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

Chapter 56: The Beginning of Reform, Facing Zhang Jue

This is bound to be an event that will affect the entire Han Dynasty.

Gu Xi's reputation was so high that it far surpassed that of Emperor Liu Hong.

Liu Hong was destined to be inferior to Liu Zhi.

Under the influence of Gu Xi, Liu Zhi showed kindness to the people in the first few years after he ascended the throne.

But Liu Hong is different.

The people's first impression of Liu Hong was that he didn't need Gu Xi.

Moreover, the subsequent Han Dynasty continued to develop in a worse and worse direction. How could such an emperor be better than Gu Xi?

Everyone is looking forward to Gu Xi sending troops, which will allow the children of each family to gain prestige.

And Gu Xi did not refuse this matter.

But to everyone's surprise, just before the troops were dispatched, Gu Xi suddenly submitted a memorial.

He is going to change the core system of the Han Dynasty in the name of "suppressing the enemy"!

——Land and the system of recommendation!
Gu Xi actually planned to set up a "special department for suppressing the rebellion" in the name of suppressing the rebels, allowing poor families to be qualified to be selected as filial and honest officials by "suppressing the rebels" or "donating 1,000 stones of grain."

They also wanted to confiscate nearly 30% of the land owned by the aristocratic families as "public land for suppressing the rebellion."

These lands were reincorporated into public land and used for military farming and to support soldiers in order to quell rebellions.

Under normal circumstances, this move would obviously not be successful.

Because these two actions are shaking the foundations of the aristocratic families.

Gu Xi obviously understood this.

So he named these arrangements "wartime" and planned to retreat in order to advance.

This is definitely a huge change.

Gu Xi has fully realized the core problem of the current situation in the Han Dynasty.

The clans' annexation of land and various problems in resource allocation have created the undercurrents of the current situation.

Party strife began, which in turn led to unclear governance, bringing this matter to the forefront and contributing to the current situation.

For Gu Xi.

What would happen even if the Yellow Turban Rebellion was resolved?
The world situation is at this point, if the core problem cannot be completely resolved.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there will definitely be another major chaos.

He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to solve the fundamental problems of the Han Dynasty and quickly stabilize the situation after the rebellion was quelled.

This incident instantly caused a huge uproar in the court!

No one expected Gu Xi to behave like this; even Gu's allies began to hesitate.

But the wonderful thing about Gu Xi is that he grasped an extremely appropriate key point.

That is, the Yellow Turbans are very powerful now!
The people's resentment had already destined them to commit looting when they entered the prefectures and counties.

The big families are all very secretive about this.

However, even so, the matter was not finalized directly.

This cover only plunged the matter into controversy and prevented it from being suppressed directly, but people from all sides spoke out one after another.

The matter actually came to a stalemate under this situation.

However, Gu Xi was not in a hurry. He seemed to have made up his mind to complete this matter.

Under such circumstances, the atmosphere in Luoyang became weird again.

But the situation in various places will not stop because of this.

The news of Gu Xi commanding the troops had already spread like wildfire and spread very quickly throughout the world.

His reputation is so high!
Even before setting off, it is enough to have a huge impact on overall morale.

The Yellow Turban Army in various places were all greatly affected at once.

Of course, faced with such a situation, Zhang Jiao would not remain indifferent.

He seemed to have anticipated this and had a plan to deal with it.

Zhang Jiao is indeed much stronger.

Now, on the battlefield of Jizhou, he was not defeated by Lu Zhi as in the original history, but instead had the upper hand.

Of course, this does not mean that Lu Zhi has become weaker.

It’s just because Zhang Jue has become stronger.

He made perfect use of the Yellow Turban Army's base in Jizhou and mobilized the people to help him gather information.

At the same time, he used his knowledge of the mountains and terrain of Jizhou to carry out various ambushes.

They also send people to carry out small-scale harassment from time to time.

All these measures made Lu Zhi extremely annoyed.

Keep the entire Han army in a state of exhaustion at all times.

This has a huge impact on combat effectiveness.

He seemed to have been waiting for this day. After hearing the battle reports from various places, he immediately held a more grand sacrificial ceremony in Yecheng.

night.

Dark clouds covered the sky and the stars were hidden.

Thousands of torches were piled up in Yecheng.

The raging flames seemed to penetrate the darkness and illuminate the entire sky.

Countless believers wearing yellow scarves gathered here, their eyes full of fanaticism, and the altar in the center of the fire, everyone's eyes were full of fanaticism.

"The time has come~", a loud shout pierced the night sky.

In an instant, a passage was cleared through the crowd.

Zhang Jiao, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe and holding a nine-section staff, walked out slowly with steady steps.

His expression was solemn, as if he had merged with the heaven and earth. Against the backdrop of the firelight, he appeared extremely majestic.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhang Jue stepped onto the altar.

In an instant, the whole world seemed to freeze, everyone held their breath and looked at him quietly.

The atmosphere around them became increasingly fanatical, and the believers' bodies began to tremble slightly, showing how much they were looking forward to it.

Zhang Jue ignored everyone and focused on casting spells.

He took out a handful of talisman paper, burned it to ashes under the gaze of everyone, and then put it into clean water.

"The holy water is ready!" His voice was deep and powerful, as if it carried a kind of magic. "The Yellow Heaven will bless us and make us invulnerable to swords and guns!"
As his words fell, deafening cheers rang out instantly.

Zhang Jue stood on the altar, looking at the crowd, slightly spreading his arms and saying loudly: "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall be established!"

"Today, we will defeat the enemy and build our own Yellow Sky!!"

Loud shouts rang out!

And the very next day, Zhang Jue suddenly launched an attack on Lu Zhi.

The entire Yellow Turban Army was like a beast ready to attack, unstoppable.

The crazy attack caught Lu Zhi completely off guard.

——The situation changed suddenly!
On the battlefield, the sound of fighting shook the earth.

The sound of swords clashing and the wailing of the wounded were intertwined and deafening.

Lu Zhi, wearing armor, stood in front of the formation. Looking at the tragic battle situation in front of him, his face became extremely solemn.

"Crazy, they're all crazy!" he muttered to himself, "Are they trying to drag our army to death?"

He just couldn't understand it.

The news that Gu Xi was appointed as the commander should have frightened the Yellow Turban Army, so why are they so crazy now?

But the situation at this moment did not allow him to think too much.

Lu Zhi made a quick decision. He knew that he could not fight any further, so he decisively ordered his troops to retreat and wait for Gu Xi to come to support him.

But since Zhang Jue had already made this preparation, how could he let Lu Zhi retreat so easily?
He personally led his troops in pursuit.

He forced Lu Zhi into desperate situations several times.

Fortunately, the overall combat effectiveness of the Yellow Turban Army was not strong, and its discipline was not high, which allowed Lu Zhi to seize the opportunity to retreat.

But it also came at a heavy price.

The most important thing is that Handan was lost!
The loss of Yecheng and Handan completely severed the court's control over the entire Jizhou.

The most important thing is that if Zhang Jiao was brave enough, he would have carried out his plan to slay the dragon.

He could also march directly into Hanoi.

And then threaten the entire Luoyang!
The situation changes again!
The original word "crisis" is no longer enough to describe the current situation.

This sudden change is enough to threaten Luoyang, and the Han Dynasty is in danger of extinction!

Zhang Jue's battle completely ignited the madness of the Yellow Turban Army. Everyone seemed to have seen the scene of their invasion of Luoyang City.

Under such circumstances, it seemed that everyone had sensed the fatal crisis.

Finally, it was settled!
Gu Yi has been watching all this silently.

The development of the current situation has far exceeded the original history.

Zhang Jue is too strong.

Although he had never followed Gu Xi, he had learned a lot from Gu's private school and the various rumors about Gu Xi.

He is even better at deifying himself and boosting morale.

Moreover, in terms of commanding the overall battle situation, he far surpassed the original history.

This is indeed a big variable!

However, Gu Yi still believed that the Yellow Turban Rebellion could not destroy the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Jiao couldn't solve the key factor.

That is, the Yellow Turban Army lacks high-end talents.

Both the religious nature of Taiping Dao and their core demands are in core conflict with the clans that control high-end talents in the current era.

This is a completely unsolvable problem.

As long as this problem exists, the future outcome of the Yellow Turban Rebellion is doomed.

What really concerned Gu Yi was Gu Xi's behavior.

It was obvious that his focus was not just on quelling the rebellion. He wanted to take this opportunity to completely redistribute everything in the Han Dynasty and revitalize it.

Gu Yi currently has no idea what kind of major changes this will cause.

But obviously
The history that follows will be completely different!

——February, the sixth year of Jianning.

Gu Xi left Luoyang again.

On the day of the expedition, the whole city was in an uproar.

Maybe it was because the world situation was too tense, or maybe it was because his own children were involved in it.

The big families also attached great importance to this. They had publicized the matter long ago and used various means to build momentum for it.

And Liu Hong seemed to have finally remembered his mission as emperor.

He personally saw Gu Xi off outside the city gate, and in front of everyone in Luoyang, he acted like a wise ruler and a loyal minister.

The burden of the entire Han Dynasty was once again placed on Gu Xi's shoulders.

This kind of scene can indeed deceive many people.

Compared to the people in all directions, because Gu Xi was in Luoyang, the people in Luoyang were actually the least affected by the disaster.

In fact, the disputes between eunuchs and scholars did not directly affect their lives.

This is the capital, and Gu Xi is still in the capital.

How could any official be so bold as to commit murder in Luoyang?

People have always been like this.

Before you truly feel despair, it is extremely easy to be deceived by various appearances.

At the very least, what Liu Hong has done now has deceived many people, and they once again feel that the Han Dynasty will be out of danger.

Gu Xi's expression didn't change at all.

He simply performed the usual etiquette between a monarch and his subject to Liu Hong, and then immediately led his men away without any reluctance to linger.

In the current situation, the Yellow Turban rebels are spread across all states in the world.

Gu Xi would naturally not go to various places in person. For him, he had only one goal.

——That was Zhang Jiao who was in Hebei.

But he would not allow the generals of other states and counties to act on their own and send the children of various ethnic groups to various places to use his name to shock the morale of the Han army.

And in the name of Taifu, he issued the "Memorial to Suppress the Yellow Turbans" to the world!

He had already analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the Yellow Turbans.

Morale is an extremely critical factor for the Yellow Turban Army.

This is why he allowed the aristocratic families to stuff their offspring into it.

The combined efforts of the aristocratic families had an effect far greater than that of one person alone. This was Gu Xi's first blow to the Yellow Turban Army in the hearts of the people.

As for the second item, it is to limit the murderous intentions of the generals who are fighting against bandits in various places.

——It is required that those who surrender should not be killed.

He also announced to the world that anyone who surrendered would not be punished.

Those who have made contributions will be rewarded with land and exempted from taxes for two years.

In addition to killing those who stubbornly resisted, their families would also be implicated and sent to the frontier to open up farmland.

This is the killer move.

Morale is something that starts off strong, then weakens, and finally disappears.

Zhang Jue's great victory did indeed boost the morale of the Yellow Turban Army in various places, but how could he compare to Gu Xi's reputation?
This is the reputation cultivated by several generations of Gu family members, and finally added to the reputation of Gu Xi alone!
This kind of reputation can turn the situation around!

Now he has completely opened this gap and fundamentally changed the fighting spirit of the Yellow Turban Army.

Sure enough, when the news spread.

The Yellow Turban Army in various places was shocked.

The states and counties with an advantage in the battle situation are fine. Although their morale has been damaged, it is not enough to affect the battle situation.

Every state that is gradually declining seems to have opened a gap.

——The situation changed suddenly!
Although Gu Xi had not yet arrived at the battlefield, these strategies that influenced people's hearts had already dealt a blow to the Yellow Turban Army.

He seemed to have thought of everything already.

Afterwards, he sent people to all directions one after another.

In Yuzhou, he gave up on rescuing Huangfu Song who was in a difficult situation.

He adopted the strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao, and ordered Gu Tao, Cao Cao and others to lead light cavalry to Yangdi, the hub of the Yellow Turban Army's food supply route, forcing Bo Cai to withdraw his defense line.

This was done to save Huangfu Song from danger.

They also spread rumors along the way, saying that the officers and soldiers had conquered the important Yellow Turban town "Wancheng".

Once again stirring up unrest among the people.

At the same time, various arrangements were also made in each state.

He had already thought of everything and sent his men directly to attack the weak points of the Yellow Turban Army and completely cut off their mutual connections.

Taking advantage of his enormous reputation.

In terms of the war situation and people's hearts, the living space of the Yellow Turban Army was constantly being compressed.

Although he has not personally been to the battlefields in various states, he has already made plans and is ready to win battles thousands of miles away.

A series of arrangements quickly stabilized the precarious situation and the precarious Han.

He himself went straight to Hanoi to replace Lu Zhi and face Zhang Jue directly.
Hanoi County.

When Gu Xi arrived here, he was like a beam of light, and finally the morale of the Han army improved a little.

"Your humble servant pays homage to the Grand Tutor." Lu Zhi's condition was indeed a little bad at this time.

Zhang Jue's arrangement in Jizhou brought him a disastrous defeat.

After such a great defeat, if the Yellow Turban Army really wanted to slay the dragon, he would really become a sinner of the Han Dynasty.

This was difficult for Lu Zhi to accept.

"Zi Gan, there's no need to be so." Gu Xi waved his hand, his expression indifferent. "Zhang Jiao has a high reputation in Jizhou. It's really hard for you to compete with him. This is not your fault."

Lu Zhi still kept his head down and was unwilling to get up.

At this moment, a young man with a rather strange appearance behind him quickly stood up and helped him up.

The young man has thick earlobes and long arms.

In this era, having characteristics that are different from ordinary people is often considered extraordinary.

"Who are you?" Gu Xi looked at the young man with interest and asked.

The young man seemed to be surprised by Gu Xi's sudden question. After a moment's hesitation, he quickly bowed and replied, "Taifu, my name is Liu Bei, and my courtesy name is Xuande."

"She is the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan."

"I learned from Master Lu."

Lu Zhi quickly took over and pointed at the people in the tent: "Master, these are my students."

"They all have a desire to serve their country, so they come to help me."

Gu Xi nodded slightly, looked at the young men in the tent, and finally set his eyes on the calm and composed Liu Bei again, and said softly, "He is indeed extraordinary."

These words instantly froze the atmosphere in the tent.

No one expected that Gu Xi would comment on Lu Zhi's disciples.

With Gu Xi's identity, his words are enough to make a person famous all over the world and will be of great help to his future career.

Liu Bei was even more surprised and delighted, with an expression of disbelief on his face, and he quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

But Gu Xi just waved his hand.

Gu Xi waved his hand. He just said it casually. Although Liu Bei was indeed extraordinary, it was not enough to make him pay special attention.

Then he began to plan the next strategy.

Gu Xi seemed to have thought of everything already, and then began to arrange the next strategy in detail.

Although Zhang Jue's methods were indeed beyond his expectations.

But for Gu Xi.

The Yellow Turban Army is no longer a concern until they have completely resolved their fundamental internal problems.

His understanding of human hearts is far beyond the reach of others.

Zhang Jue had used these methods before when providing relief for natural disasters.

He quickly made a series of arrangements.

First, he sent people to Jizhou to spread the news that he had arrived.

Zhang Jiao's reputation in Jizhou is indeed unmatched!
But how can he compare to Gu Xi?
Who is Gu Xi?

——Gu family members!
The Gu family’s business in Hebei for so many years was not in vain.

Especially Gu Kang's generation.

If we were to ask which province or county in the world today holds the most solemn sacrifices for Gu Kang, it would undoubtedly be Jizhou!
It can really be said that Gu Kang has raised the entire Jizhou to another level.

Whether it was fertilizing the fields or controlling floods, it all started in Jizhou.

Gu Xi had long been regarded as the human incarnation of Gu Kang.

This kind of reputation cannot be completely surpassed by Zhang Jiao in just ten years of efforts.

This move instantly affected the morale of the Yellow Turban Army.

Even Zhang Jiao couldn't stop it completely.

Afterwards, Gu Xi even performed a sacrifice, leading the three armies to offer sacrifices to the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty and Gu Kang, and publicly listed the crimes of the Yellow Turbans!
This move completely boosted the morale of the Han army!

At the same time, Gu Xi also created artificial miracles one after another, which fundamentally affected the morale of the Yellow Turban Army again.

Afterwards, Gu Xi prepared the three armies.

——Return to Jizhou.

He just wants to appear extremely proactive.

In terms of momentum, suppress Zhang Jiao's momentum!
Gu Xi's name is indeed too famous.

The Taiping Dao, an organization with a religious nature, has indeed greatly enhanced its spreadability.

But what followed was that these Taoists became even more convinced of the superstition of prophecies and divinations!
When it comes to superstition in prophecies and divination, Zhang Jiao has already highly praised himself.

But how can it compare to Gu's?
Since the time of Gu Kang, there have been various legends about the Gu family.

Not to mention that Gu Xi later defeated the natural disaster and never lost in his life.

The legends about him far surpassed those about Zhang Jue, which had a great impact on the morale of the entire Yellow Turban Army.

And the most important thing is that Gu Xi has already opened a gap.

As long as the person who surrenders can not only be exempted from punishment.

There is also an opportunity to acquire land.

But if you resist stubbornly, not only your life will be in danger, but your family will also be at risk of being implicated.

Under these factors, how could the Yellow Turban Army maintain stable morale?

Zhang Jue's advantage when facing Lu Zhi.

Now it is gone.

And under this situation, the Yellow Turban Army, which obviously had more troops, actually gradually lost its momentum.

First, Yellow Turbans from Linzhang County came to surrender one after another.

Gu Xi seized the opportunity and sent troops to attack Linzhang directly. On March 20, he crossed the Zhang River and captured Chizhang County and Ye County.

Completely cut off Yecheng from Handan.

During this period, Zhang Jue would certainly not let it go.

He sent troops one after another.

But without exception, when he was not leading the army in person, facing the army led by Gu Xi, these Yellow Turban troops would often cause internal chaos, which in turn affected the entire battle situation.

It's impossible to stop Gu Xi.

This is the harm caused by reputation reversal!
Face others.

Most of Zhang Jue's followers are fanatical about Zhang Jue.

But now facing Gu Xi, they couldn't be absolutely fanatical after all.

——People will eventually be affected by the environment.

When Zhang Jiao's reputation is not enough to surpass Gu Xi's, this backlash will become particularly obvious.
(End of this chapter)