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

Chapter 95 The Reign of Yanxing, A Prosperous Era Descends (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Only by truly experiencing chaos can one realize how precious a stable life truly is.
—That's exactly what the Han Dynasty is like now.

There are just too many legends about Gu Chen.

Through word of mouth, his death has had a devastating impact on the Han Dynasty.

Zhuge Liang realized this.

After careful consideration, Zhuge Liang submitted a memorial to Liu Shan, requesting that Liu Shan change the era name.

In this day and age.

Changing the era name signifies a fresh start for everything.

In any case, he must resolve the current sorrow of the people of the Han Dynasty.

Now that the Han Dynasty is rising rapidly, we must not allow any turmoil to occur.

After hearing the seriousness of the matter.

Even though Liu Shan was unwilling to completely erase the prosperous Zhangwu era established by Liu Bei and Gu Chen, he had no choice but to change the era name for the sake of the country.

In Gu Yi's view, the current Liu Shan is somewhat different from the original historical figure.

This may be because the situation has changed, and Liu Shan no longer needs to face so many crises, so he seems to be more sentimental.

Zhangwu 16th year, July;

Liu Shan offered sacrifices in Luoyang to the late Emperor of the Han Dynasty and to Gu Xi and Gu Chen.

Subsequently, the era name was officially changed to "Yanxing".

Meaning—

The Han Dynasty shall rise!

And a general amnesty was granted.

This action did indeed alleviate some of the grief caused by Gu Chen's death.

After all, no matter how unwilling the people were to accept Gu Chen's death.

But that person has passed away;
All that's left for them is to keep moving forward.

Gu Yi did not choose to rush into taking control.

For him, now is indeed the most opportune time to take control of the world.

You don't need to worry about anything else.

Gu Yi is capable of using a modern perspective to improve the productivity and overall level of the Han Dynasty.

—But for the Gu family.

However, this is not a good time to take action.

After all, the Gu family is currently at its peak, and no one in the entire world can threaten the Gu family, while the Han Dynasty is also thriving.

At this point, manipulation can only add icing on the cake for the Gu family.

But it doesn't really have much significance.

Moreover, figures like Zhuge Liang and Zhang Hua were still alive.

Even if he personally takes charge, can he really outperform them?

The cost of 300,000 achievement points was something that would make Gu Yi extremely reluctant to spend.

He needs to find the most suitable time.

Meanwhile, Gu Yi was constantly observing the overall situation of the world.

The impact of the Three Revitalizations of the Han Dynasty was too great, and with the death of Gu Chen, a man who could resist the rewriting of history, Gu Yi did not believe that the world would remain peaceful.

Time flies by.

Gu Chen's arrangements within the Han Dynasty court were far too thorough.

And there's also Zhuge Liang, the pillar of strength.

There was no unrest within the entire Han Dynasty, and everything was progressing in the right direction.

Zhuge Liang's abilities in domestic affairs are well-known and need no further explanation.

Especially after being educated by the Gu family, Zhuge Liang's abilities are now even greater than before.

At least in the area of ​​water conservancy;
Zhuge Liang can be said to have completely inherited Gu Kang's talents;
As the Han Dynasty gradually recovered its strength, Zhuge Liang began the second large-scale reform of water conservancy.

He set a plan that would last for several years.

—It spread gradually from the capital region to all parts of the country.

This line of thinking is already extremely advanced.

The emergence of the Gu family ultimately accelerated the liberation of people's minds, which had a tremendous impact on the development of the entire Kyushu.

—What truly surprised the world was Deng Ai.

Ever since Gu Chen traveled all over Shu and handed over the water conservancy map for governing Shu to Deng Ai.

Deng Ai immediately began various reforms in Sichuan.

He was a man who was extremely eager to make a name for himself.

Although the current situation prevents him from fighting on the battlefield, he is well-suited to managing water conservancy and guarding a region.

Gu Chen had already seen through Deng Ai's personality problems.

This left him with many restrictions.

This move also prevented Deng Ai from causing other trouble, allowing him to devote himself even more diligently to water conservancy.

And now——

The arrangements made in Sichuan have now come to fruition.

This seems to be a signal.

This signifies that the prosperous period of the Han Dynasty has truly arrived.

Although the Sichuan region is treacherous, it has been known as the Land of Abundance since ancient times.

With the rebellion averted, the aristocratic clans dealt with, and water conservancy projects underway, the development of Shu (Sichuan) was extremely rapid.

This brought unimaginable help to the entire Han Dynasty.

The current configuration of the Han court can absolutely be called the pinnacle.

Zhuge Liang, Zhang Hua, Yang Hu, Zhong Hui, and many others who have left their mark on history, including the seventh generation of the Gu family.

These people will make the most of the Han Dynasty's national strength.

Without affecting overall stability, we will continue to develop the overall national strength of the Han Dynasty.

—Until the third year of Yanxing;
The "beginner's course" had already completely covered the entire Guanzhong region, including Jizhou;
This may be the best time of your life.

Emperor Liu Shan, with his unique personality, was paired with a group of outstanding ministers.

Given that the correct direction has already been determined.

A dynasty can develop rapidly.

Zhuge Liang and the Gu family members were both firmly focused on improving the administration, although their influence was far less than that of Gu Chen back then.

But there are these people.

The Han dynasty's bureaucracy would not have any major problems.

Gu Chen's campaigns against the barbarians before his death provided the entire Han Dynasty with ample time to develop.

In just a few years, the entire Han Dynasty has undergone a complete transformation.

The reduction of the poll tax greatly contributed to the population increase.

In this era, population growth represents productivity growth.

Land reclamation; water conservancy; stability of trade routes;
Under various systems conducive to development.

In just a few years, the entire Han Dynasty took on a completely new look.

Until the fifth year of Yanxing;

—The population of the entire Han Dynasty was approaching 40 million, and it was not far from the peak of the Later Han Dynasty.

Compared to the original history, the population of Kyushu after the great chaos was more than double.

Of course, there are many factors that could cause this.

It wasn't just because Gu Chen quelled the chaos ahead of time, thus preventing further casualties.

This also prevents aristocratic families from hiding large numbers of people.

But even if we put everything aside...

This is enough to demonstrate just how astonishing the current development speed of the Han Dynasty is.

Gu Yi had been silently observing all of this, and he was not particularly surprised; on the contrary, he remained extremely calm.

This is actually the normal phenomenon.

Even he felt that the current configuration of the Han court was a bit too powerful.

These people shine brightly and generously.

How could the Han Dynasty not be strong and prosperous?

Moreover, Gu Yi was certain that this was not the peak of the Han Dynasty.

When the Han Dynasty's national strength truly reaches its peak.

The Western Regions gradually slipped out of control;
Even the undeveloped south will come into the sights of these people.

This is an inevitable conflict within human nature;
—No one can escape it now.

This is destined to be a grand era of magnificent development;

Emperor Liu Shan's personality was destined to inspire his ministers to take action to an unprecedented peak.

With the continuous development of national strength;

In the seventh year of Yanxing, during the discussions among these capable individuals, the issue of encouraging childbirth was raised.

Those who have children are exempt from half of the taxes for that year.

In the past, this would have been absolutely impossible to succeed.

After all, the Han Dynasty's national strength was insufficient to support such expenses.

This also includes the fact that the poll tax was simply too heavy.

But things are different now.

Having refrained from war for many years and focused on developing national strength, including the reduction of the poll tax, the Han Dynasty had been able to initiate this system.

This news shocked the entire world!

Is it possible to be exempt from taxes simply by having children?

This is an unprecedented good thing for the people of the world.

At the same time, the seventh generation of the Gu family also took action against the official system and laws.

Based on the laws of the Later Han Dynasty, and taking into account the current situation and development background of the Han Dynasty, different reforms were made.

They proposed laws such as "redemption through labor" and "redemption through righteous deeds".

The sentence is calculated by converting work hours into prison time.

Reporting powerful figures who have committed similar offenses and garrisoned troops on land can result in reduced sentences.

The most crucial aspect of this was its targeting of aristocratic families.

In short, it put a shackle on the aristocratic families.

The regulations did not specify in detail that aristocratic families could not annex land, since the imperial court could not prevent ordinary people from engaging in normal transactions.

However, this law contains detailed provisions on specific taxes.

Even for areas under 100 mu, the tax rate remains at one-thirtieth;

But once the area exceeds 100 acres, the tax revenue will increase significantly.

It also stipulated commercial taxes.

There were even detailed regulations for local officials, including details such as the reduction or dismissal of officials.

He even proposed building a large wall in Luoyang, which he called the "Wailing Wall".

A "complaint drum" was set up at the foot of the wall. Those who beat the drum to express their grievances were recorded by special officials, and a hundred of them were selected and included in the "Records of Heavenly Hearings" to be presented directly to the emperor.

Although from today's perspective, this new set of laws still has many shortcomings.

But what is undeniable is—

This is a huge step forward for the Han Dynasty at present.

This matter is destined to be earth-shattering.

The law is absolutely the foundation of a dynasty.

Given Zhuge Liang's personality, he naturally wouldn't make a decision on this matter directly, but he also understood just how important it was.

He summoned his ministers to Luoyang for several days to discuss the matter.

The Great Han Dynasty of today.

It was common for ministers to discuss state affairs all night long.

Liu Zhuang's all-night conversation with Gu Kang back then ultimately had an impact on many things.

At this crucial moment, the role of these talented individuals was fully demonstrated. Each person had unique insights into this new set of laws to be implemented in the Han Dynasty and offered their own suggestions.

This matter was debated for several months.

It wasn't until the eighth year of the Yanxing era that this matter was finally settled.

Subsequently, Zhuge Liang ordered officials in various regions to popularize the laws of the Han Dynasty and to leave the laws in more and more "library pavilions," stipulating that every student must memorize the laws.

Upon hearing this...

The aristocratic families, who had gradually forgotten Gu Chen, naturally found it difficult to accept such regulations.

A dynasty is destined to have more than just light.

Even when Gu Chen was alive, he couldn't completely sweep away all the darkness, let alone now that Gu Chen has been dead for many years.

Immediately, someone submitted a memorial to Liu Shan, impeaching Zhuge Liang and a group of ministers involved in the matter on the grounds of altering the laws of the former Han Dynasty and violating filial piety.

These people are quite intelligent.

Knowing Liu Shan's feelings for Gu Chen, he deliberately avoided the Gu family members.

But what they didn't expect was—

Liu Shan, who was usually very mild-mannered, was furious about this!
Their target was not Zhuge Liang and his ministers, as they had imagined.

It was them!

Liu Shan executed almost everyone involved in the matter, finally feeling like an emperor.

This matter took everyone by surprise.

No one could have predicted that an emperor like Liu Shan would be so bloodthirsty.

And was Liu Shan unfilial?
Why have we been implicated in this case in the name of filial piety?
But these people soon found out why.

The officials they impeached were all on the "list" that Gu Chen left for Liu Shan.

Upon hearing this...

All those in the world who were dissatisfied with this matter fell silent.

Even though Gu Chen had been dead for many years;

—But even now, it is still able to suppress any dissent in the world.

Under these circumstances, the new laws of the Han Dynasty were rapidly spread throughout the land.

This matter is also a gradual process.

The tenth year of Yanxing;

The fourth annual official assessment of the Han Dynasty has begun.

Although the Han Dynasty has been developing rapidly over the years, the evaluation of officials remains the most important issue affecting the hearts of the people.

The "beginner's school" and the "library" were successively opened up.

This also inevitably makes the workload of this matter increasingly larger.

However, Zhuge Liang and others, including the seventh generation of the Gu family, still chose to personally investigate the matter, showing their great concern for it.

It wasn't just about wanting to comfort Gu Chen;

The aim was also to investigate the overall level of the people under these various systems.

Time is an invisible blade, and they are no longer as young as they once were.

Compared to before.

The results of this assessment were much better.

Selecting talent from all over the world is far more effective than selecting talent from aristocratic families.

In fact, by the time of the third official assessment, there were already quite a few more ordinary people.

As the scale increases.

This time, over a hundred children of ordinary people were shortlisted.

Although they still lag behind those from aristocratic families, this gap is destined to be narrowed over time.

After the assessment results are released.

As before, Liu Shan took the results and the candidates' answer sheets to a sacrifice to Liu Bei and Gu Chen, and then announced the matter to the world.

—The news spread, and everyone was in an uproar!
Through these repeated performance evaluations of officials, this practice has taken root in the hearts of the people.

And as this idea took root and grew completely.

History is thus destined to move only forward.

If anyone were to completely restore the era when powerful families monopolized all official positions, the anger of these people would be enough to destroy everything.

The thirteenth year of Yanxing;
The population of the Han Dynasty officially exceeded 50 million, reaching the peak of the Later Han Dynasty.

And things did not turn out as Gu Yi had expected;
Once the Han Dynasty had fully recovered its strength, some people turned their attention back to the Western Regions.

In fact, some countries in the Western Regions still maintain open trade routes with the Han Dynasty.

However, it has completely broken free from the control of the Han Dynasty.

The Gu family was powerless to do so, as under the circumstances at the time, it was impossible for the Huan family to guard the entire Western Regions.

The Han Dynasty has now recovered its national strength.

The capable people in the court would naturally set their sights on the Western Regions.

First catch up with the Later Han Dynasty; until surpass the Later Han Dynasty.

This has become one of the lofty ideals of this group of guys.

Zhuge Liang was extremely cautious about this.

Although he knew that the current Han Dynasty was capable of recovering the Western Regions, he still had to be cautious.

This is Zhuge Liang's character.

After several days of discussion, Zhuge Liang first sent envoys to the Western Regions, intending to persuade the various kingdoms there to surrender.

But things turned out exactly as they expected.

Some small kingdoms in the Western Regions were willing to surrender.

However, the kingdoms of Shule and Yanqi, which had now become the dominant powers in the Western Regions, were naturally unwilling to accept the Han Dynasty's offer of surrender.

If one can govern oneself and become a king, who would be willing to submit to one another?

Of course, they wouldn't be foolish enough to willingly become enemies of the Han Dynasty.

The prestige Gu Chen earned for the Han Dynasty was enough to make them wary.

They also sent envoys to the Han Dynasty.

They stated, "We are willing to trade with the Han Dynasty and will absolutely not make things difficult for Han merchants, but we are unwilling to become a vassal state of the Han Dynasty."

Liu Shan did not take this seriously.

But whether it was Zhuge Liang and others, or the Gu family members.

Their attitude toward this matter is extremely firm.

Although Zhuge Liang was cautious by nature, he was not one to hesitate when faced with a goal.

Under these circumstances.

—After many years, the Han Dynasty once again raised its blade.

Zhuge Liang was extremely concerned about this expedition by the Han army.

This battle was of great significance to the Han Dynasty.

It's not just about whether or not the Western Regions can be reclaimed;
This opportunity also serves to show the barbarians, who are gradually becoming restless over time, just how terrifying the strength of the Han Dynasty truly is!
Zhuge Liang did not mobilize the generals guarding the four directions.

Instead, Gu Wei was appointed commander, along with Wei Yan and other generals such as the contemporary Marquis Huan, Gu Yu, leading an army of 50,000 to launch a direct attack on the Western Regions.

The outcome of this battle was already predetermined.

Although the kingdoms of the Western Regions have all developed over the years, they are still far behind the great Han Dynasty.

And the most important thing is——

Before his death, Gu Chen's actions to weaken the barbarian tribes on all sides brought about a completely different transformation in the history of the Western Regions.

In the original history.

The powerful states in the Western Regions, such as Yanqi and Shule, all had intermarriages with the Xiongnu and Xianbei.

This will naturally increase the difficulty of retaking it.

But that's different now.

The internal conflicts among the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan and other barbarian groups had gradually unfolded over time, making it impossible for them to send troops to help the Western Regions.

Moreover, the Han Dynasty of today is not the Western Jin Dynasty of history.

Even with their help, the outcome was destined to be unchangeable.

The fifteenth year of Yanxing;
The war in the Western Regions has come to a complete end.

Gu Wei destroyed the anti-Han forces in Yanqi and Shule, reinstated pro-Han rulers as kings, and successively recovered the various kingdoms in the Western Regions.

He summoned hostages from various Western Regions states back to the capital.

From this year onward, the Han Dynasty finally and completely surpassed the Later Han Dynasty.

In terms of national strength, population, and territory, it surpassed the peak period of the Later Han Dynasty.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this, and he was somewhat surprised by it.

Although it was already anticipated that with the concerted efforts of these capable individuals, the national strength of the Han Dynasty would develop extremely rapidly.

But he didn't expect that.

Everything went so smoothly.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy Gu Yi felt.

History can be revised at any time.

The emergence of the Gu family and the establishment of the Yan Han dynasty have completely exceeded the original historical record.

Significant changes have occurred in various aspects, including dynastic changes and the emergence of new systems.

Is the correction just going to disappear like this?
And the most important thing is——

Gu Yi remembered very clearly that in the original history, during the Three Kingdoms period and the early Western Jin Dynasty, there were quite a few disasters in the Nine Provinces.

This was also one of the main reasons for the large population decline at that time.

Although Gu Chen ended the chaotic world ahead of schedule.

But dynasties may change, but the times and celestial phenomena will not.
Although the Han Dynasty has experienced some disasters over the years, they are still much worse than the disasters recorded in the original history.

Gu Yi didn't believe that the celestial phenomena would suddenly change without any reason.

Although the Gu family's influence is already considerable, it is still far from enough to change the course of history.

How could that be?

Something was bound to change in this matter.

Although Gu Yi did not believe that with the current strength of the Han Dynasty, natural disasters could not harm the Han Dynasty.

But a deep sense of unease lingered in my heart.

Therefore, Gu Yi paid even more attention to the eighth generation of Gu family members who were born one after another.

A stable world can indeed stimulate population growth.

Even the Gu family was among them.

Compared to the previous predicament of the Gu family in terms of population, the number of the eighth generation of the Gu family far exceeded Gu Yi's expectations.

However, truly talented people are few and far between.

The only person worthy of Gu Yi's attention was a boy named "Gu Ye".

It's not because his attributes are particularly outstanding.

Compared to the attributes of the seventh-generation descendants, his attributes can only be considered average.

What truly drew Gu Yi's attention to him was his personality.

Perhaps because the world had changed so drastically, the Gu family’s belief in teaching by example had diminished, and the eighth generation of descendants were much more unconventional in character.

The ancestral precepts that all the family members once believed in and followed have become less important to these descendants.

This is definitely a risk for the Gu family's long-term plan.

Regardless, Gu Yi had to take action.

Even if it's just to improve the internal environment of the Gu family, he must re-establish the Gu family's beliefs in this generation!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"The reign of Yanxing marked a turning point in the world's transition from chaos to order, and ushered in the first prosperous era of comprehensive development in my country's medieval period."

After ending the separatist turmoil at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Yan Han dynasty implemented a people-centered governance strategy, achieving economic recovery through policies such as reducing taxes and levies and encouraging agriculture and sericulture. The cultivated land area nationwide increased more than three times compared to the chaotic period, and the population continued to rise at an average annual rate of 12 per thousand.

Politically, it established the recommendation and assessment system, pioneering a selection mechanism based on the general populace, thus setting a precedent for the imperial examination system in later generations.
The Yanxing New Law, formulated during this period, established the legislative principle of "morality as the primary principle and punishment as the secondary principle." Its provisions such as "relatives should conceal each other's crimes" and "the elderly and children should have their sentences reduced" have influenced later legal codes for over a thousand years.

The "Confucianism on the outside, Legalism on the inside" governance system that emerged during this period laid the foundation for the basic characteristics of later legal systems. Its governance experience of "lenient punishments and simplified administration" and "emphasizing agriculture and education" provided a valuable model for prosperous dynasties throughout history.

—From the People's Education Press history textbook (Grade 7, Volume 1)

(End of this chapter)