Chapter 117: Cultural Integration, the Gu Family's Path of Reform (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Gu Yi certainly understood that accomplishing all of this would not be easy.

The productivity required for ethnic integration far exceeded that of the current era.

Why did the barbarians of the four directions constantly attack the Great Han?

The core reason was the insufficiency of their productivity!

Their systems and culture;

were more backward compared to the Great Han, and the environment they relied upon for survival was even less capable of supporting their continued progress.

This was the fundamental reason for the constant conflicts between the two sides.

This time, Gu Yi wanted to attempt to break this current situation.

Compared to the original history—

the current Great Han was far more powerful, which was also the influence brought about after the emergence of the Gu family.

The barbarians of the four directions yearned for the systems of the Great Han far more than they did in the original history.

This was what allowed Gu Yi to see an opportunity.

Perhaps he could forge a new path and thoroughly cement the status of the entire Gu family within the Nine Provinces.

Of course—

Gu Yi did not know if this endeavor would actually succeed.

But as long as there was a glimmer of hope, it was worth his attempt.

Guonei City.

Just like the royal court of the Xianbei, the architecture throughout Guonei City was also imitating the architectural style of the Great Han.

But Goguryeo had not even learned the basics.

It had completely become a hodgepodge of nothing.

Gu Yi once again sent Wen Yang out, ordering him to pursue and kill the King of Goguryeo.

—It was just that this time, Gu Yi placed restrictions on him.

He did not let him pursue too far.

Wen Yang had gradually shown some changes over these days; his temperament was just like that.

He needed someone he was genuinely convinced by to constantly educate him.

Only then could his reckless personality be changed bit by bit.

Gu Yi certainly would not grind away all the ferocity in Wen Yang; ethnic integration was absolutely an extremely long-term affair.

And Wen Yang was precisely the best candidate to guard this region.

Only by using both the blade and the system together would there be a chance to achieve the goal Gu Yi anticipated.

This was a large-scale change from faith to the overall system!

Everything must be done slowly.

Gu Ye’s talent was indeed not bad; as the most outstanding person among the current generation of Gu family descendants.

Gu Yi only needed to provide the general line of thought.

Gu Ye could then perfect the details based on his own judgment and formulate a system more in line with the current situation.

—First of all, it was naturally aimed at those nobles within these tribes.

Gu Yi would not hold back this time.

Apart from those nobles who had already been executed, Gu Yi also intended to relocate those who remained and were inclined toward the Han.

Relocating them to the remote areas of Youzhou.

Letting them engage in land reclamation while gradually integrating into the Great Han culture.

From the root, thoroughly sever the current ruling system of the grassland tribes.

Gu Yi certainly would not cut everything off in one stroke.

Humans are animals of habit; cutting everything off at once would only cause greater chaos.

Gu Yi selected a group of descendants from these tribal nobles who understood the Great Han culture.

Reappointing them as tribal leaders.

Of course, these were only nominal positions.

The positions that held real power still needed to be filled by Han people.

And within this, he struck from the cultural aspect as well.

Incorporating the gods worshipped by the grassland people into the Great Han culture, creating an influence bit by bit from their faith.

And opening schools and trade markets.

The schools were naturally different from the current schools of the Great Han.

Gu Yi only had them learn the language of the Great Han and raised their status based on their learning achievements.

As for the trade markets—

that was one of the ways to stabilize the core of the conflicts between the two sides.

Exchanging the things they needed through the horses of the Xianbei, the furs of the Wuhuan, and the ginseng and medicine of Goguryeo.

In fact, this matter was the core of it all.

Only by ensuring stability could the implementation of other systems be promoted.

Of course, it would not be that simple.

Besides this, Gu Yi also formulated various policies for grading and granting land based on the degree of integration with Han culture.

Including the able-bodied men within these tribes.

Gu Yi referenced the Fubing system of the Northern Wei from the original history and reformed it.

While controlling the number of people.

He also gave them more hope.

Stipulating that as long as they obeyed orders and served as soldiers for many years, they could be granted land and bestowed with a Han surname.

Appropriately integrating the core of the Fubing system and the Equal-Field system.

Including their specific settlements and everything else, there were restrictions and planning.

This was absolutely an epoch-making event.

It was also a necessary choice for history to always keep moving forward.

In fact, many people could only see the surface of history, knowing the glory created by the Nine Provinces in this feudal era, while ignoring the efforts and progress of generations of people before these splendors.

Just like the prosperous age of the Sui and Tang in the original history.

Most people could only see the brilliance of that time, but ignored the foundation built by the Northern Wei.

Fundamentally—

it was because of the success of the great ethnic integration implemented during the time of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, which newly produced a more vibrant Hu-Han culture, that allowed later generations to build a super-civilization system spanning grasslands, agriculture, and the ocean.

This was a process of flowering and bearing fruit.

For China to have such a cultural heritage that has lasted for thousands of years, the repeated integration and rebirth were absolutely an existence that could not be ignored.

The Gu family still had a long way to go.

With the progress of the era and the improvement of productivity.

The influence of the Gu family would absolutely not be limited to the entire land of China.

Gu Yi had to keep the Gu family at the forefront of the era; even if not every generation could produce talents, he had to ensure the family possessed an unimaginable foundation and depth.

The news was quickly sent to Luoyang.

—When the news from the northern frontier was heard, the imperial court and the public were instantly in an uproar!

Pacifying three barbarian tribes in one battle!

Such an achievement was the first since the resurgence of the Great Han.

The pride of the entire Great Han reached its peak on this day.

Liu Chen naturally would not let such an opportunity pass, quickly spreading this news and utilizing the talent of the students of the Imperial Academy to propagate the heavenly might of the Great Han.

The entire Great Han was completely boiling!

Gu family descendants combined with this kind of battle situation were able to stir up the hearts of the people.

A prosperous age had descended once again.

This was a thought that arose from the depths of everyone's hearts.

Although the natural disasters had passed for a long time.

But it was undeniable that there was still a hint of haze in the hearts of the people of the Great Han; this kind of haze had to be dispelled by time or other heart-stirring major events.

And this time, it was exactly that.

Gu Yi was not wrong.

When the name of Gu Ye spread throughout the world once again and became increasingly resounding.

A thought that had long formed a consensus was finally brought up.

"When the Gu family descendant emerges, the world shall flourish!"

Various nursery rhymes appeared one after another from the four regions.

This was not the credit of Gu Ye's generation, but the result of the struggle of generations of Gu family descendants.

Let alone those famous people like Gu Kang, Gu Xi, and Gu Chen.

Under the strictest education system of the Gu family, even those obscure Gu family descendants were shining and contributing to the entire family.

And now.

This is the time for those efforts to bear fruit.

Of course, this line of thinking also adds another layer of constraint upon the Gu family.

That is, there must be true talent emerging to be able to re-enter the core of the imperial court.

But for the Gu family, this is not a problem.

The purpose of entering the core of the imperial court is undoubtedly to continuously expand the family's influence.

Does the Gu family currently still lack influence?

With the development of the era, the Gu family must undergo change, bit by bit.

In any case—

The Gu family cannot be bound to a single dynasty, but must be bound to the entire Nine Provinces!

The ministers in the imperial court are well aware of this, but even if they are dissatisfied, they are destined to be unable to stop it.

In the current Great Han, which family can compare to the Gu family?

No—

The Gu family can no longer even be called a family.

Julu has now become a holy land; even when the world was in chaos, Julu was not affected in the slightest.

Looking through history, such a phenomenon has never appeared before.

Compared to them, the other families in the world are truly too laughable.

Never mind those families;

Even the Liu family, the imperial clan, what can they do?

Is their status in the hearts of the common people really comparable to the Gu family?

The Gu family is no longer an existence that can be summarized by the word "family." Through the struggle of several generations, the Gu family has long since vaguely stepped toward the direction of a faith.

This is a trend that no one can reverse!

But before this fervor could end, Gu Yi's memorial regarding the governance of the barbarians was sent back.

—The imperial court and the public were shaken to their core!

The impact of this time far exceeded that of the previous battle reports.

The various policies directly pushed the atmosphere of the entire Great Han imperial court to a climax.

This kind of system is unimaginable to the court officials.

Even people like Zhang Hua and Zhong Hui were stunned.

Gu Yi, of course, had long guessed this; he explained the reasons in the memorial and provided some reasonable justifications.

But this system still aroused resistance from many people.

This was completely unavoidable.

The arrogance of Great Han officials far exceeds that of ordinary commoners; how could they accept the system proposed by Gu Yi?

To them—

If barbarians want to approach the Great Han, they must submit completely.

This matter set off a monstrous wave throughout the entire imperial court, and the ministers launched detailed discussions and debates over this system.

Liu Chen also hesitated.

No matter how wise he is, he is destined to be limited by his era.

Moreover, the current situation is completely different from that in original history; at the very least, the Divine Land still exists, and the Great Han still exists.

All of this is truly too subversive for him.

But out of trust in Gu Ye, he still began to seriously consider this matter.

He discussed it in detail with Zhang Hua, Zhong Hui, and others.

Zhang Hua and the others were indeed extraordinary; after several days of reflection, they had already grasped the profound meaning behind Gu Yi's proposal.

But taking this step was still very difficult for them.

The most difficult of all was Liu Chen.

Without a doubt, if this move could truly succeed, these barbarians would sooner or later merge into the Great Han, and their lands would eventually become Han soil.

This is not just a superficial occupation.

Cultural integration would allow this land to be thoroughly merged into the Nine Provinces, just as it was in the ancient era.

If this could truly be done—

The achievements of him as Emperor, even adding up all the emperors of the Former and Later Han, would definitely rank among the top.

But if it failed and led to even greater turmoil, or even the collapse of the Nine Provinces that those who resisted spoke of.

Then he, Liu Chen, would become a sinner of the entire Nine Provinces.

For any emperor, this is not a choice that can be made easily.

But do not forget, he is Liu Chen!

—I would rather die in battle and lose the state than hand over the empire.

This point alone is enough to illustrate his character.

Since he already knew that if this could succeed, it would bring unimaginable benefits to the entire Great Han.

Then how could he hesitate?

As for failure—Liu Chen did not care at all.

If he failed, he would just fight back again.

Even if in the future he was no longer in this world, his descendants would naturally fight for the Great Han again.

Liu Chen is not Liu Chan!

He would rather make a mistake than choose to do nothing!

Not to mention that the one who proposed all of this was a descendant of the Gu family.

Once he confirmed his own thoughts, Liu Chen immediately suppressed all voices in the court.

Both the Emperor and the Chancellor approved this matter.

The overall situation was completely settled.

Liu Chen's imperial decree was swiftly sent to the northern frontier; he handed everything over to Gu Ye, thoroughly declaring that the entire Nine Provinces had taken another major step forward.

The transformation began from this moment—

Domestic City.

Wen Yang had indeed restrained his temper somewhat; although he did not pursue them very far, he still slaughtered quite a few people.

The King of Goguryeo had already fled far away in great detail.

Under the threat of the Han Army, he did not dare to have the slightest thought of turning back.

There was no help for it; Gu Yi's attitude toward the Xianbei and Wuhuan nobles truly made him feel fear.

Gu Yi had been waiting for the imperial court's decree.

Although the Gu family currently had no constraints, unless they truly took that step, they had to maintain certain things in the current era.

And taking that step would definitely welcome the demise of the Gu family.

The foundation built by several generations would definitely dissipate in an instant.

Finally, as time passed, the imperial decree was finally delivered.

After Gu Yi took a brief look at it.

He directly handed the imperial decree to Wen Yang and looked at him earnestly, saying: "A-Yang, can you shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

There must be a great general to garrison the area.

This was something that had to be guaranteed before this system began.

"Great General, this subordinate will definitely complete the mission." Wen Yang did not hesitate in the slightest, saying it with a clangorous and forceful tone.

He was always this confident.

But how could the process of promoting a general to a regional commander be so simple?

However, the good thing was that all Wen Yang really needed to do was to deter.

Gu Yi did not hesitate at all and immediately began to make arrangements.

This was destined to meet with resistance.

The appearance of any brand-new system is not something that can be easily accepted at the beginning.

But what could resistance do?

Gu Yi would not hold back in the slightest; he would execute them all.

He wanted to use blood to lay the foundation for this transformation and pave this path!

——————

"The cultural great integration proposed by Great General Gu Ye during the Yan-Han period is an important node in the historical development of our country that cannot be ignored.

The practice of cultural integration he implemented both highlights the inclusive nature of our country's civilization.

And it also provided valuable experience in ethnic governance for later generations.

This dialogue that spanned across the grassland and agrarian civilizations was eventually forged into the civilizational cornerstone of later dynasties, and it also laid a solid foundation for the glory of later dynasties."

——《People's Education Press History Textbook, Grade 7, Volume 1 (Ethnic Great Integration Unit)》

(End of chapter)