Chapter 66: Suppress the Rebels, Take the Place of the Grand Tutor!

The situation shifted abruptly like a surging tide, and the assembled officials fell into immediate chaos, as if they were birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Gu Xi’s resolve was too firm.

He ignored all attempts at dissuasion, once again issuing an edict to all provinces across the realm, while simultaneously beginning to mobilize the Central Army.

The imperial court of the Great Han, which had only just stabilized, was instantly shrouded in a layer of gloom once more.

——And this time, the gloom far exceeded anything that had come before!

This matter was destined to trigger a heaven-shaking transformation.

Empress Dowager He was under house arrest in the Changlegong, and the officials were completely unable to see her.

In their desperation, many turned their attention to the Son of Heaven, Liu Bian, hoping that he might be able to persuade Gu Xi.

That is correct, simply to persuade him.

For these great clans, they too felt fear toward Gu Xi.

Previously, it was only because they all believed they stood on the same front as Gu Xi.

These people had exhausted every means, describing the situation in dire terms, even going so far as to speak of the potential fall of the nation.

This move did, indeed, frighten Liu Bian.

The Beigong.

Liu Bian’s face was full of panic, his expression distraught and terrified.

Upon seeing him, Gu Xi first bowed respectfully, then asked in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, what have you heard to be so alarmed?"

"Grand Tutor!" Liu Bian stood up abruptly, walked quickly to Gu Xi, stared straight into his eyes, and asked urgently, "The officials say the Great Han will fall."

"And that I, as Emperor, will have no path but death."

"Could this be true?"

His eyes were filled with fear, and his voice trembled slightly; he was clearly terrified by those words.

Hearing this, Gu Xi’s gaze instantly sharpened.

How audacious!

Even if the Son of Heaven was young and powerless, it should not have come to this, should it?

To speak of the fall of the Great Han in the presence of the Son of Heaven... and even to speak of death.

Just how little did these people regard the Son of Heaven now?

Gu Xi looked at Liu Bian calmly and asked softly, "Your Majesty, who told you these things?"

He also held control over the imperial palace and knew which people had met with Liu Bian, but it was difficult to know exactly who had said these words.

Liu Bian hesitated for a moment, but ultimately revealed the names of those people: "Grand Marshal Yuan Kui, Grand General He Jin, Yang Biao..."

Gu Xi’s expression did not change in the slightest; after Liu Bian finished speaking, he simply said indifferently, "These people all deserve to die."

Liu Bian’s hand trembled slightly for an instant, shaken by Gu Xi’s icy words.

"Your Majesty." Gu Xi slowly crouched down to look Liu Bian in the eye, and asked with a firm yet gentle gaze, "Do you trust this old subject?"

Liu Bian was completely stunned.

He stared blankly at the wrinkles on Gu Xi’s face, remained silent for a long time, and finally nodded: "I trust the Grand Tutor."

"Then Your Majesty need not panic." Gu Xi revealed a smile, appearing very kind, "This old subject will help Your Majesty resolve everything."

"When Your Majesty grows up, I will return this world to you, whole and complete."

His tone remained as calm as ever.

Yet, inexplicably, Liu Bian suddenly felt the fear in his heart begin to fade.

He recalled many legends.

Legends about Gu Xi.

Finally, he also revealed a smile, nodded heavily, and said, "Good!"

From this day on, Gu Xi once again restricted the officials from seeing Liu Bian.

He did not move to kill those people.

If he were to do so, it would be forcing the noble clans of the world to rebel.

At least for now, he could not do that.

Facing such a powerful Gu Xi.

This time, there were no obvious movements among the various provinces of the world.

But that very month.

Rebel armies emerged one after another in the provinces and commanderies in all four directions, and the movements of each were not insignificant.

They captured cities, killed officials, and plundered the people.

Naturally, no one chose to openly oppose Gu Xi.

Gu Xi’s prestige was too high.

Everyone had to consider this point—what label would be attached to them if they made a move in the open, and what kind of judgment they would suffer from the people of the world.

However, for these people, this move was enough!

The rebel armies spread at an extremely fast speed.

The worst of them even spread to the Henei region, heading straight for Luoyang.

Following this came reports from various places.

Claiming that military power should not be stripped, that the rebel armies could be controlled, and so on.

This time, Gu Xi took action!

He entrusted Luoyang to the Gu Shizi, and dispatched the trusted followers he had brought from the Hebei region to the eight passes of Luoyang to stabilize the situation there.

As for himself, he personally led the Central Army.

With the force of a thunderbolt, he wiped out the rebel armies in the Henei region within ten days.

He once again issued an edict to the world, stating that failing to disband private armies would be considered treason, and adopted an attitude of intending to personally lead a great army to suppress the rebellion.

——The world was struck with terror!

Gu Yi had been watching all of this, and did not feel any sense of relief because of Gu Xi’s victory.

This was something only Gu Xi could do.

If it were anyone else, even if it were the two emperors Liu Zhi or Liu Hong trying to do this, it would be impossible to achieve such an effect.

Their edicts might not even have been able to leave Luoyang.

But even so, could this matter be resolved so easily?

Clearly not.

How could the power of the great clans in the late Eastern Han be so easily resolved?

One could see just how terrifying the power of the great clans was from the Three Kingdoms and the Wei-Jin periods in original history.

Although for the current Great Han, the great clans had not yet developed to that peak.

But if they joined forces, it would absolutely be a power capable of shaking the world.

If Gu Xi truly wanted to succeed.

Then he would have to beat everyone into submission; it was clearly impossible without bloodshed!

Huaixian.

Inside the military camp.

A group of Central Army generals were gathered before Gu Xi, one after another requesting to go to battle.

The current Central Army of the Great Han had not yet reached the period where it was filled with the sons of great clans coming in to fish for merit.

Every single person among them could be considered a fierce warrior.

For these people, there were no twists and turns at all.

They only wanted to follow Gu Xi into battle to kill the enemy and establish merit.

Gu Xi naturally would not mobilize the army.

He wanted to maintain the current situation.

The great clans still had concerns and dared not openly rebel, which was advantageous for him.

He only needed to fight a few more battles like this.

When the time came, he would release a little goodwill, and some would naturally come to surrender.

Consequently, he could influence the overall situation.

This was the nature of the human heart.

These generals naturally followed Gu Xi’s orders implicitly.

Gu Xi stationed his troops in Henei, waiting for the great clans to make another move.

Sure enough, a few days later.

The rebel armies from various places, as if they had received some signal, quickly gathered in the Henei region.

There were tens of thousands of them, and their strength was not ordinary.

A large portion of them actually had equipment, and their marching was quite solid.

The entire rebel force split into three routes at Yewang, Xiuwu, and Wenxian to assault Gu Xi’s positions.

Their fighting style was extremely fierce.

Even when facing Gu Xi, they had not shown excessive fear.

This was destined to be a great battle.

Fortunately, Gu Xi’s commander attribute was not low, and the Central Army had superior equipment.

He first tore open a gap at Xiuwu.

Following that, he began a counterattack.

He crushed the rebel army at Yewang, beheading nearly ten thousand of the enemy.

The remnants of the rebel army had no choice but to retreat back to Xiuwu.

Gu Xi was clearly intent on settling the fate of the world in a single battle this time.

Once the battle ended, he immediately reorganized the three armies, wishing to annihilate all the enemy forces in Henei and thoroughly establish the foundation for reform in one stroke.

As the news spread, the world was shaken!

The night was heavy, and both the stars and the moon were hidden.

Luoyang.

Dressed in the attire of a eunuch, He Jin was walking quickly toward the Changlegong.

He walked with hurried steps, his expression tense, and he was cautious every step of the way, terrified of being discovered.

Empress Dowager He had been living in fear recently.

Gu Xi’s attitude toward her had made her uneasy to begin with.

Coupled with the vast disparity between before and after, it was naturally difficult for someone as jealous as her to accept.

At this moment, she was tossing and turning on her bed.

—Creak!

At this moment, the palace door was suddenly pushed open.

Empress Dowager He sat up abruptly like a startled fawn and shouted sternly, "Who!"

"Empress Dowager, it is I!" He Jin’s deep, masculine voice rang out instantly.

Hearing this familiar voice, Empress Dowager He was stunned for a moment: "Brother?"

"Empress Dowager!"

He Jin closed the door, hurried forward, and ignoring any etiquette, walked straight up to her.

Empress Dowager He did not care about such things either.

When she saw He Jin’s face, a look of pleasant surprise immediately appeared on her: "Grand General, how did you come here?"

As she spoke, she frowned again, looked at He Jin’s eunuch attire, and asked, "Why are you dressed like this?"

"Empress Dowager." He Jin immediately lowered his head, sighed, and said, "The Grand Tutor maintains extremely strict control within the imperial palace."

"If I were not dressed this way, how could I have been able to see the Empress Dowager?"

"Sigh."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager He could not help but sigh as well, a look of anger appearing in her eyes once more, and she mocked herself: "I never would have thought."

"You and I, brother and sister, one is the Empress Dowager and the other is the Grand General, yet we would end up in such a state."

She wanted to say something more.

But just then, He Jin suddenly interrupted her and asked, "Does the Empress Dowager wish to change the heavens?"

"Change the heavens?" Empress Dowager He was instantly stunned.

"I have a matter, and I beg the Empress Dowager to make a prompt decision!"

He Jin knelt down directly, looked at Empress Dowager He earnestly, and said: "I wish to request a handwritten note from you to open the eight passes of Luoyang."

"The eight passes of Luoyang?" Empress Dowager He frowned immediately, "Are these not controlled by the Grand Tutor’s confidants?"

"Empress Dowager..."

He Jin took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly, and he appeared extremely nervous as he said in a trembling voice, "Although the Grand Tutor has deep defenses within the eight passes."

"Many ministers in the court have spent a great price to secretly bribe some people."

"We only await a handwritten note from the Empress Dowager to act immediately."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager He’s expression changed drastically.

She seemed to have guessed something, stared fixedly at He Jin, and asked in a trembling, uncertain voice: "Why is this?"

He Jin stared tightly at Empress Dowager He and asked instead of answering: "Empress Dowager, is it possible that you truly wish to continue like this?"

Instantly, Empress Dowager He fell silent.

He Jin continued to coax her: "Empress Dowager, as long as the Grand Tutor dies."

"You will be the true Empress Dowager, and I will be the Grand General who holds the military power of the world."

"The court ministers have already promised me."

"At that time, the He clan’s descendants can intermarry with the great clans, and the great clans will also cede some land to our He clan."

"As long as it is done."

"Our He clan can ascend to the ranks of the noble families and enjoy glory and wealth forever."

His eyes were filled with greed, and his body trembled increasingly out of control due to excitement and nervousness.

"This... this..." Empress Dowager He’s expression changed completely; she never expected that He Jin would say such things.

Instinctively, she felt some fear.

But the temptation of power made her unable to stop herself from yearning for it.

In this brief moment, she also began to tremble uncontrollably, stared fixedly at He Jin, and asked: "Can this matter succeed?"

"What if the Grand Tutor does not die?"

"Could it be that the Grand Tutor would dare to assassinate the Empress Dowager?" He Jin asked in return, "Could it be any worse than the current situation?"

Under the flickering candlelight, he looked just like a devil crawled out of hell, his face full of greed.

"Dong Zhuo is currently stationing troops at Anyi."

"As long as we can open the Luoyang passes, we can have him strike directly at the Grand Tutor’s rear and catch them in a pincer attack with the rebel army."

"He cannot possibly anticipate this, and besides, that Gu Xi is human after all; how could he not be defeated?"

Seeing that Empress Dowager He was still hesitant, He Jin’s emotions became increasingly agitated, and he kept speaking while kneeling on the ground.

"Empress Dowager!"

"Do you still intend to wait for the Grand Tutor to die of old age?"

"Even if the Grand Tutor were to die, given his character, would he return the power to you?"

"Furthermore, is it certain that the Grand Tutor will not rebel?"

"The human heart is hard to fathom, let alone when facing the world."

"Who in the world can compare to the Grand Tutor’s prestige today?"

"If we allow the Grand Tutor to gather the power of the world now, even usurping the throne would be an easy task for him."

"Have you ever thought about this?"

Empress Dowager He’s expression became increasingly ugly.

She stared fixedly at He Jin, her eyes filled with both anger and resentment toward Gu Xi.

He Jin seemed to have cast all caution to the wind and continued: "The Grand Tutor maintains deep surveillance within Luoyang; this opportunity tonight is something we have prepared for a long time to find."

"If the Empress Dowager does not seize this opportunity now."

"I fear..."

Before He Jin could finish.

A look of madness surged onto Empress Dowager He’s face.

She finally made her decision and nodded earnestly: "Good!"

Anyi.

When he received the letters sent by He Jin and Yuan Kui.

Dong Zhuo was somewhat bewildered.

Actually, as far as he was concerned, He Jin was fine, but the main thing was Yuan Kui.

One must know that Yuan Kui was Dong Zhuo’s patron.

In this current era, Dong Zhuo’s side was already considered a protégé of the Yuan clan.

Dong Zhuo had always been thinking of relying on the Yuan clan’s influence to raise his own political status and even allow his family to step into the ranks of the noble families.

He could not help but consider his suggestion.

But this matter was truly too large, and he was somewhat hesitant.

"My lord, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!" Li Ru’s eyes shone, and he stared fixedly at Dong Zhuo as he spoke.

Dong Zhuo nodded, sighed lightly, and said: "How could I not know?"

"But Wenyou..."

"If we make a move against the Grand Tutor and fail, then we..."

"How could we fail?" Li Ru smiled calmly, his eyes becoming increasingly bright, "My lord, the eight passes of Luoyang are dangerous terrain."

"The Grand Tutor cannot possibly anticipate that our army will have a direct path to Luoyang."

"The Grand Tutor is currently facing the enemy in Henei."

"I have thought about it carefully; ordinary rebels would never dare to face the Grand Tutor directly; these people must be private soldiers secretly cultivated by the great clans of the four directions."

"They are quite different from those rebels."

"They will not be easily defeated by the Grand Tutor."

"As long as our army can seize the opportunity, we can launch a pincer attack from the front and rear."

"Once it is done..."

As he spoke, Li Ru’s tone paused slightly, and he bowed toward Dong Zhuo, "My lord can personally go to Luoyang and take the Grand Tutor’s place!"

In an instant, Dong Zhuo stood up abruptly.

This was something he had never considered!

What he had originally thought was only that this move could make the noble families look up to him, and allow him to gain benefits from it.

To remove Gu Xi and take his place?

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering every concern in Dong Zhuo's heart.

His hands could not help but tremble, his chest heaved continuously, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.

It was not until a long while later.

He then suddenly slammed the table before him and shouted with a face full of determination:

"Pass on my military order, prepare the troops!"

PS: Begging for monthly tickets~

(End of this chapter)