Chapter 65: Once More, Dong Zhuo Falls; Smoke and Fire Rise Across the Nine Provinces

This sudden turn of events utterly shattered Dong Zhuo's dream.

What's going on?

Are He Jin and the court officials all useless?

How could a mere Gu clan youth have stabilized Luoyang?

Dong Zhuo erupted in furious curses.

When he awoke from this dream, he immediately recognized his current predicament.

It's over!

This was Dong Zhuo's first thought.

With his meager forces, there was no possibility of storming Luoyang.

On the contrary, his current position was extremely dangerous.

As soon as Gu Xi's death spread across the land, if the great clans betrayed him, Luoyang would slip from his grasp.

Then he would surely die.

How could he not panic?

Li Ru's expression was equally serious.

He had considered many scenarios and never underestimated the Gu clan youths.

But he never imagined the court officials could be this useless, allowing a group of youths to seize control so swiftly.

This completely exceeded his expectations and made their current situation dire.

Jia Xu stepped forward again, offering Dong Zhuo another stratagem.

"My Lord, given the current situation, why not return to Liangzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo frowned, and Li Ru also wore a thoughtful expression.

"My Lord."

Jia Xu remained calm, bowed to Dong Zhuo, and continued: "Gu Gong is dead. I predict that upon hearing this news, all factions in Liangzhou will descend into chaos again."

"At present, chaos is about to erupt in the Central Plains."

"My Lord can fully exploit this opportunity to return to Liangzhou and expand his strength."

"You can secure your safety and plan for the future."

Jia Xu had never wished to involve himself in these affairs to begin with.

But Dong Zhuo and Li Ru had already been blinded by greed; he could not stop them, so he could only help adjust Dong Zhuo's course afterward.

He was even somewhat pleased by this current situation.

The Central Plains were on the verge of chaos.

What business did this small force have meddling here?

Hearing this, Dong Zhuo frowned and fell into deep thought.

"My Lord!"

At that moment, Li Ru suddenly brightened and spoke: "Why not spread this news far and wide?"

"Hm?" Dong Zhuo immediately turned to him.

Li Ru smiled and continued: "My Lord, the great clans of the realm will never allow Luoyang to fall under the control of the Gu clan youths!"

"If we spread this news."

"Every great clan will react."

"If they still refuse to show themselves, wouldn't that give My Lord an opening?"

He was unwilling to return to Liangzhou.

Seeing Dong Zhuo's thoughtful expression, Jia Xu sighed helplessly and said no more.

Indeed, after a moment of silence, Dong Zhuo nodded decisively: "Good!"

Human nature has always been this way.

Once the door to greed is opened, it becomes nearly impossible to shut it again.

At this moment, Li Ru clearly still possessed considerable ability.

He did not directly summon all the regional lords to rescue the throne.

The Gu clan's reputation among the common people was too great; they must first spread the news of Gu Xi's death to lower the people's expectations of the Gu clan.

In an instant, rumors spread like flowing water, rapidly extending in all directions.

Gu Chen would not let Dong Zhuo escape.

But with the expiration of the "Qi-Enhancing Talisman," he no longer possessed the power to sweep away all enemies.

Moreover, Dong Zhuo's subordinates were truly formidable.

Li Jue, Guo Si, Niu Fu, and others were all fierce generals, commanding elite Qiang cavalry.

Gu Chen launched several attacks but could not overcome them.

Yet Gu Yi could clearly sense that Gu Chen's strength was gradually growing with each battle.

This truly shocked him, and his anticipation for Gu Chen deepened further.

As the news continued to spread, it once again shook the already unstable Han dynasty.

——Gu Xi is dead?

When the people of various regions heard this, none believed it.

How could Gu Xi die?

Everyone firmly believed that before Gu Xi restored the empire, he would never suffer any harm.

For he was an immortal.

He had descended to the mortal world to save the people — how could he possibly die?

But no matter how much they refused to believe it, what could they do about it?

Gu Xi would never appear again.

And as time went on, no matter how unwilling they were to believe it, they could only accept this reality.

The blood and tears of ten thousand common folk!

Countless wails and cries of grief echoed throughout the entire realm of Great Han.

Had the foundations of Great Han truly been stabilized?

Obviously not.

The problem of the displaced refugees had not been solved at its root.

The reason they had been able to settle down was entirely because of their hope in Gu Xi.

Most crucially — the great noble clans would not let things rest.

Once it was confirmed that Gu Xi had died, many had already begun moving to take back the lands that had been forcibly requisitioned before.

This was bound to cause another upheaval in the hearts of the people.

A single desperate person might not give rise to great chaos.

But what about ten?

A hundred?

A thousand, or even ten thousand?

The appearance of Zhang Jiao had already planted the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of everyone.

And those seeds would slowly take root and grow as hope was shattered.

But in this dazzling era, there would naturally be those who perceived the current state of the realm and seized this opportunity to recruit soldiers and gather provisions.

— The times produce heroes!

That saying refers precisely to now.

And just as Li Ru had anticipated, faced with the situation in Luoyang, the great noble clans likewise would not let things rest.

They struck openly and covertly, one after another.

Openly, they naturally sent people to the capital under legitimate pretexts, seeking to enter Luoyang and gather information.

But how could Gu Chen possibly allow people to enter Luoyang?

He was determined to hold all of Luoyang and wait for the other members of the Gu clan to rush back to Luoyang.

Covertly, they naturally supported Dong Zhuo.

Though they had not directly sent men, they likewise provided Dong Zhuo with grain and fodder.

And they sent people to secretly establish contact with Dong Zhuo, spreading the news of Gu Xi's death.

Dong Zhuo was the white glove they had chosen.

At least for now, no one was willing to tear away this last thin veil of Great Han and personally become the bird that sticks its neck out.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this, and in his heart he was not overly surprised.

In fact, in the original history—

The reason Dong Zhuo had been able to enter the capital was precisely because of the great noble clans.

The Dong Zhuo of that time was far more powerful than now.

As Governor of Bingzhou, his subordinates were all elite troops.

Under such circumstances, those people had failed to perceive Dong Zhuo's threat — let alone now.

The prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain.

The noble clans of today were already stronger than those in history — how could they possibly care about Dong Zhuo?

To them, whether it was Dong Zhuo or He Jin, both were merely blades in their hands.

When needed, they would sharpen them; when not needed, they would toss them aside.

This was the arrogance of the great noble clans of today.

They did not even care about imperial authority — let alone these people.

Throughout the realm of Great Han, winds and clouds surged.

Though it appeared calm on the surface, in truth it only needed a single fuse to completely set the entire realm ablaze.

Yuzhou, Qiao County.

"Father."

"Your son foresees that the realm will fall into chaos, and intends to gather wealth to recruit soldiers and buy horses, to lay the foundation for our clan."

Cao Cao said solemnly, looking at Cao Song with a serious expression.

Upon hearing of Gu Xi's death, he had immediately led his men back to his hometown and found Cao Song.

For Cao Cao—

How could he possibly fail to discern who the two contending sides in the Battle of Henei truly were?

Cao Cao had already become thoroughly convinced.

With Gu Xi's death, Great Han was destined to greet great chaos.

He had to seize the opportunity that came next.

Hearing this, Cao Song could not help but nod and acknowledge: "My son has great ambition, but son, have you truly thought it through?"

Though he had already resigned from office, Cao Song was no ordinary man.

He had risen all the way to the position of Grand Commandant of the court.

Had it not been for Liu Hong's sudden death, and his worry that Gu Xi would purge those who had bought their offices once he took power, he would not have resigned even now.

He naturally knew that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were together.

Now that Cao Cao had not chosen to ally with the great clans like Yuan Shao, it already represented his stance.

"Father."

Cao Cao lowered his head and analyzed seriously: "Now that Gu Gong has died, there is no one left in the world who can suppress the great clans. The great clans will surely want to divide and devour the power of the court."

"Now the situation in Luoyang has changed."

"Your son believes this is Gu Gong's contingency."

"Although as to today's affairs, your son cannot judge who wins and who loses, for our Cao clan, dividing the spoils with the great clans will not bring any benefit."

"The only way is to borrow the name of suppressing the rebellion, recruit soldiers and buy horses to expand our strength."

"When the time comes, no matter who wins."

"Our Cao clan can stand in an invincible position."

His expression was extremely serious.

Hearing these words, Cao Song finally set his mind at ease, nodded in satisfaction, and praised: "My son has the bearing of a prime minister."

"Your father is old, and will naturally support you."

"You rest for a few days. I will notify the entire clan to rise with you!"

Zhuo Commandery.

The one sentence Gu Xi said afterward could be said to have completely changed Liu Bei's fate.

Since that day, whether it was Lu Zhi or his uncle Liu Yuanqi, both held greater expectations for him.

Now he already had nearly three thousand troops and horses.

Apart from the thousand men Lu Zhi had given him, the rest were troops he had slowly built up during this period by sweeping out bandits and recruiting.

Among them, two were especially extraordinary.

Liu Bei even became sworn brothers with them, taking as their model the ancient Gu Shizi and Ban Chao, swearing never to betray each other in life or death.

One was named Guan Yu, the other named Zhang Fei.

When he heard the news of Gu Xi's death, Liu Bei was also stunned.

He was silent for a long time, and finally only sighed softly.

"Big Brother."

Hearing Liu Bei's sigh, Zhang Fei behind him immediately asked in a clear voice: "Gu Gong died on the battlefield—he was a great hero. What is there to sigh about?"

"Gu Gong spent his whole life for the Han, yet could not complete the great cause in his heart. Of course it is lamentable."

Before Liu Bei could speak, Guan Yu at one side suddenly spoke up, also sighing softly.

"Indeed."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, turned to look at his two sworn brothers and said: "Gu Gong showed me great kindness. I had intended to follow Gu Gong all my life and revive the Han dynasty."

"I did not expect Gu Gong to suddenly die."

As he spoke, his tone paused slightly, his eyes grew ever more resolute, and his voice suddenly changed: "Second Brother, Third Brother!"

"Gu Gong is dead. I expect the world will surely fall into great chaos."

"I wish to inherit Gu Gong's will and revive the great Han."

"Are the two brothers willing to follow me?"

Liu Bei's tone was extremely firm and resonant.

Hearing this, Guan Yu did not hesitate at all, and immediately nodded: "A true man born into this world should, like Wu Hou and Marquis Huan, establish extraordinary Merit."

"Since Big Brother wishes to inherit Gu Gong's will, how could your younger brother not follow?"

Zhang Fei's round eyes were extremely bright. He stared fixedly at Liu Bei, cupped his hands and echoed: "Same here!"

"Good!"

Liu Bei immediately reached out and grasped his two brothers' hands, saying with some excitement: "The three of us brothers shall together inherit Gu Gong's will and revive the great Han."

Liang Province.

Gu Wei was currently accompanying Huangfu Song in suppressing the rebellion.

Huangfu Song came from a general's clan. His father Huangfu Jie had once served as Governor of Yanmen, in charge of a commandery's military and political affairs. His uncle Huangfu Gui had also risen to the rank of General Who Crosses the Liao.

These two had both once received Gu Xi's promotion, and could be considered allies of the Gu clan.

Moreover, such general clans were different from great clans like the Yuans of Runan or the Yangs of Hongnong.

In fact, this could be considered the current norm of the great Han.

Positions like Governor of Yanmen or General Who Crosses the Liao were all looked down upon by those people.

This was also one reason Gu Xi chose Huangfu Song.

Gu Wei was the grandson he valued most. Sending him to Huangfu Song's side had already made his stance clear.

After hearing Gu Wei explain the whole story, Huangfu Song naturally did not hesitate, and immediately led his troops straight for Luoyang.

At the same time, Gu Tao also set out from Yanzhou, heading straight for Luoyang.

Gu Tao now had a full five thousand troops.

As the strongest in martial prowess among the sixth generation of the Gu clan's children, when facing the Yellow Turbans back then, Gu Xi had once given him three thousand men.

As for the remaining two thousand troops.

They were elite Yellow Turban soldiers he had gathered while suppressing the rebellion.

This was an extremely powerful force.

Gu Tao's martial prowess was already extraordinary; what he had studied since childhood was naturally the military texts passed down in the Gu clan.

The soldiers under his command had extremely strong fighting power.

But under the current situation, how could the great clans hidden beneath the water simply allow the Gu clan's children to rush to Luoyang?

For them, Luoyang was a must-take!

But after detecting the movements of the Gu clan disciples.

A familiar scene occurred once again — rebel armies rose across the land, directly blocking the forces of every side that wished to rush to Luoyang.

Although on the surface it was still the Great Han court suppressing the rebels, in truth all sides were playing a covert game of chess.

And as time flowed on.

It was the third year of Zhaoning, the fourteenth day of the second month.

Dong Zhuo, as if receiving some kind of signal, issued a call to the lords of the realm to convene on "aiding the king."

Once the news spread, the provincial governors and great clans across the land sprang into action one after another.

They rushed straight toward Luoyang.

—The situation changed in an instant!

With Gu Xi's death, the fragility of the entire Great Han Jiangshan was fully exposed within a mere ten-odd days.

Facing Dong Zhuo, this enemy, Gu Chen never gave up his assault against him.

He seemed to have already discovered that his own strength was growing day by day, and personally led troops to attack Dong Zhuo every single day.

Luoyang.

The sounds of battle never ceased.

"Dong Zhuo, give your life!"

Gu Chen gripped his long spear, spurred his horse, and charged straight at Dong Zhuo.

"Little brat! You're asking for death!"

Niu Fu, who had been guarding Dong Zhuo's side all along, roared in fury at this moment and rushed forward to meet him head-on.

The horse-halberd in his hand swept toward Gu Chen in one fluid motion.

"Well come!"

Gu Chen showed not the slightest fear, raised his spear, and charged to meet him!

Clang!

The sound of weapons clashing rang out in an instant.

What shocked everyone was that Gu Chen now showed not the slightest disadvantage.

In an instant, a look of astonishment appeared on Niu Fu's face.

This was far from his first exchange with Gu Chen.

Over these past days, he had already crossed blades with Gu Chen many times.

He could clearly sense just how fast Gu Chen's progress was, and it made even him feel dread.

"Good lad, I can't let you live!"

He roared furiously and charged once again.

The two thus fought a great battle amid the ranks.

After clashing for a full several dozen bouts, Niu Fu gradually fell into the inferior position.

But just at this moment, Li Jue and Guo Si charged in from one side.

Gu Chen did not linger in battle, and immediately led his troops to withdraw.

"He actually truly defeated Niu Fu!"

Gu Yi had been watching all of this the entire time, and his heart too was shaken in countless ways.

Gu Chen's progress was simply too great!

One must understand, he no longer had the augmentation of the "Qi Strength Talisman" now — this was purely his own strength!

From the very start, he could only exchange one bout with Niu Fu.

In less than a month's time, he now already possessed the strength of a battle general.

Though not counted among the top tier, it was still extraordinary.

How could Gu Yi not be astonished?

He had now finally seen the concrete effect of this "Wall-Breaking Card."

It was very clear — only when facing pressure.

Would the attributes continuously rise!

Actually, thinking it over carefully, it was only to be expected.

The effect of the "Wall-Breaking Card" was to break through the lower and upper limits of attributes — without pressure, how could the attributes possibly rise quickly?

Only when a person feels pressure and keeps breaking through will they show obvious progress.

This is an unchanging truth!

Thinking it over carefully, this was also because Gu Chen had an unyielding character.

Any disciple whose will was not firm enough, living in such a luxurious environment as the Gu clan, would likely see their attributes grow lower and lower.

This judgment made Gu Yi grow ever more expectant of Gu Chen.

This was now an era where heroes emerged in great numbers!

With Gu Chen's unyielding character, if he did not die, just how far would his attributes grow?

He could hardly imagine it!

Gu Yi had already made his preparations — if Gu Chen encountered danger, he would draw an item, and no matter what, he would protect Gu Chen.

This was absolutely a potential stock that would sweep aside all opposition!

"Brothers."

Upon returning to the city, Gu Chen immediately summoned the other Gu clan disciples and spoke his thoughts.

"Dong Zhuo has never retreated!"

"It seems some new incident has arisen in the world once more."

"If this goes on, it is by no means a good plan."

"These past days I have attacked and killed the Dong thief every day, long since making him grow weary. Tonight I have decided to lead the entire army on a night raid against Dong Zhuo."

"What do all my brothers think?"

Gu Chen's expression was extremely solemn.

Now he had clearly become the backbone of everyone.

Hearing these words, the men did not hesitate and immediately nodded: "This plan will work!"

Who could fail to notice the problem?

Dong Zhuo had only several thousand troops.

Yet he dared to drag things out like this, and not a single message had even been sent back by the Gu clan disciples from all directions.

Clearly, some incident had already occurred!

"Good!"

Gu Chen seemed to have thought everything through long ago and immediately made arrangements.

He left almost all of the Julu disciples within the city.

No matter what, he had to keep Luoyang under his control.

Only these people could put his mind at ease.

Watching all this, Gu Yi's heart beat faster and faster!

Just as I thought!

Not only was the martial attribute rising, even the ability to judge the situation was improving!

That very night.

—Gu Chen personally led several thousand troops from Luoyang city, charging straight out of the city to night-raid Dong Zhuo's camp!

This truly caught Dong Zhuo off guard.

Actually, Jia Xu had warned him, saying that Gu Chen's continuous attacks meant he might seize the chance for a night raid.

Dong Zhuo had been quite concerned at first.

But as the days passed one by one, he no longer cared so much!

The outskirts of Luoyang.

Shouts of battle rose on all sides!

All of Dong Zhuo's subordinates were Qiang cavalry.

Under a sudden attack, they simply could not bring their full strength to bear.

And the most crucial point was, when they stormed into Dong Zhuo's military camp—

Gu Chen even had people set a great blaze.

Blazing fire scorched the heavens, illuminating the entire night sky.

The Qiang cavalry fell into complete chaos.

Frightened warhorses ran amok through the camp.

Originally Dong Zhuo still had thoughts of counterattacking, but from the moment the great fire was lit, he knew the fight could not be won!

"Retreat!!"

Beneath the night sky, Dong Zhuo roared in fury.

Niu Fu and other trusted retainers all guarded at his side, wanting to cut their way out with Dong Zhuo directly.

But from beginning to end, Gu Chen's main target had been on him!

Dong Zhuo was a man who greatly loved his comforts.

His main tent, amid the crude military camp, was simply too conspicuous.

Watching Dong Zhuo about to escape—

Gu Chen wasted no words, simply took up his spear and led his men charging forward.

"This whelp is going too far!"

Niu Fu was enraged and charged straight up.

The scene of being defeated by Gu Chen today, he took as a disgrace!

But as far as Gu Chen was concerned—

From the moment he defeated Niu Fu, Niu Fu could no longer enter his eyes.

And this time, Gu Chen was not going alone!

Anyone who was a Gu clan disciple wanted to avenge Gu Xi!

Among them were also the central army returning from the battle at Henei.

The men swarmed forward.

Facing this situation, Li Jue and Guo Si had no choice but to lead men to intercept, in order to protect Dong Zhuo.

Watching Dong Zhuo on the verge of escaping to safety—

Gu Chen did not hesitate at all.

He raised the long spear in his hand, his sharp gaze fixed tightly on Dong Zhuo, and hurled the long spear out directly.

This was something he had done every day since he began learning martial arts.

He had long since achieved shooting through a target at a hundred paces.

Let alone now that his strength had leapt forward?

A sound of something tearing through the air rang out in an instant.

"Pfft—"

The next moment, that sharp long spear stabbed straight into Dong Zhuo's abdomen.

The tremendous force sent Dong Zhuo flying right off his warhorse!

"My lord!"

Li Ru's expression changed drastically; he immediately wanted to rein in his horse to go check on Dong Zhuo.

But with a strike like that, how could Dong Zhuo possibly still have a way to live?

He only spat out two mouthfuls of blood before collapsing right there on the spot, without even getting a word out!

"Brat, you're asking for death!!"

Niu Fu was utterly enraged. The horse-halberd in his hand thrust straight toward Gu Chen's face.

Gu Chen was currently unarmed.

How could he possibly block this strike?

"Ziyan!"

The Gu clan youths at Gu Chen's side blanched and hurriedly rushed forward, trying to block Niu Fu.

But compared to a battle-hardened general like this, his martial strength was clearly far too lacking.

Especially with Niu Fu in a violent rage.

A single strike sent him tumbling right off his horse.

He was instantly trampled by the warhorses, spitting out mouthful after mouthful of fresh blood.

And the surrounding men also charged forward at this moment.

"Brother!"

Gu Chen's expression changed drastically; he wanted to leap off his horse to help his brother up.

But before he could take any action—

That Gu clan youth hurled the ring-pommel sabre in his hand straight to Gu Chen, and with all the strength he had left, roared out:

"Ziyan, the Gu clan youths should die when it is time to die."

"Don't worry about me!"

"Kill the enemy, avenge our grandfather!"

Blood kept welling at the corners of his mouth, yet his voice rang out incomparably clear and loud.

The Gu clan youths absolutely do not fear death!

Even if their talent is lacking, they can still lay down their lives for the clan.

Gu Chen took the ring-pommel sabre, stared blankly at his fallen elder brother on the ground, and once again his eyes reddened.

He violently hauled back on the reins.

Ring-pommel sabre in hand, he charged straight at Niu Fu to kill!

The entire Qiang cavalry had already lost all will to fight by now.

Dong Zhuo being shot dead by Gu Chen—this had happened right before everyone's eyes.

That alone was enough to shake morale, let alone the fact that they were already retreating.

The situation had changed utterly!

Gu Chen fixed his gaze on Niu Fu, first meeting the attack with the ring-pommel sabre.

Then, seizing the moment, he picked up a long spear from one of the fallen soldiers around him and charged straight at Niu Fu to kill.

Spear after spear like a dragon; before ten exchanges had even passed, he cut Niu Fu down right off his horse.

Clearly, his strength had grown once more!.

PS: At month's end, on my knees begging for monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)