Chapter 22: Heading North to Defeat the Enemy: The Shift in Offensive and Defensive Momentum

From this day on, Liu Zhuang truly achieved what he had said: to fast as an Emperor.

He truly wanted to shoulder all of this by himself.

But even so.

The gloom in the imperial court only grew thicker.

Although Liu Zhuang remained as diligent in government as ever, and Gu Kang continued to handle court affairs in an orderly manner.

The entire Great Han seemed unchanged, yet it also seemed as if everything had changed.

Even among the common people of the world, there were all sorts of rumors and panic.

The era of prosperity had not actually departed.

It was just that people's hearts were in chaos.

In this era where prophetic superstitions were rampant, this point could not be resolved at all.

Unless—the army of the Great Han could truly win.

If not, I fear the people of the world would no longer agree to let Liu Zhuang mobilize the army.

Liu Zhuang seemed to have already sensed this.

From then on, he was even more diligent in government than before.

It seemed he wanted to use his own actions to set the hearts of the people right.

To tell the people of the world that he, Liu Zhuang, was capable of leading the entire Great Han to reach a peak unprecedented in history.

Even Heaven could not stop him.

Yet, human strength always has its limits.

How could prophetic superstitions be broken so easily?

Before news from the Han army returned, all of this was destined to be unsolvable.

And under the continuous influence of this environment, Liu Zhuang was also gradually affected.

That night.

The moonlight was like a wash, and the stars were brilliant.

Gu Kang had a grave expression and hurried his steps toward the Nangong.

This was the first time since he entered office that he had been summoned by the Emperor in the middle of the night.

As an incredibly mature politician, Gu Kang had even imagined the worst-case scenario.

This caused his usually steady heart to feel a rare trace of panic.

If Liu Zhuang really encountered a problem at such a time, the impact on the entire world would be unimaginable.

Fortunately, Liu Zhuang's body had no issues, but he looked a bit exhausted, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

Seeing Gu Kang walk in.

He did not make any unnecessary movements; he had completely lost his former high spirits and said in a deep voice:

"Jishi, I dreamed of the late Emperor."

His voice was low, as if carrying endless thoughts, "This is the first time I have dreamed of the late Emperor since I ascended the throne."

"It was the scene from back then when the late Emperor received the news of Gu Xiao's passing."

Liu Zhuang paused slightly, a look of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, and said slowly: "I remember it very clearly."

"Before that day, the late Emperor had told me more than once about the great cause in his heart."

"Longing for the day he could pacify the Western Regions again, subdue the Xiongnu, and resolve the century-long troubles for our Great Han."

"At the time, I was thinking... what kind of magnificent great cause was that?"

"But after that day, the late Emperor never mentioned this matter again, until many years later, after the Fengshan sacrifice, did he speak of such a great cause again."

He sighed softly, his eyes becoming increasingly complex, "In the past, I actually could not fully understand the late Emperor."

"A hero like the late Emperor, how could he abandon the great cause in his heart because of a change in the heavens?"

"But now, I understand a little."

"As the ruler of a nation, how can one treat the common people as nothing?"

Liu Zhuang looked at Gu Kang, "Jishi, our Great Han has just mobilized the army and there is such a change in the heavens."

"I dreamed of the late Emperor again today."

"Do you think this is the late Emperor telling me that I was wrong?"

Under the dim candlelight, Liu Zhuang's expression appeared extremely complex; he stared fixedly at Gu Kang, as if desperately hoping to get an answer from him.

Clearly, he had already been affected.

Gu Kang's mood at this moment was likewise extremely complex.

To say he could remain completely unaffected would naturally be impossible.

The limitations of the era were right there.

He was also a person within the game.

But perhaps influenced by Gu Yi's early teachings, Gu Kang always harbored a supreme ideal in his heart;

—The Gu family must be glorious for ten thousand generations!

Everything else under this ideal would be overcome by him!

As long as the two brothers could help Liu Zhuang complete his great cause, the Gu family's reputation would have no further worries in the entire world.

The current situation was excellent.

How could it be hindered by celestial phenomena?

In just an instant, Gu Kang's expression suddenly became firm, meeting Liu Zhuang's gaze, and he said with exceptional resonance:

"Your Majesty!"

"Our Great Han army will surely win the first battle!"

"It will definitely happen!!!"

By the time he finished, Gu Kang's tone was inexplicably a notch heavier.

This was the first time he had shown such emotion in front of Liu Zhuang.

However, Liu Zhuang did not get angry.

He just watched the determined Gu Kang before him silently, seemingly infected by it, and his eyes, previously full of confusion, gradually cleared up a bit.

After a long silence, he finally nodded slightly.

"Correct! Our Great Han army will definitely win!!!"

In this Northern Expedition, the four routes of the Han army each had their own objectives and marching routes.

The objective of Dou Gu's route was to capture the city of Yiwulu.

The location of this city was crucial to the entire Western Regions; capturing it would tear open the Xiongnu's defense line in the Western Regions and lay the foundation for subsequent westward advancement.

This was Liu Zhuang's wisdom.

Clearly, he had listened to Gu Kang's words, and when planning this Northern Expedition, he was already preparing for subsequent plans.

It must be said that Dou Gu was worthy of being Dou Rong's nephew; his military talent was truly extraordinary.

Especially now that there were Geng Zhong, Gu Cheng, Ban Chao, and others, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

After some discussion, they quickly formulated a strategy.

First, send out multiple elite scouts to penetrate deep into the surroundings of Yiwulu city to spy on military intelligence.

The main army was divided into three echelons:

The first echelon was light cavalry, equipped with heavy crossbows;

The second echelon was heavy cavalry, wearing heavy armor and holding long sabers and spears.

The third echelon was composed of archers and infantry.

This arrangement aimed to maintain the army's concealment as much as possible and adopt a strategy of marching by night and resting by day, intending to launch a surprise attack on Yiwulu city.

But the Xiongnu were not without defenses.

The current situation was already vastly different from the original history.

The news of the Great Han's consecutive years of bumper harvests could not be hidden at all.

Not to mention the oath Liu Xiu made before the people of the world after the Fengshan sacrifice in the past.

Clearly, the Northern Xiongnu knew that the Han army would definitely take action.

They had absorbed many experiences from the Central Plains region and set up multiple observation posts and patrol teams along the key routes of the entire Yiwulu city and the Tianshan mountains.

And every patrol team was equipped with a horn.

Whenever there was anything unusual, they would blow the horn, and thus receive the news at the first opportunity.

It was under this kind of confrontation.

The two armies encountered each other at the Tianshan mountains!

At first, it was only an accidental encounter between light cavalry and Xiongnu patrol soldiers.

But from the moment the horn was blown, this small-scale encounter evolved into a large-scale slaughter.

In fact, King Huyan had not expected why this battle, which should have only been a small-scale probe by both sides, suddenly evolved into an all-out war.

But when Gu Cheng led the heavy cavalry belonging to the second echelon to join the battlefield.

The situation of the entire great battle had completely changed.

Although Gu Cheng's personality seemed very casual in daily life, when he reached the battlefield, the feeling he gave others was different.

If it could be said that Gu Kang was a born politician.

Then Gu Cheng was a born battle general.

Moreover, the most critical point was that, perhaps because of Gu Kang, or perhaps because Gu Cheng’s own talent had likewise conquered Liu Zhuang.

Liu Zhuang actually granted Gu Cheng one thousand troops from the Central Army.

What is the Central Army?

It was, by nature, the most elite force of the Great Han.

Not to mention that the current Central Army had undergone years of training by Gu Cheng.

Setting aside their combat power.

Just in terms of discipline and obedience, this army far surpassed any great army of the same era!

In this current era of cold weapon warfare.

Possessing such a strong force was enough to greatly boost the morale of the three armies.

And a heavy cavalry unit with high morale is enough to crush all obstacles on the battlefield!

For a moment, the sound of warhorse hooves and battle cries were deafening.

The cavalry of both sides engaged in close-quarters combat, with blades flashing and blood splattering.

Gu Cheng was truly worthy of being Gu Xiao’s son; once on the battlefield, he was just like Gu Xiao in his prime, leading the charge!

And Ban Chao was the same at this moment!

Only until this moment, when he truly reached the battlefield, did he become increasingly certain of his own heart.

He had been right to cast aside the brush for the sword back then.

These hands of his could not only hold a brush, but could also wield a blade!

They could achieve great things on the battlefield!

The outcome of this battle was already destined.

After leaving behind nearly two thousand corpses, the King of Huyan was soundly defeated and retreated.

The Han Army, meanwhile, pursued the victory.

Especially this Central Army personally led by Gu Cheng; they obeyed every single one of Gu Cheng’s commands completely.

They swore to severely cripple the entire army of the King of Huyan, ensuring it would be completely unable to affect the Han Army’s plan to enter the Western Regions.

"What is there to fear from mere routed soldiers?"

"In the past, General Huo Qubing could fight across more than a thousand li in six days, leaving the enemy no chance to catch their breath."

"Why can we not do the same today?"

"General, Zhong Sheng has already scouted that there are only three thousand men left in the city of Yiwulu. Now, as long as our army can completely cut off the King of Huyan’s reinforcements, Yiwulu is ours for the taking."

"Opportunities in war are fleeting; how can we sit by and watch it slip away?"

After saying these words and obtaining Dou Gu’s consent, Gu Cheng made a prompt decision to abandon the heavy armor and pursue!

Although the knowledge Gu Yi had given him back then was all theoretical.

Even theoretical knowledge, for people with different talents, would lead to different realizations.

Gu Cheng was clearly such a person.

He actually employed a flanking tactic.

Using the Central Army led by Dou Gu as a base.

Gu Cheng personally led a group of soldiers who had discarded all baggage and supplies, riding hard to pursue by a detour.

They traveled north along the grassland belt at the northern foot of the Bogda Mountains.

And utilized the branches of the Tianshan Mountains as a natural barrier to restrict the King of Huyan’s troops from fleeing toward the southeast.

Facing such an opponent, the King of Huyan was truly bewildered.

Gu Cheng’s style of fighting even reminded him of that young general from the past who had almost completely wiped out the Xiongnu.

He had heard from his ancestors that the young general was extremely adept at using this kind of tactic.

And at this very moment, it was just like that time in the past.

Under the step-by-step pressure from Gu Cheng and the Han Army behind him, he could only flee in the direction of Pulei Sea.

But in this situation, how could Gu Cheng not see it?

He had studied the topographical maps for who knows how long, and quickly maneuvered through the Barkol Grassland, intending to coordinate with the Han Army to surround the King of Huyan and trap him here.

But when people reach a desperate situation, they often erupt with astonishing potential.

And Gu Cheng only had so many troops this time.

After a fierce battle, although the casualties were not small, the King of Huyan still managed to escape.

Beside Pulei Sea.

Gu Cheng looked at the battlefield before him, raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face, and sighed with regret:

"If I had twenty thousand troops in this battle, the King of Huyan would not have been able to escape even with wings."

Hearing this, Ban Chao walked up with a smile and replied:

"One day, elder brother will surely destroy the Northern Xiongnu and establish an immortal legacy!"

Gu Cheng glanced at him, shook his head, and said with a serious expression: "If the Western Regions are not settled, our Han Army is destined to be unable to deal with the Northern Xiongnu with complete peace of mind."

The current Western Regions are in a state of chaos upon chaos.

Apart from those small kingdoms, there are also quite a few foreign tribes.

And their attitudes toward the Great Han are all different.

Whether he would have this opportunity in his lifetime, even Gu Cheng himself could not be sure.

Seeing this, Ban Chao could not help but become serious as well. He pondered for a moment, seemingly thinking about something, and then suddenly said: "Elder brother, rest assured."

"If there is truly an opportunity in the future, younger brother will certainly pacify the Western Regions for you, to relieve you of any worries behind you!"

He knew that Gu Cheng’s ambition in this life was to pacify the scourge of the Northern Xiongnu.

"Good!"

Gu Cheng nodded, "If that truly comes to pass, you and I, as brothers, will surely go down in history and be honored by future generations."

The two brothers looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

Gu Yi had been silently watching all of this.

Although he had thought that Gu Cheng might achieve great things in this life when he first saw Gu Cheng’s attributes.

He had not expected it to turn out like this.

Pacify the Northern Xiongnu?

Gu Yi looked deeply at Ban Chao, his heart growing more expectant of Gu Cheng’s future achievements.

Could it be that he truly had this opportunity?

Just as Gu Yi was lost in thought, the entire Han Army had also quickly finished cleaning up the battlefield.

And the subsequent development of events did not exceed Gu Cheng’s expectations.

No! It was even smoother than imagined.

The crushing defeat of the King of Huyan had already determined everything.

It did not take long for the city of Yiwulu to be completely captured.

And Ban Chao also volunteered, determined to go as an envoy to the Shanshan Kingdom.

To inform the entire Western Regions;

——The Great Han, has returned!

Luoyang.

As time passed, seeing that the world had not suffered any major disasters as imagined, the common people naturally gradually settled down.

Human hearts have always been like this.

The common people all felt that it was the Emperor’s fasting that had taken effect, which was why Heaven had not sent down disasters.

However, compared to the situation among the people, the oppression in the imperial court had never dissipated, and had even become increasingly severe.

As for the reason, it was very simple.

News had already been sent back from the four great armies.

Geng Bing’s route;

——Penetrated more than six hundred li into the desolate desert and reached the Sanmulou Mountains, but because the Northern Xiongnu fled in a panic, they failed to achieve any results;

Lai Miao’s route;

——Traveled to the Xiongnu River, and likewise gained nothing;

Ji Tong’s route;

——Because someone spread false intelligence, they did not even reach their target, the Zhuoxie Mountains.

This news could be said to have directly plunged the atmosphere of the imperial court to rock bottom.

Liu Zhuang was furious, and Ji Tong was directly demoted to a commoner by him!

The others also received punishments.

As an emperor, the pressure he was under at this time was unimaginable to others.

Even Gu Kang could not give him complete peace of mind.

If this matter were to truly fail, then he would be destined to never realize the ambitions in his heart in this life.

Some might even feel that he, the Son of Heaven, was not favored by Heaven.

Such consequences were unimaginable!

He needed a great victory!

Under this increasingly heavy mood of Liu Zhuang, the officials in the imperial court also felt as if they were walking on thin ice.

A powerful Emperor who remained tense at every moment and whose mood grew increasingly worse made everyone realize what it meant to "serve a monarch like serving a tiger."

The entire Han court became increasingly oppressive because of this.

But Gu Kang was different from the others; as time passed, he actually became increasingly calm.

Of the four great armies, three had already sent back news, but only one had yet to send any word; why was this?

It must be that this last army had encountered the enemy!

As long as they encountered the enemy, there was a possibility of winning, or even achieving a great victory.

They would not be like the other three armies, accomplishing nothing at all.

Finally, amidst this tense atmosphere, news from Dou Gu was finally sent back.

Deyang Hall.

Feeling the Emperor's eager gaze, the courier did not dare to hesitate at all.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!"

"Commandant of the Imperial Carriages Dou Gu marched north and encountered the Northern Xiongnu King Huyan's army at the Tianshan Mountains, beheading nearly two thousand enemy soldiers."

"King Huyan was soundly defeated and fled."

In that instant, sounds of people gasping in shock rang out.

The faces of the assembled officials all revealed expressions of astonishment.

Liu Zhuang was the same; he even stood up abruptly, staring straight at the courier.

The gaze that had been cold and stern for many days finally showed a slight change.

"Military Sima Gu Cheng personally led the light cavalry in pursuit, surrounding King Huyan's army at Lake Pulei."

"Beheading over a thousand enemy soldiers."

"King Huyan led his remaining troops and fled; our army captured the city of Yiwulu."

"Subsequently, Military Officer Ban Chao volunteered as an envoy to the Western Regions' Shanshan Kingdom, and with thirty-six men, slaughtered the Northern Xiongnu's hundred-man diplomatic mission."

"The Shanshan Kingdom was terrified, and the King of Shanshan is willing to submit to our Great Han again, sending his prince to Luoyang as a hostage!"

"Now... they are on the way!"

The entire Deyang Hall was deathly silent.

Everyone's expression changed, even Gu Kang's.

Although he had long thought that with his younger brother's talent, he would definitely achieve merit if he encountered the enemy.

But he had not expected such a great merit.

Of course, the one whose emotions were most stirred was Liu Zhuang.

He did not hide his emotions in the slightest, first exhaling deeply, as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration of these past days.

Immediately after, he burst into loud laughter!

"Good! Very good!"

"Worthy of being the descendant of a famous general, worthy of being a general of our Great Han!"

The high-spirited Emperor who once looked down upon the world had returned.

Liu Zhuang scanned the officials with burning eyes, the gloom in his body swept away in this moment.

Gu Kang looked at the astonished officials, his mind racing; without the slightest hesitation, he immediately bowed deeply to Liu Zhuang and said with a resonant and forceful voice:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!!!"

"Today, our Great Han has achieved such a great victory, which shows that Heaven is by no means dissatisfied with our Great Han mobilizing troops."

"Rather, it is telling us..."

"The offensive and defensive momentum between our Great Han and the barbarians of the four directions has changed!"

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"In the tenth year of Yongping, Cheng followed Commandant of the Imperial Carriages Dou Gu to lead the army north to crusade against the Xiongnu.

The army camped at the Tianshan Mountains and suddenly encountered the captives; Cheng fought bravely to lead his troops, personally charging at the front, and the soldiers fought with determination, soundly defeating the enemy army and beheading nearly two thousand."

The enemy forces were routed, and King Huyan led his remaining troops to flee.

Cheng pursued the victory, advancing rapidly with bits in their mouths, and arrived at the banks of Lake Pulei, where he engaged King Huyan's army again.

The enemy forces were completely crushed, and King Huyan barely escaped with his life."

—— "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Gu Cheng"

Actually, if this chapter were divided, it could probably be split into three or four chapters, updated over two days...

Writing the plot out in one chapter like this allows you brothers to read it more satisfyingly.

Yu is full of sincerity... brothers, please support it.

Do not hoard the book; throw your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets over!!!

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(End of chapter)