Chapter 36: After Disaster Relief, the Yuanchu Era Rises

Julu.

Gu Xi stood amid the fields, watching the farmers before him weep with joy, and his own eyes gradually reddened.

It had truly succeeded.

Although he had always appeared supremely confident.

But in matters of such magnitude, who could be entirely certain?

Even though it was said that if this method failed, another would be tried.

But one must know that human morale is easily broken.

The entire realm was watching Jizhou—if the locust plague in Jizhou persisted, it would directly shatter the morale of the whole empire.

At that point, it would be no use speaking of the common people.

Even officials would likely lose all will to resist.

Fortunately, it had truly succeeded.

Perhaps due to overwhelming emotion, Gu Xi's body trembled faintly, and he felt the weight on his shoulders finally ease slightly.

No one could possibly understand this feeling.

Since the death of Gu Liang;

He had shouldered the burden of the Gu clan.

Everything left by generations of the Gu family had been placed upon the shoulders of this youth, still under twenty.

And after Liu Zhao's death;

He was entrusted by the Emperor as a subject to oversee state affairs.

At that time, he was merely twenty years old.

Though years of natural disasters had left the people in unbearable suffering, if one asked who bore the greatest pressure,

Only Gu Xi!

Now, at last, the clouds had parted and light appeared.

Though only a single thread, it was still a glimpse of hope.

His emotions were imaginable.

Gu Yi, for his part, was also deeply surprised.

He had never expected it would truly succeed!

Although only one province's locust plague had been resolved so far,

Under the Han Dynasty's immense reserves, it was not impossible to eradicate the locust plague nationwide within two or three years.

This timeline would be vastly faster than the original history.

Know that this period was the watershed of the entire Eastern Han.

Continuous natural disasters, coupled with internal court strife, caused the Han to gradually decline from its peak.

Now, it appeared to have changed completely.

Gu Xi's presence had balanced the court and offered a chance to resolve natural disasters ahead of schedule.

He had used the Longevity Card.

How long Gu Xi would live remained uncertain even to Gu Yi.

If Gu Xi continued like this, how great an impact would it have on the future?

Could the Eastern Han avoid decline entirely?

All of this was entirely possible.

Though Gu Xi's talent fell short of Gu Kang's, it far surpassed ordinary men, and he knew well how to leverage his advantages.

The Han's current reserves, combined with the Gu clan's unique intellectual legacy,

Along with Gu Kang's vast collection of ancient texts and strategies for national strength,

If they could survive this prolonged period of natural disasters, Gu Xi might directly restore the Han to its former peak.

If this truly came to pass, how great a transformation would the future witness?

Even Gu Yi found it hard to imagine.

After resolving matters in Jizhou, Gu Xi immediately rode back to Luoyang without pause.

Deng Sui and Liu Hu led the hundred officials to greet him outside the city.

This was Gu Xi's current status.

Though a subject,

Throughout the entire realm, no one dared to underestimate Gu Xi.

After nearly two years apart, Liu Hu's face had grown even more resolute.

Most crucially, his gaze had hardened considerably—he now bore the bearing of an Emperor.

Liu Hu and Deng Sui wished to hold a grand ceremony to honor Gu Xi.

But Gu Xi halted it.

He also refused all rewards.

At his current rank, what rewards did he still need?

Small Small Yugu Xi's own words, the coming period was Top Priority; expenditures must be minimized as during the reign of Emperor Xiao Ming.

Gu Xi then began formulating more detailed strategies for locust eradication.

In his capacity as Regent, he issued the "Locust Eradication Edict" throughout the realm, ordering commanderies and counties to appoint "Locust Catcher Officials" to oversee locust control nationwide.

Upon this decree's announcement, the people across the realm wept with joy.

Like travelers lost in darkness, they had finally seen a thread of light.

They finally saw hope again!!!

There is the example of Jizhou before them.

The people of the realm all readily complied with this matter.

Who would refuse?

Under a locust plague, who could possibly benefit?

——The whole realm stirs!

But such a thing is certainly impossible to complete in a short time.

This locust plague swept across the Nine Provinces.

And over these past few years, disasters have struck various regions of the realm.

Such a massive undertaking cannot be borne by current productivity; Gu Xi must ensure that while aiding the victims, he also implements policies as effectively as possible.

But now no one cares about these anymore.

In truth, for the people of the realm,

what they fear most is not the continuous natural disasters, but the absence of hope for the future.

And Gu Xi is the one who brought them hope.

As long as there is hope for the future, the people's hearts will not falter.

——Yongchu Fifth Year.

This year, Han seemed to have come back to life; people and great clans across the land were striving to implement Gu Xi's locust-eradication strategy.

Even during Gu Kang's governance of the Dahe, there had never been such a scene.

Unified purpose truly unites the masses.

If there had been no example, it would have been fine.

Everyone would have thought: this is a disaster sent by Heaven, invincible.

But now it is different.

From the moment the locust plague in Jizhou ceased, this plague was no longer an invincible calamity.

Even if there was only the slightest chance to win,

it would be enough!

The success of this relief effort far exceeded Gu Xi's expectations.

Yet Gu Xi did not stop; he traveled across the four regions, overseeing the key techniques for digging trenches.

No matter what, this year must yield results.

If this natural disaster continues, the stirred hearts will immediately stall, even sink deeper into despair.

Gu Xi understood this clearly.

Therefore, he dared not relax for an instant, dispatching officials to all regions to supervise the people.

The entire Han realm awaited the changes of next year.

From the court above to the common people below.

All silently prayed, hoping for next year's transformation.

——Yongchu Sixth Year, Summer.

The locust plague persisted.

But compared to the previous two years, it had diminished by far more than a little.

Especially in Jizhou.

Last year, parts of Jizhou's commanderies and kingdoms still suffered, requiring manual capture and other methods.

But this year, there was not a single trace of locusts left.

Cheers rang out across all the provinces of Han.

The gloom had completely lifted.

But unlike after Gu Kang's flood control and land reclamation, when the people worshipped him as a immortal,

although Gu Kang was also renowned throughout the realm, most commoners called Gu Xi the one sent from Heaven to quell disasters.

They linked his relief efforts to his earlier sacrifice by the Luoshui.

Some even claimed that Lord Kang had descended from heaven, incarnated in his own descendant, to save the common people.

All kinds of rumors circulated.

It was impossible for everyone in the world to transcend the limitations of their age.

Gu Xi was an anomaly.

Not only because of the ideas left behind by Gu Yi in the past, but also because the unceasing natural disasters had forced him into the light.

But how could Gu Xi care about such things?

With relief efforts proving effective, just before the final push, how could he slacken?

He launched another locust-eradication plan.

He aimed to completely end this locust plague spreading across the realm within two years.

This time, he dispatched even more personnel.

As locust numbers decreased, production had gradually resumed in many regions, greatly easing the burden on the court.

And with such results achieved,

the people would only cooperate more fully with this locust-eradication effort.

The people's hearts were with him!

The entire Han realm seemed to have returned to the era of Emperor Guangwu, with the people longing for the unification of the realm to bring an end to war.

Now he hoped to bring the locust plague to a complete end.

Under such unified determination.

——In the seventh year of Yongchu.

The locust-control strategy ultimately succeeded; the locust plague finally ceased.

Though some flying locusts still remained in certain commanderies.

But compared to the earlier devastation spanning all Nine Provinces, it was incomparably lesser—so minor it could no longer be called a disaster.

The locust plague had truly ended!

The people across the land wept with joy, performing sacrifices in their fields.

Some thanked Heaven for finally withdrawing these calamities; others paid homage to Gu Xi, believing he had descended once more to save the people.

Within the court, the ministers were likewise elated.

Especially Empress Dowager Deng.

Even her eyes had turned slightly red.

Before Gu Xi had left the capital, though she knew his burdens were immense, she had not fully felt them herself.

But since Gu Xi had departed the capital.

Even with Gu Xi's pre-established plan, the relief efforts still left her physically and mentally exhausted.

Now that the great disaster had passed.

Her emotions were understandable.

For Gu Xi, he could finally relax and rest properly.

These years, the toll he had borne was beyond others' imagination.

It was only because Gu Yi had used the Longevity Card on him.

Otherwise, such prolonged mental strain would have inflicted fatal damage on his body.

Just look at Yuan Chang and others.

They were roughly the same age as Gu Xi, yet had expended far less effort.

Yet their condition was vastly worse than Gu Xi's.

Under this pressure, everyone had already gone gray-haired—clearly how grueling it had been.

Luoyang.

When Gu Xi stepped back into this grand city, he immediately sensed Luoyang's changes.

It was not that the buildings had changed.

It was the people's hearts.

The faces of officials now bore smiles again; the people no longer carried the sorrowful expressions of recent years.

Clearly, the dark clouds that had hung over Han for years had finally dispersed.

"Grand Tutor!"

Liu Hu walked forward with a beaming smile, grabbing Gu Xi's arm before he could bow: "Grand Tutor, you are a pillar of our Han state."

"You have merited the realm."

"How could I let you bow?"

The ministers' expressions showed no change whatsoever.

Gu Xi's merit was too great.

Everyone had seen with their own eyes all he had done these past years.

In any era, there is always a kind of person whom you may not like, yet cannot help but admire.

Gu Xi was now such a person.

His merit could no longer be viewed through the lens of a minister's role.

"Your Majesty speaks wisely," said Deng Sui, stepping forward.

Looking at Gu Xi's increasingly darkened skin, she sighed softly: "Han's fortune to have the Gu family."

Her tone remained solemn.

Precisely because of this, her sincerity came through even more clearly.

But who could question it?

Gu Xiao was Liu Xiu's personally appointed First Merit of the founding;

Gu Kang, who enriched the soil and tamed floods, had already been deified among mortals;

Gu Sheng, who pacified the Northern Xiongnu and secured the Western Regions.

Even the most mediocre Gu Liang had contributed the Merit of Supporting Liu Zhao's ascension.

Now, Gu Xi.

With such merit laid bare, who could question it?

Gu Xi said nothing more.

His personality had changed greatly.

Because of years of intense strain, he had become entirely pragmatic—even more so than Gu Kang had been.

After returning to the palace, he voiced his Inner Thought.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty!"

"The heavenly calamities are receding, yet our Han state is utterly exhausted."

"The immediate course must be to change the era name to restore order, and follow the strategy of Emperor Xiaoming and Marquis Wencheng: to let the people rest and recover."

"."

He could not match Gu Kang.

But Gu Kang had left behind too much, and after years of traveling the land, Gu Xi had gained deeper insights into the terrain of every region.

Grant noble titles to the people to stabilize their hearts.

Repair water conservancy; open water transport; reduce and exempt taxes; recall displaced civilians.

All of these were summarized by him from Gu Kang's old records.

Everyone listened very attentively, nodding in agreement.

Compared to the detailed disaster relief measures.

This broad approach to governance was indeed much easier.

Moreover, with Gu Kang's past example before them, the ministers quickly understood Gu Xi's intentions.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

Liu Hu's face lit up with a smile as he nodded. "The Grand Tutor speaks wisely."

"The people are worn out—this is precisely the time to govern well."

"Mother." He turned to Deng Sui. "What do you think?"

Liu Hu no longer feared Deng Sui as he once had.

Not only because he was growing older, but also because Gu Xi's earlier words had gradually changed his view of Deng Sui.

"Let the Grand Tutor handle this entirely."

Deng Sui nodded directly.

At the end of the year, Liu Hu, accompanied by Deng Sui and Gu Xi, offered sacrifices to the former emperors and proclaimed a new era name: "Yuanchu."

Afterwards, Gu Xi once again launched a series of measures to restore national strength.

The people naturally expected the Gu clan's offspring to rule, let alone Gu Xi?

Han's demographic advantage fully manifested at this time.

As long as no catastrophic disaster occurred, Han's national strength would recover rapidly.

Moreover, Gu Xi's canal construction followed Gu Kang's methods, allowing additional farmland to be reclaimed during waterworks.

Under these conditions, Han's recovery far surpassed the ministers' expectations.

Until the third year of Yuanchu.

Han had truly emerged from years of consecutive natural disasters!

—————————

"In the fifth year of Yongchu, the locust plague in Jizhou gradually subsided.

Grand Tutor Gu Xi issued the 'Locust Eradication Edict' to all commanderies and kingdoms, decreeing: 'Wherever locusts appear, appoint a Commandant of Locust Control, solely responsible for locust affairs, with annual inspections.'

He broke his jade belt into tally sticks, dispatched urgent edicts from the Minister Tai, and all provincial governors waited through the night with torches for the orders.

Gu Xi personally toured the states and counties, his feet calloused, his face darkened by sun and wind; if any official showed negligence, he struck their cap with his ceremonial staff.

By the seventh year, locusts vanished entirely.

He built reservoirs and connected ditches, recruited displaced people, abolished taxes, established permanent granaries to aid widows and orphans, and dug canal channels to facilitate transport.

The nation's exhaustion from depletion was fully restored within three years."

——Records of the Later Han. Biography of Gu Xi

(End of Chapter)