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

Chapter 291 The Luo River Ritual, Releasing Military Power with a Cup of Wine (Part 2)

That soft hum, that rhetorical question, was like ice water poured into boiling oil, instantly freezing the already stagnant atmosphere inside the tent.

Guo Xin and the others froze in mid-air, their hands holding wine glasses awkwardly, unsure whether to put them down or raise them. Fine beads of sweat even appeared on their foreheads.

This is the oppressive feeling of the Gu family!
He controlled the Censorate and used it to control the entire country for over a hundred years.

There was not the slightest slackening.

Even though these generals had already witnessed the bloodshed and carnage on the battlefield, they were still terrified at this moment!
Seeing that the atmosphere had plummeted to rock bottom, Gu Lin sighed softly and slowly put down the wine glass in his hand.

"It seems that Lin's words just now have put the generals in a difficult position."

His tone carried a hint of self-reproach. His gaze swept over the tense expressions of everyone gripping their wine glasses, and he smiled again, "It was Lin who didn't think things through, only focusing on lamenting the difficult situation."

"But they forgot that the generals who guard the four directions have also made great contributions. Hearing these words suddenly, they can't help but feel uneasy."

The atmosphere seemed to have eased a little.

But that's not actually the case at all.

Gu Lin's initiative to take responsibility and his consideration for his subordinates only made Guo Xin and the others more uneasy, and they repeatedly said, "We dare not."

He waved his hand again, indicating that they didn't need to do that, and his tone became more earnest and sincere: "Gentlemen, we are all people who have experienced many storms. There are some things that we cannot bear to say, but we have to consider."

"What I just said about the excessive power and the imbalance of authority is not an exaggeration, nor is it directed at any of you here."

As he spoke, Gu Lin naturally leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "Please think about it, now that we are still alive, we know each other well, and we are bound together by friendship and trust."

"But what about the rulers of later generations?"

"They have never fought alongside you. If they see that the border generals have long held heavy troops and have disciples and old friends all over the army, what will they think?"

"The historical records are full of instances of 'the bow is put away after the birds are all gone,' which often do not stem from the harshness of the founding emperor, but rather from the distrust between later rulers and their ministers!"

These words shifted the focus of the potential crisis from Gu Lin's personal will to objective historical laws and future uncertainties, making the situation seem more real and resonating more deeply with the audience.

But in reality, it's a combination of soft and hard tactics.

He certainly wouldn't go straight for the kill.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been given a chance to come here in person.

Everyone was silent again.

What they really wanted to say was that they stood with the Gu family, and that they wouldn't do anything foolish as long as the Gu family was willing to help them.

But they could never bring themselves to say such things.

After all, the Gu family is not royalty.

They don't need to pledge allegiance.

Saying such things at this time will only make the atmosphere even colder.

And most importantly, now that this has happened, it is clear that the Gu family needs to deal with them.

Now that things have come to this point, how could they not hear the sharp edge in those words?
But Gu Lin never considered what they thought. He simply looked at them calmly and said again, "I am here today not to intimidate you, but to sincerely seek a foolproof plan for you and your descendants, a truly prosperous path that can benefit the nation!"

As he spoke, he raised his glass again, this time with a piercing gaze, full of guidance: "Voluntarily returning military power to the court is not a deprivation, but a liberation!"

"To dispel the suspicion of holding military power for personal gain, and to relieve the anxiety of constant worry!"

"The court will reward merit with the highest honors—the title of Duke, hereditary and perpetual; a certificate of merit, a testament to the oath; gold, silver, land and houses to ensure wealth and honor; and the sons of these nobles will be allowed to study at the Imperial Academy and the Gu Family Academy."

"Through the imperial examinations, one can rise to the position of Privy Councilor or Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, becoming a true pillar of the nation, of unparalleled nobility, bringing glory to one's family!"

Gu Lin's smile grew even brighter: "Isn't this more secure and sustainable than having our children and grandchildren live in the harsh, cold borderlands, constantly facing the risk of war and having to guard against backstabbing from the court?"

Throughout the entire ordeal, Gu Lin never mentioned the crimes they had committed.

It was as if they knew nothing about these things.

But in reality, he was trying to completely eliminate this possibility at its core.

He wants to cut off the very foundation of these people!

He didn't urge them, but simply held up his glass, looking at everyone with a calm yet firm gaze, waiting for their decision.

Silence fell again inside the tent, but this time, the silence carried a stronger sense of weighing and calculation.

Gu Lin's subtle approach dissected their last psychological defenses.

Marquis Anyuan struggled for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and raising his wine cup with trembling hands: "Lord Gu, your considerations are thorough, this old minister is truly impressed!"

"I am willing to relinquish military power and return to the capital to retire in peace."

Once someone takes the lead, the dam begins to collapse.

More and more people raised their glasses, indicating their willingness to comply.

Finally, Guo Xin looked at Gu Lin with a bitter expression and complicated eyes, then slowly raised his glass and said in a hoarse voice, "Guo Xin... understands."

"For the sake of the family, for the sake of our descendants, hand over this military power."

Gu Lin smiled sincerely and said loudly, "Excellent! You gentlemen are wise! Cheers!"

"From this day forward, the court and you gentlemen will share weal and woe, and enjoy peace together!"

The icy atmosphere inside the tent completely melted away at that moment.

Although he didn't know what the people in front of him were thinking, at least Gu Lin finally showed a bright smile.

"Release military power with a cup of wine?"

As if in the darkness, Gu Yi watched this scene with great interest, and murmured involuntarily, feeling a sudden tremor in his heart.

History has been completely changed.

But at certain times—

However, it inevitably intersected with many aspects of the original history.

He didn't know what this was supposed to mean either.

After all, from all perspectives, this move can be considered an unavoidable part of the current situation in Kyushu, but he had a vague feeling that some key gears had started to turn completely from this point on!

Time flies by.

Gu Lin would not simply strip these people of their military power.

For him, this was only the first step.

Of course, he would not break his promise. After rewarding these people in the name of the imperial court, he began to remove their influence in the army.

—A promotion in name only is a demotion in reality, and this is always a very useful tactic in court infighting.

Although Gu Lin was not good at court intrigue.

However, given the Gu family's current foundation throughout the entire Kyushu, all of this can be considered a natural outcome, without much difficulty.

And as the situation stabilized.

—The entire Kyushu region subsequently experienced another period of rapid development.

In fact, this is also the most crucial prerequisite for Kyushu's current development: institutional stability.

The situation at court is one aspect, but the military situation is equally crucial. As long as these two aspects remain stable...

Then the whole world will naturally continue to develop along the established path.

This is destined to be an unprecedented golden age.

Once the outdated and superfluous aspects of Confucianism are eliminated, the ideas of the entire "Gu School" will gradually become the norm throughout the world, and this will surely far surpass all previous golden ages.

The key to Gu Xue (Gu Studies) is practicality!
This is actually the core change.

This will prevent students from engaging in empty talk or doing useless work just to gain fame.

Under the circumstances that the Gu family deliberately maintained a high level of moral standards.

This move will likely draw some criticism.

This fundamentally caused an unprecedented change to the customs of the entire Kyushu region.

And the most crucial element is talent!
The emergence of Gu's Academy is undoubtedly the biggest change Gu's family has ever made, without exception!

From the Western Regions, then to the northern deserts, and finally to the entire Liaodong Peninsula.

Gu's Academy exists in various regions.

This largely prevented the loss of talent, and talent is often the key to a dynasty's continued prosperity, since they can always see loopholes that ordinary people cannot.

This has greatly affected the current development of Kyushu.

Of course, the Gu Family Academy was not established overnight.

If it weren't for Gu Kang's academic foundation and the martial arts and influence exerted by generations of people like Gu Chen, even if Gu Yi directly implemented the Gu Family Academy, it would never have had such a significant impact.

Ultimately, it is also due to the efforts of generations of the Gu family.

If it weren't for these people constantly promoting Kyushu culture...

Even if Gu Yi had such thoughts, it would never have caused such a huge impact.

In conclusion, this is the culmination of the Gu family's millennia of accumulation!
This alone is enough to demonstrate the extraordinary nature of the entire golden age.

There's no need to even discuss food production or population anymore.

Once corn appeared and was planted throughout Kyushu, all of this became irrelevant and no longer relevant.

What truly captured Gu Yi's attention was technology!

—That's right, when the situation is stable and business continues to develop.

As the course of history has unfolded, the people of Kyushu are finally about to take that crucial step under the ever-increasing demands for production!
In the ninth year of Yuanxing, in Jiangning Prefecture.

This place was a major textile manufacturing center in Jiangnan, where thousands of sails competed and merchants from all over the world gathered.

Along the banks of the canal, workshops of all sizes stand side by side, and the sound of looms can be heard all day long.

Thanks to the "investigation of things for practical application" advocated by Gu Xue, and the systematic organization and promotion of various crafts by Gu Academy over the years, skilled craftsmen have emerged in this area in an endless stream, constantly trying to improve spinning and weaving machines in order to gain an advantage in the increasingly fierce competition.

Next to a fairly large "water-powered spinning wheel" workshop in the west of the city, in a small experimental workshop under the jurisdiction of the "Gewu Academy" of the Gu Clan Academy, Gu Qi and several young academy disciples were deep in thought around a seemingly crude copper device.

This item was not used for textiles; its prototype can even be traced back to the Taoist techniques of "alchemy furnace" and "fire-making with a yangsui" in the previous dynasty.

After several generations of improvements by the Gu family academy.

Now it looks more like a sealed copper cauldron, connected to several pipes and a rotating impeller.

Their initial goal was simply to use the high-temperature steam generated by burning coal to more efficiently drive a complex hydraulic irrigation system in order to solve the problem of water scarcity in the high-altitude workshop area.

That's right, it uses steam.

Do not--

According to Kyushu dialect, this is called "fire"!
Decades ago, students of Gu's Academy had already gradually discovered the secret behind the phenomenon of "water boiling in a pot, with the lid slightly moving," and they used this to investigate further.

The person in charge of this project was a young instructor named Shen Kuo from the Institute of Physics.

He drew inspiration from the sealed copper cauldron used in alchemy, and imitated the Taoist "bellows" to enhance the firepower. He also used the "mercury column," which the academy had already mastered for measuring air pressure, to quantify the pressure inside the cauldron and verify whether the "fire vapor" could really generate a stable and controllable thrust, and to what extent its power could reach.

This research process was incredibly tedious.

But the results were quite remarkable.

Although we are far from being able to fully utilize this fire energy, we are gradually making some progress.

Just like now!
Looking at the spinning impeller, Gu Qi suddenly asked a question.

"Why can't we use fire to create a machine that can automatically spin yarn?"

This is also why everyone fell silent.

Of course, this silence was not because it seemed unbelievable.

Rather, it was the perceived possibility that silenced these students dedicated to this field.
------

Spring of the fifth year of Yuanxing.

Lin Chengzu carried out the thousand-year-old sacrificial ceremony on the Luo River.

That night, he summoned sixteen generals, including Marquis Guo Xin of Wuwei, Marquis Zhao Bi of Anyuan, and Earl Li Ji of Jingbian, to a banquet at the camp.

Initially, Emperor Taizu was grateful for the Gu family's contributions to the country and specially appointed them as the head of all military officials in the land, granting them the authority to establish their own government and oversee military and political affairs.

After discovering the chaos in the world, the Gu family established regulations for military families. Through five generations of management and a total of 120 years, they finally achieved the feat of unifying the four seas.

After the unification of the country, many border generals inherited their family's wealth and power, and they began to maintain their own private armies and seize land, which gradually became a chronic problem.

When Shi Lin was in charge of the Privy Council, he received a secret memorial from the Censorate and sighed, "In the past, military families were established to defend against foreign aggression. Now that the world is at peace, we should think about how to make the best of a future."

He then used the sacrificial ceremony to summon the generals to the Luo River.

Inside the tent, Lin was extremely respectful and personally poured wine for the generals, saying, "I remember the edict of Emperor Taizu, which ordered our clan to take charge of military affairs and defend the northern border. Now, we are fortunate to have fulfilled our mission, all thanks to the generations of you who have served us to the death."

After speaking, he raised his cup and poured libations to the ground, offering a tribute to the soldiers who had died for their country over the past century.

The letter and others all bowed their heads, and the folk songs outside the tent made the silence inside the tent all the more apparent.

Lin Fu spoke frankly: "You are all sons of Emperor Wuzong. You should know that Emperor Taizu granted the Gu family military power as an extraordinary measure for an extraordinary time. Now that the external troubles have been quelled, if we allow the military family to be stationed on the frontier forever, it would not only go against Emperor Taizu's original intention, but also cause changes in future generations."

He then presented them with a certificate of merit and the rites of the Three Dukes, allowing his sons and younger brothers to enter the Imperial Academy and the Gu Family Academy to study the new policies.

Marquis Bi of Anyuan, his hair and beard all white, wept and said, “My grandfather followed Lord Jin in the bloody battle of Youyun. Now I wish to emulate the wisdom of the ancients and lay down my arms to return to the capital.”

Then more than ten people bowed and asked to resign from their military posts.

Xin stroked the ancestral sword at his waist and remained silent for a long time.

Lin said gently, "This sword was worn by your grandfather when he followed Duke Wusu in his campaign against Liao. Now that the world is at peace, we should store our weapons in the armory. Why should our descendants forever wield weapons?"

Xin prostrated himself on the ground and bowed deeply, saying, "How dare I disobey!"

The commentary states: The Gu family, first bestowed with titles by Emperor Taizu, held military power for five generations, ultimately achieving the unification of China.

The meeting at the Luo River, while not abolishing the old system established by Emperor Taizu, also consolidated the military power of the regional military governors, which can be considered a skillful continuation and improvement. However, for a subject to undertake such an extraordinary task, although it demonstrated loyalty, it also revealed the changing times. Future military leaders should learn from this profound meaning.

—From the History of the Song Dynasty, Volume 1, "The Gu Family"

(End of this chapter)