[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-471":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},1223230,1620,"Chapter 471: The Qin and Ying Falsely Composed a Record of Eastern Travels (Continued)","overthrowing-han-chapter-471",471,"\u003Cp>In the sixth year of Jian'an, the realm was suddenly swept by surging winds and rising clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the spring plowing ended, the newly enthroned Duke of Yan, Gongsun Xun, openly issued an ultimatum. Edicts poured out from Yexia, and both Hebei and Guanxi entered a state of war readiness, as if a storm were about to break. In response, the various lords of the Central Plains showed no courtesy either, immediately gathering at Nanyang in the name of the Son of Heaven and likewise assuming a posture of unity and resolve to fight with full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering that neither side was still in that \"drifting\" state of the early chaos — on the contrary, both sides now possessed deep foundations of rule and strategic depth, not to mention the enormous scale of the forces they could potentially muster — this process was destined to be long and deliberate...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to judgment, at first the two sides would generate friction in many places during the process of assembling their forces, with small-scale battles breaking out. Then the side that mobilized more effectively would first dispatch a few elite units to try to seize strategic choke points along the border, which would then trigger reinforcements and an escalation of mobilization on the opposing side, leading to encounter battles and siege warfare... At that point, it should be considered that war had formally begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, for the total forces of the entire army, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, to fully assemble, form a comprehensive standoff, and erupt into large-corps encounters and confrontations, followed by seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle — that would likely take no less than half a year. As for how long the large-scale corps standoff would last, that was even harder to say, but it could well be three or five years!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, back when the First Emperor of Qin had achieved overwhelming momentum and was about to unify the realm, when he attacked Chu, he still suffered defeat first and victory later, spending a full three years before completely annihilating the opponent. In the time of Han Gaozu, the Chu–Han War dragged on in stalemate for a full four years before Han Xin's grand Hebei flanking strategy decided the outcome at Gaixia. The only seeming exception was Emperor Guangwu — after he broke with the Gengshi Emperor across the river, the Gengshi regime itself immediately rotted and collapsed, with regions everywhere rebelling, so the two sides never fought a great decisive battle. But even Emperor Guangwu, after proclaiming himself emperor and emerging from Hebei, still spent six years sweeping away those minor warlords, and then another five years locked in a seesaw struggle with the entrenched Long and Shu powers before he could formally unify the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such precedents before them, those who came after — even the most optimistic people in Gongsun Xun's camp — were prepared for a protracted, drawn-out struggle when facing this \"imminent\" war. This was not a lack of confidence in Gongsun Xun; on the contrary, it was a sign of their confidence in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, at this stage, still hoping for a quick victory would be laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, for a time, hearts were stirred. Even the most fanatical radicals became cautious after the initial shock, and even the most complexly positioned old-guard conservatives grew hesitant and faintly expectant... In fact, faced with such a situation, in late spring, even Zhao Qi — a nearly ninety-year-old retired Han loyalist minister — recorded this profoundly meaningful line in his \"Sanfu Juelu\": \"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Vast Heaven not yet established; the year is Bingzi, may all under heaven be greatly auspicious!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Azure Heaven\" means spring, and \"Vast Heaven\" means summer. Translated, this line means: Spring has already ended, summer has not yet arrived; this year is the Bingzi year; I truly hope that all affairs under heaven will proceed smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that these words truly leave one speechless — not a single fault can be found in them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spring has already passed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the lands of Shu, in the wilderness north of Mianzhu City in Guanghan Commandery, a man stood poised on horseback with a bow, gazing at the pile of game gathered by his servants before him. He could not help but sigh and shake his head. This man was none other than Liu Fan, eldest son of the Governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan. \"Even the hares have grown this plump... Ziyi, it's been half a year since you came to Shu, hasn't it? Now that my father has explicitly stated he will not join the Central Plains alliance and has even sent gifts to Chang'an as a gesture of goodwill per your suggestion, why haven't you returned yet? Could it be that your Duke of Yan has forgotten you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not at all.\" Jiang Gan, sitting with several young scholars in the shade of a bamboo grove nearby, let out a scoff at these words. \"Bodao, that remark is rather laughable... In truth, back when my Duke of Yan subdued Hanzhong and went to Chang'an, he sent a messenger to inform me to do my utmost for the matter of Prefect Zhang's mother one more time, and then, whether successful or not, I could return. As for later encountering the Son of Heaven's flight and the arrival of envoys from Nanyang, I truly never anticipated that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then you... why exactly haven't you left?\" Liu Fan, seeing nothing but hares and more hares, with no bear or tiger to display his martial prowess, felt thoroughly bored at heart. He signaled his subordinates to skin the hares and roast the meat, then dismounted and came into the bamboo grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I, your humble servant, believe that since I was sent as an envoy, I must not disgrace my mission. And in my humble view, this matter can still succeed; it merely requires waiting a little longer.\" Jiang Ziyi continued with a smile. \"Only, I never imagined that after waiting just one spring, so many events would occur in the realm... But it still does not hinder my mission!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Fan, who had just seated himself on a rock, could not help but frown at this: \"Ziyi, this time we are meeting privately for a hunt, so let's dispense with the formal pleasantries... Think about it: since Zhang Lu has submitted, his mother is one of the few means within Shu to control Hanzhong. How could my father possibly release her easily? For you, on the other hand, a great war is about to erupt outside, one that may well link arms of disaster for over a decade. This is precisely the time for a man of your unrivaled eloquence to return home and put his talents to use. How can you waste your youth idly here in Shu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Gan seemed about to speak, then hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course,\" Liu Fan continued, then could not help but laugh. \"If you could stay long in Shu, I would also be happy to have you accompany me in consulting on governance, hunting, and amusement. I could even grant you an official post and stipend... After all, for someone like me, raised since childhood in the cultured heartlands of the Central Plains, to have to deal with these Shu people whose accents I cannot even understand is truly unbearable. And there are truly few in Shu who possess your talent, Ziyi... But what you've left behind in the north is not merely some future prospects — there is also a lovely wife! I've heard that your newlywed wife, Lady Wang, in order to wait for you, actually moved to Hanzhong on her own initiative, gazing south day after day... Why put yourself through this hardship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several scholars accompanying the hunt, men like Pang Xi, were mostly young men who had migrated from the Central Plains or Jingzhou. Having grown familiar with Jiang Gan over the past half year, they all burst into laughter and teasing at these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Jiang Gan, for once, actually blushed there in the bamboo grove: \"It is precisely because my wife is waiting just there in Hanzhong that I feel all the more that I cannot abandon this halfway — otherwise, I would have no face to see my wife!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group laughed even more heartily, and Liu Fan also shook his head repeatedly: \"What exactly are you waiting for? How could my father possibly release Mother Zhang?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, I long ago ceased to hold any hope for Governor Liu himself,\" Jiang Gan said, slightly straightening his expression and composing his countenance. \"What I am waiting for is for Liu Bodao, eldest son of Governor Liu, to establish himself securely in Shu. At that time, perhaps Prefect Zhang's mother could be brought back to Hanzhong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laughter of the group stopped abruptly. Even Liu Fan was momentarily taken aback: \"You are waiting for me? You think I would help you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not help me, but help yourself, Bodao,\" Jiang Gan replied earnestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Liu Fan instead laughed again: \"I will not debate with Ziyi, lest I be ridiculed in the history books someday...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since ancient times, the reason so-called rhetoricians have been able to accomplish things has never been by relying on sharp words, but because those great figures themselves already harbored certain thoughts, and the rhetorician merely helped them sort out their reasoning. If those great figures were themselves iron-willed, magnanimous in spirit, and of lofty refinement, how could they be swayed merely by a few words from someone else?\" In the shade, perhaps because a few campfires had been lit in the clearing before the bamboo grove, Jiang Gan rose and retreated a few steps, leaning against a large bamboo stalk as he sat down, yet still spoke with eloquence. \"Conversely, if one fears the words of a so-called rhetorician and is unwilling even to listen, then it only shows that some great figures, though outwardly composed, have long harbored certain thoughts in their hearts and are merely deliberately avoiding and concealing them... Bodao, we entered Shu one after the other and have become well-acquainted. Can your affairs truly be hidden from me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Fan's expression turned awkward, but he no longer argued. Pang Xi and the others exchanged glances and could not help but lower their heads and fall silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case, I shall indulge in a bit of verbal sharpness!\" Seeing this, Jiang Gan simply composed himself, cupped his hands, and spoke. \"First, is the security of Shu truly dependent on the mother of a mere Governor of Hanzhong? All of you are well-read men — must I really teach you certain principles? In terms of the greater principle, the security of Shu depends on the virtue of its ruler and on the hearts of the people of Shu. Forcibly detaining the mother of a legitimate imperial official of the two-thousand-bushel rank as a hostage is, on the contrary, an act that forfeits virtue and loses the people's hearts! It is, in fact, counterproductive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, though Liu Fan's expression tightened slightly, he surprisingly showed no anger. Seeing this, Jiang Gan felt greatly reassured and continued to speak with eloquence:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in terms of the greater situation of the realm, the security of Shu lies in the intentions of the Duke of Yan and the attitude of you, father and son. If you, father and son, maintain respect and deference, and the Duke of Yan does not attack Shu, then Shu will naturally be greatly secure. If it truly comes to the point where the Central Plains are settled and the Duke of Yan is determined to attack Shu, would he then alter the grand strategy of the realm because the mother of one of his subordinates has become a hostage? Bodao, what kind of man the Duke of Yan is — others may not know, but there is no reason for you, father and son, not to know! By holding onto Prefect Zhang's mother like this, you will only needlessly earn the Duke of Yan's ill will!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Fan and the others could only manage a few dry laughs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And even retreating ten thousand steps further,\" Jiang Gan stood up again, pointing north, \"we entered Shu one after another and have some sense of how difficult the Shu roads are. If it truly comes to the last resort, shouldn't the defense of Shu be placed at places like the Yinping Road, the Jian Pass, Baishui, and Jiameng? And if we further discuss it in terms of strategic topography, in truth, if Hanzhong had not submitted to my Duke of Yan, then your holding a hostage might still have some rationale. But now that it has already submitted, the hostage is instead useless, merely earning you a bad name in vain and incurring the ill will of my Duke of Yan. At this juncture, even if you truly wish to take precautions, shouldn't you focus your efforts on the passes and barriers of the Shu roads? What exactly is the point of detaining a woman?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well!\" Liu Fan let out a sigh. \"For the sake of the Duke of Yan and Ziyi, when I return today, I will do my utmost to persuade my father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have not yet finished speaking!\" Jiang Gan clasped his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth within the bamboo grove, shaking his head. \"The reason I have placed the hopes of this diplomatic mission on you, Bodao, is not to say that I hope you will help me for the sake of someone's face. Rather, it is to say that as a son, once you have established a foothold in Shu, from the standpoint of filial piety, and from the perspective of a subject, you should take the initiative and do your utmost to send Prefect Zhang's mother away from your father's side! Because although Prefect Zhang has submitted, what is his family's background? What kind of person is his mother? Do none of you know? And as for Governor Liu's obsession with matters of sorcery, witchcraft, and prophetic texts — has his obsession not gone far enough? As a son, as a subject, how long must you sit by and watch him err before it is considered enough?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, utter silence fell within the bamboo grove. Attendants brought over hare legs, roasted to perfection and even sprinkled with a pinch of pepper powder. Liu Fan, however, casually passed them to Pang Xi beside him. And Pang Xi, having accepted them, found he had no appetite either. In the end, Jiang Gan's initial words had struck right at their thoughts. Had Liu Fan and the others not already harbored some ideas of their own, how could they have been so wary of Jiang Gan's words?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that in the many years since Liu Yan entered Shu, waves of turmoil had never ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very beginning, he entered Shu as Governor of Yizhou precisely to suppress rebellions. At that time, Shu had basically already descended into complete chaos, with even a bandit proclaiming himself Son of Heaven. Back then, Liu Yan relied on Jia Long, a Provincial Attendant from a powerful local magnate family, to suppress the rebellion and establish a foothold in Mianzhu, where he set up the provincial seat. Immediately thereafter, he connected with Zhang Lu's mother, gained the support of certain local religious forces, and then smoothly dispatched Zhang Lu into Hanzhong, cutting off the roads between the Three Adjuncts and Shu, thereby formally establishing hegemony over Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But very soon, as Liu Yan indulged his own authority and disposed of his tools after their use, he began relying on the Eastern Province Scholars — that is, the refugee scholar-official groups from the Three Adjuncts, Jingxiang, and the Central Plains who had fled disaster or simply come to seek refuge with him — to move against the powerful local magnates of Shu. Jia Long and Ren Qi, the Grand Administrator of Qianwei (in the area of modern-day Leshan, Sichuan), rose together in rebellion again. The two sides fought for a long time, but in the end, Liu Yan proved the superior strategist, and the quality of talent among the Eastern Province Scholars was also higher, so he managed to suppress them. With the heads of Jia Long and Ren Qi falling to the ground, Shu finally enjoyed a period of temporary stability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Liu Yan was a man who could not change his nature. As soon as stability was restored, he began wasting vast amounts of manpower and resources, manufacturing imperial carriages. He also engaged in constant friction with his own kinsman Liu Biao along their provincial borders, attempting to infiltrate Jingzhou. As a result, while suffering near-total defeat in his contest with Liu Biao, he also drew the arrival of his own cousin Huang Wan. The latter came to Shu in the name of an imperial envoy and very nearly staged a public drama of severing kinship for the sake of righteousness, utterly ruining Liu Yan's reputation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only after Gongsun Xun had destroyed Yuan Shao and the greater situation of the realm gradually moved toward stability, under the repeated rebukes and urgings of this General of the Guards' envoys, that Liu Yan gradually settled down. But even then, it could not be prevented that internally, the Eastern Province Scholars and the native people of Shu were as incompatible as fire and water, and externally, warfare with Liu Biao continued unceasingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beyond all this, what the newly arrived Liu Fan and his companions found most unbearable was that Liu Yan himself, growing daily more arrogant, extravagant, and debauched, had actually become increasingly obsessed with prophetic texts, witchcraft, and sorcery!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be understood that the very reason Liu Yan entered Shu in the first place, rather than returning to his home province of Jingzhou, was that he had heard from Dong Fu that Yizhou possessed the aura of a Son of Heaven. And as for Zhang Lu's mother — how old was she, and how old was Liu Yan? A major reason the two of them could become entangled was that Zhang Lu's mother's identity as a shamaness played a very significant role!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among all this, what the men around Liu Fan, like Pang Xi, found most difficult to accept was this: Liu Yan's third son, Liu Fan's third younger brother Liu Mao, had followed his father into Shu in the early years. Since there had long been no hope for the other three sons to return, he had faintly assumed the posture of an heir. And after Liu Yan heard that the younger sister of Wu Yi — the nephew of Wu Kuang, a former subordinate of He Jin who had entered Shu with him — had the physiognomy of a noblewoman, he actually had Liu Mao marry Wu Yi's sister!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, this matter itself was nothing much. But the awkwardness lay in the fact that no sooner had Liu Mao, who entered Shu first, gotten married, than Liu Fan also entered Shu! Not only that, but as Gongsun Xun successfully annexed Liangzhou through a strategy of seven parts politics and three parts military, Jiang Gan even brought Liu Fan's wife and children into Shu along with him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yi was a rare talent and military leader among the Eastern Province Scholars, commanding considerable prestige. To let the immigrant scholars fall into internal conflict over such an unavoidable matter would be a loss not worth the gain. And in all fairness, these young men who entered Shu later, perhaps influenced by the north, had gradually lost their sense of awe and submission toward these so-called prophecies and sorceries from the bottom of their hearts, and so they only found the whole affair absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the crux of the problem was that Liu Yan believed in them, and Liu Yan was the master of Yizhou!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Liu Yan's superstition became a sickness of the heart for Liu Fan and the others... Liu Fan perhaps genuinely harbored some filial piety, feeling that this was bad for Liu Yan's reputation, or that it was bad for Liu Yan's health. But for the rest, they purely wanted to find an opportunity to make a public political declaration to all of Yizhou, high and low!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A declaration that Liu Fan was the undisputed heir of Yizhou!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Jiang Gan's trump card lay precisely in this: \"If the matter succeeds, the Duke of Yan will appoint you, Bodao, as General of the Household Who Conquers the East, using the weight of Ba and Shu to press eastward against Jingxiang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Governor Liu and his son are of the imperial clan. How could they take up arms against the Son of Heaven?\" Pang Xi let out a dry laugh, deflecting the offer on Liu Fan's behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is not that you, father and son, need to dispatch troops. This matter has already been settled previously,\" Jiang Gan replied frankly. \"It is to give Bodao a formal title, to designate him, in the name of the Duke of Yan, as the heir to Yizhou... My Duke of Yan has held sway over the imperial court for nearly seven years and has long been esteemed by the realm. If he receives the Duke of Yan's designation, then Bodao's position in Shu will be utterly secure!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Xi and the others immediately looked toward Liu Fan, the meaning self-evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Liu Fan paused briefly, then actually shook his head: \"This would inevitably carry the implication of coercing my father. When I agreed to Ziyi's request just now, it was originally for my father's sake... If the Duke of Yan truly has sincerity, why not release my second younger brother and allow him to return to Shu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That should pose no great obstacle!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I will do my utmost!\" Liu Fan finally agreed. \"As a subject, as a son, and as a friend, I should do my utmost to bring this matter to a conclusion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Gan was overjoyed and immediately stepped forward to exchange courtesies with Liu Fan. The two men clasped hands there in the bamboo grove north of Mianzhu City. Then Pang Xi personally brought over two hare legs, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and presented them as a gesture of celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as Pang Xi arrived before the two men, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly halted his steps, frozen on the spot. Immediately after, the servants and the other scholars also rose in astonishment, only to slowly sit back down, not uttering a single word. Jiang Gan and Liu Fan were bewildered, but seeing everyone slowly shaking their heads and signaling them to keep silent, they could only maintain their handclasp out of trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, as the two men stared in stunned disbelief, a mighty and strange beast brushed past their sides. Its form was like that of a brown bear, yet it was patterned in black and white — unmistakably the pi beast, quite renowned in the lands of Shu. Yet, though this beast was so powerfully built, it harmed no one. Instead, it simply came before Pang Xi, swallowed the two salted hare legs from his hands, and then swaggered away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beginning to end, no one dared make a sound. Only after that pi beast had completely vanished did Jiang Gan, long accustomed to the work of his lips and tongue, become the first to change his expression and speak, his face showing delight: \"Congratulations, Bodao! No sooner had we made our pact than a strange beast appeared. This clearly shows that this matter is certain to succeed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's true,\" Liu Fan replied with effort, already drenched in sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as the two released their clammy hands and supported Pang Xi — who could no longer stand on his own — out of the bamboo grove, they felt awkward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Gan even looked to the sky and scoffed, \"How can one be so superstitious?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only, by this point, no one had the heart to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it must be said, perhaps it was the appearance of the strange beast that had an amplifying effect. That very evening, within Mianzhu City, when Liu Fan publicly used the Confucian principles his own father had taught him in years past to earnestly urge his father to distance himself from sorcery and draw close to Confucian scholars — swayed by his affection and respect for his eldest son, and by the gravity of succession rights — Liu Yan finally agreed to release Zhang Lu's mother and formally ordered the expulsion of all sorcerers and alchemists from his residence. At the same time, he decreed that all official posts held by those practitioners of sorcery within his household be transferred in their entirety to the retinue his eldest son had brought with him into Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, everyone was greatly pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Jiang Gan had finally fulfilled his mission without disgrace, and was able to escort Zhang Lu's mother north to Hanzhong in the fourth month, when flowers bloomed across the fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in mid-fourth month, after reuniting with his wife Wang Yi in Hanzhong for barely ten days, Jiang Ziyi received a summons from Chang'an, saying that Duke Yan was about to travel east to Yecheng to review the troops, and that Jiang Gan was to rejoin the ranks as an attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ziyi was overjoyed. This time, however, he set out eastward together with his wife, clearly intending to settle her in Yecheng, and then to volunteer for a mission south as an envoy — on one hand hoping to achieve merit, and on the other, seizing the chance to relocate his parents to Hebei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as he journeyed east, proactively seeking out news, Jiang Ziyi obtained more and more information about the situation in the Central Plains:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the second alliance at Nanyang had indeed succeeded as imagined, though with a slight difference from what had been previously heard: because of Liu Biao's timidity and Yang Biao's efforts, Lu Bu had risen suddenly as a new force, splitting Nanyang evenly with Liu Biao. Lu Bu occupied the area north and west of Wancheng, directly facing Wuguan and also holding Luyang; Liu Biao occupied the south and east, securing the Mian-Han region for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, Liu Biao's forces were to be divided in two: twenty thousand combat troops and twenty thousand support troops, under Liu Pan, Huang Zhong, Wen Pin, Wu Ju, and Gan Ning of Ba Commandery — who had previously defected from Liu Yan — would march north into Yanzhou and Yuzhou, under Cao Cao's command; while Cai Mao would personally lead ten thousand combat troops and ten thousand support troops stationed in Nanyang, to assist Lu Bu and \"guard\" the Son of Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Liu Biao's final decision to join the war had one enormous amplifying effect: Cao Cao would no longer have any worries about troop provisions or logistics! The Jing-Xiang region, where the yearly grain harvest alone was abundant and armor numbered in the hundreds of thousands, would greatly boost the morale of the Central Plains coalition!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond this, the Son of Heaven finally gained direct sovereignty over the single county of Wancheng, along with half a commandery's land from Lu Bu and the allegiance of ten thousand guest troops — which, to some degree, marked a beginning for the revival of the House of Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the dividing line of Nanyang's resurgence————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the sixth year of Jian'an of Han, Duke Yan Wu returned from Chang'an to Ye. Passing through Luoyang, he lodged beside the abandoned capital, before the broken walls of the White Horse Temple. Suddenly, someone sought an audience — it was an old acquaintance from Luoyang, the lay devotee Zhu Rui of the White Horse Temple. Duke Yan Wu was delighted to see him and spoke with him for a while before asking what he sought. Rui replied: 'I seek the rectification of three names!' Duke Yan Wu was initially at ease and said: 'Please, try telling me.' Rui then said: 'First, the White Horse Temple meeting the White Horse Duke — is this not an auspicious omen? We lay devotees wish to rebuild the White Horse Temple, and beg Duke Yan to inscribe the temple's name and bestow a plaque upon it.' Duke Yan Wu hesitated slightly, but still said: 'Though there is a suspicion of currying favor with Buddha, you are an old friend, and I cannot refuse. Only, this is bestowing a name for you, not bestowing a name for Buddha.' Rui then said: 'Rui has long been a lay devotee, his heart belonging to Buddha. I wish to be tonsured, to receive the Eight Precepts and become a monk. I beg you to grant the name.' Duke Yan Wu hesitated considerably and did not respond. Rui then said: 'Recently, the \"Investiture of the Gods\" has been circulating. In it, Nezha is not a Daoist immortal, but in truth the Buddhist Eight-Armed Heavenly King. I beg you to rectify his name.' The book \"Investiture\" was written by the Empress Dowager. Duke Yan Wu finally flew into a great rage: 'Not only Nezha — Zhu Bajie is also a man of Han!' and thereupon drove him out. After Zhu Rui was expelled, he spoke to the White Horse congregation: 'My son detests Buddha. I had originally intended to wait until he took a wife and I could see my grandson, and once the grandson was grown, then be tonsured as a monk to fulfill my long-cherished wish. Now, fortunately, I have Duke Yan's words, and can obtain release.' He then had a foreign monk tonsure him beside the broken wall before the White Horse Temple, bestowing the Dharma name Bajie. Duke Yan Wu heard of this, remained silent for a long time, and in the end did not stop it. Thus was the first Han monk.\" — \"In Search of the Supernatural\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Continuing to recommend the book \"I Am Not a Jinx\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I see immortals, most deserving of death; I reckon immortals see me the same way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your strength uproots mountains, your spirit conquers the world? One mouthful of my jinx milk and I'll milk you to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your single sword's chill spans nineteen provinces? One mouthful of my jinx milk and I'll milk you to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You roam the North Sea at dawn and reach Cangwu by dusk? One mouthful of my jinx milk and I'll milk you to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who am I? I, Tang Tang — send money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5128,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","aab98c39198fcf211b8a4c45b6c11a8c20a0206051ef531afaf5992c7a8c27ac","overthrowing-han-chapter-472","overthrowing-han-chapter-470",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]