My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 141 Heading South and East

The hot weather makes people irritable. Horses don't like the heat, and without enough rest, their physical strength has reached its limit. If they continue to push them, they may eventually die from exhaustion.

They happened to pass by a small river, and seeing that no one was chasing them, Gao Huan ordered them to continue resting on the spot.

Horses are precious, especially during escapes. Having a horse makes one safer and more likely to survive than not having one.

As they fled, the soldiers and their men, parched with thirst, immediately lay down by the river to drink. Some even greedily dipped their heads into the river, finding a moment of coolness in the icy water.

The slight coolness of the sweltering summer sun calmed his restless heart.

Gao Huan ordered Lou Zhao and others to take stock of the troops and supplies they had brought. He also instructed Cai Jun and Hou Jing, who had rested for a while, to have people keep watch on the perimeter to prevent the pursuers from attacking again.

However, Gao Huan estimated that the pursuers had reached their limit, and since his own horse could no longer run, the pursuers' horses must have reached their limit as well.

After everything was properly arranged.

Gao Huan then turned to look at the beautiful figure sitting quietly by the river.

Lou Zhaojun loved beauty and would have her maids dress her up beautifully every day in the fortified village. But now, with her hair disheveled, she looked extremely disheveled. Normally, Lou Zhaojun would have already started to tidy her hair and fix her makeup.

But right now...

Lou Zhaojun just sat there blankly, her eyes lifeless, facing the northwest.

Gao Huan first filled the leather bag with water, then used the water to wash his face, wiping away the dust and grime. He then turned and sat down beside Lou Zhaojun, poured some water into his hands, and used it to wipe the dust and grime from Lou Zhaojun's face. He also tucked the wet strands of hair that were stuck to her face behind her ears.

"Drink some water first."

Lou Zhaojun remained extremely calm, unlike when she was fleeing, when she was agitated and heartbroken. She simply shook her head without saying a word.

Gao Huan didn't press the matter. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but he, who was usually eloquent, was at a loss for words. As a father, he had abandoned his son and daughter.

In the end, all he said was, "I also have my reasons."

Lou Zhaojun remained expressionless and said calmly, "I am aware of my husband's difficulties. Under such circumstances, if we were to forcefully rescue Ahui and the others, we would surely be surrounded and our lives would be uncertain."

“When I was fleeing, I had long anticipated that this day would come.”

Normally, the Lou family are the local bullies in Huai Shuo, and they are the elite.

In the face of the perilous nature of war, when fleeing for one's life, one cannot afford to think about anything else.

Gao Huan did nothing wrong. In this situation, preserving oneself is the best course of action. If a child is lost, another can be born. As long as one is alive, there will always be hope.

Lou Zhaojun had also studied since childhood and knew that for someone like Gao Huan, who had great ambitions, offspring could be sacrificed to save himself in a life-or-death situation. At least Gao Huan did not abandon his wife, but only his children.

"Don't worry, my husband, I won't cry or make a fuss."

If Lou Zhaojun had continued to cry and make a scene, it would have initially made the soldiers and retainers who had run away with her feel guilty, as they would have no face to face Gao Huan and Lou Zhaojun. But guilt cannot grow indefinitely; eventually, it will turn into hatred.

But she never cried or made a fuss from the beginning, so the soldiers and retainers wouldn't feel such a strong sense of guilt right away. Instead, she took a slow and steady approach, which made her easier to utilize.

It's uncertain how the situation will develop next. Both she and Gao Huan need their troops and soldiers to protect them during this time of war.

With such a virtuous wife, what more could a husband ask for?
Gao Huan placed the leather bag beside her again, then stood up. "I'll go find out some information."

Lou Zhaojun nodded, then turned away, remaining silent, but two lines of clear tears appeared on her beautiful face.

“Ah Hui, Ah Ying, Tie Fa…”

Gao Huan found Wei Jing. He wasn't sure if his brother-in-law could be as sensible as Lou Zhaojun, so he needed to give him some advice. Seeing that Wei Jing was upset but not to the point of making a scene, he felt relieved and went to take stock of the supplies with Lou Zhaojun and Duan Rong.

After a long time.

When Hou Jing returned on horseback, the crowd, already like frightened birds, saw Hou Jing in such a hurry and instinctively assumed that the rebel army was chasing them again. Everyone prepared to continue their escape, and those who were quicker had already mounted their horses.

"Could it be that the rebels are pursuing us?"

Gao Huan quickly pressed for more information.

"No, no rebels are pursuing us."

Having received Hou Jing's definite answer, the soldiers and their entourage finally breathed a sigh of relief, their nerves no longer so tense, and they could finally relax completely.

Gao Huan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Have you found out any other information?"

"Have."

Gao Huan immediately pulled Hou Jing aside to a quieter place and questioned him carefully.

"Wan Jing, what news is there?"

"I've found out about Moheduo."

Gao Huan grabbed him excitedly, "Really? Where is Erlang now?"

What they lack right now is a sense of security, and Gao Yu, who is exceptionally brave and has an elite Xuanjia Army, can provide them with a great sense of security.

Moreover, just considering Gao Yu's reputation...

Ordinary rebels wouldn't dare come upon hearing this; they would only avoid this infamous 'deity'.

That is why he, who remained calm even when his children were abandoned, is now in such a state of disarray.

"I heard that Wuchuan City has been breached, and the people in the city, like Huai Shuo, have chosen to abandon the city and break out. Some people say that the bandit leader Wei Kegu has been killed. Some say that Yuwen Luo killed him, and some say that Mo Heduo killed him, but I don't know if it's true or not. Mo Heduo's whereabouts are currently unknown."

Gao Huan's heart sank.

Hou Jing asked, "Where could Mo Heduo go after breaking through?"

Gao Huan was also thinking about this problem.

"Erlang is cautious. Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan have not sent any news for a long time, so he certainly does not know that we have broken through."

"He Liuhun, do you mean Mo Heduo went to Huaishuo?"

Gao Huan shook his head. "Not necessarily. If Wei Kegu is truly executed, the rebel army will definitely be thrown into chaos."

While Wu Chuan and Huai Shuo were still exchanging information, Gao Yu had already sent a message back.

The main point is about the general situation of the rebels in the east. It mentions that although Wei Kegu sent troops from Huai Shuo to cooperate with the rebels in the east, he was a small force, but he was quite capable and prestigious. The alliance between the rebels in the east was very loose, but Wei Kegu managed to bind them together.

If Zhenwei Kegu dies.

The integrated rebel forces will inevitably fall into chaos once again.

"If the rebels are in chaos... Erlang may have already gone south with the people of Wuchuan."

Gao Huan's thoughts gradually became clear. He speculated, "Erlang must have gone south with the people of Wuchuan to meet the Grand Commander in Pingcheng, and then asked the Grand Commander to lead his army north to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop while they were leaderless."

Hou Jing's eyes darted around, as if he had gone through it himself.

Based on the information gathered so far, we can know that...

Wu Chuan also broke out of the city with great difficulty after running out of food supplies. No matter how brave Gao Yu was, or how elite the Xuanjia Army was, they were still human, not gods.

There will inevitably be losses during the breakout, and most importantly, there will be no food supplies.

They lacked their own supplies. It is a reasonable assumption that Gao Yu followed the Heba and Yuwen families from Wuchuan south to Pingcheng to find Li Chong, the military commander in charge of the northern expedition.

As for why not go to the clouds to find Fei Mu?

They were probably afraid that Fei Mu would use excuses such as needing to consult the Grand Commander or the imperial court to evade the issue and thus miss the opportunity to win the battle.

Yunzhong is a vital passage to the south; if it can be held, the rebels will not be able to easily advance south.

Fei Mu's main task was to hold Yunzhong, rather than to actively send troops north to quell the rebellion.

If you win, you get no credit; if you lose, and your army is defeated and you can't even hold Lianyunzhong, that's a capital offense.

Moreover, the repeated defeats of the previous suppression army had completely eroded their confidence in fighting the rebels in the field. They were determined to hold their ground in the city and would never venture out.

"If that's the case, then we'll go directly to Pingcheng to meet up with Erlang."

Gao Huan immediately made the decision!

Hou Jingshen agreed. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Sister, what about Ah Hui and the others..."

After a moment of silence, Gao Huan said, "Bilugu and the others are protecting them. Let's send people out to gather information after we arrive in Pingcheng."

Hou Jing fell silent. Gao Loujin had treated him well. What would happen to his women and children if they fell into the hands of the rebels?
He didn't dare to think about it.

After a long while, he forced a smile, "Good people are always protected by heaven. Bilugu and the others also have many elites under their command, and they will definitely protect them."

Gao Huan nodded and said, "That would be best."

They both knew perfectly well that they were just deceiving themselves.

………………

Night is approaching.

Gao Yu ordered them to rest on the spot, sent Liu Taozhi and others to fetch firewood, and ordered others to fetch water.

After preparing hot water and reheating the flatbread, they handed it to Gao Loujin and the maid in the carriage. The children, having experienced emotional highs and lows, had already fallen asleep.

The good news is that Gao Yang and Gao Ying are already over a year old and have been weaned for a long time. We can mash the flatbread and put it in hot water to make a paste for them to eat. If they hadn't been weaned yet... we don't know where to get milk for them in this desolate wilderness.

"Sister, please continue to take care of her. Don't worry, I'm here, everything will be alright."

Gao Loujin nodded and said with a sigh, "Erlang is now grown up and is the pillar of the family. Once things settle down, it's time for him to get married."

"Let's talk about it after things settle down."

Gao Yu was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

She's only just escaped danger, and she's already thinking about arranging his marriage. Women's thinking is so unpredictable.
Gao Yu then came out to arrange the night watch shifts.

Then he returned to the campfire, took out dried meat and flatbread to fill his stomach, and called over Bilugu.

What exactly happened in Huai Shuo?

Bilugu then told Gao Yu all the information he had not known.

"With no food in the city and the food supplies in the fortified village exhausted, He Liuhun discussed with the garrison commander Ge Rong about breaking out of the siege."

"A few days before the breakout, Ge Rong sent men out to scout the rebel army's situation, and it turned out that all the scouts returned to the city..."

Ok?
Peng Le retorted, "They can all go back? I'm afraid there's a trap."

Gao Yu was also surprised. Being besieged, going out of the city to spy and then returning was very risky. It would be extremely lucky if half of them came back.

"Everyone brought back the same news: the rebel camp outside the city is empty."

“Ge Rong did not believe it at first, but the next day he sent another group of scouts out and received the same news. Ge Rong then deduced that the rebels were also running out of food and had moved south ahead of schedule.”

"How could the rebels be short of supplies?"

Gao Yu shook his head.

Not to mention that the imperial army that quelled the rebellion acted as the transport captain for the rebels several times, delivering provisions and weapons.

The rebels in the west, including Po Liu Han Baling and the three eastern towns, are not simply in a state of idleness and depletion like Wu Chuan and Huai Shuo.

Take Po Liu Han Baling as an example.

In the Woye Town behind him, farming and grazing were still possible. Even though the army consumed more food than he could harvest, there was still a supply.

Isn't this just like the classic elementary school Olympiad problem of simultaneously filling and filling a pool with water?
The rebels in the east could also graze their livestock to supplement their supplies, which is why they dared to wage a siege and fight a war of attrition against Wuchuan and Huaishuo.

"So...you rashly left the city to break through the siege?"

Bilugu shook his head and explained, "Ge Rong remained cautious. On the third day, he sent someone out again. This time, he captured a prisoner and learned that Po Liuhan Baling had personally led a large army to meet Nie Liehe, the Gaoche leader who had surrendered to him with 30,000 troops."

"Upon receiving this news, Ge Rong decided to break out of the city, but little did he know... this was a scheme by Po Liu Han Baling. He withdrew his army, but not completely; he had already laid ambushes at various strategic locations along the breakout route..."

They do have some skills.

This broken Hanbaling should not be underestimated.

The main reason was that Huai Shuo had been besieged for a long time, and news was not readily available. They had also run out of food, leaving them in a desperate situation.

Only the 'bait' thrown out by Po Liu Han Baling could lure Ge Rong into taking the bait. If the city had sufficient food and supplies, Ge Rong could simply continue to defend the city and ignore it.

To be fair.

Ge Rong was already cautious enough. He probably felt that there was no such thing as a free lunch. When Huai Shuo City ran out of food and was forced to break out of the city, Po Liu Han Baling retreated.
When you feel sleepy, someone will give you a pillow.

But whether Ge Rong wanted to believe it or not, he had to make the decision to break through the encirclement; he was forced by circumstances.

That's confirmed now.

Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan have both fallen, but news of Wei Ke Gu's death probably hasn't reached Po Liu Han Baling yet.

But no matter what the final outcome is.

The rebel army in the six garrisons no longer has any worries about its rear, and it's possible that they will come south to attack Yunzhong at any time.

As for Po Liuhanbaling, there are two routes: one can attack Yunzhong, or the other can cross the Yellow River at Woye Town and head south into Guanzhong.

The final decision of Po Liu Han Baling will depend on whether he ultimately chooses to join forces with the rebels in the east.

If that's true.

It would be dangerous in the clouds.

But the most urgent task is to find out about Gao Huan and the others.

He patted Bilugu on the shoulder, "You've worked hard. If it weren't for you and the brothers risking your lives to protect them, my sister and Ah Hui would probably have met with misfortune long ago... I will never forget this kindness."

Bilugu waved his hand, "If it weren't for He Liuhun, we would probably have starved to death in the cold winter of Huai Shuo long ago. We should naturally risk our lives to protect his family and offspring."

"Rest well. Tomorrow we will continue our journey to Yunzhong to gather information and find the prince and the others before making a decision."

(End of this chapter)