Chapter 64: The Gu Clan

【Gu Xi passed away.】

【You are your family's first regent entrusted with the orphaned emperor; his merits to the Han dynasty are irreplaceable. Though a minister, he has in truth surpassed the Emperor.】

【His achievements will shine in the annals with a brilliance no one can match.】

【Achievement unlocked: Regent Entrusted with Orphaned Emperor, Saved the People from Fire and Water, Pillar of the State, Threefold Supporter of the Dragon Throne. Pioneer.】

Regent Entrusted with Orphaned Emperor (Advanced Achievement): Accepted the emperor's final trust and governed the court.

Saved the People from Fire and Water (Rare Achievement): Delivered the people of all under heaven from peril, virtue shining across the Nine Provinces.

Threefold Supporter of the Dragon Throne (Rare Achievement): As regent, stabilized the state and its altars.

Pillar of the State (Rare Achievement): Shouldered the rise and fall of the nation alone.

A string of notifications flashed continuously, the achievements gained outnumbering even those of Gu Kang.

Among them was even a hidden achievement!

Pioneer (Hidden Achievement): Thought transcended the age, took a step beyond its time, and profoundly altered the development of historical thought and institutions.

【This is a hidden achievement. Confirm immediate settlement?】

（Note: Current achievements are incomplete. If the successor spreads this system, massive achievement points will be granted, and the hidden title's exclusive effect will activate. ）

（Note: The player may settle at any time. ）

Looking at the game prompts before him, Gu Yi froze.

Rare achievement?

Though he had long anticipated Gu Xi's achievements would not fall short of Gu Kang's,

Gu Yi never imagined they would be this great.

What does this mean?

Is it saying someone among the Gu clan's disciples inherited Gu Xi's ideas?

Gu Yi pondered carefully, then silently nodded.

Gu Xi had always placed great emphasis on educating his clan's youth; under his personal guidance, it was impossible for them not to have inherited his ideas.

So the game's prompt means Gu Xi's reforms have not entirely failed?

Gu Yi fell into deep thought.

His current achievement points had reached two hundred ninety-one thousand.

Even if other Gu clan disciples brought him no more points soon, just Gu Kang's rare title with its effect—

in a few years he would have enough control over achievement points.

Why not seize this opportunity to try?

Gu Yi immediately recalled the Gu clan disciples he could currently control.

For him, there were truly only three targets.

—First, naturally, Gu Wei.

But Gu Wei, though possessing some political talent, lacked in command and martial strength.

In chaotic times, one must fight.

From his previous control of Gu Xiao,

even if Gu Yi could personally take over, he could not bridge the gap in military leadership—he was merely a graduate, never trained in such matters.

At minimum, martial strength must meet the standard to fully unleash Gu Yi's foresight.

Second was Gu Tao.

This was indeed a fine choice.

Gu Tao's command and martial strength were both strong; Gu Yi could use control to compensate for his political weaknesses.

Just as in the case of the old Gu Xiao.

The third was Gu Chen.

Gu Chen now seemed still utterly ordinary.

But judging by the effect of the Longevity Card, an Xuan-grade item's attributes could not possibly end here.

Gu Chen was an unknown variable.

He might yet create a miracle.

Why not wait a little longer now, to see whether Gu Chen would undergo some great transformation?

Thinking this, Gu Yi immediately decided: do not settle yet.

This was an opportunity.

If truly achieved, it might directly solve his major problem of lacking achievement points.

Most crucially, Gu Yi still held hope for Gu Chen.

He wanted to see for himself.

In the depths of despair, could Gu Chen unleash attributes far surpassing others?

When the most brilliant figure of an age perishes,

—other heroes hidden within that age begin to shine from that very moment.

Luoyang.

The instant Gu Chen heard the news, he froze.

"Grandfather passed away?"

His expression changed drastically; he rushed forward and seized the messenger's arm, urgently asking: "What exactly happened?"

"Young Master—"

The messenger wept uncontrollably, sobbing as he recounted the details of the battle.

Gu Chen's body began to tremble.

He could hardly believe that his elder, even when hunched, had always stood tall and unyielding, had now passed away.

But as the messenger laid out the full battle situation,

he could no longer deny it.

In an instant, his eyes turned red.

Gu Chen was no fool.

Though he appeared ordinary, he was still a normal man.

Now that he heard the detailed battle report, how could he not realize where the problem lay?

Luoyang has failed!

He had caused Gu Xi's death.

Instantly, overwhelming guilt surged through his mind; he immediately reached for his weapon, ready to storm out of the mansion.

But the other Gu clan youths blocked him.

"Ziyan, do not act rashly—have you forgotten Grandfather's instructions?"

"Grandfather said that no matter what, we must stabilize Luoyang's situation until the other elder brothers return."

"."

The others' expressions were equally grim, but far calmer than Gu Chen's.

These were all Gu clan youths.

Though not as direct heirs as Gu Chen, to the Gu clan, no one held higher status than another.

Gu Xi had long prepared thoroughly.

He had dispatched capable youths to the surrounding regions, with his own arrangements.

That was to rally capable men from all quarters.

Even if reform could no longer proceed, they could at least temporarily stabilize the Han.

This included Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and others.

It was another way of saving the state, though it could not resolve the Han's core contradictions.

But with these capable men's support,

the Han could hold steady for a time.

Gu Chen's face still brimmed with rage, but remembering Gu Xi's final instructions, he finally suppressed his fury.

He turned and returned to his room.

The others' expressions were equally sorrowful, but faced with this situation, they had no choice but to go out and manage things.

But the current situation had clearly changed.

Gu Xi's return to the capital had been far too brief—he could not have turned the entire Central Army into loyalists devoted solely to him.

If he were still alive, it would have been fine, for he could have suppressed everything.

But with Gu Xi's death,

for these Gu clan youths to stabilize the situation would no longer be easy.

That same day, He Jin allied with Empress Dowager He.

In the name of the reigning Empress Dowager and Grand General, they announced Gu Xi's death.

The news spread—and Luoyang shook!

Wails and cries of grief echoed throughout Luoyang.

Many found it impossible to believe that a godlike figure like Gu Xi could have passed away.

But what could they do?

Gu Xi would never appear again.

Upon hearing the news, the city's garrison lost its anchor.

Obedience to imperial edicts was many people's instinct.

He Jin, the Grand General, effortlessly won over many of the garrison troops.

Though some still refused to believe it—including many youths Gu Xi had brought from Julu—who refused to obey.

But what could they do?

In the end, they could not change Luoyang's chaos.

Gu Xi's mastery over people's hearts was truly extraordinary.

But human nature is ultimately unpredictable.

His only oversight was overestimating Empress Dowager He and He Jin, these imperial in-laws.

He had not anticipated they would lack all sense of the bigger picture.

This was something the Gu clan youths could not stop.

They could only strive to stabilize as many as possible, doing all they could to prevent Luoyang from collapsing.

But compared to the old foxes in court, they were still too green.

The most critical point was—

The Gu clan now lacked moral authority.

In contrast, Empress Dowager He and He Jin now represented the court.

Dark currents surged throughout Luoyang.

He Jin had become the sharp blade in the hands of the great clans.

He made a decision—to assign Gu Xi a vile posthumous title.

Originally, Empress Dowager He had thought this matter inappropriate.

After all, Gu Xi had too great a reputation and had rendered Merit to the state; if he were given an evil posthumous title, it might spark unrest.

But He Jin needed only one sentence to convince her.

If we do not assign Gu Xi an evil posthumous title, how will the people of the realm view me as Empress Dowager? How will future generations judge me as Empress Dowager?

This was indeed a deadly question.

In today's realm, who besides Gu Xi could open the eight gates of Luoyang?

And could the news of Dong Zhuo's appearance possibly be concealed?

These words struck straight to Empress Dowager He's heart; after a moment of silence, she directly agreed to the matter.

And this was clearly not the thought of one person alone.

The very next day, at the grand court assembly, they unceremoniously assigned Gu Xi his posthumous title.

——Zhong Li.

Loyalty in the face of crisis: Zhong; deliberating beyond one's immediate concerns: Zhong; teaching others goodness: Zhong.

To honor Gu Xi's Merit of three times restoring the imperial throne and his role in educating the Son of Heaven.

Killing the innocent: Li; cruelty toward kin: Li; stubbornly persisting in error: Li.

This was a satire of Gu Xi's reformist actions.

For a minister of Gu Xi's achievements, this was clearly an extremely insulting posthumous title.

But who would care?

Everyone knew full well how this war had begun.

This act was meant to conceal all of it.

And to make He Jin and Dong Zhuo the public villains.

Even if errors arose in the future, they could fully shift blame onto He Jin and Dong Zhuo.

This was human nature.

After the misrule of two emperors, Liu Zhi and Liu Hong.

Before absolute interest, the virtues once held sacred by Han were no longer so important.

After this, He Jin turned his gaze toward the Guan Jun Hou Fu.

He intended to eliminate all risks, ordering troops to surround the entire Guan Jun Hou Fu.

Guan Jun Hou Fu.

"Zhong Li?"

"How dare He Jin insult our Gu family's ancestors like this?"

Gu Chen, wearing white mourning garb, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging across his body.

The other Gu clan youths were equally furious.

The common people of today might not understand the meaning of a posthumous title, but how could we possibly not?

This was a judgment on Gu Xi's entire life!

A single character: Li.

Was enough to erase countless of Gu Xi's Merits.

Gu Yi was also furious beyond measure, wishing he could immediately activate his system to go kill He Jin and Empress He, the brother and sister.

It is said that among the recent generations of Han's maternal relatives, He Jin and Empress Dowager He were the weakest.

But now it was clear this was not merely weakness!

They had absolutely no political foresight whatsoever.

But he must maintain his composure.

Even if he activated Gu Xi's achievement points, he currently had at most one control opportunity—he could not gamble the entire family's future.

It now seemed inevitable that chaos was coming.

The Gu clan would surely be affected.

Now was clearly not the time for him to intervene.

"Hmph!"

Gu Chen's breathing grew rapid; he let out a sharp cold laugh and stood abruptly: "If this can be endured, what cannot?"

"We cannot allow He Jin, this fool, to disgrace our Gu family!"

Saying this, he moved to storm out of the mansion.

"Ziyan, do not act rashly!" someone still tried to dissuade him.

But Gu Chen did not stop; he looked at his brothers and said: "At this point, how can we retreat?"

"He Jin has insulted our grandfather and sent troops to surround our Guan Jun Hou Fu."

"Clearly, he intends to kill us."

"If we continue like this, death is certain—what is there to fear?"

His voice rang firm and clear; his bloodshot eyes made him appear utterly filled with malice.

"Ziyan speaks truly!"

Hearing this, other brothers agreed: "When has a Gu clan son ever feared death?"

"How can we tolerate such humiliation?"

Their fury was fully ignited.

But some remained calm.

"Brothers, before Grandfather passed, he repeatedly warned us: if we act rashly, the Han—"

"Such a great Han—what's the use of protecting it?"

Before he could finish, Gu Chen abruptly cut him off, swept his gaze across the crowd, and said: "My Gu clan has been loyal to the great Han for generations."

"My grandfather devoted his entire life to the great Han, and yet he still has to be insulted like this."

"Such a great Han—there is no meaning in protecting it."

He suddenly raised the long spear in his hand and barked in a ringing voice: "Better to destroy it and rebuild!"

"Destroy it and rebuild?"

Everyone's expression shifted slightly, but none of them showed excessive panic.

These were none other than the Gu clan disciples.

If it had been any other family, they would likely have been so shocked they couldn't even stand.

"We Gu clan disciples can die with grace, but we will never endure humiliation and remain loyal."

"As for Fourth Brother, he will surely support our thinking."

Gu Chen kept speaking, the veins on the hand gripping his long spear bulging.

This time, everyone fell silent.

But after just two or three seconds like this, they rose one after another and followed Gu Chen straight out of the residence.

The glory of the Gu clan gave every Gu clan disciple their own pride.

Faced with such humiliation, they would rather die than submit!

The current situation of the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu was indeed extremely dire.

Most of the military power had already been lost; only some hundred-odd Julu disciples remained, almost all of them within the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu.

Of course, this did not conform to the rules.

But this was the unspoken understanding reached through the contest between both sides.

To He Jin, these people—if they could not be induced to surrender, then they should not influence the others.

"Everyone!"

Fang Fu walked into the courtyard, and Gu Chen immediately summoned the crowd, swept his gaze across them without any superfluous words, and only asked in a ringing voice: "Everyone!"

"Are you willing to follow me to death?"

He was a direct-line disciple of the Gu clan.

Although within the Gu clan, the direct line had no so-called hierarchy of high and low.

But in the current era, the direct line was indeed different.

Hearing these words, everyone rose to their feet.

The situation had reached this point now.

How could they possibly fail to see the predicament of the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu?

To this day, anyone who could still remain in the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu had long since made their preparations to die.

"We are willing to follow Young Master to death!"

No superfluous words—just one shout after another rang out.

"Good!" Gu Chen bellowed, his expression solemn as he swept his gaze across the crowd. "The kindness of all of you, the Gu clan shall remember forever!"

"If the chance arises another day, we shall surely repay the debt!"

From beginning to end, he never spoke a single superfluous word.

Having said this.

He took up his long spear and went straight out of the residence.

And the rest of the Gu clan's sons, as well as the generals and soldiers within the residence, also followed behind him one after another, heading out of the residence.

Faced with life and death, of course there were those who were afraid.

Gu Yi could clearly see that among them, many people's hands were trembling slightly, yet not the slightest trace of fear showed on their faces.

He silently opened his backpack, directly selected the "Strength Talisman" from within, and used it on Gu Chen.

Though he could not control things, he could still offer help.

Even if this move seemed unwise.

But Gu Chen had spoken one true thing.

Gu Xi had devoted his life to the Gu clan and the great Han—he absolutely could not suffer this humiliation.

As for whether it could succeed, and the price after success.

Gu Yi did not care.

In fact, Gu Yi felt that those people had hinted at getting He Jin to stir up such an incident precisely to force the Gu clan disciples into folly, and then pile another layer of infamy on the Gu clan.

But what could be done about it?

As things stood now, the great chaos in the realm could no longer be avoided.

This so-called infamy—

—is to be written by the victors!

—The great chaos suddenly erupted!

Those who could be sent to watch over the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu were naturally these men's trusted confidants.

They did not hold the Champion Marquis's Hou Fu in the same reverence as ordinary people.

Facing the Gu clan disciples who had suddenly charged out, both sides almost instantly launched a great battle at the border.

"He Jin disrupts the state—we must purge the emperor's side!"

Gu Chen first let out a shout, then immediately took up his long spear and charged out.

Clang!

The clash of arms rang out without cease.

Gu Chen gripped his long spear, his face full of fury, and charged straight at the enemy ranks.

The long spear in his hand darted like a dragon toward the enemy's face.

"Puh!"—a single sound!

Over these years he had never given up martial training; his spear work, while perhaps not yet at the stage of perfect mastery, had long since far surpassed that of ordinary men.

What truly held him back was his physical strength.

In this present age of cold-steel warfare—

In truth, the measure of one's strength was the key factor deciding whether a general was strong or weak.

Gu Chen, of course, had no idea that Gu Yi had used an item on him.

He had originally thought his strike would be blocked.

But the next instant, he suddenly discovered that the long spear in his hand had actually sent the enemy staggering back several steps!

For a moment, even he himself was startled!

"Grandfather."

Gu Chen seemed to think this was Gu Xi aiding him, and endless grief welled up once more in his eyes.

At once he charged forward to kill again!

Such an upheaval could truly be called a first since Liu Xiu had founded the dynasty.

When the news spread, the entire city of Luoyang instantly fell into chaos.

Especially upon hearing it was the Gu clan sons who had launched the assault, every commoner in Luoyang was dumbfounded.

To the common people, the Gu clan sons were born with a natural affinity in their eyes.

All of this struck them far too hard.

He Jin throwing the realm into chaos?

What on earth did that mean?

Such chaos startled everyone; hearts already grieving Gu Xi's death were instantly stirred into unrest.

But when He Jin heard this news, he laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

"I was just worrying how to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, and these brats of the Gu clan have given me a fine pretext."

He was truly confident now.

Especially thinking that he faced a bunch of Gu clan brats and still held an enormous advantage in troops, he was all the more puffed up with pride.

He ordered his men to don armor at once.

And under the command of the Grand General, he personally led the garrison troops to go suppress the rebellion.

All the garrison troops were somewhat dumbfounded by this sudden great upheaval.

But the facts were right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to go out and fight.

The Champion Marquis's Hou Fu was already close to the imperial palace.

The two sides began their slaughter right there near the palace walls.

Those whom Gu Xi could bring to Luoyang were naturally all elites.

Especially once bloodlust had been roused, these men's fighting spirit kept climbing.

—The most crucial thing was, they had already cast life and death behind them.

This was destined to be an extremely bloody great battle.

For under such circumstances, neither side needed to employ any stratagems; only real blades and real spears in actual combat.

And the Strength Card at this moment played a great part.

By Gu Yi's observation, the Strength Card had at least doubled Gu Chen's power.

In this kind of battlefield, he had simply transformed into a god of slaughter.

Almost every time he swung his spear, someone fell.

"Tay!"

When He Jin led his troops to arrive, the battlefield by then was already carpeted with corpses.

He let out an angry roar, looked at the Gu clan sons at the very front of the crowd, and rebuked: "Why has the Gu clan rebelled?"

"Heh."

Gu Chen smiled contemptuously, his spear tip pointing straight at He Jin, and cursed: "He Jin, you swine-butcherer—how dare you throw the realm into chaos and insult my Gu clan?"

"You little whelp!"

Anger instantly showed on He Jin's face; he was the most sensitive about being called a butcher. He immediately waved his hand and shouted: "The Gu clan has rebelled!"

"Seize them all! Kill on sight—no mercy!"

Gu Chen paid it no heed at all, fixing He Jin with a cold stare: "In the end, who is the one throwing the realm into chaos!"

"He Jin!"

"Today, even if I die, I will take your life!"

Having said this, he once more charged into the enemy ranks ahead.

He even snatched a warhorse outright, and rampaged even more wantonly through the enemy forces.

Gu Yi could clearly sense it.

Gu Chen's strength was growing along with the fighting—this truly astonished him greatly.

Could it be that the attribute boost of the Breakthrough Card required true life-and-death tempering to keep advancing?

Gu Chen had never set foot on a battlefield.

Because he had fallen behind others since childhood.

Although the clan had not given up on his education, they naturally would not let him bear heavy burdens.

Could this be the fundamental reason why Gu Chen's attributes had not skyrocketed?

Gu Yi's heart could not help but pound wildly.

If this were truly so, then no matter what, he had to keep Gu Chen safe.

This was a perfect target for manipulation in these chaotic times!

A person with no upper limit on attributes — what he could do across the entire chaotic era would probably far exceed Gu Yi's original imagination!

The great battle grew ever more fierce.

Gu Chen and the others naturally would not completely abandon everything and fight to the death.

He kept loudly proclaiming He Jin's crimes.

He even revealed how Empress He had been tricked into opening the eight city gates and letting Dong Zhuo into Henei.

Under such circumstances, the morale of the entire defending army was gradually affected.

This was not only because of doubt.

It was also because Gu Chen was simply too terrifying.

He Jin had long since called in archers, yet still failed to shoot Gu Chen dead.

With such a god-of-death-like figure present, it was only natural that the defending army's morale would be affected — all the more so since Gu Chen had also laid out so many crimes.

Gu Chen's influence was too great.

So great that it made many people wonder — if all of this were true.

If they helped the culprit deal with a son of the Gu clan, would they incur heavenly retribution?

Prophetic and mystical superstitions were the great killing weapon of this era.

Once fear took root in a person's heart, they could no longer fight at full strength.

And Gu Chen only fought harder and harder.

His blood-red eyes, combined with the fresh blood staining his entire body, made people instinctively afraid.

He urged his horse straight toward He Jin!

In He Jin's terrified gaze, a single thrust of the spear drove straight into He Jin's chest!

— The situation reversed in an instant!

"You are the soldiers of our great Han!"

"He Jin has disrupted the nation and has already been executed — do you still wish to compound your wrongs?!"

Gu Chen flung He Jin's corpse from his horse, swept his gaze over the defending soldiers whose expressions had drastically changed, and roared sharply.

Silence!

A deathly stillness.

All of this had happened too fast.

He Jin had died just like that?

The fighting stopped in an instant, as the defending soldiers clearly made no move to advance.

Gu Chen did not hesitate at all, and immediately said again: "All who are Han soldiers shall follow me forward."

"To purge the traitorous ministers and uphold the realm."

The prestige accumulated by the Gu clan over several generations in the great Han would prove immensely useful at a moment like this!

The defending soldiers actually obeyed Gu Chen's words.

They charged with him straight toward the imperial palace!

Gu Yi had been watching all of this, and the expression on his face grew ever more remarkable.

As for He Jin's death, he was not surprised in the slightest.

He Jin was the sort of man who grew complacent all too easily.

In the original history.

How great had He Jin's advantage been back then? And yet in the end, did he not still die at the hands of eunuchs?

His underestimation of the sons of the Gu clan had already sealed his fate.

What truly surprised Gu Yi was that Gu Chen was truly growing stronger and stronger.

From the moment he raised the great banner.

The change in his entire person completely exceeded anything before.

It was just a pity that Gu Chen's attributes were still question marks.

He could not confirm this through attributes, and could only judge by Gu Chen's performance.

Blood-soaked Gu Chen was utterly fearless. He swiftly ordered men to secure the key points of the imperial palace, while he himself led several sons of the Gu clan straight toward Changle Palace!

When Empress He saw the blood-drenched Gu Chen, she was so terrified that she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Issue the decree at once."

Gu Chen had not the slightest respect for her.

He pointed the spear tip directly at her, his voice chillingly cold: "Proclaim the crimes of He Jin and yourself, change Grandfather's posthumous title, and appoint me to command the Luoyang troops."

He needed a title to firmly keep the defending army under his control.

Otherwise, even breaking into the imperial palace would be useless.

"Y-you... you..."

The thick aura of death made Empress He's body tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing that she did not move.

Gu Chen didn't even bother with words—he simply raised his spear tip and pressed closer to Empress He once more.

"No edict, then you die."

He remained just as heartless as ever.

This time, Empress He was truly panicked.

She didn't dare hesitate for even a moment, nodding over and over: "I'll issue the edict, I'll issue the edict."

She scrambled to rise and write it, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't get up.

Seeing this, Gu Chen simply wrote out an edict himself, tossed it to her, and made her stamp it with the imperial seal that belonged to the Empress Dowager.

He immediately sent the edict out at once.

—A shocking, earth-shaking upheaval!

Everything that had suddenly happened exceeded everyone's expectations.

No one had anticipated that He Jin—who had clearly stabilized the situation—would die so quickly!

But by the time the court ministers realized what had happened, it was already too late for regrets.

Gu Chen would not stumble twice in the same place.

This time, he simply locked all the court ministers inside their own residences, forbidding anyone from going out.

Violators would be executed on the spot!

He did not possess Gu Xi's prestige.

So he could only use such violent means to suppress the entirety of Luoyang!

And when the common folk learned of He Jin's and Empress He's crimes, it stirred a great upheaval throughout all of Luoyang.

The people cursed and ranted, venting the fury in their hearts.

A coup by all normal reasoning, yet it truly won the support of the common people.

Under such circumstances—

He had actually managed to control Luoyang with Lei Ting-like measures.

And once the great matter was settled, he showed no mercy toward Empress He in her capacity as Empress Dowager either.

He simply had people help her "hang herself" to death.

And left behind a final statement, saying she had let down the successive late Emperors of Great Han, had failed the realm, and could only atone with her death.

Such a method could hardly be called clever.

But Gu Chen's thinking was very clear.

He only needed a pretext—one the people of the realm would believe.

Watching all this, Gu Yi was deeply shaken within.

Just as expected.

The Gu clan's flexible moral底线 had ultimately led a Gu clan scion to take this step.

Still, he didn't much care.

What truly concerned him was Gu Chen's transformation.

He really was different now—this performance had already far surpassed an ordinary person.

The Northern Palace.

Gu Chen slowly stepped out from within.

"Ziyan, how is His Majesty?" The brothers guarding outside the gate immediately stepped forward and asked.

Gu Chen's transformation was simply too great.

It caught all his brothers completely off guard; instinctively, they had already taken him as their pillar.

"I have already soothed His Majesty."

Gu Chen's gaze was deep; he said calmly: "But if we truly can stabilize the situation, for our Gu clan's sake, we must change the Emperor in the future."

Hearing this, all the brothers fell into deep thought.

"Brothers." Gu Chen looked at everyone and said again: "The current plan absolutely cannot last long."

"Locking down Luoyang will surely draw attention."

"We must send word to all our elder brothers, telling them to lead their troops here as quickly as possible."

Everyone nodded one after another.

Shortly after the two of them, the central army that had followed Gu Xi returned to Luoyang one after another.

They had not brought back Gu Xi's corpse.

Instead, they had it sent to Hebei.

Regarding this, Gu Chen was still immensely grieved, but he also knew the present was a difficult time; he did not let slip a single word of news, and instead steadied everyone.

On the other side.

Dong Zhuo was riding high, leading his army toward Luoyang.

"My lord, Luoyang must surely be in utter chaos by now."

"Given the Grand Tutor's abilities—"

"For the ministers in court to stabilize Luoyang will not be easy at all. Once my lord shows the intention of helping them, you will surely be able to lead your army into Luoyang."

"By then, my lord will be able to have everything you desire."

Li Ru said this with a face full of smiles.

Hearing this, Dong Zhuo also burst into great laughter, immensely pleased with himself.

They headed straight for Luoyang just like that.

And upon arriving at Luoyang—never in their wildest dreams did they expect to be greeted by a volley of arrows.

Among them were Gu Chen's curses and insults.

"Dong Zhuo!"

"You colluded with the rebels, attempting to throw the realm into chaos!"

"Now, how dare you still call yourself a minister of Han?"

Looking at that youthful face atop the city gate.

In an instant, whether it was Dong Zhuo or Li Ru, the expressions on both their faces could not help but change.

PS: It's the end of the month, on my knees begging for monthly tickets~~

(End of this chapter)