[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-424":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},1223183,1620,"Chapter 424","overthrowing-han-chapter-424",424,"\u003Cp>In a certain sense, Yuan Shao's hesitation was understandable, because from his perspective, either fighting or retreating could be attempted, yet each course had its own vexing difficulties…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they truly meant to fight, the good side was that he now had fresh troops, a slight numerical advantage, and more importantly, the advantage of terrain (the Zhang River just thawed), enough to stake a battle on; but the downside was, if another great defeat like the one at Liangqi occurred, then his, Yuan Shao's, situation would truly become irretrievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if he took no risk, simply abandoned Guangzong, retreated across the Qing River (the river from which Qinghe Commandery takes its name), and fell back into Qinghe Commandery behind him, relying on the dozens of cities in places like Qinghe and Pingyuan to mount a layered defense — while this would certainly avoid a total rout like the previous one beneath Liangqi's walls, doing so would undoubtedly be handing over Wei Commandery, Anping Principality, and even Hejian Principality in their entirety, carrying the suspicion of selling out the Hebei factions within his camp — men like Ju Shou, Zhang He, and others — bone and sinew, men and land together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, Yuan Shao was still unwilling to admit that he was afraid of Gongsun Xun, and that this eastward march of his was nothing but flight. And once a man deceives himself, those beneath him can do nothing… truly nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is because in this feudal era, everything, absolutely everything, was built upon relationships of personal dependency — the clans in the local villages, the private retainer system in the armies, the subordinate officials and the recruitment system among the civil officers — all of these made those below unconditionally dependent upon the person one tier above, sharing glory and sharing ruin, layer upon layer, until it all converged upon a single man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man, in former times, was the Son of Heaven; now, it was the various regional lords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the reason Yuan Shao was powerful, the reason his \"four generations of the Three Ducal Ministers, a house full of former officials\" was so useful, lay precisely in this… because if the men of talent under Heaven wished to accomplish something, yet were unwilling or unable to be that single man themselves, they would naturally seek someone to attach themselves to, and ask him to lead them all in doing that thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, one only needs to look back to understand: when the scholar-officials were driven beyond endurance by the Son of Heaven and his household slaves, they naturally chose the Yuan clan at that time; and when they carelessly let things slip, shattering imperial authority and producing a Dong Zhuo, in order to oppose this unparalleled monstrosity, this brutal military man, they went a step further and directly chose Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu; and when Gongsun Xun rose suddenly, leading a group of marginal warriors from the northern border commanderies to successfully replace Dong Zhuo, and moreover declared he would scourge the great clans and powerful houses of the realm, these men, in order to oppose this person they feared yet could find no reason to oppose, clustered even more tightly around Yuan Shao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, success came from dependency, and failure came from dependency; success came from the ducal clan, and failure came from the ducal clan… Yuan Shao's background, character, and ability were all laid bare there, so his integration of these forces was extremely swift, his rise extremely rapid — just as when he previously formed the Guandong Coalition, it sprang up in an instant — and this time, his strategy of localization and warlordization also succeeded in an instant, making many see, in the short term, the hope of suppressing Gongsun Xun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the critical moment arrived, everything about this man made it difficult for those people to easily control him; they could only spread their hands and sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Yuan Shao was no Liu Biao, no Tao Qian, no Cao Cao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In another time and space, Liu Biao relied on the Jing-Xiang great clans to exterminate the powerful houses (the clan bandits) and swiftly completed his control over the Jingzhou region — it was said he had a hundred thousand armored troops and rampaged through the nine commanderies — but once he died, those local great clans easily betrayed his orphaned widow and child; Tao Qian was the same: born in a southern frontier commandery, stubborn and overbearing in manner, and with troops in hand, he suppressed Xuzhou with ease in the early period, but once he grew old and frail, Xuzhou's power still fell into the hands of the local great clans and powerful houses; even Cao Cao, in another time and space, his experience when first raising troops in the early period was a perfect illustration — he obtained Yanzhou entirely through the \"gift\" of men like Chen Gong and Zhang Miao, yet once he killed Bian Rang and prepared to truly be his own master, he was easily betrayed by those very two men, and the whole of Yanzhou was taken back, forcing him to rely on Xun Yu offering Yingchuan to gain a foothold…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And compared to these men, Yuan Shao's greatest difference was that he was naturally the king within this system — others could, according to certain logics within this system of personal dependency, sell territory and power to him, but no one could easily betray him, nor could they truly control him; at the very least, the degree of control was limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, then, created the bizarre situation within his camp today — Yuan Shao could not completely control the men and affairs below him as Gongsun Xun did, yet those below could not easily cast off Yuan Shao or question Yuan Shao either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was only one of the problems; the greatest problem was that the times had changed… In this era, the early second year of Jian'an, no one doubted any longer that no matter how noble a man's birth, no matter how powerful he was, a single arrow on the battlefield was enough to turn him into a cold corpse, thereby altering all balances of political power and deciding the fate of all things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous great defeat was the fundamental reason all these problems were laid bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only ironic thing was that Yuan Shao himself was precisely one of the original architects who destroyed the old order and began speaking with the blade… In the old days within Luoyang City, it was he who first attacked the Southern Palace and began the great slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our army's strength is still sufficient, and we have the Zhang River as a barrier — why can we not fight?\" Feng Ji spread his hands indignantly and demanded, and the man facing him was none other than Guo Tu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The reasoning is very simple.\" Guo Tu clasped his hands slightly and sighed. \"Yuantu, the situation now is that even if we win, we would merely halt the General of the Guard's offensive west and north of the Zhang River, while if we lose, it will be even harder to salvage the situation… Of course, I understand your feelings too — you have toiled long and hard in Anping, and if we abandon the Zhang River now, Anping, Wei Commandery, and even Hejian will find it hard to survive on their own; you must feel terrible. This is just like after the defeat at Julu, when Xu Ziyuan was practically senseless. But the greater situation is the greater situation — this battle is not worth a head-on clash!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is not the same!\" Feng Ji was so agitated his face was completely red. \"Back then, Xu Ziyuan returned defeated after a battle of wits and courage with Dong Zhao and Zhang Fei, and only then lost half a commandery and ten cities… But if today we retreat without even fighting a single battle, we will lose three commanderies in one retreat — what about next time? There are only nineteen commanderies and principalities in total, and as one side wanes the other waxes, in the future we will only retreat faster and lose more! This matter absolutely must not set a precedent…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The precedent has already been set!\" Unexpectedly, Xu You, who had been sitting idly to the side, did not even mind Guo Tu's mockery; judging by his words, he was, uncharacteristically, in agreement with Guo Gongze — both wanted to retreat. \"Didn't we just retreat out of Wei Commandery? Does Yuantu still think this time we truly meant to use defense as offense? Under a defeated army, if there were the slightest room to attack, why would we be glancing left and right between the Zhang River and the Qing River? Why would we be unable to take even a dilapidated old city like Guangzong with no stores? Is Shen Zhengnan some immortal, that he can hold an old, crumbling city, a broken city, with such ease? It is simply that our troops have no heart for battle!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But today, with eighty thousand troops in hand and the advantage of terrain, yet we dare not fight a single battle — how will the realm look upon our lord?\" Feng Ji turned his head toward Xu You, still indignant beyond measure. \"Xu Ziyuan, have you perhaps accepted a bribe from the north, that you come here to disrupt our army's morale?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yuantu!\" Xu You, sitting to the side, still showed no anger, but tilted his head up and sighed softly. \"The last person who spoke of me this way was Chen Gongtai before the Battle of Liangqi… His words that day, compared to what you just said, merely replaced 'eighty thousand' with 'a hundred thousand,' and 'the advantage of terrain' with 'backed by a strong city'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ji was abruptly stunned, and the central army tent immediately fell silent; for a moment, there was only the sound of the men's rapid breathing and the wind outside the tent flapping the great banners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If dying once could halt our lord's decline, why would I, Feng Ji, begrudge a single death?\" Feng Yuantu was silent for a long while before he finally spoke in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The problem is, if you die, who else at Benchu's side can he rely on?\" Xu You countered in the same low voice. \"Chen Gongtai died at Liangqi, Ju Shou was thrown away at Yecheng — if you die too… are we to count on those people? They appear utterly loyal now, but that is because Benchu has not yet collapsed. Once Benchu falls into an unspeakable state, the way they dealt with Han Wenjie back then is exactly how they will deal with Benchu today! And is Benchu's current situation not precisely because these men, for personal and clan gain, pressed him toward reckless haste that brought him to this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ji was speechless and dazed. Beside him, the faces of Xun Chen, Xin Ping, Guo Tu, Shi Yi, Xi Lu, Cui Yan, Chen Lin, Peng Mou, and the others first all changed dramatically, then each took on a different expression… Some were indignant, some ashamed, some calm, some sighed, and some merely sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we follow Ziyuan's words, our lord commands three provinces and nineteen commanderies — setting aside everything else, just beneath this city of Guangzong there are eighty thousand men; counting from company commander and above as officers, that is no fewer than four or five hundred heroes, two or three hundred subordinate officials, and among these seven or eight hundred men, are only the two of you loyal ministers?\" Guo Tu, after sneering, turned his head and stared directly at Xu You.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not sow discord.\" Xu You answered loudly without even raising his head. \"What I mean is, among these seven or eight hundred men, only Feng Yuantu alone is a loyal minister — even I am a man harboring second thoughts, greedy for wealth and clinging to life! No better than any of you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Tu was momentarily tongue-tied, standing there not even knowing how to mock him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With peril before us, let us not speak of such things.\" Xin Ping, who was presiding over the meeting, sighed inwardly for a moment, then helplessly interjected. \"Our lord's head ailment has flared up, and he has asked us to deliberate — and the great army cannot linger here any longer… What exactly should be done must be decided today, and then immediately set in motion…\" Having said this, Xin Ping could not help but adopt a stern expression. \"In the end, fight or retreat? You two must give us a decision!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Tu and Feng Ji, who had been arguing for half the day, were suddenly silent, each wordless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly do you two mean?!\" Xin Ping was overcome with bitter frustration. \"Before, you argued endlessly; now, you are each silent. And you, Xu Ziyuan — not only are you unwilling to contribute, but you insist on calling everyone else treacherous ministers, making it impossible for the rest to even open their mouths… Our lord lies ill in bed, the enemy could come at any moment, and yet what meaning is there in still quarreling at a time like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does Zhongzhi have any resolution?\" Feng Ji still held great respect for Xin Ping, a fellow original follower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, let us listen to Zhongzhi then,\" Xu You clasped his hands and sneered. \"Although Zhongzhi is a Yingchuan man who could not win the hearts of Yanzhou, he is still half an original follower of Benchu's, having busied himself alongside us at Benchu's side over ten years ago. And on this campaign, he even left his only younger brother and most of his family in Liangqi, the place first to bear the brunt — on the strength of this matter alone, one might probably count him as the second most loyal figure in this tent… Very well then, you speak! Whatever you say, we shall do; I will say no more!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What can I say?\" Xin Ping exhaled deeply several times before calming his emotions, then faced them with a solemn expression. \"Do you still not understand the situation now? To fight a battle in this place — the slightest misstep and the entire army will be annihilated. So everyone wants to leave. Yet everyone also understands that we cannot simply abandon three commanderies' worth of territory without firing a single arrow… The realm is watching! Why has our lord fallen ill? Is it not because he too understands these principles in his heart, and because all matters rest upon him alone — others can hide, others can argue, but he cannot hide — and that is why his old ailment has flared up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, Zhongzhi also has no solution?\" Xu You was silent for a moment, then continued his sardonic questioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xin Ping was momentarily choked with anger, yet could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That Zhongzhi, and all of you, have no good solution is only natural.\" Just at that moment, someone spoke from behind the tent flap — it was Yuan Shao, supported by a serving maid and with a cloth wrapped around his head, walking out, which made everyone in the tent rise solemnly to their feet. \"But gentlemen… whether you have followed me for over ten years, like Zhongzhi, Ziyuan, and Yuantu, or have only known me for a few years, like Jigui and Ziyu, we are still lord and subject for this one span; you still eat a portion of my official salary. Surely you cannot hold back at a time like this? If you have any insight at all, I beg you to instruct me; Shao will certainly be grateful!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Yuan Shao actually clasped his hands and bowed to his many subordinates, startling them beyond measure, and they hurriedly returned the gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, although the men appeared to observe every courtesy, once Yuan Benchu had with difficulty seated himself, taken the hot compress cloth handed by the serving maid, and covered his face with it for a long while, still no one offered any counsel or spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Guo Tu continued there, still prattling about the dilemma and the difficult situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu You, watching from below, found it utterly desolate. Finally unable to endure, he rose, hand on his sword: \"Benchu, I have a plan — perhaps we can fight one battle, and moreover avoid this death trap while also covering a retreat. But if, as before, Gongsun Wenqi sees through it and simply does not take the bait, then I can do nothing either…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At this moment, to have even one feasible plan is good enough.\" Yuan Shao tore the hot cloth from his face and hurled it to the ground in fury. \"Do I expect to capture and kill Gongsun Wenqi here? It is only when we reach times of hardship that men's hearts are truly revealed… Ziyuan, my head ailment is unbearable; I cannot coordinate with you. I can only have Yuantu, Zhongzhi, Gongze, and the entire army, high and low, all obey your command. Go and do what you must, and pay me no mind!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men looked at one another, but could only follow Xu You in bowing and accepting the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to the Lord!\" On the seventh day of the first month, Gongsun Xun, leading the main army on a forced march of several days, arrived beneath Quzhou City on the right bank of the Zhang River. He was still by the river, staring blankly, when mounted scouts came in rapid succession, bringing somewhat unexpected news. \"We followed General Zhang Yide's orders to seize the Quzhou ford and construct a pontoon bridge, but there was no defense whatsoever along the Zhang River bank. General Zhang, while building the bridge, also sent scouts to stealthily cross the river first and scout ahead, and they found that for ten li along the river near the bridge, there were no ambushes anywhere — not a single Yuan soldier… He therefore sent us to report!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yuan Benchu made such a decision?\" Gongsun Xun came back to his senses, finding it utterly baffling. \"Even a token battle should be fought, surely? Right here on the opposite bank back then, tens of thousands of Yellow Turban troops, old and weak alike, were trapped by the riverbank; though they knew death was certain, they still understood how to counterattack with their backs to the river to show resolve… He has eighty thousand troops in hand, and he truly does not fear being laughed at by the realm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps some unforeseen event occurred.\" Beside him, Dong Zhao thought briefly and offered a reasonable explanation. \"All the Yuan army's hesitation lay with Yuan Shao himself — on one hand, he already fears you, my lord, like a tiger; on the other, he clings desperately to face… But Yuan Shao has long been said to suffer from head ailments, and it was said to have worsened after the Battle of Liangqi. This time beneath Guangzong, there were also reports from spies mentioning his illness flaring up. It seems likely that his illness suddenly became severe, which instead saved his advisors the trouble of arguing, and they simply retreated in the name of preserving his person!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun slowly nodded at this: \"That does make sense. But regardless, since things have come to this, the entire army will cross the river and advance toward Guangzong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these words, he spurred his horse onward of his own accord, not even entering Quzhou City, intending to personally lead the troops across the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord!\" Just then, Lou Gui suddenly spurred his horse to catch up and called out to stop him. \"Ziheng and the young master are still behind — should they cross the river, or enter Quzhou City to settle for now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have them follow,\" Gongsun Xun answered without turning his head. \"If Yuan Shao retreats slowly, we still have over ten thousand cavalry in the army — it will be a fine opportunity to pursue and win a victory. Letting the boy witness it will do no harm… Besides, since he has come to the army, how can he avoid battle and stay in the rear? Because he is my son?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Gui immediately nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the entire army crossed the river in succession, which we need not elaborate on. Once they had crossed the Zhang River, they met head-on with the relief force sent by Shen Zhengnan from Guangzong City. It turned out, just as previously surmised, Yuan Shao had indeed withdrawn his entire army from beneath Guangzong City, crossing the Qing River and entering Qinghe Commandery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, although Shen Zhengnan had few troops, he had made a brief sortie to raid the rear guard, capturing a few prisoners, and confirmed a piece of intelligence that let everyone breathe a sigh of relief — Yuan Shao had indeed suffered a flare-up of his head ailment and was unable to manage affairs, and this had been the case for several days before the retreat; everyone in the Yuan army, high and low, knew of it. As for this retreat, there were corresponding rumors circulating through the army as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors aside, judging solely from the known intelligence, the likelihood that Yuan Shao, under military pressure from Gongsun Xun, had seen his head ailment worsen and had ceded military command had certainly increased, making this retreat all the more logical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days later, on the ninth day of the first month, Gongsun Xun personally led the vanguard to the walls of Guangzong City and saw the Yuan army's main camp, which had already been taken over by Shen Pei. At this point, he had no further doubts, and his mood improved considerably… because no matter what, with Yuan Shao retreating like this, Wei Commandery, Anping, and Hejian were, for the most part, already in the bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, amidst the exhilaration, the fact that Yuan Shao had avoided battle due to severe illness and retreated so cleanly meant one anticipated victory was missing — this was somewhat unexpected for Gongsun Xun, and also somewhat hard to accept… because according to his plan, no matter what, he needed another great victory to shatter the enemy's morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, without waiting for the entire army to arrive, he immediately convened an impromptu military council in the abandoned Yuan camp beneath the city, making use of Shen Pei's preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord, shall we pursue?\" Cheng Pu, who had hurriedly caught up to this council and was, at that moment, the army's commanding general, naturally was the first to step forward and confirm the army's next move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crossing the river to pursue is inevitable — the key is whether to proceed slowly or swiftly.\" The speaker was Shen Pei, half a host here. He raised his voice in response, as blunt toward everyone as ever, but always to the point. \"If we go slowly, we can wait for General Guan Yu to break through several cities east of the Yellow River — Dunqiu, Weiguo, and the rest — then bring his troops north along the other side of Qinghe. Combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics, we would have nothing to fear... But the drawback is that by then the enemy may already have prepared their defenses, and will almost certainly have entered the various towns and cities within Qinghe Commandery. We would still have to assault strongholds and storm stockades, gradually expending more effort. If we go swiftly, we disregard everything — take advantage of the enemy's shortage of cavalry and their inevitably slow movement, force a crossing of the Qingshui directly, catch them halfway, and strike hard in the field! The advantage of this is that once we succeed, Yuan's army will surely lose heart, and the overall situation in Hebei will be settled! The drawback is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The drawback is that if we fail to succeed, it will instead cause the Hebei situation to waver. After all, we know nothing of the conditions east of the Qingshui, so there is inevitably some risk.\" Dong Zhao, who had been accompanying Gongsun Xun all along, casually picked up the thread. \"Zhengnan, we came in haste, and the enemy army also withdrew suddenly — our spies within their ranks are useless. We truly have no intelligence on the Qinghe side. But you served long in Qinghe and have been here in Guangzong this time — do you have any insight to offer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Pei shook his head repeatedly. \"Gongren, you think too much. Do you imagine everyone leaves contingencies everywhere the way you do? I am truly powerless regarding Qinghe. Only yesterday, when we raided their rear guard and followed them to the banks of the Qingshui, we could clearly see that they had left behind a rearguard force, digging trenches and building encampments on the far bank...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did they burn the bridge?\" Gongsun Xun suddenly recalled something. \"I vaguely remember coming here before to suppress the Yellow Turbans — there was a bridge over the Qingshui east of Guangzong city...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They did not!\" Shen Pei shook his head again. \"The Qingshui is not like the Zhangshui — it is a small river, easy to cross. A single bridge hardly matters... And things having come to this, why would they show weakness?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, still somewhat hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let us act swiftly!\" At that moment, a voice came from outside the military tent hastily erected against the cold, and everyone inside straightened their expressions. \"Such hesitation — is this not the same wavering between gain and loss that afflicts Yuan Shao? My lord, in war, a five-in-ten chance of victory is enough — you yourself said this in years past. Our present situation is far better than five in ten... Not to mention that we truly still lack one decisive victory to shatter the enemy army's morale.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he finished speaking, the man entered the tent — it was Lu Fan, Lu Ziheng, who had remained in Changping for many years. Since the Chief Clerk was speaking on military matters for the first time, the others in the tent mostly fell silent, merely looking to Gongsun Xun to make the final decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, many soon noticed the eleven- or twelve-year-old boy who had followed Lu Fan into the great tent. The child was too young; upon entering, he had intended to offer a formal greeting, but constrained by the atmosphere, could only stand helplessly in a corner, waiting in bewilderment. And very likely having ridden a small horse to hurry here, he was utterly exhausted — at this moment his legs trembled, and he was visibly uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun likewise noticed his own son's arrival and the boy's predicament, but paid it no mind. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded to Lu Fan. \"It is as Ziheng says — in military affairs, nothing is more taboo than indecision. At this moment, we must not avoid battle... Pass the order to the entire army: we have rested the troops all winter, but the campaign will be decided in just these few days. Tomorrow, we cross the river and break their stockades! To achieve great merit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled men bowed their heads and accepted the command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————I am a dividing line that doesn't know whether to bow or not—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Emperor Ren, taboo name Ding, courtesy name Zigui, was the son of Emperor Wu and his Crown Prince. In the late autumn of the third year of Guanghe of the Later Han, he was born in Zhongshan... At his birth, a blue-tinged cloud vapor, round like a carriage canopy, hung directly above him for the entire day. Observers of qi took this as a sign of supreme nobility. At the age of eight, he could compose essays. Possessing extraordinary talent, he broadly mastered the classics, histories, and the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought, both ancient and modern. He excelled at riding and archery, and loved swordsmanship. At eleven, he already bore a sword and followed the Grand Ancestor on campaign within the army — the people of the time marveled at him.\" — Old Book of Yan, Volume Three, Annals of Emperor Taizong Ren\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: I was wrong... I truly should not have been addicted to gaming... Every night when I come back, I always tell myself I'll play just a few rounds and then write, but every time I can't control my hands... I really should cut off my hands to show resolve, but then I wouldn't be able to type either...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The posthumous title was awkward — already changed, purely a brain spasm... Originally wanted to change it to Shengzu Ren Emperor, hinting at annexing the Western Regions, colonizing Yizhou, opening mines on Sado Island, and so on... but felt it was a bit over the top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4834,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","2d0de37530c68f304b7ca7bdd496aeae7928eac925b343253029c2d269db74b5","overthrowing-han-chapter-425","overthrowing-han-chapter-423",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]