My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 175 Chaos reigns throughout the land!

On the eighth day of the second month of the second year of Xiaochang.

The sky was cloudless and the temperature was still very low, but the ice and snow covering the earth had melted.

Gao Yu rode behind Erzhu Rong on horseback, as the army marched in a grand procession through the territory of Fenzhou.

Last December.

Liu Lisheng rallied his followers in Yunyang Valley to rebel against Wei. Despite his name suggesting he was Han Chinese, Liu Lisheng was a Ji Hu, also known as a Shan Hu, and not a Han Chinese from the Central Plains.

After raising an army in rebellion, Liu Lisheng began to harass Fenzhou.

Upon receiving the news, Erzhu Rong immediately led his troops across the Fen River into the territory of Fenzhou.

Fenzhou was the core territory that Erzhu Rong regarded as his back garden. Xiurongchuan was right next to Fenzhou, and one only needed to cross the Fen River to enter the territory of Fenzhou.

How can one allow another to snore on the bed where one lies on one's side?

However, after entering Fenzhou territory, Gao Yu discovered that Erzhu Rong had not come to quell the rebellion.

Liu Lisheng's rebel army mainly caused trouble in the lower part of Fenzhou, in the areas of Zhongyang County, Dingyang County, and Wucheng County, all of which are located in the lower part of Fenzhou.

Erzhu Rong marched all the way to Puzicheng, the capital of Fenzhou, and met with Pei Liang, the governor of Fenzhou. The two had a very pleasant conversation and even agreed to have their children marry each other.

The surname Pei, coupled with the high-ranking position of governor, clearly indicates that the person originated from the Pei clan of Hedong.

After making this trip, Erzhu Rong led his army back along the same route.

From Gao Yu's perspective, Erzhu Rong's actions seemed more like a show of force to the prefects and clerks of the counties in Fenzhou that had not been attacked by the rebels.

Let the people of Fenzhou know the power of the Erzhu clan. If the rebels attack in the future, the people of Fenzhou will definitely ask the Erzhu clan for help. Then the Erzhu clan will have the opportunity to extend their reach into Fenzhou without the imperial edict.

But if that's all there is to it...

Why not just send Erzhu Zhao, Erzhu Tianguang, and others? Why insist on personally leading the troops?
Gao Yu felt there was some information, but he didn't know that Erzhu Rong must have a reason for doing this.

Ta-da-da.

A rapid sound of horses' hooves rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

Several mounted riders galloped up, dismounted before Erzhu Rong, and presented him with an envelope. Erzhu Rong opened the envelope and read it.

A meaningful smile appeared on his face. "Okay, okay, okay."

Erzhu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "What has made Tianbao so happy?"

Erzhu Rong did not give the envelope to him, but instead handed it to Gao Yu first, saying, "Second Brother, please take a look first."

Gao Yu took the envelope, and his brain was immediately bombarded with a high density of information. The letter was sent by Erzhu Shilong, who stayed behind in Xiurong, and it was a summary of recent news.

Du Luozhou, a resident of Rouxuan Town, has conquered the entire territory of Yanzhou and is now leading his troops to attack Youzhou.

Xianyu Xiuli, a man of the Dingling people, gathered a crowd and rebelled near Zuoren City in Dingzhou. Yuan Hongye, the governor of Dingzhou, led the city to surrender.

Within Hengzhou, a Dingling man named Xianyu Ahu was still leading a rebellion. Hengzhou and Shuozhou had been completely destroyed two years ago, but what was surprising was that... as the former capital of the Great Wei, Pingcheng was a well-fortified city and should have been able to hold out, but it fell to Xianyu Ahu's rebel army.

That is to say...

at the moment.

Most of the northern provinces of the Great Wei, including Heng, Shuo, Fen, Ding, Yan, and You, have rebelled. The rebellion in Ding is the most deadly. Sowing is to be done after spring, but with the rebels causing trouble, how can we sow the seeds?
Regardless of whether the weather is favorable this year, the three prefectures of Ji, Ding, and Ying, which serve as the granary of the Great Wei, will be affected. If the fighting is severe, it may even lead to a situation where there is no harvest, comparable to a year of famine.

The most crucial message is at the very end.

The imperial court ordered Changsun Zhi, the governor of Yangzhou, to lead troops north to quell the rebellion!

The Changsun clan originated from a branch of the Tuoba clan and was one of the "Ten Imperial Clans" of the Tuoba Xianbei. Changsun Zhi was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, which was the front line in the confrontation with the Southern Dynasty. This is enough to prove that he was a famous general in the eyes of the Wei court and a person who was extremely good at military tactics.

Even more importantly!
That is, faced with such a large-scale rebellion, the Great Wei court could no longer sit still and could not remain calm as it had when facing the Six Garrisons Rebellion.

They could only hastily recall elite soldiers from the front lines confronting the Southern Liang to quell the rebellion. This desperate measure of robbing Peter to pay Paul clearly showed that the court was driven to desperation and was no longer concerned with its own problems.

No wonder Erzhu Rong kept praising it; wasn't this exactly the 'chaos in the world' scene that Erzhu Rong was happy to see finally appear?
Although Gao Yu was shocked, he remained calm and handed the letter to Erzhu Zhao and the others to read. After seeing the news...

Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Tianguang exclaimed in surprise, "They've all rebelled? Hahahaha! Truly, Heaven is helping our Erzhu clan!"

Looking at the two ecstatic people and then at the indifferent Gao Yu, Erzhu Rong's good mood turned sour again, and he felt quite helpless.

He patiently asked, "Second Brother, the situation has changed now. In your opinion, what should I do?"

Erzhu Tianguang spoke first, "Is there any need to think about it? Immediately march north and occupy Heng and Shuo prefectures. Then our Erzhu clan will be able to control three prefectures and then plot to conquer the world!"

Erzhu Rong glanced at him with slight surprise.

There's still some hope; at least he knows how to use his brain.

Erzhu Zhao retorted in a muffled voice, "I don't think that's appropriate."

"Oh? Is there something wrong?"

Has Erzhu Zhao finally learned to use his brain?

Regardless of whether the thinking is right or wrong, knowing to use one's brain to think before acting, instead of blindly shouting for violence, is already a huge step forward in Erzhu Rong's eyes.

My usual teaching has not been in vain.

Erzhu Zhao's words almost made Erzhu Rong's vision go black.

"I can't think of anything wrong with it for now, Erlang! I'm sure you'll understand the pros and cons."

Gao Yu was certain.

People do laugh when they're speechless.

Has Erzhu Zhao developed path dependence?

Regardless of anything else, I'll habitually refute Erzhu Tianguang and the others' suggestions first, and if I can't find a reason myself, I'll ask them to help me refute it.
The matter that Gao Loujin had mentioned two months ago came to mind.

Oh shit!

I treat you like a brother, but you want to be my father-in-law?

He hasn't even become a father-in-law yet, and he's already acting like one?
Gao Yu shook his head helplessly and said, "Wan Ren is right, it is indeed inappropriate..."

"What's wrong with that?"

Erzhu Tianguang was extremely unconvinced, "I want to hear what Gaolang has to say."

Gao Yu said, "Heng and Shuo prefectures have long been impoverished and are not rich places to begin with. After being ravaged by the rebels for two years, it will take at least four or five years to recover. This is why Pingcheng was so easily captured by the rebels."

"If we lead our troops north to quell the rebellion now, even if we manage to suppress the rebels, what good will it do?"

"It seems like we've gained control of two states, but where do we find the time to manage them right now?"

The two territories that have already been destroyed can no longer supply the Erzhu clan with resources. If they want to continue operating, they will have to continuously bleed the Erzhu clan dry.

This does not meet Erzhurong's current needs.

Although Erzhu Tianguang was unconvinced, he had no way to refute it.

Erzhu Zhao, however, was delighted and repeatedly agreed, "Yes! What Gao Lang said is absolutely right!"

It was another scene of Gao Yu and I teaming up to wreak havoc.

Erzhu Rong was helpless.

But then she thought, if she married Erzhu Yuechan to Gao Yu, then Gao Yu would be able to advise Erzhu Zhao, and Erzhu Zhao would be able to follow his advice.

This father-in-law and son-in-law pairing seems to relieve a lot of his pressure.
(End of this chapter)