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

Chapter 246 Zhao Kuangyin Falls Ill, Prince Jin May Rebel (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Liu Jiye eventually surrendered.

It wasn't for any other reason than that he was not a person who was afraid of death, nor had he ever forgotten the ambition in his heart.

It was simply because he had witnessed the current dire state of the Northern Han Dynasty.

The Song army launched a five-pronged attack on Taiyuan.

This blocked too many of his channels for obtaining information. Although he already knew about the current internal strife in Northern Han, there is a difference between knowing something and seeing it with your own eyes.

That's right, the Song army has already crossed Taiyuan and officially joined the internal strife of the Northern Han.

Although the internal strife did not last long.

However, the people of Northern Han still face a very difficult situation.

A hundred miles away from Taiyuan City, no smoke from cooking fires could be seen.

Broken gun barrels, blood-soaked strips of cloth, and unburied corpses, their bodies gnawed beyond recognition by wild dogs, lay scattered on the scorched earth.

A strange smell filled the air—

It was a mixture of blood and burnt bits, with a touch of damp chill from the spring air; one breath of it sent a chill down your spine.

Old women could be seen crawling along the roadside, digging with their bare hands through the ruins.

Despite his fingers being worn raw and bleeding, he mechanically rummaged through the sack, perhaps trying to find half a bag of millet or a few copper coins.

Countless children's remains were simply discarded on the ground.

It's difficult to find a strong man in any household.

No one wanted to think about the cause of these children's deaths, even though these men were men who had fought on the battlefield; it still touched their souls.

As far as the eye can see, there is only devastation.

This is the present-day Northern Han.

—External enemies and internal strife.

All of this plunged the already weak Northern Han Dynasty into complete collapse.

Of course, the Song army was also involved in this.

After all, fighting the Song army was also affecting the overall situation of the Northern Han.

But how can we distinguish right from wrong in all of this?

All that remained in Liu Jiye's heart were the four words "the rise and fall of the Nine Provinces".

No, it wasn't Liu Jiye.

Now we should call him "Yang Ye".

Zhao Kuangyin had restored his surname, and Gu Jin had not dismantled his trusted confidants, giving him complete trust.

Whether it was Zhao Kuangyin or Gu Jin.

Both of them were very proud people.

They didn't care much about these surrendered generals.

Zhao Kuangyin trusted Gu Jin, the leader of the Wuzong Emperor, while Gu Jin trusted his own judgment of Yang Ye. He even encouraged Yang Ye to carry on his military leadership style.

Even Gu Yi hadn't expected this to happen.

Clearly, Gu Jin intends to establish a system that separates civil and military affairs throughout the Song Dynasty.

Everything the Gu family has experienced over the past thousand years.

Ultimately, this made the young people born with new ideas think about many things, and it seems that he wanted to put the knife in the hands of the Gu family.

Gu Yi did not interfere with this.

In fact, by now, he has come to accept that the descendants of the Gu family are doing things that go far beyond the original history.

This reflects his growth over this period of time.

And now, at this crucial juncture, Gu Yi has undergone a change.

In the original history, the situation of the Nine Provinces during the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties is something that needs no further explanation.

Given the Gu family's current status in Kyushu.

This is a point in time that the Gu family absolutely cannot bypass.

History must be changed no matter what, and this is something the Gu family must do!

Why should he interfere?

—The news continues to spread.

The Liao dynasty seemed to have anticipated the fall of Taiyuan.

It must be said that Wang Yingchen is indeed a very capable person.

He is like a hero born in accordance with the times, destined to shine in this era of great strife.

Wang Yingchen decisively cancelled the plan to advance into Liaodong.

All the elite troops were recalled.

They occupied key locations under the pretext of "helping Emperor Liu Jiyuan of the Northern Han Dynasty quell the rebellion" in order to block the Song army's offensive.

Zhao Kuangyin, of course, wanted to participate in the matter under the guise of supporting Liu Jiwen.

Under these circumstances, the two sides reached a stalemate.

Completely different from the Northern Han army.

Although the Liao army was not as strong as the Song army, after Wang Yingchen's reforms, which focused on Legalist agriculture and warfare, its combat power was far superior to what it used to be.

Tempted by the title.

The soldiers of the Liao Kingdom displayed unprecedented fighting prowess.

In addition, there are advantages in terms of terrain.

A combination of factors, including the Song army's offensive, effectively halted the Song army's advance.

In a short period of time, the Song and Liao dynasties divided the entire Northern Han into two, each occupying one side.

Both sides had their wins and losses.

Zhao Kuangyin and Gu Jin did organize large-scale attacks.

However, given the similar strength of both sides, it is also impossible to determine a winner in a short period of time.

—The situation suddenly changed.

Although on the surface all this is still under the guise of internal strife in the Northern Han, in reality it has completely turned into a struggle between two great powers.

retreat?

Nobody can back out!

The Liao Dynasty could not allow the Song Dynasty to occupy the entire territory of the Northern Han Dynasty without any cost.

They need more time.

If that were truly the case, Wang Yingchen was certain that Zhao Kuangyin and Gu Jin would absolutely not give them time to develop.

And for the Song Dynasty, this was even more true.

They have to fight for it!
With this retreat, the prestige that the Song Dynasty had earned over the years would be completely wasted.

Even the Gu family's reputation will be affected.

Furthermore, they could not give the Liao Kingdom time to continue its development.

From any perspective, the Song Dynasty had nowhere left to retreat.

Both sides deployed their troops.

The atmosphere of impending doom grew increasingly intense throughout the Northern Han territory.

People all over the world could vaguely sense that an unprecedented war was about to break out.

Time flies by.

Wars became increasingly frequent throughout the Northern Han territory.

Under these circumstances, Gu Jin also became increasingly busy.

He was the head of the Gu family and also the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty.

His role in the current situation is self-evident.

Whether it's gathering information or not.

Whether it's to encourage the soldiers or not, all of this needs to be handled personally by Gu Jin.

Zhao Kuangyin was naturally busy gathering grain supplies for the country.

Neither of them showed much fear about the upcoming battle.

For the two of them.

Once a real man has made a decision, there is nothing to fear.

All you need to do is forge ahead, overcoming all obstacles.

But, no one expected—

In April of the sixth year of the Kaibao era, a sudden illness shattered this tranquility. — Zhao Kuangyin was ill!
Song Camp.

"Ahem. Ahem."

Frequent bursts of rapid coughing could be heard from inside the main tent, making one's heart tighten.

Outside the tent, Gu Jin, clad in full armor, was leading a group of generals, all with very serious expressions.

Hearing those painful coughs.

Gu Jin's expression grew increasingly grim, and she even showed a rare hint of panic.

His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Yang Ye, who had recently performed numerous feats of merit, and he said sternly, "No one is to divulge what happened in the tent today."

"Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

"Yang Ye!" His voice sharpened. "I order you to immediately inspect all camps, guard against any unusual activity, and ensure nothing goes wrong!"

Upon hearing this, none of the generals dared to be negligent, and they all clasped their hands in obeisance to accept the order.

Gu Jin now enjoys extremely high prestige in the military.

Not only did he have outstanding military achievements, but he also had extraordinary methods for dealing with arrogant and unruly soldiers, and the entire army was convinced of his abilities.

"You guys step back first."

Gu Jin's expression remained unchanged; he simply waved his hand.

He stood alone in front of the main tent until all the generals left, but the solemnity between his brows grew deeper and deeper. He even became unsteady on his feet, pacing back and forth in front of the main tent, his steps filled with unease.

Time passed quietly.

The heart-wrenching coughing in the tent gradually subsided by evening.

Several military doctors, dragging their weary steps, slowly emerged from the tent.

"How is His Majesty?" Gu Jin immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously.

"Grand Tutor," the leading military doctor sighed, "His Majesty has suffered from numerous old injuries over the years. Now, as he grows older and spends long periods in the military camp, he has become overworked, causing these hidden injuries to flare up all at once."

"The only thing we can do right now is to let His Majesty rest and recuperate."

"Otherwise."

He did not continue.

But the meaning behind those words was already quite clear.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin's hand involuntarily clenched into a fist, and a strong sense of unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

"You all leave now, and do not reveal this matter to anyone!"

He couldn't help but confess again.

Just then, Zhao Kuangyin's hoarse voice finally came from inside the main tent again: "Huaiyu!!"

Gu Jin took a deep breath, straightened his expression, and then strode inside.

A rich aroma of herbs wafted over in an instant.

Zhao Kuangyin, his face deathly pale, lay on the footstool. Beside him was a wooden tub filled with blood.

Gu Jin walked in.

Before he could speak, Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly asked, "Huaiyu, has there been any unusual activity in the army?"

He was genuinely worried.

He had just fallen asleep, but this incident woke him up.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have made all the arrangements." Gu Jin did not say much, but simply sat silently beside Zhao Kuangyin's bed.

After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice: "Your Majesty, please return to Kaifeng."

"Leave the war here to me."

His tone was calm, without any unnecessary words, each word clear and to the point.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin simply smiled faintly, staring straight at Gu Jin, and calmly asked, "Does Huaiyu think I'm afraid of death?"

He was well aware of his own body.

But Zhao Kuangyin never feared death from beginning to end.

“His Majesty is not afraid,” Gu Jin immediately replied, “but the current situation is dire. What if His Majesty were to suffer an accident?”

"That's precisely why I can't leave!"

Before Gu Jin could finish speaking, Zhao Kuangyin interrupted him directly.

With a strength he didn't know he possessed, he sat up abruptly, took a deep breath, and his expression instantly turned solemn: "If I were to leave now, what would the soldiers of the three armies think?"

"Does Huaiyu think those people will let such an opportunity pass by?"

Seeing Gu Jin's expression change slightly, he paused for a moment, then snorted coldly, "Huaiyu, there's no need to persuade her anymore."

"Life and death may be predetermined, but they can also be determined by human effort."

"anyway--"

"I will definitely hold on!"

"Even if we cannot conquer the world, we must at least seize this land of Northern Han for our Great Song!"

His voice was deep and resonant, each word ringing with conviction.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin's eyes flickered again, but she ultimately did not try to persuade him further.

Perhaps because he was still young, although he knew that the overall situation was of utmost importance, he also understood the stubbornness and temperament unique to Zhao Kuangyin, a hero.

"Thinking back to the past, I often heard emperors lament the fleeting nature of time."

While Gu Jin remained silent, Zhao Kuangyin spoke again, a faint smile appearing on his face, but it was much more bitter than before: "At that time, I didn't take it seriously."

"I always feel that a real man should do all the things he wants to do while he is alive."

"But only today do I truly understand."

"There are always things in this world that can never be finished."

He paused slightly, then said with a sigh, "Life is so short."

Gu Jin watched this scene silently, her eyes reddening slightly, but she ultimately said nothing.

The entire tent fell silent.

Gu Yi was also silently observing all of this, and was equally surprised by Zhao Kuangyin's health.

He didn't know if this was a correction brought about by the increasing changes in history.

This is destined to remain unexplored.

Although in the original history, Zhao Kuangyin did live a few more years.

But the world today is more chaotic than in the original history.

Zhao Kuangyin experienced more wars, so this change in lifespan seems reasonable.

Gu Yi was too lazy to bother with all that.

Zhao Kuangyin's illness this time finally made him feel a strong sense of crisis once again.

Do not know why
He suddenly had a feeling that the path the Gu family was about to take this time would be far more arduous than before.

Time flies by.

Although Gu Jin had suppressed all the news immediately, as Zhao Kuangyin had not appeared for several days, other rumors gradually began to circulate within the army.

This was naturally Wang Yingchen's doing.

Although he didn't have any concrete information, a little bit of a rumor is enough for this kind of thing.

But he ultimately underestimated Zhao Kuangyin.

Despite his lingering health problems, he still forced himself to inspect the troops with Gu Jin, instantly suppressing all the rumors.

The situation seems to have returned to square one.

Both sides probed each other in a series of battles, large and small, searching for an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Gather provisions and prepare troops.

Gu Jin seemed somewhat worried about Zhao Kuangyin's health, and since that day she had been constantly looking for an opportunity, seemingly wanting to end everything in a short period of time.

But the Liao army did the opposite.

Yelü Xian and Wang Yingchen seemed to only want to hold off the Song army from beginning to end, giving them no chance whatsoever.

As time went by, Zhao Kuangyin's health deteriorated.

Even though Gu Jin had already taken over all the burdens for him.

However, the hidden injuries in his body continued to worsen.

Just over a month later, the arrival of an imperial censor from the Censorate at the military camp instantly tightened the already tense atmosphere once again.

That night, the Milky Way shone brightly.

Gu Jin rushed into the main tent, not even having time to bow, and went straight to Zhao Kuangyin, blurting out:

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin may harbor rebellious intentions!"

(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes! I'd be incredibly grateful for your support, brothers.)
(End of this chapter)