My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 247 is about to present an epic, hellish challenge.

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Yuan Ziyou also received the news, and he was extremely fearful and angry.

His fear stemmed from the fact that he was well aware of just how weak Luoyang's defenses were right now, with no soldiers available to be deployed. What he feared even more was that Yuan Hao would ascend the throne and become emperor!

Fear in one's heart breeds anger.

He roared in the hall, "Didn't the Prime Minister say he was going to quell the bandits in Hebei and Shandong? Why is it that before they've been quelled, the Southern Liang army is already attacking!"

The crowd remained silent, only bowing their heads.

Most of the Erzhu clan's descendants either returned to Bingzhou or joined Yuan Tianmu's eastern expeditionary army; few remained in Luoyang.

Erzhu Shilong had not yet received news of Erzhu Rong, but he knew that Erzhu Rong had always wanted Yuan Ziyou to move the capital.

He immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's army is currently locked in a stalemate with the rebels in Hebei, while the Prince of Shangdang's army is pacifying the rebels in Shandong. The court has no more troops to send. The Southern Liang army is advancing with overwhelming force, and its momentum is unstoppable..."

"Your Majesty is advised to endure the humiliation for several months, take the officials of Luoyang to the north for several months, and wait until the Prime Minister has quelled the rebellion in Hebei before heading south to retake Luoyang and restore its former glory."

Yuan Ziyou looked at him coldly, "The relocation of the capital is absolutely impossible. I would rather die in Luoyang than go north and live a life of humiliation. If the rebels attack, I will personally lead the Luoyang Imperial Guards to fight them to the death!"

Erzhu Shilong was rebuked, so he took a step back and remained silent.

Yuan Ziyou surveyed the people in the Taiji Hall, his gaze settling on Gao Yu. "Right Guard General, you are well-versed in military strategy. Do you have a plan to repel the enemy?"

Gao Yu immediately cupped his hands and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the rebels are far away in Suiyang and do not pose a threat to Luoyang for the time being."

"East of Luoyang, as long as Xingyang and Hulao Pass are not lost, the rebels will not be able to continue their westward advance. Your Majesty can send a person of high status to Xingyang to guard the city and inspire the garrison to defend the city and fight bravely to repay Your Majesty."

"Send more men to guard Hulao Pass. There is no need to defeat the rebels. Just wait until the Eastern Expeditionary Army and the Prime Minister's Army defeat the rebels in Hebei and Shandong, and then march south. The rebels will collapse without a fight."

Luoyang is indeed a city with no natural defenses, but that can only be said when the enemy has reached the outskirts of Luoyang.

The rebels were still far away in Suiyang, which was within the territory of Xuzhou, and had not even entered the territory of Sizhou.

Not to mention... the deeper you go, the longer your supply lines become. A strong start doesn't guarantee that the momentum will continue.

Hearing Gao Yu's words, Yuan Ziyou's expression softened considerably. Gao Yu hadn't actually said anything substantial, but he had given him two reassurances.

Xingyang and Hulao Pass.

Yuan Ziyou was also a well-read historian, and he was very familiar with these two important place names.

Even the mighty Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, was cornered outside Xingyang by Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty.

Could the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Southern Liang Dynasty be more powerful than Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu?

As long as these two places are not lost, Luoyang will not need to worry about enemies invading from the east, and he can rest easy in the Luoyang palace.

"The words of the Right Guard General are exactly what I wanted to hear."

He began, "Yang Yu is hereby appointed General Who Conquers the East, Right Grand Master of the Palace, and additionally granted the titles of Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, Imperial Envoy, and Acting General of Chariots and Cavalry. He is also appointed Grand Commander of the Southern Route, to garrison Xingyang on my behalf and defend against invading enemies!"

Yang Yu was born into the Yang clan of Hongnong.

He was the son of Yang Chun, and Yuan Ziyou had a close relationship with the Yang family of Hongnong.

This is actually an opportunity to reap the rewards without lifting a finger.

Xingyang is a fortified city. Simply holding it and preventing the Southern Liang's Northern Expeditionary Army from advancing further east would be a great achievement. There's no need to even launch an offensive to repel the invading enemy.

then.

The rebel army in the three eastern towns numbered over 100,000 and besieged the city of Wuchuan for more than half a year without any success. In the end, Wuchuan ran out of food and supplies and had no choice but to abandon the city and break out.

Xingyang's defenses were far stronger than Wuchuan's, and the city also had ample food and military supplies, making it relatively easy to hold the city.

Erzhu Shilong glanced at Yuan Ziyou but did not object; he simply offered a reminder.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister must already be aware of the news. Let us wait a few days until the Prime Minister's order arrives before making a decision."

Yuan Ziyou snorted coldly and did not respond, then dismissed the court session.

Just one day later, Erzhu Rong, in his capacity as prime minister, sent an official document making personnel appointments. Erzhu Rong did not specify who would be sent to guard Xingyang, and Erzhu Shilong did not say anything either.

Instead, he personally led a large army to garrison Hulao Pass.

As for Gao Yu?

Erzhu Rong also made no arrangements for him and simply ignored him.

………………

"Whoever is the first to scale the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold and made a king!"

"His Majesty has decreed that if Taishan County can be captured, looting will be permitted for three days after entering the city!"

The commanders kept increasing the pressure, trying to boost the morale of their soldiers and capture the city in front of them.

however……

The soldiers charged forward with a roar, almost scaling the city wall with their swarms. The defending soldiers fought bravely and fearlessly, pushing the enemy soldiers who had climbed the wall back down and forcefully regaining control of the city wall.

Just as the person in charge was about to speak again...

On the city wall, a burly man clad in heavy armor spotted him, aimed a precious bow, and fired an arrow!

call out!
The person supervising the battle was shot in the neck with an arrow, and fell straight to the ground, becoming a corpse.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers, who had originally planned to continue the attack, lost their morale and had no choice but to hastily retreat.

Xing Gao, who was watching the battle from the rear, shouted angrily, "Who told them to retreat? Continue the attack! Anyone who retreats before the battle is to be killed without mercy!!"

A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar spoke up beside him, "Your Majesty, morale is completely low. It would be unwise to launch a forceful attack. We should retreat and rest for a while."

Xing Gao could only clench his fists in anger, but in the end he still issued the order to retreat.

The defenders on the city wall burst into cheers. "The enemy has only temporarily retreated; we must not let our guard down."

Yang Kan watched the retreating enemy from afar, and without taking a break, he directed his soldiers to prepare the defensive equipment they would need to defend against the enemy's next attack.

In the military camp.

Xing Gao was sullen.

But there was someone beside him trying to persuade him.

"Your Majesty, Mount Tai is difficult to conquer. Taking it by force will only result in the needless loss of our soldiers and the depletion of Your Majesty's national strength!"

"So, in your opinion, how should I deal with this?"

"Your Majesty...why not lead the army westward to join forces with the Southern Liang army?"

"what do you mean?"

"Your Majesty, although the throne is tempting, our army is weak and the Southern Liang army is advancing fiercely. Why don't you send a special envoy to Jiankang to submit a memorial of submission and then join forces with the Southern Liang army to achieve great merit? You may be able to be enfeoffed as a king in the future."

"In such chaotic times, preserving our own strength is paramount, rather than needlessly wasting our soldiers here."

Xing Gao remained silent for a long time.

What his subordinates said was indeed true.

He appeared to have a powerful presence, but in reality, he only acted arrogantly within the territory of Qingzhou. He had just tried to lead his troops to forcibly seize Yanzhou when Yang Kan blocked him outside Taishan County.

Ultimately, his men were not good at fighting; they weren't much better than the refugee army.

It is unrealistic for him to intend to seize the throne.

The reason he was able to live so carefree in Qingzhou for so long was because... nobody paid any attention to him.

The main battlefield is currently in Hebei. Erzhu Rong is the last hope of the Great Wei Dynasty. Whether the Great Wei regime can continue depends entirely on the outcome of the battle between Erzhu Rong and Ge Rong in Hebei.

Let's be realistic.

Since the throne cannot be seized, then seizing the throne of a king is a good alternative.

After all, he was only the chief clerk of Youzhou before.

The Xing family of Hejian was not a prominent clan, and the family could not provide him with much assistance.

"Then so be it. I will write a letter now, and you will personally lead a group to Jiankang to meet the Emperor of Southern Liang and convey my intention to submit a memorial of submission!"

"Your Majesty, I will never fail in your trust!"

Xing Gao was taken aback, and said in a low voice, "From now on, please do not address me as Your Majesty, but as Your Majesty."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will never fail in your trust!"

…………

June 18th.

Inside the Taiji Hall in Jiankang, Taicheng.

Xiao Yan summoned his ministers once again. This time, he no longer appeared as a deep-seated old monk, but instead seemed energetic and spirited.

"General Wuwei has already advanced all the way to Suiyang. His northern expedition is gaining momentum, and the puppet Wei is powerless to resist. This is a golden opportunity to help us capture Luoyang and restore the Han territory!"

It was a rare sight for the court officials to see Xiao Yan so excited.

Since becoming a Buddhist, Xiao Yan has always maintained a calm and detached demeanor, free from worldly desires.

Today, I even donned the emperor's court robes, something I hadn't done in a long time.

They then understood...

This time, Xiao Yan is really going to get serious.

They were all aware of the report sent by Chen Qingzhi. The progress of this Northern Expedition had indeed far exceeded everyone's expectations. It could be said that... as they pushed forward, the defending troops that Chen Qingzhi faced basically collapsed at the first touch, and did not cause any substantial damage to the Northern Expeditionary Army at all.

as predicted.

Xiao Yan said, "If Heaven grants an opportunity and we do not seize it, we will suffer the consequences. I intend to send another large army north to assist General Wuwei."

Everyone wisely kept quiet, demonstrating the old emperor's authority.

If Xiao Yan really wanted to do something, he would make decisions unilaterally, and almost no one could refute him.

"Lan Qin, the General of the Eastern Palace, is hereby promoted to General Who Conquers the North, and given the authority to lead his army north to join forces with General Chen Qingzhi of Wuwei. We must seize Luoyang!"

"Your Majesty, General Zhige is not currently in Jiankang."

"I have already sent someone to summon him, and he is currently gathering his troops outside the city."

Okay.

So Xiao Yan had already prepared everything?

Don't even say it...

Even the Wang and Xie families, who had never supported the Northern Expedition, were unusually tempted by such a golden opportunity.

If we can truly reclaim the Han people's homeland with minimal losses, it would be a great achievement worthy of being recorded in history.

The situation has changed far beyond everyone's expectations.

Gao Yu did not have complete information, so he was unaware of the situation he was about to face.

P.S.: All the characters that could be foreshadowed have already appeared.

The climax of Volume 3 is just around the corner.

Please allow me to adjust; I'll only be posting two updates today.