My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 189 Flatterers
On the second day of the second month of the third year of Xiaochang (527 AD), the dragon raised its head.

The tiger roared, its eyes flashing with ferocity, its teeth bared. Multiple arrows had been shot into its body, and blood was seeping out and dripping, forming a small pool of blood beneath it.

Finding no way to escape, the tiger fought desperately, using all its strength to try and intimidate the bipedal 'monster' in front of it with the roar of the king of beasts.

It immediately exerted force with all four legs, sprinted forward, and then leaped into the air, its sharp claws reflecting a chilling luster in the sunlight.

The man in front of him showed no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, he became increasingly excited, leaning forward to lower his center of gravity, gripping a knife in one hand as he faced the tiger leaping into the air.

The man moved with agility and sudden sliding tackle, dodging the tiger's pounce and positioning himself in the tiger's most vulnerable area, its abdomen. He plunged his sword directly into the tiger's chest, and without giving the tiger any time to react, he nimbly rolled to his feet.

After quickly gathering its strength, it leaped up like the tiger before, and its fist, as big as a casserole dish, smashed down on the tiger's head.

boom!
The collision of the hand bones and skull produced a dull thud.

The immense impact made the tiger feel dizzy, but before it could react...

The terrifying bipedal 'monster' suddenly leaped onto its back and launched a fierce attack, its fists, as big as casserole dishes, raining down on its head.

With a barrage of punches, the tiger's blood flowed faster, and it soon collapsed stiffly to the ground.

"The general is mighty!"

"As expected of General Gao, he was able to kill such a ferocious beast single-handedly!"

"You're making a fuss over nothing! My lord is an unparalleled god of war! Go ask around the northern grasslands, everyone knows the name of the unparalleled god of war!"

A large number of soldiers were watching, all of them wearing armor and carrying bows and swords.

Li Minzhi and Liu Rong had already pledged their allegiance to Gao Yu, and they had no other choice but to follow their fellow townsmen, which was the most promising path for them, not to mention that Gao Yu was already a favorite of Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Rong then generously provided Gao Yu with armor and horses, instantly increasing Gao Yu's troop strength to a full three thousand men.

of course……

The quality of the weaponry was naturally incomparable to that of Erzhu Rong's most core "Qihu Elite Cavalry," which was Erzhu Rong's trump card. But Gao Yu was already satisfied; what more could he ask for than something he got for free?

Gao Yu, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Carry this tiger back for me. It's about time. Take all the prey with you."

Immediately, someone drove up in a carriage and carried the tiger's carcass up.

Take a closer look.

There were also two wild boars, several wild deer, and many wild rabbits on the carriage...

As the group prepared to return to camp, they encountered another group on the way. The leader was the three Heba brothers, who had also made a considerable haul, having hunted down two wild pheasants.

Although the three brothers were valued by Erzhu Rong, they never had the opportunity to lead an army on their own.

His current position is merely a 'miscellaneous' post; he is Erzhu Rong's trusted commander, a title without any real power.

The prey of both sides is compared.

The soldiers of the Xuanjia Army subconsciously raised their heads, a sense of pride welling up on their faces.

What about the three Herba brothers?

In front of Gao Yu, they are nothing more than this.

The hunting teams gradually returned to their original meeting point, where Erzhu Rong and others were already waiting. Someone was assigned to count the number of wild animals killed by each hunting team.

After everyone had gathered, Erzhu Shilong received the statistics. He was stunned for a moment, slightly annoyed, but still shouted loudly.

"The Xuanjia Army deserves the greatest credit for this hunt!"

Hunting was Erzhu Rong's method of training his troops.

In addition to practicing military formations during the hunt, rewards were also given after the hunt, just like after a battle. Everything was done exactly like a war.

Murong Shaozong couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of Mo Heduo, his Xuanjia soldiers live up to their reputation."

Erzhu Rong nodded upon hearing this, “The Qihu elite cavalry is an elite force that I personally trained. However, Wan Ren, Tian Guang, Zhong Yuan, and others are completely unable to unleash the power of the Qihu elite cavalry. Having elite troops under your command is important, but the general is even more important. The three Heba brothers did not bring Qihu elite cavalry, yet they are no less capable than Wan Ren and others.”

He stepped forward and laughed heartily, “The Xuanjia Army deserves the highest honor, and will be rewarded with cattle, sheep and horses as per custom.”

"Thank you, Grand Commander!"

In the workplace, one should address others by their job titles. However, as more and more people came to join him, even though Erzhu Rong had told him that there was no need to be so concerned about how they were addressed, he continued to do so.

But Gao Yu still stuck to his job.

Erzhu Rong could value him, but that also meant countless eyes were watching him. He had to be careful and meticulous in every aspect to prevent those with ulterior motives from slandering him.

Being the boss's favorite isn't so easy.

This is not.

A middle-aged man, dressed more like a scholar, stepped forward and said, "The Grand Commander's words are inappropriate!"

"Oh? Fa Shou, why don't you just speak frankly? Is there anything wrong with that?"

"In my opinion, the one who deserves the greatest credit should be the Grand Commander! Although General Moheduo is brave and his Xuanjia soldiers are also valiant, if it weren't for the Grand Commander's discerning eye, how could he have displayed his prowess? General Moheduo, you should immediately thank the Grand Commander for his kindness, instead of being arrogant here because you have made a contribution!"

"Isn't Fa Shou going too far?" "Not at all. I was merely speaking my mind!"

Husichun fawned, "General Moheduo, what are you standing there for?"

Gao Yu immediately bowed, "Fa Shou's words are very true. It was my oversight. The one who should be credited with the greatest merit is the Grand Commander!"

Erzhu Rong let out another hearty laugh, and Husi Chun followed suit with a forced smile, completely ignoring the disgusted and resentful looks from the Xuanjia Army and others.

There is only one sun in his heart!
That was Erzhu Rong.

This is how he came to seek refuge with the Erzhu clan and, after observing for a while, figured out his way of surviving within their ranks.

"This sycophantic scoundrel is despicable! He's always targeting us from the Six Towns! I hope he doesn't fall into my hands!"

Hou Jing's eyes flashed with murderous intent; he wished he could kill Hu Sichun as soon as possible.

Gao Huan shook his head at him, "Wan Jing, don't be rude. Don't get into a conflict with this person. He's not some sycophantic villain; on the contrary, he's very clever..."

After spending several months in Xiurongchuan, Gao Huan gradually came to understand why Gao Yu held Erzhu Rong in such high regard.

Erzhu Rong was indeed quite capable.

Erzhu Rong valued all the people from the six garrisons who came to join him, but he did not give them any real official positions. Instead, he gave them honorary titles such as trusted commanders, who could meet with Erzhu Rong and offer him advice, but could not control a single soldier.

They did indeed give Gao Yu a lot of credit, but they also took precautions against him.

He arranged for his cousin Murong Shaozong to be by Gao Yu's side, and also gave important positions to Husi Chun.

Husichun constantly opposed Gao Yu, and Erzhu Rong would only reprimand him superficially each time, but never actually punished him.

It is clear.

Not wanting Gao Yu to become arrogant because of his favor, Husi Chun was merely a "black glove" to keep Gao Yu in check on Erzhu Rong at all times.

Just like when Gao Huan was a bandit, he also sent Hou Jing to lead troops out to do things that would damage his reputation and be very undignified if word got out.

How the hell can I do this kind of thing myself?
Of course, we need to get the 'gloves' around us to come out.

Erzhu Rong's reprimand of Gao Yu, the most successful of the Six Garrisons under his command, was also a veiled warning to the others who came from the Six Garrisons to join him.

If Gao Yu and Erzhu are related by marriage and they act like this, shouldn't everyone else behave themselves?
Erzhu Rong smiled and waved his hand, "After dividing the prey, today is a good day, everyone please join me for a drink."

The soldiers immediately began to butcher the game, and after roasting the meat, they brought it to the people.

Hu Sichun took the initiative to pour Gao Yu a full glass of wine, his face full of apologetic smiles. "Gao Lang and I each have our own duties, and we are both serving the Grand Commander. It is inevitable that there will be any offenses in our words. I hope Gao Lang will forgive us."

"As you said, everyone is just doing their job. You were just doing your duty, what's wrong with that? Fa Shou, don't take it to heart."

Gao Yu smiled and drank the wine in one gulp.

Hu Sichun was taken aback, but quickly followed suit and drank the wine in his glass.

I thought to myself.

Gao Yu has such magnanimity and breadth of mind; no wonder the Grand Commander values ​​me so highly.

After several rounds of drinks, Erzhu Rong looked at everyone and said, "News from Hebei has arrived. After the court designated Yinzhou, Du Luozhou marched south and captured Dingzhou. The governor of Dingzhou, Yang Jin, suffered a great defeat. Ge Rong captured Xindu last December and then captured Yinzhou, killing the governor of Yinzhou, Cui Kai. He also defeated the government army in Xiangzhou, killing Yuan Ziyong and Pei Yan. However, he failed to capture Xiangzhou."

"It seems that Ge Rong and Du Luo, the two traitors, will inevitably have a battle soon."

The imperial court issued an order within a month.

A region was separated between Dingzhou and Xiangzhou and named Yinzhou.

Its capital was Guang'a, and its jurisdiction included Zhao Commandery, Julu Commandery, and Nan Zhao Commandery, totaling four commanderies.

Unexpectedly, Cui Kai, that unlucky fellow, was defeated by Ge Rong shortly after taking office.

Erzhu Rong smiled and looked at Gao Huan, "I wonder what He Liuhun thinks?"

Gao Huan bowed and said, "The bandits have been besieging Xiangzhou for a long time without success, while Du Luozhou in the north has already marched south to attack Dingzhou. At present, the imperial court is no longer able to send a large army to take the initiative. Ge Rong will definitely turn back to fight Du Luozhou."

Erzhu Zhao quickly spoke up, "Then we should make preparations as soon as possible and head east to quell the bandits!"

"Yes! We will march east to quell the bandits and achieve unparalleled merit!"

Erzhu Tianguang and the others also chimed in with their own jeers.

Erzhu Rong did not speak, but continued to look at Gao Huan, as if he knew that Gao Huan still had something to say.

"Du Luozhou and Ge Rong are both outstanding individuals. As the saying goes, when two tigers fight, one of them will surely be injured!"

"The Grand Commander only needs to observe the situation. Regardless of who wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. At that time, we can request the imperial court to quell the rebellion and lead a righteous army eastward. With a just cause, we will surely be invincible!"

"Hahahaha! He Liuhun's insight is brilliant! This is exactly what I was thinking too."

Erzhu Rong laughed loudly, "Come! Drink!"

(End of this chapter)