Chapter 21: The Sky of the Western Regions Belongs Only to Our Great Han

Such a large-scale water control project could not possibly be accomplished overnight.

After leaving Luoyang, Gu Kang personally led his entourage to inspect the Yellow River and Bian Canal on-site, making final preparations for the water control endeavor.

This was bound to be a massive undertaking.

Even though he had imagined it countless times in his mind, upon personally examining the details on-site, Gu Kang still felt the enormity of the task.

What he sought was not merely to control flooding, but to bring prosperity to all the people under heaven.

In fact, Gu Kang had always been this way.

Whether back in Julu or during these past years overseeing the empire's farmland, he had always helped the people build water conservancy projects.

But the scale and difficulty of this water control project far surpassed any previous irrigation initiative.

Gu Kang had to think deeply and carefully.

After his inspection, he further began detailed and comprehensive planning with Wang Jing, Wang Wu, and other water management experts.

This matter admitted no negligence whatsoever.

Should any mishap occur—causing the Yellow River to change course or the Bian Canal to breach—the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fortunately, Liu Zhuang was not a foolish ruler; once he made a decision, he offered full support.

Not to mention anything else.

At the very least, the budget had been raised to its maximum, and the people strongly supported it.

Both favorable timing and popular support were aligned with Gu Kang's cause.

Under these circumstances, after days of discussion,

Gu Kang and his team finally formulated a final plan.

——First, reinforce the old embankments;

and construct sturdy new dams according to terrain and water flow conditions.

Simultaneously, dig new channels and dredge existing ones.

To divert the Yellow River and Bian Canal smoothly into the sea, and to establish a network of irrigation canals to ensure both navigation and irrigation functions of the Bian Canal.

Once all plans were finalized, in the summer of Yongping Eleventh Year,

the water control project officially broke ground.

As the regions most severely affected, Xuzhou and Yuzhou,

the people there naturally cared even more deeply about the water control effort.

They had waited too long, far too long, for this day.

Now, that day had finally arrived.

Naturally, they offered their fullest support.

Even the powerful clans of both regions threw their full weight behind it.

In addition, Liu Zhuang directly issued an edict to mobilize troops and civilians from Jizhou, Qingzhou, and other regions.

The entire Han Empire stirred into motion.

Crowds surged, responses echoed across the four seas.

Gu Kang's experience from managing the empire's farmland in recent years now proved invaluable.

To prevent chaos from the sheer number of personnel and side effects from unequal distribution,

he swiftly devised a series of even more detailed plans.

Every detail—division of labor, rotation schedules, and more—was carefully arranged.

For a time, all eyes in the Han Empire turned to this project.

In comparison, news from the Western Regions seemed far less noteworthy.

After all, the disparity in manpower and resources was immense, and water control directly affected the livelihood of every subject under heaven!

Yiwulu City.

Gu Sheng was discussing troop deployment with Dou Gu.

Upon hearing Gu Sheng's plan to launch troops, Dou Gu was greatly shocked.

The entire Han Empire was engaged in water control; everyone knew this.

To launch troops now would surely make it impossible to secure reinforcements.

But Gu Sheng had his own reasoning; he looked solemnly at Dou Gu and said: "General, if even you hold such thoughts, how much more so the Northern Xiongnu?"

"Zhongsheng is currently on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions."

"To secure complete success, our army cannot afford the slightest slackness or the loss of any opportunity."

"The Northern Xiongnu have long tyrannized the Western Regions; though they suffered a great defeat before, our military prestige still falls short across the entire region."

"Now that the Han is preoccupied with water control, the Northern Xiongnu will surely believe we dare not act rashly."

"Is this not a perfect opportunity?"

"If our army truly does nothing, it will only increase the dangers and obstacles facing Zhongsheng's mission."

"Launching troops now will not only catch them off guard, but also bolster Zhongsheng's standing, enabling him to fulfill Your Majesty's wish to pacify the Western Regions sooner!"

"Most crucially, I understand the Minister of Agriculture."

Gu Sheng's expression was especially grave as he looked at Dou Gu: "If the Han truly lacked the strength to mobilize troops, the Minister of Agriculture would have ordered me back to Luoyang."

This was precisely the key reason Gu Sheng insisted on launching troops.

He knew his elder brother too well.

Gu Kang acted with steadiness and understood his nature intimately.

Whenever the Han reached a point where military action was inadvisable, he would surely summon Gu Sheng back to Luoyang—not leave him here as he is now.

Gu Sheng even suspected Gu Kang was deliberately letting him go stir up trouble himself.

Use your ability to achieve corresponding merit.

Upon hearing this, Dou Gu's expression turned serious.

He had to admit Gu Sheng's analysis was sound, yet he could not easily make a decision.

Although years of interaction had given him some understanding of Gu Kang's character.

But to say he could be like Gu Sheng, his own younger brother, was naturally impossible.

His military style always favored caution.

Moreover, since Liu Zhuang ascended the throne, the entire Dou clan had suffered unprecedented setbacks.

Only recently had he been reactivated.

If he were to suffer defeat now, he would never have another chance.

Reflecting on this, Dou Gu had made up his mind; he looked at Gu Sheng and said, "Zhenyu, do not be hasty."

"Why not submit a memorial to the court, letting Your Majesty decide?"

"Opportunities in battle vanish in an instant—how can we afford delays from letter exchanges?" Gu Sheng did not press further, only shook his head and said, "Then let the general remain behind."

"I shall lead the troops out myself!"

"Should anything go wrong, I will not implicate the general."

As fellow generals of miscellaneous rank, Gu Sheng now had no need to secure Dou Gu's approval.

If this were someone else, they might have hesitated out of respect for Dou Gu's status.

But he was a scion of the Gu clan.

Whether it was the merit of his ancestors or his current standing at court, none could compare to Dou Gu's.

What did he have to fear?

Bowing to Dou Gu, Gu Sheng immediately walked out.

The five-thousand-strong army, already prepared, marched out of Yiwulu City that very day.

Yet Dou Gu did not fly into a rage over this.

He merely wrote a letter and sent it by eight-hundred-li express courier to Luoyang.

Afterward, he resumed his usual routine of training soldiers and cultivating farmland.

Gu Sheng's target this time was Sheshi.

The Western Regions were vast.

The Northern Xiongnu's control over the Western Regions, beyond direct military deterrence, involved installing pro-Xiongnu factions and seizing key transportation routes.

Thus controlling the entire region's economy.

And now, Sheshi was exactly such a case.

In truth, Gu Sheng's grasp of battlefield opportunity was indeed precise.

After the earlier crushing defeat of King Huyan, the Northern Xiongnu had immediately gone on high alert, constantly guarding against the Han sending a large army to seize the Western Regions' rich lands.

But when they heard the Han had begun managing the Yellow River.

Their vigilance slackened slightly.

How could any nation simultaneously manage such massive floods and dispatch a large army?

This was an obvious problem to all.

As long as no large army came, how could the Han possibly easily dismantle what they had built over decades in the Western Regions?

It must be said, this was a very sound judgment.

The Han indeed could not mobilize large forces now.

And ordinary generals would not choose to take such risks at this time.

But Gu Sheng was different.

Do not forget how Gu Xiao originally rose to power!

Though Gu Yi's interference had played a part.

Yet those legendary tales had shaped Gu Sheng since childhood.

He possessed precise judgment of every battlefield opportunity.

He intended to seize this chance and win another brilliant victory.

The army advanced swiftly toward Sheshi.

Today's Sheshi, divided by the Tian Shan Mountains, consisted of northern and southern halves.

The southern half, centered on Jiaohe City, had fertile land and was known as Sheshi's Front Division;

The northern grasslands were vast and relatively colder, known as Sheshi's Rear Division.

The current king of Sheshi's Front Division was the son of the king of the Rear Division; the two courts were over five hundred li apart.

Normally, with sufficient troops, one should first attack Sheshi's Front Division, for its fertile land would allow for warfare to sustain warfare.

But given Gu Sheng's current situation, he could not do so.

His only viable strategy was to concentrate forces and launch a surprise attack on Sheshi's Rear Division, leveraging Han prestige and the father-son relationship to force the Front Division's king into surrender.

This strategy carried risk.

But if he truly seized the opportunity, he could achieve extraordinary merit!

Under these circumstances, the thousand elite troops in Gu Sheng's army—whose loyalty was extremely high—became crucial.

Though they numbered only a thousand.

In this army of modest size, their influence remained substantial.

People are often influenced by their environment.

When soldiers saw their general and comrades charging forward without hesitation, the entire army became unstoppable.

No one could have imagined that Han would mobilize its troops under such circumstances.

By the time the leaders of the Northern Xiongnu and the King of Cheshi Hou became aware of this, the overall situation was already beyond reversal.

After Gu Cheng led his troops in slaughtering nearly a thousand men.

The King of Cheshi Hou could no longer suppress his fear; he personally welcomed Gu Cheng outside the city, removed his crown, embraced the hooves of Gu Cheng's steed, and surrendered to Han!

Gu Cheng, without a single word of delay, immediately spread the news.

He sought to exploit the information gap created by the surprise attacks and two major victories, leaving the various states of the Western Regions and the Northern Xiongnu uncertain of Han's true strength, thereby securing maximum advantage for Han.

And the outcome did not depart from his expectations.

From the moment Cheshi Hou fell, the entire Cheshi Qian faced constant threat of encirclement by Han.

The King of Cheshi Qian lost all will to resist and promptly came to surrender.

Thus, Cheshi was pacified!

The Kingdom of Yu Tian.

Ban Chao had already arrived here some time ago.

Yet King Guangde of Yu Tian treated him, the Han envoy, with great coldness and had yet to appear in person.

Ban Chao found this deeply frustrating.

The Northern Xiongnu's control over Yu Tian ran too deep; even now, their envoys remained within Yu Tian's borders.

Under the guise of guardianship, they in fact manipulated power from the shadows.

Now, King Guangde clearly wished to drive him away—neither wanting to fully offend Han nor defy the Northern Xiongnu's will.

Precisely because of this, he had not even been granted the opportunity to repeat the same maneuver he had used in Shan Shan.

At this moment, within the lavish royal palace.

"Your Majesty, although Han has just won a victory, I have heard they are now managing the Dahe River internally."

"Under these circumstances, the Emperor of Han could never dispatch a large army to the Western Regions."

"The Northern Xiongnu's envoys are currently within our realm."

"At a time like this, how could Your Majesty even consider submitting to Han?"

Prime Minister Silibei was expressing his own thought to King Guangde.

But Guangde's expression remained deeply hesitant.

Seeing this, Silibei said no more; he simply summoned the shaman.

Shamanism flourished in Yu Tian.

Shamans held an exceptionally exalted status throughout Yu Tian.

After a series of elaborate rituals, the shaman looked at King Guangde and said solemnly: "The Heavenly Gods have become enraged!"

"Why would Your Majesty consider allying with Han?"

"The Heavenly Gods told me."

"The Han envoy rides a horse with black lips and yellow fur—he ordered me to use this horse for sacrifice."

Kill the horse!

This was a great humiliation!

Upon hearing this, King Guangde's face changed instantly.

But not because of Han—because of the so-called Heavenly Gods.

He truly believed in such things deeply.

"The Heavenly Gods are enraged?"

He whispered the words again, his fat face filled with dread; all hesitation vanished, and he hurriedly said: "Then."

"Leave this matter to the Prime Minister—ensure the Heavenly Gods are appeased!"

Silibei bowed and departed.

That night, he directly sought out Ban Chao and demanded his steed.

Faced with this unreasonable demand, Ban Chao did not lose his temper; after learning the reason, he paused briefly in thought, then said:

"If the Prime Minister says so, then let the shaman come himself to lead the horse."

"Good!"

Silibei laughed heartily as he left, his face brimming with triumph.

He suddenly felt Han did not seem nearly as powerful as he had imagined.

This envoy had not even resisted—he had immediately agreed to surrender his own steed.

Not long after, the shaman arrived with Silibei.

He did not even glance at Ban Chao; he moved straight to seize the horse.

At that moment, Ban Chao did not hesitate—he drew his waist sword and slashed violently.

Puchī

Everything happened too suddenly; even Silibei beside the shaman failed to react.

Only when the hot blood splattered onto him did he realize what had occurred.

He then understood.

Instantly, his face turned ashen; he turned and tried to flee.

But how could Ban Chao give him such an opportunity?

He kicked Silibei to the ground, dropped his sword, seized the reins, and began whipping him relentlessly, shouting as he struck:

"The Heavenly Gods are enraged?"

"Today, you shall learn—the sky of the Western Regions belongs only to Han!"

"This… is true divine wrath!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Ban Chao showed no mercy, striking Si Laibi again and again until he had delivered over a hundred lashes, then stopped.

He immediately severed the shaman's head and threw it before Si Laibi, who was nearly unconscious, and declared sternly: "Tell the King of Khotan—this is the gift I send him."

"And this is the last chance Great Han offers the Kingdom of Khotan!"

Ban Chao understood perfectly.

Only weakness would make others believe Great Han was finished.

Only firmness could bring a turning point.

Indeed, King Guangde of Khotan did not rage at Ban Chao's actions.

Especially after hearing that Gu Sheng had broken through Cheshi, he dared not hesitate further—he immediately met Ban Chao, killed the Northern Xiongnu envoy before his eyes, and rejoined Great Han!

When Liu Zhuang received this news, he froze in shock.

When Dou Gu's report had arrived, he had wondered whether Gu Sheng, eager for merit, had chosen to launch troops at such a moment.

He had never imagined events would unfold this way.

He suddenly recalled Liu Xiu's past evaluations of Gu Xiao, then thought of Gu Kang and Gu Sheng, the two brothers.

Managing external threats

Is this how a virtuous minister aids an emperor?

Shanshan is the essential route to the Central Plains.

Yiwulu can control Northern Xiongnu's infiltration of the entire Western Regions.

Cheshi and Khotan are critical chokepoints along the Silk Road; controlling these two places means controlling the entire Western Regions' transportation hub.

Put together, does this not mean Great Han now has the conditions to reclaim the Western Regions?

Even without sending heavy troops right now.

But by leveraging Great Han's influence and slowly expanding through these small states in all directions, is this not also an opportunity?

The people of the Western Regions have suffered long under the Xiongnu!

At this moment, Liu Zhuang suddenly felt he might truly accomplish his life's great ambition.

"Western Regions Protectorate"

He whispered the name softly, his eyes brighter than ever.

———————

"It's hard to imagine that, in an era steeped in omens and superstition, how Gu Kang managed to farm with a method approaching science."

But there is no doubt that Gu Kang's emergence completely transformed the situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty at the time.

It enabled the Eastern Han Dynasty to recover swiftly after the chaos of war.

When the Eastern Han gained the strength to simultaneously manage the Yellow River and contest the Western Regions with the Northern Xiongnu,

clearly, the Eastern Han's national power had far surpassed that of all previous dynasties."

———《Eastern Han Dynasty: Rise and Fall》

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(End of Chapter)