I Can Control My Ancestors

Liu Jiye ultimately surrendered.

It was not because of anything else; he was not a man who feared death, nor had he forgotten the ambition in his heart.

It was simply because he witnessed the current plight of Northern Han.

The Song Army’s five divisions marched on Taiyuan.

This blocked many of his channels for acquiring information, though he already knew about the civil unrest within Northern Han, seeing it with his own eyes was different.

Indeed, the Song Army had already traversed Taiyuan, formally becoming involved in Northern Han’s internal conflict.

Although the civil unrest was not long.

The current situation of Northern Han’s citizens was still extremely difficult.

Beyond a hundred miles of Taiyuan City, no smoke rose from chimneys.

The scorched earth was scattered with broken spears, blood-stained rags, and unburied corpses, gnawed beyond recognition by wild dogs.

A peculiar smell hung in the air—

A mix of blood and burnt flesh, with a tinge of the cold spring humidity, chilling one’s throat to the heart.

Along the roadside, old women crawled, digging with bare hands in the ruins.

Even though their fingertips were worn and bleeding, they mechanically rummaged, perhaps hoping to find half a bag of millet or a few copper coins.

Countless children’s skeletons were just discarded on the ground like that.

In every household, it was difficult to find a strong man.

No one wished to ponder the cause of these children’s deaths, though these people were killers on the battlefield, it still shook their very souls.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but devastation.

This was the current Northern Han.

—External enemies, internal unrest.

All this had plunged the already weak Northern Han into complete collapse.

Of course, the Song Army had their role in this too.

After all, fighting with the Song Army was also affecting the entire Northern Han situation.

But who could distinguish right from wrong in all this?

What remained in Liu Jiye’s heart were only the words "the rise and fall of Kyushu."

No, it was not Liu Jiye.

Now he should be called "Yang Ye."

Zhao Kuangyin had restored his surname, and Gu Jin did not disband his confidants, giving him complete trust.

Whether it was Zhao Kuangyin or Gu Jin.

Both were exceedingly proud individuals.

They did not place much value on these surrendered generals.

Zhao Kuangyin trusted Gu Jin, the leader of the Martial Sect, and Gu Jin trusted his judgment of Yang Ye, even encouraging Yang Ye to pass down his military style.

Even Gu Yi did not expect such an occurrence.

Clearly—Gu Jin intended to establish a system of separation of civil and military power in the Great Song.

The myriad experiences of the Gu Clan over a thousand years.

Ultimately led this generation of young people, born with new ideas, to consider many matters, appearing to desire to wield control in the hands of the Gu Clan.

Gu Yi did not intervene in this.

Indeed, by now, he had come to accept the Gu Clan doing things far beyond what history originally entailed.

This was the growth he had experienced over this period.

And at this critical juncture, it changed Gu Yi further.

In the original history, the fate of Kyushu during the Southern and Northern Song was beyond words.

Considering the Gu Clan’s present status in Kyushu.

This was an unavoidable timeframe for the Gu Clan.

Regardless of how, history had to change; this was what the Gu Clan had to do!

Why would he need to interfere?

....

—News kept spreading.

Regarding the fall of Taiyuan City, it seemed that the Liao Kingdom had anticipated it long ago.

Indeed, Wang Yingchen was an exceptionally capable individual.

He was like a hero born to align with the era, destined to shine in this world of great contention.

Wang Yingchen decisively canceled the plan to advance into Liaodong.

He recalled all his elite forces.

Under the guise of "helping the Northern Han Emperor Liu Jiyuan suppress the rebellion," they occupied strategic locations to block the Song Army’s advance.

And Zhao Kuangyin, naturally involved under the name of supporting "Liu Jiwen."

The two sides reached a standoff under these circumstances.

Unlike the Bei Han Army.

Though Liao’s military strength did not surpass that of the Great Song, after Wang Yingchen’s Legalist reform emphasizing agriculture and warfare, their combat power far exceeded its previous state.

Under the allure of titles.

Liao soldiers demonstrated unprecedented combat power.

Coupled with the advantage of terrain.

Various factors held the Song Army at bay.

In a brief time, the Song and Liao split Northern Han in two, each occupying a side.

Both sides had victories and losses.

Zhao Kuangyin and Gu Jin had also attempted large-scale offensives.

But given their similar strength, a short-term decisive victory was impossible.

—The situation suddenly changed.

On the surface, everything still bore the name of Northern Han’s internal strife, but it had completely become a struggle between two great nations.

Retreat?

No one could retreat!

Liao could not allow the Great Song to occupy Northern Han without any cost.

They needed time.

If that were true, Wang Yingchen could determine Zhao Kuangyin and Gu Jin would not grant them time to develop.

And for the Great Song, this was even truer.

They had to contend for this!

A retreat would make all the Great Song’s hard-earned prestige in recent years utterly in vain.

Even the prestige of the Gu Clan would be affected.

Moreover, they could not allow Liao continued time for development.