Reviving Han

Xinghan is a time-travel historical novel set in the Three Kingdoms era, written by Shenwen Benshen. It was serialized on Qidian Chinese Network and has now been completed, totaling approximately 805,100 words across 177 chapters. Originally titled Sanguo: Jihan Dadudu, You Qi Cai Yan, it is also known by alternative titles such as Diguo Shuangbi and Dahan Junshen.

The story begins in the late Eastern Han Dynasty: the Han court is in decline, warlords rise in succession, Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage to command the nobles, Yuan Shao dominates Hebei, and Liu Bei lives under others' roofs. A modern man, Zheng Mu, travels back to this era and becomes the son-in-law of the renowned scholar Cai Yong and husband to the talented Cai Yan (Wenji), with the Two Qiaos attending him. Leveraging the gentry network connected to the Cai family and his own exceptional military talent, Zheng Mu starts from the chaos in the Xuzhou region: he first befriends Liu Bei and repeatedly maneuvers against Cao's forces along the Tancheng-Xiangben line, repelling Cao's attacks through city defense with bed crossbows, anticipating the enemy and setting ambushes, and sowing discord through rumors; he then raises the banner of "honoring the Son of Heaven to suppress the disloyal," joins forces with Liu Bei against Cao Cao, and proceeds to pacify various bandit groups, recruit talent, and build up his territory.

This book follows the rare "loyal minister route" among Three Kingdoms time-travel novels: the protagonist does not declare himself emperor but genuinely reveres Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, and campaigns against the disloyal in the name of the imperial court, gradually becoming the true military pillar of the Han house. He is called by contemporaries "Bingxian," "Guanjun Jiangjun," and "Dahan Junshen," and is ultimately honored by Liu Xie as "Shangfu," earning the joint title "Diguo Shuangbi" with Liu Bei. The writing is brisk and passionate, interweaving multi-threaded power struggles in court and on the battlefield with tender moments in the rear, featuring witty dialogue and strong readability.