Chapter 617: Chapter 84: Li Longji’s Self-Reproach, Orchestrating the Entire Situation

——Li Longji was ill.

A few words from Gu Xuan thoroughly tore apart all his dignities, exposing all his problems to the world.

He could not refute them.

Nor could he rebuke the Gu Clan anymore.

If someone else had said these words, he might have had the chance to accuse them of being "sycophants."

Even though this would be somewhat forced, at least on the surface, Li Longji might have been able to maintain his own dignity.

But this was the Gu Clan!

Holding the posthumous edict of the "Emperor for the Ages," Emperor Taizong!

Moreover, from any perspective, the Gu Clan had done no wrong.

First, it was Li Longji who abandoned the Gu Clan.

The Gu Clan showed no dissatisfaction towards this.

Secondly, when Li Heng ascended to the throne, it was the court officials who supported him, and the Gu Clan neither participated in this nor used Emperor Taizong’s edict.

Later, when they returned to power, it was the Emperor himself who went to the Champion Marquis Mansion to employ the Gu Clan.

What did this have to do with the Gu Clan?

Precisely because of this, from any angle, Li Longji could not deny Gu Xuan’s words.

Likewise, he seemed to have lost the desire to.

The words spoken by Gu Yi through Gu Xuan seemed to have finally awakened this Emperor, who had a chance to become a "Sovereign of the Ages," to his destiny.

He accepted his fate.

Though it was meaningless, he still summoned the world as a retired emperor to acknowledge Li Heng’s throne.

Subsequently——

Issued an edict confessing his mistakes to the world.

Claiming that he had forgotten his original intentions, and also forgotten the earnest teachings of the Marquis Zhongxiang from years past, and now he has finally come to an awakening, and so on.

In his current status, no one really cared about these things.

But when put in the context of the entire empire, it naturally had different implications.

...

Gu Yi certainly did not care about any of this.

Whether Li Longji was genuinely remorseful or simply fearful, he didn’t care at all; after resolving this matter, he immediately rushed to Tong Pass.

Gu Yi certainly would not interfere in the military affairs.

He was well aware of his current capabilities; compared to those generals who could be remembered in history, he truly wasn’t comparable.

This action, apart from using the name of the Gu Clan to stabilize the morale of the troops.

Was also meant to learn from experience.

Even though in the modern era of peace, this experience might not prove useful.

But Gu Yi was quite certain——

That these experiences might be needed one day in the future.

This was a calamity that the eternal prosperity of the Gu Clan had to face.

By now, Gu Yi had come to value his learning opportunities more than when he first entered the game.

This was something Gu Yi had completely overlooked when he first entered the game.

At that time, he only thought of building the family through the game, so he could achieve great success in modern times.

But perhaps witnessing generation after generation of the Gu Clan’s members striving for the sake of the entire family had silently changed his thinking.

Great success was merely the foundation.

To ensure that the Gu Clan remained prominent in modern times, his abilities must also grow.

Only in this way could he live up to the efforts of generations.

The renown of the Gu Clan needed no elaboration.

When Gu Xuan, representing the Patriarch of the Gu Clan, led a group of Gu Clan disciples to Tong Pass, the internal panic among the soldiers as well as various external factors came to a halt instantly on that day.

——The morale of the troops soared!

Although Gu Xuan did not say much, the moment the Gu Clan appeared, the soldiers had already strengthened their resolve.

The royal flag of the Great Tang and the banner of the Gu Clan were raised over Tong Pass.

At the same time——

Gu Yi, while controlling Gu Xuan under the title of the Patriarch of the Gu Clan, denounced An Lushan as a treacherous rebel, aiming to influence An Lushan’s army morale with a more overwhelming momentum.

Do not forget, An Lushan’s rebellion was under the pretext of "ensuring the peace and stability of the empire, deposing the foolish and elevating the wise, reinstating a new monarch!".

He assumed Li Longji would remain on the throne.

But now, the Emperor was Li Heng, who had also reinstated the Gu Clan by handing over significant power to Gu Xuan.

This was enough to render An Lushan’s pretext void.

Of course, this move couldn’t directly subdue An Lushan’s rebellion.

But titles and reputations have always held a uniquely high position in Kyushu.

This stood for righteousness.

In the first year of Zhide, February.

The Gu Clan of Julu seized the opportunity, under the banner of "quelling rebellion and punishing traitors," integrating rebellious forces across the Hebei region, and initiated organized harassment at the rear of the rebel army, focusing on attacking the supply routes of An Lushan’s forces.

Meanwhile, many Gu Clan members flocked to various parts of Hebei.

In the name of the Gu Clan, they pacified the civilians who had been bewitched by the rebel army.

——The flames of war were thoroughly ignited.

At this time, An Lushan’s forces had already approached Tong Pass. Despite a rapid march consistent with the original historical trajectory, their pace in conquering Luoyang was notably delayed.

The Gu Clan’s obstruction was the main reason.

Including various efforts secretly orchestrated by Gu Yi, all brought considerable trouble to An Lushan.

The scenarios where garrisons surrendered at the mere sight of the rebels, as seen in historical records, were no longer replicable.

In just over a month.

This war, initially expected to be a simple affair of attack and defense, rapidly evolved into a tough seesaw battle.

At the same time, there were matters in the Western Regions.

The Gu Clan had made considerable strides in the Western Regions over the years; although it couldn’t be said that the entire Western Regions were now fully integrated into the Central Plains.

Yet within the Western Regions.

A fair number of civilians identified themselves as part of the Great Tang as well.