My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 238 General Tianzhu's Little Secrets

Heart is under the kyte.

As one's status rises, everything will change.

Erzhu Rong knew he had changed, but he wasn't sure if Gao Yu would change either. He hoped Gao Yu wouldn't change, but many things didn't go as he wished.

In order to consolidate his power and smoothly rule the world, he had to take all necessary precautions.

After a moment of distraction, Erzhu Rong glanced at the other messages.

"Someone, summon all the generals and tell them I have important matters to discuss with them!"

The guards rushed off to deliver the message, and Heba Yue, Hou Jing, Chilie Shagui, and others arrived at the Ba Mansion.

A completely unfamiliar face stood beside Hou Jing.

This man was named Dou Tai. He had previously been stationed in Tongwan City in Xia Prefecture when Erzhu Rong went south to Luoyang.

Dou Tai came to join him with his troops.

Even if someone came with their own troops to join him, it wouldn't be enough for them to enter the core decision-making team so quickly. After all, after Erzhu Rong's power grew, many people came to join him, and many of them brought their own troops with them.

This was because the man had connections; his wife was from the Lou family and was the elder sister of Lou Zhaojun, who was also Gao Huan's brother-in-law.

After being personally introduced by Lou Zhaojun, Erzhu Rong immediately recognized Dou Tai's exceptional bravery from his physique and bearing, and thus appointed him as the military rank of Xuanwei General.

Once everyone had gathered, Erzhu Rong looked around and then told them what he had learned.

"I have received information that Ge Rong is forcibly conscripting people into labor in Xiangzhou to attack fortified villages, attempting to force the powerful clans to submit and provide them with supplies. Some of these powerful clans have already begun to waver."

"If this traitor gets the supplies, my plan will fail!"

Erzhu Rong was overjoyed when he saw Gao Yu defeat Ge Rong and seize his grain and supplies because... he wanted Ge Rong to be without food!

Without supplies and with nowhere to plunder for food, Ge Rong had no choice but to hastily engage in a decisive battle with himself.

Until then.

When to fight the final battle is up to us.

Erzhu Rong also wanted to be in control of others without being controlled by them.

He was the kind of person who trained his soldiers through hunting, and it could also be said that he had an epiphany about the art of warfare through hunting.

While hunting.

Who would force themselves to fight a wild beast when it is at its strongest?

The process of hunting is also a process of exhausting the beast's stamina. The goal is to exhaust the beast to the greatest extent possible, leaving it exhausted, so that you can take it down with minimal losses.

Ge Rong was the 'beast' that Erzhu Rong wanted to hunt.

This beast is currently in high spirits, full of energy, and extremely ferocious. It would be unwise to confront it head-on.

Erzhu Rong did not have many soldiers under his command; he was pursuing an elite force strategy.

He deeply understood the principle that the quality of an army lies in its soldiers, not in its quantity.

But right now, according to the information he has received, Ge Rong will soon receive the urgently needed supplies, which is not good news for him.

If Ge Rong gets the supplies, Erzhu Rong will become passive.

Regarding the battle against Hebei, Erzhu Rong needs to be anxious, but he can't be too hasty; he needs to strike the right balance.

to be honest.

He couldn't afford to engage in a protracted war with Ge Rong; he needed to win in one decisive battle. Only a great victory of this magnitude could establish his unparalleled prestige.

This supreme prestige was used to win people's hearts.

"Prime Minister."

Hou Jing suggested, "Why not send someone with an army to Shandong to quell Xing Gao's rebellion?"

Ge Rong and Xing Gao were not ordinary bandits; they had already completed the step of ascending the throne and becoming emperors, leaving no possibility of reconciliation.

It can only be a life-or-death situation.

Their existence is the greatest challenge to the foundation of the legal system of the Great Wei Dynasty. Erzhu Rong's task of suppressing these two men is tantamount to "destroying the country."

"and then?"

Erzhu Rong cast an admiring glance at Hou Jing, which he had to admit.

The Six Towns are truly a breeding ground for talented people!

The most capable people under his command are mostly from Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan.

It's actually quite simple to divide Gao Huan's forces: just support another faction to oppose Gao Huan.

Erzhu Rong did not think Hou Jing would be willing to obediently serve as Gao Huan's subordinate for life. Even if Hou Jing had such intentions, once Erzhu Rong helped him rise to a high position, making his status no less than Gao Huan's, would Gao Huan still be willing to treat him as a close 'subordinate'?
All you need to do is plant the seeds of doubt.

Hou Jing's ancestors were Jie people, so he was naturally closer to Erzhu Rong by blood. Moreover, Hou Jing was extremely intelligent and capable.

Hou Jing paused for a moment and then said, "Send men to lead the army eastward."

"Firstly, it can appease the people and let everyone know that the imperial court still has the strength to suppress bandits. The bandits in Hebei and Shandong are nothing more than a minor ailment, which the imperial court can easily wipe out!"

"Secondly, it can appease the noble families, prevent them from being terrified by the bandits, give them confidence, and encourage them to resist firmly."

"Thirdly, we can lure Ge Rong into launching a preemptive attack. If he leads his troops to attack the eastward-advancing army, General, you can then launch a two-pronged attack from Fukou and Jingxing to seize territory. The eastward-advancing army can also turn around and attack from both sides!" Heba Yue countered. "What if Ge Rong doesn't fall for it?"

"Then the army marching eastward will go to Shandong to quell the bandits."

"It's not that easy."

Hou Jing chuckled a few times, the laughter slightly grating. He hadn't forgotten the day Heba Yue made him eat horse manure at the military market, and he couldn't help but speak sarcastically, "Everyone says that among the three Heba brothers, A Dou is both scholarly and martial, how come he doesn't even understand such a simple principle?"

"you!"

Heba Yue stood up angrily, but Li Hu grabbed his arm tightly from behind.

"Alright, alright, comrades, I've summoned you all here to discuss this, not to watch you argue!"

Erzhu Rong shouted angrily, and Heba Yue had no choice but to sit down again indignantly. Although he lowered his head, his tone was unfriendly, "I hope Wan Jing can enlighten me and dispel my doubts."

Hou Jing chuckled a few more times before speaking, "Most of the people under Xing Gao's command are Han Chinese from Hebei, Yan, You and other places. How can the Han Chinese from the Central Plains compare to the bravery of the Six Garrisons under Ge Rong?"

Heba Yue opened his mouth, but couldn't find a way to refute it.

The reason why Ge Rong was invincible in Hebei was indeed because his soldiers were so capable!

After the rebellion of the Six Garrisons, the imperial court made a series of bizarre moves, throwing more than 200,000 people who had crawled out of piles of corpses into Hebei.

This flat terrain was perfect for the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons to give full play to their greatest strengths: unparalleled horsemanship and archery, superb mobility, and strong troop quality, which left the imperial army helpless.

Hou Jing's words are filled with contempt for the fighting prowess of the Han Chinese in the Central Plains.

But none of the people present felt they could refute it.

Do you still think it's like the old days when one Han Chinese could take on five barbarian tribes?

If the Han people of the Central Plains were so powerful, how could they have been conquered and ruled by the Yuan Xianbei?

In their minds, they implicitly believed that Han soldiers were not as brave as the tribes of the grasslands.

Erzhu Rong wholeheartedly agreed.

Before he could speak, Hou Jing subtly reminded him, "The Prime Minister's troops need to deter Ge Rong in Hebei. The army advancing eastward can recruit soldiers from Sizhou. The Prime Minister should plan ahead and establish Jianzhou and Jinzhou in advance to prevent Sizhou from becoming too large and facing the embarrassing situation of having no soldiers to defend it."

Um? ?

Erzhu Rong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly looked up at Hou Jing.

interesting.

If most of the central army forces guarding Luoyang were to be withdrawn...

Luoyang's defenses will be extremely weak.

Yuan Ziyou certainly wouldn't feel secure, so I'll propose moving the capital when that time comes.

Yuan Ziyou could be stubborn, but the officials and ministers in the court might not be so stubborn.

after all.

Those who hold high positions are all backed by powerful families.

Changing the emperor won't affect their continued high positions and exploitation of the people, so why be so stubborn?

"Good good!"

Erzhu Rong clapped his hands in approval.

Hou Jing was overjoyed and quickly advised, "Prime Minister, you can send Mo Heduo to lead the army. With his bravery, he will surely wipe out the bandits!"

Hear the words.

Erzhu Rong shook his head, "I have my own plans for Erlang, and if the central army is to send troops, he may not be able to command them."

Hou Jing was about to speak when he seemed to realize something and stopped trying to persuade him.

Erzhu Rong deliberately kept Gao Yu in Luoyang because he was afraid that Gao Yu's prestige in the army was too great.

If Gao Yu were to lead his troops eastward and quell the rebellion in Shandong...

just in case……

What if Gao Yu stays in Shandong and doesn't come back?
Even if one wants to utilize the bravery of someone like Gao Yu, it must be done under one's own nose, rather than personally giving him the opportunity to lead troops out into the world.

and.

Yuan Ziyou also intended to win over Gao Yu.

They might just issue an imperial edict to Gao Yu, ordering him to inspect Shandong in place of the emperor.

At present, Erzhu Rong has not yet established his authority, nor has he won over the hearts of the aristocratic families. On the contrary, in the eyes of the aristocratic families, Erzhu Rong is not a good person.

On one side is the murderous maniac Erzhu Rong, and on the other is Gao Yu, who is on behalf of the emperor inspecting Shandong.

Who knows, these powerful families might support Gao Yu and make him the young emperor's greatest asset.

If things turn out this way, it won't be good news for Erzhu Rong.

"However, Wan Jing's words resonate with me. Indeed, we can send someone with an army to the east to attack Xing Gao."

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(End of this chapter)