[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-90":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},1222849,1620,"Chapter 90: Setting the Fire","overthrowing-han-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>The battlefield Gongsun Xun found himself on had been formed in haste, utterly different from the pontoon bridge area where countless torches blazed and masses of troops clustered. Moreover, the Chouqiu River ran wide in the summer, so in the pitch-black night, the troops on the southern bank could not make out the situation on the opposite side at all — they could only hear the shouts of battle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, it was plainly obvious that the troops who had just crossed the river had encountered the enemy... and so, for a moment, the soldiers and officers on the southern bank of the river all changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this very moment, the first to react was actually the civil official Lu Fan. This man, acknowledged by all in the army as the second-in-command, wasted no words. He simply tore off the armor he had just placed on his horse, and without a single word, hugged his warhorse's neck and plunged into the water... The Han troops behind him, seeing this, immediately showed shame on their faces, and then scrambled over one another to shed their armor and cross the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, Cheng Pu, who had been entrusted with commanding the army, also changed his strategy on the spot. He turned his head and sternly issued orders: \"Cheng Lian, Wei Yue — you two need not cross the river here. Ride directly from the pontoon bridge to reinforce Gao Heng. No matter what, I only want the Xianbei on that side to not dare move rashly! The Skilled Crossbowmen Company will go too. The enemy is densely packed — set up your crossbows directly on the pontoon bridge and fire in volleys. Do not worry about a few stray shots!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yue hesitated for a moment, but after Cheng Lian gave him a direct tug, he hurriedly turned and mounted his horse... When matters reached this point, those who still harbored a conscience would naturally fight to the death to repay the kindness Gongsun Xun had shown in supporting them for over a year; and even those who lacked such virtue still had to speak of being in the same boat together and seeking a path to survival!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, after a split second of stunned silence, the Han army on the southern bank of the Chouqiu River was instead united in shared hatred, roused and stirred from top to bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the other side of the Chouqiu River, the situation was not as dire as one might imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is to say, why not cross the river at dusk? Why insist on a night battle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reasons were, of course, too numerous to count, but a very important one was this: the Xianbei were, after all, a tribal confederation that had only emerged less than twenty years ago. Even at the royal court where Tanshihuai had established institutions and proclaimed himself Khan, their various systems lagged far behind the Han army's organization. And once a night battle began, this enemy force, cobbled together from tribes large and small, simply could not achieve unity from top to bottom or maintain smooth command...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, once the night battle started, for the royal court left behind and the Eastern Xianbei nobles, the only thing they seemed able to do was shout loudly at the most conspicuous and brightest northern end of the pontoon bridge, asserting their presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for someone suddenly shouting that another Han army force had appeared somewhere — in the pitch-black darkness, heaven knew where that was? Heaven knew if it was true or false? Even if someone vaguely detected movement upstream and felt they should urgently send men to respond, heaven knew how to drag their own tribe out from the bridgehead under these circumstances?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it must be said, Gongsun Xun's situation there was truly not very critical. All they had to deal with was that one passing enemy unit and the scattered tribal members summoned by their shouts... In reality, from beginning to end, no large enemy force came to reinforce them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, thanks to Lu Fan's impatience and Cheng Pu's on-the-spot decision-making, both Han army columns actually received timely reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Gongsun Xun, soldiers continuously crawled out of the river, and soon, spurred on by their commander, they joined the battle in an unending stream. Meanwhile, Han Dang also fought with all his might, recklessly charging and galloping through the faint firelight... This enemy force was swiftly suppressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time, with the pounding of hooves, reinforcements also arrived at the pontoon bridge. The very first wave was, impressively, over a hundred cavalry!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Clear a path!\" Gao Heng, trapped at the bridgehead, was nearly wild with joy upon seeing the rescue. \"Let the cavalry charge their formation!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armored soldiers naturally followed his order... But to the Han army's disappointment, and even near despair, the warhorses were simply too intelligent! The pontoon bridge itself severely hindered the horses from gaining speed, and this so-called \"charge the formation\" was already forcing the horses to rush forward. Moreover, caught in a hasty battle, the horses' eyes had not been covered or anything of the sort. So, illuminated by the surrounding campfires and torches, the clever warhorses, facing the enemy spear wall, simply halted and refused to advance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but Gao Heng, in order to facilitate the cavalry charge, had dispersed his previously solid circular formation, which now instead became a breach for the Xianbei to exploit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the Xianbei nobles commanding nearby paid even less heed to who had appeared where. Instead, they urgently pressed their troops, hoping to devour this Han army unit... As long as they could devour this Han army unit and retake the pontoon bridge, then even if a force had truly infiltrated somewhere, they could deal with it at their leisure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's all over!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Heng, his face covered in blood and grime, was filled with bitter hatred!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought of how, in his youth, he had muddled through in ignorance, knowing only how to be bold and brawl. It was only when he came of age and saw that every legitimate son of his clan had a future that he roused himself to make something of his life. And after he led a group of local wandering swordsmen to Shanggu to join the army, although there had been considerable twists and turns, he had ultimately caught the eye of the noble Xia Yu. He thought, surely, there was still a future ahead. Even when the battle first began, he had been beside himself with joy, thinking only of earning military merit and winning official rank and fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could have known that this great battle would meet with such disaster... Setting aside whether he could even return alive from this fight, even if he could return alive, could his lord Xia Yu, the very foundation he relied upon, possibly meet a good end? This battle, after all, was one Xia Yu himself had petitioned the throne to fight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, the disheartened Gao Xuanqing of Bohai nearly felt like simply slitting his own throat and being done with it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just at that moment, Gao Heng suddenly heard someone shouting something by his ear. He steadied himself and looked — it was Cheng Lian, the commander of the cavalry company that had come to reinforce this place. This man was neither directing the battle nor leading from the front. Instead, he and his subordinate, the platoon leader Wei Yue, had both dismounted. Each now held his horse's tail with one hand and gripped a blade with the other, and it was unclear what they intended to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All you fellow villagers from Jiuyuan!\" Cheng Lian, clutching the horse's tail, his face flushed red. \"Had it not been for the Commandant's generous virtue, we would have long since been reduced to the status of indentured servants and household slaves back when we migrated! And for over a year now, has the Commandant ever treated us with the slightest unfairness in the army? Has our pay and grain ever been short or tainted? Have our rewards ever been interrupted? Have our families not received his protection? Even these beasts — if not for the Commandant's benevolence, could we possibly have kept them? At a time like this, what else is there to hold back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these words, Cheng Lian and Wei Yue exchanged a glance, and then each raised his blade and struck — directly stabbing the hindquarters of his own warhorse! The two horses, stung by pain, immediately went mad. No longer caring about the spears and torches ahead, they charged straight into the Xianbei formation in front!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xianbei directly facing them were all thrown into panic at this sight... Had there been riders on these two horses, they might have, out of battlefield instinct, gritted their teeth and held firm. But with only two maddened warhorses charging headlong at them, any living soul on the steppe knew they should first get out of the way! Yet the moment they broke formation to dodge, two men suddenly burst out from behind the horses. And these two were not only agile in movement and nimble in action, but also worked in seamless coordination, cutting down several men in an instant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was abundantly clear that this tactic, which in Gao Heng's eyes had seemed almost child's play, had achieved a miraculous effect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cavalry company of Jiuyuan immigrants behind them, seeing this, no longer hesitated either. One after another, they followed suit — heedless of their horses' lives, they slashed the horses' rumps to force them to charge the formation, while gripping the horses' tails to follow close behind and plunge into the Xianbei ranks for close-quarters combat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this seemed dazzling and chaotic to the eye, yet everything happened in the mere span of a lightning flash. Struck by this sudden calamity, the Xianbei who had just moments ago been eagerly pressing forward were instantly thrown into great disorder. Many simply turned and fled, and there was even a trend of them trampling each other and collapsing entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this situation, how could Gao Heng and those armored soldiers who had crossed the river first possibly hold back? They forcibly rallied their spirits and pressed forward from the rear in a charging assault. Even the company of Skilled Crossbowmen who had just reached the pontoon bridge made an immediate decision not to linger. They stowed their crossbows, drew their blades, and rode their own horses directly across the river to trample the enemy formation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire bridgehead descended into utter chaos! But without a doubt, compared to the Han army's desperate, life-or-death momentum, the Xianbei were clearly on the verge of collapse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xianbei nobles on the periphery were also thrown into panic. They had just barely steadied themselves and were about to shout their routing troops back into order when, unexpectedly, the sound of hooves rose behind them, followed by the twang of bowstrings. Several loudly commanding Xianbei chieftains immediately fell from their horses — it was clearly Gongsun Xun and Han Dang, seeing that the moment of decision had arrived here, recklessly swooping down from upstream to strike them in a pincer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This blow could be called the final hammer-stroke that sealed the outcome. The Xianbei soldiers, who had lost their commanders and had already been locked in bitter fighting here for a long time, could never have imagined why Han troops would come from their flank. Coupled with the mad-horse assault from behind, they finally lost all will to fight. From the royal court nobles to the tribal chieftains, down to the warriors and herders below, nearly all chose any path to flee. Who knows how many were trampled to death in between, and who knows how many were overtaken by the Han troops behind and finished off with a single blade? Yet these men still fled northward without a backward glance, whether seeking to escape into the royal court which offered a sense of security, or to melt away into the darkness of night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, the collapse of the Xianbei at the bridgehead did not necessarily mean the royal court's military strength had suffered a great loss. But up to this point, the organized Xianbei forces that had visibly gathered were completely gone. In the blink of an eye, the Han army had seized the initiative on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Cheng Pu naturally would not have the troops continue swimming across from upstream. He directly ordered the entire force to don their armor and cross the river via the pontoon bridge to launch an assault!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commandant!\" Amidst the chaotic fighting, Wei Yue, covered in blood, had somehow found another horse and darted directly to the side of Gongsun Xun, whose face showed delight. \"The enemy has routed so quickly... Why don't we ignore the royal court, and instead seize this chance to regroup our forces and flee downstream along the river? We might just be able to withdraw with our army intact!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun immediately glared at him with fury, refraining from reprimanding him on the spot only in consideration of the great merit he had just earned. And Wei Yue, after being glared at like that, hastily wheeled his horse around and tactfully charged toward the royal court ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who got wet, go pick up torches!\" After driving Wei Yue away, Gongsun Xun turned his head and shouted to the crowd of personal attendants and Skilled Crossbowmen who had just caught up from behind. \"Pick up the bows and arrows the Xianbei abandoned on the ground! While the enemy is routed and retreating, quickly pursue them and set fires!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They still had to set fires!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A night battle without setting fires was sheer nonsense. Moreover, setting fires had been the very first strategic objective of this battle from the start, because only when the entire royal court was ablaze could the main force of the royal court, dozens of li away, notice the situation here and turn back to rescue it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the reason Gongsun Xun had decided on such a risky venture was, in part, because this royal court looked extremely easy to burn... This steppe people, the Xianbei, who had only just established institutions — were their houses made of brick and stone? They didn't even know how to fire bricks! Did their royal court have any fire prevention measures? This place had not suffered a single military disaster since it was built over a decade ago, and no one had ever considered how to deal with a fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, taking advantage of the summer heat and the southern breeze, taking advantage of the lush grass and trees all around, taking advantage of the enemy's rout — now was the time to pursue and set fires!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not enter the royal court for street fighting,\" Gongsun Xun urged his horse forward, pursuing the Xianbei fugitives all the way to the edge of the royal court. Then, standing in his stirrups, he continued to shout loudly. \"Do not excessively pursue enemy soldiers — only set fires! Burn those wooden palisades, burn those haphazardly pitched tents, burn their horse stables, burn their storehouses, burn the fodder they have drying outside! Once the flames rise, this battle will be our great victory, and we can follow the river home!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words had barely faded when, in the chaotic darkness lit by fire, an arrow suddenly flew from somewhere and struck the unarmored Gongsun Xun, knocking him off his horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the surrounding Han troops all turned pale, the Xianbei were each stunned, and the entire battlefield seemed to freeze for an instant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, some were overjoyed beyond measure, some harbored subtle thoughts, some were utterly lost in panic, and some were frightened nearly to death... Yet reality proved that everyone had thought too much, because after merely a few breaths, before the surrounding soldiers could step forward to check on him, Gongsun Xun had actually climbed back onto his warhorse by himself. Then, gritting his teeth, he snapped the arrow lodged in his shoulder in two right in front of everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is everyone staring at?\" Gongsun Xun hurled the broken arrow to the ground, then pressed down on his left arm and roared furiously. \"Will taking an arrow in the arm kill a man? All of you, go and set fires for me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Han troops who witnessed this scene were once again greatly roused in morale. And the Xianbei chieftains who had originally intended to rely on the royal court's palisades to organize some resistance all turned ashen-faced. They actually turned right around and fled once more, leaving the Han army free to set their fires!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Counting from when Gongsun Xun ordered Gao Heng to attack, the Han army and the Xianbei had fought bitterly for the better part of a double-hour. For both sides, unexpected events had come one after another, plans had repeatedly failed, and they had all relied on on-the-spot improvisation to manage the battle. But in the end, it was the Han army that, relying on a surge of bloody courage, prevailed over the enemy — first forcing a crossing of the Chouqiu River, and then setting the Xianbei royal court ablaze!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was summer, and the southern breeze was gently warm... And the Xianbei royal court was, after all, the royal court of a vast realm stretching ten thousand li. All manner of tents, storehouses, and wooden galleries and lodges spread all the way up to the mid-slopes of Mount Danhan. So once the flames rose, they could no longer be contained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viewed from afar, it looked exactly like a giant torch abruptly planted on the steppe, impossible to tear one's gaze away from!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bogui, I, Sun Wentai, have something to say — your younger brother is a true hero!\" Dozens of li away, Sun Jian stared at that fiery glow in the distance, stunned for a moment. Then, ultimately unable to contain himself, he could not help but turn and speak thus to the man beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Zan reined in his horse nearby, gazing northward, gripping his double-headed long lance. He remained silent and wordless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on a small slope just a few li away from these two men, in the darkness of night, Tanshihuai — the great Khan who had founded the Xianbei nation, just forty years old this year yet already his face full of frost-like scars — also reined in his horse. He turned his head and stared at his royal court in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————I am the broke-on-520 dividing line——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...vied with one another to enter the water. The enemy troops were extremely numerous. The Grand Ancestor, having already taken the lead in battle and being without armor, was thus repeatedly struck by blades and arrows. He sustained several wounds, none of which he bound; he was struck by several arrows, all of which he snapped and cast to the ground. Because of this, the entire army fought with desperate valor, and the rebels were stricken with terror. At that time, those among the generals who had lost their horses would grasp the tails of their comrades' steeds to charge the formation; those soldiers who had exhausted their arrows would search the Xianbei corpses to continue shooting. Thus, although the rebels were numerous, they were still swiftly defeated! The Grand Ancestor then pressed close to the royal court and raised fire to burn it. The summer night wind was strong, and the blaze and smoke reflected directly for a hundred li, shaking the entire Monan region!\" — Old Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Martial Emperor, Grand Ancestor\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to book friend Shi7Nian for the reward, and thanks to Baihe Niang for the second book recommendation...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also... the tactic of charging a formation by gripping a horse's tail was a classic tactic used by the Nian Army against Senggelinqin. It was generally a two-man team — one man riding a horse or even a donkey, and the other gripping the horse's or donkey's tail and running behind. The former was responsible for scattering the enemy formation, and the latter for finishing off the enemy... This tactic was simply too satisfying to use against armies with low organizational cohesion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3408,"2026-06-04T19:42:03.441Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","1ec77ab3c18f08208df7d5718885211a986cbeb51e3dbaedaa8b739964a7d57c","overthrowing-han-chapter-91","overthrowing-han-chapter-89",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]