[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-82":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},1222841,1620,"Chapter 82: Conclusion","overthrowing-han-chapter-82",82,"\u003Cp>The sky had already darkened. The commandery office, now lit with torches, remained bustling with activity — low-ranking clerks and commandery soldiers constantly hurried in and out, while outside the office, shadowy figures lurked, who knew how many people craning their necks and prying about...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the main hall, Gongsun Xun sat high in the seat of honor, his gaze mocking as he scrutinized these powerful commandery officials who usually held themselves above everyone else but now bowed their heads and pricked up their ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen.\" After watching for a good while, Gongsun Xun finally let out a scoff and spoke. \"I too rose from the ranks of commandery clerks. Ever since I bound my hair, I've been idling about in this commandery office, so I know a thing or two about your abilities... Let's not keep things hanging like this! The blade is now in my hand — do you still have anything to say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, many of the old fox-like clerks actually breathed an involuntary sigh of relief, because such words usually meant demands were coming, and wherever there were demands, they could simply go along with him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consider this barely-capped Major — in a single day he had toppled a two-thousand-bushel official. Who among them wasn't trembling in their boots? And that \"Blade of Xiang Yu\" and the commandery administrator's confession were still laid out right there. That son of a bitch Zhang Ze, the Commandery Military Section Head, had even handed over all the commandery troops to the man before patting his ass and leaving. In the current situation, it was clear he could punish whomever he wished, ruin whichever family he pleased... That being the case, what was there left to say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, if one absolutely had to speak, had anyone in the entire commandery truly not had a hand in the matter of selling off the resettled populace?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever General Gongsun commands, we will surely devote all our strength to assist.\" The Commandery Assistant, who led the group, no longer wore the mournful look he'd had when weeping face-to-face with his master earlier. Instead, he bore an air of tragic resolve — it seemed he had truly steeled his resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aiya, I am but a thousand-bushel Major. How am I qualified to be called General?\" Gongsun Xun waved his hands repeatedly. \"The court's regulations stand; let's not speak recklessly. And besides, this Major has always been a hollow title. I've been stationed in Yanmen for several months now, and with an establishment of two companies and one garrison, I can't even scrape together five hundred soldiers, let alone a single horse. Speaking of which, had it not been for this matter, I wouldn't have been sent by Administrator Zhang to Wuyuan, and then conveniently uncovered his dealings... Don't you agree?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the men below exchanged glances all around, clearly growing even more at ease. Soldiers, horses — however one thought about it, weren't they better than a blade that hadn't yet fallen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahem, Major.\" The Commandery Assistant, after exchanging a few words with those around him, cupped his hands in salute from his kneeling mat below. \"I have a proposal...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speak!\" Gongsun Xun seemed quite amiable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Major,\" the Commandery Assistant said earnestly, \"we also understand that since it has been determined that Administrator Zhang was selling off resettled households as private retainers, it naturally cannot be that only the seller is punished — the buyers must also give some account of themselves. Otherwise, there is simply no way to answer to the Regional Commissioner. And by reason, the simplest course would be to return these retainers and then impose criminal penalties on those who bought them...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, that would be proper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It certainly should be so. But Major, allow me to explain — when those households from the abandoned military settlements were sold off, Administrator Zhang had already stripped them of all assets and ties. If we forcibly release such people, how could they possibly make a living? Even if the great households, fearing the Major's might, reluctantly added some goods and wealth, that would only be a temporary measure — they might survive this year but not the next. Besides, the abandonment of military settlements has been happening gradually for over a decade now. Of those retainers who have managed to settle down locally until now, how many would truly be willing to return to being commoners?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun nodded slightly. In his heart, he understood that while the Commandery Assistant was making excuses for the great households, to some extent he was also speaking the plain truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, by this era, the burdens on ordinary commoners had grown heavier and heavier. Never mind epidemics and famines, which could destroy all order — even so-called peaceful days were nothing more than a slow death for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, very often, giving up their freedom to attach themselves to powerful clans as retainers, surviving under the protection of local strongmen, was something the common folk, seeing no hope at all, did of their own free will. And in certain extreme circumstances, some people couldn't even become retainers if they wanted to, so they simply abandoned their homes and livelihoods, gambling everything to become refugees. And the hope of these refugees was precisely nothing more than reaching a new place where the local great households and strongmen were willing to take them in as servants and retainers!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, when all was said and done, it still came down to that one truth — becoming someone's servant meant, in the end, you could still scrape by and survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, to be even more frank, in matters of land annexation and population engrossment, even Gongsun Xun's own family could hardly claim to be innocent. And according to what his mother had said, such things were never something human effort could stop. Every few hundred years, they could only be resolved once through a grand and tumultuous age of chaos... The last time had been the Red Eyebrows, the Greenwood Army, and Emperor Guangwu; this time, it would be the so-called chaos of the Three Kingdoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Gongsun Xun had absolutely no intention of trying to solve such a monumental problem. All he could do was ensure that the future resettled households of the four Hetao commanderies would retain as much private property as possible during the settlement withdrawal process... This, in itself, was already an extraordinary act of conscience from someone above!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case,\" Gongsun Xun said with a slight nod, \"the Commandery Assistant must have something to instruct me on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Major,\" the Commandery Assistant grew increasingly relaxed, \"I do indeed have an idea — one that can bring this case to a proper conclusion, prevent the commandery from losing order because of it, and also take the opportunity to somewhat remedy the Major's military manpower problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun ran his hand over the \"Broken Blade of Xiang Yu\" on the table and smiled without speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General,\" the Commandery Assistant hastily abandoned any thought of drawing out the suspense, his speech quickening, \"my idea is this... rather than have the commandery's great households return those retainers who have already settled down, it would be better to have them send out trusted sons and younger kinsmen from their clans to serve in the military as a way of bearing responsibility for their crimes, and to pay their fines in the form of providing their own horses and weapons! Wouldn't that bring ease to everyone, high and low?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun couldn't help narrowing his eyes... because the Commandery Assistant's words coincided exactly with his own thoughts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning the retainers would, while mortally offending the local strongmen of this commandery, also fail to truly benefit those retainers. But this method of handling the matter before him could achieve multiple goals at once:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, naturally, as the Commandery Assistant had said, this case could thereby be brought to a proper conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the Han dynasty, border commandery sons had a tradition of offsetting various other corvée labor and taxes by serving in the military. One need only flip through the histories to find constant references to some border commandery administrator sending the sons of great households to garrison the frontier. Using this method as \"punishment\" — presumably Dong Zhuo would understand as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, Gongsun Xun could thereby obtain a large number of high-quality soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no matter what one said, the sons of great and powerful clans were indeed superior to ordinary people in both mounted archery skills and physical fitness. Some ambitious sons of great clans even attempted to study letters and learn to read — that was even more promising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, and most importantly, this action could smoothly bind Gongsun Xun and the entire commandery, high and low, into one body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When that time came, as long as Gongsun Xun's detached division was stationed at Pingcheng, he could rely on the entire Yanmen Commandery as his base. Conversely, the entire Yanmen Commandery could also set their minds at ease about this suddenly explosive thousand-bushel Major.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be said, Gongsun Xun's series of maneuvers had truly left the Yanmen leadership somewhat chilled with fear... In the first few months after arriving here, this fellow had done nothing but hunt roe deer all day, and then suddenly erupted, stuffing the grand commandery administrator into a prisoner's cart and sending him off!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever claimed they weren't afraid — who would believe them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, though he had already inwardly approved this plan, after pondering for a moment, Gongsun Xun couldn't help but sigh: \"To be honest with the Commandery Assistant, if it's only the sons of great households, I fear it still won't be enough. You must understand, this detached division of mine has just been carved out — I don't even have a few seasoned veterans who have been on the battlefield and are familiar with military affairs...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On this point, General, have no worry!\" The Commandery Chief Clerk suddenly interjected. \"Yanmen is a border region. Although since last year, the northern border defense has largely been taken over by Bearer of the Gilded Staff Zang Gong, many among the commandery troops are veterans of many years. You may freely select some of them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is one more thing...\" Gongsun Xun continued, shaking his head with considerable embarrassment. \"If you have the sons of great households bring their own horses and equipment to join the army, yet my force only has an establishment of two hundred cavalry — with so many horses, I fear we can't even support the fodder alone. Moreover, when Zang Gong previously issued me several hundred penal laborers for transport and logistics, he perversely didn't allocate the corresponding grain and fodder provisions, only telling me to seek out the Yanmen Administrator. But the Administrator, well...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the General saying?\" The Commandery Revenue Section Head hurriedly sat up on his knees and cupped his hands. \"The fodder for a mere few hundred horses, the grain for a few hundred men — even if Yanmen were utterly destitute, we could still support it! And besides, in such a matter, even if the Administrator is absent, we would still take it as our duty not to yield to others!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aiya!\" Gongsun Xun slapped the table, unable to help exclaiming in admiration. \"I never imagined the Revenue Section Head was versed in the Analects — that 'not yielding to others' was excellently used!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The General overpraises me — it cannot compare to the General's grand undertaking of supervising the compilation of the Mao Odes in Luoyang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the General has any other difficulties, why not lay them all out at once?\" The Commandery Assistant, seeing the atmosphere gradually improving, couldn't resist taking the opportunity to suggest this. \"We shall listen to them all together and will certainly resolve the General's concerns!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well.\" Gongsun Xun finally grew serious. \"Aside from what has already been discussed, there are really only two more matters to address... First, there must be no further plundering or trafficking of the people withdrawn from the four commanderies' military settlements. Moreover, every effort must be made to preserve these people's assets, and after they are relocated to Yanmen, they must be properly settled!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is only natural.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please set your mind at ease, General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who would still dare stir up trouble over this matter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The second matter,\" Gongsun Xun said with a slight frown, \"the Commandery Military Section Head Zhang Ze has abandoned his post and followed Administrator Zhang to Luoyang. Yet the commandery cannot be without someone to manage this section. Therefore, I wish to recommend to the Commandery Assistant that Zhang Ze's clansman, Zhang Fan of the Mayi Zhang clan, be appointed as a subordinate clerk in the section and temporarily manage it... What does the Commandery Assistant think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Han dynasty, having lasted for several hundred years, naturally had a very complete system. For instance, if something happened to the commandery administrator, the Commandery Assistant would generally act in his stead to handle commandery affairs... Hence, Gongsun Xun was making this personnel recommendation to the Commandery Assistant, and the Commandery Assistant had the authority to make this temporary appointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this recommendation was not as simple as it appeared on the surface... The problem lay with that Zhang Ze who had resigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing was, Zhang Ze this time truly had bitterness he couldn't express. He had first been forced by Gongsun Xun into the very heart of the Yellow River — if he had dared not agree then, he probably would have slipped and fallen into the water right there. And this time, when Gongsun Xun came to the commandery office gates to force the issue, he had also brought several dozen of Zhang Ze's own clansmen, carrying a veiled threat... leaving him no choice but to betray Administrator Zhang and turn to assist Gongsun Xun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all these helpless circumstances were only from Zhang Ze's perspective. From the perspective of the commandery officials seated here, this fellow was a one-hundred-percent betrayer! Not only a betrayer of Administrator Zhang, but a betrayer of the entire commandery office, high and low! And such a thing, no matter the era, was a grave taboo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Zhang Ze's reputation had essentially turned somewhat rancid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the very reason this fellow had abandoned his official post and run off to accompany that Administrator Zhang to Luoyang to await judgment together was nothing more than to wash off the stench on him as much as possible, and incidentally to avoid his colleagues for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this, precisely, was a key reason why Gongsun Xun was recommending his clansman to take over his post — you couldn't use a man like a chamber pot and then toss him aside once you were done, could you? Otherwise, who would be willing to be your chamber... to cooperate with you again in the future? And besides, if this matter was accomplished, even if the Mayi Zhang clan had complicated feelings about it, what other path would they have besides clinging tightly to his thigh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was also a small personal reason in this... The thing was, this Zhang Fan was no stranger. According to what Zhang Ze had said earlier, he was precisely the full elder brother of that Zhang Liao, whose valor ten thousand bugs could not withstand. And after the Lou Gui incident, Gongsun Xun had grown increasingly disgusted with half-finished products, so he had no intention of following the steppe custom of recognizing a sworn younger brother or adopted son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But tying a string in advance to such a tiger general — that was always the right move, wasn't it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How is it?\" Gongsun Xun picked up the written documents from the table and asked calmly. \"If this matter also presents no major obstacle, then I can entrust this case to you gentlemen to investigate and handle together! But if there is anything inappropriate, then I shall simply have to forget the words spoken before tonight and start the discussion anew! Only, I have one word of caution for you all... Years of toil, turned to nothing — is it worth it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the final condition. So once these words were spoken, from the Commandery Assistant on down, the high-ranking commandery officials filling the hall all began whispering and discussing among themselves... Yet in the end, they reached a consensus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Gongsun!\" The Commandery Assistant came to the center of the hall and bowed formally from the waist. \"This matter is feasible!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the new Administrator takes office,\" Gongsun Xun did not bid him rise, but instead seized the chance to press further, \"I must ask the Commandery Assistant and the Commandery Personnel Evaluator to do their utmost to recommend that this Zhang Fan formally succeed to the post of Military Section Head from his position as subordinate clerk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already made ninety-nine prostrations — why balk at this final shudder? So, without even consulting the men behind him, the Commandery Assistant simply pressed his head even lower: \"Everything shall be as General Gongsun says!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun finally broke into a broad laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"(The Grand Ancestor) having garrisoned Pingcheng for several months, observed the Grand Administrator's misdeeds. He once rode alone to pay a visit to the Inspector, Dong Zhuo. Zhuo, impressed by his conduct, granted him a special commission. Thereupon, without loosening his robes or unbinding his sash, he traveled through the night and returned; in a single day he exposed the man's crimes, and had him sent to Luoyang in a caged cart. His force was like a thunderclap — the entire commandery was terrified, high and low alike stricken with dread, so much so that the officials refused to take up their posts. The Grand Ancestor, in the government office, examined the commandery's documents and saw that all enterprises had withered and the people's livelihood was harsh. He sighed and said: 'That the realm seethes with turmoil is all because of wretches like this!' Thereupon he cast aside concern for his own reputation and personally took charge of the commandery's governance. Over the course of several months, he supervised and regulated the officials, rooted out abuses, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and recommended worthy talents. By the time the new Grand Administrator arrived to assume office, governance was already smooth and the people harmonious, and all neglected affairs had been revived.\" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 62, Biographies, Chapter 12\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: May auspicious omens avert misfortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3101,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","c0acf31bb27e1e4dd4608eff16ff9e607d5d3a4d491555d5ad6205d0f6bc2f45","overthrowing-han-chapter-83","overthrowing-han-chapter-81",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]