My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 208 Who is the mastermind?

He walked out of Yuan Ziyou's tent.

Erzhu Rong's expression changed, his face turning ashen. He looked up towards the southeast, and from afar, he seemed to see the carriages of the officials slowly approaching the military camp.

He hurried back to his tent and muttered to himself.

"They're all forcing me to kill, they all want me to be this butcher, to bear the infamy for all eternity... So be it! If you want to be the ruler of the world, you must bear the stain of the world!"

"Someone! Summon Wan Ren, Tian Guang, Zhong Yuan, Shi Long, Yan Bo, and the others."

Not a moment.

The most outstanding young members of the Erzhu clan entered Erzhu Rong's camp one after another.

People are happy when they are happy.

Every member of the Erzhu clan radiated with boundless energy and spirit!
They all knew that the time for settling the rewards was approaching, and each of them was destined to rise to prominence because of this opportunity!
The credit for supporting the emperor and establishing him will undoubtedly go to Erzhu.

To put it bluntly.

Without Erzhu Rong's schemes and the assistance of the Erzhu clan, what kind of person would Yuan Ziyou be, and would he even be worthy of ascending the throne?

According to the normal procedure, he wouldn't even be in the running for X, and he wasn't even a direct descendant of Emperor Xiaowen.

Erzhu Rong has already been granted the title of Prince of Taiyuan. Even if they are not granted the title of Prince, they can at least get the title of Marquis or Earl. If all else fails, they can be granted the title of Baron. That would still be a title, making them superior people.

The Wei dynasty's system of nobility was inherited from the previous dynasty, and it was divided into 'King, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron'. Emperor Xiaowen made changes to the nobility system during the 'Taihe Reform'. The title of King was only granted to the direct descendants of Emperor Daowu Tuoba Gui. Collateral branches who were not direct descendants of Tuoba Gui but had the title of King, as well as kings of different surnames, were all demoted one rank.

If a king is demoted to a duke, a duke to a marquis... and a viscount or baron is demoted to no lower rank, then the status remains the same.

Erzhu Rong is currently the only non-direct descendant of Tuoba Gui among the kings in the Great Wei court, and it is no exaggeration to say that he holds the highest position among ministers.

Erzhu Rong asked directly, "Later, all the officials, ministers, and princes will arrive to pay their respects to His Majesty. What do you think I should do with the officials?"

Erzhu Zhao hurriedly spoke up, "Kill! Kill all the treacherous officials in the court! Only in this way can we establish our authority. Otherwise, the officials and princes will not take us seriously. We must kill so many people that they will bow down."

Erzhu Yanbo and Erzhu Zhongyuan shared the same thought as Erzhu Zhao: "Just kill them! What's there to hesitate about? Didn't Tianbao want to kill these people?"

Erzhu Rong looked at Erzhu Tianguang and Erzhu Shilong. Neither of them spoke immediately. Did they have different opinions?

"I also think he should be killed!"

Erzhu Tianguang added, "Tianbao, you didn't enter the city and didn't see how arrogant those princes and nobles were. When I went to deliver the message, they were all as arrogant as ever towards us. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the army outside the city was their subordinate."

Thinking of his past experiences of groveling before others in Luoyang, Erzhu Tianguang gritted his teeth in hatred. "Kill them! Let these nobles who are still living in a dream see reality! Right now, it is my Erzhu clan that calls the shots! The affairs of the world do not belong to the nobles, the princes, or even His Majesty, but to my Erzhu clan!!"

Erzhu Shilong chimed in, "Besides establishing authority and intimidating officials and ministers, killing people can also free up positions in the court to place our confidants. How can we rise to power if we don't kill them?"

“Purge the court of corrupt officials is no different from rebellion. If not enough people are killed and only enough positions are allocated to us Erzhu clan members, those who came from Dai and the Six Garrisons to join us will likely feel resentful. They are all those who joined the rebellion, yet they do not receive the rewards they deserve.”

"People's hearts will inevitably be unsettled, and if someone with ulterior motives tries to mediate, things could change."

After listening to Erzhu Shilong's analysis, Erzhu Rong felt a little better. Not all the Erzhu clan's members were just 'idiots' who only knew how to fight and kill; there were still some sensible people among them.

He waved his hand, "You may all leave. I already know what you're thinking."

He had already understood the thoughts of all parties involved, including those within the Erzhu clan.

Next is...

The forces of the Six Garrisons.

He ordered his men to summon Heba Yue and Gao Huan to his tents.

After observing for these past few days.

Erzhu Rong also noticed something amiss.

The forces under his command of the six towns were actually divided into two factions: one was Huai Shuo Town, and the other was Wu Chuan Town. After all, the people of the other four towns were now basically fighting each other in Hebei with Du Luozhou and Ge Rong.

At the time, only Wu Chuan and Huai Shuo insisted on not surrendering.

The people of Wuchuan all took the Heba brothers as their leaders, while the people of Huaishuo all took Gao Huan as their leader.

Heba Yue and Gao Huan gave essentially the same answer, advising him to "kill to establish authority" and, incidentally, make enough vacancy in the court to satisfy the ambitions of his subordinates.

How can the brothers improve if we don't make enough room?

Erzhu Rong eventually sent someone to summon Gao Yu.

Gao Yu is the most unique among the people of the Six Towns. On the surface, Gao Yu is a staunch supporter of the Huai Shuo faction, after all, Gao Huan is his own brother. However, the people of Wu Chuan also highly regard Gao Yu. The two sides tear each other apart, but it does not affect Gao Yu's relationship with them.

To be precise, Gao Yu had a good relationship with everyone under his command.

The Erzhu clan was mostly composed of nomadic tribes from the grasslands who believed in the supremacy of the strong. Gao Yu's bravery was recognized by everyone, and Gao Yu himself was also very good at interpersonal relationships, never offending anyone.

If it weren't for the fact that he only had one daughter, Erzhu Ying'e, and there wasn't enough to go around, then...

If he had another daughter, he would definitely marry her off to Gao Yu in order to win Gao Yu over.

In his view, the only person who could intimidate the various forces within his interest group, prevent the Erzhu Group from collapsing after his accident, and turn the tide was Gao Yu.

Even Gao Huan couldn't do it, not because Gao Huan lacked the ability, but because Gao Huan lacked the interpersonal skills.

As Erzhu Rong was pondering, a sound of footsteps startled him awake. When he looked up again, he saw Gao Yu standing in front of him.

"I've seen the general!"

"Second Brother, why be so polite?"

Erzhu Rong got up and kindly helped Gao Yu up, pulling him along with a big smile.

"There are no outsiders here right now, so you can call me Tianbao or Uncle." Erzhu Rong joked with a smile. From Erzhu Yuechan's perspective, Gao Yu really should call him Uncle, since Erzhu Zhao was Erzhu Rong's nephew.
Suddenly, they went from being peers to being two generations lower.

Seeing Gao Yu's embarrassed expression, Erzhu Rong laughed and said, "Just call me Tianbao."

"Did Tianbao summon me here for something? The officials are about to come to see His Majesty, does Tianbao still have time to amuse me?"

"Of course, we have something to discuss."

Erzhu Rong gradually suppressed his smile, looked at Gao Yu, and said seriously, "With all the officials here, in your opinion, Erlang, what should I do?"

Gao Yu opened his mouth, then sighed and said, "Tianbao probably already has the answer in his heart, so why ask me?"

"I just want to hear Erlang's opinion."

Gao Yu wasn't blind, nor was he unaware that Erzhu Rong had already met many people. He said, "Tianbao has already met with everyone. I imagine they all advise you to kill to establish your authority, which would also make it easier for you to place your cronies in the court and control the political situation?"

Erzhu Rong did not deny it, and it was not surprising that Gao Yu, with his talent, could guess these things.

"Then... how many people need to be killed to establish authority? How many people need to be killed to give you complete control of the court? Once the sword is raised, it will not be so easy to put it down. The relationship between Luoyang and the prefectures is very complex. Killing one will provoke a hundred. If the killing is too excessive, it will be cutting yourself off from the world and may cause great trouble in the future."

Gao Yu advised, "Just execute the ringleaders. If you go on a killing spree today, how will future generations view you? How will historians record this event? Does Tianbao really not care about his posthumous reputation?"

Erzhu Rong gave him a deep look, then suddenly burst into laughter, "To have Erlang as a friend in this life is enough."

"Erlang, do you know that I have met so many people who are urging me to kill people, to kill more people? His Majesty wants to use me as a weapon to eliminate dissidents. The Erzhu clan and the people of the Six Garrisons hope that I will kill more people so that they can hold high positions."

"Only you, Erlang! You are the only one who advised me to think about my posthumous reputation, and how future generations will judge me, Erzhu Rong."

Gao Yu looked at Erzhu Rong, who was losing control of his emotions.

He could actually understand Erzhu Rong's current predicament.

Many things were done out of necessity; if Erzhu Rong didn't do them, his subordinates would force him to.

The old Taoist priest said something quite insightful.

Whether one is virtuous or not is sometimes beyond one's control.

"Since I call you Tianbao, it means I regard you as a close friend."

Erzhu Rong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of satisfaction, but then shook his head with a bitter smile, "You once told me that purging the court of corrupt officials is no different from rebellion."

“From the moment I raised my army and marched south, I had no way to retreat.”

Gao Yu then advised, "Why rush things? If you want to establish your authority, you can lead your army north to quell the rebellion in Hebei, which will also establish your authority."

"At that time, Tianbao, you can choose to follow the example of Cao Cao or replace the Yuan family as king of the world."

Erzhu Rong continued to shake his head, "Things aren't that simple."

"If you were in my position, you would know that I have no way to stop now. I no longer care about my reputation after death. When Dong Zhuo marched into Luoyang, he did try to collude with the powerful clans of the prefecture. What was the result? The lesson is still fresh in our minds! Besides... what do I care about the flood after I die? The officials of Luoyang already regard my Erzhu clan as barbarians. How could they possibly submit to me?"

As he spoke, Erzhu Rong dropped a bombshell.

"Just now, I threw the Empress Dowager and the deposed emperor into the rolling Yellow River. I have committed regicide. Do you think I still have any reputation after death?"

Gao Yu was taken aback. "What?"

Erzhu Rong didn't continue explaining, saying, "I can't stop now."

“I understand Erlang’s true intentions, but have you considered this… The Luoyang court is full of incompetent officials who hold their positions without doing any work? If I don’t raise my sword and slaughter them all, and then lead my army north, how will I face them if they try to trip me up from behind?”

Gao Yu fell silent; this was something that was very likely to happen.

Once court infighting begins, it will never stop unless one side is eliminated, and it is not a pity even if it leads to the downfall of the country.

Such things have been common throughout history.

“If all the members of my Erzhu clan were as intelligent as you and Dalang, I could place them in the court and control the government in a respectable way.”

"But...you also know very well that my clan is full of people like Wan Ren, who only know how to fight and kill. If we don't eliminate the officials and ministers, after I leave Luoyang, these scheming officials and ministers will have a million ways to kick my Erzhu clan members out of the court. At that time, the court will still be the same court, and nothing will change."

"It's not that I didn't give them a chance. Several days have passed since His Majesty ascended the throne in Heyang. If the ministers, officials, and princes in Luoyang were willing to submit, they would have come out of the city to see me long ago."

"But what about now? They are still living peacefully in the city. This shows what they are thinking. They will not submit to me. They will only think about continuing to fight for power in the court after I leave Luoyang. It is impossible to win them over. No matter what, they will not regard me as 'one of their own'."

"The world is in great chaos, and extraordinary measures must be taken in extraordinary times."

"I will smash this court to pieces! I will promote many talented people, promote those who are willing to submit to me, and then I, Erzhu Rong, will mend this world!"

"What happens after that?"

Erzhu Rong was suddenly taken aback, then burst into laughter, "If the Tuoba Xianbei can rule the world, why can't my Erzhu clan?"

Gao Yu stopped trying to persuade him and instead cupped his hands and said, "Then this humble general will lend a helping hand to the great general."

Erzhu Rong shook his head. "This matter will ultimately damage your reputation. You should not get involved. No matter what I do next, do not offer any advice or persuasion. Just observe from the sidelines."

"Be it being called a villain or having a bad reputation, I'll take it all!"

Erzhu Rong had already made up his mind to unleash a massacre!
Look at their attitude.

Of the officials who left the city today, I wonder how many will survive?
The knife is already drawn; blood must be drawn.

PS: Zhu Erzhu said to the Prince of Taiyuan, "The officials of Luoyang, who have the support of the entire nation, are extremely arrogant. They will surely turn against us. We should kill them to intimidate the world!" Rong thought about it for a long time and then made a decision. (From the *Old Book of Qi*)

The Prince of Taiyuan, unsure of what to do, consulted Heba Yue and Emperor Gaozu, asking them how the ministers should handle the matter. Both replied, "He should be executed." Later, they secretly met with Emperor Taizong and spoke at length, finally deciding on a course of action. (From the *New Book of Qi*)

(End of this chapter)