[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-6":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},1222765,1620,"Chapter 6: Night Raid","overthrowing-han-chapter-6",6,"\u003Cp>In the Xianbei camp north of Lulong Fortress, Mo Hugou, carrying a trace of satisfaction and self-satisfaction, had just returned to his own tent in the rear camp from the central army tent where the chieftain Kezuique resided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, just now at the campfire in front of Chieftain Kezuique's tent, Mo Hugou, who had come over from Liucheng today, put on a beautiful Han-style buyao crown and personally imitated the way a Han scholar-official walks, making Chieftain Kezuique roar with laughter and even rewarding him with two bolts of silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two bolts of silk were not enough to make Mo Hugou this excited; what he valued was Chieftain Kezuique's attitude—the man had even specifically asked for his name at the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahem, a word of explanation is necessary here: Chieftain Kezuique's surname is neither Ke nor Kezui, though it is not impossible that his descendants might one day take Ke or Kezui as a surname. In truth, the cultural development of the Xianbei people at this time was just beginning, and they had virtually no concept of surnames. The two characters \"Kezui\" actually originated from the title of a minority official position in the Youzhou region during the Former Han dynasty, which was then adopted by the Xianbei. It can be understood as an informal term for \"Grand Commander,\" a respectful title for a powerful tribal leader. And Kezuique was precisely a powerful Xianbei tribal Grand Commander in the area from Youbeiping to Shanggu; if his tribe exerted full strength, they could probably field four to five thousand mounted archers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interestingly, the last two characters of Chieftain Kezuique's title, \"Chieftain,\" are actually the true Xianbei official title. This is a substantive official position within the Xianbei royal court established by the Great Khan Tanshihuai, divided by region, and counts as a true noble among the Xianbei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, returning to Mo Hugou, as a minor tribal leader who, even with utmost effort, could only scrape together a little over a hundred ragtag weaklings, to be able to win the favor of such a noble today merely by playing the fool—it is no wonder Mo Hugou was so pleased with himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Mo Hugou would never tell anyone that this beautiful buyao crown was not something he had looted at all, and his boast about killing a Han scholar-official was pure nonsense... In truth, he had simply bought this item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no helping it; the Mohu tribe was a small tribe living within Liaoxi territory. In this region, the Han were the largest, the Wuhuan second, and the Xianbei could only play a minor role. Moreover, the Wuhuan and the Han were now allies. The Xianbei could only maintain a foothold by relying on the golden thigh of the Great Khan Tanshihuai behind them. However, even the Great Khan Tanshihuai was not omnipotent; he could ensure the Xianbei faced no military pressure, but he could not fill the bellies of all Xianbei people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under such circumstances, as the saying goes, a dog has its dog hole and a rat has its rat path. To avoid starving or freezing to death, when the great Xianbei army was not raiding the border, Mo Hugou had in recent years actually been engaged in something everyone tacitly understood—doing business with the Han!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no matter how poor the Xianbei economy was, they still had horses, cattle, sheep, and furs in hand—things the Han found hard to refuse—and the Xianbei wanted absolutely everything the Han possessed. Thus, the small Xianbei tribes near Han cities developed some strange customs: every year they would follow the Great Khan Tanshihuai's troops to plunder the Han two or three times, and when not plundering, they would herd horses and sheep while waiting for Han merchant caravans to come and do business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, unlike other small tribes that passively waited for familiar Han horse traders and silk traders to come to them, Mo Hugou was more proactive in his actions and his cooperation was a notch higher in quality. His partner was the largest local merchant house, the Anli Firm. When necessary, his tribe would even accept certain commissions from the Anli Firm, proactively purchasing horses, cattle, and sheep to earn some extra commission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Mo Hugou had more than once visited the Anli Firm shops in cities beyond the frontier, such as Yanglacheng and Liucheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a matter of mutual benefit, and this buyao crown he liked most was bought from the shop in Yanglacheng. That time, he had delivered horses, cattle, and sheep to Yangle, and the moment he entered the Anli Firm shop, his eyes could not move away from this beautiful buyao crown. And as it happened, the only son of Lady Gongsun, the young master of the Anli Firm, had come to inspect. Seeing how moved he was, the man traded this splendid buyao crown for one of his fine horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A white one, without a single stray hair—a truly fine horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, pleasing Chieftain Kezuique was not purely bootlicking either. After all, as long as he made this chieftain happy today, then tomorrow Mo Hugou could try to make contact with the headmen under this chieftain. When they were about to leave, he could take the opportunity to bring out the silk and grain stored in his tribe, claim it was all plunder, and trade with these headmen, exchanging for the gold, silver, valuables, and Han captives they had looted. And once Chieftain Kezuique's troops withdrew from this area, he could deliver these exchanged captives and valuables to Liucheng. At that time, he would surely make the people of the Anli Firm happy and then trade for even more silk and grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, next year his tribe might be able to keep more lambs, horses, and warriors. And if this continued, perhaps one day he himself would become a true Xianbei chieftain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Mo Hugou finally felt unbearably drowsy. He turned over contentedly, hugged a filthy sheepskin, and closed his eyes amidst the snoring that had long since filled the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind a small slope outside the Xianbei camp, Gongsun Xun had no idea that a capable Xianbei contact of his family's firm was right inside the camp before him, nor would he have cared if he knew. To be frank, although he had acted quite boldly before, now, leading a mere thirty-odd riders to the front of a large camp garrisoned by over two thousand men, our Young Master Gongsun was still somewhat apprehensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's right, driven by hot-blooded impulse and utilitarian motives, he had already regretted it after following Han Dang all the way out here. It was just that, as the person of highest status here, and young and thin-skinned, he had no choice but to pretend to be calm and in command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Xianbei have not noticed a thing.\" Facing the thick, rank stench, Gongsun Xun pressed down his helmet and stated the obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, the camp's defenses are very poor.\" Han Dang echoed in a low voice. \"So, Young Master, do you think we can fight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does Brother Yigong plan to do?\" Gongsun Xun asked very sincerely—truly very sincerely. The only person he could rely on now was this \"Tiger Minister.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The enemy camp is situated in the middle of the road, backed by the mountain and facing the river.\" Han Dang stared wide-eyed as he answered. \"At this moment, there is only one method: charge straight in on horseback, kill men and set fires, and wait for the enemy to fall into chaos!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun remained silent. Such a large camp, with just over thirty men—could chaos really erupt?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well?\" Han Dang could not help but urge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun slightly poked his head out and surveyed the utterly unguarded camp before him once more. Just as he was about to steel his resolve, a cold gust of wind blew in his face, the rank stench mixed with the chill air, truly pungent and foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The wind direction.\" Gongsun Xun's expression changed, and he abruptly covered his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\" Han Dang asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The wind direction is wrong.\" Gongsun Xun answered in a low voice. \"The camp is to the north, and the north wind is strong. If we charge in from the front, whether killing men or setting fires, I fear it will be difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what should we do?\" Han Dang was truly panicked now, and even the thirty-odd riders and retainers behind him, with their horses silenced and bits in their mouths, looked dismayed, though they could make no sound. \"Have we come all this way just to retreat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we would truly become a laughingstock.\" Gongsun Xun recalled the arrangements he had made for Gongsun Yue and could not help but reply softly. \"More laughable than a defeat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me think thrice...\" Gongsun Xun pondered for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. \"What if we go around? Attacking from the rear of the enemy camp, we could not only set fires with the wind at our backs but also leave the Xianbei momentarily clueless about our origins, making them even more panicked. And when the troops from the fortress sally forth, we could even attack from front and rear!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That may be so, but the enemy camp is backed by the mountain and faces the river—how do we go around?\" Han Dang asked anxiously. \"Do we abandon the horses and walk on foot from the mountain over there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The weather is freezing cold.\" Gongsun Xun narrowed his eyes and answered. \"Although the Luan River's central current hasn't frozen, the edges must be thick with ice. We'll go down to the river and sneak past along the bank!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men's hearts tightened, but they immediately understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brilliant!\" Han Dang also instantly became energized. \"Young Master Gongsun truly is a scion of a scholarly family who has read military texts, possessing such quick wit in the face of the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Move!\" Gongsun Xun said no more, but took hold of his horse and bent down to lead the way himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unmuzzle the horses, remove the bits from the men.\" Just like that, half a shichen later, having successfully made the arduous detour and seeing the virtually undefended state of the rear camp, Gongsun Xun immediately breathed a sigh of relief. \"Rest for a quarter hour, then split up and set fires as planned!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Set fires!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be setting fires!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For thirty-odd men to take on over two thousand was pure nonsense! Even if it was a night raid, even if these thirty-odd men were all well-equipped warriors, even if among them was Han Dang, a famous general known in history for his valor, even if the enemy was completely unguarded—it was still nonsense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To defeat the enemy, there was only setting fires! Make the enemy camp lose control, make them flee in panic, make them trample each other, make them slaughter each other!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quarter hour later, Gongsun Xun and the men behind him had finished donning their armor. Then they all raised torches together, made not a single sound, and charged straight in on horseback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that very moment, Mo Hugou, positioned in the rear camp, turned over comfortably, clearly dreaming of something pleasant, utterly unaware that an old acquaintance he had met once before was drawing closer and closer to him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until in a daze, it seemed a little... hot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kezuique was a chieftain of the central Xianbei, residing at Murong Temple; some say he was the ancestral origin of the Murong Xianbei.\" — Book of the Later Han, Volume 90, Treatise on the Wuhuan and Xianbei, Section 80\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New book period... hope everyone takes good care of it... seeking bookmarks and recommendations\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1970,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","195dae24c9bed201bea628aa6362b5a19f01140a3bb9864e37d4f696aae8f000","overthrowing-han-chapter-7","overthrowing-han-chapter-5",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]