Chapter 101: Should I Avoid His Sharp Edge First? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

News spread continuously.

Regarding Gu Chen defeating the barbarians once again, the people of the world simply regarded it as routine.

——Gu Chen will not lose!

This had already become the consensus of the entire world.

What they truly cared about was still Gu Chen’s physical condition; this had almost become a matter that everyone in the world was concerned about.

When Gu Chen returned to Chengdu.

The people of Chengdu knelt one after another at the city gates, and the Three Elders, who held the highest prestige, announced the will of the people.

They implored Gu Chen to return to Luoyang.

They asked him not to rush about the world anymore, nor to fight on the battlefield.

The hearts of the people are like water.

Now that the Great Han was in a period of vigorous development and the people of the world were living good lives, there was no one who did not hope that Gu Chen could live for a while longer.

But it was precisely because of this that Gu Chen could not stop his footsteps.

Everyone must die eventually.

He was destined to depart sooner or later.

Rather than merely clinging to life, it was better to help the Great Han completely resolve every potential crisis he could discover before his end.

This was Gu Chen’s most firm thought now.

The twelfth year of Zhangwu, September;

Gu Chen left Yizhou again and rushed to Hanzhong.

Aside from the daily investigation of local governance, Gu Chen also gradually began to unearth talent.

Although he had been away.

The internal political development of the Great Han had never stopped.

The establishment of "Primary Learning" and the "Library Pavilion" was still ongoing.

Although no concrete results had manifested yet.

This was a very long-term plan, and only when the national strength of the Great Han was completely restored would the changes within be fully felt.

Gu Chen was now also using his own prestige to promote this matter.

In an invisible way, he planted the seeds of this idea in the hearts of the people everywhere.

Of course, Gu Chen would certainly not forget the cultivation of his family descendants.

The seventh generation of the Gu family had already blossomed and borne fruit.

Previously, he taught those in the clan who focused on martial arts, but now he was teaching the descendants who excelled in internal affairs.

November;

Gu Chen discovered in Hanzhong that a great clan was hiding private soldiers in the deep mountains of Han and Yi—he attacked and destroyed them.

He abolished the great clans of Hanzhong once more.

Without showing any mercy, he dealt with all the families involved.

And he took the opportunity to punish nearly ten corrupt officials in the Hanzhong region.

If what Gu Chen did at the beginning of the Great Han’s resurgence was a large-scale purge.

Then this time, it was a more meticulous investigation.

Gu Chen stayed in the Hanzhong region for several months.

Until February of the thirteenth year of Zhangwu;

——He left Hanzhong again and rushed to the Jiangdong region.

Unlike other commanderies of the Great Han.

The situation of the noble clans in the Jiangdong region was still extremely complex.

This was also the main reason why Gu Chen had chosen to let Guan Yu garrison Jiangdong in the beginning.

Even after experiencing one of Gu Chen’s purges, the connections between the Jiangdong noble clans were still extremely deep.

The environment and various factors had created this situation.

Although their current strength was not great, this kind of interest-based community was always a risk.

Previously, because the Great Han had just risen and the situation was not completely stable, Gu Chen had not solved all of this with drastic measures.

Now that the time had come, he would certainly not hold back.

Regarding Gu Chen’s arrival, the Jiangdong noble clans were naturally all terrified.

Their fear of Gu Chen had already been completely integrated into their bones.

Gu Chen did not make any special moves.

He just had people investigate the governance of various places in Jiangdong through the common people as usual, including whether any great clans had violated the rules he had set in the past.

Although the Jiangdong noble clans had already made many preparations for this.

Under the great momentum of Gu Chen’s absolute prestige, some situations were still uncovered.

The thirteenth year of Zhangwu.

Gu Chen successively dismissed nearly twenty officials in the Jiangdong region and beheaded seven;

And he dealt with three great clans that had violated Gu Chen’s orders and tried to occupy their original land.

He exiled them to the swamps of Jiangdong and the mountainous regions of Minyue to reclaim land.

The news spread, and Jiangdong was shaken.

The fear of Gu Chen among the various great clans had reached its peak.

Subsequently, Gu Chen issued orders one after another to transfer some great clans away from their ancestral homes, and carried out more detailed decentralization to create conflicts.

He disintegrated the common interests of the Jiangdong noble clans bit by bit from the inside;

Jiangdong was in chaos!

Gu Chen’s hardline methods exceeded everyone’s expectations.

But even if they saw Gu Chen’s intentions, what could they do?

Looking at the world today, who dared to block Gu Chen?

Even if they were unwilling in their hearts, these Jiangdong noble clans had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept it.

But Gu Chen’s methods were not just these.

Although he had long had a judgment on the situation in the Jiangdong region, when he personally descended upon this land again, he also sensed the undercurrents hidden in the dark in Jiangdong.

——The Shanyue were too strong!

As one of the branches of the Baiyue during the pre-Qin period.

Since Emperor Wu of Han conquered Nanyue and Minyue in the past, some Yue people retreated to the mountains south of the Yangtze River, gradually forming the current "Shanyue."

After these years of development.

The strength of the Shanyue had naturally improved slightly.

But according to Gu Chen’s judgment, no matter how much they improved, it was impossible for them to have improved to this extent.

Although Gu Chen was a fierce general who charged on the battlefield, his mind was also extremely meticulous.

Through this slight abnormality, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

He then immediately sent people to investigate.

He didn't know until he checked, and upon checking, even Gu Chen was somewhat angry.

It turned out that just before he entered Jiangdong, the old Jingzhou noble clans and many Jiangdong noble clans had sent profits to the Shanyue chieftains, reached cooperation with them, and sent their clan descendants and private soldiers to the Shanyue.

Just to avoid Gu Chen’s liquidation.

———To wait until after Gu Chen died to restore their families.

This was indeed a good idea; at the very least, it truly avoided Gu Chen’s initial great purge.

But they had never thought about the consequences this move would cause.

People change with their environment!

Even if those noble descendants who had received the education of the Great Han would not be easily assimilated, the private soldiers in their clans were destined to change with the environment.

Including the knowledge and technology they brought with them.

It would only make the overall strength of the Shanyue continue to grow stronger!

Gu Chen was furious!

Even Gu Yi had forgotten how many years it had been since Gu Chen had been this angry.

This move by these people had clearly touched Gu Chen’s reverse scale.

It was fortunate that he discovered it this time.

If not, given how the Shanyue were developing, after he passed away in the future, these people would definitely become one of the fatal threats to the Great Han!

Gu Chen did not hesitate at all and immediately sent people to investigate strictly.

At the same time, he personally led the army and headed straight for the remote areas of Danyang, Kuaiji, and other commanderies.

This battle was destined to be unavoidable.

Gu Chen’s methods toward other barbarians had already spread, not to mention that there were now noble descendants in the Shanyue who held a blood feud with Gu Chen.

However, they also knew Gu Chen’s methods.

They would naturally not engage Gu Chen in a head-on battle.

Instead, they used their familiarity with the terrain and various environmental factors to drag Gu Chen down bit by bit.

They intended to drag Gu Chen to his death!

This was indeed an extremely effective method.

Even with Gu Chen’s heaven-defying abilities, it was completely impossible to resolve the issue of the terrain.

The Shanyue adopted the tactic of "the enemy retreats, we advance; the enemy advances, we retreat," relying on the geographical advantages, including the unique miasma within the mountains and forests of Jiangdong, to obstruct Gu Chen.

—But they ultimately underestimated Gu Chen.

Gu Chen was never just a fierce general who only knew how to charge into battle.

After observing the terrain, he immediately formulated a concrete strategy.

First, he established defenses across the four provinces.

He besieged the entire Shanyue within the mountains, cutting off their connection to the outside world.

Although the Shanyue had an agricultural culture, it was still impossible for them to guarantee absolute self-sufficiency in food.

This was the inherent disadvantage of living in the mountains and forests!

At the same time, Gu Chen did not abandon the offensive on the hearts and minds of the people.

The Shanyue people wanted to use the terrain to limit the siege of the Han Army.

But Gu Chen did not need a siege!

He only needed to infinitely compress the Shanyue’s living space, which would be enough to fundamentally disintegrate the Shanyue from within!

A peaceful and prosperous age was always a person’s greatest fantasy.

The current trend of reform in the world not only made the private soldiers of the noble clans yearn for it, but even within the Shanyue, there were those who longed for the Great Han.

They were ultimately too dismissive of Gu Chen.

Being able to walk from such a chaotic age to this day was enough to demonstrate the terrifying nature of Gu Chen.

This war did not last long.

Under the immense pressure brought by Gu Chen, the chaos within the Shanyue came far earlier than imagined.

Not even two months had passed before great turmoil erupted within the Shanyue.

But even so, Gu Chen was in no hurry to attack, merely steadily compressing the Shanyue’s living space.

Even at this stage, he still maintained that character of pushing everything to the extreme.

—Impeccable!

Every person who fought Gu Chen head-on, regardless of their talent or strength, would feel this extreme despair.

Gu Chen was a machine with no shortcomings.

In a situation where one had absolutely no advantage in a head-on confrontation, wanting to defeat Gu Chen was nothing but a pipe dream.

Tianmu Mountain Range.

Seeing his situation becoming increasingly dire, the Shanyue Chieftain Zu Kang, face full of killing intent, could no longer control himself and roared: "We absolutely cannot go on like this!"

"I, the Chieftain, will personally lead the troops to attack Gu Chen!"

He was thoroughly enraged.

This constantly compressing living space had already seriously threatened his status.

He absolutely could not tolerate this continuing any longer.

Upon hearing this, Cai Yao’s expression changed immediately, and he hurriedly spoke: "Chieftain, you must absolutely not do this!"

He was the most outstanding descendant of the Jingzhou Cai clan at the time.

It was precisely because of this that he had been sent into this Tianmu Mountain Range by Cai Mao.

With a very serious expression, he spoke of the various rumors about Gu Chen, wanting to completely suppress this intention of Zu Kang.

But things had reached this point; how could Zu Kang endure any longer?

People all have selfish motives!

As far as he was concerned.

Even if he could truly defend against Gu Chen, if he were to lose his status as Chieftain, it would be better to gamble everything!

And who could be certain that he would definitely lose?

Those who could reach this position today were all proud and arrogant people.

Moreover, the Shanyue Chieftain also held the position of High Priest among the Shanyue.

Faith would give him the greatest confidence.

"I am the Chieftain of the tribe; the Mountain God and our ancestors will protect me!" Zu Kang scolded, staring coldly at Cai Yao, killing intent rising in his eyes: "You people have brought disaster upon our Shanyue."

"If you do not fight in this battle, I will use your blood for a blood sacrifice!"

In an instant, Cai Yao’s expression changed.

Although he had a thousand words in his heart, he could not say any of them, and could only nod silently.

Only then did Zu Kang reveal a trace of a smile.

Subsequently, he immediately held a blood sacrifice deep in the mountains.

The power of prophecy and superstition was perfectly manifested at such a time.

Although the situation was difficult.

But out of absolute belief in their faith, this blood sacrifice still caused the hearts of the Shanyue people to gradually settle.

This was the effect Zu Kang wanted.

Afterward, utilizing his absolute knowledge of the terrain, he launched a surprise attack on Gu Chen during the gap when the Han Army was obstructed at a narrow pass.

The Shanyue people had extremely strong physical constitutions.

In the original history.

The Danyang Army, which could be called the most elite under Sun Quan, was almost entirely composed of Shanyue people.

It was just that now, it was different from the original history.

In the original history, Sun Quan had spent a huge price to deal with the Shanyue, consuming vast amounts of manpower and time, and in the end, he only barely reached a balance of semi-rule and semi-cooperation with the Shanyue people.

But what Gu Chen was doing now was completely different.

He wanted to completely control the Shanyue and thoroughly restrict their space for development.

And Gu Chen also had requirements regarding time.

He did not know how much longer he had to live, so he never thought about spending too much time to resolve this matter!

Within this, there was already a fundamental difference!

Zu Kang’s movements were extremely fast.

The Shanyue had lived in the Tianmu Mountain Range for generations and were already well-versed in the terrain of the entire mountain range.

He personally led his elites.

Climbing the mountains, he intended to carry out a decapitation strike directly against Gu Chen.

That night.

The starlight was dim, and the night was deep.

"Report!!!"

An anxious shout broke the silence of the Han Army camp.

"Reporting to Lord Gu, the enemy has arrived!"

Hearing this report, the expressions of all the generals and soldiers present could not help but change.

A surprise attack?

Although it was hard to believe that anyone in the world would dare to show off their skills before Gu Chen, the generals still immediately spoke up, one after another, requesting Gu Chen to retreat temporarily.

"Lord Gu, our main force has not yet fully arrived. This subordinate is willing to cover the rear; I ask that Lord Gu immediately retreat to the center of the army."

"This subordinate is also willing to cover the rear!!!"

"I ask that Lord Gu temporarily avoid the enemy's edge; we are willing to cover the rear for Lord Gu!"

"."

There was not a trace of fear on the faces of the generals, only concern for Gu Chen.

The current Han Army was deep within a narrow pass.

The main army could not fully arrive due to the terrain; now that the enemy had turned from defense to offense, how could they not worry about Gu Chen’s safety?

But Gu Chen’s expression remained as calm as ever.

He just looked at the generals like this, and when they had all finished speaking, he said faintly: "I should avoid their edge first?"

His tone was extremely light.

But the pressure it gave people was not reduced in the slightest.

In an instant, the generals were all stunned.

Gu Chen smiled faintly, then rose leisurely, his gaze flashing with sharp battle intent once more, and without any superfluous words, he said in a deep voice:

"Bring me my spear!!!"

How could he not have anticipated that the Shanyue people would definitely launch a desperate counterattack?

The habits of the Shanyue people, including the surrounding terrain.

Gu Chen had already investigated them clearly.

He personally led the vanguard army to this narrow pass precisely to intentionally show a flaw to Zu Kang.

In reality, Gu Chen had already had his elites, who were most skilled at climbing mountains and hiding, guard every valley entrance.

As long as Zu Kang took the bait and attacked, he would definitely have no way back.

No one would be willing to be slowly devoured.

Zu Kang would definitely choose to fight with all his might before the outcome was completely settled.

——This is Gu Chen’s judgment of human nature!

The officers and soldiers were completely bewildered; they had no knowledge of this matter at all.

In their eyes, the main army was still in the rear.

They knew nothing of these arrangements made by Gu Chen, and instinctively, they worried for him.

After all, Gu Chen’s age was a factor.

But seeing Gu Chen’s expression, the officers and soldiers dared not say more.

On the contrary, under Gu Chen’s example, the blood and spirit in their hearts were completely ignited.

As the guards brought over Gu Chen’s armor and silver spear.

The officers felt not a shred of fear; they knelt before Gu Chen one after another and shouted in unison: "We are willing to fight to the death for Lord Gu, never to waver until the end!!!"

"We are willing to fight to the death for Lord Gu, never to waver until the end!!!"

"We are willing to fight to the death for Lord Gu, never to waver until the end!!!"

"."

The shouts echoed through the heavens and earth.

Gu Chen gripped that all-too-familiar long spear, a trace of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, and a smile appearing on his face as well.

"Death?"

He shook his head slightly, slowly rose, and walked out of the tent. Listening to the sounds of slaughter outside, he looked up at the sky: "Apart from Heaven, who can claim me, Gu Chen?"

——This is the self-confidence of a son of the Gu clan!

Although Gu Chen was steady.

The invincible heart within him had still not vanished.

That was the ambition to look down upon all the heroes of the world!!!

The great battle broke out in an instant!

Although the Yuhan Army appeared to be in the minority, in reality, they were all elites skilled in slaughter.

Even when facing a surprise attack.

The morale of these men had never scattered.

Gu Chen’s name truly gave far too many people incomparable self-confidence.

Especially after seeing Gu Chen don his armor in person.

This effect was even greater.

With Lord Gu here, how could we possibly lose?

To be able to fight on the battlefield alongside Lord Gu, what would it matter even if we died?

Lord Gu would take good care of their families.

Even if they died, they would bring supreme glory to their families!

The influence that this unwavering conviction could bring was something others could hardly imagine!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

The sounds of weapons clashing rose from all sides.

The deafening cries of battle stirred up countless birds in the forest amidst the silent night.

Zu Kang was completely bewildered.

He truly found it hard to imagine that under such a surprise attack, the Yuhan Army could still erupt with such combat power.

The will of the Yuhan Army seemed even firmer than their own, who had just undergone a blood sacrifice.

How could he possibly understand?

Blood sacrifices to ancestors and mountain gods could indeed intensify their faith.

But the Yuhan Army’s faith was here in the world right now!

And it was here on this battlefield, leading them in the charge!

Firelight rose everywhere.

This was not a great fire ignited by the Shanyue Army, but one set by people sent by Gu Chen.

Beneath the silent night.

This was the most conspicuous signal given to the Yuhan Army lurking on all sides.

Gu Chen clearly wanted to use this battle to completely resolve the Shanyue conflict.

He charged at the very front.

Every enemy he faced could not hinder his steps; within a few exchanges, they would be pierced through by him.

——Fresh blood sprayed!

Reflected in the firelight, those drops of blood were like shooting stars, emitting a bright red glow.

They even stained Gu Chen’s snow-white hair red.

But the more this happened, the more it intensified the fear others felt toward him.

Is this still a human?

Wasn't there a rumor that Gu Chen was already old and nearing his end?

Is this the combat power a man of advanced years could possess?

How could they possibly understand Gu Chen’s terror?

The passage of time had indeed affected Gu Chen’s combat power.

But it had only transformed him from the invincible-under-heaven of one dazzling era into the invincible supreme of another!

The physique of the Shanyue people was indeed strong.

But even if their physique was strong, how could it be stronger than those great generals whose names were recorded in history?

Compared to the opponents Gu Chen had faced in the past, these people were ultimately far too inferior.

Zu Kang was thoroughly enraged.

He charged forward like a madman, wanting to block Gu Chen.

But how could he possibly be a match for Gu Chen?

As Gu Chen successively killed several Shanyue commanders and swept Zu Kang to the ground with one strike of his spear.

The situation was completely sealed!

The remnants of the old Jingzhou clans, such as Cai Yao, had no interest in this battle to begin with and immediately wanted to retreat.

But it was ultimately too late.

Although Gu Chen’s original arrangements could not guard every single vital point.

But the moment the firelight ignited, they had already shifted their positions.

These men were all the current elites of the Great Han.

With such a clear situation, how could they possibly judge it wrong?

The Shanyue Army’s retreat path was completely blocked.

And they had to face a siege from all directions.

A great reckoning had completely begun.

Gu Chen showed absolutely no mercy to these remnants of the old Jingzhou clans; they had to face the consequences of thoroughly angering Gu Chen.

And as for Zu Kang, the Shanyue tribal leader.

Gu Chen naturally would not show mercy either.

He wanted to take this opportunity to completely clear away the Shanyue threat.

And as these forces with the strongest will to resist fell.

The entire Shanyue had completely abandoned resistance.

Gu Chen easily led his army into the heart of the Tianmu Mountains, and subsequently began the system he had long since devised.

He divided the Shanyue into three parts according to their different customs;

——Those skilled in farming;

Were all relocated to Danyang, and a separate commandery was established.

Fundamentally splitting them to completely block their path of development.

As for those skilled in hunting;

They remained living within the Tianmu Mountains.

Gu Chen appointed specialized officials, left them an opening to trade prey for daily necessities, and recorded every single person in detail.

This was absolutely a lethal blow.

Under conditions of insufficient productivity, the Shanyue would only grow increasingly weak.

And those skilled in farming would also gradually be assimilated by the culture of the Great Han.

As long as the Great Han could maintain stability, it would not even take a long time.

News spread continuously.

When it was heard that Gu Chen had not even used half a year to completely pacify the Shanyue, and had even eliminated the remnants of the old Jingzhou clans.

——Jiangdong was shaken!

Just how powerful the Shanyue were was something all the noble clans in the land of Jiangdong knew well.

Who could have expected that Gu Chen would sweep them away in such a short amount of time?

And look at the fate of those remnants of the old Jingzhou clans!

This is news that would make every aristocratic family and powerful clan in the world feel fear upon hearing it.

In fact, Gu Yi guessed.

The reason Gu Chen acted so ruthlessly this time seems to be that he wanted to use this opportunity to finally intimidate those clans in the world that still harbor ulterior motives.

It is to make them all understand that the era has completely changed.

He will not permit the Great Han to walk the path of the past ever again!

PS: It is the end of the month, begging for monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)