I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 64 - 25: Gu Cheng’s Passing, The Era Nears Its End

Chapter 64: Chapter 25: Gu Cheng’s Passing, The Era Nears Its End
This great victory completely dispelled the gloom brought on by Liu Zhuang’s passing.
For the entire Great Han;
—The pacification of the Western Regions thoroughly signaled the dawn of a flourishing era for the current Great Han.
Whether looking at external threats or national strength.
The Great Han of today.
Can completely be called a golden age!
....
For several days, all of Luoyang was immersed in joyous laughter.
No one could have predicted that things would develop to this extent.
However, this war, which didn’t require large-scale mobilization of troops and yet achieved its goals, was beneficial to all and harmful to none.
And it was precisely because of this that Gu Cheng’s reputation reached its peak.
Although not on par with Gu Kang in the hearts of the people.
It still far surpassed others.
Especially in the hearts of soldiers across the land, Gu Cheng’s name had begun to take on the aura of the young general of the former Han.
They all wanted to become someone like Gu Cheng.
At the very least, they wanted to follow him.
After all, those who followed him received massive rewards and titles.
Who wouldn’t envy that?
Indeed, after this campaign, Gu Cheng was directly elevated to the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry.
Granted the title of Marquis Pinglu, with an estate of two thousand households in Yangzhai County of Yingchuan Commandery.
In fact, this was only natural, as the merits of this campaign were genuinely immense.
Ban Chao and others were also directly promoted to the ranks of miscellaneous generals.
The scale of these rewards was only second to the founding era of Liu Xiu.
It seemed Liu Zhuang had long instructed Liu Da about these matters, and Liu Da executed them with remarkable ease.
Although the ministers were deeply shocked by this.
They simply had nothing to say.
Not to mention that Gu Kang was still present in court to fully suppress them.
Even if Gu Kang wasn’t there.
They couldn’t have stopped this from happening.
What else could they say?
Gu Cheng’s achievements this time were undeniably real.
In the past, Emperor Guangwu had vowed to pacify the Western Regions.
When Emperor Guangwu passed, Emperor Ming continued his ambition to sweep the Northern Xiongnu.
These were the unfulfilled wishes of two wise emperors.
—Now they were fulfilled by Gu Cheng!
Such merit, how could it be questioned?
But what came next was completely unexpected for everyone.
Gu Cheng fell seriously ill and needed to return to Luoyang to recuperate.
He resigned from the position of Protector of the Western Regions and recommended Ban Chao as the new Protector.
The moment this news reached Luoyang, it immediately stirred up a storm.
No one could have foreseen that the general who had just achieved such great merits for the entire Great Han and faced a promising future would suddenly become gravely ill.
After all, Liu Da was still young. He could completely handle rewards according to what Liu Zhuang had previously told him.
But now that the Western Regions were newly pacified.
The selection of a Protector was crucial.
Especially for such a position, who wouldn’t want to vie for it?
In this situation, Liu Da could only seek out Empress Dowager Ma.
Indeed, Empress Dowager Ma’s political acumen was exceptionally high.
Although Liu Zhuang had always suppressed the empress’s relatives, he still favored her greatly, discussing state affairs with her from time to time.
Because of this, Empress Dowager Ma had a precise judgment on political matters.
Upon hearing of these events.
She simply sent for Gu Kang.
The next day, Gu Kang reappeared in the court.
Though his face showed no sign of sorrow, to the ministers, his presence was still a tremendous pressure.
Gu Kang didn’t waste words.
He didn’t use his power to overwhelm others.
He simply spoke of Ban Chao’s merits and the fear and respect the people of the Western Regions had for him.
The ministers remained silent.
Thus, the matter was settled!
Gu Yi had been observing all of this, fully aware of Gu Cheng’s health status.
Gu Cheng wasn’t suffering from the internal injuries that Gu Xiao once had.
It’s just that in recent times, he had become overly exhausted.
The pressure he bore was beyond the reach of others.
Before, he managed to persist by holding onto a single resolve.
But now, that resolve had dissipated.
The sudden relaxation of mind and body, coupled with severe overexertion in previous days.
In modern medical terms, this might not have been a fatal issue.
But in the current era, Gu Cheng was indeed nearing his end.
"Alas..."
"Heaven does not favor one’s wishes, is the era of the second generation of the Gu Clan coming to an end?"
Gu Yi felt exceedingly complex.
He didn’t know how many achievements the second generation could bring him, and to this day, he wasn’t even aware of how many achievement points were required to manipulate a role again.
But one thing he was sure of....
Given the talents of the current third-generation members of the Gu Clan, they absolutely could not support the present Gu Clan.
The gradual passing of the second-generation members.
Would inevitably lead the Gu Clan to face a series of declines, which left Gu Yi somewhat uneasy.
After all, according to original history.
With Emperor Zhang’s accession....the prosperous period of the Eastern Han was counting down.
The future calamities, chaotic times, and everything else were evidently not things the present Gu Clan could avoid.
But he couldn’t change anything now.
.....
In the Protectorate of the Western Regions, Yanqi.
The atmosphere was particularly heavy.
The generals now had the utmost respect for Gu Cheng.
This was a sentiment that outsiders found hard to comprehend.
To put it simply, for them, as long as Gu Cheng gave the order, even if the enemy had thousands of troops, they would have an unwavering belief in victory.
This was the prestige Gu Cheng now held in the military.
But, a hero’s twilight comes, and Gu Cheng ultimately fell.
The severe depletion of his bodily functions was irreversible.
Months ago, he could still charge through the battlefield, bravely slaying the enemy, but now he was so weak that even getting up was extremely difficult.