[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-74":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},1222833,1620,"Chapter 74: Withdrawing the Settlements (Part 2)","overthrowing-han-chapter-74",74,"\u003Cp>Putting aside for the moment Zhang Liao, whose valor a myriad bugs dare not oppose, in the span of seven or eight days Gongsun Xun and his party crossed the Yellow River twice. The sheepskin rafts, something the locals took utterly for granted, terrified this Liaoxi country bumpkin out of his wits, yet both crossings proved alarming but safe... After all, the Yellow River's current here is not swift, and the crossings are all ancient fords used since time immemorial; it really was just the visual effect of the sheepskin rafts that was a bit startling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, what Gongsun Xun did not know was that the region where he crossed the river twice lies within the so-called Eastern Loop of the Hetao region. This land boasts lush water and grass, advanced agriculture, and gentle terrain — a rare fertile farming and grazing ground on the northern frontier, complementing the Western Loop region further west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As early as the pre-Qin era, the Central Plains regimes had already taken note of this uniquely blessed place. King Wuling of Zhao established Yunzhong Commandery here, and the later Qin and Han dynasties never relinquished their grip. By the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the nomadic tribes were driven entirely out of the Hetao region, and the Han monopolized this land. The famous Four Commanderies of Hetao — Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, and Dingxiang — thus came into being, arrayed in a line to firmly pin the nomadic forces behind the Yin Mountains to the north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Such a fertile and beautiful land.\" Gongsun Xun, riding on horseback and gazing out at the scenery, was for a moment at a loss for words. \"The Yin Mountains shield it from the northern wind and snow, the Yellow River supplies its water — fit for both farming and grazing. Why then must the settlements be withdrawn? And why does a commandery so vast have a population of merely a few Battalion Commander? I used to think it was simply because the northern frontier was barren and harsh, but looking at it today, how can this place be called barren and harsh in any way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is Lord Gongsun not asking a question he already knows the answer to?\" Zhang, the Military Clerk beside him, sighed as well. \"The Yin Mountains can no longer hold back the Xianbei. And Shuofang Commandery to the west, Shang Commandery and Beidi Commandery to the southwest, must not only face the Xianbei but also deal with the Qiang people... Warfare is incessant, the people have no means of livelihood, and so the court has gradually developed the intention of abandoning these places. In recent years, although no commandery has been formally abolished, the withdrawal of settlements, cities, and even counties has become commonplace. The most drastic instance was when Yunzhong Commandery to the right abandoned five cities beneath the Yin Mountains in one breath!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly the climate here was mild and the breeze cool, yet as soon as Zhang the Military Clerk spoke these words, Gongsun Xun felt a howling gale begin to roar inside his head. His own mother's words — \"Let no barbarian horse cross the Yin Mountains\"; Han Sui Han Wenyue's words — \"Those who will throw the realm into chaos are none other than the lords of the central government\"; and phrases like \"Xiliang is seething\" and \"Bingzhou is bitterly cold\"... all of it churned together, leaving him unsure of what to say for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Gongsun!\" Zhang the Military Clerk could not help but urge him. \"Let us move faster. You have traveled all this way from Pingcheng to Wuzhou, and from Wuzhou to here — it has truly been arduous. Let us quickly take custody of the people and return. If it can be settled properly in one trip, you will not need to come again... According to the official dispatch previously sent to our Yanmen Commandery, what is to be withdrawn this time are several settlements subordinate to Jiuyuan County (the seat of Wuyuan Commandery). By all reckoning, they should have long since been relocated to Linwo City.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun came back to his senses and nodded repeatedly. Indeed, his journey had been far too arduous — he was utterly exhausted in body and mind. Better to hold his nose, quickly take the people, and return, focusing solely on drilling and preparing his own troops... As for the grand policies of the court, never mind whether a Thousand-Dan military officer like himself was even qualified to discuss them — even if he were qualified, given the current situation, what use would discussing them be? He might as well fight another great victory against the Xianbei and relieve some of the pressure on these border commanderies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the party rallied their spirits and pressed on through another grueling journey, until they finally arrived beneath the walls of Linwo City in Wuyuan Commandery. There, in a tightly guarded military camp outside the city, they met the population they were to take into their charge...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group dismounted, and while Zhang the Military Clerk exchanged documents with the commandery clerks of Wuyuan, Gongsun Xun surveyed these several Company Commander of migrants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be said, since this land was rich in water and grass and lay on the frontier, it was exactly as that Prefect Zhang Qi had hinted: the able-bodied men among these households were all sturdily built and moved with a fierce, agile bearing. They had clearly never lacked for meat or grain since childhood, and all looked to have experience in combat! Even better, nearly every household raised horses, and every man carried a bow! Recruiting soldiers of this caliber, men and horses together, they could likely be formed into an army in no time at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as Gongsun Xun was growing more and more pleased with what he saw, Lu Fan suddenly drew near behind him and quietly offered a word of caution: \"Wenqi, pay attention to the expressions of these migrants.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun, hearing this, looked them over once more and could not help shaking his head repeatedly: \"Leaving one's home and native land — who would be willing? Some resentment is only natural.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is not it!\" Lu Fan lowered his voice further and continued his warning. \"Think again. It is now early autumn, and the harvest is imminent, yet the government has chosen precisely this moment to withdraw the settlements... What methods did those clerks and soldiers use to make these households abandon their crops and submit to the government's orders to relocate to Yanmen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was at first somewhat bewildered, and then instantly broke out in a cold sweat — yet he could only gape, speechless, with no words to reply!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing was, Lu Ziheng's meaning, though seemingly vague, was in fact expressed with utter clarity: the government had chosen this time to withdraw the settlements deliberately, because they could destroy the people's crops at this moment. And the common folk, seeing a year's bitter toil reduced to nothing, if they did not wish to starve to death, would have no choice but to submit to the government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that were not the case, how else could one explain these commoners choosing to migrate right before the autumn harvest? Had they gone mad? That was an entire year's harvest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And thinking further — if the government could destroy their crops, would they also tear down their houses? Forcibly seize their grain stores?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Gongsun Xun's head instantly began to throb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I finally understand now why we had to cross the Yellow River twice and take the southern route here,\" Lu Fan's expression grew increasingly bitter. \"At first I thought it was because the northern route was unsafe, with Xianbei raiders harassing it... Now it seems that taking that desolate route, cut off by the Yellow River, was perhaps not to guard against the Xianbei, but to guard against these migrants.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go tell Cheng Pu and Han Dang to be even more vigilant on the journey back, and to treat those penal laborers even more generously,\" was all Gongsun Xun could say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What else could he do? Stay behind and help these migrants rebuild their livelihoods? Even out of benevolence, for these migrants from the withdrawn settlements, the best course was surely to reach Yanmen as quickly as possible and get settled, was it not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, with the seasoned Yanmen Military Clerk Zhang Ze handling everything, the transfer was completed. They collected some grain, fodder, and the like from this side, and then Gongsun Xun's party reluctantly rested for a single night beneath the walls of Linwo City. The next day, nerves taut, they set out on the return journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, however, they were escorted by the garrison troops of Wuyuan Commandery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two forces, hemming the several hundred migrant households between them front and rear, labored their way to the ferry crossing on the banks of the Yellow River. There, Zhang Ze came galloping over to remind Gongsun Xun that he must, together with the Wuyuan troops, confiscate the migrants' horses, cattle, sheep, bows, arrows, swords, and sabers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun's headache grew worse, yet he was utterly helpless — by now, how could he not understand what Prefect Zhang Qi had meant by \"make a few more trips, and you'll have everything\"? But if they did not confiscate the horses and weapons, once they crossed the river and were left with only his few dozen armored soldiers and those two hundred penal laborers, could they really keep watch over these migrants, all skilled in both archery and horsemanship?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Gongsun Xun could only console himself that once they returned to Yanmen, even if these people were unwilling to enlist and follow him, he would certainly return the horses and other livestock... He, Gongsun Wenqi, would not stoop so low as to covet wealth that cut off a family's entire livelihood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet thinking was one thing — once the order was given, the wailing and weeping that filled the land was truly unbearable to hear, unbearable to behold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must understand, these common folk of Jiuyuan County in Wuyuan Commandery lived by a mix of farming and herding. In the span of just a few days, first the clerks and soldiers of their own commandery had been sent to destroy their crops and tear down their houses, then their grain rations had been requisitioned, and not a few had been robbed of what portable valuables they had... Now, for them, these horses, cattle, sheep, and other livestock were practically the only precious possessions left — indeed, they represented their very hope of survival in the future. Yet these, along with their weapons for self-defense, were to be seized by the government's men. How could they be willing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, armored men with blades and spears stood right before their eyes. More importantly, even if the able-bodied men among them possessed some valor and were skilled in riding and archery, how could they dare resist in front of their aged parents and frail wives and children? Thus, though for a time the land was filled with wailing and weeping, apart from a few large households, these several hundred migrant households were still stripped clean by the soldiers on both sides!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In all my life, this is the first time I have ever done such a thing!\" Han Dang was deeply ashamed when he came to report, and Gongsun Xun, seated on a stone by the ferry crossing, never once lifted his head to look at him from beginning to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just when this Thousand-Dan Major was at the peak of his shame and indignation, someone with no sense of tact came to provoke him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"(Fifth Year of the Yongchu Era) An edict ordered Longxi to relocate to Xiangwu, Anding to Meiyang, Beidi to Chiyang, and Shang Commandery to Ya. The common people, attached to their land and unwilling to leave their old homes, had their crops thereupon cut down, their houses torn open, their camp walls razed, and their stores destroyed. At that time, there was successive drought, locusts, and famine, yet they were driven, plundered, and scattered, dying along the roadsides. Some abandoned their elderly and weak, some became servants or concubines — more than half were lost.\" — *Book of the Later Han*, Annals of Emperor Xiao'an\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: There is also a new book group, 684558115; those interested may join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2086,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","1fea2c2aa4640fbeb021fd899ab0b10141bd0d71fcb85403426756656999ffab","overthrowing-han-chapter-75","overthrowing-han-chapter-73",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]