My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 191 How many Gao Langs are there in the world?

February 26th.

Gao Yu was monitoring the daily attendance of his soldiers from the Xuanjia Army and the Capture the Living Army.

After receiving support from Erzhu, Gao Yu regained control of money and resources, which he could use to reward and motivate his soldiers.

The price was that a large number of Qihu people from within the Erzhu clan infiltrated Gao Yu's Xuanjia Army and the Capture the Living Army.

That's what exchange is.

Erzhu Rong would not allow Gao Yu to control a core military force composed entirely of soldiers and civilians from the six towns.

Gao Yu was well aware that he was being guarded against and that it was inevitable that Erzhu Rong had sent people to keep him in check.

He didn't take it seriously.

If you can't even win over the hearts of your soldiers, then don't even think about having the ambition to establish a great career in this chaotic world.

While the soldiers were training enthusiastically, Hou Jing and others were squatting on the ground having a heated debate.

"If I were Du Luozhou, I would lead my army south to fight Ge Rong's main force directly, not giving Ge Rong any time to breathe. His soldiers have been resting and preparing for battle for a long time and their morale is high."

Hou Jing expressed his views and received support from Peng Le, Hebasheng and others.

"Indeed, we should launch a swift attack. Du Luozhou is powerful, while Ge Rong is weak. We should finish them off in one battle!"

Ge Rong was indeed very powerful, but he only controlled the three provinces of Ying, Ji, and Yin, and most of Ying province had already fallen into the hands of Du Luozhou.

Based on the actual territory they currently control, Du Luozhou is the most powerful.

Yan, You, Ying, Ding, and half of Yingzhou, totaling four and a half prefectures. Although Anzhou and Pingzhou in the northeasternmost corner seem to have not been captured, they may become a hidden danger for Du Luozhou and be betrayed.

In reality, Pingzhou and Anzhou were only able to defend themselves and had no spare strength to launch attacks on Du Luozhou's rear.

Murong Shaozong shook his head, "This is inappropriate."

Hou Jing and the others from the Six Garrisons were very unhappy with Murong Shaozong, this 'outsider,' and openly and secretly tried to squeeze him out at every turn. They immediately retorted defiantly, "Improper? There is no perfect solution in this world. Tell me where the impropriety lies?"

Murong Shaozong was not angry; instead, he calmly began to analyze the situation.

"If Du Luozhou takes the initiative to lead his army south, Ge Rong can feign weakness and let him penetrate deep into the territory of Ji and Yin provinces to extend Du Luozhou's supply lines. Hebei is flat and open. Ge Rong only needs to divide his elite cavalry into several small groups to harass his rear supply lines. Du Luozhou will have no way to defend against it. If his food and supplies are insufficient, his army will be thrown into chaos!"

“Such a peasant army can only fight when the wind is blowing in their favor. Once the morale of the army is low and people’s hearts are unsettled, they will collapse without a fight.”

Hou Jing immediately retorted, "If you can harass the supply lines, why can't Du Luozhou do the opposite, pretend that the supply lines have been seized and the army is in disarray, thus luring Ge Rong to launch a preemptive attack?"

“Ge Rong’s troops have been roaming back and forth between Ji, Ding and Ying prefectures since the start of the rebellion. They know the terrain of Hebei like the back of their hand. Du Luozhou has never been south before and knows nothing about the local terrain. Where would be the best place to set up an ambush?”

"And with morale so low, how can we possibly engage them in a decisive battle?"

Murong Shaozong's reasoned and well-founded rebuttal left Hou Jing speechless. Unable to save face, Hou Jing could only stubbornly retort, "How can we not fight them when morale is low? Hasn't Shaozong heard of Moheduo's great victory over the Gaoche? At that time, the Rouran were also in a state of morale turmoil!"

When Hou Jing and the others said those words, they already knew they were at a disadvantage; they were just stubbornly trying to put on a brave front.

Upon hearing this, Murong Shaozong couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Then let me ask you, how many people in this world are as brave and valiant as General Moheduo? If General Moheduo were here, miracles could indeed be created, but people like General Moheduo are rare in the world, no, they are the only ones in the world today. He is an isolated case."

"A general must consider the overall situation and be thorough in all aspects. When considering a problem, he must put himself in the other person's shoes. How can he treat it so lightly?"

Hou Jing was immediately speechless and stammered.

There's no way to argue with that.

Because Murong Shaozong was telling the truth.

Gao Yu leading the Xuanjia Army can indeed create miracles, but there is only one Gao Yu in this world, and the battlefield situation changes in an instant. No one can guarantee that everything will go according to their plan, and Gao Yu cannot guarantee it either.

Therefore, before starting the war, all situations should be taken into account, and Gao Yu, as a special case, should be excluded during the consideration.

Let's consider the scenario where all soldiers and officers are normal people.

Hou Jing and Murong Shaozong parted on bad terms. Murong Shaozong didn't care about such things. He knew very well what Erzhu Rong's intention was in letting him blend into the group of people from the Six Garrisons. Being isolated was actually a good thing.

If he can get along well with Hou Jing and others, then Erzhu Rong will have something to worry about.

Gao Huan had actually been listening in the background. Seeing Hou Jing's indignant expression, Gao Huan advised him, "Wan Jing... you will also become a general in the future. Murong Shaozong is a talented general. You should humbly learn from him. Have you forgotten what Erlang told you before?"

"This fellow is indeed quite capable, but how could I be inferior to him?"

Hou Jing snorted a few times, clearly unconvinced.

Heba Yue also said to his two elder brothers, "This Murong Shaozong is indeed an outstanding person, and not all of the Grand Commander's subordinates are sycophants."

Heba Yun sighed, “Heroes of the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river. We must not underestimate them. Only by making contributions and achieving great things in the future can we live up to our father’s spirit in heaven!”

Earlier, during their breakout attempt, the Heba family encountered the eastern Gaoche tribe, who had come to support the rebels, and a fierce battle ensued.

Hebaduba died in the chaos of battle.

Currently, Heba Yun, the eldest brother, is the nominal head of the Heba family.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out.

It was Erzhu Rong's trusted guards who came to deliver Erzhu Rong's military order, summoning Gao Yu and others to discuss important matters.

"Mulan, Zixing, you two keep watch here. I'll be right back."

"Here!"

Gao Yu and the others quickly rode their horses to where Erzhu Rong was. Erzhu Rong was not in the fortified village, but at a horse farm, where he appeared to have taken over a batch of fine horses.

The horses that were delivered were all plump and strong, with soft coats; one glance was enough to tell they were rare and fine horses.

The other members of the Erzhu clan were also present.

Gao Yu and Gao Huan exchanged a glance, then suppressed their doubts, wondering why Erzhu Rong had gathered everyone together.

"Everyone is here?"

Erzhu Rong glanced at everyone and said with a smile, "Du Luozhou has sent an envoy who will be here soon. Let's see how his envoy will persuade me."

Du Luozhou sent an envoy.
It seems that Ge Rong and Du Luozhou are about to have a battle. Sending an envoy at this time is simply an attempt to win them over.

We don't need Erzhu Rong to send troops to help us; we just need Erzhu Rong to remain neutral and not stab us in the back at crucial moments.

Erzhu Tianguang laughed and said, "Is Ge Rong's envoy also on the way? If the envoys of these two traitors come together, it will be quite an interesting matter. I wonder how the two envoys will exchange words and whether they will fight?"

Gao Yu and Gao Huan scoffed at these remarks, their faces remaining expressionless.

Erzhu Rong didn't reply, but instead carefully observed everyone. He gave Gao Huan a deep look and said, "He Liuhun, in your opinion, will Ge Rong send an envoy?"

The crowd looked at Gao Huan with varying expressions.

Husichun immediately followed up, "He Liuhun, why are you silent when the Grand Commander is questioning you?"

"If you have a good plan, you should offer it to the Grand Commander. If you can't come up with anything, you should also inform the Grand Commander! What is your intention in remaining silent!"

Hou Jing and the others were furious, but Erzhu Rong raised his hand to stop them, saying, "Consideration takes time, why must Fa Shou do this?"

"I suppose I acted too hastily. The Grand Commander is wise, and we still have much to learn from him."

Erzhu Rong had a slight smile on his face, but Husi Chun completely ignored the contemptuous and angry looks from the others.

Gao Huan didn't hide anything, and after cupping his hands, he said, "In my opinion, Ge Rong will not send an envoy."

"Oh?"

Erzhu Rong asked with a playful tone, "Why?"

“The territory controlled by Ge Rong will not be directly targeted by the Grand Commander’s troops. On the contrary, after Du Luozhou took control of Dingzhou, he was already facing the Grand Commander directly.”

Jingxing Pass is still under the control of the imperial court. Erzhu Rong only needs to send troops eastward from there, and Du Luozhou will be attacked from both sides.

Erzhu Tianguang scoffed, "Even so, Ge Rong can still seek help from Tianbao to divide up Du Luozhou's power together."

Gao Huan shook his head and said slowly, "Because Ge Rong once served as a garrison commander in Huai Shuo, he was also a member of the officialdom and was well-versed in the ways of officialdom!"

"The Grand Commander is exceptionally capable, so why has the court refused to issue an edict ordering him to march east and quell the rebellion? Clearly, it is because the court is wary of the Grand Commander, fearing that once he conquers Hebei, he will escape the court's control."

Since last year, the imperial court has been continuously promoting Erzhu Rong and giving him higher positions, and is well aware that Erzhu Rong's power is growing stronger.

However, he never issued an edict ordering Erzhu Rong to take the initiative to send troops to quell the rebellion.

This was clearly a precaution against Erzhu Rong.

The imperial court was well aware that the Han Chinese powerful families in Hebei would not lower themselves to cooperate with the rebels, but... Erzhu Rong, an official with considerable influence within the system, was a potential partner.

If Erzhu Rong were to acquire the fertile land of Hebei and cooperate with the local powerful families...

Whether the Great Wei is still the Great Wei of the Yuan Dynasty is hard to say.

Compared to the rebels, the imperial court was clearly more afraid of losing control of Erzhu Rong.

and so……

They would rather conscript troops from the south or temporarily recruit soldiers to quell the rebellion in the north than allow Erzhu Rong to march east from Shanxi.

“If the Grand Commander had wanted to disregard the imperial edict and march eastward directly, he would have taken Jingxing Pass long ago. But the Grand Commander did not do so. From this, Ge Rong could tell that the Grand Commander was still observing the situation and had no intention of marching eastward.”

“Ge Rong is located in Hebei, so it’s not difficult to find out this information.”

Erzhu Rong laughed loudly upon hearing this, "He Liuhun's words resonate deeply with me; that's what I think too."

Erzhu Tianguang's face turned pale and then red. He had wanted to show off in front of Erzhu Rong and take the opportunity to deflate the arrogance of the Gao brothers.

Unexpectedly, his attempts to show off backfired, making him a laughing stock in the eyes of others.

(End of this chapter)