My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 171 I am willing to serve the King as my supreme ruler
Ta-da-da.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out as Hou Jing spurred his horse back into the ranks, trotting all the way to Gao Huan.

"So, have you found out?"

After talking with Lou Zhaojun, Gao Huan once again gathered everyone to express Lou Zhaojun's idea, which was met with everyone's agreement.

Being a bandit in You and Yan prefectures is no different from being a bandit in Ji, Ding, and Ying prefectures.

Aren't they all bandits?

It doesn't matter where you rob it.

All we need is money, food, valuables, and women.

Therefore, Gao Huan and his party immediately set off from Dingzhou and headed north into the territory of Yanzhou. Yanzhou was actually located to the east of Shuozhou, right next to it. Rouxuan Town and Huaihuang Town were directly above Yanzhou.

Strictly speaking, the states of Yan and You were not entirely unaffected by the previous rebellion of the Six Garrisons.

However, compared to Heng and Shuo provinces, which had become the main battlefield and had been emptied by rebels and refugees, Yan and You provinces still had spare strength.

As soon as he entered Yanzhou, Gao Huan learned that someone in Yanzhou was plotting a rebellion and had already spread the word. He then sent Hou Jing to investigate.

Hou Jing took the leather bag, drank some water, and then spoke.

"We've found out that someone does indeed want to raise the flag and rebel again."

"Who is it?"

“Du Luozhou, a native of Rouxuan Town.”

"Du Luozhou?"

Gao Huan felt the name was very familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. He could only press Hou Jing for more information, "Is there any other news?"

Having finished explaining the most important relationship, Hou Jing was not in a hurry. He explained, "Du Luozhou is quite famous in Rouxuan Town. It was he who led the men to attack and kill Yu Jing, the governor of Rouxuan Town, and then opened the granaries to distribute grain to relieve the disaster victims."

"It's him!"

During the time that Gao Huan and his men were resisting the rebel army of Po Liu Han Baling in Huai Shuo, they heard some news intermittently, such as that Rou Xuan Town was the first of the three eastern towns to cause trouble.

"No wonder this person seemed familiar."

Lou Zhao then spoke up, "This person is so prestigious, why haven't I heard of him before?"

Hou Jing smiled and asked in return, "What is Mo Heduo's reputation in Huai Shuo? He didn't rebel either, did he? It seems that Du Luozhou is also a man of great foresight. Even though he killed the garrison commander, the court did not want to target him. Instead, they focused on Po Liuhanbaling and regarded him as the chief culprit."

Gao Huan wholeheartedly agreed, noting that there were many people in Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan who were renowned but did not join the rebellion.

There's no point in rebelling in such impoverished places as the Six Garrisons; you won't be able to plunder anything anyway.

On the contrary, thinking about it this way, Du Luozhou is indeed a smart man. He was the one who started the trouble, but in the end he happily disappeared, letting others become cannon fodder.

“It seems that Du Luozhou thinks the same way we do. The court has not properly settled the more than 200,000 surrendered people, but has instead settled these more than 200,000 surrendered people who have killed people and seen blood in such a fertile land. This will surely incite another rebellion. The situation is different now than in the Six Garrisons. Any one of the three prefectures of Ji, Ding and Ying is richer than the Six Garrisons.”

This is the mindset change that Gao Huan and others experienced.

So Du Luozhou, who had never taken the lead before, clearly had the same idea when he took the lead now.

For the Luoyang court, Yan and You were remote frontier regions. By the time the news reached Luoyang, they had already plundered a fortune. If the imperial army really attacked, they could simply cross the border again and flee to the northern grasslands with their looted wealth.

"So what should we do now?"

"Let's go see Du Luozhou."

Gao Huan immediately made the decision: "Wan Jing, brother-in-law, and I will go. A Zhao and Cai Jun, you two stay here and wait for news."

After making proper arrangements, Gao Huan mounted his horse and, along with several personal guards, Hou Jing, Cai Jun, and others, headed towards the source of the news.

They rushed to Shanggu County.

Du Luozhou was hiding in a mountain forest outside Shangdang County. Many people came to visit him after hearing about his reputation, and upon closer questioning, most of them turned out to be residents of Rouxuan Town.

The reputation that Du Luozhou had built up from his previous attack on Yu Jingkai's distribution of grain proved extremely useful at this time.

"Report! Someone outside claims to be He Liuhun from Huai Shuo Town and requests an audience with the King."

"Huai Shuo...He Liuhun? Could it be that eldest son of the Gao family?"

Du Luozhou perked up.

Although he did not take the lead, he had previously been involved with the rebel forces.

They knew everything about the people in Wuchuan and Huaishuo towns, especially Yuwen Sanlang, a second-year high school student in Huaishuo. It was they who assassinated Wei Kegu, causing the rebel army in the east to be leaderless and completely collapse.

He didn't know much about Gao Huan, only that Gao Er had an older brother who was also well-known in Huai Shuo, though not as famous as Gao Er.

"If he really is the elder brother of the peerless ghost god, then... the peerless ghost god is also nearby?"

Think of this.

Du Luozhou could no longer sit still. He stopped the guards who were about to go out to relay the order, got up and went outside himself. From afar, he saw the handsome Gao Huan.

The dust and grime of the journey couldn't hide Gao Huan's extraordinary good looks. "No wonder this eldest son of the Gao family has such a reputation for virtue; just a glance from afar is enough to please the eye and make one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze."

Du Luozhou strode forward, greeting him with a smile, "I have long heard of the name of Huai Shuo Gaolang, and seeing you today, I can confirm that you are indeed a dragon among men."

"I've met the king!"

Gao Huan smiled and bowed, saying, "I have also heard of Your Majesty's deeds, but seeing you today, I finally understand what imperial aura is. Compared to Your Majesty, I am but a firefly, how dare I compete with the bright moon?"

The phrase "imperial aura" left Du Luozhou speechless. He stood there dumbfounded for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "Lord Gao, you flatter me, don't you?"

Gao Huan shook his head, "This is my brother-in-law. He has been learning the art of divination and face reading since he was a child."

“A few days ago, my brother-in-law observed the stars and said that the imperial star resides in Shanggu County. It seems that someone in Shanggu County possesses the aura of an emperor. After inquiring further, I learned that His Majesty is here. Doesn’t this all make sense?”

Duan Rong also chimed in, "Your Majesty's eyes are bright and full of wisdom, revealing the true nature of an emperor in every gesture!"

Gao Huan specifically brought Duan Rong along, with this in mind.

The two chattered away, praising each other non-stop. Du Luozhou couldn't help but feel a little smug, but he managed to suppress his elation with his remaining rationality and didn't completely lose himself.

"Come in! Please come in."

Du Luozhou called for wine and drinks to be prepared, raised his glass and said with a smile, "Come! Let us drink together!"

After they had finished their drinks, Du Luozhou finally asked, "I wonder what brings you here, sir?"

Gao Huan spoke without hesitation, "We wish to serve under Your Majesty, to be of service to Your Majesty, to eliminate all enemies, and to assist Your Majesty in your ambition to become a hegemon!"

Du Luozhou smiled and said, "The current court is unjust and doesn't care about the lives of us, the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons. There must be treacherous officials in the court. I just want to raise the banner of righteousness, punish the unjust, and carry out the act of comforting the people and punishing the guilty."

Gao Huan shook his head and advised, "When a country is about to perish, there will surely be monstrous evils! The court is rife with treacherous officials; isn't this a sign that the Great Wei is about to fall?"

"Your Majesty killed the garrison commander and opened the granaries to distribute grain, earning you a reputation for benevolence among the people. Your Majesty's replacement of the Great Wei and rule of the world is what the people desire and what they look forward to. Now, as long as Your Majesty gathers a righteous army, wherever you go, the people will surely welcome you with food and drink!"

“We came from Ding and Ji prefectures, and the people of these two prefectures share the same idea.”

"What is there for Your Majesty to hesitate about?"

Du Luozhou remained extremely humble, changing the subject and saying, "I've heard that the Second Son of the Gao family is renowned for his bravery throughout the six towns, and that all the tribes of the grasslands revere him as an 'unparalleled ghost god.' Why hasn't the Second Son come today?"

Gao Huan sighed and shook his head, saying, "Erlang has been separated from us since the breakout from Wuchuan... My brother and I have been separated for nearly two years. Although I have been trying to find out more, I have not received any news about him."

Du Luozhou couldn't help but feel a little regretful, as he had heard of Gao Yu's bravery.

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. If such a brave and valiant person were to serve, wouldn't the result be twice as effective with half the effort?
Gao Huan seemed to have seen through his thoughts and continued speaking.

"Your Majesty! Even if Erlang were here, he would agree with me and be willing to serve Your Majesty as the supreme ruler!"

"Your Majesty's execution of the garrison commander is the first act of 'rebellion'! Even though Erlang and I have some reputation, we are no match for Your Majesty. This time, it is Your Majesty who should lead the uprising."

Du Luozhou remained silent for a long time before looking at Gao Huan with a blank expression and asking.

"I have never met Gao Lang before, nor have I ever had any dealings with him. Why does Gao Lang value me so much?"

Gao Huan replied without changing his expression, "I was somewhat hesitant at first, but the Emperor Star resides in Shanggu County. Having seen you today, Your Majesty truly possesses the aura of an emperor. I am but a lowly person, and I should naturally submit to Your Majesty and become a loyal subject to the emperor! I will strive for unparalleled merit."

He did say something honest at the end.

"As the saying goes, it's good to take shelter under a big tree. Your Majesty has gathered so many followers in just a few days. It is only natural for my brothers and me to come and seek refuge with Your Majesty if we want to survive in this world."

Hear this.

Du Luozhou's guard lessened somewhat.

That's absolutely the truth.

He smiled and said, "I dare not presume to rule the world, but... I do need the assistance of a man of talent like Gao Lang to succeed in raising the banner of righteousness and punishing the wicked."

Gao Huan, Hou Jing, and the others showed joy on their faces and quickly rose to their feet and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Du Luozhou was overjoyed and helped each of them up.

August 28th.

Under the blazing sun, Du Luozhou had a platform set up early.

He went up on stage and faced the crowd.

In just half a month, he gathered tens of thousands of people, many of whom, like Gao Huan, came to join him with their own troops.

Its influence was so great that people came to seek refuge with it every day.

Upon hearing the news, the people of Shanggu County fled with their families.

During this time, Gao Huan had been making connections and encouraging those who came to seek refuge to persuade Du Luozhou to give up the pretense. In the end, Du Luozhou simply stopped pretending!
“My lords, the Yuan clan of Xianbei has committed unjust acts. I wish to lead you to overthrow them and take their place.”

"Today, I swear this oath!"

"I will never betray you in my lifetime. In three days, I will raise an army and attack Shanggu County!"

(End of this chapter)