My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 255 The Looted Assets

July 11th.

Four days have passed since the news of the fall of Xingyang and Hulaoguan arrived.

The good news is that the Southern Liang-Northern Expeditionary Allied Forces did not rush westward to besiege Luoyang, but instead stayed at Hulao Pass to rest and reorganize.

This gave Gao Yu ample time to send people out to gather all the people in the suburbs of Luoyang and the last remaining garrison troops in various counties to Luoyang city. He then burned all their houses, implementing a scorched-earth policy to leave the rebels with nothing of value.

Luoyang is a large city, capable of accommodating so many people.

The soldiers guarding each county will be organized into units, and leaders will be selected from the Imperial Guard. These men will be the main force in defending the city and will also be able to maintain order within the city.

There's also good news: there are plenty of temples inside and outside the city, and considering the civilians brought into the city as well as the guards in the residences of princes and nobles in Luoyang, there are enough able-bodied men in Luoyang.

Gao Yu led his men to the armory to take inventory.

The armory and the granary were adjacent to each other, and Gao Yu personally sent the Xuanjia Army to guard these two most important places.

"We have enough food supplies to hold the city, so we don't need to worry about food."

"This is the armory..."

Gao Yu couldn't help but sigh.

After Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang and the Taihe Reforms were implemented, Luoyang became the center of the entire Wei Dynasty, and a large amount of weapons and provisions were stockpiled in the city.

All the elite Xianbei troops distributed in various prefectures and counties were summoned to Luoyang to serve as the central army. Whenever the Great Wei launched a military campaign, it would draw troops from the central army in Luoyang to go out and quell the rebellion.

This means that every time a large army went on an expedition, it would take away a large number of weapons, armor, bows, and arrows from the Taicang (imperial granary) in Luoyang, especially from the armory...

Especially in recent years, war has raged throughout the territory of the Great Wei, with battles fought year after year and the central army frequently going on expeditions.

Not only were there a large number of elite troops killed and not replenished, but a large amount of military equipment was also consumed and difficult to replenish, especially the most valuable vests.

Previously, when I was in Huaishuo.

Using his small 'privilege' to forge a good relationship with Gao Yu and Gao Huan, the section chief allocated one hundred vests from Huai Shuo's armory to the two brothers.

Although there were personnel losses during the escort of Anagui back to the Rouran royal court, the vests were still recovered during the post-battle cleanup.

However, during the breakout at Wuchuan, Gao Yu's armored cavalry lost dozens of men. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for them to turn back and retrieve the armor. After surrendering to Erzhu Rong, they never received any replacements. The armor was too precious; Erzhu Rong didn't even have enough for his own elite Qihu cavalry, let alone any extra armor to give to Gao Yu.

Erzhu Zhao allocated him more than a dozen sets of armor, allowing Gao Yu's armored cavalry to gather a hundred more.

If used properly, armored cavalry can indeed determine the outcome of a battle.

"Prime Minister... haven't you plundered far too thoroughly?"

Gao Yu was both amused and exasperated.

When Erzhu Rong left Luoyang, he had already sent men to thoroughly search the armory, taking away all the intact and barely usable armor. Now, only some damaged and unrepaired armor remained in the Luoyang armory.

After a careful inventory, Gao Yu managed to salvage several hundred vests that were so badly damaged that they were completely unusable.

"Order the craftsmen of the Imperial Workshop to repair this batch of vests as soon as possible, just enough to make them barely usable. We don't have that much time right now."

Gao Yu didn't know how many bodies could be repaired in the end, but every extra body would increase their chances of winning, and something was better than nothing.

After the explanation is completed.

The sun had already set, and night was approaching.

Gao Yu returned to his residence.

With such a commotion in Luoyang, anyone could tell that something big was about to happen.

Gao Yu sat at his desk, calculating the available troops in the city and outlining specific plans. Simply holding the city might not last long, and the morale of the people and soldiers in the city might not be stable. He also needed to devise a plan to take the initiative to launch an attack and boost morale.

The Southern Liang-Northern Expeditionary Allied Forces, after all, boasted a force of 300,000, a stark contrast in troop numbers.

If morale cannot be effectively boosted and the hearts of the soldiers and the people cannot be appeased, and chaos breaks out in the city, then the plan to hold out will be in vain.

Especially since Luoyang is a large city with so many gates that need to be defended, the deployment of troops at each gate requires trusted confidants to keep an eye on things and prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble and open the gates.

Every aspect needs to be considered. In the past, Gao Yu only needed to think about how to lead his soldiers into battle; there were no such complicated situations.

This is his first time commanding a city defense battle of this scale, so he naturally needs to be extremely cautious.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Yuan Miao walking up to him until he saw a pair of slender hands grinding ink for him.

Yuan Miao did not disturb him, but focused on grinding ink for him. After grinding, she came behind Gao Yu and used her soft fingers to massage his forehead.

Gao Yu rarely saw Yuan Miao so obedient and docile, and couldn't help but laugh and tease, "How could this humble general dare to trouble the princess?"

Instead of arguing with him as usual, Yuan Miao leaned her head on his shoulder like a clingy cat and said softly, "I've heard that the safety of Luoyang City rests on your shoulders, General?"

"What, are you scared?"

Yuan Miao whispered something in his ear and chuckled, "With the general here, why should I be afraid?"

Gao Yu deliberately tried to scare her, "In just a few days, an army of 300,000 will come to attack the city. Aren't you afraid?"

Yuan Miao showed no fear, but instead said softly, "No matter how many enemy troops come, I believe that the general can repel them. His Majesty said that the general is a person protected by the Eternal Heaven."

"What in this world is certain? What if the city falls?"

Yuan Miao remained silent for a moment, then chuckled and said, "If the city falls, I have already prepared my weapons."

"To kill the enemy?"

"How can a weak woman like me fight the enemy? If the city falls, the general must be gone too. The general has always taken such good care of me, how can I let him go to the underworld alone?"

Gao Yu was taken aback; he hadn't expected Yuan Miao to utter such resolute words in such a gentle tone.

Just as she was taken aback, Yuan Miao continued softly, "The Princess Consort actually thinks the same way I do."

talking.

She then removed her gossamer-thin gauze dress and coiled around Gao Yu like a beautiful serpent, saying, "Since I cannot help the general fight the enemy, let me alleviate the general's worries..."

hiss.

Gao Yu couldn't help but gasp.

Yuan Miao suddenly revealed a charm that was different from her usual self, which really pleased him!

Gao Yu originally wanted to bring Zheng Dache to his residence, but Zheng Dache said that he was unwell and it was inconvenient for him to come to the residence to serve him at the moment.

Gao Yu wasn't stupid; he knew exactly how often he would stand up and pedal.

If neither of them is in good health, there must be a reason why they suddenly say they are unwell.

It's highly likely she's pregnant with her own child.

Upon first hearing the news...

Gao Yu somewhat regretted advising him to fight.

But he quickly put those thoughts out of his mind.

This battle must be fought!

He had always been subordinate to others and had to be careful at all times.

But the current situation is unusual.

He didn't want to be controlled by others anymore, so... he would rely on this battle to make outstanding contributions and then seize a base.

Even if we don't aspire to rule the world, we can at least protect ourselves and won't have to be so cautious in the future.

After Yuan Miao was exhausted.

Gao Yu put his arm around her and gently patted her back, promising, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect you."

(End of this chapter)