My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 242 The Northern Expeditionary Army
at night.

The night sky was dotted with countless stars, like the Milky Way hanging upside down in the sky.

The evening breeze was very pleasant.

Ge Rong, however, had no interest in appreciating the scenery. He paced back and forth anxiously at the camp gate, occasionally looking up into the distance.

I don't know how much time passed, but then I heard the sound of horses' hooves.

Dozens of riders soon appeared under the cover of night, and as they drew nearer, it became clear that they were in a very disheveled state.

They were all disheveled and covered in dust, clearly having just been slaughtered and left in disarray.

Upon seeing Ge Rong, the leader's face paled with fear, yet he still dismounted, staggered to Ge Rong's side, and knelt down, crying out, "Your Majesty! I have failed Your Majesty's trust and deserve to die a thousand deaths. Please punish me severely!"

Ge Rong looked at him coldly, remained silent for a moment, and then helped him up.

"Why is the King of Gaoyi in such a sorry state? Didn't I send you to besiege the fortified village?"

He Kang's face was full of grief and indignation, and he also felt very wronged. "I besieged the fortified village and was almost successful, but a group of brave warriors came from nowhere, especially the leader, who was so brave that he broke through my army's formation in an instant."

How could he not feel wronged?

Attacking a fortified village was a job where you could get credit for it without lifting a finger.

After all, Ge Rong chose smaller fortified villages. Especially after he had already forced many fortified villages to submit, these smaller fortified villages did not have a strong will to resist. Sending a few strong men up as cannon fodder and depleting their arrows would be enough to make them obediently submit.

But who would have thought that a group of muscular men would fall from the sky?
That's ridiculously strong.

"Who is it?"

"I only vaguely heard that the leader identified himself as a member of the Gao family..."

"Gao? Could it be Mo Heduo?"

Upon hearing this surname, Ge Rong was greatly alarmed. After hearing He Kang's description, he realized that this was none other than Gao Yu leading the Xuanjia Army to attack.

"Damn it! How come I haven't received any news? Could it be that Moheduo really led his troops to attack Hebei?"

Ge Rong was terrified and immediately wanted to give the order.

However, Yuwen Luosheng, who was standing beside him, quickly reassured him, "Your Majesty, no news has come from the spies in Luoyang, so it is probably not Moheduo."

Immediately, a guard behind He Kang spoke up to add, "This humble general heard it clearly, that man called himself Gao Ao Cao of Bohai!"

Ge Rong's frightened expression eased considerably. Thinking of his previous lapse in composure, he was filled with rage. "Damn it! The Gao family is all bad. How come they only produce such brutes?"

"If I could get Gao Aocao's help, why would I be so afraid of Moheduo?"

Ge Rong had indeed heard of Gao Aocao's name, and had even personally experienced his bravery.

After the people of Hebei were robbed into poverty, Ge Rong considered leading his army to plunder Shandong, but was met with a crushing defeat.

First, he was attacked by the Gao family, so he immediately changed direction and wanted to try to seize Yanzhou. When he arrived in Taishan County, he was attacked again by the governor of Taishan County, Yang Kan.

After a series of defeats, he had no choice but to leave Shandong in a very disheveled state.

"Alright, this isn't your fault. Go and rest."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

Ge Rong really didn't need to punish He Kang. The kings under Ge Rong were able to obtain the throne because they each had their own troops who only obeyed their orders.

Judging from Hekang's current state, his troops have probably been almost entirely wiped out by Gao Ang. Without his own troops, Hekang is destined to be unable to cause any trouble in the future.

As soon as he turned around, he saw Yuwen Luosheng standing behind him with a frown.

"What's wrong with the Prince of Yuyang?"

"Your Majesty...something is strange about this."

"Oh?"

Ge Rong quickly said, "Let's go back to the camp and talk about it slowly."

Back in their tents, everyone looked at Yuwen Luosheng. Whether they were convinced or not, those under Ge Rong's command knew that Yuwen Luosheng was indeed a clever man.

The strategies he offered to Ge Rong were all very effective. "Prince of Yuyang, what are your worries?"

"Your Majesty...why would the Gao clan of Bohai suddenly appear with troops in Xiangzhou? Previously, our informant in Luoyang reported that the court had dispatched a large army to Shandong."

"Perhaps Gao Aocao has come to welcome the imperial army?"

Yuwen Luosheng shook his head. The imperial army, numbering in the tens of thousands, was traveling in a grand and imposing manner. He had long ago sent people to constantly investigate their specific whereabouts, precisely to prevent them from using the pretense of going to Shandong as a pretext to actually cooperate with Erzhu Rong in carrying out a two-pronged attack.

Judging from the news brought back by the scouts...

The imperial army was moving very slowly, dawdling along the way, so it was impossible that Gao Ang was there to meet up with the imperial army.

Yuwen Luosheng frowned, deep in thought. "There's only one possibility."

"what?"

"The pseudo-Wei court only controls Shanxi and Henan. It has already suffered heavy losses in its troops. Where would it find so many troops to send out on an expedition?"

"This forced mobilization of a large army eastward suggests that Luoyang's defenses are currently weak, hence the need to draw troops from other regions to protect Luoyang. If that's the case..."

Yuwen Luo suddenly looked up!

"Your Majesty, this is a golden opportunity! I urge Your Majesty to quickly dispatch a special envoy south to inform Prince Yuan Hao of Beihai and others of the undefended areas of Sizhou and other places, and to urge them to lead their troops north immediately!"

"If the Southern Liang's northern expeditionary army marches all the way to the walls of Luoyang, Erzhu Rong will be facing enemies on two fronts!"

Once the Southern Liang's Northern Expeditionary Army successfully pushes to Luoyang.

Then the southern part of Shanxi would face enormous defensive pressure, leaving Erzhu Rong vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

"Could this be a trap?"

"No no no."

Yuwen Luosheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, Erzhu Rong is far away in Jinyang. How could he know about the troop movements of the Southern Dynasty?"

"If they knew that Southern Liang would send troops to launch a northern expedition, they would never have withdrawn their troops from Luoyang at this time. This is a golden opportunity!"

Yuwen Luosheng was certain.

Erzhu Rong was indeed thinking of sending the last remaining loyal soldiers in the Luoyang central army to their deaths.

But he was sure.

Erzhu Rong would never deliberately cede Henan and Luoyang just to force Yuan Ziyou to move the capital.

Soldiers, the country's major events, the place of death and life, the way of survival, must be observed.

Even with Erzhu Rong's strong and well-equipped army, it was impossible to guarantee that the lost territory could be regained.

This happened.

It's only possible that by sheer coincidence, an opportunity was unexpectedly seized!
Ge Rong seemed to have come to his senses as well, "If that's the case... Hahahaha, this is heaven's help!"

"Erzhu Rong has committed such a perverse and outrageous act that is despicable to both gods and men. It seems that the Eternal Heaven is helping me rather than him!!"

"Somebody come!"

………………

June 15th.

Outside Xingcheng, Xuzhou, Northern Wei Dynasty.

Chen Qingzhi's Northern Expeditionary Army has entered the territory of Northern Wei!
After Yuan Hao raised the banner of rebellion, the first city he attacked was Xingcheng, and the whole process went much more smoothly than expected.

The city's garrison commander surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy, voluntarily opening the city gates to surrender.

The city was captured with almost no effort. The next target was Juyang, which was directly north of Xingcheng. This was an important city on his northern expedition route. If he could take it, Chen Qingzhi could lead his army westward and attack Xingyang, a major town in Henan!
The battle between Emperor Gaozu of Han and Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, was a protracted war centered around Xingyang!

The famous Hulao Pass is located behind Xingyang.

It is also the last gateway to Luoyang on the east side.

If Hulao Pass falls, then the area east of Luoyang will be completely indefensible!
(End of this chapter)