[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-414":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},1223173,1620,"Chapter 414","overthrowing-han-chapter-414",414,"\u003Cp>As the two commanders’ negotiations failed and the order to commence battle followed, fighting erupted abruptly right near the central army. If one sought the root cause, the first to engage were, strikingly, the four thousand Xiongnu charging cavalry on the left-center wing of Gongsun Xun’s central army and the remaining four to five thousand mixed cavalry from Hebei and the Central Plains in Yuan Shao’s force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some unknown reason, Yuan Shao and Chen Gong did not treat these few thousand remaining cavalry as a strategic detached force to be used judiciously. Instead, they threw them in right from the start, and not on the wings or at the front, but positioned them among a mass of infantry, on the right-center, eastern side of Yuan Shao’s central army — directly opposite Gongsun Xun’s four thousand Xiongnu cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was only the beginning. As the commanders’ orders were transmitted to every unit through banners and drums, along a battle line stretching over ten li, the two hundred thousand troops of both sides, under the direction of their respective unit commanders, each advanced to fight, pushing the entire battle to a fever pitch from the very outset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long spears met long spears, thrusting and parrying; ring-pommel blades stabbed through the gaps between newly clashed shields; warhorses dashed left and right, seeking chances to strike the enemy’s flank or rear… Yet, due to the nature of the contact front, the greatest and most numerous casualties were always inflicted by the arrows that, from time to time, flew up like dark clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Casualties appeared rapidly from the very start, and battle cries shook the wilderness from the very start. But relative to the numbers on both sides, the attrition in combat was negligible. This was mainly due to the existence of formations and armor… The former could effectively protect a soldier’s flanks and rear, a powerful thing invented by humanity as far back as the primitive era; the latter goes without saying — even a primitive man’s animal hide could provide a fighter with who knows how many extra chances of survival, let alone tanned leather armor and forged iron armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that over thousands of years, humanity has progressed from nothing to this point, and war has followed like a shadow every step of the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, as the front lines engaged in full, both commanders instantly lost the ability to direct the majority of their committed forces. After all, attempting to micromanage troops already thrown into combat in a battle of this scale would be laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the commander and the central army staff could not simply do nothing. They needed to gather as much information as possible from the overall battle situation and then make strategic adjustments… such as committing the reserves still in hand to a specific sector, boosting the morale of units at a disadvantage, or simply withdrawing troops on the verge of collapse; or, for instance, discerning the enemy’s strategic intent and issuing general orders to sector commanders from the perspective of a large corps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, besides this, one crucial task was to preserve one’s own life… This has nothing to do with cowardice or fear of death, but rather that the survival of the commander directly affects the life and death of thousands. A living commander, even if doing nothing at all, can inspire the entire army; a dead commander will only cause the soldiers to lose their will to fight, leading to total collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, after the battle began, both Yuan Shao and Gongsun Xun moved back a considerable distance. While avoiding the main combat zones, they each returned to their designated command positions and then acted accordingly… Yuan Shao’s four-horse drum chariot halted behind a high slope, and he personally mounted the chariot to beat the drums and bolster morale; as for Gongsun Xun, he was on a slightly raised knoll on his own army’s rear flank, surrounded by the White Horse Volunteers, remaining silent for a long time, frowning as he observed the battle situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fighting ahead was fierce, and it had only just begun… To the naked eye, nearly every man was pressing forward bravely, and no other circumstances seemed visible at all. However, for an experienced commander, specific information could be gleaned from certain places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is going on over there?” The first to speak was, strikingly, Tian Feng, for he had suddenly spotted something very amiss within the central army’s field of vision — precisely the place where the two armies had first clashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is the Xiongnu cavalry happening to collide with the enemy cavalry!” Lou Gui glanced from afar and immediately frowned. “But it is indeed strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course it was strange!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not only Lou Gui and Tian Feng, two men with experience in large-scale corps operations, who sensed something was wrong; many military clerks and staff officers around them also detected the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must understand that in this battle, the greatest strategic advantage of the Northern Army over its opponent was its ample cavalry. The saying “the charging cavalry of the North are the finest under Heaven” had been validated by Liu Xiu at the beginning and Gongsun Xun at the end, and had become an established truth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but Gongsun Xun’s army, which controlled nearly all the horse-producing regions of northern China, also possessed a large reserve of warhorses, as well as vast numbers of inferior horses and draft horses. Their role in logistics was beyond doubt, and a major reason Gongsun Xun was able to arrive somewhat earlier than Yuan Shao had anticipated was largely due to the strength of these animals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, on the march for this decisive battle, Gongsun Xun had specially and temporarily broken up the original military division structure, uniformly reorganizing and supplementing the cavalry units… The forces from Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou, Sanfu, and Hedong, plus a thousand-man Liangzhou cavalry unit provided by Ma Teng and Han Sui as a token of loyalty — encompassing Han men of good families from the border commanderies of You, Bing, and Ji, direct subordinates of the Xiongnu royal court, former Sanhe knights, Sanfu knights, and Wuhuan charging cavalry, totaling twenty-six thousand riders — were simply divided by him into three parts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The charging cavalry of the four Youzhou commanderies plus four thousand Wuhuan cavalry, eight thousand men in total, under the leadership of Wei Yue, Wen Ze, Yang Kai, and others, were overall commanded by Han Dang and arrayed directly at the army’s easternmost edge, that is, the far left flank of the entire army, with the intent of outflanking and cutting off the enemy’s retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Rong, Zhang Fei, and Zhang Liao led seven thousand cavalry from Guanxi and Hedong, come from Sanfu, along with that Liangzhou cavalry unit led by Yang Qiu and the Saibei cavalry unit brought by Yuwen Heita, totaling nine thousand riders. These were hidden in the central army’s core formation, right behind the White Horse Volunteers. Together with the two thousand Volunteers, they formed over ten thousand riders in total, serving as the general reserve and the force meant to deliver the final, decisive blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from these, there were also four thousand Xiongnu cavalry, the charging cavalry of the remaining three Youzhou commanderies, and two newly formed cavalry units from Changshan and Zhongshan — nine thousand riders in all. Under the leadership of Yufuluo, Huchuquan, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, and others, these were dispersed and placed directly on the front line of the entire army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, after the decisive engagement with Wen Chou three days prior, which had reduced the enemy’s strength by nearly half, Gongsun Xun’s total of twenty-six thousand riders was only a figure on paper; in reality, it was somewhat diminished. Even so, it did not matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because, to put it plainly, Gongsun Xun’s cavalry advantage was simply too great. The whole point was to bully the opponent for having so few cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was precisely the problem… Looking at it the other way, since Yuan Shao’s remaining cavalry were so few and so precious, why had he thrown them out so unsparingly right from the start?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If these few thousand remaining cavalry were annihilated at the outset, wouldn’t Yuan Shao, left with no cavalry at all, be exposing his own weakness in this battle? When the time came for Gongsun Xun to truly divide and encircle, what would he use to stop it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter what, devouring these cavalry first is always the right move, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the central army formation, many turned their gaze to Gongsun Xun, who sat silent beneath the canopy, and urged him to speak. Clearly, everyone had already thought through this line of reasoning, and whatever the reason, this presented a possibility to swiftly end the battle and achieve a great victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must realize that if this chance for victory was not seized, and the battle simply wore on like this until nightfall, even if Gongsun Xun had some backup plans, it might only result in a minor victory. But if the opportunity was seized and the cavalry was used to complete the division and encirclement right on the battlefield, the script after nightfall would be entirely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yuan Benchu is quite decisive,” Gongsun Xun suddenly chuckled. “It seems I underestimated him again…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does the General mean?” Tian Feng frowned and inquired. “Could it truly be a trap?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It cannot be called a trap, but it has some subtlety, enough to allow them to put up a fierce fight.” Amid the earth-shaking battle cries, Gongsun Xun sighed and raised his hand to point toward the faintly visible grand formation of Yuan’s army ahead. “Yuan Benchu placed four thousand cavalry in the middle of the battle line precisely to lure us into sending our main cavalry force from the formation to attack… Gentlemen, look carefully. To the left and right of these four thousand remaining cavalry: on the west side, tightly adjacent, is Yuan Shao’s central army grand formation, filled with armored soldiers and large shields, absolutely not something easily breached, as solid as an anvil; and on the right side, judging by the banners, it should be the three veteran generals Ju Yi, Yu Jin, and Li Jin. These three have combined their forces into a single triangular grand formation, with long spears all around the perimeter and powerful crossbows packed inside! It is precisely like an infantry war hammer aimed at cavalry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly everyone around, except for Xun You alone, changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Therefore,” Gongsun Xun could not help but shake his head, “if our army truly sends its main cavalry force to support the Xiongnu cavalry in attacking the enemy’s four thousand cavalry, annihilating the enemy cavalry would naturally be without worry. But afterward, they would inevitably be drawn into those two grand formations… And at that point, there would be only two outcomes… One is that our cavalry punches through the enemy formations in one breath, successfully completing the encirclement together with the eight thousand cavalry on the eastern side, shaking the forces of Ju, Yu, and Li, and encircling these three divisions; the other is that our main cavalry force, sent out, becomes trapped between the enemy’s two grand formations and is then crushed to pieces by this infantry hammer and anvil!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fighting ahead was intense, especially in those two areas where the cavalry clashed head-on. Wedged between the two grand army formations, they could not wheel about and could only charge straight ahead, suffering enormous casualties with every passing moment, depleting at a rate far exceeding that of other parts of the battlefield alongside their opponents… One could imagine the torment Yufuluo and Huchuquan, these two Xiongnu royals finally released to lead their troops, must be enduring right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, among the truly important figures in the army who could participate in overall strategy, Shen Pei was guarding the rear army, Guan Yu was on the left wing, Cheng Pu on the right wing, and Han Dang led the cavalry at the easternmost edge. Besides them, there were the several military strategists, the Grand Administrator of Julu, Dong Zhao, and Xu Rong, who led nine thousand cavalry hidden behind the Volunteers as the reserve. And these few men were, at this moment, all beneath the central army canopy surrounded by white horses… But facing that strange cavalry battlefield within visual range, these key figures all reacted the same way: several times they seemed about to speak, then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they truly had no room left to maneuver!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, Yuan Shao’s move was like raising the stakes at a gambling table! The dice had already been thrown, yet he suddenly raised the stakes just before revealing the outcome, to gain some slight chance of victory! At a time like this, only Gongsun Xun alone had the authority to decide whether to match the bet or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he matched and won, it could lead to a victory far beyond imagination!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he matched and lost, he would be throwing away a favorable situation for nothing! And what was more terrifying was that this could very likely plunge the Hebei region into a stalemate between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Xun, at which point all of Gongsun Xun’s strategic plans might be affected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what if he did not match?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, the odds of winning were still largely in his favor… It was just that the fruits of victory might be limited, because everyone had envisioned the outcome of this battle, and a considerable number believed it would be a battle Gongsun Xun won, but not enough to shake Yuan Shao’s foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because killing people was truly not that simple, and an afternoon’s time could not kill that many people. Moreover, just over ten li behind Yuan’s army lay the sturdy city of Liangqi and Yuan’s main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know who devised this stratagem,” Gongsun Xun, who had also been silent for a long while, suddenly spoke amid the anticipation and waiting of the central army. “It must be Xu Ziyuan, because he has known me for a long time and understands my character best… A stratagem, in itself, is neither good nor bad; it only matters whether it fits the situation. This stratagem was designed specifically to target my temperament, and it is also the most suitable strategy for Yuan’s army! He knew I could see through it, but he knew even more that I would certainly not let such a good opportunity pass! A man can change anything, but his nature is hard to change!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does my lord wish for us to strike?” Xu Rong suddenly grew excited. “Please, my lord, give the Volunteers to me as well! I, your general, will not fail this mission — after annihilating these four thousand cavalry, I will surely punch through the enemy lines and then drive straight in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No…” Gongsun Xun shook his head in response. “The general reserve will not move for now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Rong, stunned, fell silent with some helplessness. Yet among the several military strategists, a few actually seemed to relax all at once, as if a burden had been suddenly lifted. Clearly, unlike Xu Rong who sought to achieve merit, these men did not wish for Gongsun Xun to gamble, because as the formulators of the military plan, they were naturally opposed to such risky actions that deviated from the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just at that moment, a mounted scout, having shown his token, crossed the defensive line of the Volunteers and galloped over. The feathered guard atop the horse dismounted directly before the small knoll and prostrated himself toward Gongsun Xun’s insignia: “My lord, a military report from General Cheng’s position… On the front line, Captain Jiao Chu has been struck by a stray arrow and died! He has already sent his deputy forward to take his place!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central army staff were half shocked and half resigned. The shock was that the battle had just begun, yet Jiao Chu, a veteran of the army who had experienced the Liaoxi rebellion suppression and the western campaign against Dong Zhuo, a native of Youzhou and an infantry captain of the two-thousand-bushel rank, had died so directly and simply. The resignation was that, although unexpected, this kind of event was also entirely within reason — with the front line fighting like that, anyone’s death was only to be expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, amid the silent dejection of the crowd, Xu Rong once again looked toward Gongsun Xun with hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have Cheng Pu do his utmost to retrieve the body,” Gongsun Xun, seated on his white horse, was momentarily dazed upon hearing this news, but then shook his head again. “The general reserve — still does not move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the dividing line that still does not move————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the end of Han, the Xiongnu were also in turmoil. At that time, two Chanyu stood simultaneously, one going north beyond Yanmen, the other south to Shangdang. It happened that the Grand Ancestor was campaigning west against Dong Zhuo. He first beheaded the Xubu Guduhou Chanyu in the north, then subdued the Luanti Yufuluo Chanyu in the south. The Xiongnu thereupon submitted to the Grand Ancestor, often sending forth four thousand charging cavalry to accompany him on campaign, charging at the front and guarding the rear. Because they suffered many deaths and injuries, there was considerable resentment in the army, and a saying went: ‘How much more so the Xiongnu, skilled in bitter battle, are driven no differently than dogs and chickens.’” — New Book of Yan, Biographies of the Four Barbarians\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strategy of Xu You and Yuan Shao was actually derived from the historical Battle of the Catalaunian Plains… two heavy infantry groups clamping a weak cavalry force in the middle… luring the enemy’s large-scale main cavalry force to become trapped within… Attila saw through it clearly, but still fell into the trap… and was then forced to withdraw from Gaul… never to return for the rest of his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3029,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","704db0debb55b92580eb21282f5281297f09d2d5934d8a3adb996972e8b31faf","overthrowing-han-chapter-415","overthrowing-han-chapter-413",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]