I Can Control My Ancestors

The development of the situation did not deviate from his expectations.

Julu.

Facing the envoys sent by the various states, Gu Yan was courteous, but his attitude toward these countries was like that of the younger members of the Gu Clan.

— Disdainful.

These people underestimated the Gu Clan in the end.

The conditions proposed by these countries were things that the Gu Clan could easily disregard.

Some promised to establish Gu’s School as National Studies, some offered the hereditary position of Grand Tutor, and some even boasted that when the world was unified, they would give the Gu Clan half of the kingdom.

Such offers might be hard to refuse for other noble families.

But the Gu Clan is different after all.

As Gu Jin said — How many times in its hundreds of years has the Gu Clan been able to ascend to the throne? If even the throne couldn’t tempt them, why would they covet the "half kingdom" given by others?

Everything was as Zhao Kuangyin expected —

These people neither understood the Gu Clan nor the increasingly intense new trends, which were far beyond their old understanding of the world.

Inside the study of the Gu Mansion, the lamp’s shadows gently swayed.

Gu Jin stood before his father, a hint of mockery on his lips:

"Father, Meng Chang even sent a few beauties, trying to use them to win the Gu Clan’s allegiance — truly laughable."

Gu Yan shook his head and chuckled at his words.

Even though not all members of the Gu Clan were saints, this level of scheming was too low-end; what kind of woman could the Gu Clan children not marry?

No one knows how many emperors have thought of marrying into the Gu Clan to gain their support over the years.

He looked up at his eldest son and asked calmly, "Now that all the envoys have arrived, what do you think?"

"Song!"

Speaking of serious matters, Gu Jin’s expression immediately turned solemn, and he declared emphatically, "I have heard that Zhao Kuangyin is currently vigorously promoting reforms within the Song territory, and the new policies align well with the new Confucianism of Gu’s School."

He paused slightly, his voice becoming even steadier:

"I believe that if Zhao Kuangyin maintains his resolve and his reign is long-lasting, he is undoubtedly the one who will unify the world in the future!"

Gu Yan nodded in agreement.

He was fully aware of Zhao Kuangyin’s reforms within the country.

Although the news came back a bit slowly, and there has been no mention of changes within the Song territory, Gu Jin’s ability to discern was enough to infer some truths.

Of course, although the Gu Clan highly regarded Zhao Kuangyin’s reforms,

they would not directly choose to support Zhao Kuangyin.

In times of chaos —

A family like the Gu Clan needs to hang high in the sky to be sought after by others.

Especially now that the Gu Clan has already brought the strength of Julu into the light.

The attitude of anyone toward the Gu Clan.

Is also a factor they all need to consider.

Of course, Gu Jin’s series of means will naturally not stop at this. He is a typical member of the Gu Clan.

With the premise that the Gu Clan will not directly enter the era of strife,

he utilized all the resources and prestige of the Gu Clan to the fullest, whether it was Gu Academy, Yunshao Pavilion, or the sea routes currently controlled by the Gu Clan, even Ryukyu.

He used all these to create an unseen influence, accelerating the process of unification.

...

In the third year of Jianlong.

After more than two years of reform, the Song territory was finally fully prepared.

And Zhao Kuangyin was evidently a thoroughly structured person.

He did not seek deeper reforms or continuously pursue greater national power.

Once everything was ready,

he immediately proclaimed Qian De, beginning the process of unifying the world.

As he said — At my bedside, how could I allow others to snore?

His first target was Later Shu.

It is worth noting that, even though the Gu Clan had never made any explicit statement, there was always hope placed on the Gu Clan among the nations of the world, with ruler after ruler sending people to Julu.

And Gu Jin occasionally made some noise, proclaiming the Gu Clan’s extraordinariness.

And continuously controlled public opinion through Gu Academy and Yunshao Pavilion.

It was this point that gave many people unrealistic ideas.

To put it simply,

Gu Jin’s series of tactics was a process of sieving the sands, where the capable would not be affected, while the incapable would focus all their efforts here, accomplishing nothing meaningful.

This seems to be unremarkable, but it was extremely useful.

Not to mention anything else, the disparity in national power among the countries of the world became increasingly evident.

And Zhao Kuangyin was pleased with this outcome.

Although he did not visit Julu, he somehow felt a sense of connection with the Gu Clan across a thousand miles.

This might be an unusual tacit understanding among capable individuals.

In the first year of Qian De, July.

Zhao Kuangyin officially mobilized his troops.

Led by Wang Quanbin, Jiedu Envoy of the loyal martial army, one army moved south along the Jialing River from Fengzhou, focusing on the northern strategic points of Later Shu;

Another army, under the command of Liu Guangyi, commander of the infantry guards, departed from Guizhou State, advancing west along the Yangtze River, attacking Shu Region from both sides.

And he himself commanded the central army.

Currently, the national power of the Great Song was indeed significantly stronger.

Especially,

compared to the original historical timeline, Zhao Kuangyin’s campaign against Later Shu started nearly two years earlier.

Just this fact alone was enough to illustrate the disparity in national power among the nations of the world.

And the outcome of this battle was equally astonishing.

In less than a year, the Song Army broke through the natural barrier at Jianmen, defeating the main force of the Shu Army in Lizhou, and capturing the Grand General of Later Shu, Wang Zhaoyuan.