My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 34 The Gao brothers are heroes!

Lou Zhaoyi asked curiously as Gao Yu walked in, "What did your brother-in-law say to you? And why did he do it secretly behind your back?"

Ever since Gao Huan married Lou Zhaojun, Lou Zhaojun has held Gao Huan in extremely high esteem, feeling that her brother-in-law is no ordinary man.

"I'm praising you for being so young yet so brave and skilled."

"That's natural!"

Lou Zhao was very proud, but when he saw Gao Yu's mocking expression, he became a little less confident. "I'm not that good. I'm still a little behind you."

It's not like he hasn't competed with Gao Yu in archery, strength, and horsemanship. Even though he's been skilled in archery and horsemanship since childhood, he's still no match for Gao Yu.

The two waited in the tent for a while before Gao Huan came over.

As soon as Gao Huan entered, he beckoned Gao Yu to come with him, and then instructed, "Ah Zhao, you can go back to the fortress to rest. I have already taken care of things."

Gao Yu then sent Mulan back to camp with Liu Taozhi and the others, while he went with Gao Huan.

The two brothers rode side by side.

Gao Yu was still somewhat worried. "Brother, if we all leave, what will happen to the soldiers in the central army?"

Gao Huan replied directly, "I have already released them all."

Gao Yu was surprised, "Why did you release them?"

Gao Huan didn't answer directly, but turned his head to look at him, and spoke after a moment.

"Second Brother, you stopped Lou Zhao from killing people back then, so you must have had some reservations. Judging from the behavior of the soldiers in the central army, you can tell that he was just as arrogant in Luoyang, and he is no ordinary person."

Gao Yu nodded in agreement.

"If you kill him, the news will surely reach Luoyang and shock the entire court! At that time, regardless of whether you initially acted to protect yourself, the murderer will pay with his life to quell public anger."

“If we continue to detain them, who will we hand them over to? Today, the two sides are already at odds with each other outside the military camp. If this matter is brought up again, how will we end it? We can only let them go. In this world, things rarely go as planned. We are simply choosing the lesser of two evils.”

Gao Yu understood this principle, "But what if the soldiers in the central army don't know what's good for them and come back to retaliate?"

Gao Huan's answer this time was resolute: "We have already done our duty of courtesy. If they come to cause trouble again, then we will make sure they don't leave alive!"

They repeatedly provoked trouble; they deserved to be killed!

Gao Yu glanced at Gao Huan and tentatively said, "The soldiers in the central army are arrogant and undisciplined. Not only do they ignore military orders and go out to seek revenge on the Lou family, but they also cause trouble for the soldiers and civilians in the town. The civilians and soldiers in the army have many complaints."

"The Central Army is so arrogant, yet its military strength has declined to such an extent that it will be difficult to control the world. This is not a sign of the prosperity of the nation. Given time, the world will surely change."

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan suddenly turned his head to look at him, then remained silent.

After a long silence, he said softly, "A gentleman should keep his talents hidden."

The most important part of this sentence is actually the second half: "wait for the times to change!"

Throughout history, people of the Gao brothers' background have only been able to rise to power in times of chaos.

Did Gao Huan not know?

He deliberately left things unsaid, just to remind Gao Yu.

We must be patient and wait for the times to change. If the situation remains the same, then we must continue to keep our skills hidden. There is no other way.

Gao Yu also understood very well just how important the current situation was to an individual.

He knew better than Gao Huan that... the world would be in chaos in the next few years!
He couldn't help but recall a poem he had once read.

I would rather be a frivolous young man from the Five Mausoleums, born in the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras, spending my life cockfighting and dog racing, oblivious to the safety and danger of heaven and earth.

He also thought it better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a person in a chaotic one, unaware of the safety and well-being of the world.

Unfortunately, he traveled to the Six Garrisons at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, to this point in time!
He could not escape the cruelty and bloodshed of the chaotic world, or the madness and derangement of Gao Huan's descendants. The torrent of history rolled forward relentlessly, sweeping everyone along with it.

All they could do was try their best to survive in this chaotic world!
…………

The two brothers found the section chief.

Gao Yu first recounted how he ambushed the central army soldiers. Just like Gao Huan had done initially, the section chief immediately asked, "How did you deal with the central army soldiers?"

After hearing Gao Yu say that he had persuaded Lou Zhao to put the central army under guard, his expression softened a little.

When Duan Chang heard Gao Huan say that the soldiers of the central army had been released, his brows finally relaxed, and he looked at the two of them with sincere praise.

"You two brothers are magnanimous and have a measured approach to things. You possess the talent to bring peace to the world, and you are destined for great things in the future!"

Obviously.

Gao Huan's final decision to release the man was exactly the way the section chief wanted to handle the situation.

If they continue to detain him and ask him how he intends to deal with him, he will be in a dilemma. If he does nothing, he will be unable to face the local powerful families. If he does, will he lead his armored cavalry to confront Li Chongxing?
Releasing them is the best course of action.

…………

Inside the camp of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

"Report, Grand Commander, the group of soldiers who left the camp without permission have been found." "Where are they?"

"They have just returned to camp."

"Are there any casualties?"

"All personnel returned to camp, with only a few dozen injured."

"Bring Kou Wen here. I want to question him myself!"

Kou Wen fell off his horse, but fortunately he was not trampled and was therefore not injured, though he was quite disheveled.

Li Chong stared at him coldly, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted, "How dare you disobey military orders and lead people out of the camp to seek revenge!"

"Grand Commander, I deserve to die. I am guilty. I beg you to spare me this time for my father's sake."

Kou Wen knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. Having just escaped death, he had lost his previous arrogance.

Li Chongqiang suppressed his anger and patiently asked for the whole story in detail.

Hearing Gao Yu and Gao Huan's treatment of the soldiers in the central army, he reacted just like the section chief.

After listening, Li Chong immediately gave the order.

"Tomorrow! You and all the soldiers who left the camp tonight, get back to Luoyang!"

"Yes, yes, I will leave tomorrow."

After ordering his personal guards to take Kou Wen out of the tent, Li Chong turned to another guard and commanded, "Tomorrow you will take men to supervise and drive this group back to Luoyang!"

The guard was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously asked, "Just rushing back?"

Li Chong was a veteran general who had fought many battles, both large and small, for the Great Wei.

According to the rules of Li Chong's army, disobeying military orders was punishable by death to establish authority. Even those in the central army were killed without hesitation by Li Chong!

But this time?
Faced with the repeated disobedience of military orders by the soldiers in the central army, Li Chong merely sent them back.

"What are you all standing there for? This is a military order!"

"Here!"

Li Chong sighed helplessly.

Ten or twenty years ago, he would have killed someone like Kou Wen immediately to establish his authority!
but……

Now he is nearly seventy years old. At his age and with his status, all he seeks is a peaceful retirement and a life of leisure.

Earlier this year, he repeatedly petitioned the court to remove him from all his posts and allow him to resign and return to his hometown. However, the court refused and even insisted that he lead the army to fight against the Rouran. Even though he once again petitioned the court to say that he was not fit for military service, the court still insisted that he lead the army to fight.

Looking down at his trembling hands holding the book, Li Chong could only sigh self-deprecatingly, "I'm getting old."

Wei Langen, who was sitting at the table, praised, "These Gao brothers are quite capable, unlike ordinary military households."

Li Chong also deeply agreed.

Not killing the central army and even releasing them is a situation that the central army, the foreign army, and the powerful clans all hoped for.

Wei Langen continued, “Since Emperor Xiaowen of our Great Wei moved the capital and reformed the system, the court has increasingly disregarded talent when selecting officials, focusing only on their background. Talented individuals like the Gao brothers will only ever become banner chiefs or military commanders, while people like Kou Wen will be able to hold high positions in the court in the future.”

"The soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons are mostly Xianbei, and their ancestors are of the same lineage as the Central Army of Luoyang."

"Today, the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons must hold their ground in the bitter cold of the northern frontier, and are even treated as servants by powerful clans and generals, while the central army in Luoyang enjoys wealth and honor in fertile lands."

"As the ancients said, 'It is not scarcity that is to be feared, but inequality.' This is the way to invite disaster."

"Grand Commander, after returning to the capital, why not advise the court to change course and change the towns to prefectures, and change the registration of all the soldiers and civilians in the six towns, allowing them to move freely? Only in this way can we quell the resentment in the hearts of the soldiers and civilians in the six towns and completely eliminate the future troubles in the north."

Upon hearing this, Li Chong sighed, "It is due to the policies of our ancestors that accumulated problems have led to this state of affairs, and what can we do now?"

There were capable people in the court who could see the hidden dangers of the six northern garrisons, and the proposal to change the garrisons into prefectures had been discussed in the court long ago.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

Because it is not feasible.

At its simplest point, if the imperial court hadn't strictly prohibited the free movement of people and households in the six towns, who would be willing to stay in this harsh and cold land for generations? Who wouldn't want to live a life of luxury in the fertile Central Plains?
The land in the Central Plains had long been divided up, so where would the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons be settled after they moved south?
If it cannot be properly handled, then we can only continue to use the methods of our ancestors.

Of course, Wei Langen was only offering his suggestion, and seeing that Li Chong wasn't interested, he didn't bring it up again.

Instead, he offered a new suggestion: "The events of the past few days have shown the Huai Shuo soldiers that the central army's military preparedness is neglected, and it is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It may be difficult to control in the future. Perhaps... we should send someone to Wuchuan and ask Wuchuan to send a general with soldiers to join the main army."

"At that time, Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan will be mutually hindering each other, so that the Grand Commander's orders can be effectively implemented,"

After a brief moment of thought, Li Chong agreed to his proposal.

"Good, I will immediately send someone to convey the military order!"

(End of this chapter)