Chapter 97: I Dodge His Edge First? (Begging for Monthly Tickets)
The news spread without cease.
To the common folk of the realm, Gu Chen's defeating the barbarians once more was nothing out of the ordinary.
—Gu Chen would not lose!
This had already become the consensus of the entire realm.
What they truly cared about was still Gu Chen's physical condition; this had practically become something everyone under heaven was concerned about.
When Gu Chen returned to Chengdu.
The people of Chengdu knelt in droves at the city gate, and the three elders of the highest prestige announced the will of the people.
They implored Gu Chen to return to Luoyang.
To no longer rush about all over the realm, slaughtering upon the battlefield.
The hearts of the people are like water.
Now that the Great Han was in its day of vigorous growth, the common folk of the realm were all living well; not a single person did not hope Gu Chen could live a few more years.
But precisely because of this, Gu Chen could not afford to stop.
All men must die.
Sooner or later, he was destined to depart.
Rather than cling to life, it was better to help the Great Han thoroughly resolve every potential crisis he could discover before his end.
This was Gu Chen's most resolute conviction at present.
Zhangwu twelfth year, September;
Gu Chen once more left Yizhou, hurrying to Hanzhong.
Apart from the routine inspection of local administration, Gu Chen also gradually began the search for talent.
Although he had always been away.
The internal governance of the Great Han had never truly ceased to advance.
The establishment of the "Beginner's Study," including the "Library Pavilion," was still ongoing.
Although no concrete results had yet manifested.
This was inherently a very long-term plan; only when the national strength of the Great Han had fully recovered could the changes within be truly felt.
Gu Chen was now also using his own prestige to promote this matter.
Imperceptibly, planting the seeds of this notion into the hearts of the common folk across the land.
Of course, Gu Chen naturally would not neglect the cultivation of the clan's younger generation.
The seventh generation of the Gu clan had long since blossomed and borne fruit.
Previously he had instructed those in the clan who focused on martial skill, but now he instructed those younger members who were adept at internal governance.
November;
Gu Chen discovered in Hanzhong that a great clan was hiding private soldiers in the deep mountains of Hanzhong and Yizhou — he struck and wiped them out at once.
Then he stripped the great clans of Hanzhong of their power.
Without the slightest regard for sentiment, he had all the implicated families dealt with in full.
And, as the opportunity arose, he punished nearly ten corrupt officials in the Hanzhong region.
If, at the very beginning of the Great Han's revival, what Gu Chen had done was a sweeping purge.
Then this time, it was an even more meticulous investigation.
Gu Chen remained in the Hanzhong region for several months.
Until the second month of Zhangwu thirteenth year;
—only then did he once more leave Hanzhong, hurrying to the Jiangdong region.
Unlike the other commanderies and provinces of the Great Han.
The situation of the noble clans in the Jiangdong region remained extremely complicated even now.
This was also the main reason Gu Chen had originally chosen to have Guan Yu garrison Jiangdong.
Even after going through one round of Gu Chen's purge, the connections among the Jiangdong noble clans remained exceedingly deep.
Environment and various factors had shaped this state of affairs.
Although their strength was not great now, this kind of community of shared interest was always a risk in itself.
Previously it was because the Great Han had just risen, and the situation had not been fully settled, that Gu Chen had not resolved all this with sweeping measures.
Now that the moment had come, he naturally would hold back no longer.
Small Small Yugu Chen's arrival, the Jiangdong noble clans were naturally all terrified to their very marrow.
Their fear of Gu Chen had already seeped completely into their bones.
Gu Chen made no unusual moves.
He merely had people, as usual, secretly investigate through the common folk the administration of every part of Jiangdong, including whether any great clan had violated the rules he had laid down in years past.
Although the Jiangdong noble clans had long since made ample preparations for this.
Yet beneath the overwhelming tide of Gu Chen's absolute prestige, some cases were still uncovered.
Zhangwu thirteenth year.
Gu Chen successively dismissed nearly twenty officials in the Jiangdong region and beheaded seven;
And dealt with three great clans that had defied Gu Chen's orders and attempted to reclaim their former lands.
Exiling them to the Jiangdong marshes, Minyue highlands, and other such places to open up the wilderness.
When the news spread, Jiangdong was shaken.
The fear of Gu Chen among every great clan had reached its absolute peak.
Thereafter, Gu Chen went on to issue successive orders, transferring some great clans away from their original seats, and carrying out a more detailed division of power to sow discord.
To disintegrate the common interests of the Jiangdong noble clans from within, bit by bit;
Jiangdong fell into utter chaos!
Gu Chen's forceful methods exceeded everyone's expectations.
But even if they saw through Gu Chen's intentions, what could they do?
Looking across the realm today, who would dare stand in Gu Chen's way?
No matter how unwilling they were in their hearts, these Jiangdong noble clans could only pinch their noses and accept it.
But Gu Chen's methods were far from limited to these.
Although he had long since formed a judgment on the situation in the Jiangdong region, when he personally descended upon this land once again, he also detected the hidden undercurrents lurking in the shadows of Jiangdong.
—The Shanyue are far too strong!
As one of the branches of the Hundred Yue from the pre-Qin period.
Since the days when Emperor Wu of Han conquered Nanyue and Minyue, some of the Yue people retreated into the mountains and rivers of the south, gradually forming today's "Shanyue."
After all these years of development,
the Shanyue's strength had naturally improved somewhat.
But according to Gu Chen's judgment, no matter how much they improved, it was simply impossible for them to have risen to their current level.
Although Gu Chen was a fierce general who charged and killed on the battlefield, his mind was also extremely delicate.
Through these small anomalies, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He immediately dispatched people to investigate.
Had he not investigated, he would never have known; once he did, even Gu Chen was somewhat enraged.
It turned out that before he had originally entered Jiangdong, the old Jingzhou noble clans and many Jiangdong noble clans had offered benefits to the Shanyue chieftains, reaching cooperation with them, and sent the clan's sons and younger members along with private soldiers to the Shanyue.
All to escape Gu Chen's purge.
—To be carried out after Gu Chen's death, restoring the clan by another method.
This was indeed a good idea; at the very least, it truly did evade Gu Chen's great purge at the time.
But they had never considered the consequences this move would bring.
People change with their environment!
Even if those noble sons steeped in Han education would not easily become Yue-ified, the private soldiers within their clans were destined to change with their environment.
Including the knowledge and techniques they brought with them.
It would only make the Shanyue's overall strength grow ever stronger!
Gu Chen was furious!
Even Gu Yi had forgotten how many years it had been since Gu Chen had been this angry.
These people's actions had clearly touched Gu Chen's reverse scale.
Fortunately, he had discovered it this time.
If not, given the Shanyue's development at this rate, after he passed away in the future, these people would absolutely become one of the Great Han's mortal threats!
Gu Chen did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately dispatching people to conduct a strict investigation.
At the same time, he personally led his army, heading straight for the remote regions of Danyang, Kuaiji, and other commanderies.
This battle was destined to be unavoidable.
Gu Chen's methods against other barbarians had long since spread; let alone the fact that among today's Shanyue there were still noble sons who bore a deadly grudge against Gu Chen.
But they also knew Gu Chen's methods.
They would naturally not engage Gu Chen in direct combat.
Instead, through their familiarity with the terrain and various environmental factors, they would wear Gu Chen down bit by bit.
They meant to wear Gu Chen to death!
This was indeed an extremely effective method.
No matter how overwhelming Gu Chen's abilities, it was utterly impossible for him to solve the problem of terrain.
The Shanyue adopted the tactic of "when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy advances, we retreat," relying on the terrain and the unique miasma of the Jiangdong mountain forests to block Gu Chen.
—But in the end, they underestimated Gu Chen.
Gu Chen was never, from beginning to end, merely a fierce general who knew only how to charge and kill.
After merely observing some of the terrain, he immediately formulated a concrete strategy.
First, set up defenses in Sizhou.
Surround the entire Shanyue within the mountains, cutting off their contact with the outside world.
Although the Shanyue possessed an agricultural culture, it was still impossible for them to guarantee absolute self-sufficiency in grain.
This was the inherent drawback of living in the mountains and forests!
At the same time, Gu Chen also did not give up his offensive against their hearts and minds.
The Shanyue wished to use the terrain to limit the Han army's large-scale siege.
But Gu Chen had no need for a siege!
He only needed to infinitely compress the Shanyue's living space, and that alone would be enough to fundamentally disintegrate the Shanyue from within!
A peaceful and prosperous age has always been a person's greatest fantasy.
The current trend of reform across the realm not only made those noble private soldiers yearn for it, but even within the Shanyue there were those who yearned for the Great Han.
In the end, they underestimated Gu Chen.
The fact that he could walk to where he is today from such a chaotic era is enough to demonstrate the terrifying nature of Gu Chen.
This war did not last long.
Under the immense pressure brought by Gu Chen, the chaos within the Shanyue came far earlier than imagined.
Before two months had even passed, great chaos erupted within the Shanyue.
But even so, Gu Chen did not rush to attack, merely steadily compressing the Shanyue's living space.
Even at this point, he still maintained that personality of taking everything to the extreme, just as from the very beginning.
———Flawless!
Every person who faced Gu Chen in direct combat, no matter how great their talent or strength, would feel this extreme despair.
Gu Chen was a machine with no weaknesses.
Under circumstances where one held absolutely no advantage in a frontal engagement, defeating Gu Chen would be nothing but a fool's dream.
Tianmu Mountain Range.
Seeing his situation grow ever more dire, Shanyue Chieftain Zu Kang's face was full of killing intent, and he could no longer hold back as he roared: "We absolutely cannot continue like this!"
"I will personally lead troops to attack Gu Chen!"
He was thoroughly enraged.
This living space being constantly compressed had already seriously threatened his position.
He absolutely could not tolerate this continuing any longer.
Hearing this, Cai Yao's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly spoke up: "Chieftain, you absolutely must not do this!"
He was currently the most outstanding scion of the Cai clan of Jing Province.
Precisely because of this, he had been sent by Cai Mao into this Tianmu Mountain Range.
With an extremely serious expression, he recounted various legends about Gu Chen, wanting to completely suppress Zu Kang's current intention.
But things had already come to this point—how could Zu Kang possibly endure any longer?
All men are selfish!
For him.
Even if he truly could guard against Gu Chen, if by then his identity as Chieftain were gone, it would be better to stake everything on one throw!
Moreover, who could be certain he would definitely lose?
Anyone who could reach their current position was a proud and arrogant person.
Furthermore, the Shanyue Chieftain also concurrently served as the Grand Shaman among the Shanyue.
Faith would grant him the greatest confidence.
"I am the Chieftain of my clan; the Mountain God and ancestors shall protect me!" Zu Kang bellowed, staring coldly at Cai Yao, killing intent rising in his eyes: "You people have brought disaster upon our Shanyue."
"If you do not fight in this battle, I shall use your blood to perform a blood sacrifice!"
In an instant, Cai Yao's expression changed.
Though he had a thousand words in his heart, he could not utter a single one, and could only silently nod.
Only then did a faint smile appear on Zu Kang's face.
Afterwards, he immediately held a blood sacrifice deep in the Shenshan.
The power of superstitious prophecy was perfectly demonstrated at this moment.
Although the situation was difficult.
But due to absolute faith in their beliefs, this blood sacrifice still gradually calmed the hearts of the Shanyue people.
This was precisely the effect Zu Kang wanted.
Afterwards, leveraging his absolute knowledge of the terrain, he seized the moment when Gu Chen's main army was stalled at a narrow pass to launch a surprise attack against Gu Chen.
The Shanyue people's physical constitution was extremely strong.
In the original history.
The Danyang Army, hailed as the most elite force under Sun Quan, was almost entirely composed of Shanyue people.
Only now things were different from the original history.
In the original history, Sun Quan spent an enormous price dealing with the Shanyue—massive consumption of manpower and time—and in the end only barely achieved a half-rule, half-cooperation balance with the Shanyue people.
Yet what Gu Chen now intended to do was entirely different.
He wanted to completely control the Shanyue, thoroughly restricting their development space.
Moreover, Gu Chen also had requirements regarding time.
He did not know how much longer he could live, so he had never thought of spending too much time resolving this matter!
Within this, there already existed a fundamental difference!
Zu Kang moved with extreme speed.
The Shanyue had lived in the Tianmu Mountain Range for generations, and already knew the terrain of the entire mountain range like the back of their hand.
He personally led his elite troops.
Scaling the mountains, intending to directly carry out a decapitation strike against Gu Chen.
That night.
Starlight was dim, the night deep.
"Report!!!"
An anxious shout shattered the silence of the Han army's great camp.
"Reporting to Gu Gong, the enemy has come to attack!"
Hearing this report, the expressions of all the generals and soldiers present could not help but change.
A surprise attack?
Although it was somewhat hard to believe that anyone under heaven would dare to show off before Gu Chen, the generals still immediately spoke up one after another, asking Gu Chen to temporarily withdraw.
"Gu Gong, our main army has not yet fully arrived. This general is willing to cover the rear—I beg Gu Gong to immediately withdraw to the central army."
"This general is also willing to cover the rear!!!"
"Please, Gu Gong, temporarily withdraw from the enemy's sharp edge; we are willing to handle the aftermath for you!"
"."
None of the officers' faces showed fear; instead, they were filled only with concern for Gu Chen.
The Han army was now deep within the narrow pass.
Due to the terrain, the main force could not possibly arrive in full; now that the enemy had shifted from defense to offense, how could they not worry about Gu Chen's safety?
But Gu Chen's expression remained as calm as ever.
He looked at the officers, and only when their words had all fallen silent did he speak softly: "Withdraw from his sharp edge?"
His tone was extremely light.
Yet the pressure he exerted was in no way diminished.
In an instant, all the officers were stunned.
Gu Chen smiled faintly, then rose calmly, his gaze once again flashing with fierce battle intent; without a word of waste, he growled:
"Bring me my spear!!!"
How could he not have anticipated that the Shan Yue would make a final desperate counterattack?
The Shan Yue's nature, and the surrounding terrain.
Gu Chen had already thoroughly investigated them.
He personally led the vanguard to this narrow pass precisely to feign weakness and lure Zu Kang.
In truth, Gu Chen had already stationed his most skilled climbers and stealth specialists to guard every valley entrance.
Once Zu Kang took the bait and attacked, he would surely come in—and never return.
No one would willingly accept being slowly devoured.
Zu Kang would certainly choose one final desperate gamble before the outcome was sealed.
——This was Gu Chen's judgment of human nature!
The officers and soldiers were completely bewildered; they had known nothing of this.
In their eyes, the main force was still far behind.
They knew nothing of Gu Chen's arrangements; instinctively, they worried for him.
After all, Gu Chen's age was right there.
But seeing Gu Chen's expression, the officers dared not speak further.
On the contrary, under Gu Chen's example, their own martial spirit was fully ignited.
As the attendants brought Gu Chen his armor and silver spear,
The officers showed no fear whatsoever; they knelt before Gu Chen and roared in unison: "We vow to fight to the death with Gu Gong, until our last breath!!!"
"We vow to fight to the death with Gu Gong, until our last breath!!!"
"We vow to fight to the death with Gu Gong, until our last breath!!!"
"."
The cries echoed through heaven and earth.
Gu Chen gripped the spear he knew better than any other, his eyes filled with nostalgia, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Die?"
He shook his head slightly, rose slowly, and stepped outside the tent; listening to the cries of battle beyond, he looked up at the sky: "Who but Heaven can take Gu Chen?"
——This was the confidence of the Gu clan's sons!
Gu Chen was cautious.
But his invincible heart had never vanished.
That was the ambition to tower above all heroes of the world!!!
The great battle erupted instantly!
Though the Han army now appeared outnumbered, they were all elite warriors skilled in combat.
Even under surprise attack,
Their morale had never wavered.
Gu Chen's name had given too many people an unparalleled sense of confidence.
Especially after seeing Gu Chen don his armor himself.
The effect was even greater.
With Gu Gong here, how could we possibly lose?
To fight alongside Gu Gong on the battlefield—even if we die, what does it matter?
Gu Gong will care for their families.
Even in death, they will bring their families supreme glory!
The impact of such unwavering conviction was beyond others' imagination!
ZHENG!!!
ZHENG!!!
ZHENG!!!
The clashing of weapons rose on all sides.
The deafening cries of battle stirred countless forest birds in the silent night.
Zu Kang was utterly stunned.
He simply could not imagine that, under such a surprise attack, the Han army would still unleash such combat power.
The Han army's will seemed even more resolute than that of his own men, who had just undergone blood sacrifice.
How could he possibly understand?
Blood sacrifices to the ancestors and mountain gods could indeed intensify their faith.
But the faith of the Han army now existed right here in the mortal world!
And it was right here on this very battlefield, leading them in the charge!
Flames flared up on all sides.
This was not the great fire set by the Shanyue army, but one lit by men sent by Gu Chen.
Beneath the silent night.
This was the most conspicuous signal for the Han troops lying in wait on all four sides.
Gu Chen clearly intended to use this one battle to thoroughly resolve the Shanyue campaign.
He charged at the very front.
No enemy he faced could slow his steps — within a few exchanges they would be run through by his spear.
—Fresh blood flew in all directions!
Under the glow of the flames, each drop of fresh blood shone like a meteor, radiating a crimson light.
It even stained Gu Chen's snow-white hair red.
But the more it was so, the more it intensified the fear others held toward him.
Is this even human?
Weren't they all saying Gu Chen had grown old and didn't have long to live?
Could a man in the prime of his life really possess this kind of fighting power?
How could they possibly comprehend Gu Chen's terror?
The passage of years had indeed affected Gu Chen's fighting power.
But it had only transformed him from an unrivaled champion of one dazzling era into the supreme invincible of another!
The Shanyue people's physiques were indeed strong.
But even if their physiques were strong, how could they surpass those great generals who had left their names in history?
Compared to the opponents Gu Chen had faced in his prime, these men were still far, far too inferior.
Zu Kang was utterly enraged.
He rushed forward like a madman, trying to block Gu Chen.
But how could he possibly be a match for Gu Chen?
As Gu Chen successively cut down several Shanyue commanders, he then swept Zu Kang to the ground with a single thrust of his spear.
The outcome was already utterly decided!
Cai Yao and the other remnants of the old Jingzhou clans had never held much hope for this battle to begin with, and immediately wanted to retreat.
But it was already far too late.
Though Gu Chen's original arrangements could not seal off every vital point.
The moment the flames had been lit, they had already shifted their positions.
These men were all the finest troops the Great Han currently possessed.
With the situation so clear, how could they possibly misjudge it?
The Shanyue army's retreat was completely cut off.
And they still had to face attacks from all directions.
A great reckoning had utterly begun.
Gu Chen showed these remnants of the old Jingzhou clans no mercy whatsoever — they had to face the consequences of thoroughly angering Gu Chen.
And as for Zu Kang, this Shanyue chieftain.
Gu Chen naturally would not spare him either.
He meant to seize this chance to thoroughly sweep away the Shanyue threat.
And as these factions with the strongest will to resist fell.
The entire Shanyue had already utterly abandoned any thought of resistance.
Gu Chen easily led his troops into the heartland of the Tianmu Mountains, and then began implementing the system he had long since planned.
He divided the Shanyue into three groups according to their different customs;
—Those skilled at farming;
Were all relocated to Danyang, where a separate commandery was established.
Splitting them apart at the root, to thoroughly cut off their path of development.
As for those skilled at hunting;
They were allowed to remain within the Tianmu Mountains.
Gu Chen appointed dedicated officials, left them a channel to exchange game for daily necessities, and recorded every single person in detail in the registers.
This was absolutely a killing move.
With insufficient productive capacity, the Shanyue would only grow ever weaker.
And those skilled at farming would gradually be assimilated by the culture of the Great Han.
As long as the Great Han could maintain stability, it wouldn't even take much time.
News spread continuously.
When people heard that Gu Chen had utterly swept the Shanyue flat in less than half a year, and had even dealt with the remnants of the old Jingzhou clans.
—Jiangdong was shaken!
Just how powerful the Shanyue were — every great clan in Jiangdong knew this only too well.
Who could have expected Gu Chen to sweep them away in such a short time?
And the fate of those remaining remnants of the old Jingzhou clans!
This was a piece of news that would strike fear into every powerful clan and great family under heaven upon hearing it.
Actually, Gu Yi was guessing.
The reason Gu Chen struck so ruthlessly this time seemed to be that he wanted to use this opportunity to finally intimidate those clans under heaven that still harbored disloyal intentions.
It was to make all of them understand that the times had completely changed.
He would not permit the Great Han to walk the old path again!.
PS: It's the end of the month, on my knees begging for a monthly ticket.
(End of this chapter)
End of Chapter
