[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-442":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},1223201,1620,"Chapter 442: The Great River Flows East, the Old Warlords","overthrowing-han-chapter-442",442,"\u003Cp>A political leader, especially a political leader in times of chaos, is destined to live a life of division and contradiction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because political ideals conflict with personal ambition, and political and moral bottom lines are bound to stand in opposition to stratagems and military force. Under such circumstances, a political leader may very well have to wage war for the sake of peace under heaven, and impose harsh laws for the sake of political ideals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention that they themselves are all groping their way forward, and whether it is personal ambition or the restoration of the Han dynasty, at the time these were all first-rate \"life ideals\" that could be openly displayed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Historically, at the end of Han, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian were all like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, all three had political ideals and put them into practice — this is beyond doubt. Cao Cao, as a scion of privilege close to the Han central court, received a systematic elite aristocratic education and himself had systematic political ideals; at the very least, he had insightful understanding of the \"Sage Age\" in those traditional mainstream thoughts of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Liu Bei goes without saying — he may not have had any specific theoretical knowledge, but the simple moral principles of the youxia, of supporting the weak and restraining the strong, always accompanied him. When he governed in Pingyuan, he could make the official scholars of Cao Wei still praise him decades later. When he led the people across the river, he lost even his wife and children, yet still \"put the people first.\" Cao Mengde was by no means wary of him without cause. Even Sun Jian, whose life was brief, displayed an unquestionably heroic bearing in his early battles for the state, especially during the campaign against Dong Zhuo. When others shrank back and did nothing, he still pressed forward without hesitation, striving with all his might to defend the Han dynasty, and he was the only one who achieved some results. No one can easily deny the heroic nature of these actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the same time, these three men also had their own selfish desires and ambitions, and were all influenced by the chaotic environment, not to mention being constrained by their backgrounds and knowledge. To evaluate a person while setting these aside is somewhat wishful thinking and biased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Cao's clan could be called close servants of the Han dynasty, so he had an extremely strong sense of belonging to the Han, which is why he partnered with Xun Yu — one leading the powerful clans of Yan and Yu provinces, the other leading the scholars of Yan and Yu, like fish finding water — and together they attempted to restore the Han dynasty, to return the world to that ideal classical \"Sage Age\" where \"the elderly all lived to a ripe old age and died a natural death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when he went alone to Luoyang, the Guandong lords abandoned him; his father died at the hands of petty villains, and when he went out to battle he was betrayed by Zhang Miao and Chen Gong; he fought decisive battles against old friends, yet the Han central court he defended all communicated with Yuan Shao in turn; he went south to pacify the chaos, only to have his lifelong ideal of unifying the realm within his own lifetime ended by Liu Bei and Sun Quan... And so he began to gradually let himself go, began to establish a ducal state, began to act willfully, yet could never shake off the shadow of Xun Yu and the former ideals deep within his own heart. Thus, even though he held nine of the thirteen provinces under heaven, he never took that final step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is no need to say much about Sun Jian — he died too early. But even so, while burying the Han imperial tombs, he tried to conceal the Imperial Seal; while serving the Han dynasty loyally, he was used by Yuan Shu to bring chaos to the Central Plains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Liu Bei...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bei was a youxia, speaking with a spirit of chivalry, but at the same time he harbored ambition. Whether this ambition arose when he looked up at the great mulberry tree as a child, or when he roamed with Gongsun Zan and others at Mount Goushi at the foot of the Son of Heaven, it was nonetheless indisputably there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet ambition and the chivalrous spirit seem to be the hardest pair of things to balance. Historically, Liu Bei always upheld his chivalrous spirit, so that even nearing fifty he could only drift to Xinye; once he broke his scruples and took Yizhou, he immediately felt like a dragon soaring in the heavens; and then, once he returned to that chivalrous spirit because of Guan Yu's death, he completely withdrew from the stage of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People praise his chivalrous spirit and mock him for breaking his scruples for ambition as false benevolence and feigned righteousness, but they forget that the one who offered the strategy to take Yizhou was precisely a man universally acknowledged as a paragon of virtue through the ages, while his actions after returning to chivalry utterly buried the political ideals of an entire political group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that his path was perhaps destined to be the narrowest of roads, just as he himself was perhaps the most stubborn man among the late Han warlords?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But returning to the present, whether it is Cao Mengde, Sun Wentai, Liu Xuande, or even Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, Liu Yan, Shi Xie, Tao Qian — these so-called late Han warlords — none of them can bypass a Liaoxi commoner who should not exist in this world... He is the opponent of some, the friend of some, the elder brother of some, the superior of some, the subordinate of some, the colleague of some!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He is the prevailing force of the present; everyone must maintain their rule within his political framework. And at the same time, he is like an iron curtain, stretching ten thousand li from Xiliang to the Eastern Sea, falling uniformly and pressing down so that all beneath it can scarcely breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among them, if one must pick the person most and most greatly influenced by this man, it can only be the Zhuojun youxia, Liu Xuande.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to my lord, the mouth of the Yun River ahead has been breached. Colonel Zhou Tai asks what he should do?\" On the Yun River, advancing by both water and land, amid the nearly ten-thousand-strong army moving downstream, a man rode his horse along the bank against the current to the side of a large ship, and without boarding, cupped his hands from the shore to inquire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell him not to pause long, nor to worry about me. Press on with full momentum, and continue downstream along the Han River to attack and breach the Han River mouth!\" Liu Bei sat upright in the large ship, armored and holding his blade, and without turning his head, answered directly. \"Only be careful of Sun Ce ahead — do not rush too fast and collide with him directly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aye!\" The soldier answered thunderously, then abandoned his horse, boarded a small boat by the riverbank, and easily went downstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great army was in perfect order, civil and military officers fully assembled, the soldiers' morale high — Li Tong, newly arrived on the ship, was momentarily stunned by the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Li, why such an expression?\" Liu Bei, catching sight of the other's demeanor, asked casually. \"Did you not see such military prestige under my elder brother, the late General Polu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to the General.\" Li Tong hurriedly bowed. \"That is not my meaning. Rather, the two generals each have their own merits, and I find it novel...\" At this point, Li Wenda paused slightly, and only under the other's encouraging gaze continued. \"Under Sun Polu, the soldiers are high-spirited, advancing like tigers and wolves, making one forget life and death. Following him, one always feels that any enemy can be defeated. Under the General, the army advances and retreats in good order, civil and military affairs are both attended to, logistics are tidy, and the vanguard is fierce, making one feel that everything is fully prepared. Receiving the General's orders to act, one always feels that all matters are properly handled, and no enemy dares to oppose us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bei was neither pleased nor angered, though his tone did ease somewhat: \"Are you not contradicting yourself? If my brother Wentai's troops came to attack me, would I win or lose? But I understand your meaning... If one speaks of the difference between me and that sworn brother of mine, it is that he himself is peerlessly brave, unmatched in battle, and moreover his troops are all fellow villagers and old subordinates, so as long as he himself charges, the rest of his forces will surely follow him forward, heedless of life and death — naturally like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, all before him scattering. As for me, my military strategy is slightly inferior to his, and my martial valor is also inferior. The only thing I can rely on is treating the worthy with courtesy, doing my utmost to gather talents for my use, and borrowing their strength to prepare everything — hence the talk of 'fully prepared.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Tong recalled how the other had previously reassured him, and thought of how, among those Liu Bei currently brought with the army alone, there were civil officials like Zhang Hong and military officers like Zhang Fei, universally acknowledged as renowned scholars and warriors of the realm. Beyond them, there were those of bandit origin like Zhou Tai, Liu Pi, and Gong Du; those of prestigious lineage like Chen Ji, Chen Qun, and Yuan Huan; those of rural gentry background like himself and Chen Guang (Chen Wu's father); and of course, that Lu Su... Regardless of civil or military, regardless of origin, all could be employed by him. He felt heartfelt admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, the man bowed again with cupped hands and said sincerely: \"My lord employs men thus, and will surely achieve great enterprise!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, Liu Bei instead showed a rare change of expression and shook his head: \"I have merely learned the phrase 'put the people first.' In this chaotic age, it is enough to live without betraying others... And even when it comes to winning men, just from what I know, there are two elder brothers to the north who are not inferior to me. So as for great enterprise or not, it still depends on luck!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those around him showed varied expressions at these words, but Li Tong remained sincere: \"The heroes of the realm are so many, yet great enterprise can only be achieved by one man — who does not need luck? Only, for us in this chaotic age to meet an enlightened lord is so rare; we must always do our utmost for him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these words, Liu Bei understood that the other was newly surrendered and harbored much fear and flattery, yet he still rose from the ship, stepped forward, and helped the other up: \"Wenda speaks well. In truth, to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with heroes and gallant men like you, Wenda, and together strive for it — is that not also a life not lived in vain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil and military officers around, led by Zhang Hong and Zhang Fei, all bowed and acknowledged the command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late autumn, the great river stretched across the wilds, its rolling waves at their height. Liu Bei, who had secured Huainan and then seized Runan, the second-largest commandery under heaven, personally led an army of over ten thousand from Langling over Mount Tongbai, turned into the Bi River to join Li Tong in the southeast, then advanced south to take Anlu, and continued downstream along the river following the route Yuan Shu had previously taken to seize Xiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time, Zhang Zhao, upon receiving the message, dared not delay. He immediately dispatched commandery troops from Lujiang and Jiujiang to guard along the route, providing support while defending against Sun Ce. Furthermore, he had Lu Dai, whom Liu Bei had recommended as Grand Administrator of Lujiang, lead three thousand troops upstream from the lower reaches to attack Yuan Shu in a pincer movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitiable Yuan Shu had only just gained Jiangxia a mere two months ago. He had forcibly conscripted ten thousand men, given five thousand to his son-in-law, and of the remaining five thousand, sent three thousand to Zhang Ci to defend against Liu Biao upstream at Shaxian. How could he withstand Liu Bei?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when Sun Ce — whom Yuan Shu had recommended as Colonel of Valiant Charge — had previously passed through this area, had he not worried that being caught between Liu Bei, Liu Biao, and Cao Cao would be a death trap, he would have conveniently taken Jiangxia long ago. And Sun Ce's army of nearly ten thousand, escorting the coffin, had in fact screened Liu Bei's advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, just two days after Sun Ce left the Xiling crossing, without even waiting for Liu Bei's main army to arrive, Zhou Tai, following behind, drove straight in and with three thousand fierce soldiers of Jiujiang seized Xiling City in one stroke, capturing the utterly unresponsive Yuan Shu alive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Equally shaken was Sun Ce. Sun Ce had traveled only five days after leaving Xiling, not yet reaching Qichun, when in great alarm he saw Liu Bei's banners coming from downstream, and received the letter of reprimand drafted by Zhang Zhao in Liu Bei's name... And it was from this moment that Sun Ce's army's morale began to waver, with many lower-ranking officers taking the opportunity to break away and defect to Liu Bei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left with no choice, Sun Ce had to change to marching south and stationing north — that is, moving along the southern bank of the Yangtze, only crossing to the northern bank to seek supplies from Zhang Zhao when provisions ran short. And even so, by the time he made his final resupply within Liu Bei's sphere of influence, at Liyang in Jiujiang, his entire army numbered only around five thousand. What he did not know was that his erratic north-south marching had caused him to completely miss his childhood friend, whom he had once met briefly in Luoyang — Zhou Yu of Lujiang, his own age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that is a story for later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning back to Jiangxia, in just fifteen days, Liu Bei had completely taken Jiangxia, captured Yuan Shu and Lu Bu's new bride alive, and seized all the rich lands along both banks of the Yangtze. Even Zhang Ci, who had three thousand troops stationed at Shaxian, was captured in a single battle under the combined efforts of Major of Separate Command Lu Su and Li Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the news spread, all four quarters were shocked!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Biao was truly frightened to the point of trembling. It must be understood that to him, Liu of Jingzhou, who held the six commanderies of Jingzhou, Jiangxia was like a lifeline. With the great river as a thoroughfare, this place posed an even greater threat to Jingzhou than Nanyang. And were Yuan Shu and Liu Bei the same thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Jiangxia in Yuan Shu's hands, Liu Biao had only temporarily lost Jiangxia — after all, the hearts of the people of Jiangxia could not possibly shift from him, Liu Jingsheng, to Yuan Gonglu. But with Liu Bei taking Jiangxia, the entire Jingzhou was truly in danger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lu Bu was even more panicked. At the small town of Nanjiuju where he was temporarily encamped, he cursed furiously... Liu Bei spoke nicely, saying he would not attack him, the legitimate Grand Administrator of Nanyang, but then turned around and attacked his father-in-law — what was that supposed to mean? Without Jiangxia as a rear base, and with the several counties east of the Bi River effectively lost, what could a Grand Administrator of Nanyang leading five thousand Jiangxia troops still do?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it was not only Liu Biao and Lu Bu — even the Zhu father and sons south of the river were somewhat alarmed. Liu Bei was the acknowledged \"Crouching Dragon of the Huai.\" If this fellow did not look north, but instead turned his gaze to Jiangdong, what then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the three, father and sons, the father Zhu Jun was gradually falling gravely ill and could do little. The eldest son, Zhu Fu, was widely known as a cruel and violent man. Zhu Hao had a reputation for virtue but was only the second son, and had been stationed in Yuzhang all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such a situation, who could stop the surging momentum of Liu Bei?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Zhu Hao, right on the opposite bank from Jiangxia, simply wished that Liu Bei would go attack Jingzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the news reached Wancheng, Cao Cao also drew a sharp breath... He felt that in this great chaos of the Central Plains, compared to this sworn brother of his, he had inevitably fallen to the inferior position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had seized more than half of Nanyang and was theoretically the one who had gained the most in this campaign, Liu Bei was not far behind. Nanyang was the largest commandery under heaven, but Runan was the second largest, and Jiangxia was also a large commandery! More importantly, Liu Bei had suffered no loss or controversy to his reputation throughout. He had taken over Runan in his capacity as Inspector of Yuzhou, by Sun Jian's last words and Sun Ce's consent, and then attacked Yuan Shu in the name of punishing a traitor... Whereas he, Cao Cao, though he had firmed his resolve, had still incurred the bad name of driving away his nephew, had he not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the main reason was that Cao Cao had truly not expected beforehand that Lu Bu, with only a few hundred cavalry, could be so formidable in battle! On a plains battlefield of a few thousand against over ten thousand, a few hundred elite cavalry were enough to change the course of battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Cao Cao almost had the thought of transferring Yue Jin from Yanzhou and Li Jin from Yingchuan, assembling thirty to fifty thousand troops, and first finishing off Lu Bu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he always felt that Liu Bei was going to stir up something earth-shattering again. And this sense of insecurity was truly too uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with a single letter from Liu Xuande, Cao Mengde simply gave up struggling — he was thoroughly convinced!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that Liu Bei had openly sent letters to four men: Tao Qian, Inspector of Xuzhou; Liu Biao, Inspector of Jingzhou; Cao Cao, General of Valiant Arms; and Lu Bu, Grand Administrator of Nanyang. In the letter, he first made clear that he was acting under imperial decree to punish traitors, his intent being Yuan Shu, and that he had no intention of seizing Jingzhou or taking neighboring territory...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he formally issued an invitation, asking Tao Qian to send an envoy, and the other three, along with himself, to go directly to nearby Nanyang to discuss: how to return Jiangxia to Jingzhou; how to handle the administrative disputes over Nanyang; how to unify the sweeping of bandits and warlords in the so-called Five Provinces between the Yellow River and the Yangtze, to bring peace to the people of the Central Plains; how to reorganize the roads and checkpoints of the Five Provinces, so that merchants and scholars of the Central Plains could travel unimpeded; how to buy and sell grain at fair prices and transport medicine in years of famine and plague, sparing the people of the Central Plains from epidemics and starvation; and more importantly, how to eliminate warfare, sparing the people of the Central Plains from the suffering of displacement and slaughter that had lasted nine long years...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, finally, they would also discuss how to deal with the traitor Yuan Shu! Whether by public trial, house arrest, or simply cutting off his head and sending it to Chang'an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the letter, Liu Xuande wrote thus:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I still recall what my brother, General of the Guard, wrote in his 'Proclamation Against Dong Zhuo': 'You, my lords, some have inherited Han titles through your families, some are kin by marriage to the royal house, some have received commands as claws and fangs, some hold tallies overlooking rivers and seas. Emperor Ling was a despot who brought chaos to the realm, not worth a sneer, but the Han dynasty's four-hundred-year foundation — can loyalty be forgotten in our hearts?' Now we, bearing Han mandates and entrusted with the care of regions, if we do not think of serving the state and pacifying the people, how can there be reason for us to fight among ourselves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you, my lords, are willing, to show my humble sincerity, on the day your reply reaches Xiling, I, Bei, shall immediately ride with ten horsemen to Xinye, attending the meeting with but a single blade, to show I mean no betrayal!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if there are villains who disregard the greater good and for their own selfish ends do not cease the clash of arms in the Central Plains, then I, Bei, though powerless, am willing to emulate my brother's campaign against Dong Zhuo, and with the scholars and people of Yuzhou and the sons of Huainan, press forward without turning back!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the letter's end, the signature read: Liu Bei, a common man of Zhuo Commandery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter spread to the four corners of the realm, and the Central Plains were shaken. Not to mention Liu Biao, whose very lifeblood was in another's grip, setting out at once; or Lu Bu, abandoned on all sides and at a complete loss. Even Tao Qian, despite his age and frailty, heeded the counsel of Chen Gui, Mi Zhu, Cao Bao, and others within the province, personally boarding a carriage to go. Yang Biao, the Household Counsellor bearing an imperial tally who had been sojourning in Xuzhou, also followed with his tally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, Zhu Jun of Yangzhou also sent his son, Zhu Hao, the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang, across the river to Nanyang in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Sun Jian dead, the Central Plains alliance, once on the brink of collapse, was reinvigorated—and even grew stronger than before—by Liu Bei's stunning achievement after three years of silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A-Bei has truly matured!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the twelfth month, deep winter, the city of Yecheng north of the Yellow River had gradually turned cold. In the old residence of Zhao Zhong, now the General of the Guards' mansion, the main hall was heated by underground flues. Wearing only a single layer of clothing, Gongsun Xun read the letter that had come from south of the Yellow River, and the corner of his mouth could not help but curl up, showing not the slightest self-awareness of a villain. \"What a masterful move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the dividing line of lacking self-awareness————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the winter of the second year of Jian'an, the lords of the Central Plains gathered in Nanyang. The Commandant of Agricultural Colonels, Chen Deng, accompanied Tao Qian, the Inspector of Xuzhou, as a subordinate official, bringing his clerk Chen Jiao. He said to him: 'I am young yet hold a rank of two thousand shi; there is much talk of me in the Central Plains. Nanyang now gathers heroes—let us go and hear what they say.' When Chen Jiao returned to Xuzhou, he reported: 'The talk in Nanyang all holds you to be arrogant and conceited.' Chen Deng replied: 'For harmony and virtue within the household, I respect Chen Yuanfang and his son (Chen Ji and Chen Qun); for purity of conduct and hatred of evil, possessing insight and righteousness, I respect Zhao Yuanda; for broad learning and a powerful memory, for rare brilliance and outstanding talent, I respect Kong Wenju; for standing firm with the weak against the strong, for loyal service to the House of Han, I respect Cao Mengde; for heroic bearing and surpassing excellence, for possessing the strategy of a hegemon, I respect Liu Xuande; for chastising all under Heaven and reshaping the rivers and mountains, I respect Gongsun Wenqi... Such are those I respect—what arrogance is there in that! The rest are petty men, hardly worth recording.'\" — Old Book of Yan, Hereditary Houses, No. 3\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small PS: There have been earthquakes in the southwest again; everyone please be careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4129,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","f8a24fbaf350808f09898324b7f176751a212f970df5ca6dde5069d9a5ea1d8a","overthrowing-han-chapter-443","overthrowing-han-chapter-441",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]