My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 166 The Rebellion Ends
March fifteenth.

Inside the Shiqian Hall in Luoyang.

After eliminating Yuan Yi's faction, the young emperor Yuan Xu was essentially imprisoned by Empress Dowager Hu for a period of time.

However, with many key positions being filled by Empress Dowager Hu's confidants, the situation was completely brought under control.

Empress Dowager Hu then appropriately relaxed her control over the young emperor, granting him a little bit of freedom.

such as……

At Yuan Xu's insistence, the people who accompanied the young emperor in his studies were changed back to Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian.

"Very well, I never imagined that the Erzhu clan would have such strength. If we can obtain their assistance, it would be a great help to me!"

Yuan Xu handed the letter that Yuan Tianmu had secretly sent back to Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian for them to read together. Although there were imperial guards on duty outside Shiqian Palace, they were all far away, which could be regarded as a compromise by Empress Dowager Hu to Yuan Xu.

Empress Dowager Hu also knew that she could not push Yuan Xu too far, and at least she could no longer treat him as an ignorant child as before.

This time, the mother and son joined forces, which made her realize that Yuan Xu had grown up and had his own ambitions.

She couldn't possibly kill the emperor, could she?

Yuan Xu currently has no children. If he were to die suddenly, the imperial power would have to be chosen from among other princes of similar bloodlines. Emperor Xuanwu only had one son, Yuan Xu, while Emperor Xiaowen still had children alive.

She's not that stupid.

Empress Dowager Hu knew that Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian would offer advice to Yuan Xu, but she didn't care at all. Most of the people in the court were her people, and even if the young emperor made a fuss, he couldn't cause any trouble.

After Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian had browsed through it,

Yuan Ziyou asked in surprise, "I have also heard of this Gao Lang. He was famous in Luoyang back then. It seems that when he escorted the Rouran king back north, he also defeated the Gao chariots?"

"Correct!"

Yuan Xu nodded, "It's a pity that such a person cannot serve me now."

Yuan Ziyou seemed to have thought of something, "It seems that his ancestors were from the Bohai Gao clan? They belong to the same clan as Qian Yong."

"Qian Yong's younger brother, Ao Cao, also seems to have a reputation for bravery. I wonder who is braver, him or the second son of the Gao family?"

Gao Qian smiled modestly, "My younger brother is frivolous and reckless; I doubt he's a match for the second son of the Gao family."

"Why be so modest, Qian Yong? Let the two of them have a match when the opportunity arises."

Yuan Xu smiled and then looked at Yuan Ziyou, "Tian Mu said in his letter that Erzhu Rong and he became sworn brothers. What do you think this means, Ziyou?"

After thinking for a while, Yuan Ziyou gave his answer: "Erzhu Rong is a smart man. This can be seen from the fact that he sent Xi Yi to the palace to express his loyalty to His Majesty. I guess... he also wanted to express his loyalty to His Majesty in this way."

"After all, Yuan Tianmu is a trusted confidant sent by His Majesty. The fact that the two of them have become sworn brothers is a way of showing their loyalty to His Majesty."

Yuan Xu nodded. "If that's the case, then how should I treat him?"

"Your Majesty, please be patient and wait and observe the situation. It will not be too late to make a move when the time is right."

Yuan Xu could only sigh, "That's all we can do."

………………

Inside Cloud City.

Po Liuhan Baling sat in the main seat of Fei Mu's residence, surrounded by his confidants.

"Two years! It took me two years! I finally managed to gnaw this bone down!"

Han Baling was overjoyed to have broken through the city. If he hadn't broken through, he would have run out of ammunition and food. Fortunately, Fei Mu eventually couldn't withstand the pressure and chose to abandon the city and flee south.

This gave Po Liu Han Baling the opportunity to invade.

"Your Majesty, what should we do next? Go to Pingcheng? Or continue south?"

His confidant inquired.

A glint flashed in Po Liuhan Baling's eyes. "Heng and Shuo prefectures were already ravaged by the refugees from the previous six towns. What's left for us?"

"We will head south, cross the Yellow River, and go to Guanzhong!"

"But before that, let's enjoy ourselves in this Cloud City. Come, let's drink!"

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses to drink together. Fei Mu's hasty escape still left them with many good things, such as these beautiful ladies dancing for them.

Faintly, one could hear what sounded like someone screaming outside.

Po Liuhan Baling seemed a little uneasy and immediately instructed, "Tell the young men to restrain themselves and not go too far. Kill all the strong men who are unwilling to pledge allegiance. Leave the old, weak, women and children for me to eat as food in case of emergency."

"Here!"

………………

The second day of the fifth lunar month.

Fei Mu, who had fled south, arrived at Xiu Rongchuan in a very disheveled state and met with Er Zhu Rong, informing him of the current situation in Hengzhou.

"Oh no! Does that mean the rebels will attack soon?"

Erzhu Zhao, Erzhu Zhongyuan, Erzhu Tianguang, and the others seemed to have planned it beforehand, and they all stood up at the same time. "Tianbao, I am willing to lead troops to quell the rebellion!"

Erzhu Rong frowned and scolded, "How dare we mobilize troops without the imperial decree? All of you, get out of here!"

Then he smiled and looked at Fei Mu, "General, you must have suffered a long and arduous journey. Please go and rest first."

After ordering someone to take Fei Mu away.

Erzhu Rong looked at Gao Yu and asked, "Right now, Heng and Shuo prefectures are no longer able to defend against the enemy. Will the rebels gain even more momentum? What do you think I should do to prepare, Gao Lang?"

Gao Yu came from Huai Shuo and had extensive experience fighting against the Six Garrisons rebels.

Of all those present, no one understood the rebels better than Gao Yu.

Gao Yu then said, "Huai Shuo is a bitterly cold place, and Heng and Shuo prefectures are not rich either. Moreover, they have suffered from war for the past two years, so where would they find any surplus food? Even if the rebels capture Yunzhong, it will be useless. Heng and Shuo prefectures have no surplus money, goods, or food for them to plunder. Furthermore, the terrain is rugged, making it difficult to utilize the advantages of cavalry. Why would the rebels cut off their own arm?"

"What is your opinion, Gao Lang?"

"The rebels are very likely to head to Guanzhong and join forces with the rebels in Longxi to attack the imperial army from both sides."

Meanwhile, the rebellion of the Mo brothers in Longxi is also gaining momentum. Prince Qi, Xiao Baoyin, is only managing a difficult stalemate with the rebels. If Po Liuhan Baling and his rebel forces were to break into Guanzhong and make contact with the Longxi rebels, Xiao Baoyin would definitely not be able to hold out and would most likely be defeated.

This is also the best option that Po Liu Han Baling can currently make.

After a moment's thought, Erzhu Rong agreed, saying, "Then I will continue to recruit soldiers and stockpile grain."

Gao Yu cupped his hands and said, "The current situation is not clear. Tianbao should just focus on strengthening its own strength and accumulate power."

"Well then, let's do as Gao Lang says." After Gao Yu took his leave, Erzhu Rong looked at the crowd around him with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.

"Can't you all learn from Gao Lang? In terms of bravery, you're only fit to be Gao Lang's horse handlers and stirrup handlers. Even someone as brave as Gao Lang would think things through before acting. What about you? All you know is shouting for battle!"

Erzhu Tianguang and the others looked very ugly, but they couldn't refute it.

Erzhu Zhao retorted, "Even with Gao Lang around, he will think things through for us. We are foolish by nature, and no matter how much we think, we are no match for him. We can just ask Gao Lang for advice. Everyone has their strengths. We are only good at charging into battle and killing enemies. Why should Tianbao force us to do the work of scholars?"

"........."

Erzhu Rong laughed in anger, "You do have some self-awareness."

In Erzhu Zhao's view, his only redeeming quality was that he was "obedient to advice".

But that's true. It's not that we're afraid of bad people racking their brains, it's that we're afraid of a fool's sudden flash of inspiration. Knowing that we're not good at this, we might as well ask someone who is good at thinking. That's not a bad idea.

After Erzhu Rong returned.

To avoid suspicion, Gao Yu led his men away from where Erzhu Zhao's troops were located.

Erzhu Rong might not think that way, but he still had to do the proper pretense to prevent any slanderous remarks from others.

Just as he was about to go find Gao Loujin, he saw Erzhu Yuechan looking around from time to time at the camp entrance, her hands behind her back and her head down, pacing back and forth like a little girl waiting for her sweetheart.

"Is something the matter, Yuechan?"

"uncle!"

Upon hearing Gao Yu's voice, Erzhu Yuechan looked up at him with delight, her wide eyes seemingly shining.

Erzhu Yuechan led a horse to him and handed the reins to Gao Yu.

This horse has smooth hair and well-defined muscles; you can tell at a glance that it's a rare and fine horse.

"Yuechan came to see me?"

"Ok!"

Erzhu Yuechan smiled somewhat reservedly. When she looked up, she saw Gao Yu's handsome face again, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

She spoke in a clear voice, "My father often said that a fine horse should be given to a hero. I found this good horse in the racecourse and wanted to give it to a hero like my uncle."

"This……"

"Uncle, you mustn't refuse!"

As she spoke, she took Gao Yu's hand and placed the reins in his palm, but couldn't help but let out a burst of silvery laughter, teasingly saying, "Uncle's hands are so smooth and tender, just like a woman's, it's so annoying. I, a woman, am so envious of Uncle."

Gao Yu glared at him, but before he could even speak, he was already glaring at him.

Erzhu Yuechan had already galloped far away. She mounted her horse, looking quite heroic and spirited, with the heroic air of a grassland woman.

"Uncle, please take good care of this horse! And don't forget your promise to take me hunting!"

Having said that, he rode away!

Gao Yu looked down at the reins in his hand, then at the steed behind him.

It is entirely black, but there is a striking white hair at the four hooves. Riding this horse, from a distance, gives people the illusion that the horse is treading on clouds.

"Yuechan likes the prince!"

Gao Yue's voice suddenly rang out, startling Gao Yu.

"You brat! Don't talk nonsense!"

Gao Yu reprimanded him with a stern face.

Gao Yue, however, kept his distance, grinning and not taking it seriously at all. "My sister said that it's time for my brother to get married. I also think Yuechan is quite nice, and it wouldn't be bad for her to be my sister-in-law."

Gao Yu pretended to fight, which finally managed to coax Gao Yue away.

He stood there stunned for a long time, then shook his head. Why did everyone like to give him things?

"Liu Taozhi, I know where you're hiding, get over here right now!"

"Take good care of this horse. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible!"

Liu Taozhi chuckled, "Don't worry, my lord! I will take good care of the precious horse that the young lady from the Erzhu family gave you!"

"I think you're asking for a beating!"

Gao Yu raised his hand, but it was just for show.

…………

The sixth day of the sixth lunar month.

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Both Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Xu wore rare smiles on their faces.

The rebels who had plagued the northern border of the Great Wei for two years have finally been completely wiped out!

"The King of Guangyang reports that he has decisively defeated the rebel army in Wuyuan County. The rebel leader, Po Liuhanbaling, has been executed. Heaven has blessed the Great Wei! The rebel leader has finally been slain!!"

Yuan Xu was extremely excited!
However, many ministers looked worried.

It is certainly gratifying that the rebels have been wiped out.

But what happens next?

With so many refugees, how should the imperial court deal with them?

Are Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager celebrating a little too soon?

PS: I know the plot has slowed down a bit recently, but I've actually been pushing the timeline forward... It's just that the main character doesn't really have much to do at this point in time, so I can only fill in some daily life scenes with romance to fill the gaps.

Because there are too many things to explain.

Why did the young emperor value Erzhu Rong so much? Why would he want to find him to purge the court of corrupt officials and serve the emperor?

Why did Erzhu Rong harbor such hatred towards the officialdom in Luoyang after the Heyin Incident?

If many things are not written out and explained clearly, even if I write about the Heyin Incident right away, everyone will still feel confused. These foreshadowings also include why the protagonist was able to obtain his own territory later on.

I will try my best to speed up the pace and update the content. Please be patient with me. Thank you to all the readers who have been following along.

(End of this chapter)