then withdrawing, it is hard to say whether Brother Zhongzhi's ten divisions of elite troops will even get the chance to join the battle. Instead, Chen Gongtai, commanding those ten divisions, will be近水楼台先得月! In my opinion, it would be better to first dispatch troops to block the north gate, to ensure his retreat is cut off, and then send troops to whittle him down layer by layer — that is the proper course!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xin Ping looked at the sky, gritted his teeth, and nodded: \"I won't hide it from you, Gongze. Your foolish elder brother is not afraid of Chen Gongtai stealing the credit. After all, if this matter succeeds, I will have a share of the credit for proposing the stratagem. I only fear that if the matter fails, losing face would be one thing, but affecting our illustrious lord's grand strategy would be a crime for which ten thousand deaths could not atone... Think about it, if we mobilize troops on such a scale and still let Guan Yu escape, then wouldn't this siege of ours be, nine times out of ten, utterly deflated?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dispatch the troops!\" As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Guo Tu to say more, Xin Zhongzhi simply gave the order to the plume-guard soldiers beside him. \"Have Wu Anguo move out to block him... Tell him, as long as his two divisions can obstruct him slightly, that is enough; there is no need to forcibly detain him. Also, have Yu Jin move out. Tell Yu Wenze, in today's battle, as long as his three divisions of elite troops under his command block the north gate, preventing Guan Yunchang from withdrawing and preventing Shen Zhengnan's reinforcements from emerging from the north gate, then regardless of whether Guan Yunchang is captured by him, he shall have the highest merit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as he issued the order, on one side, banners waved, transmitting orders via flag signals, and on the other, plume-guard soldiers personally rode forth to deliver the instructions face-to-face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Yunchang watched as troops suddenly surged forth from the camps both ahead and behind him, their armor and weapons strictly orderly, clearly no common force. Yet he was neither alarmed nor angered, but merely gave a cold laugh. Paying no heed to the large banner with the character \"Yu\" behind him, nor calling for his main force, he simply accelerated directly, leading several dozen personal guard cavalry in a swift charge toward the large banner embroidered with the characters \"Former Wu An\" ahead to the right... Wu Anguo's division had moved out on orders, originally planning to have his two units take turns advancing under large shields to the city wall to obstruct the enemy in a limited fashion. He never expected that upon looking up, he would see the enemy general turning the tables, taking the initiative to charge straight at him with several dozen cavalry, and was thrown into some disarray!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Wu Anguo, as the leading commander, was after all a famed general of Beihai. The fact that Beihai could remain somewhat intact amidst the great chaos of Qingzhou and the unchecked rampage of the Yellow Turbans was almost entirely due to his sole efforts, so he still possessed the most basic qualities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the man immediately shouted orders, attempting to rally his soldiers... Guan Yu, observing this scene clearly from afar, only sneered more coldly, then reined in his horse to accelerate again, leading his personal guard knights straight for the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Yunchang stood nine chi tall, with a long beard and a red face, naturally awe-inspiring and majestic. Moreover, at this moment, the mount beneath him was the divine white steed that Pan Zhang had once stolen. The man was tall and the horse was large, his form imposing and his speed swift — like adding wings to a tiger. As he charged straight over, although those Yuan Army soldiers were handpicked elites, they were momentarily thrown into chaos... And their first reaction amidst the chaos was to hurriedly dodge aside!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking from the city wall, and looking from the Yuan Army's frontline rammed-earth command platform, which was elevated much higher, Guan Yunchang rode at the very front, his personal guard knights parting the way to his left and right. It was as if something was wading into the wheat fields common in Hebei during autumn — the Yuan Army soldiers before him parted in succession, just like wheat stalks parting left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Wu Anguo was already thirty-five this year, having barely spent half his life in military service, yet when had he ever encountered such a bizarre scene? And as he watched Guan Yunchang instantly penetrate through the countless soldiers under his command and press directly before him, his first reaction was not to raise his spear, but to open his mouth as if to say something... But Guan Yunchang's horse was extremely fast. Before the other could utter a sound, he had already charged before him. Wu Anguo, caught off guard, was struck down from his horse by a single thrust of the opponent's spear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He died at the age of thirty-five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, among the personal guard cavalry following behind, Pan Zhang jumped down from his horse, cut off Wu Anguo's head, and personally tied it beneath the head of Guan Yu's divine steed... Only then did he calmly remount, following the expressionless Guan Yu as they slowly returned to the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the soldiers who had followed Wu Anguo out were still dumbfounded even at this moment. In their terror, they actually allowed the other party to calmly return, yet a short while later, before the handpicked eight hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry could charge over, they scattered in a thunderous rout... Two divisions, two thousand men, with only three or four hundred having just left the camp, were met with a decapitation strike at the very start, and then, in a daze, fled without a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, one could not blame them, for it was not only they, the parties involved — everyone above the city and below, inside the camp and out, was utterly dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Presently, as Wu Anguo's division scattered and fled back to camp, and Guan Yu, bearing Wu Anguo's head, calmly led his troops back to the city wall, the Handan defenders on the wall, spurred by this, all sounded horns, beat drums, rolled up banners, and shouted. Meanwhile, Xin Ping and Guo Tu on the central army command platform were stunned into silence for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew Guan Yunchang was very strong. Whether it was the Guard General Gongsun Xun's high regard for him, the esteem held by men like Liu Bei and Cao Cao, or the memories of the Hebei locals regarding his performance during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all clearly and unmistakably indicated that this man was very strong. Add to that the performance of Zhang Fei, who was equally famous with him, before Hulao Pass, and truly no one had underestimated him — otherwise, this \"Ambush on Ten Sides\" stratagem would not have been devised!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, to be this formidable was still jaw-dropping... Amidst the chaos of battle, charging straight for the enemy general, taking his head and returning, withdrawing unscathed, as if entering a realm devoid of men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in a meeting engagement, with one side launching a surprise attack and the other unprepared, it is naturally thus. One can only say that Guan Yunchang's psychological quality was a bit stronger, his methods a bit more brilliant, his courage a bit greater, his grasp of human hearts a bit firmer... A few \"bits\" created a qualitative gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen,\" Guan Yu reined in his horse and returned to the formation, unhurried and unflustered, then raised his voice proudly to address the thousand handpicked soldiers before him. \"Their stratagem is now fully revealed — it is nothing more than wanting to block us layer by layer on this narrow path. However, when brave men meet on a narrow path, the brave win. Our army advances courageously; with each victory, our momentum grows stronger, while they grow more disheartened with each layer. Thus, though the rebels are many, they are not worth mentioning; though the rebels are brave, they are merely offering their heads for sale! I ask you all, pay no heed to those behind you, and follow this general as we continue forward. This general shall open the path for you, and you shall secure the rear for this general — only then can we press forward irresistibly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thousand soldiers, the sons and brothers of Zhaoge, along with the crossbowmen on the wall who had originally prepared to come down and provide covering support, upon hearing this, once again cheered endlessly, their morale greatly boosted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having slain Wu Anguo and hung his head beneath his horse, Guan Yu once again led his troops, spear in hand, eastward along the city wall, still neither hurried nor slow, utterly disregarding how Yu Jin behind him raised shields to form a formation, or how he piled debris before the city gate as an obstruction, and even less concerned with how many more ambushes and obstacles lay ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He indeed has a bit of the bearing of King Xiang, whose defeat was not his fault in battle...\" On the other side, Xin Ping, after being stunned on the command platform for half a day, forced a smile for a moment, but then immediately turned solemn. \"But as long as he is human, I refuse to believe we cannot wear him down! Pass on the matter of Captain Wu An to everyone, and have all the generals be extremely wary of this man's surprise assault tactics! Then have Li Jin and Cheng Wu prepare to dispatch troops in sequence. Cheng Wu commands two divisions, Li Jin commands three divisions — let them take turns attacking... Tell them, ignore Guan Yu himself. As long as they can jointly cut off a fifth of his troops, they will have fulfilled their duty... Dispatch the troops at once!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end of his words, he had lost his usual refined demeanor and become ferocious and unhinged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding military clerks dared not delay, and once again transmitted orders via flag signals, while riders also galloped forth to personally convey the instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, when Li Jin and Cheng Wu ahead heard the envoy speak of Wu Anguo's fate and received the military order, each felt their scalp tingle... Others might not know, but Li Jin truly knew Guan Yu's ability. And while Cheng Wu himself did not know, he trusted his own father immensely. Before coming, his father had specifically instructed him: when it is time to hide, one must hide; if possible, do not show your face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, the military order had now been given, and they had no choice but to steel themselves and prepare to dispatch troops. Five thousand-man units, arrayed in sequence, and then with a beat of the drum, as Guan Yu's main force had passed halfway, they threw open the camp gates and, according to the agreed order, charged straight out one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with the camp ahead, Cheng Wu, who was the first to dispatch troops, harbored a small, cautious thought. How would he dare try to cut off half of Guan Yu's troops? He simply aimed for the tail end of that thousand-man force. According to his thinking, if he could cut off a tenth, he would be thanking heaven and earth. As for fulfilling the military order, wasn't there still Li Jin, Li Tuizhi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man had a big face and broad shoulders, many troops and a powerful clan — let him bear the brunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, as Cheng Wu was the first to dispatch troops, the leading thousand-man unit indeed charged straight for the tail of Guan Yu's force. Once this unit, advancing under large shields, had charged through the arcing fire from the city wall and reached the base of the wall to engage, he personally led the rear thousand-man elite unit out to provide support... The plan was excellent, but he never expected that ahead, Guan Yu, seeing his rear under attack, even though only a very small number of troops at the tail were engaged, would disregard everything and directly lead the front cavalry to turn back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Wu was helpless in his heart, and even more timid. Yet the matter of Ji Yong's entire family being implicated had just occurred days ago, so he dared not retreat easily. In his helplessness, the man had a sudden flash of inspiration and actually ordered his personal guards to throw down their banners, dismount, and blend into the troops, charging forward on their own!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as Guan Yu arrived with the front army, he simply took the lead in fleeing backward. Those two divisions of troops, leaderless, fell into chaos. With one charge from Guan Yunchang, they naturally fled along with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the command platform, from the perspective of Xin Ping and Guo Tu, they watched from afar as Cheng Wu's two divisions charged out, first hastily cutting off just the tail, and then as soon as Guan Yu turned his head, Cheng Wu's side fell into chaos, without even a formation, the banners lost at some unknown time, making command impossible. What followed was a rout as a matter of course... Faced with such a scene, besides cursing the man as a waste, there seemed little else to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Li Jin, clinging to the palisade and gazing at this scene from afar, felt a chill run down his spine amidst the increasingly oppressive summer heat — sharing the same plight, how could he not see through Cheng Wu's self-preservation tactic? Yet, while Cheng Wu, a newcomer sent to campaign in his father's stead, could afford to be defeated so wretchedly, how could he, Li Tuizhi, the堂堂 famed general of Yanzhou, retreat?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would believe it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he truly imitated that example, upon returning, Yuan Benchu would probably slaughter him and his elder brother Li Qian, and conveniently send twenty or thirty thousand men to confiscate his family estate, recouping all the losses from this battle... There was no helping it, truly no helping it. Such was the helplessness of a great powerful clan. For all their usual swagger and countless private soldiers, the greater the family estate, the easier it was to be controlled by a true strongman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the巫婆 can run, but the巫寺 cannot! Gongsun Xun's words that day — \"I can exterminate three thousand of your clan\" — still rang in his ears. And ever since then, the Li clan of Jiyin had been as low-key as possible. After the chaos erupted, far from wavering left and right and attempting to establish independence as in another timeline, they had simply become the model of non-troublemaking among the powerful clans of the three provinces under Yuan Shao. They could be said to bear hardship without complaint, and thus were highly valued by Yuan Shao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, Li Tuizhi had no other recourse. He could only turn around and summon his three divisions — those three thousand clan子弟兵 — and prepare to stake everything on cutting off half of Guan Yu's troops!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once Guan Yunchang passes this camp, let Zheng'er go first.\" Li Jin jumped down from the palisade and instructed with a solemn expression. \"Lead a thousand troops and strike straight for his middle! Then let Fifth Brother go, again with a thousand troops, and strike straight for his tail... If Guan Yu turns back to aid them, I will personally lead troops to block him! Once you succeed, withdraw immediately; do not worry about me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called Zheng'er was precisely Li Qian's eldest son, Li Zheng, also Li Jin's clan nephew, who had just turned twenty this year. Upon hearing this, he could not help but open his mouth to ask: \"Uncle, why must you be so wary of this man? He is merely a former colleague. Even if he is exceptionally brave in battle, is he impervious to blades and spears? Our three thousand troops are all battle-hardened clan子弟兵. Attacking three to one, even if the enemy has the city wall at his back for support and the stance of a cornered beast fighting stubbornly, we might not necessarily be unable to win, right? In my opinion, there is no need to let him pass and reach the presence of the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Let us directly destroy this man, and our Li clan will enjoy the sole credit. Would that not make the world dare not look down on our Jiyin Li clan from now on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jin looked at this nephew of his, who was powerfully built yet ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, and felt the other resembled his own youthful self. Thus, he was momentarily melancholic, yet slowly shook his head, and only then turned to another person: \"Fifth Brother, in a moment, you strike his middle first, and let Zheng'er strike his tail...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zheng's face changed drastically. Just as he was about to speak again, the clamor of advancing troops already came from outside the camp. Li Tuizhi's expression hardened, and he simply gave the order to march. Li Zheng could only withdraw sheepishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, as the camp palisades were lowered in unison, a force of a thousand cavalry was the first to burst out of the camp, charging straight at Guan Yu's vanguard — and the man at their head was none other than Li Zheng!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another elder of the clan serving as Major helplessly turned his head to look at Li Jin. Li Jin let out a long sigh, and had no choice but to raise his spear and mount his horse, personally going to rescue his nephew who knew not the height of heaven or the depth of earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am the dividing line of Yanzhou's famous generals—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yuan Shao commands his army with laxity and indulgence; his laws and orders are not established. Though his soldiers are numerous, they are in truth difficult to employ.\" — Xun Yu\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: I sincerely ask everyone a question — why is it that every other website runs smoothly for me, video sites and shopping sites are all perfectly fine, but only the Qidian backend page lags like a dog? I struggled for an hour today and still couldn't upload, and in the end I had to save the nation by a roundabout route through my phone... That's right, the phone works perfectly without any lag at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4217,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","f99da09073112d86f4294de763086138aa22199a793a21008e311e636cadafda","overthrowing-han-chapter-402","overthrowing-han-chapter-400",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]