Only at such times.

The benefits that can be brought by improving governance are fully manifested. Although all of this has only just begun, it is already a shock to the officials from all directions!

This great disaster did not cause any chaos as some had imagined.

On the contrary, after hearing the policies of the court, the disaster victims from all directions all marveled at the wisdom of Li Shimin.

No one feels desperate.

Even at this point, the refugees in Guanzhong still have hope for the future.

This is a longing for a prosperous era!

...

Shuofang.

The atmosphere was extremely silent.

Gu Yan knelt by the bedside, choked with emotion as he recounted the news from various places and the court’s new policies to Gu Yu.

He bit his lower lip hard, the veins on his cheeks slightly bulged, his eyes reddened, yet he stubbornly refused to let his tears fall.

The Gu Clan members behind him were also tense, their heads lowered, and the suppressed sobbing echoed in the quiet room.

Gu Yu lay silently, his pale face bloodless, his breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Since the victory in that great battle, his already weak body had become even more overwhelmed.

Yet even so, he still persevered in his illness, reading the Gu Clan’s ancient books all day, studying the tactics of steppe warfare, personally instructing his soldiers in training.

He poured all his lifelong knowledge and understanding of the prairie into this final special training.

This was also what he left for Li Shimin, for Gu Quan, Gu Yan, and others.

He firmly believed that Li Shimin would surely use these in the near future.

After Gu Yan finished speaking, Gu Yu’s eyelids quivered slightly, and as if using all his strength, he slowly opened his eyes.

His cloudy gaze swept over the gathered clan members, and with a voice like a wisp of a thread he said, "The Emperor is the Holy Emperor, this is Fortune for the Kyushu, and Fortune for our Gu Clan!"

The room fell into dead silence; everyone instinctively held their breath, hoping to carve every word of Gu Yu deeply into their hearts.

Gu Yu paused, producing a hoarse sound from his throat: "In the past, when the Han Dynasty collapsed, and the world fell into chaos, our Gu Clan paid a painful price to protect the family heritage and guard the local people."

"Generation after generation of endurance, generation after generation as if treading on thin ice..."

At this point, a drop of cloudy tear seeped from his eye, slowly sliding down his wrinkles.

"This is the best opportunity for our Gu Clan to return to the pinnacle."

Suddenly, his voice rose slightly, a glint flashing in his eyes, "But you must remember, never destroy the entire clan for a moment of political ambition!"

"Momentary honor or disgrace is not what our Gu Clan contends for."

"As the ancestors said—"

"There’s no eternal dynasty in this world; you must remember this... For our Gu Clan, the rise and fall of dynasties can be forsaken, but Kyushu’s honor cannot be forsaken."

"Only by assuring this, making our Gu Clan blend with the rise and fall of the entire Kyushu... can our Gu Clan achieve immortality."

Suddenly, Gu Yu began to cough violently, his body trembling uncontrollably, his breathing becoming rapid and chaotic, but he persevered with the last breath, and said with a firm gaze: "After my death, bury me back in Julu."

"That is the root of our Gu Clan; I want to be with the ancestors."

He paused for a long time, then continued with difficulty, "Tell the Emperor... not to confer a posthumous title upon me."

"In this life, though I’ve fought on the battlefield, I have no meritorious deeds in the world, and must not damage the ancestor’s reputation."

"If Quan’er has offspring in the future... remember to send them to the Gu Clan..."

"He has given too much for our Gu Clan in this life..."

"The things I left behind... you can examine carefully, if someday a prosperous era arrives, you can implement them..."

"..."

His voice grew weaker and intermittent.

Accompanied by cries, Gu Yu’s aged hands finally helplessly fell by the bedside.

The first year of the Zhenguan period, August;

The Grand Tutor of the Great Tang, Gu Yu, passed away in Shuofang. .....

....

(Ps: The monthly guaranteed vote in the middle of the month is refreshed, I beg brothers to lend a hand and support more, this prosperous era will far exceed the past!)