Chapter 63

Xiuwu County.

The battle situation grew increasingly tense.

The rebels had lately been suffering greatly.

Gu Xi showed no mercy whatsoever; after the battle of Huaixian, he launched a thunderous assault against the rebels, driving them back step by step.

Within ten days, he had completely forced the rebels into the dense forests and marshlands between the southern foothills of the Taihang Mountains and the Dahe River.

This place was indeed suitable for concealing troops.

And most crucially, there were clearly individuals among the rebels who understood this terrain.

With the advantage of geography, they actually stabilized their position.

Gu Xi, for his part, was helpless.

The terrain here was highly variable.

Though dense forests abounded, numerous marshes also existed due to proximity to the Dahe River and Dan River.

He could not even use fire attacks.

Without knowledge of the terrain, he could only send men to blockade the Qinshui River, intending to cut off the rebels' supply lines and starve them into submission.

This was indeed a good strategy; the rebels kept attempting breakout attempts.

But such terrain had both advantages and disadvantages.

All Gu Xi needed to do was occupy the high ground passes and shoot down those attempting to break out, thereby trapping all the rebels here.

Throughout the entire Han realm, everyone was now watching the He Nei battlefield.

Though this great war was named Gu Xi's suppression of the rebellion.

Yet beneath the surface, who among those beyond the lowest peasants could fail to see the hidden struggles?

Upon hearing this news, all four corners trembled!

Even though they had long known of Gu Xi's strength.

Yet this turn of events still shocked everyone.

These were not untrained, ill-equipped rebels!

And yet they could not withstand Gu Xi's offensive?

From this day forward, the entire Han realm seemed to change.

Secret currents surged everywhere.

Though no one wished to be the first to step forward, none could allow Gu Xi to continue unchecked.

Within days, rebellions erupted one after another across the land.

Their momentum shook the world.

These rebel forces, as if prearranged, marched straight toward He Nei.

But Gu Xi was not unprepared for this.

Why had he not allied with Gu Clan's traditional allies?

Because such an alliance was fantasy.

How could any alliance remain unchanged forever?

The clans that once allied with the Gu Clan, though inferior to the Gu Clan, were all among the most illustrious families in the realm.

Gu Xi's reforms would most directly harm them.

An alliance was fantasy.

But this era was such: Gu Xi's actions harmed one group, and thus benefited another.

He did this to reallocate resources.

Who could avoid envy toward the aristocracy's status?

Given the current state of the realm, who could fail to see what Gu Xi truly intended?

This was a struggle between two classes!

Even if none of them dared surface, and could only act in secret, it was already enough to alter the current situation.

Wherever rebellions arose, righteous men naturally raised troops to resist them.

Gu Xi's policy encouraging the "poor families" still stood.

Facing these so-called rebels, suppressing rebellion inherently carried moral legitimacy.

Suddenly, the realm erupted in turmoil.

Mengjin Pass.

As one of the Eight Passes of Luoyang, Mengjin Pass held extremely strategic importance.

Not only was it one of the northern gateways to Luoyang, but also a vital ford across the Dahe River, a transportation hub linking north and south.

Gu Xi had made extensive arrangements within all Eight Passes of Luoyang.

The commanders controlling each pass were all diehard loyalists of the Gu Clan.

Each one was a native of Julu.

Generations had received favors from the Gu Clan.

And within each pass, there was never just one such officer; nearly half of the officers at all levels were of this kind.

But no matter how tight the defense, there would always be vulnerabilities.

Anyone, when faced with immense profit, might become a demon.

—On the twentieth day of the seventh month, Zhao Ning Year Two.

All Eight Passes changed simultaneously.

Soldiers rose and killed their own squad leaders; some squad leaders even led their men to kill their company commanders.

This was destined to be a great upheaval.

No one knew what had truly happened within.

But faced with this sudden internal rebellion, the general guarding the pass, though quick to react, had no time at all to stop it.

Who could have foreseen it?

This was Luoyang's Eight Passes, the final defensive line of the Great Han's capital.

Since Liu Xiu restored the Great Han.

When had rebellion ever arisen near Luoyang? Especially one born from within?

And right after the great upheaval.

The Empress Dowager's handwritten edict was also swiftly circulated.

This edict quickly stabilized the troops who knew nothing of the betrayal.

On this day, Luoyang's Eight Passes lay wide open; Dong Zhuo, under these circumstances, led his troops straight through Mengjin, crossed the Yellow River, and detoured through the Dan River Valley to avoid Gu Xi's scouts.

He then marched directly toward Hebei.

Dong Zhuo had clearly made thorough preparations.

Even to this day, he had not told his subordinates whom he intended to strike.

He simply led his army in a furious rapid advance.

His Original Thought had been to strike directly at Gu Xi's rear.

But one of his officers, named "Jia Xu," devised a plan for him.

That was to split the army into two routes: one to attack Gu Xi's supply camp.

The other to be led by Dong Zhuo himself in a direct assault.

According to Jia Xu's words, this move would be of great use regardless of the outcome.

Even if the attack failed, cutting off their grain supplies would still secure victory.

They must deprive Gu Xi of any chance to counterattack, or else all of them faced certain death.

Dong Zhuo found this reasoning sound, and so he divided his three thousand troops into two forces.

One force of a thousand, led by his son-in-law Niu Fu, charged straight for the Han army's granary.

The other force of two thousand raced toward Gu Xi's rear.

Gu Xi's granary lay in the western suburbs of Huaixian, backed by the Qinglong Ridge, a southern spur of the Taihang Mountains, and fronted by the Dan River Valley—its terrain easy to defend and hard to attack.

This was a highly rational tactical arrangement.

Grain was the lifeblood of the army; Gu Xi would never burden Luoyang alone with all his logistical weight.

Jia Xu's move seized upon this point, aiming to pressure Gu Xi's army through its grain supplies.

The three armies surged forward.

Dong Zhuo, born into a powerful family of Liangzhou, excelled in horsemanship and archery, and since childhood had befriended Qiang tribal leaders—his troops were almost entirely Qiang cavalry.

These men were especially skilled in rapid raids.

Under the current circumstances, this proved immensely effective.

These men did not even know who they were facing before they launched their charge against Gu Xi's army.

Gu Xi had indeed not anticipated such a great upheaval.

Dong Zhuo's detour had indeed achieved a brilliant effect.

The sudden arrival of the Qiang cavalry instantly shattered Gu Xi's encirclement of the rebel forces.

And faced with this massive turn of events,

the rebel forces, who had been closely monitoring Gu Xi's troop movements, would not let it pass.

The rebels hidden among the forests and marshes launched another counterattack.

Fortunately, the force Gu Xi led was his most elite central army.

Most crucially, Gu Xi himself was present, giving these men an unshakable belief in victory—they did not utterly collapse despite the sudden shift!

This was the importance of morale.

If the army broke, under such conditions, defeat would be certain.

But under the current situation, the imperial forces rapidly fell into disadvantage.

Dong Zhuo would not hold back.

When he chose to lead his troops through the passes, he had already burned his bridges; he spread rumors claiming, "The imperial army's granaries have been destroyed," hoping to further destabilize the troops.

The situation had completely changed.

On the entire battlefield, cries of battle never ceased.

Within the camp,

the atmosphere was extremely Serious.

"Report!! My Lord, the rebels have broken out and surrounded us—we are attacked from front and rear!"

"Report! My Lord, the enemy has breached our right flank."

"."

Facing these successive battle reports, Gu Xi's expression had begun to change.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Gu Xi, who orchestrated affairs across the realm from Luoyang, how could he not know Dong Zhuo had stationed troops at Anyi?

He simply had not cared.

This was not due to Gu Xi's arrogance, but because of the prevailing situation.

In this campaign, he intended to crush the ambitions of the great clans with the force of Lei Ting.

Moreover, private armies across the realm today are already extremely numerous.

If everyone had to worry about it, he would no longer need to think about these matters at all.

In Gu Xi's eyes, he only needs one great victory to suppress all those with ambitions in the realm.

Moreover, the Eight Passes of Luoyang were always heavy fortresses.

Anyi lies close to Luoyang.

But to cross the Eight Passes directly and enter Henei is a fool's dream.

He anchored the entire campaign in Henei precisely for this reason—to use Luoyang's position to free himself from rear threats.

But Dong Zhuo's sudden appearance here must have a reason.

——Luoyang has a problem, the Empress Dowager has a problem!

Only the Empress Dowager's imperial edict.

Can open the gates of the Eight Passes.

But thinking about this now is already useless.

Gu Xi must stabilize the current situation.

He does not care about Dong Zhuo's claim that the "granaries" have been destroyed.

Not to mention whether it's truly been destroyed, even if it has, the impact on the current situation is negligible.

He has not the slightest intention of returning to reinforce.

What Gu Xi truly needs to consider is how to resolve this current predicament.

Faced with such a situation, his innate talent for commanding troops has fully emerged.

Gu Xi swiftly made his judgment: ordered the Yueqi Camp's light cavalry to harass the enemy's advance, while he led the three armies in retreat.

Gu Yi had been watching the entire battle and was not surprised by this.

How could the great clans' tactics be so simple?

Before profit, anyone might become another's pawn.

What is there to be surprised about?

He had assumed Gu Xi would choose to retreat to Huaixian, for given the current situation, retreating to Huaixian to plan for the future was the most prudent course.

But to his surprise, Gu Xi had no such intention at all.

How could Gu Xi retreat?

This battle is fought with unwavering advance, fought to secure the realm in one strike.

Any retreat means this endeavor will never succeed again.

Even if he could reclaim it later, it would be useless.

Because his "invincible" aura has shattered.

At that time, the clans of the realm could cultivate countless agents to wear Gu Xi down.

How could he allow such a thing to happen?

For Gu Xi, the current situation is perilous, but not entirely without solution.

The Gu clan's recent generations all share one strength: pragmatism.

Gu Xi had long carefully surveyed the nearby terrain and decided to use this opportunity—the enemy's full mobilization—to exploit the terrain and utterly crush the rebels.

He selected a treacherous pass along the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains—Qinglong Gorge.

The terrain here is exceptionally unique.

The ancient paths on both sides are narrow, cliffs rise a hundred zhang, and the mountaintops are densely forested.

When Gu Xi originally surveyed the terrain, he had said this place was ideal for ambush, but he never expected to actually use it here.

He ordered the three armies to feign retreat, intending to lure the entire enemy force forward.

Sacrifice minor gains to lure a major enemy.

And use the time gained by the Yueqi Camp's light cavalry.

Quickly set up the ambush.

Employ fire attack to trap all the rebels here and crush the entire realm in one blow!

This is bound to be an extremely risky move.

Even the generals in the central army, who had absolute faith in Gu Xi, turned pale.

But Gu Xi remained calm and reassured the officers.

"In past years, when the Nine Provinces suffered natural disasters, I defeated even natural calamities—how much more so human chaos?"

Gu Xi swept his gaze over the officers and spoke with resounding clarity: "If we win this battle, the realm will be at peace."

"At that time, you all will be ministers who uphold the state and your descendants will enjoy glory and wealth."

A simple sentence swiftly reignited the soldiers' fighting spirit.

This is Gu Xi's mastery over human hearts.

Compared to human chaos, natural disasters inspire greater fear.

The Grand Tutor has defeated natural disasters—how much more so human calamities?

When has the Grand Tutor ever lost?

Countless thoughts flashed through the minds of the officers and soldiers.

Under such circumstances, Gu Xi's overwhelming prestige naturally calmed their hearts.

The entire Han army swiftly moved toward Qinglong Gorge.

And along the way, they feigned abandonment of armor and weapons.

Upon reaching Gu Kou, they immediately seized the high ground at the gorge entrance, hid troops within the forest, and held the gorge mouth.

At the same time, pile dry grass within the valley.

Wait for the enemy army to arrive.

"Hahaha!"

"Though the Grand Tutor is the subject of much rumor, now it seems he is nothing special!"

"I can replace him myself!"

At this moment, Dong Zhuo was radiant with triumph, his face flushed with pride.

In his eyes, this situation was already equivalent to defeating Gu Xi.

This was a feat no one else in the world had achieved.

How could he not be proud?

Li Ru was also somewhat elated, but compared to Dong Zhuo, he remained far more composed, and could not help but advise: "My Lord, caution is still paramount."

"No need to worry." Dong Zhuo waved his hand dismissively.

On horseback, he pointed with his finger at the armor on the ground and laughed: "Look, Wenyou."

"So much armor—clearly the central army's morale has shattered; they are a routed force."

"What is there to fear?"

"This is an opportunity that comes but once in a thousand years."

"If we do not eliminate the Grand Tutor now, we will face endless troubles later."

Li Ru felt not the slightest relief.

This battle, though seemingly a complete victory, still deviated greatly from the outcome he had envisioned.

Such an opportunity for ambush is exceedingly rare.

No one could possibly have anticipated that we could penetrate Mengjin Pass.

Yet under these circumstances, Gu Xi still managed to stabilize the situation and lead the central army in retreat—this had already exceeded his expectations.

How could he now feel at ease?

Unfortunately, Li Ru's military ability was not top-tier.

His talents leaned more toward political strategy, and the analysis of human nature and the current situation.

Jia Xu had gone with Niu Fu to attack the central army's grain depot and was not here.

He had sensed something amiss.

But he could not figure out why.

Moreover, Dong Zhuo's words had indeed reminded Li Ru.

If we fail to seize this opportunity, we are doomed to endless troubles.

After pondering this, Li Ru gave a slight nod and said gravely: "My Lord speaks truly."

"If so, we must pursue the Grand Tutor immediately."

"Good!" Dong Zhuo burst into loud laughter and immediately ordered his army to pursue.

Qinglong Gorge.

The valley passage was narrow as a throat, with cliffs on both sides carved as if by knife and axe.

Li Ru observed the surrounding terrain, his expression growing darker.

Seeing Dong Zhuo truly intend to march directly into the valley, he quickly spoke: "My Lord, this place is perilous—we must first send scouts to probe the path."

"Why must you be so cautious, Wenyou?"

Dong Zhuo sneered, pointing at the chaotic footprints and hoofprints on the valley floor: "These prints clearly show only advance, no retreat."

"And after such a crushing defeat, how could Gu Xi possibly have the strength to set an ambush?"

He had now dared to speak Gu Xi's name outright.

This revealed just how arrogant and overconfident Dong Zhuo had become.

"My Lord," Li Ru still felt uneasy, frowning tightly: "Regardless, we must be cautious."

"Why not—"

Before he could finish, Dong Zhuo waved his hand dismissively.

"Wenyou, no more words—I have my own strategy."

Saying this, Dong Zhuo ignored all else, waved his hand, and spurred his horse straight into the gorge.

His nature was always like this.

When elated and triumphant, he tolerated no caution.

Li Ru sighed softly; seeing he could not dissuade Dong Zhuo, he could only spur his horse forward.

The army filed in one after another.

The sound of footsteps and hooves echoed through the valley, rebounding in waves.

Dong Zhuo kept his eyes fixed firmly ahead.

As if imagining that the next moment he would catch up to the Han army and capture Gu Xi.

He would not personally kill Gu Xi.

But war—

Who doesn't die in war?

Dong Zhuo had already planned everything.

Thinking this, the triumphant gleam on his face deepened further.

But in the next instant—

—Suddenly, golden bells rang sharply from the cliff tops.

This sudden change made everyone tremble slightly in an instant.

Dong Zhuo yanked hard on the reins, only to see cold glints flash between the sheer cliffs on either side—not autumn sunlight refracted, but the icy gleam of countless crossbows being cocked.

"Ambush!" Dong Zhuo's expression changed drastically, and he bellowed like thunder, "Fall back! Fall back now!"

Although he had reacted extremely fast.

But in this kind of narrow terrain, everything was already decided!

The Han army banners suddenly appeared atop the cliff. Gu Xi looked at the countless rebels in the valley and called out in a voice like a great bell: "Loose arrows!"

In an instant, rolling logs soaked in fire-oil poured down, and the rain of arrows blotted out the sky like locusts.

It was now autumn, and the ground inside the gorge was covered in withered leaves.

The great blaze ignited almost instantly.

Firewood set the dry grass alight, and the valley floor became a purgatory in an instant.

The panicked clatter of warhorse hooves echoed throughout the entire gorge.

The entire army in the valley fell into chaos in an instant.

Seeing that retreat was impossible, Dong Zhuo could only spur his horse forward.

Li Ru and a host of loyal guards likewise flanked him, helping him fend off the volley of arrows.

But what good was that?

Gu Xi had also laid an ambush at the valley mouth.

In such utter chaos, how could Dong Zhuo possibly escape so easily?

Screams of agony rang out one after another.

Gu Xi stood atop the valley watching this scene, his expression especially complex.

Perhaps because his heart was too stirred, his hands had actually begun to tremble faintly.

"We won."

"We really won."

Winning this battle could intimidate the entire realm.

When the time came, he could win over the realm's people, use his momentum to press down on all sides, reclaim military authority, and carry out reforms.

The great Han could be revived!

At this moment, Gu Xi's eyes had even reddened.

Gu Yi was also watching this scene closely, his heart equally thrilled.

Could it really be about to succeed?

If Gu Xi could truly annihilate all the rebels in this battle, the blow to all the great clans would be fatal, and the great Han might truly be revived.

This was a heaven-sent change.

The reforms Gu Xi intended to implement could essentially give the great Han an entirely new dynasty.

Judging by the dynastic cycle of the original history.

If it truly succeeded, it might really extend the great Han's life by another two hundred years!

Wouldn't that change everything that followed?

If it truly succeeded, wouldn't the Gu clan's record over these few generations be enough to lay an immortal foundation once and for all?

Gu Yi's heart beat faster and faster, unwilling to miss a single detail.

Wails of grief echoed to the heavens.

The rebels, like madmen, charged toward the valley mouth.

But the Han troops hidden on both flanks would never give them the chance—dense arrows fell continuously like rain.

Dong Zhuo was beginning to despair.

Looking at Li Ru beside him, he said full of regret: "Wenyou, I regret not heeding your counsel!"

"Today… you and I shall die here."

Li Ru too was utterly despairing at this moment.

Only at this moment did he fully realize what kind of opponent Gu Xi was.

Why the great clans on all sides dared not oppose him openly.

They only dared lure him with profit!

In such circumstances, he had not the slightest care for the supply depot behind him, and had directly sprung an ambush to counterattack.

What manner of boldness was this?

He sighed deeply, looked at Dong Zhuo and said: "My lord, at this moment such talk is already useless."

"We absolutely cannot give up—we must fight our way out of the valley!"

As he spoke, he was about to bellow and lead the men in another charge out of the valley.

But at that very instant, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted.

—Boom, boom, boom!

This thunderous roar, like Lei Ting splitting apart, instantly drowned out every other clamor in the world.

In an instant, both Li Ru and Dong Zhuo started violently, then simultaneously looked up toward the dark, heavy sky.

At some unknown moment, dark clouds had already rolled in, pressing down black and heavy.

Then, drop by drop, rain began to fall quietly.

Pat. Pat. Pat.

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone.

Even Gu Xi was dumbfounded.

He first slowly reached up to wipe the rainwater from his face, and then, as if unable to believe it, suddenly looked up at the sky.

His whole body abruptly staggered.

"Rain!"

"It's raining?!"

Excited shouts rang out one after another from within the valley, even drowning out the screams.

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were also somewhat unable to believe it.

But seeing it was true, smiles also appeared on both their faces.

"Heaven won't let me perish, heaven won't let me perish!"

Dong Zhuo laughed out loud, the despair on his face vanishing in an instant.

"My lord, heaven lending its aid — does this not prove that you are a man favored by the heavens?" Li Ru said excitedly.

Having spoken, he suddenly looked up directly at Gu Xi on the cliff face and shouted: "Grand Tutor, such is the will of heaven — why struggle further?"

Gu Xi did not reply, only stared blankly at the sky.

Raindrops grew more and more numerous.

In that brief instant, it had turned into a torrential downpour.

"Grand Tutor!"

A group of central army officers tried to shield Gu Xi from the rain, but Gu Xi simply pushed them aside, his abyssal gaze fixed straight on the heavens, as if he would see straight through them.

Suddenly, a thin trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth; the crimson stain, washed by the rain, looked especially glaring.

This sudden downpour seemed to have completely doused the blazing fire in his heart.

The fire within the valley grew weaker and weaker under the rain's assault.

Those cries of "The heavens protect us" pushed the morale of the rebel army in the valley to its peak.

The Han army, by contrast, now found its spirit somewhat drained.

Even though they still held the terrain advantage.

They had lost their fighting spirit.

And most critically, at that very moment, shouts of killing also came from outside the valley.

— It was the army led by Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu.

He had come to rescue Dong Zhuo.

The sounds of combat instantly erupted, and the rebel army launched another charge at the valley mouth.

Gu Xi simply stood there, staring blankly at the sky, his expression growing uglier and uglier.

His head of white hair had long been soaked through by the rain.

His whole frame suddenly seemed to hunch over considerably.

"Grand Tutor!"

The surrounding officers stared intently at Gu Xi and asked in some panic: "What should we do?"

"Immediately lead the army back to the capital. Do not hesitate."

Gu Xi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, did not look at the others, and said directly: "Protect Your Majesty."

At his words, the generals were all shaken, looking at Gu Xi with some disbelief.

"Grand Tutor, what about you?"

Blood kept seeping from the corner of Gu Xi's mouth, and the light in his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer.

At this moment, many memories surfaced in his mind.

At this moment, a flood of past memories surged into his heart like the tide.

He thought of his former self, full of high spirits, single-mindedly wanting to assist the emperor and restore the Han dynasty;

He thought of that once-boundless self who had boasted he could "best heaven by half a move."

He had imagined countless possibilities.

Yet he never could have foreseen that it would end in such a way.

"Late Emperor… I have failed you…"

His lips trembled slightly, as if muttering to himself, endlessly repeating: "Ancestors, Father, your child is useless, and in the end could not uphold the fame of our Gu clan."

"I have disgraced you."

The officers stared blankly at Gu Xi, and the expressions of everyone changed.

They all involuntarily dropped to their knees and called out anxiously: "Grand Tutor!"

"Go back."

Gu Xi finally looked at them, and, heedless of the blood at the corner of his mouth, smiled faintly: "Protect Your Majesty, and you will all be meritorious subjects in the future."

"I cannot leave."

He had already sensed the abnormality in his body.

That feeling of his faculties rapidly fading was unmistakable.

He understood that his time had come.

Everyone stared dumbly at Gu Xi, tears mingling with the rain.

But Gu Xi no longer looked at them; he only turned his gaze toward Jizhou, his eyes full of hope.

The next moment, his eyes suddenly closed.

And he simply collapsed.

Gu Yi was also completely stunned, staring at Gu Xi's fallen figure in the rain, never having expected such a turn of events.

"Could this be that the Han dynasty's mandate has truly run out, and no human effort can hold back the heavens' collapse?"

Gu Yi let out a long sigh, feeling a touch of desolation.

Gu Xi's age was, after all, simply too great.

If only he could have been a little younger, he might have been able to completely reverse the fate of the Great Han.

He had already done more than enough.

Going against the great tide within the currents of such an era.

To wish to reverse the decline of a feudal dynasty with the strength of one man alone — such a person could be counted on one hand throughout all of history.

All of history would remember his name.

Gu Yi had originally wanted to log out of the game to see what changes might arise in reality.

But after thinking it over, he still suppressed the thought.

Time within the game would keep moving forward.

And with Gu Xi's passing, the age of chaos was clearly unstoppable.

No matter what, he had to be fully prepared, to see whether the current situation required his own intervention.

Although Gu Xi did have contingencies.

He had dispatched the Gu clan scions to the four corners — not merely to let them take refuge.

But also to let them get close to those who could still be considered loyal ministers.

But of what use was this?

In the present realm, the only man who could bear the weight of the entire Great Han was Gu Xi alone.

But most unfortunately, this time he had still fallen in the end.

The ninth day of the eighth month of the second year of Zhaoning;

— Champion Marquis, Regent Grand Tutor Gu Xi, passed away at Qinglong Stream within Henei.

The immortal's strength exhausted, the Great Han shall perish.

——————

"Of all dynasties, the weak perished while the Han alone perished strong.

Gu Xi's reforms were the final attempt to resolve the class contradictions under the Eastern Han system.

And also the swan song meant to keep this dynasty going.

We cannot use the eyes of later generations to grasp the hearts of those who lived in that era, nor can we imagine what wisdom and state of mind it took for him to walk a path so different from everyone else's.

Nor can we imagine what changes to later history would have resulted, had Gu Xi's reforms succeeded.

For this minister, whose life was filled with countless legends,

he was, in the end, history's regret.

From the moment he fell, the central court of the Eastern Han utterly lost its grip over the provinces.

This once-boundlessly-glorious dynasty existed in name alone."

— *The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)