[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-441":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},1223200,1620,"Chapter 441: A Jade Vessel in Icy Cold, Unstained by Filth","overthrowing-han-chapter-441",441,"\u003Cp>When a person makes a certain choice, there is always a reason — and if that choice is rather awkward, he may even find an external pretext beyond his true inner thoughts to justify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, there was nothing wrong with Yuan Shu marrying off his daughter. He was at the end of his rope — what did marrying off a daughter matter? And such things were very common in a chaotic age where human decency had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Historically, the great Sun Zhongmou of the neighboring Sun-Wu, in his early days to stabilize his rule, married the daughter of his own elder cousin, who became Lady Xu; in his middle period, to satisfy his own eccentric tastes — or perhaps to repay a favor, who knows — he married Yuan Shu’s youngest daughter, who became Lady Yuan; in his later years, to gain a political ally, he turned around and married his own younger sister to the hero Liu Bei, a man of his father’s generation, who became Lady Sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a chaotic age, mere survival is hard — when plague comes, half a commandery dies; when famine strikes, people exchange children to eat; when war arrives, jade and stone alike are consumed. In such circumstances, to still insist on maintaining nominal ethics and morality is somewhat demanding perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that those who do maintain ethics and morality are all the more worthy of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on Lu Bu’s side, there were naturally a great many reasons as well… First, with great chaos imminent, drifting and shifting from place to place, he truly urgently needed to grasp a force — a distant official is not as good as the one on the spot, and Jiangxia was right before his eyes. Second, alone and away from home, he truly lacked a sense of security and needed a reliable ally. Third, the Yuan clan of Runan, a centipede that does not stiffen even when dead, still had a very useful network of connections in the south, and this universally acknowledged prestigious clan was, for a frontier martial man like Lu Bu from Jiuyuan, an unquestionable ladder in life. Fourth, the so-called notion that betraying trust and abandoning righteousness would bring disaster was even more nonsense — because he had learned all this from Jia Xu. Had he not seen Jia Xu sell him, Lu Bu, out and yet soar straight up, while he, Lu Bu, had been honest and upright half his life only to end up neglected and idle? That being so, why not imitate him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many reasons — these were what he brought out when explaining to his own brother-in-law Wei Xu and a host of old subordinates. One had to admit, they really did make sense — at the very least, they could convince himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unlike Yuan Shu, who was simply smashing the broken pot, and Lu Bu, who kept finding reasons to convince his old subordinates, the actions of another person — or another group — appeared far more self-assured and righteous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the father dies, the son inherits — the realm belongs to the family. Since ancient times… what is wrong with that?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should it not be people like Cao Cao and Liu Bei, who come to bully the widow and orphan before their sworn brother’s bones are even cold, who are more contemptible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I never thought a day would come when I, Cao Cao, would become a despicable scoundrel who loots a burning house.” In Xu County, Yingchuan, Cao Cao had led ten thousand troops here. Just as he settled into the government office, he received a private letter of earnest words. He shook his head and sighed to Xun Yu, who had arrived in the same carriage beside him, and to the accompanying generals Cao Ren, Xu Chu, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This letter came from his prospective son-in-law Sun Ce. In the letter, this newly inherited Marquis of Wucheng described in detail to his father-in-law and second father the shockwaves among the people of the three commanderies after his father’s death, recounted how he, an eighteen-year-old heir unable to obtain an official post, struggled to sustain the family estate before his father’s spirit tablet, told of the shameless betrayals by people at every level across the three commanderies, told of how his widowed mother was utterly heartbroken at the funeral, told of his infant younger sister still in swaddling clothes, wholly ignorant of the outside world… Finally, the letter proposed that his second father Cao Cao and his uncle Liu Bei come together to help him stabilize the situation, and when the time came, he would be willing to hand Yingchuan over to his second father to manage, and entrust Runan to his uncle Liu Bei to govern on his behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Sun’s letter… every word drips blood. Truly, it moves one to sigh upon hearing it.” After a long while, in the hall of the Xu County government office, Xun Yu finished reading the letter and shook his head for a time. “One can only say Young Master Sun has fine literary talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Literary talent my ass!” Cao Cao sat in the main hall of Xu County, his expression stern, and directly mocked with a cold face. “If this brat hadn’t been raised in my house for so long, I would almost believe his nonsense… Wenruo, you don’t know — that fellow A Ce is clearly something like a little mad dog, exactly like his father when he was young: reckless and fearless, treating life and death lightly! If you told me he could kill a man at eighteen, you’d be underestimating him; if you told me he could slay an enemy general in battle at eighteen and revive his father’s martial spirit, I wouldn’t doubt it in the slightest. But putting on an act and playing pitiful and mournful before me… I’ll say it plainly: if he truly wrote this letter himself, then I can only say this is absolutely not Sun Wentai’s seed! This letter is, nine times out of ten, ghostwritten by Zhu Zhi, Huang Gai, Wu Jing, and those people. At most, he simply didn’t object.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu, neither pleased nor angered, calmly placed the letter on the desk before Cao Cao, then slightly straightened his expression. “Although it is true that the son resembles the father, in my subordinate’s view, the man is after all young, and in insight still far inferior to his father… Sun Polu could perceive the whole from the smallest detail, and before his death he was penetrating and magnanimous. How could an underage son and a group of subordinates unwilling to part with wealth and rank compare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed!” Cao Mengde, hearing this, grew somber for a moment. “My brother Wentai is truly a pity… From his last words alone, one can see he was no longer the mere common fellow from Wuxia of old. Given time, he might well have, like Gongsun Wenqi, gradually drawn his sharpness inward while his steel grew even stronger. Who would have thought he would die at the hands of a petty man!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Cao Cao himself paused. “In truth, had he not died at the hands of a petty man, perhaps he would never have awakened. But now that things have come to this, whenever the thought stirs, it is still that scene on Goushi Mountain when we pledged to care for each other’s affairs after death. Just thinking of it brings sorrow, so I do not wish to dwell on it too deeply.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The many civil and military officers accompanying him in the hall all fell silent for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that, after a long while, Cao Cao still sat motionless as dead wood. The others, helpless, could only look to Xun Yu and Cao Ren, but Xun Yu merely stood with hands clasped, unmoving, and Cao Ren was long past being the brat of former days — where would he get such nerve?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, nothing more was said. Cao Cao also politely declined the goodwill of Du Xi, Du Zixu, the County Magistrate of Xu County, who offered to vacate the government office, and instead went to lodge in the relay station outside the city gate… It was autumn, the sky high and air crisp, yet Cao Mengde inside the relay station found it hard to sleep for a long time — until Xun Yu, loosening his robes and carrying fragrance, came alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has Wenruo come to ease my mind?” Cao Cao, wrapped in a cloak, sat under the corridor of the station house facing the soughing wind of the autumn night, yet did not raise his head. He knew Xun Yu had arrived merely by the scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu stood behind Cao Cao with hands clasped and spoke slowly: “My lord, I know you and Sun Polu were as close as brothers, sharing life and death. But the problem now is that the greater situation of the realm lies before us. If the Central Plains cannot be unified, how can we speak of restoring the Han in the future? And if we wish to maintain unity in the Central Plains, these three commanderies — Runan, Yingchuan, and Nanyang — may be in anyone’s hands, but absolutely cannot be in the hands of the Sun clan… I beg my lord to consider this deeply and prioritize the greater situation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.” Cao Cao grew even more despondent. “I understand — it is best that Nanyang and Yingchuan both fall into my hands… But Wenruo, man is not grass or wood — who can be without feeling? The greater situation of the realm is one thing, but are personal bonds not also a matter of account? Moreover, my brother has just died. If I press too hard, how will the realm see me? Will heroes and men of valor come to detest me because of this? Are the affairs of the realm truly a matter of one or the other?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu’s heart stirred slightly. “Is my lord perhaps worried about Liu Yuzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xuande is a hero, a true dragon lying hidden in the Huai region…” Cao Cao spoke earnestly. “I am indeed worried about him, but not worried that he will lead the forces of Huainan to seize Nanyang first. Rather, I am worried that he will scrupulously abide by his duty… If he, in the name of Inspector of Yuzhou, rightfully occupies Runan, then takes this letter and simply turns and withdraws, I will be left even more exposed to the fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your subordinate has a different view.” Xun Yu answered calmly. “If Liu Xuande is truly a hero, he will not truly withdraw after receiving the letter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean he will go take Nanyang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps, but it is also possible he will sit in Runan without a word, neither losing his name for benevolence nor making things difficult for my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why would he do that?” Cao Cao finally turned his head back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because if he is a true hero, he should understand what the greater situation is!” Xun Yu answered with a serious expression. “A so-called hero — first, does not fail the realm; second, does not fail his own heart; third, accomplishes great deeds on his own!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.” Cao Cao slowly nodded, then abruptly rose. “Wenruo, you may go. I shall rest as well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu bowed and withdrew, and Cao Mengde also turned and returned into the station house. But when he slept until the fifth watch, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, he could not help but turn over and rise from bed. Without bringing guards, without calling anyone, merely wrapped in his cloak and shivering, he walked out of the relay station by the Xu County city gate. He had originally intended to use the morning light overhead to head toward the military camp by the city’s edge, but unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the station house, he saw a pond, neither large nor small, not far away, and so he strolled toward the lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, the time had already reached the juncture of late July and early August. The autumn harvest had already begun. If it were a time of good daylight, the wild mountains would surely be a full sweep of green and yellow hues, making one forget all cares upon seeing them. And at this moment, Cao Mengde had originally wished to gaze upon a pool of autumn water ruffled by the wind, but unexpectedly, when he reached the pond’s edge, he discovered that though the autumn water was there, it was already covered with green and yellow fallen leaves, the whole pond rippling on its own without wind… Cao Mengde halted here and remained motionless for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Cao Cao knew better than anyone that Sun Jian’s death was, for the Sun regime entrenched in the heartland of the Central Plains, like Mount Tai collapsing. And as Xun Yu had said, now that Sun Jian was dead, anyone could occupy this Central Plains heartland — only the Sun regime had no qualification to continue holding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was only natural… not merely because Sun Ce had just turned eighteen and possessed no prestige or wings, nor merely because they were still at war and the enemy Liu Biao, with the strength of the six commanderies of Jing and Xiang, was right before them and would sooner or later break free of his restraints and exert force. More importantly, the Sun regime itself relied far too heavily on Sun Jian personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within and without, it was all the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within, this regime, though outwardly maintaining a seemingly stable rule, could not withstand turmoil internally at all… They controlled the most central and most essential piece of land of the former Great Han Empire, yet like Yuan Shu before them, they could not absorb the essence of this land, could not truly merge with this land. Everything was like a great edifice without a foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main body of their regime consisted of wandering swordsmen, river bandits, local strongmen, and old soldiers from the Jiang, Han, Xu, and Yang regions, centered around the Sun clan. Perhaps later they absorbed scattered, fringe local strongmen, but very few local scholars systematically participated in the construction of the regime’s main body. Their ability to maintain momentum relied entirely on continuous successful external expansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They held all nominal official posts in the region and theoretically commanded everything, yet they had not, through military farming or buying off local strongmen, gained true control over the local populace and resources. The reason they could keep these people fearful and compliant was entirely through the military deterrence of Sun Jian and his subordinates, who bestrode the Central Plains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They indeed possessed a powerful and battle-worthy army, but it was one that Sun Jian had unified through personal charisma and seniority, and internally it was too mixed and too chaotic. Even more critically, relative to the local area, this was still an outside army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the regime’s inability to effectively control the territory internally, the blow Sun Jian’s death dealt to maintaining the regime externally was even more straightforward and direct… The Sun regime’s ability to become one of the four great powers of the Central Plains, to form an alliance with him, Cao Cao, and with Liu Bei, Tao Qian, and those others, to reach a non-aggression understanding with Gongsun Xun — all of it, everything, was because of Sun Jian himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s sworn elder brother was Sun Jian. The one Gongsun Xun recognized and appreciated was also Sun Jian. The western shield that Tao Qian and Zhu Jun relied upon was still Sun Jian. The one Liu Biao feared and Lu Bu dreaded was likewise Sun Jian… What did the others count for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Sun regime — vast territory, large population, powerful army — was like a castle in the air, relying from the very start entirely on Sun Jian’s personal prestige, ability, private friendships, and seniority to sustain itself. And now that Sun Jian was dead, the collapse of the Sun regime was probably imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Sun Wentai himself had clearly realized this before his death, which was why he asked his children and family to escort his coffin to Jiangdong and publicly permitted his subordinates to defect to Cao Cao and Liu Bei… This was everything a leader and a man could do for his subordinates and family before death!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his family, following these last words, had abandoned everything and returned home, no power in the realm would have made any extra move against his family members. Liu Biao would probably have escorted them along the way with courtesy, and Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Zhu Jun would have done their utmost to care for them. If his subordinates, following these last words, had each defected to Cao and Liu, then Cao Cao and Liu Bei would certainly have accepted them with delight, and there would have been no barrier between the two sides akin to that of “surrendered generals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sun Wentai had campaigned abroad year-round and had not returned home for a very long time. He did not know that his son, though only eighteen, already had his own designs, and that his subordinates were each unwilling to accept their lot… The reason was simple: Sun Wentai could recognize that the situation was irreversible, but how could his subordinates and the eighteen-year-old Sun Ce possibly understand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they understood, with such a vast territory, who could easily bear to part with it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that some things in this world are too important and too precious — whether one can bear to part with them or not does not decide whether they can be kept in hand… Cao Mengde stood by the autumn pond, gazing for a long time. He neither knew that Xu Chu had long since secretly followed and stood behind him, nor noticed the sun gradually rising in the east, nor was aware that countless generals and local officials had come to request an audience but were blocked and sent back by Xun Yu and Cao Ren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the sun had risen three poles high, the man finally turned and returned into the relay station, where he began personally grinding ink, spreading paper, and lifting his brush to write a reply to his good son-in-law and godson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This letter had no literary grace whatsoever. Throughout, it was more like the official proclamations now popular in Hebei — utterly without superfluous ornament:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, mourning the death of his elder brother Sun Jian;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, reaffirming the legitimacy of Sun Jian’s last words and his own taking in of Sun Jian’s old subordinates and former territory;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, stating bluntly that Sun Ce was not yet eighteen, and according to Han regulations, had no grounds whatsoever to be appointed to any post of two thousand shi or above. With only his title of nobility, he had no authority to command so many officials, nor the qualification to arrest so many court-appointed officers. Everything he was doing now was an act of insurrection;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further on, pointing out even more directly that in this time of separation and chaos, the Sun regime internally had neither the support of local scholars nor the ability to effectively control local strongmen and commoners — in a word, they had never won the people’s hearts, and now, with this act of moral failure on top of it, an outside regime could not possibly continue to stand;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Cao Cao stated plainly: The whole realm knows that he, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei were sworn as brothers and pledged to entrust their wives and children to one another. Now that Sun Jian is dead, if he and Liu Bei do not handle Sun Jian’s affairs, who will? The weighty responsibilities of the realm that Sun Jian previously bore — if he and Liu Bei do not bear them, who will? Therefore, he would go together with Liu Bei, Inspector of Yuzhou, to Wancheng in person to preside over Sun Jian’s funeral, send his coffin to Jiangdong, and take in his wife and children. He would also, together with Liu Bei, in the capacities of second father and uncle, give an accounting to the scholars and people of Nanyang for Sun Ce’s reckless actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the molten gold of public opinion — whether the unmerciful reputation caused by Sun Jian’s harsh rule over his territory, or his own, Cao Cao’s, unfraternal reputation for taking his elder brother’s family property today, or the boiling public resentment stirred by Sun Ce’s reckless conduct — he, Cao Cao, would bear it all alone… Because he was Sun Jian’s sworn younger brother, Sun Ce’s second father, and moreover the Grand Han General of Valiant Might. Sun Jian’s lack of mercy was Cao Cao’s failure to fulfill his duty to admonish; Sun Ce’s cruelty was Cao Cao’s failure to educate him properly; and as for consolidating the Sun clan’s old territory, that was his duty as a subject of the Great Han!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ce’s letter — whoever it came from — that so-called plea for mercy by ceding territory, had been sent out semi-publicly, and Cao Cao’s reply was simply posted all the way in the form of a public proclamation… Wherever the letter reached, not to mention Yingchuan, even the lands of Nanyang, which Sun Ce had suppressed by military force, simply changed their banners one after another!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ce clearly still had nearly ten thousand mobile elite troops in hand, yet before this proclamation, they appeared utterly fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His army had just suppressed one city and arrested the ringleaders, only for the neighboring city to immediately hoist the great banner of Cao. Then his army continued to advance toward the next city, only for the city behind them to shut its gates the moment they left and raise Cao Cao’s banner as well!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The troops could obtain no supplies within their own territory, could not enter cities to garrison, and instead repeatedly encountered ambushes and harassment. The dense cities of the three commanderies that had once allowed Sun Jian to stand proudly in the Central Plains had now become their fatal weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By mid‑August, after Cao Cao had finished overseeing the autumn harvest in Yingchuan, he formally advanced his army to Bowang, the key strategic town northeast of Wancheng. By then, the entire foundation of Nanyang was already, in effect, wholly surnamed Cao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene even somewhat alarmed Lu Bu, who had led his troops to the Bishui region at the southernmost tip of Nanyang. After all, given Lu Bu’s background, experience, and limited perspective, it was very difficult for him to grasp such non‑direct forms of power; he even felt a certain dread born of the unknown… for it was in just such an absurd fashion that Gongsun Xun had suddenly defeated Dong Zhuo before!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the latter half of that war, even now Lu Bu could only comprehend it up to the point where Jia Xu betrayed him and surrendered Tongguan; he still did not understand why, later, when Gongsun Xun struck straight at Meiwu with light troops, Dong Zhuo, who still possessed considerable strength on paper, had suddenly collapsed like a landslide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yong had explained it to him, but Lu Bu could not understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This only proves one thing.” In the mourning hall of the General Who Routs the Caitiffs’ mansion — formerly Yuan Shu’s Rear General mansion in Wancheng — Sun Ce, clad entirely in white mourning garments, could not conceal his heroic spirit between his brows, yet neither could he hide his grief within that heroism. “And that is: everything written in my honored adoptive father’s reply letter is true, and the last words my father left on his deathbed were also the best course of action, having long since seen through it all… We never won the hearts of the people in the Central Plains to begin with; it was always difficult for us to gain a foothold. The local gentry and commoners never regarded us as a government, only as a band of river pirates from the south!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Zhi, Huang Gai, Xu Kun, Wu Jing, and Zu Mao each were sunk in their own grief, the atmosphere indescribable, yet they had no words to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, it was the eleven‑year‑old Sun Quan at his side who could not help tugging at his elder brother’s sleeve and breaking the silence: “Then what will you do, elder brother? Surrender to our adoptive father?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my view, we would be better off going over to Liu Yuzhou,” Zu Mao said indignantly before Sun Ce could open his mouth. “Compared to Cao Fenwu, Liu Yuzhou is far more honorable… He is the Inspector of Yuzhou, and before his death the General did indeed intend to cede part of Runan to him. Moreover, this time he only took Runan, which is under his jurisdiction, and then halted at Langling without moving further — that actually makes one feel more at ease!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I also think going over to Liu Yuzhou would be better,” Xu Kun could not resist interjecting. “Earlier, Li Tong sent a letter saying that after Liu Yuzhou occupied Langling, he dispatched an envoy to him. At the time, he thought the envoy was coming to urge him to submit and hand over Deng County to Liu Yuzhou — in which case the dozen or so cities in southern Nanyang would have been beyond saving…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what happened?” Sun Ce asked casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As it turned out, Liu Yuzhou’s envoy instead urged him to follow the way of a loyal subject, to guard Deng County in peace of mind, and not to worry about his family and clansmen in Langling — that in all matters one must finish what one starts, for only that is the integrity of a subject.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is indeed far more honorable than Cao Fenwu,” Zhu Zhi, wrapped in mourning cloth, responded with a solemn expression. “But conversely, it also means he is determined to take Runan and already regards Li Tong as his man long ago… But whether honorable or not, have you considered this: since Liu Yuzhou occupied Runan early on, and we also promised him Runan from the start, why is he still encamped at Langling without moving? The past period was precisely the autumn harvest season. Although he only mobilized ten thousand troops, at such a season even ten thousand troops sent back would have been of great use…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t I just say?” Sun Ce said dismissively. “This only proves that everything in my adoptive father’s public notice is true. From the perspective of the greater situation, anyone could occupy Nanyang — only we have no right to, because the people’s hearts are not with us, and forcibly holding this place would only create a gap in the Central Plains’ resistance against Hebei… Therefore, the reason Uncle Liu has halted his troops without moving is, on one hand, that he cherishes his reputation and, seeing that I have assumed a posture of resistance, does not wish to create a scene of uncle and nephew contending; on the other hand, he is prioritizing the greater situation, encouraging and supporting my adoptive father’s annexation of Nanyang! In other words, do not think of going over to Uncle Liu — he supports my adoptive father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, Sun Ce paused briefly and then added one more sentence: “It is not only Uncle who supports my adoptive father in taking Nanyang, nor only the local gentry and commoners who wish for my adoptive father to come and take it. Even I, who once followed my adoptive father for a long time in Chen Commandery, know that he is a great hero. Only in his hands does the Central Plains have any chance of contending with the north. As for the rest — let us be honest — even Uncle Liu is constrained by his origins and inherently disadvantaged!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall fell silent once more for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, it was again the young Sun Quan who could not hold back: “Elder brother, since everyone under heaven wants our adoptive father to take Nanyang, and you also believe that by reason he should take it, then why won’t you yield it to him? He is our adoptive father, and also your father‑in‑law. Back in Chen Commandery, he told you himself that in the future he would make you Grand General…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed,” Huang Gai finally spoke, though he seemed somewhat despondent. “Since the young general also feels that by reason it should be Cao Fenwu who manages the affairs of the Central Plains, why remain here without moving? Cao Fenwu has halted his army at Bowang — he is clearly waiting for you to go see him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well said!” Holding Sun Quan’s hand, Sun Ce suddenly turned to look at his own father’s coffin in the hall and let out a sigh. “My father left his last words; the gentry and people of Nanyang have already made their choice; Uncle Liu has given us full face; and my adoptive father is even more direct, making his resolve clear… By reason, for the greater situation, in terms of human relations, and judging by the circumstances, I should surrender Nanyang to my adoptive father, and then, relying on my father’s remaining prestige, fight under my adoptive father’s command — perhaps in the future I might even gain a great future…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone sensed something was amiss, and each became either expectant or tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But why should I be reasonable?” At this point, Sun Ce turned back, casting a defiant glance at his father’s old followers, his eyes already reddening. “Why should I consider the greater situation? Why should I speak of human relations and circumstances? My father is dead, leaving me a foundation, and just because I have an adoptive father I cannot resist, I am to hand it over with both hands — am I not even allowed to feel unreconciled, to feel my anger cannot be smoothed, and then, in my fury, to act perversely against all reason? If everyone were reasonable, if everyone considered the greater situation, if everyone recognized the times, then our Sun clan should still be selling melons on reed rafts on the Fuchun River in Wu Commandery! And you should still be river pirates in Jiangnan — how would we ever be here discussing reason?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expressions of those in the hall varied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have received great kindness from the late General. Whatever the young general commands, Zu Mao will not utter a second word… Is it not just a single life?” After a moment of silence, Zu Mao was the first to bow and pledge obedience. “If we are to use troops… I will be the vanguard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using troops means certain defeat — why use troops?” Sun Ce said with a bitter smile. “If not for this adoptive father of mine, I, Sun Ce, together with all of you, could exert ourselves fully — leaving aside Runan and Yingchuan, we might not have been unable to stabilize Nanyang. But with this adoptive father, no matter how unreconciled or indignant I am, I cannot snatch it from him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what exactly does the young general mean?” Zhu Zhi also bowed his head first to show obedience, and then asked earnestly. “Please make it clear, young general — what is this ‘acting perversely against all reason’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is not acting perversely against all reason, but following the great righteousness…” Sun Ce stepped forward and helped Zhu Zhi to his feet, then spoke boldly and loudly right there in the mourning hall. “I wish to follow my late father’s last command and escort his coffin back to Jiangdong. Will General Zhu follow me across the river to our hometown in Wu Commandery to start a new enterprise? Zhu Gongwei is old and frail; of his two sons, one is virtuous and the other foolish and perverse. The foolish and perverse one holds military power, while the virtuous one, unfortunately, knows nothing of military affairs — is this not precisely a place to employ our arms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was taken aback, but Sun Ce continued speaking slowly: “As for the land of Nanyang, the court has its own proper Grand Administrator of Nanyang, and he is currently within Nanyang’s borders. I wish to offer the territory south of Wancheng to Prefect Lu, in order to return home via Jiangxia — is this not also conforming to the greater situation? Perhaps I might even use this to ask the Rear General to petition for a two‑thousand‑dan post that my adoptive father would be unwilling to give me! And at this very moment, only by going through Jiangxia can we keep our troops from being seized by others, can we not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Zhi, Zu Mao, Wu Jing, Xu Kun, and the others all remained silent, yet in their hearts they were quite stirred… It was difficult to gain a foothold in the Central Plains, and the key point was that without Sun Ce as an intermediary, after this affair it would likely be even harder to find shelter with Cao Cao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That being the case, why not return home and carve out a new enterprise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The great kindness of the late General Who Routs the Caitiffs cannot be repaid with a single death.” After a pause, Huang Gai, under everyone’s gaze, finally spoke. “If the young general wishes to go to Jiangdong, I am also willing to follow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ce slowly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, in fact, was where Sun Ce was far stronger than in the historical record: Sun Jian had already established his independence while he was still alive, and had completed the personal allegiance of the core members of his faction to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ce inherited his father’s enterprise, but unlike in history, he did not need to laboriously win over his father’s old followers within Yuan Shu’s system. It was only natural that these core figures would loyally serve Sun Ce as a matter of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the rest were not like this. How many of the ten thousand elite troops would remain by the time they reached Jiangdong was another matter entirely. But Sun Ce’s resolve was set — he was unreconciled, indignant, and resentful; he wanted to strike out on his own. How could he care about such things?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Cao Cao sat idly at Bowang, waiting a long time but never seeing his adopted son arrive. Instead, he received word that the latter had gathered his troops and household, and was personally leading them south with the coffin, while Lu Bu, with five thousand men, had crossed the Bi River and the Yu River in succession and was closing in on Wancheng… At first, Cao Cao did not grasp the connection between these two events. He merely assumed that Sun Ce, out of resentment toward him, was avoiding him, and that his old followers, out of gratitude for Sun Jian’s past kindness, were escorting him out of the territory. As for Lu Bu, he judged that he was probably taking advantage of the chaos to loot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Lu Bu, holding the seal and ribbon of the Grand Administrator of Nanyang, took key positions along the Yu River without bloodshed, and at the same time spread word everywhere that the Rear General Yuan Shu had already petitioned to appoint Sun Ce as Colonel Who Repels the Enemy, Cao Mengde suddenly realized the truth: his adopted son was truly in a fit of pique against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little mad dog would rather go into the wilds and tear at other beasts until his head was bloodied than submit to him in exchange for some measure of safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, once the news was confirmed, although Cao Cao urgently ordered his troops to march south to race Lu Bu for Wancheng, he was not actually angered. It was Xun Yu, instead, who found it hard to accept for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wenruo, why let it trouble you so?” Riding in the same carriage, heading south, it was instead Cao Cao who had to console Xun Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The human heart is simply unpredictable!” Xun Yu was quite self‑reproachful. “As Ming Gong’s military advisor, I should have urged you to advance on Wancheng earlier. This counts as a dereliction of duty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your planning this time has already rivaled Zhang Liang’s… The seventeen counties and thirty cities of Yingchuan — if not for you, how could I have taken them so easily? Even the twenty counties in northern Nanyang owe a share of their success to your efforts…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is not what I meant, nor am I ignorant of the principle that affairs have reversals and men have obedience and defiance,” Xun Yu said earnestly, seated in the carriage. “It is only that I never imagined there could be so many people under heaven who disregard the greater situation and act perversely against all reason… Sun Ce is just eighteen, still a youth, and has such a relationship with our lord, yet simply because he is unreconciled and indignant, he is willing to stir up a whole round of chaos out of nothing, and even lead his troops back to his hometown to carve out a separatist regime — and still so many people are willing to follow him?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Cao glanced at Xun Wenruo beside him, who was half a head taller, and shook his head slightly: “Those words — anyone could say them, except you, Wenruo, and me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu was inwardly startled, but his face betrayed nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do I say this?” Cao Cao gazed at the vast wilderness all around and spoke slowly. “Because you and I are precisely people who, for our own selfish desires, have gone against the circumstances and acted perversely against all reason. What right do we have to speak of an eighteen‑year‑old child? That boy has done this thing, and today he is escorting his father’s coffin south. For the sake of his father’s casket, I will not pursue him. But if one day in the future we truly face each other, would I show mercy? Is this not exactly how Gongsun Wenqi sees you and me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we…” Xun Yu finally could not hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Gongsun Wenqi’s eyes, are we not also people who disregard the greater situation and throw the realm into chaos out of selfish motives?” The four‑horse war chariot jolted forward, and Cao Cao cut him off. “And if we add personal feelings into it, is there not also a Liu Xuande? What does he count as in Wenqi’s eyes? That we will meet with blades one day is certain — but have you ever seen Gongsun Wenqi fly into a great rage over this, losing his composure and making a scene? And it is not only I, Cao Cao, or he, Liu Bei, or you, Xun Yu, or that boy Sun Ce who are acting perversely against all reason — even Gongsun Wenqi himself, back then under the greater situation of Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao, did he not seize today’s great momentum of the realm precisely by acting perversely against all reason?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the end, everyone has their own reasoning, and everyone has their own selfish thoughts… Since we have staked our lives on this, it is nothing more than a single life — why debate right and wrong?” Cao Cao continued in a somber tone. “For us, as long as we believe our own path is right, and we strive with all our might to contend for it, why care what others think? Only, in chaotic times it is not like peaceful times. In peaceful times, one could still debate with the classics; in chaotic times, when those who follow different currents collide, it inevitably comes down to ‘those who submit to me prosper, and those who oppose me perish.’ That is all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu remained silent still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Cao Cao took the opportunity to bring up another matter: “Wenruo, Bian Rang, relying on his status, spends all his time in Yanzhou gathering with that Cui Yan and other so‑called famous scholars, openly opposing my administration and resisting my establishment of public schools, making it impossible for the abolition of the recommendation system and the switch to imperial examinations to proceed — he is the epitome of a disruptor of the flock… I believe he should be killed; otherwise, our grand plan will be hard to carry out. What do you think?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu was momentarily bewildered: “Why does Ming Gong bring up this matter now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you still not understand?” Cao Cao sighed somberly. “For us, A’Ce and Bian Rang are no different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu was finally stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We often say that treacherous villains bring calamity to the realm,” Cao Cao continued calmly. “But in reality, looking at our dynasty, those who bring calamity to the realm and those who throw the realm into chaos are not the same group of people… I have pondered Wenqi’s words and policies myself, and added to that what you said to me in your home back then, along with my own reflections, and I have come to some understanding…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wish to hear Ming Gong’s lofty insight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my view, those who bring calamity to the realm are exactly as Wenqi said — in truth, it is the Emperors Huan and Ling, the great clans, and the powerful local magnates. And those who throw the realm into chaos are as you said — Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo, and even he, Gongsun Xun, and I, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei in the south. Even Sun Ce, who has just now stirred up chaos in the realm, cannot escape this culpability… But all things have a beginning and an end, a cause and an effect. If the Emperors Huan and Ling, the great clans, and the powerful magnates had not first brought calamity to the realm, then the realm would not have fallen into chaos. And once people like Dong Zhuo and the two Yuans threw the realm into chaos, then we should first set aside other matters and quell the chaos to stabilize the realm. And once the realm is stabilized, we must then go on to govern it… This sequence cannot be changed. At this moment, Bian Rang and Sun Ce each have their own reasons — one is indignant, the other unreconciled. But this indignation and unreconciliation are precisely the obstacles to you and me pacifying the realm. You cannot think that because A’Ce is a warrior and the trouble he stirs up will cost lives, his fault is greater, while because Bian Rang is a famous scholar who only speaks and does not kill, his fault is lesser… In the final analysis, those who govern the realm are still those who brought calamity to it; and those who pacify the realm are also those who threw it into chaos. Who is any cleaner than whom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xun Yu let out a long sigh: “I understand now. But I beg Ming Gong to keep benevolence and virtue in mind — expel Bian Rang and Cui Yan, and refrain from taking lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” Cao Cao answered crisply, and tightened his grip on the saber at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven’s will is unhurried. On the last day of the eighth month, Sun Ce escorted the coffin into the territory of Jiangxia, and on that same day, Cao Cao’s army reached Wancheng. But by then, Lu Bu had already sent his own cavalry ahead to seize the city first; only his rear guard had not yet arrived. For this reason, Cao Cao drove them out in a single battle. The two sides then clashed again by the banks of the Yu River. Lu Bu advanced with his infantry and circled around with his cavalry, dealing Cao Cao a major defeat, only to be checked beneath the strong walls of Wancheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fighting between the two sides remained indecisive for a time. And just then, word reached Langling, and Liu Bei, who had been holding his troops there without moving, finally stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two matters.\" Liu Xuande assembled the entire army, fully armored and expressionless, and gave his orders directly. \"First, send word to Zhang Zibu. Tell him that if that brat Sun Ce follows the river downstream to Jiangdong... in consideration of his father's coffin being with the army, we may provide supplies along the way, but he is to publicly rebuke him in my name, as his uncle, for colluding with the villain Yuan Shu, and openly recruit his followers and subordinates along the route, urging those men to remain in Huainan and not bring chaos to Jiangdong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, no one had anything to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second, we march at once!\" Liu Bei was concise and to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder brother, are we going to fight Lu Bu?\" Zhang Fei's spirits were roused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lu Fengxian is the legitimately appointed Administrator of Nanyang by the imperial court. Attacking him would be without proper name,\" Liu Bei answered calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can't be attacking Cao Mengde, can we?\" Zhang Fei was momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cao Mengde is my sworn elder brother and holds the hearts of the Yingchuan people. Attacking him would be unjust...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then who are we fighting?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Summon Li Tong from Deng County. We shall follow behind that little mad dog A-Ce and go to Jiangxia to chastise the villain Yuan Shu!\" Liu Bei rose, hand on his sword, and answered resolutely. \"Is the chaos and turmoil in the Central Plains not all because of that cur Yuan Shu?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————— I am the dividing line where everyone must make a choice —————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sing to the wine, in times of peace, officials do not call at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The king is worthy and wise, his ministers and advisors all loyal and good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All practice courtesy and deference, the people have no disputes or lawsuits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three years of tilling yield nine years of stores, granaries brim full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grey-haired bear no burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rain and moisture are so abundant, the hundred grains grow to ripeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warhorses are retired, to fertilize the soil and fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons all love their people, promoting the worthy and dismissing the unenlightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nurturing of the young is like that of a father or elder brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who violate rites and law receive punishment light or heavy according to their crime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the roads, no one keeps lost property for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prisons stand empty, no executions even through the winter season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People live to eighty or ninety, all able to die of old age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grace and virtue extend broadly to plants, trees, insects, and worms.\" — Han, Cao Cao, \"Song to the Wine.\" Composed in the spring of the second year of Jian'an at Yingchuan, upon seeing Wenruo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the new Alliance Master Bingtang Xueren — that name is easy to remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",7887,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","21de57f443088f2c0fafc94ed33c6af120b288e254a774c1892be63a3c5bb334","overthrowing-han-chapter-442","overthrowing-han-chapter-440",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]