I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 162 - 61: Human Effort Cannot Mend a Fallen Heaven; Gu Xi Dies and Han Collapses (Part 2)

Chapter 162: Chapter 61: Human Effort Cannot Mend a Fallen Heaven; Gu Xi Dies and Han Collapses (Part 2)

A thousand men led by son-in-law Niu Fu charged directly at the Han Army’s granary.

Another two thousand men launched a surprise attack on Gu Xi’s rear.

Gu Xi’s granary was located on the western outskirts of Huai County, with the northern side backed by the remnants of Taihang Mountain’s Cyan Dragon Ridge and the south connected to the Dan River Valley, making it a place easy to defend and hard to attack.

This was a very reasonable tactical arrangement.

Provisions are of utmost importance to the army, and Gu Xi certainly wouldn’t burden Luoyang with all the responsibility.

Jia Xu’s tactic was to seize this opportunity, aiming to pressure Gu Xi’s army regarding the provisions.

Three battalions rushed off.

Dong Zhuo was originally born into a powerful clan in Liangzhou State, especially skilled in horse riding and archery, and he befriended Qiang tribal leaders from an early age, with most of his followers being Qiang cavalry.

These people were particularly adept at surprise attacks.

Under the current circumstances, this indeed served a great purpose.

These soldiers didn’t even know who they were facing, yet they commenced the charge against Gu Xi’s army.

Gu Xi truly did not anticipate such a huge change.

Dong Zhuo’s detour indeed served as a masterstroke.

The Qiang cavalry, suddenly entering the battlefield, instantly broke apart the encirclement Gu Xi had set up against the rebels.

In the face of such a drastic change.

The rebels, who had always been watching Gu Xi’s army movements, naturally would not let it go unchallenged.

The rebels hidden within the mountains and marshes launched a counterattack once more.

Fortunately, Gu Xi was leading the most elite central army this time.

The most crucial aspect was having Gu Xi there, instilling an unyielding belief in victory among the troops, preventing a complete collapse due to the sudden turn of events!

This is the importance of morale.

If the army were to disband, under such circumstances, it would surely meet with a disastrous defeat.

However, under the current situation, the entire imperial army quickly found itself at a disadvantage.

Dong Zhuo certainly won’t show mercy.

When he chose to lead his army through the pass, he had already left himself no retreat; he spread rumors claiming "The imperial army’s granary is destroyed", hoping to further unsettle the army’s morale.

The situation dramatically changed.

On the entire battlefield, the sounds of killing persisted.

Inside the military camp.

The atmosphere was exceptionally tense.

"Report!!! To the Grand Tutor, the rebels have broken through and surrounded us, and we are caught in a pincer movement!"

"Report! Grand Tutor... the enemy has broken through our right flank..."

"..."

Faced with one battle report after another, Gu Xi’s expression also changed somewhat at this moment.

His eyes were full of murderous intent.

While overseeing the whole realm from within Luoyang, how could Gu Xi be unaware of Dong Zhuo stationing troops in Anyi?

It was just something he had not paid attention to.

This wasn’t because of Gu Xi’s arrogance, but due to the prevailing situation.

In this battle, his aim was to utterly crush the ambitions of the powerful noble families with a thunderous force.

Moreover, there were already numerous private soldiers throughout the world.

If everyone had to be concerned about this, then he wouldn’t need to think about these things anymore.

In Gu Xi’s view, he only needed one great victory to suppress those with intentions throughout the world.

Additionally, the eight passes of Luoyang were important strategic points.

Though Anyi was close to Luoyang,

attempting to directly bypass the eight passes and enter Henei was nothing but a fool’s dream.

He set the battlefield in Henei precisely to use Luoyang as a safeguard against any worries from behind.

But for Dong Zhuo to suddenly appear here now, there must be one reason.

— Something went wrong in Luoyang, something went wrong with Empress Dowager He!

Only the empress dowager’s decree from Empress Dowager He.

could open the gates of the eight passes.

But it is already too late to consider these things at this moment.

Gu Xi must stabilize the current situation.

He was indifferent to Dong Zhuo’s claim that the "granary" was destroyed.

Regardless of whether it was truly destroyed or not, even if it really was destroyed, it would hardly affect the current situation.

He had no intention whatsoever of going back to assist.

What Gu Xi really needed to consider was how to resolve the current predicament.

Faced with such a situation, his talent in commanding troops was fully unleashed.

Gu Xi quickly made a judgment, instructing the Yue Cavalry Camp to harass the enemy’s attack lightly while he led the three armies to retreat.

Gu Yi had been observing the entire battle and was not surprised by this decision.

How could the methods of noble families be so simple?

In the face of profits, anyone could become a pawn in others’ hands.

What’s so surprising about that?

He initially thought Gu Xi would choose to retreat back to Huai County, given the current situation, retreating to Huai County to plan for the future seemed the most steady course of action.

But to his astonishment, Gu Xi had no such intention.

How could Gu Xi retreat?

This battle, intended to be relentless, intended to achieve peace in the world with one battle.

As long as he retreated, there would be no chance of success.

Even if he could fight back later, it would be useless.

Because his "undefeated" stature would be shattered.

Then, the noble families around the world could cultivate countless people to wear down Gu Xi.

How could he allow such a thing to happen?

To Gu Xi, though the current situation was dangerous, it was not entirely hopeless.

The Gu Clan’s descendants in recent generations all have one advantage, which is pragmatism.

Gu Xi had long meticulously explored the surrounding terrain, deciding to take advantage of this opportunity with the rebels pouring out, using the terrain to completely subdue them.

He selected a dangerous pass located on the southern slope of Taihang Mountain — Cyan Dragon Creek.

The terrain was very unique there.

Narrow ancient roads on both sides, cliffs a hundred meters high, and forested mountain tops.

Back when Gu Xi examined the terrain, he mentioned it being a place for ambush, it just hadn’t occurred to him that it would be used under these circumstances.

He ordered the three armies to act as if they were retreating in defeat, with the intent to lure the enemy entirely.

Abandon small benefits to catch a large enemy.

And utilize the time gained by the light cavalry of Yue Cavalry Camp.

Quickly setting up an ambush.

Utilizing fire attacks to ensure all rebels remained in this location, achieving a single decisive victory over the entire land!

This was destined to be an extremely risky move.

Even the central army officers, who had absolute confidence in Gu Xi, were visibly perturbed.