Chapter 6: Enfeoffed as Marquis, Appointed as General, One Battle to Secure Guanzhong

Liu Xiu held a grand coronation ceremony at Qianqiu Pavilion;

——ascended the throne as Emperor.

Today, Liu Xiu is undoubtedly the most powerful warlord in the land.

His coronation ceremony naturally drew immense attention.

In truth, Liu Xiu's goal this time was also to demonstrate his strength, making all warlords across the land understand what it meant to be destined by Heaven.

And this time, Liu Xiu did not stint on rewards.

Deng Yu, Feng Yi, and other meritorious generals were all enfeoffed as marquises, with fiefs ranging from a few hundred households to several counties.

Gu Xiao was among them.

He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Shecheng, appointed General Who Restores Han, and granted four counties as his fief.

In truth, this reward was not particularly high.

But every founding emperor throughout history has done the same—since the realm is not yet pacified, titles cannot be granted too generously.

To avoid the future situation where there is nothing left to grant.

Yet the officers and soldiers were quite satisfied.

To be made a marquis!

This alone lifted them from commoners to nobility.

For those who already held noble titles, it was not so significant, but for Gu Xiao, who rose from commoner status, it was entirely different.

But Gu Yi was somewhat surprised.

He had not expected Liu Xiu to enfeoff Gu Xiao in Hebei.

Although his title would surely rise further as more battles came, he would likely be rooted permanently in Hebei.

But after careful thought, he understood Liu Xiu's intent.

This was about balance!

Using Gu Xiao—a commoner who rose from nothing and came from outside—to counterbalance the local Hebei clans.

This was Liu Xiu's brilliance.

Though he was a Han imperial clansman, his childhood experiences made him acutely aware of the contradictions and flaws between the ruling class and the common people.

Though he could not radically reform and exhaust his own power.

But the art of balance.

Since ancient times, it has been the core of imperial statecraft.

Gu Yi naturally would not interfere.

For him, his goal was merely to ensure his family endured forever.

Where they rose to power did not matter.

He merely manipulated Gu Xiao to summon a painter, intending to have the scene of Liu Xiu's coronation painted!

A national treasure!

If this painting truly survived through time,

The Painting of Emperor Guangwu's Coronation!

Just thinking of it was terrifying!

When Liu Xiu saw the painter accompanying Gu Xiao, he was startled.

But when Gu Yi explained he wished to record this event for his descendants, Liu Xiu was overjoyed.

He even said that once the painting was complete, he should bring it to him first.

He would seal it with his imperial seal and present it to Gu Xiao.

Though the Imperial Jade Seal still lay with Liu Xuan, Liu Xiu, now Emperor, possessed his own imperial seal.

Hearing this, Gu Yi felt immense delight.

——The national treasure is secured!

In such turbulent times, peace could not last long.

Though many had declared themselves Emperor across the land,

Major battles gradually reignited as time passed.

Yet all these warlords seemed wary of Liu Xiu's strength.

They did not engage him in major conflict.

Instead, they turned fiercely against each other.

Especially between the Gengshi regime and the Chimei Army.

In truth, this was unavoidable.

Now that the Gengshi regime had lost Liu Xiu's strength, its power had drastically diminished.

To match Liu Xiu,

They must first resolve the Chimei Army problem, absorb its strength, and only then could they hope to fight Liu Xiu.

Of course, thoughts were one thing.

But the Gengshi regime was no longer what it once was—repeated defeats had plunged its inner circle into profound panic.

Meanwhile, the Guanzhong region had suffered successive natural disasters.

The Three Auxiliaries starved; people ate each other; white bones littered the fields.

Shortly after Liu Xiu's coronation;

King Tian Li of Linqiu and Duke Baihu Chen Qiao successively led their forces to surrender to Liu Xiu.

The Chimei Army simultaneously mobilized.

This caused internal chaos within the Gengshi regime, triggering a palace coup, with its downfall now inevitable.

September;

——The Chimei Army breached Chang'an.

Liu Xuan, who had intended to flee, was placed under house arrest by Yan Ben and coerced into surrendering to the Chimei Army.

The Gengshi regime was completely overthrown.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiu personally led his army to besiege Luoyang, and the defending general Zhu Wei surrendered.

"Report!!!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Urgent report from Chang'an: Fan Chong led his troops to breach the city; Liu Xuan has been bound by his own subordinates and surrendered to Fan Chong."

"Now Liu Xuan has presented the Imperial Seal to Liu Penzi."

This urgent report shattered the celebratory atmosphere within Luoyang, instantly silencing everyone.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiu's brow immediately furrowed.

This is the Imperial Seal!

Every Han person knows the importance of this jade seal.

——Legitimacy!

In this era, the power of that word is unimaginable.

How could Liu Xuan be such a waste? He was overrun so quickly, and as emperor, he was bound by his own men and surrendered to others.

How shameful!

As for this so-called clansman, Liu Xuan.

Liu Xiu deeply despised him.

After all, Liu Xuan had killed his elder brother.

But Liu Xiu's extraordinary quality lay precisely here: he could suppress all his emotions for the sake of his great cause.

Upon learning this news, he immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the next course of action.

"Gentlemen, the Chimei bandits are fierce."

"Now they have seized Chang'an—Chang'an is our former Han capital; we cannot allow bandits to hold it!"

"My decision is final!"

"We must retake Chang'an, secure Guanzhong, and stabilize the realm!!!"

Looking at the men before him, Liu Xiu now revealed his ambition without the slightest concealment; the aura of an emperor was unmistakable.

But at this moment, Liu Xiu had every right to speak thus.

Compared to the Liu Xiu of history, his strength now was vastly greater—he was fully entitled to say such things!

Without any surprise.

The ministers begged to go to war!

Gu Yi, of course, would not miss this opportunity; he immediately took control of Gu Xiao, who stood and declared loudly: "Your Majesty, I beg to lead the charge."

"If I fail to take Chang'an, I submit to military law!"

Merit must be seized!

Especially now.

Gu Yi remembered clearly: in the original history, the Chimei Army did not remain in Chang'an long, and were forced to withdraw due to supply shortages and collapsing morale.

Although Gu Yi could not command an army himself.

Yet with such foresight, this was a gift of merit delivered straight to his door!

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiu instantly turned to Gu Xiao.

A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes.

Regarding Gu Xiao, Liu Xiu was deeply puzzled; often, he sensed Gu Xiao was merely a simple warrior.

In plain terms, he could serve as a general, but not as a commander.

Yet over this long period of interaction,

Gu Xiao had repeatedly exceeded his expectations.

Whether it was capturing Feng Yi earlier, or later securing Handan,

Gu Xiao had always demonstrated remarkable strategy and skill.

This discrepancy puzzled Liu Xiu greatly.

But he hesitated only a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"Good!"

"Issue the decree: appoint Gu Xiao as General Who Subdues the West, Deng Yu as General Who Pacifies the West, and lead ten thousand troops straight to Chang'an!"

At this moment, Liu Xiu's decisive command ability shone perfectly.

He did not stop there.

Instead, he looked at Gu Xiao and Deng Yu and continued: "Guanzhong is suffering a great famine; the Chimei Army's supplies cannot last."

"Generals, remember this."

"If you lack absolute certainty of victory, do not engage the Chimei Army in direct battle when they are cornered."

As he spoke, he paused, then pointed to the map on the ground.

"If you two generals can drive the Chimei Army into desperation, given the current situation:

"Wei Xiao has amassed heavy forces in the west."

"If they wish to retreat from Guanzhong, they can only flee east or south."

"Hou Jin and Geng Yan, attend my command!"

"I order you two to lead your troops and garrison at Xin'an and Yiyang. If the Red Eyebrows army passes through these areas, attack immediately—no quarter to those who refuse to surrender!"

"I shall lead the central army myself and await your reports."

Liu Xiu swiftly settled everything, his leadership aura compelling everyone to submit.

Even Gu Yi was taken aback.

This is the capability of a founding emperor!

How could one ever pacify the entire realm during chaos if one cannot dominate the age?

The three armies stirred in thunderous motion.

Should Liu Xiu's regime now mobilize fully, it would be nothing less than a terrifying war machine.

And Liu Xiu's target this time was not merely Guanzhong.

There was also Liu Yong, the King of Liang in the East!

Facing such an opponent, Liu Xiu never considered personally taking the field—instead, he dispatched General Gai Yan and other commanders to lead the eastern campaign!

Great war erupted once more.

Chang'an.

When Gu Xiao and Deng Yu arrived here, it proved exactly as Gu Yi had predicted.

The Red Eyebrows had no intention of resisting.

They had already withdrawn from Chang'an.

Undeniably, under these circumstances, Gu Xiao's abilities appeared somewhat inadequate.

Almost all command issues along this march had been handled by Deng Yu.

There was no choice.

Gu Yi did not understand troop command.

He was a recent college graduate from a peaceful era—how could he possibly know anything about leading armies?

Reality is not a novel.

Commanding a hundred thousand troops is not something one can merely talk about.

Logistics, troop deployments, and countless other arrangements all required meticulous planning.

Compared to the famed Twenty-Eight Generals of the Cloud Terrace in history, Gu Xiao was naturally inferior.

But Gu Yi did not care about such minor matters.

He only needed to make the correct decisions at critical moments.

"Hahaha!"

"General, the Red Eyebrows are nothing special."

"They've retreated now—clearly they fear the might of our army and dare not oppose us!"

They entered the city of Chang'an.

Deng Yu and the other generals were overjoyed, laughing loudly, feeling as if they had simply picked up this victory.

Stop laughing, stop laughing.

In history, you and Feng Yi were nearly killed by the Red Eyebrows.

Gu Yi silently mocked in his mind, then activated Gu Xiao's body: "Zhonghua, do not grow careless."

"Issue my order: immediately establish defenses."

"Prepare to meet the enemy."

Gu Xiao still commanded great prestige within Liu Xiu's army.

There was no choice—he had amassed too many achievements.

He was among the first to follow Liu Xiu at the Battle of Kunyang, fighting alongside him through life and death; later, he captured Feng Yi and helped Liu Xiu win over this fierce general.

Then, in Hebei, he shattered Handan and led campaigns against peasant armies across the region.

Such achievements—

Even Deng Yu, Liu Xiu's lifelong friend, deeply respected him.

But upon hearing this, they were utterly astonished.

"Meet the enemy?"

Deng Yu frowned at Gu Xiao: "General, the Red Eyebrows have retreated—what enemy are we preparing for?"

"I predict the Red Eyebrows are retreating from Longyou."

"They will be defeated by Wei Xiao."

As he spoke, Gu Yi looked up at the sky and extended his hand to feel the increasingly cold air: "With such bitter cold, if the Red Eyebrows are defeated, they can only retreat back to Chang'an."

"This battle will not be easy for us!"

Deng Yu was historically the foremost of the Twenty-Eight Generals of the Cloud Terrace.

Though he had not yet reached his peak, he was already far beyond ordinary men.

He immediately furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought.

Moments later,

his expression sharply changed.

"General, your words are wise!"

He was instantly alarmed, his earlier excitement vanished—he hurriedly began organizing defenses.

There was no choice—if events unfolded as predicted,

then the Red Eyebrows would surely be at their desperate end.

At this moment, the army's combat power was unimaginable; he had to take it seriously.

But at this moment, Gu Yi directly controlled Gu Xiao to block him: "Zhonghua, I have other tasks for you."

"General, please speak!"

Until this moment, Deng Yu's resentment toward Gu Xiao as the General of the Western Expedition vanished completely; he immediately bowed to Gu Xiao.

"Select the elite troops from the army."

"Disguise yourselves as the Red Eyebrows, and leave the city."

"Wait until the Red Eyebrows are cornered."

"You and I will attack from front and back—we will surely break them!"

Gu Yi did not need to say much more.

This was Deng Yu!

The foremost of the Twenty-Eight Generals of the Cloud Terrace in history!

In terms of military ability alone, he was incomparably stronger than Gu Yi, this military novice.

Just a slight hint would suffice.

Deng Yu would figure out the plan himself!

Indeed, after only a moment of silence, Deng Yu's eyes instantly brightened.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately accepted the mission.

"Rest assured, General!"

Saying this, he turned and left at once.

The entire city of Chang'an immediately came alive; for the coming great battle, Gu Yi was far more serious than ever before.

You should know that, in the original history.

The Red Eyebrows first defeated Deng Yu, the foremost of the Twenty-Eight Generals of the Cloud Terrace.

Then they defeated Feng Yi, who came to replace Deng Yu.

What level these two men were at need not be explained.

Facing such an opponent, how could Gu Yi afford to be careless?

Indeed, everything unfolded exactly as Gu Yi had predicted.

In Longyou, Wei Xiao crushed the Red Eyebrows.

As the weather grew colder, the Red Eyebrows could only retreat once more into Guanzhong, heading toward Chang'an!

The great battle began again!

Faced with these Red Eyebrows, desperate for any chance of survival, Gu Yi had only one strategy!

That was to hold Chang'an at all costs!

The unhesitating fortifications laid earlier now played a decisive role.

Though the Red Eyebrows were fierce,

they still seemed overwhelmed when facing the massive city of Chang'an.

One day;

two days;

three days;

ten days;

as the weather grew colder, Gu Yi held the city, wearing down the Red Eyebrows' momentum!

Finally, on the fifteenth day!

As the Red Eyebrows gradually lost their momentum, Gu Yi finally prepared his forces to confront them!

At the same time, Deng Yu, who had been hiding behind the Red Eyebrows, launched his attack in coordination with Gu Yi that day!

Beneath Chang'an's walls,

the cries of battle shook the heavens.

Under this pincer attack, the Red Eyebrows, now utterly depleted of momentum, were utterly defeated!

Gu Yi forced nearly one hundred thousand to surrender!

The remnants of the Red Eyebrows fled south toward Yiyang, where they were blocked by Geng Yan's garrison at Yiyang.

They then directly faced Liu Xiu's central army, which had come to reinforce them.

In utter desperation, they could only surrender.

One battle decided Guanzhong!

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(End of Chapter)