Chapter 94: Liu Bei Proclaims Himself Emperor, Envoy of the Ten Directions

As the rivers, mountains, sun, and moon revolve, the figures of a thousand autumns all vanish with the wind; merits, faults, prosperity, and decline all eventually become mounds of earth.

The grand situation was thoroughly set.

With the death of Cao Ang, there was no longer the slightest suspense regarding the future of the world.

The land of Jiangdong was in constant internal strife;

Liu Zhang of Yizhou had even earlier sent men to meet Gu Chen, expressing his own stance.

Everything seemed to have reached its conclusion.

But for Gu Chen, there was still much he had to do.

Although the world was settled, it was a ruin waiting to be rebuilt.

Not to mention that Gu Chen still wished to complete the unfinished great cause of Gu Xi, the great blood feud against the noble clans of the world had yet to be avenged.

With Gu Chen’s character, how could he possibly stop here?

Gu Chen was destined to keep moving forward.

Until he thoroughly completed the goal he had long ago set in his heart.

Time passed in a hurry.

Gu Chen did not lay a hand on Liu Xie or Liu Bian, merely keeping them under control, while he himself led his army from the entire land of Jizhou to march toward Youzhou.

When nearing Julu, Ma Chao, Zhang Liao, and the others thought Gu Chen would return to Julu to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the Gu family.

But Gu Chen shook his head.

"Without restoring the ambition of my grandfather, how could I have the face to meet the ancestors of the Gu family?"

A simple sentence left everyone deeply moved.

Looking at the world today, who could compare to the merits of Gu Chen?

Liu Bei?

——Not enough.

Liu Bei was indeed extraordinary among the Liu clan members today, but to say he could compare to Gu Chen was clearly still falling far short.

In fact, by now.

Many under Gu Chen’s command had already begun to harbor their own little schemes.

Wishing to test Gu Chen’s attitude, they spread rumors wanting Gu Chen to proclaim himself Emperor.

This matter caused a huge reaction throughout the entire army.

After all, these men under Gu Chen truly held absolute faith in him.

But Gu Chen quickly suppressed this rumor.

Anyone could proclaim themselves Emperor.

Only he could not.

Should he ever proclaim himself Emperor, the good name left behind by generations of Gu ancestors would instantly vanish into smoke.

——Especially Gu Xi, the grandfather who had the greatest influence on him.

As long as Gu Chen chose to proclaim himself Emperor.

That would mean the "Three Supports of the Dragon Throne" that represented Gu Xi’s glory would immediately turn, becoming a reason for others to slander Gu Xi’s name.

Gu Chen could not care about others.

But Gu Xi’s prestige was the exception!

The fifteenth year of Jian'an, April;

Gu Chen swept through Jizhou with the force of thunder.

Aside from Julu, every noble clan in Jizhou suffered losses; their fortified manors were broken, and their private soldiers were disbanded.

The lands of all major noble clans were strictly liquidated.

Of course, they had resisted.

But facing someone like Gu Chen, whose prestige already shook the world, how could they possibly block him?

Among them, the most severe were naturally the noble clans that had been most deeply connected to the Yuan family.

The Xun family, the Yang family, and others who had once been famous throughout the world, arguably the most powerful batch of noble clans in the Great Han, finally met Gu Chen’s final liquidation.

Gu Yi had originally thought that with Gu Chen’s character, he would slaughter them all to the last.

But Gu Chen’s decision exceeded Gu Yi’s expectations.

He only slaughtered the people of the main branches, and the same went for the main lines of the other branches.

As for the others, he merely had them taken into custody.

Gu Chen seemed to be planning something.

His gaze had never merely lingered on sweeping through the world; even Gu Yi could not see what exactly Gu Chen wanted to do.

——News spread continuously, and the common people of every province wept upon hearing it.

The four seas were completely boiling.

In this era where heroes and tyrants rose together, Gu Chen finally reached the end, using his own name to completely suppress everyone else.

The fifteenth year of Jian'an, June;

Gu Chen formally set foot in Youzhou, once again baring the blade in his hand toward the noble clans of Youzhou.

At the same time, Liu Bei formally pacified Qingzhou.

He headed toward Jizhou.

In Yecheng, he met the current so-called "Son of Heaven of the Great Han," Liu Xie.

This scene even drew Gu Yi’s attention.

He truly wanted to see how a Liu Bei with such changes would treat this Son of Heaven of the Great Han.

Of course, all of this was naturally with Gu Chen’s tacit approval.

In fact, after Liu Bei said the words "The Liu and the Gu share the world" during the sacrifice at the Luo River, he had already gained Gu Chen’s recognition.

Now, all that was missing was the final push.

Liu Bei had indeed undergone a great transformation.

If it were in the original history, given Liu Bei’s character, he likely would not have expressed his ambition at such a time.

But now, it was completely different.

Liu Bei had originally wanted to help Gu Chen first, and wait until Gu Chen returned before making further plans.

But Zhuge Liang persuaded him otherwise.

Some things, he had to finish himself.

Liu Bei saw the hidden meaning in this, and subsequently followed the advice and took action, speaking to Liu Xie about the world and the state of the Great Han;

And subsequently——

Came the familiar drama of three refusals and three acceptances.

The fifteenth year of Jian'an, October;

Liu Bei formally received the scepter of the Great Han Emperor from the hands of Liu Xie, changed the era name to "Zhangwu," and ascended the throne as Emperor.

He became the only Emperor with real power after passing through three emperors since Emperor Ling of Han.

And just after he ascended the throne.

His first act was to head to Julu.

In the land of Julu, he offered sacrifices to the successive emperors of the Great Han, including the successive ancestors of the Gu family.

——And he also fulfilled his promise from the past.

Before the assembled officials and the myriad people, he abolished the temple names of the two emperors Huan and Ling, redefined the posthumous title for Gu Xi, and reburied Gu Xi.

Of course, Liu Bei would naturally not disturb Gu Xi’s rest.

Instead, it was like the ancestors of the Gu family.

The physical body was buried in Julu.

And a cenotaph was erected for him in the capital region.

Liu Bei attached great importance to this.

He truly had feelings for Gu Xi; after all, if not for a single word from Gu Xi in the past, Liu Bei would likely have struggled to reach today.

This funeral was destined to be extremely significant.

Liu Bei bestowed the imperial seal, jade shroud, and other items, reburying him with the rites of a Prince.

Finally, he even set Gu Xi’s posthumous title as "Wenxiang."

The meaning was: "To regulate the heavens and earth is called Wen; to have merit in armor is called Xiang."

In fact, for Gu Xi.

The most suitable posthumous title for him was naturally "Zhongwu."

But Gu Xiao had already received Zhongwu, and as Gu Xi was after Gu Xiao, he could not, by reason or logic, share the same posthumous title as his own ancestor.

However, such rites were completely beyond those of other ministers.

This could no longer even be called a subject.

And what followed that made everyone even more concerned was the enfeoffment of the officials; the others were fine, but the one the world truly cared about was Gu Chen.

Whether it was from military achievements or prestige.

This so-called Emperor, Liu Bei, was actually not as good as Gu Chen.

And the most critical point was——

Almost everyone knew that Gu Chen still held the Imperial Jade Seal in his hands.

Without the Imperial Jade Seal, no matter how much real power Liu Bei possessed, he could not ultimately be considered as having inherited the Mandate of Heaven.

Regarding this, Liu Bei seemed to have been prepared for a long time.

Before the assembled officials, Liu Bei bestowed upon Gu Chen an unprecedented official title.

——Envoy of the Ten Directions Conquest and Crossing!

His rank stood above all the dukes and ministers of the court, and his authority even surpassed that of the Chancellor.

Not only could he intervene in both civil and military affairs.

He could even mobilize all troops and horses without the Emperor's direct approval to conduct campaigns of conquest.

The assembled officials were to avoid his given name, and when seeing Gu Chen, they were to perform the proper salutations.

This kind of official title had completely exceeded the scope of a subject.

It could be said that, apart from being named a subject, Gu Chen was like another Emperor of the Great Han.

If Gu Chen truly harbored ulterior motives.

He could at any time contend for the world against Liu Bei, this so-called Emperor.

If this had happened in the past, such a matter would absolutely have incited the opposition of the officials; it would be the same regardless of the dynasty.

But for the current Great Han, it was completely different.

Whether it was military achievements or prestige;

Gu Chen had already completely reached the pinnacle of the world.

If he ever wanted to declare himself Emperor.

Looking at the world today, who could stop him?

With such a person obtaining this status, what reason could there be to stop it?

And the most critical point was that Gu Chen's prestige was truly too strong.

For the assembled officials, the pressure generated in their hearts when facing Gu Chen even surpassed that of Liu Bei, the Emperor.

Who would dare to speak up and dissuade him?

Liu Bei truly achieved everything he had promised in the past.

"The Liu cauldron, inscribed with the Gu name."

The news spread continuously.

For the common people of the world at present, this was absolutely an extremely heart-stirring event.

Liu Bei's reputation among the common people had always been quite good.

Moreover, it was now the Liu Son of Heaven, whom the people most expected, paired with the Gu family descendants.

The entire world seemed to have changed from this day on.

Although everything clearly had not yet changed.

But that kind of subtle change could still make people feel the difference in the Great Han.

The people in all four directions finally had hope for the future of the world once again.

Youzhou.

Gu Chen naturally received the news at the first possible moment.

Regarding this arrangement by Liu Bei, he seemed to have anticipated it long ago and was not the least bit surprised.

Gu Chen did not care much about his official title.

Having reached his current level, he actually had no need for these so-called official titles at all.

What truly touched him was Liu Bei's arrangement for Gu Xi.

In fact, having reached this point today.

There were not many things left that could truly affect Gu Chen's thoughts, but Gu Xi was the exception.

In the land of Youzhou.

Gu Chen performed a distant memorial service for Gu Xi.

Afterwards, he had his trusted aides send the Imperial Jade Seal back.

This undoubtedly also indicated Gu Chen's attitude.

However, he himself did not return directly, but instead continued to fight in the land of Youzhou.

Unlike Jizhou.

As a frontier region of the Great Han, the lives of the people in Youzhou had always been very difficult.

Especially in these years when the world was in chaos.

The harm to the people of Youzhou was far greater than in other provinces.

Because apart from the chaos, the people of Youzhou also had to face the looting of the barbarians.

The Wuhuan, Xianbei, and others took advantage of the internal chaos in the Nine Provinces to continuously loot the frontier people.

With Gu Chen's character, how could he tolerate them?

Compared to the people of the Nine Provinces who feared Gu Chen like a tiger, these barbarians, though they had heard of Gu Chen's name, did not pay much attention to it.

The internal chaos in the Nine Provinces over these years.

Had indeed given them a very good opportunity to develop.

And through long periods of looting, their current strength had also far surpassed what it was in the past.

This gave these barbarian tribes absolute self-confidence.

Compared to fighting against warlords who were well-versed in military strategy and formations, facing these barbarians was, for Gu Chen, truly far too simple.

Although these barbarians were learning the culture of the Nine Provinces.

They had only learned the superficialities.

Gu Chen only needed to slightly utilize the terrain to set up a strategy, and he broke the enemy troops one after another.

But even so, these people were still not convinced.

They clamored all day long to fight Gu Chen head-on, and even fearlessly mentioned Gu Xi, wanting to enrage Gu Chen into a direct confrontation.

They indeed succeeded.

However, Gu Chen did not lose his reason due to anger; he just wanted to take action and quickly beat them into submission.

Both sides began to fight around the land of Youzhou.

Although these barbarians spoke lightly, they still felt a lot of pressure when facing Gu Chen.

The legend of Gu Xi from years past still remained.

For all the surrounding barbarian tribes, they would inexplicably feel some pressure when facing the "Gu family."

And the result of the matter was also as expected.

With cavalry charges, the soldiers under Gu Chen's command feared no one.

Especially with Gu Chen personally leading the army, the morale of this group was unimaginable.

Gu Chen successively beheaded several tribal leaders before the battle lines.

He annihilated thousands of the enemy's elite.

One battle directly drove all the barbarians out of Youzhou.

Gu Chen did not lead his troops in pursuit, but he did see the signs of something deeper.

At the border of Youzhou.

Gu Chen reined in his horse and stared intently at the barren land before him, his brows furrowed.

"General, why is this?"

Behind him, Ma Chao could not help but ask: "If the General wishes to pursue, this subordinate is willing to go on the General's behalf."

"Forget it."

Gu Chen was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head: "It is not yet the time for this battle."

"What exactly is the General worried about?" Zhang Liao, who was to the side, also asked.

Compared to Ma Chao, his thoughts were clearly more meticulous.

"The Nine Provinces have been in chaos for many years, and the barbarians in all directions have taken this opportunity to greatly increase their strength. If my guess is correct, there will surely be a great war between our Nine Provinces and these barbarians in the future."

Gu Chen did not hide it and directly stated his conjecture.

Upon hearing this, everyone was immediately stunned, all of them finding it hard to believe.

"Just based on them?"

Ma Chao scoffed at this; the strength of these people was far too inferior compared to them.

He felt that he alone could lead men to wipe them out.

There was no need for Gu Chen to take action personally.

Zhang Liao felt the same.

This was also the innate disposition of the Great Han people.

Regarding the barbarians in all directions, everyone had a natural sense of pride in their hearts.

But out of trust in Gu Chen, he also requested to fight.

"If the General has this worry, this subordinate is willing to lead the troops under my command to kill into the barren lands and sweep away the barbarian forces."

Zhang Liao's tone was incomparably serious.

Gu Chen looked at him and also shook his head: "Forget it."

"It is not yet time."

"The most urgent task is within the Nine Provinces."

Gu Chen naturally would not be distracted.

This is currently the most critical moment for the entire world, and everything he wants to do can only be accomplished by him alone.

No matter what, Gu Chen must take advantage of the time he has in this world.

To see everything through to implementation.

Gu Yi also noticed all of this, and a sense of urgency inexplicably arose in his heart as well.

It was very clear that the coming great battle was evidently unavoidable.

It is impossible for Gu Chen to spare his hands now.

No matter how dazzling a person may be, a person's time is ultimately limited.

All of this can only be left to those who come after.

The first year of Zhangwu, the third month;

The war in Youzhou came to a complete end.

Gu Chen brought the detailed topographical maps of the entire Youzhou and led his army back to Jizhou.

And Liu Bei had not left Jizhou either, waiting for Gu Chen in Julu the entire time.

This was destined to be a meeting worthy of being recorded in the history books.

One side was clearly the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the world;

Yet the other side had surpassed the Emperor in terms of martial achievements;

Even Gu Yi had great expectations for this scene; after all, this kind of relationship had completely transcended history.

Looking throughout original history, there had never been a single precedent.

Gu Yi also did not know if, following current developments, such a scene would ever appear in the world again.

But even if it truly could appear, it would definitely not exceed the count of one hand.

Julu.

After many years, Gu Chen finally stepped into the land of Julu once again.

He vaguely remembered that when he left Julu in the past, he was still a child, and only had a blurred impression of Julu.

But this did not affect the status of Julu in Gu Chen's heart.

This was the "Holy Land" in the hearts of the Gu Shizi that could not be profaned.

Gu Chen did not have any airs.

The moment he saw Liu Bei, he intended to dismount and pay his respects.

Yet Liu Bei walked straight up to him, and before Gu Chen could make any move, he grabbed Gu Chen's hand in front of all the officials.

"Ziyan, you must not do this."

Liu Bei's tone was serious, with a faint smile hanging on his face: "Without Ziyan, without the Gu clan, how could there be this day of the Great Han's resurgence?"

"Ziyan, please remember."

"To Me, Ziyan is absolutely not a subject, and in the future, you must never pay respects to Me."

Not one person present objected; all lowered their heads and paid respects to Gu Chen.

Gu Chen still wanted to say something more.

But Liu Bei spoke before him, smiling as he said: "Ziyan's return today is the flourishing age of the Great Han."

"I have heard that in the past, Emperor Guangwu bestowed a painting of 'Loyal Martial';"

"Emperor Xiaoming bestowed a painting of 'Literary Achievement'; Emperor Xiaohua bestowed a painting of 'Literary Inlay';"

"Today, I have already had a painter create a work."

"I must bestow this painting upon Ziyan to manifest the affection between My Liu clan's Son of Heaven and the Gu clan."

His tone was sonorous.

Hearing these words, even Gu Chen was stunned for a moment.

He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded slightly: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Bei smiled.

Afterward, he directly grabbed Gu Chen's hand and walked toward the city together with him in the same rank.

As the two walked past.

The officials followed slowly behind the two in order.

The sound of horns drifted on the wind, and under the gaze of the ten thousand people, Liu Bei and Gu Chen slowly stepped into the city.

And subsequently, Liu Bei even went on to sacrifice to the Gu clan ancestors with Gu Chen, showing everyone in the world his attitude toward Gu Chen.

——The two were merely named as sovereign and subject!

Gu Chen was not a person who could completely stop.

Right after the sacrifice.

At the banquet, Gu Chen began discussing the next steps with Liu Bei.

In the world today, Liu Zhang had already surrendered.

But the land of Jiangdong had still not been pacified.

However, these naturally would no longer enter Gu Chen's eyes; what he truly cared about was the formulation of the upcoming system.

Actually, regarding this, Liu Bei had long since expressed his attitude.

It was not just through his imitation of Gu Chen's actions in every province.

Letting Gu Chen have oversight of both civil and military affairs was also the same; he wanted Gu Chen to have absolute freedom to accomplish this task.

Through this great chaos in the world, Liu Bei had long realized the fate of the great noble families after they became too bloated.

Liu Bei had also long since made up his mind.

Everyone spoke their views one after another.

After so many years of development, on the foundation laid by Gu Xi back then, these capable people now had even more ideas.

——Something that Gu Yi cared about more.

Gu Ze and Zhuge Liang proposed the matter of "block printing" at the banquet.

Although Gu Chen had not returned to Julu for many years, he was still very clear about some of the family's foundations.

Upon seeing the books that Gu Ze had people bring out, which were printed using block printing, he immediately understood the thoughts in Gu Ze's heart.

Gu Wei was also stunned.

Others were fine, but for the Gu Shizi of their generation.

They all still remembered everything from the past.

First was a sentence Gu Wei said when he was young, then later Gu Xi mentioned it several times, and finally, he even said that it might come true in the future.

Now seeing these books, how could they not understand the implications?

——Selecting talent from among the people of the world!

Gu Chen, Gu Wei, and the others did not hesitate at all, and hurriedly took the books to read them carefully.

Looking at the clear characters on them.

Never mind Gu Wei, even Gu Chen, who had always had a heart as firm as iron, could not help but become excited.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind continuously.

Although he also understood that this matter would definitely not be easy to accomplish.

It was not just about looking at the speed of printing;

It would also require waiting until the world had completely recovered, at the very least until the common people could afford to eat, before perhaps achieving the desired effect.

But for Gu Chen, as long as he could see this hope, that was enough!

As long as there was this hope, he could keep going.

Countless thoughts flashed by, and Gu Chen discussed with everyone present for a long time, just as Emperor Xiaoming Liu Zhuang and Marquis of Literary Achievement Gu Kang had done in the past.

From the Great Han's system;

To the capital city;

And then to various upcoming plans.

Everyone spoke freely, planning out the Great Han's path forward in every aspect.

A newborn dynasty rose slowly within this night.

Although it still bore the name of Han, it was fundamentally different.

Gu Yi had been silently watching all of this, listening to everything everyone said, and his heart was also incomparably complex.

The appearance of the Gu clan had ultimately accelerated the original progress of history.

From the fundamental system;

To productivity;

And even to the level of technology, every aspect had greatly raised the original development.

Now all of this had not been completely implemented, but if all of this were truly implemented, it would definitely cause an indelible impact on the entire history.

This long talk did not end until dawn.

But even so, everyone felt that it was not enough.

However, when it came to the major affairs of a country, how could it be completely decided in a short time?

——This matter was destined to be planned slowly.

Everyone left one by one, leaving only Gu Chen and Liu Bei behind.

Liu Bei looked at the backs of the people leaving, his expression extremely complex, his eyes slightly reddened, and he said in a low voice: "Ziyan, until today..."

He paused, as if to steady his emotions, "Only now do I truly feel that the Great Han shows signs of renewed vitality."

Gu Chen nodded silently, feeling the same in his heart.

In the past, he had often heard Gu Xi recount the state of affairs during the reign of Emperor He, and now he finally had some personal understanding of it.

"Ziyan." Liu Bei turned his gaze toward Gu Chen, his expression growing more solemn as he asked, "Tell me, do you think you and I still have a chance to restore this world to its former prosperity?"

"It will surely be so!"

Gu Chen did not hesitate; he first bowed to Liu Bei, then looked outside the hall, his voice clear and firm, "Your Majesty is wise, and all the lords are virtuous ministers. Under the governance of a wise monarch and virtuous ministers, how could the world not flourish?"

Having said this, Gu Chen also turned his head to look at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei stared intently at Gu Chen, his gaze never wavering, and nodded solemnly.

——————

"The fifteenth year of Jian'an, October.

In Julu, Jizhou, Liu Bei accepted the throne after three refusals and three concessions from Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, and ascended as Emperor.

The state name remained Han, the capital was established in Luoyang, and the era name was changed to 'Zhangwu'.

Because the meritorious deeds of Gu Chen, Gu Ziyan, were undeniable amidst the chaotic times, and the Han belonged to the Fire Virtue, history refers to it as the 'Flame Han'."

——《People's Education Press History Textbook (Grade 7, Volume 1)》

(End of chapter)