Chapter 65: The Change of Reform, Life and Death on the Line

Hedong.

Ever since Gu Xi defeated Zhang Jiao in Jizhou, Dong Zhuo could be said to have been riding the crest of a wave.

Relying on the elite troops under his command, he won battle after battle against the demoralized Yellow Turban Army, enjoying boundless glory.

He had originally intended to take advantage of this golden opportunity.

To accumulate more merit, and once the situation stabilized, to achieve a rise in status.

Yet he did not expect to suddenly receive an imperial edict from He Jin.

"Wenyou, take a look. What does the Grand General mean by this? He actually ordered me to station troops in Anyi?" Dong Zhuo frowned, his face full of confusion.

As he spoke, he handed the edict in his hand to the resourceful Confucian scholar Li Ru beside him.

Li Ru took the edict and began to study it carefully, the expression on his face gradually becoming grave.

He pondered for a long time before he seemed to grasp the hidden mystery within.

Following that, he shook his head gently, a meaningful smile appearing on his face: "My lord."

"Judging by the timing, this edict was clearly sent by He Jin before the Grand Tutor returned to the capital."

"This move is clearly intended to use you to keep the Grand Tutor in check."

"Keep the Grand Tutor in check?" Dong Zhuo was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, subconsciously shaking his head, his face full of disbelief, "Is that He Jin insane?"

"Why would he think I could keep the Grand Tutor in check?"

"It is merely borrowing influence; my lord need not concern yourself with it." Li Ru chuckled, initially wanting to tell Dong Zhuo not to take the matter to heart.

But at that very moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, his eyes lit up fiercely, and he changed his tone: "My lord, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!"

"An opportunity?" Dong Zhuo was completely stunned, his brow furrowing even deeper as he looked at Li Ru in bewilderment, "Wenyou, have you gone insane too?"

"Do you truly want me to go and oppose the Grand Tutor?"

At present, he had absolutely no such intentions.

For a local magnate of his background, this was simply a fantasy.

He only wanted to accumulate more merit and improve his own political standing.

"I naturally do not mean that." Li Ru waved his hands hurriedly, the excitement on his face growing more intense, "He Jin is the Grand General and holds the authority to command the armies of the world."

"Now that he has issued an edict, how can we refuse to obey?"

He stared intently at Dong Zhuo and said solemnly: "Anyi is a vital stronghold of Hedong, controlling the grain routes of the Fen River to the north and guarding the dangerous passes of Xiaohan to the south."

"My lord can perfectly well use the pretext of obeying the edict to station troops there."

Li Ru’s tone paused slightly, his expression becoming increasingly serious, his eyes flashing with shrewd light: "Given the current situation."

"I believe that should the Grand Tutor meet with any accident, the Great Han would be in danger of collapse."

"If the situation truly changes drastically at that time."

"Would my lord not be able to advance or retreat freely from Anyi?"

Hearing these words, Dong Zhuo was stunned; he had never thought about the problem from this angle.

This did sound like a good opportunity.

But out of fear of Gu Xi, he still subconsciously shook his head: "How could the Grand Tutor tolerate me stationing troops in Anyi?"

"My lord only needs to advance slowly, and you can use the excuse of suppressing bandits to delay time along the way."

Li Ru smiled confidently and said with certainty, "And even if the Grand Tutor discovers something unusual, what of it?"

"My lord’s actions are in obedience to an edict; even if the Grand Tutor blames someone, he must blame He Jin."

"Moreover, my lord must not forget—"

Speaking to this point, Li Ru paused slightly and deliberately lowered his voice, "The Grand Tutor is now over ninety years old."

"Although the world believes that the Grand Tutor will certainly not pass away before the world is settled."

"But my lord must know, where in this world is there an immortal man?"

"Even people like the Emperor Guangwu and the Marquis of Wencheng of the past passed away with the passage of time."

"How much more so for the Grand Tutor?"

"If the Grand Tutor truly meets with an accident, my lord can lead troops into the capital; would you not then be the second Grand Tutor?"

Thump... thump... thump...

Dong Zhuo only felt his heartbeat growing faster and faster, as if it were about to jump out of his throat.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He stared fixedly at Li Ru before him, and after a long silence, he finally nodded, squeezing a word through his teeth:

"Good!"

Gu Xi had indeed changed.

Ever since his return to the capital this time, he seemed like a different person.

He acted with great decisiveness, without the slightest bit of mercy or hesitation.

Right after the sacrifice at the Luo River.

Gu Xi held another grand enthronement ceremony for Liu Bian and announced the change of the era name to "Zhaoning."

Meaning the stability of the Great Han.

With his various actions, he demonstrated his determination to the entire world.

—Gu Xi was determined to support the Great Han once more in its time of crisis!

Once everything was settled, Gu Xi turned his gaze toward the rebel army in Liangzhou.

He naturally would not choose to leave Luoyang at such a time.

He simply, as in the past, coordinated the four directions from within Luoyang!

Gu Xi’s reputation in Liangzhou was extremely high.

Years ago, during the natural disasters across the nine provinces, Gu Xi was the first to rush to Liangzhou to personally oversee local governance.

This move earned Gu Xi immense prestige among all the tribes.

And most crucially, Gu Xi knew very well why these people had rebelled.

His act of killing the eunuchs was precisely because of this.

After stabilizing the hearts of the people in Luoyang, Gu Xi immediately sent men to Liangzhou to deliver messages to the various tribes.

—Stating that he would not hold their uprising against them; as long as they retreated back to Liangzhou, he would let bygones be bygones.

This was an open scheme.

For the current Gu Xi.

Any rebel army in the form of an alliance was not worth mentioning.

Because human hearts are inherently unpredictable.

Facing Gu Xi, who was like an immortal, there would always be those who felt fear in their hearts.

And Gu Xi wanted to give them a way out.

Thereby magnifying this fear.

The effect of this strategy was obvious, especially after Huangfu Song rushed to the Three Auxiliary regions and blocked the rebel army’s advance.

Discord immediately arose within the rebel army.

Bian Zhang, Beigong Boyu, and Li Wenhou died one after another in internal strife.

The rebel army, like a receding tide, quickly retreated back to Liangzhou.

At the same time, the efforts to suppress rebellions across the world did not cease.

The heads of the eunuchs were indeed a good thing.

This greatly diverted public grievance and allowed the people to once again have expectations for the imperial court.

Furthermore, Gu Xi would not abandon the use of prophetic superstitions.

Various miracles appeared one after another.

This also included the rhapsodies written by the students of the Imperial Academy, which Gu Xi ordered the great clans to spread throughout the world.

Under these various measures.

—By the end of the second year of Zhaoning, the situation in all regions had stabilized.

Although there were still rebel uprisings, they were ultimately unable to gain any real momentum.

And subsequently, Gu Xi finally took that step and began to prepare for the great undertaking he had contemplated for many years.

—Reform!

He was going to shake the fundamental institutions of the Great Han!

Gu Yi had been silently watching all of this, his heart also feeling incomparably tense.

In fact, this was one of the difficulties of this game.

Except for the periods he personally controlled, the development of any event would not necessarily follow Gu Yi’s wishes.

Just like now.

For the Gu Shizi, this move was extremely dangerous.

If Gu Yi were to control it personally, he would definitely choose to let the era develop on its own.

After all, the rise and fall of dynasties is a natural phenomenon.

He possessed the foresight of subsequent history.

Even though the world today had already undergone great changes, Gu Yi could still control everything by relying on the superiority of modern thought.

But it was different for Gu Xi.

He was a person within the game; judging by his current situation.

He understood that once he died, the world would surely fall into chaos, and even the local noble clans would secretly support the rebels to achieve the goal of carving up the world.

As a top-tier noble clan, the Gu family was destined to bear the brunt of it.

——The Gu family aims for ten thousand generations.

Situations such as the collapse of the state and the world falling into chaos meant that the Gu family was destined to face unknown risks.

As a player in the game, Gu Xi did not know what would happen after his death.

Only reform was the optimal solution at present.

It could save the Great Han and also assist the Gu family.

This was the reason why he had to do this.

But could this really succeed?

Looking through history, where is there an example of a successful reform without bloodshed?

And how could Gu Yi not be worried?

He even had the thought of going all-in with all his achievement points to see if he could draw a tool to help Gu Xi.

But in the end, he suppressed this thought.

He had to remain calm to avoid any accidents.

Luoyang, Taimiao.

The blue bricks paved the ground, and the flying eaves and bracket sets revealed the vicissitudes of time.

Gu Xi walked with steady steps, slowly entering this most sacred place for the Great Han.

By common logic, his action was improper.

But for the current Gu Xi, he no longer cared about such things.

As soon as he stepped into the Taimiao, a serene aura rushed toward him, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

Gu Xi moved his feet lightly, arriving before the incense table to light the candles.

He lit the candles for the spirit tablets of the emperors of past generations in order, the dancing flames reflecting his face, which was full of vicissitudes and determination.

Finally, he stopped before the spirit tablet of Liu Zhao.

He first performed a standard, grand bow of a subject.

After the ritual, he tilted his head slightly, looking at the spirit tablet, and sighed softly, his voice low yet clear: "Late Emperor."

"That the Great Han has reached this day is my fault."

"I only lament that I lack the wisdom of my ancestors."

"If my grandfather, the Marquis of Wencheng, were facing my current situation, I believe he would surely have seen the drawbacks."

"As of today, I have no way out."

His expression was calm, his gaze very firm, and he murmured: "Only by accomplishing this while I am alive can I protect the stability of the state."

"The Great Han and my Gu family can also be spared from turmoil."

Having said this, he bowed again to Liu Zhao's spirit tablet and remained there for a long time without rising.

It was not until a long time had passed.

That he turned again and walked to the spirit tablet of Gu Xiao, kneeling down directly.

Gu Xiao's spirit tablet had always been enshrined in the Taimiao.

This was a privilege granted by Liu Xiu in the past.

In the entire Gu family, he was the only one.

Even Gu Kang did not have this.

"Ancestors above," Gu Xi's voice was slightly choked, "please protect the descendants of the family, keep them from disaster, and bless my Gu family to be prosperous and undying for ten thousand generations."

How could he not know the consequences if this failed?

Except for Gu Chen and a few other descendants with mediocre aptitude, Gu Xi had already sent the family descendants away one after another.

This was his other insurance policy.

If he succeeded, that would be fine; if he failed, the world would surely fall into chaos.

Given the current reputation of the Gu family.

Unless they encountered someone insane, the Gu family would not face the risk of extermination, and they would have a chance to rise in the chaotic world.

As for Gu Chen, it was because he was indeed too mediocre.

Even now, he was not as good as an ordinary person.

Sending him away was undoubtedly even more risky.

Actually, Gu Yi was quite surprised by this; Gu Chen had a resilient personality and was very hardworking in his daily life.

But in terms of performance, there was nothing outstanding at all.

Simply put, it turned him from a low-functioning child into a very mediocre, normal person.

For a Mysterious-grade tool, this performance was clearly substandard.

But the specific reason... Gu Yi could not figure it out either.

On this day, Gu Xi stayed in the Taimiao for a long time.

And it was on the very next day.

That he announced his edict at the Great Court Assembly.

He ordered the descendants of the great clans who had contributed to suppressing the rebellion to return to the capital to receive rewards.

He intended to advance by retreating, summoning the descendants of the great clans in the name of "receiving rewards," and then take the next step.

If it were in an ordinary era, this might have succeeded.

But what kind of era was this?

This was an era with great renown throughout history, where geniuses and heroes emerged in abundance.

The current situation was already so obvious.

Through Gu Xi's various measures, combined with his personality, how could these people not see what Gu Xi might be planning to do?

This was a very obvious problem.

Some had even thought that Gu Xi might carry out land reform.

Because the current Great Han had not completely resolved the tidal wave of displaced people!

In an instant, the news spread rapidly.

——The imperial court was shaken!

Many found it hard to believe that Gu Xi would do this, as it would also affect the Gu family.

But facing such a severe problem, they had to be careful in their response.

The policy originally proposed by Gu Xi was brought up again.

The ministers wanted Gu Xi to cancel this policy to test his attitude.

To this, Gu Xi naturally agreed.

He even directly rewarded several meritorious noble clans to show weakness again.

But could human nature be so easily manipulated?

Once the seed of suspicion was planted, no matter what, the doubt in their hearts would not be completely eliminated.

No one would be willing to give up the benefits they had already obtained.

Under these circumstances.

The ministers submitted memorials one after another, citing the unsettled rebel troops in various regions as a reason for not wanting the clansmen to return to the capital.

The atmosphere in the entire imperial court changed.

Facing this situation, Gu Xi directly abandoned the idea of winning without bloodshed.

He could not drag it out.

The power of the great clans would grow stronger as time passed.

And who could say for sure?

How much time Heaven had left for him?

He had to be swift and decisive!

Just a few days later, Gu Xi issued a complete order to seal off Luoyang.

And in the name of "Regent," he proclaimed it to the world.

He stated that the great war had passed, and it was time to abandon Liu Hong's wartime policies and reclaim local military power.

As the news spread, the world was shaken!

The common people naturally did not care about this; such measures would not affect their lives.

What was truly shaken were the regional governors and powerful clans who had gradually developed their own personal forces.

Liu Hong's measures had allowed them to legally possess blades.

And now, Gu Xi was going to take those blades back.

Even if everyone understood why Gu Xi was doing this.

How could they possibly agree directly?

In an instant, the four corners of the world were in motion.

The governors of all regions submitted memorials to the imperial court, still using the excuse of rebel troops to obstruct this matter.

But how could Gu Xi not have anticipated this?

Why did he need to quickly take control of the entire Central Army upon his return to the capital?

It was not merely to firmly control Luoyang.

It was also to make preparations for this.

Ever since Gu Cheng drilled the Central Army in years past, the matter of drilling the entire Central Army had never changed.

And it was precisely during the time of Liu Bao in the past.

Because of the actions of Yan Ji, he became even more aware of the importance of the Central Army and successively strengthened it.

This was the most elite force in the entire Great Han.

He held these troops firmly in his control precisely to make preparations for this.

PS: I burned out after 15,000 words yesterday; my tenosynovitis hasn't healed at all, and I'm late again. Sorry, the next chapter will have to be late at night.

Begging for monthly tickets~

(End of chapter)