My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 89 Where did the black rat come from?

Gao Huan remained expressionless, leaving Yi Jufa, who was secretly observing him, unable to discern anything amiss.

“We have already received the news. Seeing that you have traveled a long way and are tired, why don’t you go and rest first? We will wait for Your Majesty to arrive.”

Gao Huan clapped his hands and summoned his servants to prepare wine and meat to entertain them.

Yi Jufa thanked him and took his leave.

After the person had gone far away, the two brothers looked at each other.

Gao Huan said thoughtfully, "This Worm King is very meticulous; he is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."

Gao Yu nodded in agreement.

Although Anagui was far away in Luoyang, he was well aware of the situation on the grasslands. He sent a personal letter last year, and only set off this year when the time was right.

Clearly, they are also waiting for the right time to act.

If the Rouran had not descended into chaos, what difference would it make if Anagui were the Khan's son?
He was not the only son of the Khan.

With the Rouran defeated by the Gaoche and the Brahmins' fate uncertain, the Rouran tribes are leaderless, presenting an excellent opportunity.

Gao Huan sighed, "Given time, it may become a major threat to the Great Wei."

Gao Yu didn't care; he just chuckled.

"Why is my brother worried about this? By then, the Great Wei might be gone."

Gao Huan shook his head.

"The prosperity of the grasslands is not a blessing for the Central Plains..."

…………

Anagui arrived sooner than expected.

He was helpless.

Time waits for no one. He didn't want to drag things out for too long. He had to take advantage of the remaining popular sentiment on the grasslands, before the Gaoche could win over and subdue the scattered Rouran tribes, and before the Rouran still had the strength to fight. He needed to quickly raise the royal banner, declare himself Khan, recruit and accept those who had defected, gather his followers, and then engage in a decisive battle with the Gaoche.

Time is of the essence, because we cannot afford to delay, but we must not rush things, because we cannot afford to lose.

For Anagui, the Rouran could not afford a second major defeat.

Another defeat would mean the loss of all prestige and popular support.

When the King of Rouran arrived in Huaishuo, Yang Jun, as the garrison commander, naturally had to personally go out of the city to greet him, with Gao Yu and others attending to him.

Anagui was, after all, officially granted the titles of Duke of Shuofang and King of Rouran by the imperial court. Even though the title of "King" was not a good word and carried a contemptuous connotation, it was still a genuine royal title.

After some polite greetings, Yang Jun hosted a grand banquet to entertain him.

After the banquet, we rested for the night.

The next day, Anagui sent all of his hundreds of trusted men into the grasslands to spread the news among the tribes.

Khan Anagui, the leader of the army, is about to return to his loyal Rouran court. Warriors who are willing to serve the Khan, quickly gather at Huai Shuo and follow the Khan to fight the Gaoche people again and avenge your defeat! When you succeed, you will be generously rewarded!

'敕连头兵豆伐' means 'to take charge', which can be translated as 'to rule over everything', and the Khan's name means 'King who rules over everything'.

Anagui then personally approached Gao Yu and said with a smile, "I still need your help this time."

"Why does Your Majesty say such things?"

Gao Yu, his expression unreadable, respectfully replied, “Since the court has issued an edict, I will certainly do my utmost to protect Your Majesty. Your Majesty is of Khan’s bloodline; with a single call to arms, you will surely be able to gather a large following. At that time, driving out the Gaoche, restoring the royal court, and dominating the grasslands will be as easy as picking up straw!”

Anagui added, "If I regain control of the royal court, I will certainly repay Gaolang handsomely."

Gao Yu remained calm and continued, "I was merely acting on the orders of the imperial court. Your Majesty should thank the current emperor, the empress dowager, and the Prince of Jiangyang."

Upon hearing this, Anagui merely gave a meaningful smile, said nothing more, and rose to take his leave.

Gao Yu did not stay at the mansion, but set off for the training ground. After practicing archery and martial arts for a long time, he was just about to take a short rest.

Hou Jing, however, came running to find him with great enthusiasm.

"Mo Hedu!"

"Wan Jing? What makes you so happy?"

Hou Jing chuckled, "Those three brothers from the Heba family are indeed cowards!"

"how do I say this?"

"The three of them suffered a great defeat when they came here last time, but they didn't dare to come again this time. The person who came was someone else."

Gao Yu thought for a moment.

They neither confirmed nor denied Hou Jing's statement.

In his mind, Heba Yue was the ultimate stubborn guy. He would always seek revenge if he lost, and he was indomitable. Even if he died, he would never admit defeat. He must have had some other reason for not coming this time.

However, he was also curious about who was leading the team in Wuchuan Town this time.

"People from Wuchuan have arrived? Let's go take a look."

Gao Yu followed Hou Jing all the way and happened to see the people from Wuchuan preparing to set up camp next to the training ground.

Generally, for such competitions, those who have traveled from afar are allowed to rest for two days to recuperate before the actual competition begins, in order to ensure fairness. This was also the case when they traveled from Huai Shuo Town to Wu Chuan and then to Wo Ye.

The people of the city will come upon hearing the news, and some will even have to buy tickets to get close and watch. It will be a lively and exciting event, with various gambling games and countless participants.

Gao Yu saw from afar that two rather heroic young men were directing others to set up tents, and beside them was a dark-skinned, thin boy.

The three of them standing together just don't look right.

"Who are those three people?"

Hou Jing looked in the direction Gao Yu pointed. He was quite familiar with the famous people in Wuchuan and Woye towns, and then said, "They are from the Yuwen family. The tallest one is Yuwen Lian, the second son of Yuwen Gong. The slightly shorter one is the third son, Yuwen Luosheng. Oh, and the youngest one, who looks like a black rat, is Yuwen Tai, the youngest son of the Yuwen family."

Hearing that familiar name.

Gao Yu was taken aback.

"That's Yuwen Tai?"

"What? You know him?"

Hou Jing found it quite strange. The most famous member of the Yuwen family was the third son, Yuwen Luosheng, who was chivalrous in his youth, generous with his wealth and righteousness, and was revered by the local heroes of Wuchuan. He could be considered a "little Gao Huan". What puzzled him was why Gao Yu asked the least famous Yuwen Tai instead of asking about the third son, Yuwen Luosheng.

"do not know."

Gao Yu shook his head and looked into the distance again.

That's Yuwen Tai?

Yuwen Black Otter!

Looking at it this way, it really does reflect his name.

It's so dark and small that from a distance it really does look like a big black rat, so it can't be called a black otter.

His thin and small appearance didn't seem like that of a child raised in a wealthy family. Yuwen Tai's two older brothers looked much more normal. They weren't exactly handsome, but they had a heroic air about them.

Was Yuwen Tai born this way?
This guy ultimately inherited the political legacy of the Wuchuan Army, established the Western Wei and rivaled Gao Huan, thus laying the foundation for the tripartite balance of power in the post-Three Kingdoms period.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like someone with outstanding qualities!

Seemingly sensing something, Yuwentai looked around warily.

He always felt that someone was watching him, with a malicious gaze, but he couldn't find the source of the gaze and could only assume it was his imagination.

…………

The arrival of the people from Wuchuan meant that the match between the two towns was about to begin. The people of Huaishuo Town were extremely enthusiastic about watching the game!

no way.

There are really no entertainment activities on weekdays, especially in impoverished places like Huai Shuo, where everyone lives a hard life. So when a new form of entertainment finally appears, it is naturally sought after.

What's more, you can take a gamble.

Peng Le had already arrived in Huai Shuo with several trusted men disguised as a merchant caravan. Seeing the people of Huai Shuo Town walking happily out of the town, he immediately stopped one of them.

"What's going on outside the city? So many people are out."

The person who was stopped looked unhappy. Seeing that Peng Le didn't seem like a good person, he honestly replied, "Today, Wuchuan and Huaishuo are going to have a football match."

"Football...?"

Peng Le looked completely bewildered.

"Are you all from out of town?"

Peng Le reacted quickly, "We are businessmen from out of town, visiting Huai Shuo for the first time. What is football? And you want to have a friendly match?"

The man was clearly in a hurry to get out and didn't bother to explain much. "Football is Cuju, but it's very different from Cuju... You'll see when you get out. If you go too late, you won't be able to buy tickets."

Peng Le did not stop him and let him leave.

He has been inquiring about various news and investigating Gao Yu's whereabouts for the past few days.

He had previously heard of Huai Shuo High School's reputation for being the bravest in the six towns and famous throughout Luoyang, but rumors are always exaggerated. Only by seeing it with his own eyes could he be sure whether the other party was worth his service.

He knew that Gao Yu had been recruiting brave and skilled individuals.

It is said that everyone admires Gao Erlang.

"Let's go! Let's find Gao Lang!"

He arrived at the training ground with his trusted confidants, informed the guards of his purpose, and someone immediately went to inform Gao Yu's guards.

Soon, a burly soldier emerged from the drill ground, looked Peng Le up and down, and asked, "Do you wish to join my commander's ranks?"

Peng Le neither confirmed nor denied, saying, "We came here because we've heard so much about you."

The guard was not surprised by this. After all, warriors are proud, and he had seen many like that in recent days. But there were not many who could be called warriors by the military lord.

He then said, "Judging from your appearance, you are quite brave and skilled. The military lord likes brave people the most. You will all come with me to see the military lord."

Peng Le didn't reply, but followed the soldier to Gao Yu. At this time, Gao Yu was preparing to take his men out. Hearing his guard's report, he couldn't help but look at Peng Le with curiosity.

This man was tall and burly, unlike any ordinary person, with a face full of flesh and a fierce look in his eyes; he was clearly not a kind person.

Peng Le was also sizing up Gao Yu. Seeing that Gao Yu had fair skin and looked like a woman, he couldn't help but have some doubts.

Is that rumor true? It doesn't seem likely!
Meanwhile, a trusted confidant whispered, "Is this the bravest general in the six towns? His skin is so pale, he looks no different from a woman!"

Peng Le glared at him.

He reacted quickly and noticed the clues. If Gao Yu didn't have real skills, how could his subordinates respect him so much?
Don't judge people by their appearance!
In the military, the strong are respected.

Moreover, he had heard from others during his inquiries over the past few days that Gao Yu was extremely handsome, and all the girls in the city were infatuated with him. He had been prepared for this, but this was just too handsome.

They don't look like warriors at all.

Gao Yu also noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the group opposite him, and felt helpless.

The Gao family's genes are too powerful; there's nothing he can do about it.

It's not my fault that I'm handsome!

To prevent people from judging him by his appearance again, Gao Yu even ordered craftsmen to make demon masks for himself and his armored cavalry. But those masks were meant to be used when going out to war, not for everyday wear.
Peng Le took the initiative to clasp his hands in a salute.

“I am Peng Le from Anding. I heard that the magistrate is recruiting brave warriors. I thought I had some strength, so I brought my brothers here to give it a try.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by "give it a try"?
Before Gao Yu could speak.

Mulan, who was standing nearby, said urgently, "You all wait here first. The commander has important matters to attend to. He will test your martial arts skills after he has finished his business."

Peng Le glared at Mulan, noticing that she also had fair skin but was standing beside Gao Yu, and couldn't help but retort, "Who are you? How dare you speak so arrogantly, making a warrior like me wait? Is this how Huai Shuo High School recruits heroes?"

"This is our army's deputy commander."

Peng Le's eyes darted around, and he immediately launched a disdainful challenge, "Could it be that the more womanly someone is under Gao Lang's command, the higher their position? I thought Gao Lang was a hero of our time! Forget it! Forget it!"

After that, he turned around and left.

Upon hearing this, Mulan immediately flew into a rage, "How dare you!"

The soldiers standing by naturally watched with amusement, as they were well aware of how astonishing the deputy commander's martial arts skills were.

Mulan took a step forward, her back suddenly exerting force, and her fist struck Peng Le like a cannonball.

"Hey! Good timing!"

Peng Le was prepared. His expression remained unchanged. He simply snorted, took a step, twisted his waist and abdomen, and his body moved with lightning speed. He not only dodged the punch but also turned around and suddenly raised his arm to grab Mulan's arm.

Mulan reacted just as quickly, immediately grabbing Peng Le's forearm with her other hand.

The two were immediately locked in a stalemate, struggling against each other.

"He does have some strength!"

When Peng Le saw that Mulan could actually hold her own against him, he immediately abandoned his contempt and increased his strength!

Gao Yu could tell that the man was quite strong, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

Although Mulan could still manage to hold on, her face was flushed red, clearly indicating that she was about to run out of energy, while Peng Le looked relaxed, obviously not having exerted his full strength.

In front of so many soldiers, Gao Yu naturally wouldn't let Mulan lose face.

He stepped forward, grabbed one of their arms, and held them tightly. Without a word, he used a little force to separate them.

"My friend, how about we give Gao some face and stop for now?"

"you you……"

Peng Le looked at Gao Yu in disbelief.

He hadn't lowered his strength beforehand; he'd even increased it to seventy or eighty percent, yet he was still forcibly separated, and even separated another person at the same time. He had always been proud of his divine strength...

Can……

Gao Yu's strength, however, far surpassed his.

No wonder everyone in Huai Shuo called Gao Lang "unparalleled in riding and archery, and the best in spear and lance."

It seems that this is not an empty claim.

Then wouldn't it be a good decision for me to come and vote this time?

Peng Le quickly withdrew his strength, took a step back, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I misspoke just now, please forgive me."

Mulan was secretly shocked. She had never expected that the man in front of her would be so strong. He was truly a brave warrior. No wonder he had such a bad temper just now.

He didn't mind, and also crossed his arms, saying, "No problem, no problem."

“My friend, Mulan’s words just now were not meant to belittle you all…”

Gao Yu then explained with a smile, "...It's just that we are in a hurry to leave the city and play football with the soldiers of Wuchuan. It's really urgent. If you gentlemen are interested, you can come with me. After the match with Wuchuan, I will personally host a banquet for you all, and then we can discuss it further."

Peng Le laughed heartily and bowed again to Gao Yu, "How could I refuse your invitation, Gao Lang!"

(End of this chapter)