Chapter 5: Unifying Hebei, Liu Xiu Claims the Title of Emperor

"Hahaha!"

"I knew Zhanhong would certainly assist me!"

Inside Handan City, Liu Xiu was pulling Gu Xiao aside to tell his gathered generals about the bond between himself and Gu Xiao.

Liu Xiu’s current ranks were truly filled with talent.

Not only were there some of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, but there were also capable individuals native to the Hebei region.

Such as Ren Guang, Pi Tong, and others.

It was fortunate that this was still the founding period; had it been any other time,

someone like Gu Xiao, a commoner, would certainly have faced hostility if he wanted to participate directly in the core of a regime.

But in the current founding period, it was different.

After all, the world was still unsettled, and Liu Xiu still needed to conquer the realm.

Upon hearing Liu Xiu recount Gu Xiao’s abilities, and with Feng Yi adding his experience of being captured alive by Gu Xiao back at Fucheng, the group quickly accepted Gu Xiao.

Throughout the victory banquet, there was an atmosphere of celebration.

Hearing Liu Xiu’s words, Gu Yi immediately smiled, and with a flick of his mind, he controlled Gu Xiao to respond: "I have long known that the General is by no means a creature of a mere pond."

"When we parted at Fucheng, I waited here for the General to arrive."

"Later, I learned the General was coming to Hebei."

"I intended to go and pay my respects, but unfortunately, that traitor Liu Lin was rebellious, so I had to wait for an opportunity to coordinate with the General and take down the rebel Liu Lin in one stroke!"

Gu Xiao was a pure warrior.

Gu Yi could be completely at ease regarding warfare, but when it came to social interaction, he was far lacking, and Gu Yi had to intervene.

"Good! Good!"

"Zhanhong is indeed peerless in wisdom and courage!"

Liu Xiu was overjoyed, and those present also burst into laughter one after another.

Gu Yi watched as Gu Xiao drank with those present, and when the wine had gone around three times, Gu Yi spoke up again: "General!"

"I told you back then."

"This subordinate follows you, absolutely not that Profound Han court."

"Now that the General has pacified Hebei, the brothers under your command are all willing to give their lives for you."

"Think of how Liu Xuan is merely a puppet, yet he dares to overstep and claim the title of Emperor."

"This subordinate implores the General, for the sake of the Great Han and in accordance with the wishes of the people of the world, to ascend to the throne as Emperor!"

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere of the entire banquet changed instantly.

Everyone was shocked.

They had never expected that Gu Xiao would be the one to say such a thing first.

After a brief moment of astonishment, these people reacted instantly, standing up one by one to salute Liu Xiu!

There was no one who did not wish for Liu Xiu to become Emperor.

Whether it was the noble families in Hebei who supported Liu Xiu or the generals who followed him.

For them, Liu Xiu becoming Emperor meant they could obtain immense benefits!

These were all merits of following the dragon!

"We implore the General, for the sake of the Great Han and in accordance with the wishes of the people of the world, to ascend to the throne as Emperor!!"

These people were clearly like Gu Yi, deliberately omitting Liu Xiu’s official rank within the Profound Han.

Hearing this, Liu Xiu also became serious in an instant.

He first looked at Gu Xiao, then immediately looked at everyone present, and after a long silence, he finally shook his head.

"The world is in turmoil; how can I overstep my bounds at such a time?"

"You all need not mention this again."

His attitude was extremely firm, giving no one present a chance to continue, and he directly raised his wine cup, "Come, come, everyone, drink!"

Regarding this answer from Liu Xiu, Gu Yi did not feel surprised in the slightest.

Liu Xiu had only just taken Hebei.

His power was still far from what was recorded in history at the time of his ascension.

This was the extraordinary nature of a man like Liu Xiu.

Everyone understood that he would eventually part ways with the Profound Han regime and that he would certainly become Emperor.

But to be able to completely restrain all the emotions in his heart while his foundation was not yet stable—this ability was truly rare.

Gu Yi was not in a hurry either.

He had taken the initiative to bring this up precisely to let Liu Xiu understand.

Gu Xiao was on his side; it was so before, and it was still so now!

Of course, although Liu Xiu did not agree to the group's urging, he still rewarded his subordinates based on this merit!

And Gu Xiao was naturally among them.

From a mere commoner, he had successfully advanced to become a General Who Conquers the Caitiffs!

Although, due to Liu Xiu not having ascended to the throne, the reward was not considered grand, it undoubtedly made the atmosphere at the scene even more fervent.

The group drank again, and they could not help but chat about the current situation of the Profound Han.

Everyone could be certain.

Now that Liu Xiu’s power was growing, the Profound Han court would certainly try every possible means to target Liu Xiu again!

Sure enough, it was as everyone expected.

Just half a month later.

People from the Profound Han court arrived in Hebei, bringing Liu Xuan’s decree to Liu Xiu.

It decided to enfeoff Liu Xiu as the Prince of Xiao, ordering him to hand over all his troops and return to Changancheng immediately to receive the reward.

Liu Xiu would naturally not obey such a decree.

However, he did not follow his subordinates' wishes to execute the messenger; he simply used the excuse that Hebei was not yet pacified to block the matter.

He still needed time to prepare!

But everyone also understood that the day of an open break between Liu Xiu and the entire Profound Han government was not far off.

Regarding this, the Profound Han government seemed to be wary of Liu Xiu’s prestige.

They only ordered Xie Gong, who was somewhat at odds with Liu Xiu, to be the Inspector of Youzhou, in overall command of the Youzhou troops.

They wanted to use this to monitor Liu Xiu, so that if Liu Xiu dared to make any rash moves, he would deliver a fatal blow from behind.

But on the surface, both sides still maintained a facade of harmony.

Liu Xiu often sent people to console the soldiers under Xie Gong.

To lower his guard.

At the same time, he was secretly preparing all his forces, ready at any moment to deliver a fatal blow to Xie Gong.

It must be said that Liu Xiu’s judgment of the overall situation was indeed far superior to ordinary people.

It did not take long.

This opportunity arrived!

"Zizhang, the Green Calf Army is powerful; for this battle, I have decided to lead the troops myself."

"I hope you will cooperate without fail."

Inside Handan City, looking at the incredibly arrogant Xie Gong before him, Liu Xiu showed no anger on his face; on the contrary, he even appeared somewhat humble.

"The might of the Grand Marshal will surely be able to defeat the enemy!"

Xie Gong frowned and asked: "I wonder how the Grand Marshal wants this Inspector to cooperate?"

"The Youlai Army!"

Liu Xiu’s expression did not change in the slightest, and he immediately spoke: "If I can defeat the rebels, the Youlai Army’s forces in the Shanyang region will surely fear being surrounded by my army and flee in panic."

"I ask that Zizhang lead your troops to attack these fleeing soldiers."

"With your powerful forces, attacking these routed troops will surely force them to surrender."

"In this way, Hebei can be pacified!"

Liu Xiu’s expression was incredibly earnest.

Hearing this, Xie Gong also became serious at once, beginning to carefully analyze everything Liu Xiu had said.

If Hebei were truly pacified so thoroughly.

Then this Liu Xiu would have no more reason not to return to the court.

If he left, wouldn't this entire Hebei region fall under his own control?

Thinking of this, Xie Gong’s eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Good!"

"The Grand Marshal can rest assured!"

"This subordinate will certainly cooperate with the Grand Marshal to defeat the rebel troops!"

Having said this, Xie Gong rose and left.

And Liu Xiu once again summoned his generals.

In fact, Liu Xiu’s current strength was already far, far greater than it had been in the original history.

After all, with the variable of Gu Xiao, there had not been much damage when attacking the entire Zhao Han power.

And because of Gu Xiao’s direct decapitation strike.

The original Zhao Han troops were now all under Liu Xiu’s command.

It can be said that the current Liu Xiu has long since had the ability to act on his own; the reason he maintains the current situation can only be attributed to his concern that Hebei is not yet completely pacified, and that there is still this thorn in his side, Xie Gong!

At a time like this, Liu Xiu’s ability as a commander was also fully displayed.

Although compared to the current him, the strength of the Qingdu Army is much inferior.

Yet he did not lower his guard in the slightest, arranging everything with great clarity.

Not until everything was arranged and the others had left did Liu Xiu turn his gaze toward Gu Xiao.

"Zhanhong, I have a major task to entrust to you!"

Liu Xiu looked at Gu Xiao very earnestly and said: "With your abilities, you are surely the most suited for this matter."

Gu Yi understood in an instant what Liu Xiu intended to do.

It was Yecheng.

Is he asking me to go for a beheading mission again?

Gu Yi felt helpless inside, but still controlled Gu Xiao to speak: "I await the Lord's command!"

"Take Yecheng!"

Liu Xiu stared fixedly at Gu Xiao and said: "Xie Gong is a man who craves merit above all else; he will certainly follow my arrangements and lead his troops out personally."

"I want you to wait for him to move!"

"And immediately seize all of Yecheng."

"Once Yecheng is secured, our great cause can be achieved!"

When facing Gu Xiao, Liu Xiu was evidently much more direct.

He did not hide the cold light in his eyes in the slightest, as if a sharp long sword were finally about to reveal its edge.

"Understood!"

Gu Xiao did not waste any words; he simply cupped his hands toward Liu Xiu, took the military tally handed over by Liu Xiu, and walked straight out!

The land of Hebei instantly boiled over!

Liu Xiu personally led a large army to launch a direct frontal assault on the Qingdu Army at Shejuju and other locations.

And everything went exactly as Liu Xiu had anticipated.

When he exerted his full strength, the generals of the Qingdu Army—a peasant army—were far, far inferior to him.

They were simply unable to block Liu Xiu’s advance!

And the Youlai Army, entrenched in the Shanyang area, was struck with terror and collapsed upon hearing the news.

Xie Gong, having long since made all preparations, personally led a large army to pursue them, leaving Chen Kang to garrison Yecheng!

—The time has come!

Yecheng.

As a vital stronghold of Hebei, the defensive strength of Yecheng was far beyond what Shecheng had been.

However, this time.

Gu Yi did not intend to launch a forced assault.

Everything Liu Xiu had done during this period was not in vain.

Whether it was the hearts of the people throughout Hebei or his status in the minds of the soldiers under Xie Gong’s command, he was far higher than in history.

In the original history.

Yecheng was persuaded to surrender, let alone now.

Gu Yi simply led his army to camp before Yecheng, displaying his military might while sending men into Yecheng to persuade them to surrender.

Chen Kang, inside the city, did not hesitate in the slightest.

He immediately tied up Xie Gong’s wife and opened the city gates to surrender.

And Xie Gong, just as recorded in history, was defeated by the Youlai Army, fled back to Yecheng, and was killed by Chen Kang!

The smoothness of events far exceeded the original history.

But thinking about it carefully, this was actually inevitable.

After all, Liu Xiu’s current strength far exceeds the records in the original history.

Upon noticing this difference, Gu Yi immediately realized that this might be the best opportunity!

Gu Yi did not waste words.

He immediately controlled Gu Xiao to go and see Liu Xiu.

"The world has been in turmoil for a long time, and the people are weary of war!"

"Now, the various factions and forces in the land of Hebei are intertwined, battles are endless, and the people are exhausted."

"If the Lord can use this opportunity to demonstrate your strength, the various factions might surrender at the mere sight of you."

Gu Yi did not need to say too much.

With Liu Xiu’s ability, he would absolutely understand this point.

In the original history, Liu Xiu achieved this through successive great victories, eliminating opposing forces while accepting the surrender of various peasant armies.

In a short period, Liu Xiu’s power developed rapidly.

And subsequently unified the entire world.

If the Liu Xiu in history could do it, let alone the strengthened Liu Xiu of today!

Sure enough, Liu Xiu instantly grasped Gu Yi’s meaning.

In this war against the Qingdu Army, he displayed extremely strong determination!

Surrender or die!

Those who surrender will not only receive equal treatment but their lives will be secure!

Under this absolute deterrent power, the Qingdu Army collapsed, and most of the generals surrendered to Liu Xiu!

At the same time, Liu Xiu sent letters to the leaders of the peasant uprising armies such as Tongma, Gaohu, and Chonglian, urging them to surrender.

Liu Xiu’s current military strength was far beyond what they could compare to.

But to say they would give up the power in their hands was clearly not that easy.

Liu Xiu did not waste any words; the army set out.

He crushed the coalition of Gaohu and Chonglian at Puyang.

One battle shook Hebei.

The uprising armies of Tongma, Gaohu, and Chonglian surrendered one after another, and the soldiers of the Youlai Army tied up their leaders to surrender to Liu Xiu.

Uprising armies with relatively weaker strength, such as Da Tong, Tiejing, and Da Qiang;

no longer had any thoughts of resistance!

They all surrendered to Liu Xiu!

The land of Hebei was quickly pacified.

The speed of Liu Xiu’s development shocked the world.

The Gengshi regime, which originally had the appearance of unifying the world, was greatly affected.

The world showed signs of turmoil once again.

The Red Eyebrows Army, which had been cooperating with the Gengshi regime, rebelled again.

The leader of the Red Eyebrows Army, Fan Chong, supported Liu Penzi as Emperor in the land of Huayin, changing the era name to Jianshi.

—Shu land;

Gongsun the Usurper declared himself Emperor, with the state name Da Cheng and the era name Longxing.

—Linjing City;

Fang Wang supported Ruzi Ying as Emperor.

And facing such a world situation, Liu Xiu also faced his greatest choice.

Haocheng.

As Liu Xiu once again sent away the people who had come to urge him to ascend.

He also kept behind the generals who had grown increasingly close during this time, such as Deng Yu, Feng Yi, and Gu Xiao.

"Gentlemen... the ministers urge me to ascend the throne as Emperor."

"But the world is not yet settled; to declare myself Emperor at such a time, is it not a bit too much like child's play?"

Facing these close subjects, Liu Xiu still stated his concerns very directly.

"My Lord, you must not have such thoughts!"

The generals spoke up immediately, and Gu Yi also controlled Gu Xiao to step forward directly: "My Lord, in the world today, anyone with even a modicum of ability is declaring themselves Emperor."

"If the Lord does not declare yourself Emperor."

"How are the talents of the world to think?"

"And looking at the world today, who is more qualified to be Emperor than the Lord?"

As Gu Yi spoke, these generals also chimed in one after another, each more excited than the last.

Hearing this, Liu Xiu’s expression also became serious.

He instantly understood the significance of this.

And in his heart, he finally made a decision.

—The sixth month;

Liu Xiu declared himself Emperor at Haocheng, changed the era name to Jianwu, and the state name remained Han.

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Even a single comment would be appreciated~~

This humble author bows in gratitude.

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(End of chapter)