Chapter 7: Gu Xiao's Wedding, The Final Battle

The impact caused by this battle was truly unimaginable.

It was not just the Guanzhong region.

Even Liu Yong in the Guandong region was thoroughly defeated by Gai Yan, and the Guandong region also fell entirely to Liu Xiu.

It could be said that, as of now, the only things standing between Liu Xiu and the unification of the world were Wei Xiao and Gongsun the Usurper in the Shu region.

However, the most critical point for the current situation was not this.

It was that Liu Xiu had obtained the Heirloom Seal of the Realm and the seven-foot sword left behind by the founding Emperor of Han, Liu Bang.

The significance of this to Liu Xiu was far too great.

With these two items, coupled with the power Liu Xiu currently possessed.

He could already consider himself the orthodox ruler.

Sure enough, Liu Xiu also made a judgment consistent with most people of this era.

He sent letters to Wei Xiao and Gongsun the Usurper.

Wishing to persuade the two to surrender.

After all, given his current strength, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Liu Xiu's momentum toward unification was unstoppable.

Relying solely on Wei Xiao and Gongsun the Usurper.

Was undoubtedly like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

Regarding these matters, Gu Yi did not involve himself too much.

Gu Xiao's merits were already great enough, and after these years of campaigning, Gu Xiao was no longer young.

For the sake of the family's legacy.

Gu Xiao had to get married and have children.

Population was the most important priority for family inheritance.

Only by securing the foundation for the family to continue could the entire family's influence be continuously expanded.

This was also a problem Gu Yi had to face.

There was no help for it; Gu Xiao's younger brothers and sisters had already been brought to Luoyang by him.

But these four truly had no hope of amounting to anything, so he could only pin his hopes on the next generation.

Since the pacification of the Guanzhong region, Gu Yi had begun to intentionally or unintentionally manipulate Gu Xiao into lying flat, no longer scrambling for merit as he had in the beginning.

And regarding this sudden change.

Liu Xiu was not the least bit displeased; on the contrary, he was very delighted.

Gu Xiao's merits were indeed too great.

Especially in this battle to unify Guanzhong.

It could be said that Gu Xiao deserved the primary credit, and for such primary credit that could be said to have laid the foundation for the world, the rewards would naturally not be few.

Gu Xiao had now become the Grand Marshal.

If he continued to earn merit like this, Gu Xiao would sooner or later reach a point where there was nothing left to bestow.

Now that Gu Xiao was voluntarily stepping back.

How could he not be happy?

Liu Xiu, as an emperor, was different from other founding emperors.

His political acumen was actually very strong, so he could naturally realize this point.

When he heard that Gu Xiao had the intention to marry, he even took the initiative to help Gu Xiao select several suitable matches from the Hebei region and personally bestowed a marriage upon Gu Xiao.

This was a tremendous honor.

The current Liu Xiu could be called the co-lord of the world, and he personally bestowed the marriage.

Such a thing was enough to be recorded in history.

Especially on the day of Gu Xiao's grand wedding, Liu Xiu, as the monarch, even attended in person to show his favoritism toward Gu Xiao, this great meritorious official.

He even brought wedding gifts.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this.

In fact, he could roughly guess some of Liu Xiu's motives for doing this.

It was undoubtedly to help build momentum for Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao had been stationed by him in Hebei, and with Gu Xiao's background, even if he was a great meritorious official.

It was still too difficult to fully establish himself in the Hebei region, or even to help him suppress the great clans of Hebei.

Only by constantly helping Gu Xiao build momentum.

And providing help to Gu Xiao, could things proceed smoothly.

Gu Yi had carefully looked at the matches Liu Xiu had chosen for Gu Xiao, and most of them belonged to clans that were not considered large in the Hebei region.

Pulling in one group, striking another, balancing the situation.

This was the art of the emperor.

"Zhanhong."

"You have campaigned with me for many years; I have long since settled down, and now seeing you settle down, my heart is at ease."

At the wedding banquet, Liu Xiu was sitting in the main seat, smiling as he looked at Gu Xiao and said.

Gu Xiao was also beaming with joy at this moment.

As a warrior who started from nothing, everything today was truly a source of glory for his ancestors for Gu Xiao.

No, it could not even be called glory for his ancestors;

—it was starting a new family genealogy.

Let alone the Gu family, even looking through history, how many people could have an emperor personally bestow a marriage and come to congratulate them in person?

How could a warrior like Gu Xiao not be excited?

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty."

Gu Xiao raised his wine cup, his face glowing, and drank with Liu Xiu.

Facing a warrior like Gu Xiao, Liu Xiu did not have any imperial airs, and it could be said that he was in high spirits with those present.

"Zhanhong still needs to work hard."

Putting down his wine cup, Liu Xiu secretly scanned the people present, then immediately turned his gaze back to Gu Xiao, "Hurry and produce a few more heirs."

"I am still thinking that our heirs could intermarry with your family."

Liu Xiu's tone was extremely calm.

But it was this light, airy sentence that made everyone present freeze.

Intermarry?

Intermarry with the emperor?

This...

Everyone was shocked, and the several Hebei clans who were marrying into the Gu family could not help but be ecstatic.

Liu Xiu currently only had one heir.

That was the eldest Imperial Prince, Liu Qiang.

Although he had not yet been named Crown Prince, as the eldest Imperial Prince, this was almost a certainty.

If one could really intermarry with Liu Qiang.

In time, if Liu Qiang were named Crown Prince, and if they could produce heirs.

That... was simply unimaginable.

The other officials were also stunned, unable to help but ponder the meaning behind Liu Xiu's words.

Only Gu Xiao, that warrior, did not care at all, feeling only more and more glorious, and immediately stood up, bowed to Liu Xiu, and said in a resonant, forceful voice:

"Your Majesty, rest assured... this humble general will certainly do his utmost!"

Seeing this, Liu Xiu was taken aback for a moment, then a genuine smile immediately appeared on his face.

He could not help but laugh out loud.

Gu Yi watched all this silently, feeling speechless.

Doing his utmost to have children, really?

This ancestor of his own family was truly a... pure brute.

Fortunately, this was Liu Xiu.

If it were any other founding emperor, they might mistakenly think that Gu Xiao had designs on power, and he might be liquidated in the future.

Gu Yi felt helpless, and at the same time, could not help but become vigilant again.

As Liu Xiu's power grew larger and larger.

He had to start paying attention.

He must never be as relaxed as before.

The political wisdom of these founding emperors was unimaginable.

Gu Yi naturally understood that it was impossible for Liu Xiu to let Liu Qiang marry into the Gu family.

Liu Qiang was Guo Shengtong's heir.

Behind him, there was already the support of the great Hebei clans.

Liu Xiu, this emperor, was someone who could depose an empress for the sake of political balance; even if there were a real opportunity for marriage, it would definitely not be with Guo Shengtong's heir.

And Gu Yi could be certain.

Liu Xiu would absolutely not let his heirs marry women from the Gu family.

Founding contributors have status but hold no real power.

This is Liu Xiu’s bottom line.

He himself would absolutely never initiate such a proposal; even if there were a marriage alliance, it would at most be marrying off an Imperial Princess.

As for his purpose, it was naturally to use the Gu clan—a clan about to take root in the Hebei region—to achieve a political balance.

It is also possible he wanted to take this opportunity to continue building momentum for the Gu clan.

Gu Yi did not dwell too much on this point.

History had already changed somewhat; Gu Xiao’s emergence had caused Liu Xiu’s timeline for pacifying Hebei and unifying the Guanzhong region to advance significantly.

No one could say for sure what the future would hold.

There was no need to dwell on these things.

As Liu Xiu picked up his wine cup again, the others could not help but drink again as well.

But the atmosphere at this moment was completely different from just before.

Everyone seemed to have been affected by that remark from Liu Xiu.

Yet Liu Xiu did not care in the slightest, continuing to drink with everyone.

The entire wedding banquet ended under this inexplicable atmosphere.

Once the guests had departed.

Gu Xiao, already somewhat drunk, was taken to the bridal chamber.

Immediately after, Gu Yi felt his vision go black, and when it cleared again that night.

This night had already passed.

In the days that followed, Gu Xiao was no longer like he had been before; instead, he rarely went out.

To the outside world, this looked like something.

It was truly just as he had said; he was really doing his utmost.

But in reality, that was not the case.

If nothing else, as a modern person, how could Gu Yi not know the harms of overindulgence?

Gu Xiao was a warrior by nature.

In an era like this, these warriors would more or less have some internal injuries.

The current Gu Xiao was the pillar of the Gu family; Gu Yi had to look after Gu Xiao’s health, so he had been silently influencing his various habits all along.

And these peaceful days did not last long.

Matters once again exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Faced with Liu Xiu’s letter of persuasion to surrender.

Wei Xiao and Gongsun the Usurper actually both refused.

In truth, Gongsun the Usurper’s refusal was still within reason for Liu Xiu and the others.

After all, Gongsun the Usurper had truly declared himself Emperor.

No one would easily give up the power in their hands, let alone the position of Emperor.

Moreover, Gongsun the Usurper was in the Shu region, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack, so he naturally would not surrender easily.

But that Wei Xiao had also refused was truly beyond his expectations.

Wei Xiao had sent his own son to Luoyang, and he should have known that the current Liu Xiu was unstoppable, yet he was still unwilling to surrender.

For a time, the flames of war seemed poised to rise again.

Upon hearing this news, the generals and soldiers immediately requested to fight.

Each and every one of them was like a fierce tiger that had spotted prey, all wanting to be the first to devour it.

Gu Xiao’s example was there before them.

That kind of honor was something no one did not want.

But this time, Liu Xiu was not impulsive; instead, he suppressed all the generals and soldiers.

Now, he truly viewed the entire world as his own.

Once the Guanzhong region was completely pacified, he had already disbanded many troops and naturally did not want to start a war lightly again.

He sent another letter to Wei Xiao.

In it, he clarified the current disparity in strength between the two sides and analyzed the various pros and cons, hoping to persuade Wei Xiao to surrender.

But unsurprisingly.

Wei Xiao refused again.

And this time, Wei Xiao even did something quite excessive.

That was, he actually submitted to Gongsun the Usurper.

Gongsun the Usurper named Wei Xiao the Prince of Shuoning and provided him with reinforcements.

Wei Xiao personally led thirty thousand infantry and cavalry to attack Anding Commandery, attempting to seize the Guanzhong region!

This time, Liu Xiu was enraged!

Gongsun the Usurper already occupied the Shu region and Hanzhong; if he could join forces with Wei Xiao and take the Guanzhong region, it would be like the Qin destroying the six states and Liu Bang taking the world in the past!

The flames of war rose again.

Although Gu Xiao had gradually faded into the background, Liu Xiu still had countless great generals under his command.

Liu Xiu made a judgment in an instant.

He dispatched Feng Yi and Ji Zun to meet Wei Xiao in battle.

And the result was as expected.

Feng Yi and Ji Zun defeated Wei Xiao in succession and advanced into Longyou, attempting to destroy Wei Xiao in a single battle.

But the Longyou region was not so easy to fight in.

With Longshan standing there, the Han Army could only attack by heading up the mountain, while Wei Xiao could take advantage of the momentum to descend.

The result was self-evident.

——The Han Army was soundly defeated.

But the losses were not severe; Wei Xiao’s army could only win against the Han Army by utilizing the terrain.

As long as he pursued, Feng Yi and Ji Zun would counterattack.

For a time, the two sides were actually deadlocked like this.

But under these circumstances.

The Han Army’s grain supply became increasingly difficult.

Luoyang.

When Gu Xiao hurried into the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere inside the hall was exceptionally heavy.

“Your Majesty, both Longyou and the Shu region are places that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

“If we attack by force.”

“The casualties of our army will likely be immeasurable. The world is exhausted now; to raise such an army at this time, I fear we may meet with disaster!”

Someone in the hall was saying this with earnest advice.

Liu Xiu sat on the dragon throne with an expressionless face.

When he saw Gu Xiao walk in, he stood up immediately, and his stern expression softened slightly in an instant.

“Zhanhong!”

“Come over quickly!”

Before Gu Xiao could salute, Liu Xiu rose and walked to Gu Xiao’s side, pulling him toward the map without a word.

“Zhanhong, take a look, how is the terrain here?”

Liu Xiu pointed at the Longyou region with an exceptionally sharp gaze.

Is he planning a surprise attack?

Although he had been gradually fading into the background these days.

But fading into the background did not mean retirement; he still knew the current situation of the world.

Gu Yi immediately understood Liu Xiu’s meaning and immediately controlled Gu Xiao to say: “It is a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

“However, it does have flaws.”

Gu Yi naturally would not choose to evade.

After all, Liu Xiu’s meaning could be said to have been pointed out directly.

It would not be good to evade any further.

And Gu Xiao himself also had the heart to fight again; he was a natural warrior, how could he stay cooped up at home forever?

Hearing this, Liu Xiu’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Good!”

“Worthy of being the number one general under my command!”

“Your thoughts coincide with mine!”

Liu Xiu looked at Gu Xiao with burning eyes and said solemnly: “Zhanhong, if you have any ideas, tell me everything.”

“Your Majesty.”

Gu Yi immediately cupped his hands toward Liu Xiu, then walked forward and pointed at the map: “Currently, Wei Xiao is leading all his elites to stay deadlocked with our Han Army.”

“The current situation is just like the Zhao Han of the past.”

“Their interior must be empty!”

Gu Yi pointed to a location on the map: "If we can secretly lead a large army through the lands of Fanxu and Huizhong, we can strike directly at Lueyang."

"And threaten Jixian."

"Under such circumstances, Wei Xiao will surely panic and turn back to reinforce Lueyang."

"As long as we can seize the opportunity, we can attack from both front and rear."

"The great undertaking can be achieved!"

Liu Xiu's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a smile appeared once again on his previously tense face.

"Good!"

"Zhanhong!"

He spoke again very directly, staring fixedly at Gu Xiao and asking: "Are you willing to lead the army there?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured!"

Gu Xiao spoke directly without the slightest hesitation, "The seeds have already been sown, what is there to fear?"

"This general will certainly be able to accomplish this task!!!"

Looking at Gu Xiao before him, the smile on Liu Xiu's face became increasingly radiant, and he even grabbed Gu Xiao's hand directly.

"Good!"

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(End of chapter)