Chapter 28: Gu Cheng Passes Away, an Era About to Close

This great victory completely dispersed the gloom brought about by the passing of Liu Zhuang.

For the entire Great Han;

——the pacification of the Western Regions truly signaled the arrival of the current prosperous age of the Great Han.

Whether viewed from the perspective of external threats or national strength.

The Great Han of today.

Can fully be called a prosperous age!

For many consecutive days, all of Luoyang was immersed in joy and laughter.

No one could have predicted that this matter could develop into what it is today.

However, this kind of war, which achieved its goals without large-scale mobilization, was of nothing but benefit and no harm to everyone.

It was precisely because of this that the prestige of Gu Cheng reached its peak.

Although it did not reach the status Gu Kang held in the hearts of the people.

It was still far beyond that of others.

Especially in the hearts of soldiers across the world, the name of Gu Cheng already carried the aura of that young general from the Former Han.

They all wanted to become someone like Gu Cheng.

Or at the very least, they wanted to follow him.

After all, those who followed him had all received massive rewards.

Who could not be envious?

That is right, after this campaign, Gu Cheng was directly elevated to the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry.

He was titled Marquis of Pacifying the Barbarians, with a fief of two thousand households in Yangdi County, Yingchuan Commandery.

In truth, this was beyond reproach, as the merit of this campaign was simply too great.

Ban Chao and the others were also directly promoted to the ranks of miscellaneous generals.

The scale of these rewards could be said to be second only to the time when Liu Xiu founded the dynasty.

It seemed Liu Zhuang had long since instructed Liu Jia on these matters, and Liu Jia handled them with ease.

Regarding this, the assembled officials were extremely shocked.

But they could not say anything at all.

Not to mention that Gu Kang was still in the court and could completely suppress them.

Even if Gu Kang were not there.

They would still be unable to stop this matter.

What else could they say?

Gu Cheng’s merit this time was solid and real.

In the days of the Guangwu Emperor, he had declared his intent to pacify the Western Regions.

The Guangwu Emperor passed away, and the Ming Emperor continued his ambition to sweep away the Northern Xiongnu.

These were the dying wishes of two wise monarchs.

——Now, they have been fulfilled by Gu Cheng!

How could such merit be questioned?

But immediately after, the development of events completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Gu Cheng fell gravely ill and needed to return to Luoyang to recuperate.

He resigned as Protector General of the Western Regions to return to Luoyang and recommended Ban Chao as the new Protector General.

The moment this news reached Luoyang, it immediately stirred up a storm.

No one had expected that this general, who had just performed such great service for the entire Great Han and had a bright future ahead, would suddenly fall gravely ill.

Liu Jia was still young, and he could handle matters like rewards exactly as Liu Zhuang had told him.

But the Western Regions had only just been pacified.

The choice of the Protector General of the Western Regions was critical.

Especially for a position like this, who would not want to contend for it?

Under these circumstances, Liu Jia could only go to seek the Empress Dowager Ma.

It must be said that the political acumen of the Empress Dowager Ma was indeed superb.

Although Liu Zhuang had always suppressed the relatives of the Empress, including her own kin, he still favored her greatly as his Empress and would discuss state affairs with her from time to time.

It was precisely because of this that the Empress Dowager Ma also possessed a precise judgment of state affairs.

Upon hearing of this matter.

She simply sent someone to find Gu Kang.

The next day, Gu Kang appeared in the court once again.

Although no look of sorrow appeared on his face, it was still a source of immense pressure for the assembled officials.

Gu Kang did not waste words.

He did not use his power to suppress others.

He merely stated the merits of Ban Chao and the awe and fear the people of the various states in the Western Regions held for him.

The officials were silent.

From then on, the matter was settled!

Gu Yi had been watching all of this and was well aware of Gu Cheng’s physical condition.

Gu Cheng was not suffering from too many hidden injuries like Gu Xiao had back then.

It could only be said that he had been truly too exhausted during this period.

The pressure he bore was beyond what others could reach.

That he had been able to hold on until now was only because he had been holding his breath.

But now, the spirit within him had dissipated.

The sudden relaxation of body and mind, combined with the severe overexertion of the previous days.

If this were placed in the context of modern medical standards, it might not be a fatal problem.

But for the current era, Gu Cheng was truly reaching his end.

"Sigh..."

"Heaven does not grant one's wishes; is the era of the second generation of the Gu family also coming to an end?"

Gu Yi’s mood at this moment was exceptionally complex.

He did not know how many achievement points the second generation could bring him, and even now, he did not even know how many achievement points it would cost to control a character again.

But what he could be certain of was

Given the talent of the third generation of the Gu family, they absolutely could not support the current Gu family.

The successive passing of the second generation of the Gu family.

Was destined to make the Gu family face a series of declines, which made Gu Yi feel somewhat uneasy.

After all, looking at the original history.

With the ascension of the Zhang Emperor, the prosperous period of the entire Eastern Han was about to begin its countdown.

Future natural disasters, chaotic times, and everything else were clearly not things the current Gu family could avoid.

But the current him could not change anything.

Yanqi State, Western Regions Protectorate.

The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

The attitude of the generals toward Gu Cheng now was one of sincere submission.

This was a feeling that others found difficult to understand.

Simply put, for them now, as long as Gu Cheng gave the order, even if the enemy were a thousand armies and ten thousand horses, they would have the conviction of certain victory.

This was the prestige Gu Cheng now held in the army.

But, heroes grow old, and Gu Cheng had fallen after all.

The severe depletion of his bodily functions could no longer be reversed.

A few months ago, he could still gallop across the battlefield and fight bravely, but now he was so weak that even rising was extremely difficult.

Even returning to Luoyang could only be done by being slowly escorted in a carriage.

How could one not sigh with sorrow that a once majestic tiger general had reached such a state?

"Do not see me off any further."

Gu Cheng lifted the carriage curtain; his face was pale as paper, his features haggard, and he had become so thin compared to when he left Luoyang.

He smiled and said to the generals who were reluctant to leave,

"The Western Regions are newly pacified, and the various states fear our Great Han like a tiger. Although they have all sent their sons as hostages and the hearts of the people lean toward the Han, the Northern Xiongnu have after all operated in the Western Regions for many years."

"The forces on all sides are intricate and complex."

"You must never leave the Western Regions at this time; you should seize this opportunity to completely purge all potential threats."

"Only by doing so will it not be an easy task for the Northern Xiongnu to attempt to return to the Western Regions in the future."

"General!" The soldiers heard these words, their eyes reddening, unable to hide their grief.

Although returning to the capital for proper care and recuperation might offer a chance of survival, given Gu Cheng’s current body, the journey back to the capital was already fraught with extreme danger.

Clearly, everyone understood this point.

"Why be so sad?" Gu Cheng smiled freely, "Back when I left Luoyang, I had already prepared to return wrapped in horse hide."

"To be able to return to the capital alive now is already a great stroke of fortune."

He cast his gaze toward the city behind the soldiers, a trace of loneliness flashing in his eyes, "Life and death are fated..."

"If in this life, Cheng can fulfill the ambition in his heart, that is already enough."

"If this time, Cheng returns to the capital not dead."

"On the day when you generals achieve success in the future, Cheng will certainly welcome you at Jade Gate Pass."

No regrets?

How could there be no regrets?

If there were no regrets, why would Gu Cheng need to return to the capital?

With his current physical condition, returning to the capital was already fraught with extreme danger.

But how could he be completely resigned?

For Gu Cheng, although the great cause in his heart had been initially completed, it still could not stop his pioneering spirit.

Now that the Great Han's national strength was at its peak, it was the very opportunity for him to establish his merits and career.

The situation of the entire third generation of the Gu family was not only clear to Gu Yi.

Gu Kang and Gu Cheng could both feel it.

Both had been deeply educated by Gu Yi and wanted to add bricks and tiles to the eternal foundation of the Gu family; how could they just accept this?

This was Gu Cheng's character.

Back when facing the Northern Xiongnu army, he did not admit defeat.

Now, facing death.

He still would not admit defeat!

Now, he was going to brave this road of life and death!

Having said that, Gu Cheng directly let down the carriage curtain.

Under the respectful send-off of a group of generals, the carriage moved slowly forward, heading in the direction of the Great Han.

The guards escorting Gu Cheng back to the capital were the one thousand Central Army soldiers who had followed him there back then.

Although after many great battles, only four hundred or so remained.

But the loyalty of these men to Gu Cheng was as firm as a rock, difficult for others to match.

"General, are we really not going to wait for General Ban?"

On the carriage, the Captain who had once delivered letters to Ban Chao looked at Gu Cheng with a face full of grief and asked with a trembling voice.

They were well aware of the affection between Ban Chao and Gu Cheng.

After all, both had spent so much time in the Central Army.

Ban Chao was currently in Kucha, clearing out the remaining forces of the Northern Xiongnu.

Thinking that the two brothers had not yet met, a sense of inexplicable sorrow would rise in his heart.

"Why add to the sorrow in vain."

Gu Cheng shook his head and closed his eyes.

Hearing this, the sorrow on the Captain's face deepened.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the earth.

The carriage drove continuously toward the direction of the Great Han, moving slowly in silence, the entire troop immersed in a heavy atmosphere.

Although these men had exhausted all their strength.

But when passing through Jade Gate Pass, Gu Cheng's life also reached its end.

——The first year of Jianchu, May.

General of Chariots and Cavalry, Marquis of Dingxi, Gu Cheng passed away at Jade Gate Pass.

Just at the moment Gu Cheng closed his eyes.

The system's notification flashed before Gu Yi's eyes.

【Gu Cheng has passed away.】

【This is the first person in your family to obtain a title through his own efforts without player control; he swept across the Western Regions, forced the Northern Xiongnu to flee far away, and established the merit of carving stones for eternity.】

【The people of the world will remember Gu Cheng's contributions.】

【Achievement reached: Merits Recorded in History, Martial Prowess Surpassing the World.】

Merits Recorded in History (Rare Achievement): The merits established are sufficient to be passed down in history and remembered by future generations.

Martial Prowess Surpassing the World (Rare Achievement): Among all martial generals of the current age, his martial arts are supreme.

【Congratulations on obtaining 100,000 achievement points.】

One hundred thousand achievement points!

Gu Yi was startled, but instantly calmed down again.

One hundred thousand achievement points were actually within reason.

Gu Cheng's merits were rare even in the long river of history; one hundred thousand points were even a bit low.

If only Gu Cheng could have lived until a natural death, the achievement points he could have brought would likely be several times this amount!

Gu Yi sighed softly, then clicked on the family information, intending to see exactly how many achievement points were needed to control a character.

【Current achievement points are insufficient.】

The familiar notification popped up instantly.

"One hundred thousand is still not enough?"

Gu Yi's heart sank.

Although he had already seen "Integrating into a character requires a massive amount of achievement points" in the notes.

He had not expected the requirement to be so high.

Now it seemed that this would likely require the efforts of at least several generations, and ensuring the family could continuously obtain achievement points, before one could gather enough for a single control opportunity.

Moreover, just controlling a character was clearly not enough.

In the long river of history, the length of one person's life was clearly insufficient to completely change everything.

There must also be the help of items.

And controlling a character would not yield achievement points, while a lucky draw also cost 10,000 achievement points per attempt.

This made Gu Yi feel immense pressure.

His mood, already low due to Gu Cheng's death, became even heavier.

Luoyangcheng.

The news of Gu Cheng's death at Jade Gate Pass spread rapidly, shaking the imperial court and the public.

Although Gu Cheng's status currently seemed inferior to Gu Kang's.

But everyone knew that Gu Cheng had only just begun to flourish.

And Gu Kang had clearly already reached his end.

As long as Gu Cheng continued to establish merits, he would very likely be the future Grand General!

Such a person... actually died just like this?

The entire imperial court fell silent instantly, and even in private, no one dared to discuss the Gu family anymore.

No one was willing to offend Gu Kang at this time.

Fearing they would be implicated.

But unexpectedly, Gu Kang was not as directly grief-stricken as they had imagined.

He remained as usual, appearing to have no abnormalities.

For the passing of a minister like Gu Cheng who had great merits to the world, the court and the public naturally had to choose a posthumous title for him.

Liu Da's talent in scholarship was clearly quite good.

After discussions among the ministers, the character "Huan" was finally decided upon.

Taken from the meaning of expanding territory and subduing the distant.

To commemorate Gu Cheng's merit in pacifying the Western Regions.

Gu Kang had not expressed much opinion from beginning to end.

As more time passed since Liu Zhuang's passing, everyone could clearly feel the difference in Gu Kang.

He seemed no longer as sharp as before.

Some even suspected that Gu Kang had the intention to retire and could no longer handle all government affairs as he once did.

Except for major events, he rarely spoke.

This judgment was astonishing.

With the current influence of the Gu family, even if Gu Kang died, his son Gu Liang's status in the court would certainly be extraordinary.

Why would it come to this?

Only Gu Yi, through many days of observation, could see it.

Gu Kang was truly preparing for the future generations of the Gu family.

He had never stopped the work of writing books.

Gu Yi had once observed carefully.

The books written by Gu Kang drew from the strengths of various schools and added many of his own ideas.

This could also be considered the behavior of most people in this era.

Many of the ideas within had the shadow of the education Gu Yi had provided back then.

For the current Great Han, the practicality is indeed extremely high.

Furthermore, he successively recommended a number of people.

These were all capable individuals he had discovered through his years of governing the world.

Among them were some Gu Yi knew, and others he did not.

For instance, Yuan An.

Gu Kang held him in high regard.

He even promoted him directly from a minor county magistrate to the position of Grand Administrator.

Others were also recommended according to their talents.

But regarding the descendants of the Gu clan, apart from a few juniors serving as officials in Julu Commandery, he made no arrangements at all, as if he had no intention of letting them hold office.

Yet, no one felt surprised by this.

Because the relationship between Gu Liang and the Emperor, Liu Da, was excellent.

The two had studied together since childhood and their personalities were compatible.

Everyone assumed this was done deliberately by Gu Kang.

After all, a promotion by the Emperor himself carried a fundamentally different significance.

But only Gu Yi knew.

Gu Kang truly had no such intention.

A person like him would never limit his gaze to the struggles of the moment.

What he contended for was ten thousand generations!

If the talents of family descendants cannot support the family, then the decline of the family is destined.

This is a problem every noble family must face, let alone a family like the Gu clan that has held supremacy for two dynasties.

He was merely seeking a suitable retreat for the family.

To avoid any irreparable accidents for the family in the time to come.

But how could others understand such a thing?

And under these conditions of toiling day and night, Gu Kang's health gradually began to have some problems.

Whether it was managing the fields or managing the water, and a series of other issues.

The effort Gu Kang poured in was equally immense, and now that Gu Kang was no longer young, how could he remain robust forever?

A glorious era;

——is gradually passing away with the rotation of time.

I was late; I suffered from severe insomnia last night and my state today is extremely poor.. I rushed to write this out.

I ask that you brothers support me!

Please do not let the book sit unread! The next period is critical for recommendations, please give me a hand!!

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(End of this chapter)