Chapter 819 - 55: When the Birds Are Gone, the Bow Is Put Away; When the Hare Dies, the Hound Is Boiled?

This is not just admitting a mistake, it’s putting oneself and the entire Northern Border military group on the chopping block, allowing the Gu Clan to slaughter at will?

Guo Xin saw through his son’s thoughts and sneered, "Do you think Lord Gu doesn’t know the situation in the Northern Border?"

"If he really wants to take action, who can stop him?"

"Rather than being passively beaten, it’s better to take the initiative and surrender."

"If we proactively propose rectification, we can still grasp some initiative, at least we can preserve the core. After all, there are indeed some feelings between our Guo family and the Gu Clan."

"Moreover..." His eyes flashed brilliantly, "if our Guo family truly assists in the rectification, the discretion and targets within, might not be unworkable."

This is the real act of retreating to advance.

It seems like washing oneself clean and placing on the chopping block, but in fact, it’s seeking a glimmer of life in desperation, even trying to turn this crisis into an opportunity to consolidate one’s own position.

Hearing this, Gu Xiao finally understood his father’s deep intent, his expression changed from unwilling to solemn, and he bowed deeply:

"Child understands! I will not fail my father’s trust!"

After saying that, Gu Xiao immediately went out.

Meanwhile, Guo Xin was not idle himself.

Of course, he wouldn’t place all hope in one place, but immediately wrote letters to contact others.

——The familial military generals are not just his family alone!

And he’s not the only one doing this!

Even though Gu Lin has not yet taken action.

But Guo Xin also has to unite these people.

When one prospers, all prospers; when one loses, all lose.

This kind of behavior, whether on the battlefield or in the court, is extremely useful at times.

....

——The situation quietly changed.

Gu Xiao, carrying the heavy plea for guilt and surrender strategy, rushed overnight towards Yingtian Prefecture.

At the same time, Guo Xin’s letters swiftly spread to various places.

These letters were worded cautiously, not directly confronting, but under the guise of "understanding the situation, discussing retreat and advance together," yet between the lines, there was a dense heaviness of mourning for the dead.

——When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the dogs are cooked.

This is the most sensitive line for any of the familial military generals.

After all, history has had far too many such examples.

Each and every one reminds an veteran like Guo Xin, who stands at the pinnacle of power——the Emperor’s Heart Skill, is the most unpredictable.

Past camaraderie, once the country is secured, often cannot stand up to the deep suspicion of losing control or having too strong a power base to root out.

Now, although the Gu Clan is not royalty, they act like emperors; their mind and concerns are no different than those of successive founding lords.

Guo Xin’s secret message hit precisely on this most sensitive and fragile scar in the hearts of all meritorious military generals.

In no time, the undercurrents surged even stronger.

Marquis Anyuan, who guards the Western Capital Henan Prefecture, whose ancestors once stood with Guo Xin’s father at Chenqiao Posthouse to support the founding ancestor, received the letter, sat alone in the mansion for half a day, and finally let out a long sigh, tacitly agreed to this invisible alliance.

Elder Jingbian, who controls Hedong, whose family has intermarried with the Guo family for generations with intertwined interests, replied with only the words "known, caution," yet the attitude was clear.

Even some who’ve had little interaction with the Guo family, but similarly worried about their prospects, began silently responding.

Including some nobles in the Western Regions.

Even the Yang family in Linzhou State, directly supported by the Gu Clan, participated in this.

As Guo Xin said, this matter concerns all of them.

They also have no choice.

Yingtian Prefecture, Champion Marquis Mansion.

Gu Lin looked at the secret reports from the Northern Border, Western Capital, and even Hedong, which clearly recorded the unusual contacts and movements of nobles from various places, including the recent letters Guo Xin sent out.

His expression was extremely complicated, and he would occasionally let out a sigh.

"Uncle..." Gu Zhao, at an unknown time, arrived at the study once again. Looking at his uncle’s furrowed brows and slightly pale face, he couldn’t bear it and couldn’t help but persuade again, "Perhaps... give them another chance?"

"Maybe... perhaps summon Uncle Guo to the capital to present his case in person?"

"After all, it involves so much; if a great prison uprising truly starts, it might shake the country’s foundation!"

Gu Zhao’s expression was also very helpless.

As a member of the Gu Clan.

In fact, he fully understood Gu Lin’s feelings at the moment.

Almost every one of these familial military households has no small connection with the Gu Clan, and there are quite a few marriages among them.

The most crucial thing is, if this matter is handled improperly, it will also deal a significant blow to the prestige of the Gu Clan.

But what can they do?

One side is the prosperity of Kyushu——the other side is these wings.

Gu Lin did not directly answer Gu Zhao’s words. He just gave his nephew a deep look, then silently pulled out an inconspicuous dossier from the lowest part of the desk and gently pushed it in front of Gu Zhao.

"See for yourself." Gu Lin’s voice carried a hint of barely detectable fatigue.

Gu Zhao’s heart tightened, and according to orders, he untied the silk thread on the dossier and unfolded it.

What came into view was the investigation results recorded with an extremely calm and objective pen by the Imperial Censorate, piece by piece, shocking.

"Spring of the third year of Yuanxing, the second legitimate son of the third house of the Guo Clan, Marquis Wuwei, forcibly exchanged high-quality pastures covering 370 hectares with inferior salt tea and old cloth by the banks of Qing Shui, Southern Desert. When local leaders showed slight dissatisfaction, his troops destroyed three of their tents and injured five tribesmen..."

"A retainer of Elder Jingbian falsely used the name of military households to enclose over a thousand mu of farmland by the Fen River, Hedong, causing hundreds of farming families to become displaced. Among them, three families, unable to bear the exploitation, threw themselves into the river, with only one survivor..."

"A lieutenant under Marquis Anyuan, using his power, assigned all fertile land near water sources and flat terrain in the designated military-related settlement area to his family and confidants, while the truly meritorious wounded soldiers received mostly barren mountainous land..."

"Although the Yang family of Linzhou, supported by the Gu Clan, are no exception in Longyou, they devised names and increased the ’pastoral protection tax’ and ’water introduction donation’, exploiting the loyal Qiang tribal populations. Last winter, a small tribe, unable to bear the weight, attempted to flee north, being labeled as ’rebels’ and slaughtered entirely, falsely claiming military merit..."

"...."

The ink on the dossier was cold and clear, and what it recorded were not shocking major crimes, but rather these seemingly ordinary matters that many familial military houses took for granted.

But are these really just small issues?

With just a few glances, Gu Zhao could imagine how significant these issues are for the Kyushu.

This is just the beginning!

It has already developed into this. If there isn’t a certain level of handling, what will the world be like in the future?

And most crucially——

Don’t forget, these people have troops.

If all this isn’t dealt with when the Gu Clan’s prestige is at its peak, will the descendants of these people not become the tumors that cause another division in the world?

Almost instantly, Gu Zhao detected the various implications.

Suddenly, his expression became all the more complex.

But this was not the end.

Immediately afterward, Gu Lin handed over the letter brought by Gu Xiao again without saying a word from beginning to end.

This time, Gu Xiao only took one look before he immediately frowned.

"What do they take our Gu Clan for?" His tone carried an uncontainable anger, "Coming with such a manner to pledge loyalty to our Gu Clan?"

"Could it be, do they think we are the same kind as them?"

The pride ingrained in the bones of the Gu Clan’s descendants was fully revealed at this moment.

How can Gu Xiao not be angry? In their view, if the Gu Clan truly had the ambition to swallow Kyushu, how could it have only developed to this point today? That throne should have already been in the Gu Clan’s possession!

The more he thought about it, the more his anger surged.

Yet, at this moment, Gu Lin gently waved his hand: "No need to be angry."

His expression remained complex, gazing at Gu Xiao before him, and he calmly said: "Send my words, before spring plowing, the court will hold a ceremony at Luoshui River, let them all come."

One sentence stilled the surging emotions in Gu Xiao.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all miscellaneous thoughts, did not ask Gu Lin’s deep intentions, just solemnly nodded to accept the command, then turned and walked quickly out of the hall. .....

.....

(Ps: At the end of the month, I kneel and beg for monthly votes, asking brothers for more support, Wanyu is extremely grateful.)