Chapter 119: Tearing and Merging, a Brand New Prosperous Age (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of drums beating one after another rose quietly with the passage of time, breaking the silent and tense atmosphere.

Hearing these drumbeats, Gu Han immediately let out a sigh of relief.

The Li people have a custom of "casting copper into drums," and these cast copper drums hold great significance for them; the king of their tribe is even called the "Drum Master."

To be able to sound the copper drum at a time like this.

At the very least—

Their king has already decided to meet with Gu Han.

Gu Han took a deep breath and waited quietly for their next move.

Sure enough, the burly man from just before walked out again, gestured to Gu Han, and said, "The Du Lao wants to see you."

Gu Han, neither humble nor pushy, cupped his hands in thanks.

He then followed the burly man forward.

The Shanyue culture is fundamentally different from that of the Great Han; this can be seen from the architectural style of the Li tribe.

Unlike the Wuhuan and Xianbei, who are actively absorbing Great Han culture.

The Li still use "stilt-style" houses, with the lower level raised and people living on the upper level, including some who live in karst caves.

Along the way, Gu Han carefully observed the environment in which these Li people lived.

He had gained a certain understanding of the Li people.

The customs of the Li tribe can be said to be completely incompatible with the Central Plains, whether it be their "killing to sacrifice to ghosts" or their food.

If there is one slight similarity, it is that the Li also have some agricultural culture.

But it is different from the agriculture of the Great Han.

What they plant are dry rice, taro, and yams.

They do not have fixed land; they often migrate immediately after exhausting the fertility of a piece of land.

Overall—

The barbarian tribes in the Shanyue region today have a far lower sense of identification with Great Han culture than the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and others.

This is definitely not good news for Gu Han.

But there is also a difference.

That is, the past actions of Gu Chen have given the Gu family a certain legend and influence among these barbarians.

He could only seize this opportunity.

The leader of the Li tribe is called "Du Lao" within their tribe.

This was a burly man covered in tattoos.

Perhaps because he had truly cast aside all caution, the moment he saw him, Gu Han suddenly felt he was not as nervous as before.

He performed a standard Han salute to this Li Du Lao.

"You are the descendant of the Great Ghost Master Nuohu?"

The Li leader stared intently at Gu Han and asked, his voice as powerful as thunder.

"That is correct." Gu Han remained as neither humble nor pushy as before.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

"Good!" The Li Du Lao smiled; he did not keep a straight face the whole time, but instead directly ordered a banquet to be set.

This is also one of the cultures of the Li tribe.

They have their own understanding of hosting guests; besides the highly distinctive food, they must treat guests with "nose-drinking."

Gu Han had long heard of this tradition from Great Han officials.

Regarding this matter—

He had his own persistence.

Along the way, he had truly changed too much.

From a typical young noble, he had gradually transformed into a resilient man.

He had already thought clearly about the style of conduct for this trip.

Since it was for the purpose of expansion, he had to popularize Great Han culture while respecting the other party's culture.

This is an extremely rare quality for the current era.

But respect is respect.

Gu Han still possessed the pride of a Gu family descendant; he could eat food that the Great Han did not eat, but as for "nose-drinking," a method completely inconsistent with Great Han etiquette, he would never accept it.

Facing the bamboo tube handed over by the Li, he waved his hand without the slightest hesitation: "I ask the Du Lao to forgive me."

"My Gu family has very strict family rules."

"I absolutely cannot perform such a discourteous act."

He said this to the Li Du Lao in a resonant tone.

Upon hearing this, the Li Du Lao immediately frowned, a flash of displeasure crossing his face: "Could it be that you have never heard your Great Han ministers say."

"That coming to my Li tribe requires nose-drinking?"

The surrounding Li people also stood up one after another, as if they would directly seize Gu Han as soon as the Du Lao gave the order.

"I have naturally heard of it."

Gu Han took a deep breath, still as neither humble nor pushy as before: "But besides being a Han minister, I am also a descendant of the Gu family!"

—A descendant of the Gu family!

Gu Han's tone was exceptionally resonant.

Although one might doubt the abilities and personalities of their generation of descendants, there is absolutely no need to have any doubts regarding their loyalty to the family's honor.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense.

The reputation of being a descendant of Gu Chen could indeed bring some help to Gu Han.

But everything requires strength.

With Gu Han having only this few people at present, how much of a deterrent could he have?

Gu Han clearly felt the anger of the people beside him.

He took another breath, then slowly stood up, looked seriously at the Li Du Lao, and said: "Today, I could come to this place because I had long since disregarded my own life."

"To tell you the truth, I have heard of the customs of the various Baiyue tribes."

"Only then did I decide to come and meet the Du Lao."

"Does the Du Lao not want to know why?"

A very clever negotiation tactic; this is Gu Han's progress.

Sure enough, the Li Du Lao's attention was immediately captured, and he asked: "Why?"

"I want to save the Li people!"

Gu Han spoke immediately, his expression becoming increasingly confident.

"Save my Li people?"

The Li Du Lao was stunned for a moment, then immediately revealed a disdainful smile: "Why would my Li people need you to save us?"

"Hmph!"

"If you were the Great Ghost Master Nuohu, that would be one thing, but where does a junior like you get such confidence?"

Gu Han did not avoid the sharp gaze of the Li Du Lao at all; instead, he met his gaze and asked: "I might not be enough, but what about the Great Han?"

"The Great Han?" The Li Du Lao frowned.

"The Du Lao must not know yet." Gu Han did not waste words and directly spoke of the war in the northern frontier.

This was news he only learned before officially stepping into the Baiyue territory.

"My Gu family's current head of the family swept away three barbarians in one battle; the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Goguryeo surrendered one after another."

"The Qiang, Xiongnu, and Southwestern barbarians all surrendered upon hearing the news."

He spoke in detail about the current situation of the Great Han and the wars in the four directions.

The Li Du Lao's frown deepened.

The present is already very different from the original history, although the attitude of the Baiyue toward the Great Han has not changed much.

But the difference lies in the appearance of the Gu family.

The appearance of the Gu family has intensified the influence of the Great Han on the Baiyue.

At the very least—

These tribes still have some fear of the Great Han, it is just that they know the Great Han will not wage a major war against them.

"The trend of the world has changed; ministers in the imperial court have long noticed the Shanyue."

"And the current Emperor is an ambitious ruler—"

"I want to ask the Du Lao."

"If one day, my Gu family leads the soldiers of the Great Han to descend upon the Shanyue again, what should the Du Lao do? What should the Li tribe do?"

Gu Han had thought about these words for a very, very long time.

Why did he choose the Li tribe?

This was precisely the result of his careful consideration.

Because the strength of the Li tribe is not considered weak, and it is not particularly strong among the Baiyue.

Tribes of this level are very easy to succeed with under the pressure of threats and inducements.

In any case, he must have a transit station.

Only after firmly establishing roots throughout the Hundred Yue can a sufficient foundation be laid for the Gu Shizi in the Mountain Yue.

"Are you threatening me?"

The Liren Clan Elder’s gaze grew increasingly sharp; he stared fixedly at Gu Han and barked, "I could kill you right now and use your flesh and blood to sacrifice to the ghosts and gods!"

"The Clan Elder can certainly kill me."

Gu Han remained unruffled and said calmly, "It is just that the Clan Elder must consider the consequences once the Head of the Gu Shizi arrives."

"Of course."

"By doing this, the Clan Elder is also effectively giving up an opportunity—an opportunity that could allow the Liren Tribe to truly rise within the land of the Hundred Yue."

Where there is coercion, there will naturally be inducement.

Gu Han did not believe that anyone could remain unmoved when faced with the cooperation proposed by the Gu Shizi.

Following this, he laid out the various measures Gu Ye had taken in the Northern Frontier, though naturally in a much more summarized fashion.

He merely presented the key points.

This included privileges in the border markets, as well as the re-demarcation of land and status.

There is strife within the Hundred Yue as well.

This kind of strife is even more frequent than the fighting against the Great Han.

Gu Han intended to seize upon this core issue, proposing a re-demarcation for when the Great Han expanded to this region.

The Liren Clan Elder immediately grasped the meaning behind these words, and the sharpness in his eyes suddenly dissipated somewhat.

Gu Han had guessed correctly.

If it were merely a matter of the Great Han army arriving here, he would not have cared so much.

Because from ancient times to the present, this sort of thing had happened many times already.

Even if the Great Han’s army could truly fight its way in, they would eventually withdraw sooner or later, and this could not cause them any lasting impact.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Hundred Yue felt so fearless toward the Great Han.

But the Gu Shizi were ultimately different.

Gu Chen’s methods back then were too ruthless; his battle against the Mountain Yue in Danyang had already conquered everyone.

Although Gu Ye’s current reputation could not compare to Gu Chen’s by a long shot.

Yet, the mere identity of "Head of the Gu Shizi" was enough to make many barbarians wary.

And then there were the benefits that this could bring.

If everything were truly as Gu Han said, and if the Han army were to one day arrive here, the benefits to the entire Liren Tribe would be unimaginable.

Thinking this way, the Liren Clan Elder made his decision in his heart.

He waved his hand gently.

Those Liren warriors immediately sat back down.

Soon after, a smile appeared on his face, and he looked at Gu Han with a barbarian’s directness: "Worthy of being a descendant of the Great Ghost Lord Nu Hu; you truly have courage."

"Sit."

Gu Han’s expression did not change, but his eyes suddenly brightened at this moment.

It seemed he had truly succeeded.

As for everything happening in the land of the Mountain Yue, Gu Yi was naturally completely unaware.

He could only see that Gu Han was still alive.

To know how everything was progressing, he would have to wait for word to be sent back.

However, Gu Yi had no heart to focus on too much right now; he was still wandering in all directions, keeping an eye on the barbarians of the four quarters.

With Liu Chen holding court and him outside;

This dual supervision from within and without had, quite unexpectedly, once again rectified the Great Han’s civil service.

As time slowly flowed by.

Finally—

Following the natural disasters, the Great Han once again ushered in a golden age.

How should one describe this golden age?

It was unlike any of the previous golden ages.

Various brand-new policies, including the border markets, greatly stimulated the Great Han’s commercial development, and as merchants traveled in all directions, the results of various cultural fusions appeared one after another.

In just a few short years, the Northern Frontier now even had different nursery rhymes.

"The moonlight of Changancheng, half shining on the 'Zuo Zhuan', half reflecting the Wolf God totem."

"The bright moon of the Han house shines on the Wolf Court, reading the 'Analects' before the royal tent."

Although Gu Yi had a hand in this, these were also nursery rhymes they had spread themselves.

Compared to the life they had before...

Clearly, this life where they could settle down and not starve was far, far better.

And when such nursery rhymes began to appear—

It had already thoroughly proven just how glorious the current Great Han was.

Han-style architecture appeared one after another in the Northern Frontier;

Xiongnu children began to carve the "Analects";

Qiang students drew the "Tribute of Yu Regional Map" on sheepskin;

Gu Yi’s decision to leave an opening for them to participate in the imperial examinations was indeed correct.

Although the level of these barbarians was far inferior to the common people of the Great Han, for them, this was also a rare opportunity.

The current Great Han was not exactly a place where ten thousand nations came to pay homage.

But compared to that traditional so-called "ten thousand nations coming to pay homage," this cultural tearing and fusion was far more difficult.

As long as this situation continued.

One day, these lands would be thoroughly integrated into the Nine Provinces.

Becoming a part of the Nine Provinces.

And with the stability of the borders, the economic effects brought by commercial development, and the fact that the Great Han had not seen any large-scale natural disasters in these years.

Various factors caused the national strength of the entire Great Han to grow at an astonishing speed.

The Great Han had truly reached a peak.

And for the Gu Shizi—

The situation Gu Yi had always envisioned was gradually forming, and it was far better than he had imagined.

The Gu Shizi had fundamentally become a symbol of a "golden age" in people’s hearts.

The importance of this to the Gu Shizi was unimaginable.

The twelfth year of Ganji, July.

With the situation in the four quarters stabilized, Gu Yi finally controlled Gu Ye to return to Luoyang.

Liu Chen attached great importance to this matter.

When Gu Ye arrived in Luoyang again and saw the scene before the gates of Luoyangcheng.

Never mind Gu Ye.

Even Gu Yi felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.

How many years had it been?

How many years had it been since the Gu Shizi had seen such a scene?

Although the influence of the Gu Shizi was still continuing.

But this feeling of the monarch and his subjects being of one heart had been absent for far, far too long.

Gu Ye’s eyes were even slightly red.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Before Gu Yi could control him, Gu Ye hurriedly stepped off the carriage to perform the rites.

"What is the meaning of this, Zhaode?"

Liu Chen immediately came up to meet him and stopped Gu Ye: "You and I are brothers; do not do this!"

"Zhaode has returned at just the right time!"

"I was just about to have someone send you a message."

Saying this, Liu Chen directly took Gu Ye’s hand: "I wish to go with you to perform the Fengshan sacrifices at Taishan."

Perform the Fengshan sacrifices at Taishan?

In an instant, Gu Ye was completely stunned.

Even Gu Yi had not expected Liu Chen to say such a thing.

——————

"Gu Ye, a famous military strategist and politician of the early Yan Han, reached the rank of Grand General, a member of the eighth generation of the Gu Shizi.

As an important promoter of the Great Han’s restoration, Gu Ye consolidated the territory of the Great Han with his outstanding military talent and visionary ethnic policies.

He accelerated the Sinicization process of the frontier ethnic groups and laid an important foundation for the multi-ethnic integration and national unity of Chinese civilization.

His achievements are praised by later generations as 'the first sound of the integration of the Hua and the Yi.'"

———— "People’s Education Press History Textbook, Grade 7, Volume 1 (Unit on Great Ethnic Integration)"

(End of chapter)