Chapter 59: One Battle Shakes the World, Liu Hong Falls

The outcome of this battle was decided from the very beginning.

The very strengths the Yellow Turbans relied upon.

All collapsed on their own when facing Gu Xi.

And the core problems of the Yellow Turbans were often magnified at such moments.

For someone like Gu Xi, whose mastery over human hearts had long reached the heavens.

He merely needed to amplify these problems.

That alone was enough to throw the Yellow Turbans into chaos.

The result was self-evident.

Zhang Jiao's personal appearance did indeed significantly boost the morale of the entire Yellow Turban force.

But what could it accomplish?

Gu Xi's infiltration agents embedded among them were the key to breaking this stalemate!

And most crucially, as the Han army charged, Gu Xi left open a path, allowing the Yellow Turbans, their minds already shattered, to flee in disarray, abandoning armor and weapons.

In this state.

One man fleeing might not yet affect morale.

But ten, a hundred?

A thousand, ten thousand?

The entire Yellow Turban front collapsed rapidly; countless soldiers tore off their yellow headbands and fled in panic.

This tide of panic spread to the entire army.

All issues of discipline and military order were fully exposed.

The outcome was sealed!

——End of the sixth month, Jianning Sixth Year.

Zhang Jiao fought Gu Xi beside the Zhanghe River.

The Yellow Turbans suffered a crushing defeat and fled.

The Han army reclaimed Ye City, completely shattering the Yellow Turbans' defensive line in Jizhou.

Gu Xi had clearly prepared for this long in advance.

Facing the surrendered Yellow Turbans, he swiftly devised a strategy: incorporating able-bodied men into his army and granting them land.

His earlier policies proved immensely useful in this moment.

Why did Gu Xi seize land from the great clans?

The implications were numerous.

It was not merely to exploit this moment to fully break open the great clans' resistance.

It also aimed to reduce casualties.

Regardless, he had to give these commoners a way out.

Otherwise, the bloodshed caused by this great upheaval would far exceed anything before.

The common people are the foundation of a nation's strength!

Gu Xi's vision no longer stopped at quelling the rebellion—he sought to genuinely transform all of Han China!

With his own strength, he would once again prolong the life of the Han!

He swiftly ordered this news spread far and wide, and dispatched nearly all his young relatives.

To oversee the regions and prevent local generals from seeking glory through indiscriminate slaughter!

Yuzhou, Yingchuan.

Gu Xi's strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao greatly aided Huangfu Song.

Now that the Jizhou campaign was over and the Yellow Turbans were in panic, Huangfu Song would not miss any opportunity—he launched a full-scale counteroffensive!

——August.

Huangfu Song decisively defeated Bo Cai at Changshe.

At the same time, the Governor of Nanyang, Qin Jie, beheaded the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Mancheng; the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou continuously retreated.

They were eventually surrounded in Wancheng.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others rushed from all directions, spreading news of the Jizhou battle to shatter the rebels' morale.

Finally, the gates of Wancheng opened.

The rebels were crushed in Wancheng.

Fighting erupted across the land; the Han army, galvanized by morale, relentlessly hunted and slaughtered the Yellow Turbans, driving them into steady retreat.

This situation was truly fatal!

The news of Zhang Jiao's defeat in Jizhou acted like a signal, once again proving Gu Xi's invincible reputation!

Under such circumstances, how could the Yellow Turbans' morale not collapse?

And most crucially—

Gu Xi had consistently restrained his soldiers' bloodlust, and his policies greatly inspired the ambition of humble-born youths to earn merit.

Under these policies, the blow to the entire Yellow Turban movement was simply too great!

The battlefield situation across the land had been completely reversed!

This was destined to be an extremely prolonged war.

Added to this, Gu Xi's policy allowing humble-born youths to gain the status of Xiaolian through "suppressing rebels" caused a flood of talent from all regions; many had already risen to fame.

Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and others need not be mentioned.

Nor did it exclude numerous humble-born youths.

Of course, Gu Shiizi like Gu Tao had the greatest advantage in such circumstances.

The most crucial point was his identity as a Gu Shiizi, which granted him immense leverage.

Facing an enemy with no will to fight—the Yellow Turbans.

He could capture them without exerting any effort.

He had long since earned a name across the land.

Luoyang.

Watching the battle reports arriving from all directions, Liu Hong beamed with joy and laughed heartily.

"No wonder he is the Grand Tutor!"

"One battle turned the tide entirely—how dare these rebels disturb our great Han?"

He laughed with unrestrained abandon.

In fact, Liu Hong's mood had been tense for some time.

Zhang Jiao's strength had far exceeded his expectations.

Especially when the war situations across the provinces were unclear, and Zhang Jiao seized Handan and threatened Heyang, Liu Hong truly felt the stench of dynastic collapse.

But now, that feeling had finally vanished!

"Quickly announce this to all ministers—so long as the Grand Tutor is here, I have nothing to fear."

"Have everyone in the palace prepared."

"I am going to the marketplace!"

For Liu Hong,

he had been cooped up for days; now that his heart was at ease, he naturally wished to relax.

"Your servant obeys." Jian Shuo immediately departed to carry out the order.

Not long after, the laughter that had been absent from the palace for days rang out once more.

But regarding this matter,

the ministers' attitudes varied greatly.

They had heard of Gu Xi's actions and could not help but worry about their own lands.

Gu Xi had actually distributed these lands.

If this continued, even after the chaos ended, would these lands still belong to them?

People are always like this.

When sensing the threat of annihilation, no one cares much anymore.

But as this crisis recedes,

they begin to think of the lands they have given up.

In truth, Gu Xi had not truly been serious this time.

Although he claimed three-tenths of the land,

how many years has the Han not conducted a land survey? The clans' holdings have multiplied many times over since then.

To them, this amount is but a drop in the ocean!

But human nature is always like this.

These are assets they have already swallowed.

How could they possibly spit them out easily?

This was clearly not the thought of one man alone.

From this day forward, members of various clans contacted one another, and an invisible net spread once more.

Of course, they would not act at this moment.

They were merely preparing.

No matter what, once the war definitively ended, this matter must be halted.

As long as this matter drags on,

it brings them nothing but harm!

Gu Xi paid no attention to the changes within Luoyang.

He merely proceeded methodically on the battlefield, arranging everything in order.

This great victory

did not prompt him to accelerate his advance,

but instead he maintained his previous pace, steadily weakening the Yellow Turbans through momentum and reputation.

This was pure yang strategy.

After their earlier crushing defeat, even Zhang Jiao could no longer hold the Yellow Turbans' morale steady.

People defected daily.

The incidents of local followers binding their commanders and surrendering grew increasingly frequent.

Under these conditions,

—— Jianning Seventh Year, Second Month.

Gu Xi defeated Zhang Jiao again at Handan, and from then on, the entire Jizhou Yellow Turban defense line was utterly shattered by Gu Xi.

Zhang Jiao could only gather his remnants and retreat to Guangzong, where Gu Xi besieged him.

The big picture was settled!

Gu Xi did not rush to assault the city; he continued methodically arranging everything, as if aiming to force Zhang Jiao's group to surrender.

But Zhang Jiao had clearly made his decision.

He merely chose to let the Daoists depart, then resumed his duel with Gu Xi.

This was a battle with no uncertainty.

Under such morale, and with no numerical advantage, how could the Yellow Turbans possibly stand against Gu Xi's Han army?

The outcome was obvious.

Zhang Jue retreated again, but this time he had nowhere left to retreat to.

The entire Yellow Turban frontline across the Hebei region had already been completely overrun.

In many places, Gu Xi did not even need to go himself.

The Yellow Turban followers surrendered at the mere sight of the Han forces.

In truth, Zhang Jue could have withdrawn to Youzhou or Yanzhou to plan his next move.

Though heading to these places still meant facing off against various Han armies, compared to fighting Gu Xi personally on the battlefield, he would have had opportunities there.

Yet Zhang Jue seemed to have no such thoughts; he merely led his dwindling followers in a prolonged struggle against the Han army in Jizhou.

——He seemed determined to die in Jizhou!

Gu Yi was also quite surprised by this.

In the original history, Zhang Jue was a figure of great controversy.

Some called him the cause of chaos, claiming that his Yellow Turban Rebellion directly triggered the collapse of the Eastern Han;

Others called him a man of great righteousness, commanding three hundred thousand followers yet dying childless.

His very appearance seemed meant to teach the world a lesson.

Gu Yi no longer cared about the original history.

To the Zhang Jue of this time,

he was clearly a man of great righteousness, moved by the people's suffering, making countless plans—whether he succeeded or failed, his goal was salvation.

Zhang Jue had indeed become strong enough.

Had Gu Xi not existed, such a force as the Yellow Turbans would have delivered a fatal blow to the Han!

But this matter was destined to remain unexamined in detail.

Had the Gu clan never appeared, would Zhang Jue have grown so strong?

All the myriad causes and effects had long left traces.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Jue could not hold out much longer.

——Jianning Seventh Year, Tenth Month.

Zhang Jue was defeated again at Ganling.

He committed suicide after the battle.

His brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang died on the battlefield one after another.

Gu Xi ordered secret teams to collect the three brothers' bodies and send them back to Julu for burial.

One battle, and Jizhou was secured!

The news spread, and the entire realm trembled!

Luoyang.

"Zhang Jue is dead?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

"Good! Good!"

"Such rebels deserve this."

"Where is his body? Was it sent to Luoyang? I will have him flayed alive!"

Jian Shuo shook his head and sighed: "The bodies of Zhang Jue and his two brothers were crushed into pulp on the battlefield—impossible to recover."

Hearing this, Liu Hong frowned slightly, disappointed: "What a pity."

"By the way, how is the Grand Tutor's health?"

"He is old. Now that Zhang Jue is finished, others are no threat. It is time to let the Grand Tutor return to the capital to rest."

Liu Hong had clearly already decided this; he waved his hand: "Send my edict to Jizhou."

"Order the Grand Tutor to hand over his military authority to Lu Zhi."

"He may return to the capital for rest and rewards, or settle in Julu."

For this matter, Jian Shuo was overjoyed.

While Liu Hong still lived, the eunuchs feared only Gu Xi.

Now Liu Hong was stripping Gu Xi of his power.

How could he not be thrilled?

The news spread rapidly through Luoyang.

Contrary to Liu Hong's expectations, he had assumed the scholar-officials would make a great fuss over this.

But the scholar-officials said almost nothing.

They merely suggested that, now Zhang Jue was dead and the situation in Sizhou was stabilizing, Gu Xi's wartime policies should be rescinded—nothing more.

Liu Hong treated this as a straightforward exchange of interests, without hesitation, and immediately agreed.

He needed balance in the court.

In Liu Hong's view,

the court structure he had built since ascending the throne had reached a state of equilibrium.

At the very least, the scholar-officials could no longer directly threaten his imperial authority.

As for whether this move might spark new rebellions, Liu Hong had considered it—but he did not care.

The imperial court is now powerful, and Zhang Jiao is dead—how could refugees possibly have such boldness?

The envoy swiftly departed Luoyang and headed straight for Jizhou.

At the same time, this news spread like wildfire.

——Before Gu Xi even received the news.

The court's plan to dismiss Gu Xi again and abolish the policies he had enacted sent shockwaves across the land!

Uprisings flared up once more in all directions!

Most critically—rebellions also broke out in Liangzhou, advancing directly toward the Three Auxiliaries.

The news spread instantly.

The generals who had been fighting the Yellow Turbans across the four quarters successively submitted memorials to Liu Hong, urging him to rescind the edict and not further provoke the people's hearts at this time.

When he heard this news.

Liu Hong flew into a rage!

He blamed everything entirely on Gu Xi.

Liu Hong truly could not understand: how could one man, Gu Xi, stir up such a colossal storm?

Did the people of the realm recognize only Gu Xi and not him, the Emperor?

Could this still be called a subject?

If things continued like this, would the realm still belong to the Liu family—or to the Gu family?

This matter struck Liu Hong with immense force.

——Most critically, he spat blood!

Years of indulgence had doomed Liu Hong's lifespan to suffer.

Now, Liu Hong had never been restrained by maternal relatives; his indulgence far exceeded that of his historical counterpart.

His body naturally could not withstand such depletion.

As soon as this happened, all the scholar-officials swiftly woke up—the situation changed abruptly.

But Liu Hong differed from previous emperors.

Liu Hong had sons.

Until now, Liu Hong had fathered two heirs.

Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

This could indeed stabilize the army to some extent.

But the problem was, both were still young and could not possibly take direct control of power.

Originally, for the scholar-officials, they had merely wished to protect their own interests.

But now it was different: both Emperor Ling and Emperor Huan had suppressed them.

Among all the scholars of the realm, who did not long for the days when Gu Xi governed as regent?

Immediately, someone submitted a memorial urging Gu Xi's recall to court to prevent unforeseen disasters.

This memorial struck straight at the heart of the matter.

The Twelve Eunuchs appointed by Liu Hong could never agree to this.

Although over the years they had done nothing improper toward Gu Xi or the Gu clan.

But given their understanding of Gu Xi.

Would Gu Xi spare them?

Clearly not!

If Gu Xi returned to court and seized control, these men were doomed to die without even a grave.

Precisely because of this, they used every possible means to block this move.

And they recounted at length how powerless Emperor Huan had been when facing the scholars.

Indeed, this tactic still worked.

Liu Hong clearly understood the current situation and made an immediate judgment!

He ordered Gu Xi to resume his title as Commander Against Rebels to suppress the uprisings.

Meanwhile, he imitated Emperor Huan of old, dividing power among the eunuchs, scholar-officials, and maternal relatives.

He granted He Jin command of the military.

To contain Gu Xi, he used the scholar-officials and eunuchs to check each other.

And after he had settled all this.

In the sixth month of Jianning Ninth Year.

——Liu Hong died in Luoyang.

——————

The sudden shift in the late Eastern Han's political situation stemmed from systemic flaws of the feudal dynasty.

The successive deaths of several emperors caused the loss of imperial authority.

Gu Xi's presence stabilized the court, but fundamentally could not resolve the imbalance of imperial power.

The rise of the scholar-gentry class was destined to threaten imperial authority.

Since Emperor Huan, promoting eunuchs to suppress scholars and implementing the Partisan Prohibitions while abandoning Gu Xi—all these measures sought to restore imperial power.

But from the perspective of later developments, these actions were the root cause of the chaos at the end of the Han.

——The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty

(End of Chapter)