[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-410":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},1223169,1620,"Chapter 410: Toying with Creation in the Palm of One's Hand","overthrowing-han-chapter-410",410,"\u003Cp>Zhang Yide felt dazed for a moment, but in the end could not hold back: \"May I ask Lord Dong, how does one take a thousand commandery soldiers and recover the ten cities south of the commandery?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhao had of course guessed the other would ask this, and he let go of the hand stroking his beard, folded his hands on the couch, and gave a light laugh: \"Since Yide asks, do you know what state those ten cities south of the commandery are in now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I passed by on my way here and have some rough knowledge.\" Zhang Fei answered with a serious expression. \"The so-called ten cities south of the commandery refers to the eight counties and ten cities south of Julu Marsh, excluding Guangzong, which is the farthest and the only one south of the Zhang River. Now Xu Ziyuan has bought them all with official posts and given them over to the Yuan clan. When I came, I observed that each city holds its own ground — the large cities have fifteen hundred men, the small ones a thousand or even fewer. Apart from that, at the Puloujin small city by the southeastern edge of Julu Marsh, because it is at the very front, threatening Yingtao, its position is critical, so Xu Ziyuan personally sits there with about three thousand men... No matter how you count, the total must be around fifteen thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well said.\" Dong Zhao also turned serious. \"This is in fact the advantage of letting local great clans hold power... Yide, you too have long served in the provinces and should know that ordinarily, the government office spends half its strength contending and maneuvering against these local great clans, yet the manpower and resources of the locality are all in their hands, so getting things done inevitably takes twice the effort for half the result — that is exactly the situation between me and Sun Kang here. Now, Yuan Benchu treats his subordinates with leniency, to the point that Xu Ziyuan simply hands over local posts with both hands, so naturally it is the reverse — half the effort for twice the result. This is also the greatest difference from our Lord Marquis... However, this approach also has a tremendous drawback, and it is precisely what I believe gives Yide the basis to recover the ten cities with a thousand men.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I would hear the details.\" Zhang Fei grew even more solemn at these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yide, please consider: these men already held local substance, and once they borrow the chaos of the age to be granted official rank by Yuan Benchu, they also gain local legitimacy, so with both name and substance, they become lords of their own domains.\" At this point, Dong Zhao could not help but sneer. \"And once they are lords of their own domains, they naturally wield authority for their own benefit, treating their own county and city as private property, treating other counties and cities as enemy states, and regarding the other great clans under their rule as hidden threats. Add to this that they suddenly gained such enormous profit, with seals and ribbons not even complete, so in their hearts they must be extremely uneasy... In other words, at this very moment, these cities south of the commandery, nominally one body, are in truth each harboring their own schemes, mutually wary, and even sitting in their own cities they must still suspect that the old acquaintances of their own counties and districts resent them... In a word, this is truly a time when all are suspicious of each other — above and below, left and right, front and back!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fei had already caught the drift, and slowly nodded: \"Lord Dong means that if I lead troops to the south of the commandery, and advance swiftly enough so that Xu Ziyuan, the only one coordinating, has no time to react, then these men will fundamentally not come to each other's aid, or even gather their forces at all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhao slowly shook his head: \"Advancing swiftly is of course necessary, and the faster the better, but even if Yide cannot sweep through quickly, you need not worry that Xu Ziyuan can easily rally his forces... To be frank with Yide, for your march south I have two small stratagems to assist, which may have some effect — one is a stratagem to throw the enemy into chaos, the other a stratagem to confuse the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fei was stunned on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The stratagem to throw the enemy into chaos refers to those great clans south of the commandery. I have always known their foundations and understood their grievances and disputes, so this very afternoon I have already written several dozen forged letters according to their temperaments, strengths, old and new friendships, and grudges.\" Dong Zhao, unhurried, continued to sit on the couch and spoke calmly. \"The letters are full of words of alliance, coalition, threats, and provocation. Once Yide sets out, several dozen clerks of local origin will pose as envoys and simultaneously head south separately, delivering them in a chaotic flurry. At that time, combined with Yide's military actions, it will inevitably make them suspicious and antagonistic toward each other, perhaps even leading them to attack and resist one another. And the stratagem to confuse the enemy is even simpler... Yide might as well remove your military uniforms, lead a thousand men to cross secretly through the middle of Pu Marsh, not touch Ren County or Pingxiang at first, but instead pose as officials appointed by Xu You, travel to their rear at Guangping and Nanhe, then suddenly strike and attack at will!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, while Zhang Yide stood dumbfounded and at a loss for words, Dong Zhao again drew a document from his bosom and placed it before the other, his face then showing an expression of pained reluctance: \"Yide, please look — this is Xu Ziyuan's document for selling offices, a thousand-dan rank of detached division commander, stamped with Yuan Shao's grand seal of General of Chariots and Cavalry, absolutely genuine. With this document, you may swagger boldly, pretend to be reinforcements from Anping, and march south from Julu Marsh with brazen arrogance — you might even trick open city gates... The only thing is, a single thousand-dan office cost me a full two thousand strings of cash! Two thousand strings — more expensive than even the late Emperor Ling sold them for. Only Xu Ziyuan could fetch such a price!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After an unknown length of time, Zhang Fei finally came to his senses, but he did not hurriedly put away the document. Instead, he directly descended from the couch and bowed deeply to Dong Zhao: \"The affairs of the world are like a chess game, all within the expectations of the wise. With Lord Dong laying out such plans, you practically toy with the enemies of ten cities in the palm of your hand. If I cannot recover the ten cities south of the commandery for you, I fear I could not even call myself a mere warrior.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yide need not be so formal.\" Seeing this, Dong Zhao also jumped down from the couch and hurriedly returned the courtesy. \"Men have their strengths, and tasks have their divisions. Without Yide's bear-and-tiger bearing as the pillar, all my planning and arrangements would be nothing but armchair strategy, merely inviting ridicule. What comes next depends on how Yide displays his awe-inspiring might on all fronts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these words, Zhang Fei shed his earlier restraint and responded with head held high, no longer hesitating, like a fierce tiger awakening or a hunting leopard flexing its waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two having settled their plans, and neither being the sort to drag their feet, the next morning Zhang Fei directly set out with his troops, taking Sima Zhi and leading a thousand commandery soldiers whose uniforms were not even complete, flying only the great Han banner, and hurried southeast... ostensibly to garrison in a county seat east of Julu Marsh and resist Xu You at the Puloujin small city south of the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for this, Sun Kang, who had met Zhang Fei the day before and thought him merely a brave but simple warrior, and who still believed Dong Zhao powerless, had no particular comment and went about his business as usual — only seizing on the fact that Sima Zhi accompanied the army to send his younger brother Sun Xing as a deputy commander to march with the troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what this man never imagined was that when these thousand soldiers reached the edge of Julu Marsh, his younger brother was simply cut in two by Zhang Fei with one stroke and thrown into the great Julu Marsh, becoming instead the means by which Zhang Yide asserted his authority. Then, the entire army of a thousand immediately turned south, and taking advantage of the autumn waters being full and the marsh being easy to navigate by boat, they boarded vessels Dong Zhao had long prepared and sailed directly south toward the southern part of the commandery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later, on the twenty-third day of the eighth month, Zhang Yide, posing as Yuan's army and appearing in the heartland south of the commandery, easily tricked open the gates of Nanhe County seat, killed the defending commander and the false county magistrate, and absorbed their forces. At the same time, virtually every power in the region south of the commandery received various messages delivered by envoys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twenty-fifth, Zhang Fei, who had earlier hastily appointed a surrendered man as county magistrate and then abandoned Nanhe without a care, led his entire army with two days' dry rations, traveling light, eastward. That night, he scaled the walls by hanging ropes, took Guangping by surprise, and captured another city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twenty-sixth, still abandoning the cities without a care, Zhang Fei continued to strike eastward with light troops, and with three thousand men arrived at Quzhou City by the banks of the Zhang River. The false county magistrate inside, terrified and believing that the Grand General's army had already crossed Julu Marsh and was about to cross the Zhang River to strike Yuan Shao's rear, actually surrendered directly. It was only then that Xu Ziyuan at the Puloujin small city learned that a colossal disaster had occurred behind him, but by then it was already too late for anything — because of Zhang Fei's reckless abandon and Dong Zhao's false envoys, who continued to fly everywhere without the slightest concern for being exposed, Xu You's messengers could no longer gain anyone's trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twenty-eighth, ignoring Guangzong City, which stood isolated south of the Zhang River and almost jutted into Qinghe — in truth, Dong Zhao's count of eight counties and ten cities had never included this city — Zhang Yide chose to concentrate superior forces and head directly southwest, upstream, and in a single day successively captured the two counties of Chizhang and Lieren at the southernmost edge of Julu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twenty-ninth, having already taken five cities and holding five thousand men, Zhang Fei actually chose to detour through Quliang County in Wei Commandery and turn back north, and with the Quliang garrison staring dumbfounded and caught completely off guard, he easily took it as well. By this point, the entire region south of Julu Marsh had become Zhang Yide's hunting ground. Let alone relying on these local garrison forces, even if Yuan Shao dispatched his main army to reinforce, he might not necessarily prevail easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the thirtieth day of the eighth month, Zhang Fei, uncharacteristically, detached two thousand troops — including the thousand he had originally brought from north of the commandery — and gave them to Sima Zhi, ordering him to hold Quliang, a place separated from Handan only by a single Jize Marsh. Then, repeating his old tricks, he led the remaining army of over three thousand, almost entirely composed of surrendered soldiers, carrying only a few days' dry rations, and turned back north... And the surrendered soldiers, just as before, with no time to think, followed Zhang Fei in a daze as he continued to rush forth into battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day of the ninth month, Zhang Fei stormed the county seat of Guangnian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third day of the ninth month, Zhang Yide returned to the Nanhe County seat he had first occupied, having gathered four thousand troops and recovered more than half of the territory south of the commandery. By this time, only ten days had passed since he first stormed that city. The three places to the north — Ren County, Pingxiang County, and the old city of Julu — had only just finished probing each other and, under pressure from Xu You, were gathering together to try to retake Nanhe, and were still on the road... Zhang Yide made an immediate decision and met them head-on. The two armies encountered each other at dusk. Zhang Yide charged at the forefront, pierced through the enemy lines, and in a single clash the entire army took three hundred heads and forced the rest to surrender on the spot. By this point, this man whom Gongsun Xun had personally praised as a match for ten thousand had, within ten days, completely recovered the eight counties and nine cities south of Julu Commandery, and even added Quliang County seat in Wei Commandery to boot... Counting carefully, only the Puloujin small city remained unrecovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth day of the ninth month, Zhang Yide, still giving those surrendered officers and soldiers no time to think, sent a letter across Julu Marsh to inform Dong Gongren while simultaneously, without pausing to rest the horses, led his entire army of over six thousand northward, heading straight for Puloujin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixth day of the ninth month, Zhang Fei once again encountered the enemy by the banks of the Zhang River, that great Hebei river whose water system spreads across virtually all of Jizhou... It turned out that although Xu Ziyuan had been caught off guard by Zhang Fei and was somewhat bewildered, his intelligence and cunning were what they were, and he had long sensed the danger. So, while ordering his entire army to retreat across the Zhang River to take refuge in Anping Principality, he crossed the river first, went to Anping Principality to fetch several thousand troops to meet them. His earlier forcing of the three forces at Ren County, Pingxiang, and elsewhere to combine and march south had actually been a feint, meant to cover this retreat... It could be called wise!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But although Xu You was so cautious, he still never imagined that, clever as he was all his life, he would for once encounter a bear-and-tiger general rarely seen under heaven, and perhaps the one famous general under heaven most adept at this kind of chaotic warfare... Zhang Yide took nine cities in ten days, winning every battle everywhere, and the convergence of the three cities' troops actually saved him time, allowing him to abandon the three cities and head straight for Puloujin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that not having witnessed that monster Guan Yunchang alongside his colleagues was Xu Ziyuan's good fortune — and even greater fortune that he got to witness the monster Zhang Fei all by himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the scene at hand, Zhang Fei pressed on relentlessly with light troops. By the time he arrived, those three thousand men had already abandoned the Puloujin small city, built a pontoon bridge, and were preparing to cross the river and flee under the cover of the Anping garrison on the opposite bank... But Zhang Yide, a seasoned veteran of the army, had fought this campaign with the ferocity of wolves and tigers, and by now his blood was up beyond restraint. Seeing this situation, how could he hesitate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, he immediately urged his entire army forward — the recently surrendered troops, still full of vigor, in the front, and those who had surrendered earlier but were exhausted from constant campaigning in the rear. Six thousand troops struck along the river, and in a single afternoon by the banks of the Zhang River, they took over a thousand heads and forced over a thousand to surrender. Of the remaining men, only two or three hundred actually succeeded in crossing the river; the rest all trampled and crowded each other on the pontoon bridge and drowned in the river waters, meeting the same end as the Yellow Turbans of years past!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Ziyuan on the opposite bank, with his several thousand Anping garrison troops, watched from across the river as his own soldiers were slaughtered nearly to the last man. He was already panicked, speechless, and at a loss — but Zhang Yide still did not let him off. Riding the prestige of this great victory and emulating Gongsun Xun's battle at the Wei River that day, he had all the officers among the surrendered troops, as well as those surrendered officers in his own army who had previously bought posts from Xu You but shown no particular merit, dragged out and beheaded en masse, executing them as a public example!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Ziyuan's eyes nearly burst from their sockets with rage, and he almost fainted, but he could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the executions were complete, Zhang Fei, to guard against Dong Zhao being too weak in the rear and any unforeseen danger, burned the pontoon bridge, threw all the corpses into the Zhang River, and then personally gathered seven thousand troops, making a great show of force, and marched along the Puloujin high road toward Yingtao City to bolster Dong Gongren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Zhang Fei did not know that on the very morning of the day he routed Xu You and awed the Zhang River, Dong Zhao, having received news of the earlier battle at Nanhe, had directly invited Commandery Adjutant Sun Kang to meet him in the rear hall of the government temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that from the very beginning, when Zhang Fei suddenly vanished with his troops, Sun Kang had already grown uneasy; and a few days earlier, as the first signs of Zhang Fei raising havoc in the south of the commandery began to emerge, this unease had grown ever more pronounced. By this day, when word came that the three cities of Ren County, Pingxiang, and Julu had jointly marched against Nanhe but were defeated by Zhang Fei, and that Zhang Yide had virtually succeeded in sweeping the south of the commandery, he was treading on thin ice, cautious to the extreme, with no further overstepping behavior whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for now, with Dong Zhao summoning him, he naturally dared not refuse... In fact, after adjusting his attire — tall cap, straight robe, black silk cord, bronze seal — not only did he not delay, but he promptly, with an uncharacteristic smile blooming like a flower, hurried into the familiar government temple. Upon reaching the rear hall, he even bowed his head to the ground and addressed him as Lord Administrator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Dong Zhao was as amiable as ever. He personally came down from the hall to help the other up, then led him to the seats of honor in the rear hall, where they sat side by side, hand in hand — which more or less let Sun Kang breathe a long sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, once the two were seated and Dong Zhao opened his mouth, this man who had been Commandery Adjutant of Julu for many years and was the foremost figure of the local gentry clans felt his entire body turn ice-cold in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gonggao, there is something I must tell you.\" Dong Zhao held the other's hand, looking somewhat helpless. \"Yide smashed the eight counties and nine cities south of the commandery and obtained countless confessions from the surrendered men, and searched out countless secret letters... Most of them are nothing special, but at the Huang clan's place in Ren County, a letter was found in your own handwriting. The brushwork matches, the seal is complete, and the messenger was reportedly a trusted family servant of yours...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My family and the Huang clan are old family friends.\" Sun Kang, his whole body icy cold, hurriedly explained. \"It is perfectly ordinary for them to have letters from me... They only rebelled two months ago — how can earlier letters count?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I naturally know that.\" Dong Zhao laughed in spite of himself. \"But this letter is not an old one from before — it was delivered only a few days ago, after Yide set out on his campaign. And the first half of the letter warns the Huang clan to be wary of Yide's movements...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang panicked and nearly leapt from his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Calm yourself for a moment and hear me out...\" Dong Gongren pulled the other back, dragging him back into his seat, and continued calmly. \"And in the latter half of this letter, you discuss with them, telling the Huang clan to endure for a while, and when the Grand General marches on Handan, to suddenly offer up Yingtao and lead Yuan's army to strike directly at the Grand General's rear, thereby achieving unparalleled merit... Gonggao, tell me yourself — with this letter placed here, no matter the situation, no matter your family's standing, no matter your personal reputation, even if you argue until the sky breaks, can you escape the calamity of clan extermination?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This letter is forged!\" Sun Kang was nearly in tears. \"Setting aside that I knew nothing of General Zhang Yide's march south, just the idea of plotting against the Grand General — where would I get such courage? And I truly did not write any letter! Lord Administrator, you know me — although I was disrespectful before and harbored grievances, I would never risk my family being wiped out to do something so foolish... As for the seal, I have been Commandery Adjutant for many years and have wide contacts throughout the commandery, many have seen it. If someone took a clay pellet and forged it, that would be quite ordinary... In short, I beg you, Lord Administrator, you must believe me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I naturally believe you.\" Dong Zhao continued to hold the other's hands, now drenched in sweat, with an expression of utter sincerity. \"How could I not believe you? Because that letter was indeed forged by me, and the seal was also secretly forged by me when I found an opportunity earlier... But in the current situation, what does it matter if it is forged? Can it not exterminate your entire clan? Everyone in the commandery knows of your past arrogance, and they all know of your resentment toward me and the Grand General. Add to that the situation before and now — would they not believe it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang stared at the other's dark, plump face and was stunned on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, he struggled free of Dong Zhao, prostrated himself on the ground, knelt, kowtowed, and begged forgiveness, raising his hand to point at heaven and swear an oath: \"Your subordinate, blinded by a single leaf, arrogantly puffed up with self-importance, failed to recognize Mount Tai — ridiculous to the extreme. I beg the Lord Administrator's forgiveness... For today's matter, your subordinate swears an oath here and now: if the Lord Administrator can spare me from this calamity, I will in the future repay you by binding grass and holding a ring in my mouth!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhao chuckled, then stepped forward to help the other up: \"Gonggao, you overthink things. The two of us have been lord and vassal together. Although there were some frictions before, if I were determined to exterminate your entire clan, why would I have waited until now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang's heart had surged wildly today, rising and falling. Hearing these words, in his relief he nearly collapsed entirely, almost slumping to the ground, but fortunately Dong Gongren was somewhat stout and strong enough to help him back into his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before, your subordinate was foolish, using the bond of lord and vassal to betray the duty of lord and vassal, never expecting today to receive such great kindness from the Lord Administrator.\" After a long while, Sun Gonggao, having caught his breath, spoke bitterly. \"Please, Lord Administrator, give your command. If it can be done, your subordinate will exert himself to the utmost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This matter is simple.\" Dong Zhao folded his hands beside him, unhurried and calm. \"Please give me, Gonggao, the thousand or so clan soldiers your family has hidden in the three estates north of the city, along with the remaining thousand commandery soldiers in this city — most of their officers are also appointed from your family's disciples — hand them all over to me now. Let us summon them here at once and have my younger brother Dong Fang lead them. They will set out immediately for Puloujin and join forces with Yide to crush Xu You... Rest assured, your younger brother Sun Xing is in Yide's army and has rendered much merit. These two thousand troops of yours, give them to him to command!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case, I shall go and do it now.\" Sun Kang, hearing these words, felt as if he had escaped from death itself and was simply overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need for you to go. You will sit here with me and instruct them to come over.\" Dong Zhao was unconcerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang came to his senses and hurriedly apologized once more. And so the two sat side by side in the rear hall of the government temple, summoning Dong Fang and many of the Sun clan's trusted confidants to come there. Then Sun Kang gave instructions in person, transferring military authority to Dong Fang... With their own master and the Commandery Administrator both present, how dared the Sun clan's trusted men say much? And Dong Fang did not hesitate either — he first took over the commandery soldiers, then left the city to assemble the thousand Sun clan soldiers outside the walls, and hurried south toward the city facing off against Puloujin, clearly intending to truly coordinate with Zhang Fei in a pincer attack on Xu You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, at this moment, no one in Yingtao City knew that Xu You had long since fled the Puloujin small city, and that Zhang Yide, swift as a wolf and fierce as a tiger, was at that very moment displaying his divine might by the banks of the Zhang River!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two thousand troops hurried off, and there were no other soldiers in the city. Dong Zhao still sat unmoved like a mountain in the rear hall, leaving Sun Kang no choice but to continue accompanying him, trembling with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That should about do it.\" Seeing the sun slanting westward and reckoning the troops had traveled far, Dong Zhao finally spoke. \"Let us go together to the main hall in front and handle one piece of official business together, then call it a day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How dare I not obey?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang had long since completely relaxed. At this moment, he merely assumed the other wanted to seize the chance to assert authority over him and establish proper hierarchical protocol — how could he be unwilling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two men reached the front hall, Dong Zhao seated himself squarely in the central seat of honor, while Sun Kang stood waiting below to one side. The commandery’s Bandit Officer, Military Officer, Merit Officer, Accountant, Jailer, and others had also all been summoned and now stood waiting in two rows below the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Zhang has swept through the south of the commandery and forced the Wang clan of Ren County to surrender. A letter was discovered, revealing that someone within has colluded with rebels, plotted treason, and intended to hand Julu over to the Yuan traitor in exchange for reward and recognition. The Wang clan patriarch has also confessed fully.” Seeing that the many commandery officials below the hall had all assembled, Dong Zhao did not hesitate. He directly drew a letter from his bosom, then pointed his finger at the already stupefied Sun Kang. “The traitor is none other than the Commandery Assistant, Sun Kang… Bandit Officer, where are you? Seize this man! Merit Officer, where are you? Come examine this letter and pass it around for all to inspect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among the commandery, from top to bottom, did not know that Zhang Yide had already largely succeeded? And after a busy afternoon, they had just watched Dong Fang take over military authority and lead away all of the Sun clan’s forces. Moreover, when the Merit Officer and others examined the letter, the handwriting and seal were indeed clear. Who would still harbor any doubt?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, there was no need at all for the several armored soldiers standing guard outside the door to act. The Bandit Officer and Jailer directly stepped forward and, right there below the hall, easily seized Sun Kang and stripped him of his official seal, cord, and ceremonial sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the Jailer, following protocol, was about to remove the man’s official cap, Dong Zhao suddenly raised a hand to stop him. “We have been colleagues. Why add humiliation? Sun Gonggao… though you repeatedly defied me, repeatedly spouted wild criticism of the General of the Guards’ governance, and after the war began, repeatedly evaded and delayed military matters, I still recall your years of toil in maintaining the commandery, which have been of merit. Today, I grant you this act of grace… Your crime today is grave and unpardonable. But if you take your own life and end this, I will plead on your behalf before the General of the Guards, so that the crime falls on you alone and does not implicate your clan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang was pinned to the ground. He raised his head and opened his mouth to speak. At first, he wanted to cry out for help, but then remembered that none of the men he could call upon were here now. Then he thought to argue to his colleagues that the letter was a forgery, but knew in his heart that no one would believe him. Finally, he wanted to question why the other party had gone back on his word, but suddenly recalled that his own younger brother was still in the army and his family had no power to resist. In the current situation, the threat of clan extermination was no empty falsehood… In fact, had he not been tricked into giving up his troops that morning, the idea of clan extermination would have been laughable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he only stared blankly and asked in return, “My lord, can you truly not spare my life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I do not take your life, how can I establish authority, build virtue, and win the heartfelt submission of the hundreds of thousands of people throughout Julu?” Dong Zhao sat squarely in the seat of honor, his dark, plump face showing only cold intent. “On the eve of a great battle, why utter such laughable words?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Kang had nothing more to say. He could only raise his face to the heavens and sigh. “A single leaf before the eye blocks the view of Mount Tai. I, your subordinate, thought highly of myself, yet I was no more than a plaything in my lord’s palm. Truly laughable… Now that matters have come to this, I ask only for a jug of strong wine and a sharp blade. I will not let others throw away their lives in vain for my foolishness and arrogance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Zhao certainly would not tell this man that his younger brother Sun Xing had actually died even earlier than he would. So he merely nodded slowly and waved his hand in dismissal. The Jailer then naturally led the man away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire commandery staff stood solemnly in the hall, waiting in attendance. After only a brief moment, the Jailer returned to report to Dong Zhao that Sun Kang, dreading punishment, had committed suicide by cutting his own throat in the prison. The next day, the commandery posted notices at all the relay stations and public lodges, publicly declaring the truth of Sun Kang’s defiance and rebellion. Of this, no more need be said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, by the seventh day of the ninth month, Julu, after months of chaos and division, was pacified in a single morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am a powerless dividing line————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong Zhao served as Grand Administrator of Julu, stationed at Yingtao. The Commandery Assistant, Sun Kang, was a scion of a great provincial house. He had been nominated as Filial and Incorrupt over a decade ago and enjoyed high prestige in the commandery. He had always despised Zhao and often showed him disrespect. In the early Jian’an years, when Yuan Shao and Gongsun Xun contended in Jizhou, the lands north of the River shifted three times in a single day, and many turned their coats between morning and night. Xu You, bearing Yuan Shao’s seal, used official posts to buy over the various clans south of Julu Commandery. Nine counties and eleven cities rebelled all at once. Yingtao hung isolated north of the Julu Marsh, panicking thrice daily, and Sun Kang’s insolence grew worse. When Zhang Fei marched north into Julu, he fought a mobile campaign with a thousand troops. In eleven days, he won battle after battle and retook ten cities, restoring order to the commandery. Then, those who surrendered came forward to report that Sun Kang had been in communication with the Yuan clan, a crime warranting clan extermination. Upon hearing this, Zhao sighed and said: ‘Since Dong Zhuo’s chaos, years of turmoil have shaken the thirteen provinces. This is already a season when superiors and subordinates harbor mutual suspicion. Jizhou’s seven years of chaos and division are the very source of the realm’s upheaval. To live here, at such a time — those who rebel today and surrender tomorrow are often driven by circumstance! Though Kang was disrespectful, and neither sentiment nor law can tolerate him, to exterminate his clan is something I cannot bear in the end!’ When Kang heard this, he wept and bowed toward the north from within the prison: ‘A single leaf before the eye blocked the weight of Mount Tai from view; a moment’s ignorance kept me from recognizing a hero’s countenance. I should use my death to apologize.’ The Jailer, an old acquaintance from the commandery, then lent him a blade with which to take his own life in the prison, and Zhao pardoned his clan. When the commandery heard of this, all said: ‘This lord repays enmity with virtue!’ And so they submitted from the heart.” — Records of the Heroes of the Late Han, by Wang Can\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the student Soaring Big Bear for the red-ticket donation… I finally managed to rush out this chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5843,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","c93075951328c63fdccc986a41ca64d9a892323a0e0861868469c9da96313b7f","overthrowing-han-chapter-411","overthrowing-han-chapter-409",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]