[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-407":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},1223166,1620,"Chapter 407: Forcibly Seeking a Single Branch for Rest (Part Three) (Three-in-One)","overthrowing-han-chapter-407",407,"\u003Cp>Zhang Yan, having gained Zhang Cheng's support, was overjoyed, yet remained cautious — even more guarded because of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even before his private talk with Zhang Cheng, during the military conference, his trusted subordinates had already taken over the outer perimeter defenses of the entire camp. And once he had Zhang Cheng's backing, he directly ordered that, except for the central army, no unit was to send out scouts on its own. Even essential tasks like fetching water and firewood could only be done from the rear camp, heading deep into the Taihang Mountains behind them — none were to step past the front camp by half a pace. Violators would be executed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those last four words were no simple military order — they were illustrated that very day by the heads of several dozen undisciplined soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, at the new military council convening the various unit leaders, besides settling on the overall strategy, it was further decided that Zhang Yan's own main force would simultaneously take on the tasks of camp garrison and detached strike force. This battle was haste against haste: Gongsun Xun had only five thousand men, Zhang Yan only twenty thousand, but his main direct subordinate force of ten thousand had come in full. Two thousand had earlier been sent to the eastern mouth of Jingxing to cover the rear, leaving eight thousand now. These were split into three: two thousand to hold the camp, one thousand to meet the enemy head-on, and a full five thousand as a detached force — a decision that showed considerable resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, it was not that no one raised objections, arguing that Zhang Yan committing five thousand main-force troops to a single detached operation was somewhat reckless, and that sealing off the camp seemed to betray a lack of trust in everyone. But after the leader who raised the objection was dragged out and executed on the spot, and his unit taken over by Zhang Yan's trusted men, the matter was settled once and for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, this General Who Pacifies Difficulties did have some skills. Though he needed someone to read history books to him, he was richly experienced and self-taught. At the very least, he knew what he, as a bandit alliance chief, most needed to guard against: a pack of bandits, split into over a dozen factions, with mixed loyalties and unclear discipline. The greatest precaution was against someone defecting mid-battle; the second was against military intelligence leaking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when Gongsun Xun had earlier spoken eloquently just after entering the pass, mentioning that the true essence behind Han Xin's back-to-the-river battle lay in seizing battlefield initiative, Lou Zibo and Xun Gongda had both grown pensive — and these two very things were what they were pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, when Han Xin crushed two hundred thousand Zhao troops in a single battle, posterity's consensus was that the foremost credit naturally belonged to Han Xin's own transcendent skill. Yet one man's contribution was ranked even higher than the detached-force commander who led two thousand light troops to raid the main camp — and that man was Zhang Er, who was then serving in Han Xin's army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Zhang Er, together with Chen Yu, had been a key figure in restoring the Zhao state, one of the two de facto founders of the Zhao regime at the time. He had broken with Chen Yu and was now with Han Xin, but countless trusted former subordinates were on the opposing side. This gave Han Xin an almost complete grasp of the opposing Zhao army's military dispositions, commander personalities, and even their contingency battle plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the reason Han Xin could seize battlefield initiative in the back-to-the-river battle was largely because he held countless spies in his hand — he had the map revealed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Xun You and Lou Gui heard Gongsun Xun speak such words, their first reaction was that Gongsun Xun must have planted hidden agents among the bandits, enabling him to know the enemy like the back of his hand. That was why he could speak so grandly, discussing military tactics on the eve of battle and comparing himself to Han Xin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that, with so many people and so many ears around at the time, it was not convenient to ask directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A hasty confrontation — where would there have been time to arrange spies?\" That evening, in the hastily erected river-back camp, facing the two military advisors' questions, Gongsun Xun, holding an open-air council by the Mianman River, answered frankly. \"As for so-called inside agents, I cannot say there are none. But among them, the greatest and most natural inside agent of all should be Zhang Yan himself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, everyone was speechless; only the torches flickered unsteadily, reflected in the swift-flowing Mianman waters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, this can also be seen as a case of quantitative change leading to qualitative change,\" Gongsun Xun continued with a remark no one understood, before finally sighing with emotion. \"How many years has it been? The realm's situation is no longer what it once was. Not just Zhang Yan — even other reluctant bandit chieftains, nine out of ten now harbor their own shifting thoughts. When they first turned to banditry, they may indeed have spoken certain words, but now, how can one still count on those? To put it bluntly, if you send a man to be a spy, and he ends up rising all the way to become the enemy's Regional Commander, then his former spy status is nothing more than a joke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then where exactly does the general's reliance in this battle lie?\" Tian Feng, growing impatient, finally could not hold back. \"When armies meet in the field, it is a matter of life and death. To seize the initiative, one depends on the balance of strength, and two, on penetrating insight into the battlefield.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Earlier, there were still two inside agents,\" Gongsun Xun finally spoke the truth. \"They were the leaders of two of the factions. One had already made contact with General Ning Shuo before the autumn harvest, originally intending to surrender, and happens to be in Zhang Yan's army this time as well. The other proactively sought out our scouts to make contact and also passed along information. But for some reason, starting from today's daylight hours, the outriders we sent have been unable to find the latter's man, who pretended to gather firewood to deliver messages, and the enemy camp has also begun to tighten its security.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhang Yan is a veteran commander, after all,\" Tian Feng said after a brief silence, uncharacteristically offering a word of exoneration for Gongsun Xun. \"He may not know the specifics, but he absolutely knows where to guard against.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what should we do?\" Xi Zhong frowned and asked. \"Should we wait a bit for the other side...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We cannot wait, nor can we delay!\" Xun Gongda suddenly interjected. \"Setting aside that Zhang Yan and the Taihang bandits' very aim is to stall for time, to obstruct the amnesty and disrupt the autumn harvest — considering Zhang Yan alone, his goal was likely never to win a decisive battle, but merely to use the Taihang Mountains as a base, and while you, my lord, are fighting at the front, to constantly harass your rear. This is the old strategy of imitating Ying Bu's 'harrying King Xiang's back.' Now, at the very start, Zhang Yan still has the will to fight, and this is precisely the moment to capture him in one stroke. If not, once he grows accustomed to evading battle in the mountains, he may well become a great calamity. At the very least, it would require mobilizing a large army to suppress him, delaying the greater strategy at the front later on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gongda's words are absolutely correct,\" Gongsun Xun, seated on the ground, slowly nodded, then turned his gaze to Lou Gui beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Gui, of course, understood his lord's intent and immediately presented the plan that the army's staff officers had jointly devised earlier: \"If we truly seek a swift battle, at this point there are not many elaborate options. At most, we can imitate the late Marquis of Huaiyin's stratagem, exploiting the Mianman River's advantage of linking the northern and southern routes to split our forces for a covert raid. Tomorrow morning, immediately dispatch an elite force of one to two thousand men to advance covertly along the Mianman River to the northern route, taking a long detour to reach the enemy's flank and rear. Then, during the day, our main force will advance with great fanfare along the treacherous southern route, only ten li apart. By afternoon, calculating that the surprise force has arrived, we can feign a failed assault on the camp to lure the enemy out. Then release the hidden surprise force — either to strike the camp or to cut off the pursuers' retreat!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At this point, it seems this is the only method,\" Gongsun Yue, seated beside his elder cousin, slowly nodded in agreement. \"However, I believe the volunteer cavalry sent on the covert raid should leave their white horses behind. Let the commandery troops ride the white horses, disguised as the volunteer cavalry, to assault the camp, pretending the entire volunteer force is on the front. This way, if the camp assault truly falters, the enemy will inevitably underestimate us, and perhaps our chances will improve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Gongsun Xun, uncharacteristically, praised this cousin of his. The rest of the assembly, after mulling it over, found nothing to add and voiced their agreement one after another, then dispersed to make preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a division of forces naturally required advance preparation, especially since the detached force needed to take a long detour. It was not merely a matter of allocating equipment and turning in early; more importantly, the mere two to three hundred civilian laborers needed to prepare a full two to three days' worth of dry rations and drinking water overnight. Thus, the rear camp by the river became brightly lit, and cooking smoke rose once more, climbing straight into the clouds beneath the half-full moon of early August.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As was his custom, Gongsun Xun completed his routine inspection of the camp, arranged a few more matters, and then, following his habit in the army, returned to his tent to read and rest. However, he had not been reading an Anli Press edition of the Records of the Grand Historian for long when Jia Kui suddenly came to report that someone outside the tent requested an audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What brings Gongda here?\" In the dead of night, seeing the visitor, Gongsun Xun was perfectly composed, utterly unconcerned, and did not even set down the scroll in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to you, my lord,\" Xun You said, momentarily taken aback by Gongsun Xun's demeanor before earnestly saluting with clasped hands. \"Your subordinate has just thought of a matter and could not refrain from coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please sit, and wait a moment,\" Gongsun Xun casually gestured, showing no intention of immediately hearing the other's opinion. \"Let us see how many more come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Xun You showed no sign of protest and simply sat down directly in the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, Jia Kui came again to report that Lou Gui had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun followed the same pattern, also having Lou Gui sit quietly and wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A while later, Jia Kui again ushered Tian Feng in. In the deep of night, the three military advisors whom Gongsun Xun had selected for dedicated military duties were now gathered in the rear tent of the General of the Guards, looking at each other in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another moment, Jia Kui reported for the fourth time: a wave of night scouts that Gongsun Xun had specially dispatched earlier had returned at full speed, bringing relevant intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the three military advisors all showed expressions of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since that is the case, there is no need to wait for anyone else,\" Gongsun Xun said, only setting down the Records of the Grand Historian after the scouts had taken their leave and withdrawn from the tent. He spoke frankly to the three advisors, who were clearly a cut above the rest: \"For tomorrow's battle, I have also reached a decision. Would the three advisors care to hear it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For today's battle, I have reached a decision!\" Early the next morning, after breakfast, Gongsun Xun, in full armor, formally convened all the army's commanders before his tent. Addressing the officers, staff, and even Wang Lang, who was present as the Emperor's envoy, he declared loudly: \"The autumn harvest has already begun. If we cannot immediately smash Zhang Yan and leave the northern Taihang bandits leaderless, a great disaster will surely brew. Therefore, today we shall emulate King Xiang's strategy of smashing the cauldrons and scuttling the boats — sever our own retreat, and then the entire army shall press forward with valor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stir ran through the army, especially among most mid- and high-ranking officers, whose minds were a complete muddle. Hadn't they been talking all along about emulating Han Xin's back-to-the-river battle? How had it suddenly become emulating King Xiang? Could it be that they had been groggy with sleep last night, and it had been about smashing cauldrons and scuttling boats from the very start? In any case, \"back-to-the-river battle\" and \"smashing cauldrons and scuttling boats\" did sound rather similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when these men shifted their gazes to the several military advisors with their calm expressions, and to figures like Pang De — the absolute mainstay commander for this battle — this self-doubt only deepened. Especially Pang De: shouldn't this fellow have set out before dawn with fifteen hundred of the most elite volunteer cavalry to serve as the detached force? Why was he still here? And there he was, leading a group of volunteer cavalry officers, striking their blades against their armor and clamoring in approval!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whether confused or clear-headed, as Gongsun Xun gave the order, the volunteer cavalry officers below clamored first, and then some of the army's staff officers also began voicing their agreement. The entire army immediately began executing the General of the Guards' strategy of smashing the cauldrons and scuttling the boats!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cauldrons could not be smashed — nor were they willing to smash them, as they could still shield one's back from blades. But the camp, hastily erected just a day and a night before, was swiftly dismantled: palisades were toppled, tents were packed up, and along with the grain, fodder, and equipment inside, everything was sent to the rear of the Mianman River. Two commandery soldiers who tried to mingle among the auxiliaries and not return after ferrying equipment across the river were beheaded and their heads displayed. Immediately after, the pontoon bridge was publicly destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, on the bare site of the camp on this side of the Mianman River, only when every soldier, from Gongsun Xun down, was issued a single day's ration of dry food and water did everyone truly begin to grow tense — because everyone was now truly certain: if today's battle could not defeat the bandits, they were truly finished!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What else? In terrain like Jingxing, if they could not defeat the bandits, the only way to survive was surrender. But for the army's main force, even the Taiyuan commandery troops were men with families, homes, and roots — let alone the volunteer cavalry. Who would be willing to become a bandit?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhang had not yet donned his armor and was merely standing in formation, holding his warhorse by the reins, yet he was already drenched in sweat. Having been in the volunteer cavalry for over a year and undergone more than a year of militarized life, he was long past being that pudgy, pampered youngest son of the Governor of Yizhou. In fact, his excellent nutrition from childhood combined with over a year of training had given this young nobleman, now in his prime, a rather imposing presence. But how could a timid nature ingrained since childhood be easily changed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Zheng and Yang Xiu, those two clever lads, had no spare brainpower left either, because there truly was nothing else to think about. At this moment, they were merely ordinary soldiers. Apart from giving it their all, what else could they do? So the two of them simply kept their heads down, repeatedly checking their equipment, and occasionally tending to their warhorses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Da, on the other hand, facing his first battle, actually seemed somewhat excited. Ignoring the severed retreat, he moved about among the ranks alongside the volunteer cavalry officers, encouraging his comrades — his performance quite similar to Jia Kui's. For this, he earned Pang De's favorable regard, and was specially called over to be praised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, by late morning, as everyone finished their preparations, a horn sounded from the central army, and the entire force finally fell into solemn silence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the repeated blasts of horns, the whole army watched with their own eyes as the fully armed General of the Guards, Gongsun Xun, mounted his horse. The world-renowned White Horse Banner, the White Horse Guards, the General of the Guards' regalia and canopy — all were present. Then, heedless of all else, he personally took the lead eastward. The entire army, in turn, was roused; horns sounded continuously, and in proper order, they followed him forth to battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the southern road of Jingxing was very close, its terrain was complex — narrow in some places, wide in others — making the march extremely troublesome. Thus, though the distance was only ten li, the two armies only encountered each other around noon in a narrow pass midway. In truth, there were two open valleys between the two camps naturally suited to serve as battlefields. At that time, both sides had hoped to be the first to rush through this pass and reach the next valley before engaging, and so both had temporarily quickened their pace — only to meet head-on in the narrow defile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yan and the Taihang bandits had long known from their scouts that Gongsun Xun was coming in person. But now, seeing the General of the Guards' regalia clearly displayed and the road filled with white horses, their already inferior morale sank even lower. Some even surged forward to ask Zhang Yan how to fight and how to feign defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, it was utter chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Gongsun Xun, who had also scouted the enemy's approach early on, was equally caught off guard by a battle in the narrow pass. But he made an immediate decision, adopting Lou Gui's suggestion. Taking a stand on a raised rocky outcrop to one side, he issued direct orders: given the terrain constraints, there would be no preliminary volley of bows and crossbows. The entire army was to dismount immediately and fight on foot, advancing by companies and platoons, bearing their banners and pressing forward to engage — no further words needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, horns sounded incessantly, once again echoing through the valley. On the narrow battlefield corridor, only a few hundred paces wide and uneven in elevation, battle erupted in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blades were drawn, armor clanked; the volunteer cavalry in front, the commandery troops behind, all shouting as they surged forward to attack with cold steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yan, clad in iron armor, wearing a brown-feathered helmet and a crimson cloak, also stood on a small rise. Before he could even identify Gongsun Xun and the figures around him on the opposite side, he was immediately stunned by how the battle unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several times he tried to speak, but did not know what orders to give. His original plan had been to feign defeat and lure Gongsun Xun to the front of his main camp, but it was meant to be an orderly feigned retreat. Now, meeting head-on in a narrow pass, how could he easily arrange a retreat?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Han army pressed its attack relentlessly. Relying on their vanguard's superior numbers of armored soldiers, sharp blades, and a surge of bloody valor, they rotated their attacks on the Purple Mountain bandits before them in waves — like waves lapping against the mud of a riverbank, layer upon layer. In barely a quarter of an hour, the vanguard of the Purple Mountain bandits, who had entrenched themselves in these mountains for six or seven years and were renowned as fierce outlaws, were utterly routed. There was no need for Zhang Yan to ponder how to feign defeat at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if he did not immediately cut his losses, abandon the vanguard, and retreat to the open valley behind them, his entire force would collapse like a rolled-up curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yan abandoned his routed vanguard and hastily withdrew. Halfway through the retreat, he had already regained his wits and gradually ceased to be concerned. After all, the earlier clash in the pass had been a narrow encounter where the Purple Mountain Army's numerical advantage could not be brought to bear. In a corridor only a few hundred paces wide, with the battlefield so constrained, who could outfight the world-renowned White Horse Volunteers — even if the enemy were fighting dismounted? And the several hundred miscellaneous troops killed or wounded were not even his own main force; they had been meant to be expended as bait in this battle anyway. What was there to mind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the frontal engagement was always meant to be a feigned defeat. The real killing stroke was the five thousand surprise troops who had set out early, taking the long northern route, and would only reach the enemy camp by afternoon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, once the surprise force succeeded, the roles of surprise and regular troops would switch, and they would become the main army. Within the narrow southern path of Jingxing, locked in from both ends, even if Gongsun Xun were an immortal, he would be helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, pondering as he went, Zhang Yan fled the passage alongside the other bandit chiefs. After reaching the broad valley behind them, he immediately began reorganizing their formations within the valley, preparing for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, within the valley at this moment, facing the abruptly widening terrain, Zhang Yan's army, having decisively withdrawn from the passage, indeed brought its numerical advantage into play. The main force, which had largely never entered the narrow path, arrayed itself in the valley according to each contingent's affiliation — some as few as five or six hundred men, others as many as one or two thousand. Under Zhang Yan's stern urging, they formed up layer upon layer. Though somewhat disorderly and uneven, they roughly stretched from this end of the valley all the way to the other end, which could be considered a defense in depth, with layer after layer of obstruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was also a convenient way to abandon the forward troops and preserve effective strength for a retreat — very suitable for a \"feigned defeat\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as the Han army surged out of the passage in pursuit of the routed troops, successfully gained a foothold at the valley mouth, formed a great formation, and directly advanced in infantry assault, Zhang Yan once again felt somewhat dazed, and then sensed that something was amiss. It turned out that upon entering the valley and gaining an open field of view, as he watched the bulk of the Han army pour forth, this General Who Stabilizes Difficulties suddenly realized that the Han army's numbers exceeded his expectations, and the ferocity of their assault far surpassed what he had imagined!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many Han troops do you think there are?\" Zhang Yan stared blankly for a long while, then suddenly turned his head and asked Yang Feng beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been counting since the Han army emerged. I think it must be five thousand... or perhaps six thousand?\" Yang Feng hesitated a moment, but still gave his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think?\" Zhang Yan turned his head again and questioned another officer, Bai Que.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Que stared at the battlefield and pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a dark expression: \"Definitely more than four thousand, and more than four thousand five hundred... indeed close to five thousand. Could General Wei have committed his entire army, leaving only a few hundred auxiliaries to guard the camp? Or have reinforcements arrived?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With both sides so rushed, where would reinforcements come from?\" Zhang Yan snorted coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, General,\" Yang Feng again solemnly asked Zhang Yan, \"General Wei brought a total of five thousand troops... is that absolutely certain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We lost who knows how many scouts, but it was confirmed as early as when General Wei entered Jingxing Pass — it is five thousand.\" Zhang Yan's expression also turned strange. \"At that time, you all sent out your own scouts as well... why ask me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then this is a good thing!\" Yang Feng quickly said. \"Since General Wei has committed his entire army, his camp must be exceptionally empty. Won't it be easily taken? When the five thousand men you dispatched set a fire in the opposing camp and then press forward from the rear, this battle will be easily won.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be that as it may,\" Bai Que argued from the side, \"General Wei is not so ignorant as to leave the northern route completely unguarded, is he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how do you explain this?\" Yang Feng retorted tit for tat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to the two officers argue, Zhang Yan truly felt somewhat disturbed in his heart, and truly did not know whether to be pleased or worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the confusion, he had wanted to ask the most trusted Zhang Cheng, Zhang Baiqi, but the latter was at that moment deep in the valley personally organizing his own two thousand troops and was not at his side. So Zhang Yan could only give up, then focus on observing the battle and directing, fixing his gaze upon the valley battlefield situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he watched and the more he thought, the more Zhang Yan felt something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was, in truth, a very simple arithmetic problem:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The total combat strength ratio of the two armies was five thousand against twenty thousand, a ratio of one to four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the original plan, five thousand troops were to be detached to take the long northern route for a stealth raid, two thousand were to remain, and subtracting the two thousand at the eastern pass, the actual troops committed this time were eleven thousand. And if the Han army had left one thousand to one thousand five hundred men to guard their main camp, then they should have three thousand five hundred to four thousand men. The troop ratio at every point on the battlefield should have been maintained at roughly one to three — a very healthy number, one that could ensure the initiative on all fronts whether feigning defeat or launching a surprise attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the enemy had committed all five thousand, and had immediately routed and inflicted casualties on some troops within the passage, so the current troop ratio was actually one to two! In terms of the combat effectiveness of mountain bandits versus regular troops, especially since the latter included two thousand men acknowledged as the empire's finest, this was beginning to look dangerous — even if you had originally intended to feign defeat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, what if the front was pierced in one breath by Gongsun Xun? And he then attacked all the way through and seized the main camp in the momentum?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just as Zhang Yan watched the Han army fight ever more fiercely, growing ever more nervous himself, suddenly, with the abrupt sounding of horns beneath the White Horse banner on a rise on the opposing flank, and several flags waving signals, the better-equipped Han troops who had just routed a bandit contingent — clearly those dismounted Volunteer Followers — abruptly withdrew en masse and returned to the passage mouth to mount the white warhorses that had just been gathered there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the just-completed infantry assault that routed the foremost bandit force had no other purpose than to clear tactical preparation space for the cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, many bandit chiefs of Hebei origin had already grown tense, for they had already sensed the danger, but none of them had awakened to it as thoroughly as Zhang Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, as he watched the White Horse Volunteers once again live up to their name, Zhang Yan, watching from afar, felt only a buzzing in his brain, his hair instantly standing on end, and his heart becoming utterly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, this General Who Stabilizes Difficulties now knew where he had erred — he should not have committed so many troops to the detached force, nor should he have taken everything upon himself by having his own direct subordinate units shoulder all the divided-force strategies, leaving too few of his own core troops on this frontal battlefield!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleven thousand troops, or ten thousand, it didn't matter — he actually had only one thousand of his own core men to stabilize the situation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large-scale detached force originally meant to ensure the surprise troops could convert into the main force, the garrisons left at various points originally meant to ensure control of the overall situation, the deliberately small troop numbers originally meant to reduce losses during the feigned defeat — all had now become losing moves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun had not underestimated him at all; he had clearly seen through his divided-force strategy, even seen through his feigned-defeat strategy, and moreover seen through his selfish, suspicious nature. Then, making a prompt decision, he had concentrated all his forces, staked everything on one throw, and prepared to finish him on this battlefield where his own core strength was weakest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the very process of this realization, as the two thousand cavalry finished mounting and preparing in the broad valley, the situation on the battlefield immediately became delicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Wei naturally would not personally charge into battle again, but had someone send his White Horse banner forward. And beneath the White Horse banner, Pang De mounted his horse, and while urging his horse slowly forward, he brandished the long spear in his hand and shouted for the kill with a mighty voice. The two thousand White Horse cavalry behind him, all imitating Pang De's bearing, advanced and picked up speed from the western valley mouth while roaring their battle cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several shouts, the voices gradually synchronized, the killing cries drowning out all the clamor on the battlefield, and reverberating wildly through the valley, startling the opposing bandits into losing their composure one after another — but it was already completely too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two thousand White Horse cavalry, using the tactical space cleared earlier to complete their acceleration, heedless of all else, formed a wedge formation, made a slight turn within the valley, and charged straight for Zhang Yan's position. The several bandit contingents within the valley were not without opportunities to intercept, but as non-core troops, they had no reason to die for Zhang Yan. Moreover, with no unified command system and without orders from their own chiefs, there was no time to risk their lives blocking this cavalry force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the two thousand White Horse Volunteers, with only a slight turn, charged directly before Zhang Yan's one thousand central troops. These one thousand central troops did not shirk, and there was simply no need to shirk... they were the target! And in just an instant, under the trampling of hooves and the thrusting of long spears, this sole unit on the battlefield directly subordinate to Zhang Yan showed signs of collapsing and disintegrating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the two thousand cavalry also halted their charging momentum for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the high ground a hundred-plus paces behind the formation, Zhang Yan hesitated for less than a moment before directly spurring his horse and fleeing — after all, it was only one thousand troops; after all, he had meant to feign defeat anyway; after all, even if Gongsun Xun truly pierced through Jingxing today, he could simply flee into the mountains. He had countless reasons to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Yang Feng and Bai Que, who had originally been attending beside him, watched as Zhang Yan retreated with his personal guards, while Zhang Yan's core troops teetered on the brink of collapse, threatening to trigger a general rout of all the bandit troops in the valley — yet for a moment they did not move. Instead, they gripped their reins, first gave some instructions to the attendants behind them, and only after the attendants had departed did they turn to converse with each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Bai Que, let us speak plainly as honest men. Today, General Wei has come with his entire army, and the five thousand detached troops have become a joke. Zhang Yan fled after less than half a shichen of battle. I reckon the main camp is also lost. This battle can be considered over at this point. Just now, we both sent our own personal guards back to prepare for surrender — clearly, heroes see alike.\" Yang Feng gazed at Bai Que beside him, his earlier coarseness replaced by refined courtesy. \"But since we are both surrendering, I know that you have been in communication with the General of Ning Shuo all along... so could I ask you to act as an intermediary and bring me along in surrender, so that I might seek a somewhat higher rank? An inside collaborator and a battlefield surrender are always different, are they not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The usually stern Bai Que looked Yang Feng up and down, then with a scoff, reined his horse and headed downhill: \"Brother Yang, go by yourself. I still have matters to attend to!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything is negotiable!\" Yang Feng earnestly implored from behind. \"Since we are both surrendering anyway, this matter is but a single word from Brother Bai Que, yet it could save me so much trouble... I will surely repay you in the future!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Yang misunderstands.\" Bai Que still did not turn back. \"If you wish to surrender, you may go to my contingent and seek my deputy commander Wang Zhong. It is he who ordinarily handles communication with the General of Ning Shuo. There is no need to seek me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what are you going to do?\" Yang Feng's heart stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was originally the County Commandant of Gonggao County in Hejian Principality. Although I was coerced into joining by Zhang Niujiao back then, given the situation at the time, I bear no resentment toward others. On the contrary, that my old friends and clansmen have been able to survive in the mountains these years is thanks to the General Who Stabilizes Difficulties' protection.\" Bai Que halted his horse and turned back, speaking calmly. \"When I went to seek out the General of Ning Shuo in the summer and tried to surrender, it was to find a way out for everyone in the stronghold, but I never once thought of betraying the General Who Stabilizes Difficulties. And now that he has been defeated and fled, General Wei will surely drive us forward as vanguard to assault the camp... Brother Yang, when a promise cannot be kept, and one repays kindness with betrayal — though I am already a bandit, I am only a bandit in station. The last shred of integrity in my heart, I must still preserve to console myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these words, he turned his horse once more and slowly advanced toward the military formation ahead, which had already collapsed beyond recognition, with a faint hint of accelerating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly is Brother Bai Que's real name?\" Yang Feng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. Unable to restrain himself, he spurred his horse forward several steps and called out loudly after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hejian, Gonggao — Wang Nan!\" The six characters long buried in his heart burst forth. In the next instant, this Bai Que drew his blade and spurred his horse, charging alone with all his might straight toward the White Horse formation before him. \"Hejian, Gonggao — Wang Nan is here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after a few breaths, just as he was about to crash into the formation, before he could even swing his blade, an arrow struck him square in the chest, and he tumbled from his horse to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, two Volunteer Followers spurred their horses forward. One hastily put away his bow, while the other finished him with a spear thrust. And the one who delivered the spear thrust, after striking, then shouted with all his might in reply to the dead man on the ground: \"The ones who killed you are Yang Xiu of Huayin in Hongnong, and Liu Zhang of Jingling in Jiangxia!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this man had sharp ears and had caught Bai Que's declaration of his name carried on the wind, hence this response — utterly indifferent to the fact that the man on the ground could no longer hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Feng, watching this scene from afar, sighed mournfully in his heart, but without the slightest hesitation, immediately reined his horse around and turned back to prepare for surrender... Counting from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it had been nearly seven or eight years; he had seen such things far too many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, with the Han army's stroke of genius — making a prompt decision, mobilizing the cavalry, and breaking through the only unit on the battlefield directly subordinate to Zhang Yan in a single strike — and then Zhang Yan himself directly abandoning his main formation and fleeing, the remaining bandit chiefs, each harboring their own thoughts, also sought their own ways out. The entire valley was thrown into chaos for a time... the majority surrendered, while some, after collapsing, fled rearward just like Zhang Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, the two armies' main camps were no more than ten li apart, and this valley itself was two li wide, so after passing this place, advancing another li or so through a narrow passage would actually bring one to the Zishan Army's main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Zhang Yan was not worried about being unable to enter the camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when he led his personal guards in flight to the valley mouth and saw the scene before him, he was instead overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that Zhang Cheng, Zhang Baiqi, and his two thousand troops, having been at the very rear all along, now seeing the defeat ahead, were actually retreating from the valley mouth in an orderly formation, and had even set up a defensive line at the valley mouth to prepare for rearguard action... Zhang Yan's excitement came from seeing Zhang Cheng's unit completely preserved. If they withdrew into the main camp, with four thousand fresh troops defending the main camp to the death, and then the five thousand detached troops succeeded, then perhaps it could truly turn out to be a close call without real danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what was interesting was that as Zhang Yan approached, Zhang Cheng's unit's defensive line at the valley mouth remained utterly unmoving. The officers guarding it even demanded that Zhang Yan halt and wait a moment, and turned back to report to Zhang Cheng, who was behind them organizing the withdrawal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yan was at first merely exasperated, because Zhang Cheng's unit was the old foundation of his Taiping Dao days — the troops were all Taiping Dao believers, obeying only Zhang Cheng in all matters. This was precisely why Zhang Cheng could securely hold a position second only to Zhang Yan himself in the Northern Taihang Mountains, and why this General Who Stabilizes Difficulties had to win this man over in everything he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as Zhang Cheng and Zhang Baiqi rode that white horse — which now seemed especially glaring — to the valley mouth, Zhang Yan, with a flash of wit through to his very soul, suddenly saw the truth, and his face turned deathly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng reined in his horse behind his own battle line and gazed at Zhang Yan, who had clearly realized the truth. He simply said nothing at all. The two men faced each other from afar, separated by a single battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, suddenly, gusts of autumn wind rose, sweeping the green and yellow of the hills on either side like waves, and billowing Zhang Cheng's robes and the beard beneath his chin. Zhang Yan looked at the tall, lean figure of his old friend of many years across from him, and felt that the other man was still as gaunt as ever, the beard beneath his chin unchanged from days past. Setting aside the fact that the nine-section staff in his hand had become a blade, and that a white horse now stood beneath him, the man still seemed to be that same high-capped Great Peace Daoist from back then, leaning on his staff and singing loudly by the roadside. This sight made Zhang Yan's thoughts drift hazily in the autumn wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after this gust of wind, coming back to his senses, for reasons unknown, Zhang Yan, who had been staring fixedly at the other man the whole time, actually let out a sigh. He then straightened the he-guan cap atop his head — the mark of a high-ranking military man of the Han — and simply drew his blade. Ignoring entirely the sudden sound of hoofbeats rising behind him, he directly and effortlessly drew it across his own throat. Then blood gushed forth, and he tumbled from his horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beginning to end, the two men exchanged no words. Zhang Cheng had no intention of explaining, and Zhang Yan had no intention of questioning him in the slightest... In the end, Zhang Yan had long understood the reason: Zhang Cheng, though he had become Zhang Baiqi, was still that same Zhang Cheng, still utterly unchanged. But he himself, the General of the Household Who Pacifies Difficulties, having gone from Chu Yan to Zhang Yan, had long since become unrecognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between the two of them, it seemed that Zhang Baiqi had betrayed Zhang Yan, but it was Chu Yan who had first betrayed Zhang Cheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all there was to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the dividing line that has become unrecognizable————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Grand Ancestor reached Jingxing to suppress the Purple Mountain bandit Zhang Yan. He had five thousand men; the bandits had twenty thousand. When they crossed the river and set camp, at night the scouts returned, saying that in Zhang Yan's great camp, cooking smoke rose unceasingly, repeatedly visible under the moonlight. The Grand Ancestor thus knew the bandits intended to use the old stratagem of the Marquis of Huaiyin, dividing their forces for a stealth attack. When he summoned the military advisors to confer, the matter was urgent, and all the officers were at a loss. The Grand Ancestor then laughed, claiming he had a plan and that they would know it the next day. His attendants departed in unease. The next day, the Grand Ancestor assembled the entire army, destroyed his own camp, cut the pontoon bridge, and proclaimed it a case of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats. He sent the whole army forward. When they met in the valley, Zhang Yan had divided his forces in half, leaving only ten thousand men, and those were a mixed rabble. Thus in one battle they were annihilated... The men finally understood, and praised him profusely, saying: 'My enlightened lord's strategy was truly to use King Xiang's old stratagem to face the former wisdom of the Marquis of Huaiyin.' The Grand Ancestor laughed again and replied: 'Gentlemen, you are greatly mistaken. Zhang Yan dividing his forces was in fact a desperate gamble, so though it is called the Marquis of Huaiyin's old stratagem, it was in truth King Xiang's old plan. My abandoning the camp and advancing, breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, was in truth knowing the enemy's strategy and striking at his weakness. So though it is called King Xiang's old plan, it was in truth the Marquis of Huaiyin's old stratagem. Moreover, how could Han Xin have betrayed Xiang Yu?'\" — Old Book of Yan, Volume Two, Annals of the Grand Ancestor, the Martial Emperor\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thought I would stand you up? Yes, I would stand you up, but I also repay my debts. This month is not dark so far. Two hundred characters short of a ten-thousand-character mega-chapter, so I won't pad the count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",7461,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","8e62b1cc354dcaf7082751d8690ded4159ade6f47951bac7e9e6be1c6659db81","overthrowing-han-chapter-408","overthrowing-han-chapter-406",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]