Chapter 822 - 56: Luoshui River Sacrifice, Toast to Relinquish Military Authority (Part 1)

"Their achievements have long been engraved in the Grand Ancestral Temple, blessed by the incense of countless generations."

"And you all, inheriting your family legacies, have not lived idly on the merits of your ancestors. In this campaign to unify Kyushu and clear the world, you also showed exemplary courage and made significant contributions."

"This, the court remembers, Your Majesty remembers, and I, Gu Lin, have witnessed it firsthand and dared not forget."

His expression was extremely casual.

Clearly, these words were an acknowledgment of all their accomplishments.

Yet no one dared to relax.

On the contrary, they only felt the atmosphere inside the tent growing more tense.

But what could they do?

Even though they sensed the oddness of the atmosphere, they could only cooperate by putting on smiles, raising their cups to echo Gu Lin’s words, while many generals wore rigid smiles on their faces.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent even lightened a bit.

But indeed—

As a cup of wine went down his throat, in the next moment, Gu Lin’s tone shifted significantly, carrying a barely perceptible heaviness: "However, conquering the land is hard, maintaining it... even harder."

He put down his wine cup, as if talking to himself, yet also asking everyone, "Now that the world is settled, and the four seas are at peace, it seems calm and orderly, but the immense burden of governing the nation keeps one up at night more than past battles."

He lifted his gaze, his eyes becoming deep, looking at Guo Xin and the others: "You all are generals commanding regions, deeply understanding the essentials of military affairs."

"But do you know how much of the court’s annual revenue is used for military expenditures?"

"How much is used for the people’s livelihood?"

"Waterworks, official roads, schools, relief... each and every matter requires the nation’s resources."

"In the long run, even with a wealthy treasury, it feels burdensome."

"This meeting—"

"Lin also wants to ask all of you generals, are there any good strategies for governing the country?"

In an instant, the expressions of everyone almost immediately froze, instinctively avoiding Gu Lin’s gaze, even forgetting to respond.

But Gu Lin did not mind at all, sighing softly again, "To be honest, Gu Lin has recently felt increasingly powerless."

"Sometimes, waking up in the middle of the night, recalling the historical stories of prosperous times turning to decline, recalling those calamities caused by imbalance of power and uncontrollable forces, brings me out in a cold sweat."

His gaze swept over everyone, "The foundation we painstakingly laid, if it were to be shaken by an inept successor or by... some uncontrollable situation, would it not bring shame to our ancestors and disappointment to the people of the world?"

—It has arrived!

In an instant, almost everyone present instinctively thought of these two words.

But before they could say anything,

Gu Lin raised his cup again, facing everyone, his tone full of worry and responsibility: "This cup, to the heavy responsibility we shoulder, may we uphold our duties, not failing our forebears, nor failing the world."

The entire tent suddenly fell silent at this moment!

Everyone looked at Gu Lin, who had already raised his cup, with extremely complex expressions on their faces.

The rhetoric they had already discussed was crushed in this moment, their hands instinctively gripping their cups, yet unable to lift them up no matter how hard they tried.

How could they raise them?

How could they not hear the underlying meaning in Gu Lin’s words?

If they simply raised their cups and drank, they even felt that the next moment Gu Lin would demand them to lay down all power for the greater cause.

But this... how could they accept it?

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent turned cold again.

Watching everyone freeze.

The smile on Gu Lin’s face gradually faded at this moment, frowning slightly, "Hmm?"

"What is the meaning of this, Generals???".....

....

(Ps: Begging for monthly votes at the end of the month, asking brothers for your support, Yu deeply appreciates it!!!)