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

Chapter 245 Historical Turning Point: Liu Jiye's Victory Over Taiyuan (Part 2)

These two banners ultimately became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Liu Jiye had not expected this either.

The chaos in the city came so quickly.

But when he realized that the situation had completely exceeded his expectations, it was too late for his generals to turn the tide.

乱；
Chaos ensued!
The commotion inside the city, coupled with the shouts of battle from the Song army outside, completely shattered the tranquility of Taiyuan.

"kill!!!"

"Brothers, surrender to Lord Gu! These barbarians from Liao have never treated us like human beings before, and now they even dare to rob and kill our families. How can a man of honor suffer such humiliation?"

"That's right!! They surrendered to Lord Gu! This helped the Song army break through the city!"

"."

Shouts of battle rang out continuously.

The pressure from both inside and outside the city completely destroyed the last shred of morale of the Northern Han defenders.

The entire garrison collapsed at a visible speed.

What followed was mutual slaughter.

Even though the Song army had not yet breached the city gates, the city was already becoming increasingly out of control.

Many people were storming the city gates, trying to open a passage for the Song army.

Some people are also fighting hard.

But all of this was in vain.

The ending was actually predetermined.

History changed once again. Zhao Kuangyin finally stepped out of the cage he had never stepped out of in the original history and ascended to heaven like a dragon in hiding.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Boom!Boom!Boom!
The Song army's war drums thundered across the fields, mingling with the shouts of battle from within the city.

The massive battering ram pounded the gates of Taiyuan time and again. Each loud bang was like a death knell tolling on the hearts of the Northern Han defenders. Arrows rained down from the city walls, but they could not extinguish the billowing black smoke rising from within the city.

"Hold on! Hold on, everyone!"

A Northern Han general roared at the top of his lungs, but the sword in his hand trembled involuntarily.

He watched helplessly as several soldiers suddenly turned their guns around and stabbed their comrade through the neck.

"Open the gates to welcome the Song army! Slay the Liao dogs!" The rioting soldiers and civilians surged toward the city gates like a tidal wave, engaging in fierce battles with the defending troops.

The sounds of clashing swords, screams, and angry curses mingled together.

Some men, though pierced through the chest by spears, clung tightly to the enemy's legs; others set fire to the grain depots, flames shooting into the sky.

Standing atop the city wall, Liu Jiye gazed upon the hellish scene before him, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

His personal guards surrounded him, barely managing to hold onto this small piece of land.

"General! The east gate has fallen!" A captain covered in blood came stumbling and crawling. "Vice General Wang! Vice General Wang! He's led a rebellion!"

Liu Jiye closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the smoke-filled air. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was resolute: "Send the order to abandon the outer city and retreat to the inner city."

"But General, the inner city is short of provisions."

"Execute the order!" Liu Jiye drew his sword sharply. "Brothers who can still fight, follow me! Let these traitors know what it means for a soldier to die!"

He would never surrender.

Even though he knew in his heart that this battle was hopeless, Liu Jiye would still fulfill his duty until the very last moment.

Even in the original history, he was the same.

Even though they eventually surrendered to the Song Dynasty.

It was only after receiving Liu Jiyuan's letter that this valiant general finally became famous throughout the world on the road to resisting the Liao.

He will only choose to fight to the death.

Even so, the ending cannot be changed!
"All troops, advance! Taiyuan will be captured today!"

outside the city.

Zhao Kuangyin, clad in armor, was in high spirits and kept issuing military orders.

Gu Jin had already led his men in and stormed in.

Perhaps because he is still young, Gu Jin is completely different from the other famous members of the Gu family. He is more like Gu Xiao and Gu Sheng, willing to personally lead troops into battle.

And this is precisely what inspires the most morale!

The Gu family's banners fluttered in the wind, and the shouts of battle were deafening.

With the defeat of the Northern Han army.

The outer gates of Taiyuan were quickly breached by the Song army.

The bugle sounded loudly.

Countless Song soldiers surged into the city like a tidal wave, their battle cries as loud as thunder, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard them!
It was impossible for the Northern Han garrison to quickly retreat into the inner city.

Under these circumstances, the Song army was like hungry wolves among sheep.

These people had absolutely no power to resist.

Especially when they saw the Gu family banners fluttering in the wind, even those who still had some courage couldn't help but put down their butcher knives.

How should we fight this battle?
What are they fighting for?

Protecting the territory, huh?
But their territory is now being invaded!
They don't even know if their families are safe, so why would they risk their lives for the sake of so-called integrity?
Moreover, this is happening in front of the Gu family!
Although the people of Kyushu have not truly felt the Gu family's kindness for a very long time now.

But over the years, the Gu family's lineage, passed down by word of mouth, has never been broken.

This is a tradition passed down from the bloodline of the Chinese nation.

How could they possibly forget?
The outcome is self-evident!

A whole few days.

Gu Jin led his brothers throughout the city to receive surrendered soldiers, quell the chaos, and preserve supplies.

At the same time, Zhao Kuangyin also turned his attention to the inner city.

That's right—

Liu Jiye still did not surrender.

Even now, he still leads his trusted men to hold the inner city, unwilling to give up.

In fact, this alone is enough to demonstrate a general's ability.

Even if it means facing death—

Some people will choose to follow.

For a military general, this is actually enough.

Liu Jiwen had also long ago resolved to die.

It's just about going to one's death.

For many people, it's not worth mentioning.

Zhao Kuangyin didn't really care much about these people; in fact, he even thought about getting rid of them as soon as possible.

After all, these people were generals of the Northern Han Dynasty.

Despite his talk of a so-called "brotherly alliance," his thoughts were always on the entire world.

However, just before he decided to attack the city, Gu Jin stopped him.

"Your Majesty, perhaps this man's life can be spared."

Inside the main tent.

After the soldiers had left, Gu Jin finally spoke his mind: "I have spent the last few days carefully investigating this man with the surrendered soldiers."

"This man is a great general!"

"If it can be recovered!"

"They will surely be the pioneers of our Great Song Dynasty in resisting the Liao Dynasty in the future."

"."

Gu Jin told Zhao Kuangyin in detail what Liu Jiye had been doing these days, including his daily routines.

Liu Jiye had told many generals that he disapproved of the Liao Dynasty's actions towards the Northern Han.

This is definitely a plus.

Zhao Kuangyin's expression changed quickly.

In fact, throughout history, those who have truly ascended to the throne, especially the founding emperors, have always shared a common trait.

That is, they all have the ability to recognize talent.

Zhao Kuangyin was no exception.

Upon hearing everything Gu Jin said, he instantly recognized Liu Jiye's talent.

But he still looked hesitant. As soon as Gu Jin finished speaking, he asked, "This Liu Jiye is clearly determined to die."

"How can such a person be won over?"

"With his talent."

"If we cannot retake it..."

He didn't say everything aloud.

But Gu Jin immediately understood his meaning, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this matter can be handled by me!"

Inner city of Taiyuan.

When Liu Jiye heard that Gu Jin had come alone and wanted to see him, he was completely stunned! Even his trusted generals were the same.

If it were someone else...

They would immediately shout that they should kill the intruder.

But this was the head of the Gu family, and they instinctively found it difficult to speak.

If the head of the Gu family is really killed.

Not to mention anything else.

When they die, they will have no face to meet their ancestors.

This is what many people think.

Liu Jiye was also quite taken aback. His face was full of surprise, but he didn't know how to respond.

It wasn't a matter of whether or not to kill Gu Jin.

Instead, he was thinking about how to meet her.

Should we go to greet them, or wait here?

He remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Bring the person in."

As he spoke, Liu Jiye took a deep breath and forced his expression to calm down.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly changed.

All the generals felt extremely uneasy at this moment.

After a while.

With a calm expression, Gu Jin followed the armored soldiers in slowly, even with a faint smile on her face.

"Meet the general."

Ignoring everyone around him, he smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Jiye.

All clay figures have three points of fire.

Not to mention the men who have fought their way through the battlefield.

Putting aside others, Liu Jiye immediately frowned, staring intently at Gu Jin in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said with murderous intent, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

"Why have you come alone to humiliate me?"

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and drew his sword from the side.

And saw this scene.

Even though the generals on the side were reluctant to take action against the Gu family, they still instinctively followed Liu Jiye's lead.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall became tense and chilling.

Gu Jin remained calm, though his expression became slightly more serious. He looked around and sighed softly, "Indeed, they are all heroes."

Then, he met Liu Jiye's sharp gaze again and asked in return, "What makes you say that, General?"

"Even if you kill me, do you think the general and the brothers in your tent will be able to leave Taiyuan alive?"

His tone seemed relaxed, but in reality, every word was clear and every sentence was spoken with seriousness.

"I have come here in person to show the sincerity of the Great Song Dynasty."

"The world situation has changed now - the Liao Kingdom has implemented reforms and its national strength is growing stronger day by day."

"Even though our Great Song Dynasty is quite powerful, I can say with certainty that the outcome of the war will be difficult to predict in the short term."

"The land has been in turmoil for a long time, and the people have suffered greatly."

"Since the general has such talent, why insist on doing this?"

Gu Jin's expression grew increasingly serious.

As soon as these words were spoken, the tense atmosphere in the hall instantly dissipated.

If anyone else said such a thing, it would definitely not have the same effect.

But this is the Gu family!

Who in the world can best represent the rise and fall of the Nine Provinces?
Only the Gu family could do that.

Liu Jiye's hand holding the sword trembled instantly, and all the generals beside him turned their gazes to him at that moment, each with a very complicated expression.

It wasn't out of fear of death; they had already proven their courage and loyalty.

But who would willingly die in vain?
Family and the World: Gu Family
All of these factors make it worthwhile for them to consider whether to stop.

Liu Jiye noticed this, and his expression became increasingly complicated.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally put down his sword, sighed deeply, and bowed respectfully to Gu Jin: "Please take good care of my brothers, Lord Gu!"

"I am extremely grateful!"

Whether it's blind loyalty or foolishness.

As far as Liu Jiye is concerned.

He could not surrender, at least not while there was a master.

Now that he can spare the lives of his brothers who follow him, he has no regrets.

This should have been an extremely touching scene.

Upon hearing Liu Jiye's words, the generals beside him instantly recovered, and some even knelt down.

But before these people could make any move...

Gu Jin then looked directly at them: "What? Do you want to see your general willingly go to his death?"

"Tie them up!"

"Walk together!"

Gu Jin really knew how to leverage the Gu family's reputation.

Whether he comes in person or not.

Or perhaps it's the words spoken.

Moreover, he also knew exactly how to deal with this group of people—

That is direct.

As he spoke, he rushed forward, intending to snatch the sword from Liu Jiye's hand.

And that's exactly what I saw.

The group finally realized what was happening.

After exchanging glances, they followed Gu Jin and charged towards Liu Jiye.

Liu Jiye was also dumbfounded!

He never expected Gu Jin to do such a thing.

He also never expected that his trusted confidants would actually join Gu Jin in attacking him.

"What are you doing!"

"let me go!"

"You guys are causing me so much trouble!"

He roared repeatedly, but ultimately he was no match for the strength of the crowd. Almost instantly, his arms were restrained, and he was unable to move.

Gu Jin watched all this with a smile on her face.

Seeing that Liu Jiye was still struggling, he reached out and grabbed one of the other’s wrists, and said solemnly, “General, there’s no need for this.”

A true man stands tall in this world—

"One should preserve one's usefulness to serve the world."

"If the world is truly unified one day, it will not be too late for the general to judge my crimes."

Looking at Gu Jin with a calm smile, and the brothers around him who were clearly relieved and no longer as serious and tense as before.

at this moment,
Liu Jiye suddenly felt that the huge rock that had been pressing on his heart for so long seemed to have loosened a bit.

And his struggling movements gradually slowed down.

------

In the fourth year of the Kaibao era, the emperor attacked the Northern Han and besieged Taiyuan.

The rain continued to pour down, many soldiers fell ill, and morale plummeted.

Jin advised, "Internal strife has already begun within the Han dynasty; we can wait for it to collapse on its own."

The emperor accepted it, and the fortified camp remained open.

Jin sent an envoy to Longzhou to meet Liu Jiwen, a member of the Northern Han imperial family. He explained the advantages and disadvantages to Liu and promised a brotherhood alliance.

Following this, Wen took advantage of the influence of Confucian scholars to declare himself emperor in Han territory, raising the banner of "resisting Liao and protecting the people," which plunged Han territory into chaos.

Liao sent elite cavalry to help the Han emperor quell the rebellion. Jin then ordered the Liao army to expose their atrocities within the army. Upon hearing that their homeland had been plundered, the soldiers guarding Taiyuan lost all will to fight.

In October, Jin raised the Gu family's banners below the city, which greatly alarmed the city.

Although the defending general Liu Jiye was brave, he could not stop his troops from collapsing.

Once internal strife broke out, soldiers attacked each other, and some even wanted to open the gates to welcome the army.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Song army launched a rapid attack, and the outer city of Taiyuan was breached. Jin personally led his armored soldiers to the front, and they fought desperately. Many Han soldiers, seeing the banners, removed their armor.

After ten days of street fighting, the important town of Taiyuan was finally captured, and the gateway to the Northern Han Dynasty was thus opened.

—From the Biography of Gu Jin in the History of Song Dynasty

(End of this chapter)