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

Chapter 150 Establishing the Sacred Mountain of the Turks and Reviving the Name of the Gu Clan (Part 2)
—The world is watching with awe.

Whether it was the entire Tang Dynasty, the Western Turks, or even the Western Regions, everyone was paying close attention to this battle.

The Nine Provinces have indeed been in chaos for far too long.

The glory of yesteryear has long since faded with the passage of time.

This battle was the first battle in which the entire Kyushu region regained its fame.

As long as we can win this battle.

Regardless of what happens next, at least for the next few decades, no one will dare to offend Kyushu again.

In fact, if the Western Turks had made a move at this time...

The situation of Jieli Khan, who is trapped in Yinshan, may still change.

However, this is based on the relationship between the Eastern and Western Turks.

It's already good enough that they're not helping the Tang Dynasty now; there's no way they would choose to help Jieli Khan. They might even be hoping that Jieli Khan dies at the hands of the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible.

Although some people worry that if Khagan Jieli dies and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate is completely destroyed, will the Tang Dynasty target them?

But ultimately, they are only a very small minority.

No one even brings it up on their own initiative.

At times like these, the greed in people's hearts is fully revealed.

For the various tribes of the Western Turks, if Khagan Jieli were to die and the Eastern Turks were to fall, those fertile grasslands would become their pastures.

Compared to things that need to be considered later, the immediate and visible benefits are what everyone cares about most.
Yudu Jinshan.

Unlike Baidaochuan, which is a granary, this place is a sacred mountain for the entire Turkic people, but in reality, there are not many guards here.

No one could have predicted it.

Gu Quan will abandon the current opportunity to attack Yinshan from both sides and instead launch a direct attack on Yudujin Mountain.

In fact, Gu Yi felt that Gu Quan's actions were entirely intentional.

Under the adjustment of the Luo Shu Xie Qi (a type of electronic device), his judgment of the overall situation and his command attributes have reached their peak.

He wants others to misjudge his thoughts.

Then, by using this, they can reduce the resistance to their own army and do something different.

In terms of battlefield tactics, this move could absolutely be considered a high-stakes gamble.

But sometimes.

Not all high-stakes gambles on the battlefield will fail.

That's how it is now.

Gazing at the distant mountains, Gu Quan still gripped the long spear in his hand. Although he was completely wrapped up, he was still unable to escape the howling cold wind, and his whole body was frozen red.

But his expression remained serious.

Beside him, Gu Yan and the others were in the same situation.

This battle was of immense significance to the Gu family and to the entire Nine Provinces.

When the banners belonging to the Gu family and the Tang Dynasty took root on this sacred Turkic mountain, the collapse of faith in Bianjing was enough to shatter everything.

And at that time—

This is the best time for the entire Kyushu region to expand again.

Countless thoughts flashed through Gu Quan's mind, and even his grip on the spear tightened involuntarily.

He did not hesitate.

When he felt the distance was right, he immediately swung his spear and shouted, "Kill!!!"

"kill!!!"

"kill!!!"

"kill!!!"

"."

The army, which had been poised to attack, responded instantly with shouts of encouragement.

Amidst the thunderous battle cries, Gu Quan immediately led his army directly towards Yudujin Mountain.

—The silence was broken in an instant.

Whether it was the Turkic garrison or the believers living on the mountain, they all noticed this scene instantly.

The Tang army had already charged forward.

They instinctively began to panic.

"The Tang army is coming!"

"It's the Gu family! It must be the Gu family! A divine family from the Central Plains has arrived!"

"Ahura, the God of Heaven, please save your followers!"

"."

Shouts rang out instantly.

But as Gu Quan charged closer and closer, it seemed that his unwavering faith had truly come into play at this moment.

The chaos within the entire Turkic territory actually gradually subsided at that moment.

The will to survive comes from within;

And the unwavering belief that the Tang army must never be allowed to ascend the sacred mountain.

Within that short span of time, the entire Turkic territory stabilized instantly, and the defending forces began to engage the Tang army.

Even those from the mountains came to fight, wielding swords.

This has always been the case in this era.

The power that faith can bring transcends fear.

Even though they had confirmed that these people were indeed the Gu family's elite, they could not allow the Gu family to ascend the sacred mountain.

Those who choose to stay and reside here are almost all the most devout believers within the Turkic community.

—The great war has officially begun.

Unlike the attack on Baidaochuan at the front, the real difficulty of this battle was climbing the mountain.

Gu Quan couldn't allow anyone to set fires and create chaos.

We also cannot allow these people to become a complete rout.

Only by fighting head-on and fighting to the very end can he officially ascend this sacred mountain of the Turks!

Zheng! ! !
Zheng! ! !
Zheng! ! !
The sounds of clashing weapons rang out continuously, accompanied by the clashing of warhorses, their hooves leaving crimson bloodstains on the snow.

The biting wind, carrying ice shards, was like countless sharp knives, fiercely scraping across the soldiers' faces and tearing their shouts to shreds.

The blizzard hung low like a curtain, blurring the view, but it could not conceal the intense stench of blood on the battlefield. The smell, mixed with snowmelt, seeped into every inch of the sacred mountain.

This was destined to be a bloody battle.

For Gu Quan...

Fortunately, the Turks were completely unprepared and had no chance to take advantage of the terrain, leaving them with no choice but to fight them head-on.

Moreover, these people were far from being considered the elite of the Turks.

Even though they had a significant numerical advantage, they couldn't gain any real advantage.

If this trip didn't require climbing mountains, but instead involved flat ground...

These people were simply delusional if they thought they could stop the Tang army.

but--

Climbing Mount Yudujin under these circumstances would also be extremely difficult.

Fueled by their faith, the Turks, who had long since gone mad and disregarded their lives, frantically used their own lives to block the Tang army.

The entire Yudu Jinshan.

It turned into a bloody meat grinder.

This battle was destined to be bloody.
Meanwhile, Yinshan.

"Have you found out any news about the Grand Tutor yet?"

Li Jing looked at the generals before him, his brows furrowed, and asked.

The soldiers immediately nodded.

Seeing this, Li Jing's brows furrowed even deeper.

Was there any accident?

Could it be that the Western Turks have intervened in this battle?

He had worked with Gu Yan on the battlefield in the past, so he was quite familiar with Gu Yan's abilities and personality.

According to his judgment, Gu Yan should have already led his army to attack by now, no matter what.

But now there's absolutely no news.

What exactly happened?
"Send out more scouts immediately, and find out about the Grand Tutor no matter what," Li Jing said again. "In addition, the attack on Yinshan must not be stopped."

We must launch a fierce attack!

"Deplete all their provisions!"

"This time, we're going to drag them all here no matter what!"

It must be said that Li Jing's abilities are reassuring.

Although he can't compare to Gu Quan today.

But he will definitely surpass Gu Yan.

It was precisely for this reason that Li Jing had great confidence in his judgment. If nothing unexpected happened, given Gu Yan's personality, he would definitely attack him from both sides.

Something must have gone wrong!
He needs to find out the details and make all the necessary arrangements in advance.

"General."

At this moment, Zhang Gongjin, the deputy standing to the side, suddenly frowned slightly and said, "Is the Grand Tutor off on other business? The fighting style of the Gu family members is always unpredictable."

Upon hearing this, some of the generals present couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Gu's playing style is difficult for outsiders to understand.

But some people will disagree.

“Given the current situation, what could be more important than attacking Yinshan?” Vanguard Su Dingfang immediately spoke up.

Everyone nodded again, followed by a flurry of discussion.

Li Jing was also frowning, carefully considering both sides' judgments, until after a moment he waved his hand and said, "Based on my understanding of the Grand Tutor, he shouldn't do anything else."

He didn't say it too directly.

But the meaning behind it is already quite clear.

Gu Yan is not Gu Quan after all.

If Gu Quan were still alive, Li Jing might have made the same judgment.

He was aware of Gu Quan's abilities.

However, Gu Yan was ultimately still lacking.

Given the gravity of the situation, Gu Yan, with his personality, is unlikely to risk creating unnecessary complications.

He interrupted the conversation.

He ordered his soldiers to act according to his commands.

Countless scouts emerged from the Tang army camp, braving the wind and snow to gather information, and some even went to Baidaochuan.

But there is still no news.

The situation is becoming increasingly dire.

The Tang army never relaxed its offensive against the entire Yinshan region.

Not only was Li Jing curious about where Gu Yan had gone, but Jieli Khan was as well.

The pressure that a trusted nemesis who mysteriously disappeared can bring to him under the current circumstances is unimaginable to others!
But in the end, no one could have predicted Gu's actions.

Inside the Tang camp.

Just when everyone felt that the situation was becoming increasingly strange, Li Shimin's message finally arrived.

In his letter, he praised his generals.

Then another matter was brought up, which was to tell them not to worry about Gu Yan and just to do their own thing.

This letter finally brought the matter to a complete end.

Everyone instinctively assumed that Li Shimin had some other arrangements for Gu's sudden disappearance.

The same applies to Li Jing.

Then he launched a large-scale attack on the entire Yinshan Mountains.

He didn't necessarily want Gu Yan to attack from both sides.

Now, Khagan Jieli is in dire straits; he could conquer Yinshan even on his own.

Why do you care so much about this?

All of this was because they were worried about a sudden enemy attack.

As the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces, he absolutely cannot overlook any detail.

—The situation has changed again!
Jieli Khan was in complete despair.

Tang's continuous attacks have forced him to put all his elite troops at the front, but he is constantly worried about what problems might arise in the rear.

The Gu family's reputation was truly remarkable.

Since Gu Xiao in the past, every now and then a successor will launch a surprise attack that can be described as a miracle.

How could he not worry about this potential threat?
Under these circumstances, the war in the Yinshan Mountains also became increasingly unfavorable.

External pressures exacerbated internal conflicts, making them increasingly irreconcilable, and an atmosphere of utter defeat rose in everyone's hearts.

And Jieli Khan had no choice but to make a decision.

—He's trying to escape!

Yudujin Mountain. After several days of fighting, this sacred mountain of the Turks has completely lost its former holy glory.

—The mountains and fields were littered with corpses.

The dull thud of armor striking the frozen ground was broken by the wind and snow, and broken swords and spears were stuck diagonally in the snow, like hideous bone fragments.

On those fallen bodies, congealed blood meandered through the gaps in their armor, forming dark red spots of various shapes on the pure white snowfield.

An atmosphere of despair enveloped the remaining Turks.

When human strength is exhausted.

So-called faith is still not enough to support them in protecting the sacred mountain in their hearts.

Especially when they watched helplessly as the Gu family members and Tang army, who resembled grim reapers, slowly advanced up the mountain, and the so-called gods had long since disappeared, this faith would eventually crumble due to doubt.

In fact, the Tang army also suffered considerable casualties.

Even though these people had trained for many years, they couldn't withstand such a brutal fight.

Even among the Gu family members, there were casualties.

On the road to restoring the Gu family's prestige, each of them has done their utmost and given everything for their beliefs.

The road ahead is now clear.

"Gods! Why haven't you sent down your thunder?" The white-haired old woman knelt on the broken ice, her withered fingers digging into the blood-soaked snow, her cloudy eyes bloodshot. "Your followers are bleeding! These demons in human skin, they want to trample your temple!"

The infant in its swaddling clothes convulsed violently in its mother's arms. Dark red liquid seeped from beneath the woman's blood-stained animal hide, but she remained oblivious, only crying out in heart-wrenching agony to the sky: "If you truly have mercy, strike them dead with heavenly lightning! Strike them dead—"

The scream abruptly stopped as a spear grazed her ear and embedded itself in the ground, the startled snowflakes and ice shards carving three bloody streaks down her cheek.

kindness?

No mercy!

How could the cries of the people from Kyushu in the past be any weaker than these?

When have they ever been treated kindly?
Stability lies only beneath a sharp blade.

If we do not defeat and subdue all the external enemies from all sides, when will the land of Kyushu ever find peace?
Gu Quan's gaze remained firm as he steadily moved forward, stepping over the broken swords and halberds scattered on the ground. The ice crystals condensed on his black armor reflected a cold light in the sunlight.

He raised his hand to signal, and the army behind him immediately split into two groups, driving the wailing crowd like lambs to the corner of the altar.

Gu Yan gripped the spear tightly, its tip reflecting the flickering firelight on the altar—the last struggle of the Turks.

"Push!" Gu Quan shouted.

More than ten strong men strained in unison, and the moment the rope tightened, the three-zhang-tall statue emitted a teeth-grinding creak.

Cracks spread upwards from the base of the statue, and the exquisitely sculpted face twisted and deformed in the collapse. In the instant it crashed to the ground, the splashing snow waves carrying rubble smashed into the crowd.

Several Turkic youths rushed forward like madmen, only to have Tang soldiers' spears pressed firmly against their throats.

Gu Quan removed the gilded Tang Dynasty flag from his waist and plunged the flagpole into the shattered forehead of the statue.

At the same time, another red banner embroidered with the character "Gu" was raised, its scarlet silk fluttering in the howling north wind, like two sharp blades piercing the hearts of the Turks.

The desperate cries reached their peak at this moment.

Some people were tearing at their hair, some were burying their faces in the snow and whimpering, and others were frantically kowtowing to the fallen statue of a god, with beads of blood from their foreheads rolling onto the "Gu" character flag, spreading out like red plum blossoms.

A cold wind swept across the empty altar.

The two banners planted on the mountaintop fluttered loudly in the wind.

Until this moment.

Only after seeing that all the Turks had been brought under control did soldiers begin to collapse onto the snow, exhausted.

"Hahaha~"

Gu Yan felt the same way, but looking at the Gu family banner, he laughed heartily and shouted to Gu Quan, "Brother, from this day forward..."

"I wonder if these barbarians from all directions will remember the name of my Gu family?"

His eyes were red-rimmed.

In addition, there was the blood on his body from continuous fighting.

At this moment, he truly resembled a demon god who had emerged from hell, devoid of any human form.

Gu Quan nodded silently, his eyes also red.

He gripped the spear tightly, planting it in the ground to keep himself from falling. After taking a few deep breaths, he said, "Rest for a day. Tomorrow I will take two thousand men with me."

"This place is entrusted to you to guard."

If I'm not mistaken...

"As long as Li Jing and his men break through Yinshan, Khagan Jieli will surely flee west. This place is the only way to intercept him."

Gu Quan's tone remained as serious as ever.

He is about to take action.

Since attacking Yudujin Mountain, he has been blocking the Turks from coming down the mountain, in order to catch them off guard.

We absolutely cannot linger here for too long.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan and the others immediately became serious. Gu Yan even sat up abruptly, seemingly drawing strength from nowhere: "Brother, I'll go with you."

"Our brothers—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Quan shook his head and interrupted him, "You are the current head of the family! You are also the Grand Tutor of the court, and the Marquis of Champion of our Great Tang!"

Gu Yan was stunned for a moment.

Gu Quan stared intently at him, then pointed to the banner belonging to the Gu family beside him: "This credit must be given to you."

"Don't let your father's past arrangements go to waste."

As he spoke, he released the spear in his hand and planted it next to Gu Yan, then picked up the lance next to him.

The joy of victory vanished in an instant.

Looking at Gu Quan in front of him, Gu Yan felt a lump in his throat, but he couldn't say anything.

Even Gu Yi felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.

Gu Quan was destined to receive no credit; the moment he took that step, everything he had today was already set in stone.

He has become an invisible guardian.

It was for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, and also for the sake of the Gu family.

Gu Yi understood as well.

For the Gu family in the future, Gu Quan will definitely not be the only one.

No one could stop Gu Quan.

The very next day, Gu Quan led two thousand soldiers straight to Juyan Lake.

Gu Yan was extremely distressed.

But they could only hold onto Yudujin Mountain.

This was also his responsibility as the head of the family.

Yinshan.

Khagan Jieli withdrew his troops.

Faced with the increasingly fierce attacks of the Tang army, he had no choice but to make this decision.

As Gu Quan predicted, without knowing the whereabouts of the Gu family, Khagan Jieli could only choose to flee west, using the Western Turks to block the Tang army in order to make a comeback in the future.

This was also the only option for Khagan Jieli.

Li Jing will pursue them.

He is never one to hesitate, and he will naturally choose to press his advantage.

—The stalemate was completely broken.

By this point, Khagan Jieli had completely lost the power to resist, and he could only try his best to retreat.

The internal unrest had reached a point where he was completely unable to stabilize the situation.

The key is--

The disappearance of the Gu family was always a thorn in his side, a feeling that made Jieli Khan always feel like he was walking on thin ice, and he could only constantly comfort himself in his heart.

The cold wind howled.

On this vast ice plain, Jieli Khan relied on his knowledge of the terrain to quickly head west.

But the Tang army always stayed close behind.

Whether it was the surrendered soldiers or the surrendered tribes, they all became the best geomantic maps for the Tang army.

And that's exactly why.

The entire Turkic territory had fallen into a vicious cycle, with more and more surrendered and deserting soldiers.

Turkic expeditionary force.

He listened to the reports from his trusted confidants.

Jieli Khan's face grew increasingly grim, and he suddenly shouted, "Go to the Holy Mountain!"

There are more and more deserters.

At this point, this was the only option left for Khagan Jieli.

Perhaps only by going to the holy mountain can this trend be stopped.

Furthermore, going to the holy mountain would allow them to replenish their supplies without delaying their retreat.

This is his only option at the moment.

Upon hearing this, all the confidants immediately nodded.

They also understood the severity of the situation.

"Tell everyone to stop resting and hold on a little longer. Once we reach the Holy Mountain, we can continue to defend the area from our stronghold, and then we'll still have a chance!"

Khagan Jieli forced himself to remain calm and gave the order again.

The trusted confidants immediately accepted the order and left.

Under a snowy night.

The entire Turkic army broke camp again, hoping to use this move to distance themselves from the Tang army.

—Holy Mountain!
Perhaps every Turkic person harbors a deep longing for this.

After hearing about Jieli Khan's arrangements, even the feeling of despair gradually subsided.

The army galloped
The bright moonlight reflected on the snow, giving Jieli Khan hope for the road to Yudujin Mountain.

A cold wind howled.

Under the influence of this atmosphere, everyone in the Turkic army began to yearn for their gods to help them escape the current crisis.

Even Khagan Jieli himself was the same.

They are getting faster and faster.

Just before dawn, the fall of the entire Yudujin Mountain was already becoming apparent under the moonlight.

Seeing this, everyone moved even faster.

They ran forward at breakneck speed.

The expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly fervent.

And just as dawn was breaking.

They finally arrived at the sacred mountain they had longed for, but what followed was a hail of rolling stones and arrows, as well as shouts of battle echoing throughout the mountain.

"Boom—" The shouts of battle coming from the mountaintop sounded like thunder.

Despair washed over everyone like a tidal wave, shattering their last psychological defenses.

Just then, the sun shone brightly on the snow.

The first ray of morning light cleaved through the clouds like a sharp sword, falling straight onto the summit of Yudujin Mountain.

Everyone was shocked by the sight before them—the altars that had carried the faith of the Turks for a thousand years had collapsed, the statues inscribed with scriptures were broken into pieces, and in their place were two banners fluttering in the wind.

The crimson silk fluttered in the wind, and the black patterns outlined the totems of the blue wolf and the vermilion bird.

Despite the distance, everyone could still clearly recognize the familiar design—it was the battle flag of the Gu family and the Tang Dynasty!
The sunlight poured down, and against the backdrop of the white snow, it seemed to dye the flag into flowing flames, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had instantly gripped everyone's throats.

The scimitars in the hands of the Turkic soldiers clattered to the ground, and some staggered and fell off their horses, collapsing and muttering to themselves in the snow.
Even the most elite and trusted generals of Jieli Khan turned ashen-faced, their pupils filled with disbelief and despair.

The collapse of faith;
Fear of death.

At this moment, the last remaining will of everyone was finally shattered.

In that deathly silence, the shouts of battle abruptly ceased.

The next moment, roars as loud as thunder rang out again.

"Can the bones of the Eternal Heaven be used as flagpoles?"

"Behold your annihilation, you gods!"

"Will you die on your knees today, or will you crawl to surrender!"

——Boom!

These shouts were like thunderclaps, exploding directly in everyone's minds.

Even Khagan Jieli fell from his horse at that moment.
------

In the second month of the fifth year of Zhenguan, Yan led a light cavalry on a raid of a thousand miles. He arrived at Yudujin Mountain at night, destroyed the Turkic golden tent used for sacrificial rites, and burned 400,000 bushels of grain.

The Tiele chieftains bowed their heads before the black-armored warriors, weeping, "In the past, Lord Huo's golden crown shone brightly in the northern desert; now, the Gu family's frosty blades pierce the yurt!"

The remaining Turkic people sang a mournful song: "The sacred mountain has collapsed, the mare has cried; the banner has been broken, the bride's dress has been torn."

Anecdotes from the Alleys of Chang'an:

That night, Yan defeated the enemy at the sacred mountain. A white rainbow pierced the sky, its light like a white silk ribbon hanging over the fields. Within the rainbow, three hundred black-armored cavalrymen could be seen, their helmets resembling those of the Han dynasty's Renzhang and Wu eras.

The old soldier from Lingzhou pointed to the sky and wept, saying, "This is not the bravery of Yan alone, but the undying loyalty of the immortal Gu family, who transformed into starlight to protect the nine provinces!"

The old Turkic proverb still exists: "If you see a white rainbow, flee to the heavens; if you encounter a guqi (a type of banner), kneel like a pine tree."

From that time on, there were no more war drums in the southern desert, only the sound of Tang banners tearing in the wind!

—From the Biography of Gu Yan in the Book of Tang

(End of this chapter)