Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 127 Blood and Tears of the Nine Provinces, Moving Mountains
How could Gu Yu not understand Xue San's thoughts?

For him.

From the moment Gu Zhe died, revenge became the sole purpose of his life.

This wasn't just Xue San alone.

Almost all the Julu disciples who were selected as Gu family guards had this idea.

If word got out that the Gu family's young master had died while he was still alive, it would be a disgrace to our ancestors.

This is a product of the purest loyalty and faith.

He must avenge Gu Zhe.

If I can't do it, then I'll die. That's all.

This is the core strength of the Gu family, and it is crucial in the event that the Gu family faces the threat of extinction one day.

Not to mention all the people of Julu.

Most of the common people would absolutely be willing to raise their weapons for the Gu family.

This is the fortress that Gu Yi wanted to build back then!

Gu Yu did not choose to take action immediately, as this was not a good time.

Chaos—

Only when the people are driven to desperation can a rising dynasty be shaken.

That's right, it's rising slowly.

This was Gu Yu's assessment of the Sui Dynasty after traveling the world and before Yang Guang ascended the throne.

Although this so-called rising tide cannot dispel all the gloom, the people as a whole have not yet fallen into dire straits.

Gu Yu read through all the books in the clan.

He has a clear understanding of the dynastic theory that Gu Yi left behind when he manipulated Gu Ye.

At that time, the Sui Dynasty was rising rapidly.

Even if the succeeding emperor were a powerless ruler like Emperor Hui of Han, it wouldn't be enough to bring chaos to the world; it could even put a ruler like Hu Hai, who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, on the throne.

As long as the policies of the imperial court remain stable, chaos is unlikely to occur.

Because Gu Yu could sense it.

The hearts of the people are set on unity.

Although this generation has never experienced the glorious era of the Han Dynasty, they all yearn for it.

This is the greatest reliance of the Sui Dynasty to this day.

Although the people seem to be complaining and lamenting, their anger has not yet been fully ignited.

Releasing the news at this time will only harm the Gu family.

The people's anger is not yet enough to destroy the foundation of the Sui Dynasty!
He has to wait!
From that day on, Gu Yu settled down in Julu.

He gradually took over the heavy responsibility from Gu Can and began to deal with the affairs of Julu.

The entire Gu family seemed to have found a leader.

Gu Can was able to win over the crowd.

But he was getting old after all, and since Gu Yu was born, he had been burdened with far too many expectations.

Now that he's back, the whole family seems to have been infused with fresh blood.

The Gu family definitely needs a leader.

And Gu Yu is the best candidate!
However, Gu Yu was also making a series of preparations, and the world was just one opportunity away from chaos.

The Gu family is currently in an extremely difficult situation.

To continue his success, he must make thorough preparations for the family's future.

Time flies by.

Yang Guang's restless pace did not stop there.

He has already purged the entire court, and there are no more voices opposing him; everything is now under his control.

He bestowed gifts upon the Turkic Khan on several occasions.

History always marches forward, and this has always been the case with barbarian tribes.

Just when the Central Plains were in chaos.

The Turks, a small tribe that had previously gone unnoticed, rose to become a dominant power.

Seemingly in order to demonstrate his power, Yang Guang bestowed astonishing rewards upon the Turkic Khan.

The amount of silk bestowed as rewards on several occasions reached tens of millions of bolts.

This is not all.

Gu Yi had actually been paying attention to Yang Guang for some time and was surprised to find that Yang Guang was only being honest when he was doing things that were inappropriate for children.

Besides that, he would have other ideas.

Perhaps in his eyes.

The current Sui Dynasty is indeed incredibly prosperous.

He cannot see the blood and tears of the people, nor can he hear their cries.

Even small-scale uprisings could not threaten the foundation of the dynasty; the entire court revolved around him.

He can control everything; what else could this be but a golden age?
The magnificent palace blocked everything out, and as one by one, the officials who cared for the world and still had some conscience died, Yang Guang could no longer hear about what was happening outside the palace.

The seventh year of the Daye era.

As the Four Directions Project gradually came to an end, Yang Guang seemed to have finally satisfied his ambitions in "domestic affairs".

This time, he turned his attention to the outside world.

He decided to conquer Goguryeo.

Goguryeo's power is not weak at present; it can even be called a regional hegemon.

Gu Chen had wiped out the Wuhuan and Xianbei, but he was helpless against the fleeing Goguryeo.

The same applies to Gu Ye's generation.

Although some people in Goguryeo surrendered and even killed their king.

But for the people of this tribe...

They will never lack a king.

With internal strife in the Central Plains and the gradual loss of control over the surrounding barbarians, Goguryeo has long since returned to fight back.

Not only did they reclaim Liucheng, but they also became the overlord of this era.

Luoyang.

Yang Guang, with a smug look on his face, surveyed the crowd and said with great interest, "My dear ministers!"

"The campaign against Goguryeo is the most important step in my grand undertaking."

"Thinking back to those days, when I was young, I heard that Marquis Zhaolie alone could subdue the four fields. At that time, I vowed that I would be like Marquis Zhaolie in this life and make my Great Sui Dynasty shine in the world!"

"If we can conquer Goguryeo, I will have fulfilled the grand ambition I made when I ascended the throne."

"In both civil administration and military achievements, he will become an emperor unlike any other in the annals of history!"

He had an arrogant expression, and a smile was always on his face.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

No one dared to refuse, even though they knew that a campaign against Goguryeo would be extremely damaging to the Sui Dynasty at present.

This is the survival strategy that the court officials have figured out.

To offer advice to Yang Guang was tantamount to choosing death!

However, some people still brought up other things.

"Your Majesty, the people of the world are all praising Your Majesty's benevolence. Your Majesty's prestige is unparalleled throughout history."

"There's no need to worry about the Gu family anymore. Why not take this opportunity to wipe them out before we send troops?"

It is Yuwen Huaji.

He has now become one of Yang Guang's most trusted ministers.

Although the Gu family had no grudges against him, and it could even be said that the Gu family had been kind to their ancestors.

However, Yuwen Huaji still greatly feared the Gu family.

This was exacerbated, especially after Gu Zhe's blood was spilled on the palace walls years ago.

This matter has even become a source of anxiety for him.

Upon hearing this, some of the officials immediately echoed his sentiments, showing a surprising unity in their attitude towards the Gu family.

Perhaps that's just how people are.

Gu Zhe's act of splattering blood in the uterine cavity this time made them all feel insulted.

Yang Guang's smile remained unchanged. This time, he did not refuse; instead, he nodded and agreed immediately.

However, the date was still set for the day of their great victory.

The Gu family still has influence.

Only a resounding victory could completely overshadow everything else.

That's right, he won't let the Gu family off the hook.

For him.

There can only be one sun in the sky, and only one family on earth that is respected by everyone.

The matter is now completely settled.

Yang Guang began his recruitment drive across the entire country.

The eighth year of the Daye era.

Yang Guang personally led an army of over one million men, divided into twenty-four routes, to attack Goguryeo.

The main force moved from Zhuojun.

Advance by both water and land.

The army marched straight for Liaodong City, while the navy rushed towards Wangjian City.

The army stretched as far as the eye could see.

May.

The army besieged Liaodong City, but the advance was hampered by Goguryeo's feigned surrender.

Most importantly, Yang Guang demanded that his soldiers not act on their own, keeping all power in his own hands.

This, in turn, led to a further deterioration in the morale of the Sui army.

That's always been the case with expeditions.

Regardless of Gu Ye, even Gu Chen back then didn't dare to lead too many troops on a long expedition.

This was not because Gu Chen lacked ability, but because the manpower and resources consumed by the expedition were unimaginable.

The battle was effectively over the moment the Sui army stopped.

The entire Central Plains was littered with corpses of the starving.

Millions of laborers were transporting grain, and countless people perished along the way. Yet, Emperor Yang Guang remained oblivious.

His arrogance led him to firmly believe that he could win the battle.

Under these circumstances, he actually tacitly allowed Yuwen Shu to underestimate the enemy and recklessly advance to Sashui.

The entire army of 300,000 was wiped out.

The blood stained the Sa River, marking the complete defeat of Yang Guang.

August.

The naval commander suffered another defeat at Wang Jiancheng, and the situation was completely reversed.

Yang Guang was forced to retreat.

An expedition that affected the entire Kyushu region was a complete failure.

Nearly half a million people remained in the barbarian lands, and countless laborers died along the way.

A calamity for all living beings, a land of blood and tears.

This had an unimaginable impact on the entire Sui Dynasty.

But how could Yang Guang give up so easily?
He even put aside the Gu family's affairs and immediately wanted to continue recruiting soldiers to conquer Goguryeo.

No one dared to stop them!

Faced with Yang Guang's furious outburst, which he considered a disgrace, no one in the entire court dared to stop him!
Yang Guang conscripted soldiers again to restart the Liaodong battlefield.

In the ninth year of the Daye era.

They launched another attack on Liaodong City.

This time, he personally supervised the battle and even used all the siege equipment from the Central Plains.

However, it was still difficult to capture Liaodong City.

Most importantly, because he feared Yang Guang's suspicion of him, Duke Yang Xuangan of Chu finally took that step by seizing this opportunity.

He rebelled!
This is not entirely Yang Xuangan's fault. As Yang Su's son, it was difficult for him not to consider the methods Yang Guang might use.

—The situation changed rapidly!
Yang Xuangan was not the only one who was uneasy; many nobles shared the same concerns.

They joined forces and stationed troops at Liyang, threatening to cross the Yangtze River to Luoyang.

Yang Guang had no choice but to retreat.

Goguryeo switched from defense to offense, and slaughtered the Sui army, causing them to flee in disarray and suffer countless casualties!

Although Yuwen Shu was eventually reinstated and punished Yang Xuangan and others.

However, the entire Liaodong battlefield also suffered a major defeat!
—The entire land was shaken!
The consecutive defeats in the expeditions had an unimaginable impact on the entire Kyushu region.

It's not just about the consumption in various aspects.

There is also the people's confidence in the imperial court.

Although this generation did not experience the era created by Gu Chen and Gu Ye.

But they had heard it from their ancestors!
Most importantly, when has the Nine Provinces ever suffered such a crushing defeat in its battles against barbarians?
The situation has completely descended into chaos!
Rebellions broke out in all parts of the land and from all directions!

Zhangqiu.

Du Fuwei and Fu Gongtuo launched an uprising.

He led his troops to first riot in Shangqiu, and then fought in the Jianghuai region.

Yuhang.

Liu Yuanjin launched a rebellion, gathering 100,000 people, claiming he wanted to overthrow the Sui Dynasty and restore the Han Dynasty.

Heroes from all walks of life, including Zhu Can of Chengfu, Xu Yuanlang of Lujun, and Meng Haigong of Zhouqiao, made their appearances one after another.

Even at this point, Yang Guang still did not forget Liaodong, where he had suffered a crushing defeat.

He decided to conscript soldiers once again to continue the attack on Goguryeo.

The pressure from the imperial court was like a towering mountain, looming over the entire land of Kyushu.

Everyone felt a sense of despair.

This time, Yang Guang, reminded by Yuwen Huaji, once again thought of Lady Gu.

They even blamed the Gu family for the failure of the two expeditions.

But for Gu Yu, it was no use what Yang Guang was thinking.

The time he had been waiting for had arrived.

Neither Emperor Yang Guang nor the entire Sui Dynasty could quell the anger in the hearts of the people.

These two major defeats.

It has completely shattered the imperial court's prestige!

night.

Star bright.

Julu, the Gu residence.

This was the first time Gu Yu had convened all the family members on such a large scale since taking over the family's responsibilities.

Today, there are quite a few members of the clan within the tribe.

And compared to before, their hearts have now come together again.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for Gu Yu to lead them to overturn everything.

At this moment, their expressions were filled with excitement.

Clearly, Gu Yu's earnest summons of them had already led many to guess what was going on.

But Gu Yu didn't say much from beginning to end; he simply led them in the ancestral worship ceremony.

It was entirely an internal ancestral worship ceremony within the Gu family!

Gu Yu's expression was extremely serious, and as the group of disciples stepped into the Gu family's most important ancestral hall, their expressions became even more serious.

The sacrificial ceremony begins.

As the candles flickered and rose one by one, the stone statue inside the hall suddenly opened its eyes in the swaying firelight—it was the most illustrious monument in the Gu Clan Ancestral Hall.

From the sword-like eyebrows of Marquis Zhongwu Gu Xiao to the long beard of Marquis Jingxiang Gu Ye, all were gilded with a glittering sharpness by the flames.

Almost instinctively, the group of disciples knelt down.

These are some of the most illustrious members of the Gu family.

It began with Gu Xiao and ended with Gu Ye.

Gu Yu didn't leave anyone out, but it wasn't just these few people; it also included those ancestors who hadn't been able to leave their names.

His movements weren't particularly fast, but no one seemed impatient.

It's clear to everyone.

What Gu Yu is about to do today may concern the life and death of the entire family.

Gu Yi was also watching all of this, his mind racing with thoughts.

The feeling of time passing reached its peak at this moment; unknowingly, so many generations of the Gu family had passed away.

In fact, his heart was also churning at that moment.

Gu Yu is finally going to make his move!

The timing was perfect!
In fact, if the Gu family really wanted to risk everything, Gu Yu wouldn't have needed to wait this long.

But he absolutely cannot do that.

Otherwise, even if the Gu family were to regain their former glory, they would surely be slaughtered by the next Yang Guang in later generations.

This is something that Gu Yu, as the head of the family, must consider!
Finally, all the formalities were completed.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Gu Yu slowly walked to the front of the crowd and knelt down in front of the stone statue.

“Our Gu family began to rise to prominence with our ancestor, Marquis Zhongwu Xiaogong.”

He suddenly spoke, his voice firm and resonant:

"Marquis Wencheng, Duke Kang, tamed the great river and fertilized the fields of the world!"

"Lord Huan and Duke Sheng, pacify the Western Regions and sweep away the barbarians!"

"Marquis Wenxiang, Duke Xi, quelled natural disasters throughout the nine provinces and thrice aided the imperial court, thus restoring order to the state!"

"Lord Zhaolie, Chen Gong, swept away all the traitors in the world and killed so many barbarians that no one dared to claim the title of lord."

"Lord Jingxiang, Ye Gong, opened up trade markets, translated scriptures from the Hu people, and enabled all the Baiyue people to read the Analects!"

"."

He solemnly recounted the achievements of his ancestors, moving everyone present to tears!

This is the pride of the Gu family!
They held it in the highest esteem.

The reason why the Gu family has been able to persist until now before showing signs of division is because of the glory of its ancestors!
But in the next moment, Gu Yu's tone changed drastically.

“The unfilial son, Yu, tearfully pleads with our ancestors:”

"Today, dragon boats block the Bian River, and the bones of those who fought in the Liaodong campaign fill Tongguan Pass!"

"The emperor does not hear the cries of sorrow from the people of the nine provinces."

He described the current situation, and then went on to talk about Gu Zhe and his brothers who came out of the mountains but ultimately chose to die!
Seventeen people!
There were a total of seventeen people!

The atmosphere inside the ancestral hall changed completely at that moment, and the faces of all the Gu family members were filled with indignation.

When did the Gu family ever suffer all of this?
"Today we offer sacrifices to our ancestors, not to seek their protection, nor to plead our grievances!"

Gu Yu slowly raised his head, gazing at the stone statues as if making a vow, "The Marquis Zhaolie, Chen Gong, presided over the following admonition: 'Dare to be the first under heaven, even in death, the fragrance of chivalry will linger!'"

"When the land prospers, then my Gu family will flourish!"

"Now the tyrannical ruler is like Mount Tai pressing down on us, and the people are like ants barely clinging to life."

His voice suddenly became low and hoarse, like the trembling of an old knife before it is sheathed, but at the end of the note it suddenly burst forth with a metallic sound.
"I, Gu Yu, though unworthy, am willing to lead my men for the sake of the world and for the sake of my Gu family—"

“Move mountains!”

---boom!

In that instant, it was as if something had exploded in the hearts of all the family members.

---------

In the first month of spring in the eighth year of the Daye era, the emperor issued an edict ordering all the troops in the country to gather in Zhuojun, totaling twenty-four armies, with ships stretching for a thousand miles and banners covering the fields.

In July, the armies besieged Liaodong City. Several Goryeo puppets offered to surrender, but the generals, following orders, dared not go to the capital, and the city remained uncaptured for a long time.

Lai Huer led the Jianghuai warships across the sea toward Pyongyang, where they were ambushed and routed.

Yuwen Shu and his nine armies, totaling 300,000 men, crossed the Yalu River. Eulji Mundeok feigned surrender to exhaust his troops. By the time they reached Sa River, their supplies were exhausted. Goryeo attacked from all sides, and more than 2,000 cavalrymen fled back, leaving behind piles of supplies and weapons.

In the spring of the ninth year, the emperor again mobilized troops from across the land to gather in Liaodong, and personally supervised the battle at Baishi Fortress.

They built flying towers and chariots day and night without stopping, and the battlements were about to collapse.

Yang Xuangan rebelled in Liyang, seized the grain transport, and forced his way to Luoyang.

On the day of Gengyin in June, the Emperor secretly issued an edict at night ordering the troops to withdraw, abandoning the siege equipment piled up like hills. Goryeo followed behind, and Wang Rengong's rear guard suffered tens of thousands of casualties.

In autumn, news of the defeat in the campaign against Liaodong reached the Central Plains, and bandits rose up in all directions, plunging the land into chaos.

—From the Annals of Emperor Yang in the Book of Sui

(End of this chapter)