My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 259 Don’t call it unforeseen
Yuan Ziyou waved his hand and ordered the imperial guards to bring over money and goods.

Luoyang City has no shortage of money and goods, which were immediately distributed to the Xuanjia Army soldiers who accompanied Gao Yu on his expedition that day, in order to boost morale.

The soldiers who received the reward smiled from the bottom of their hearts. Wasn't this what they had followed Gao Yu through thick and thin for?

The soldiers who did not get the chance to leave the city looked on with envy.

Despite the imminent arrival of a massive army, there was no fear on their faces; their eyes were filled only with a strong desire to achieve great deeds!
The hearts of the people and the military are at peace!
After seeing Yuan Ziyou off, Gao Yu ordered his men to bring all the captured white-robed soldiers before him.

In a battle between two armies, momentum is very important.

Today's great victory cannot completely destroy the momentum of the Southern Liang allied forces. After all, they have conquered more than 30 cities along the way, so how could their morale collapse because of a single defeat?

This requires you to use some methods yourself.

The soldiers of the White Robe Army were led to the open space of the drill ground. None of them were cowards begging for mercy; they were all quite tough.

It's also interesting to say.

The reason why the White Robe Army suffered so many losses.

Besides their flamboyant attire, which made them easily identifiable, Gao Yu also ordered a focused attack on the White Robe Army.

Another point is that the soldiers of the White Robe Army were too tough.

The number of soldiers who went out of the camp to pursue Gao Yu was as high as five or six thousand. They were ambushed in Dahe Valley. When the other soldiers saw that the situation was not good, they turned around and ran away. Only the soldiers of the White Robe Army regrouped and resisted stubbornly on the spot. If we don't kill them, who will we kill?
"Are you the White-Robed Army under General Chen Qingzhi?"

Gao Yu asked with a smile, but the soldiers only gave him a cold look and no one responded.

Seeing this, Liu Yi stepped forward and kicked the person closest to Gao Yu, forcing him to kneel down. He then shouted sternly, "My general is asking you a question!"

The man suddenly looked up and glared at Liu Yi, his head held high even though he was kneeling.

Gao Yu raised his hand to stop Liu Yi from continuing to torture him, and instead stepped forward, saying, "You are indeed quite brave. I will not make things difficult for you. Just answer a few simple questions and I will let you go back."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu could see that some people's gazes began to soften.

Survival is the instinct of all living things.

Previously, they simply thought that Gao Yu wouldn't let them go, and since they were going to die anyway, they might as well leave themselves some dignity at the end.

But right now.

Gao Yu asked with a light laugh, "Who are you?"

The person in front of him still refused to answer.

However, the soldiers behind him had already answered, "This man is Song Jingxiu, the commander of our White Robe Army, from Dongyang."

Whether it was the Great Wei or the Southern Liang, most of their systems followed the old system of the Jin Dynasty, and the positions of junior officers in the army were also largely the same.

Song Jingxiu turned around and glared angrily at the soldiers who had betrayed him, and shouted, "It's just death for you, why beg for mercy from the enemy?"

Gao Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I greatly admire brave warriors. I will not allow you to betray your masters for personal gain, so I will not ask you about the details of your military service."

This is also to further reduce the 'guilt' in the hearts of these soldiers.

Gao Yu then proceeded to guide them patiently. He didn't inquire about the specific military formation or the details of the upcoming battle; he simply asked how many people the other side had.

Through the mouths of these soldiers.

Gao Yu also roughly learned that the Southern Liang allied forces did not actually have 300,000 troops; that was just a public claim.

The true core elite force consisted of Chen Qingzhi's seven thousand white-robed soldiers, plus the seven thousand elite cavalry and guerrilla battalions brought by Lan Qin later.

The Elite Cavalry Battalion and the Guerrilla Battalion, along with the Imperial Guards and the Tiger Warriors, were elite units of the Imperial Guard newly established by Emperor Xiao Yan.

The largest number of people were Yuan Hao, followed by Xing Gao.

Yuan Hao gathered what he claimed to be 100,000 men by recruiting and absorbing defectors along the way, followed by Xing Gao, who brought 50,000 to 60,000 men.

To Gao Yu's surprise...

Yuwen Luosheng was also in the allied forces, bringing 20,000 troops from Ge Rong.

In other words.

The true core elite force of the Southern Liang allied army numbered between 30,000 and 40,000, while the rest were auxiliary troops and refugee soldiers who could only fight when the tide was against them.

Even more detailed divisions are needed.

The only true elite troops were those under Chen Qingzhi and Lan Qin.

Yuan Hao's subordinates included many Northern Wei generals who had originally surrendered with their troops in organized units, such as Qiu Daqian... The soldiers under these men were regular troops, but they had virtually no combat effectiveness. Moreover, their soldiers were their greatest source of strength and reliance, and Yuan Hao had difficulty commanding them.

He had analyzed this when he advised Yuan Ziyou to fight.

The more the coalition forces are, the better. A large number of troops often only looks impressive, but in reality, there is a lack of internal command and everyone has their own agenda.

After understanding the general situation, Gao Yu raised his hand and ordered his soldiers to bring fine wine and good meat, looking at the white-robed soldiers with puzzled expressions.

Gao Yu took a sip himself and ate a bite of meat. "Don't worry, it wasn't poisoned."

He then returned to his tent, and after a while, he came out again and approached the person who had answered his questions most actively.

This man was named Yu Tianmin, and he was from Yixing.

Both he and Song Jingxiu were promoted for their meritorious service in the Battle of Xingyang.

"This is my own handwritten letter. Please pass this letter on to General Chen Qingzhi."

"General, do you really intend to let us go back?"

Gao Yu laughed loudly, but Liu Yi and the others rebuked him, "Our general always keeps his word. He said he would spare your lives, how could he break his promise?"

Gao Yu waved his hand, instructing Liu Yi and the others to personally escort the group of white-robed soldiers out of the city through the Dongyang Gate, and thoughtfully gifted each of them a horse.

He then took out another handwritten letter and handed it to Liu Yi, saying, "Take your men out of the city, cross the Yellow River, and go to Gaodu to meet Erzhu Shilong."

"Here!"

………………

until late at night.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves alerted the scouts outside the military camp. After Yu Tianmin and the others identified themselves, they were brought into the camp. Chen Qingzhi ordered them to be kept under strict guard, and then had Yuan Hao and the others summoned to his tent.

Together they read the handwritten letter sent by Gao Yu.

"The throne of the current emperor is ordained by Heaven. You have raised an army to invade, yet you call yourselves righteous. Do you not know that from the highest officials to the lowest commoners, everyone in Great Wei agrees that His Majesty is a benevolent and virtuous ruler? Great Wei is united as one. How could we be deceived by the false words of you petty villains?"

"Yuan Hao, the Prince of Beihai, was originally a prince of our Great Wei. Instead of repaying the Emperor's grace, he led his people to flee south. Such an ungrateful person is valued by the Emperor of the returning dynasty. I heard in the northern border that your Emperor is a great ruler of his generation. Why would he be lured by Yuan Hao, a wolf in sheep's clothing, with his army supporting others and his wealth being used to support foreign expenses? Why would he do such a thing as making wedding clothes for others?"

"General, you have conquered several cities along the way. There is a children's rhyme in Luoyang that goes, 'Even the most famous generals should not be complacent, for thousands of troops will avoid the white-robed general.' This is to praise the bravery of your troops. However, today I personally led the army to meet you, and found that they are nothing special. Therefore, I have restrained my sharp edge."

"I hope the general will have compassion for the soldiers and lead the troops back south as soon as possible. If the general still insists on going his own way, I will certainly not show mercy. I fear that the general will never be able to return to his homeland in this life, and his comrades will die in foreign lands. Do not say that I did not warn you."

Not only kill people but also destroy their hearts!
Gao Yu belittled them to the point of being worthless, especially arrogantly stating that the White Robe Army was nothing special.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, especially Yuan Hao, who angrily snatched the letter away and tore it to shreds.

Yuan Hao was furious, but Gao Yu immediately saw through his scheme: "You are spreading rumors and sowing discord among our troops. If I capture Luoyang, I will certainly not let this traitor off the hook!"

"General, Gao Yu released these soldiers to disrupt morale. You must not be lenient!"

Yu Tianmin immediately sneered, "We fought desperately and were unfortunately captured by the enemy. The enemy commander still praised us as loyal and brave men. Why does Your Majesty treat us like trash?"

Yuan Hao was speechless for a moment, and could only glare angrily.

Chen Qingzhi's face was ashen.

He was well aware that Gao Yu was deliberately trying to demoralize his troops.

The White Robe Army was his own personal guard, and the soldiers of the White Robe Army were as close as brothers. If these people were captured because they fought bravely against the enemy, and the enemy released them, but he ordered them to be killed, how could he win the respect of the people in the future?
But if we don't kill them...

These people can easily spread rumors within the military and cause unrest among their own troops.

They were soldiers of the White Robe Army!

"Your Majesty, the White-Robed Army are my troops. I will handle them myself. Please return."

"I hope the general will not ruin this excellent situation because of a moment of womanly compassion."

Yuan Hao snorted coldly and turned to leave!

Xing Gao and the others also left one after another, only Yuwen Luosheng stayed behind, muttering, "As expected of Gao Lang, a skilled warrior, he seeks advantage from the situation, not from others."

Chen Qingzhi agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "He is indeed an unparalleled warrior, and extremely skilled in military strategy."

There were few people in Luoyang city.

Gao Yu cannot rely on a defensive battle to defeat the Southern Liang coalition.

The only chance was to defeat the Southern Liang army through open field battles.

Gao Yu first used extreme personal heroism to boost the morale of his troops and appease the people in Luoyang, which also greatly damaged the morale of the Southern Liang allied forces.

He sent another letter to further demoralize them, and also took the opportunity to sow discord, causing Yuan Hao to break down his defenses!

"I wonder what move Gao Lang will make next?"

Chen Qing ordered the white-robed soldiers who were released to be sent back to Jiankang.

We can't kill them, but we can't continue using them either. This is the only way to get them to leave the camp temporarily, so they don't really disrupt morale.

The next day.

Chen Qingzhi and the others received a message from the other side of the river bridge.

A large number of enemy troops appeared and stationed along the north bank of the Yellow River, seemingly intending to cross the river and move south. This caused panic among the garrison troops controlling the river bridge and several crossing points on the south bank, who came to ask for instructions on how to defend against the enemy.

That afternoon.

More military reports arrived in quick succession, reporting that the Xuanjia Army had launched a surprise attack on the ferry crossings of Dengjin and Mengjin, resulting in heavy casualties among the defending troops, including cavalry and auxiliary soldiers.

A few days down.

Even though the Southern Liang allied forces stationed at the various river crossings saw the movements of the Xuanjia Army, they dared not leave their camps to meet the enemy, for they were terrified.

The fame of the Xuanjia Army had already spread throughout the entire Southern Liang coalition.

In Beizhong City.

Erzhu Shilong could see the scene on the other side of the river from afar. He could see Xuanjia soldiers patrolling outside the enemy camp, but the Southern Liang allied forces dared not leave their camp.

"Damn it!"

Erzhu Shilong was filled with regret. "If I had known that the Southern Liang army was so incompetent, why would I have abandoned Hulao Pass? It's all that damned Fei Mu's fault. If it weren't for him letting Xingyang fall, how could we have ended up like this today!"

He truly regretted it.

The letter sent by Erzhu Rong's personal guards berated him mercilessly.

Therefore, when Gao Yu sent Liu Yi to deliver a message, instructing him to personally lead a large army to garrison along the north bank of the Yellow River, Erzhu Shilong, no matter how much he disliked Gao Yu and even wished for Gao Yu's death in Luoyang, still chose to cooperate.

Because Gao Yu said so in the letter.

Simply stationing troops on the north bank of the Yellow River would be a great achievement.

"General, why are you so angry? This is a good thing for you!"

"The general has achieved great merit without losing a single soldier. Isn't that wonderful?"

Erzhu Shilong's expression softened upon hearing this, and he was indeed extremely pleased. "Hmph, let Moheduo cause trouble. In any case, I deserve some credit for this battle!"

The Southern Liang allied forces were unable to advance an inch for the next two weeks.

On one hand, they were wary that Erzhu Rong's army in the north might actually cross the river and head south; on the other hand, most of the auxiliary soldiers and refugee troops within their allied forces were indeed terrified of the Xuanjia Army and dared not fight back.

Morale and morale are low.

In early August, even the heavens seemed to lend a helping hand to Luoyang!
It rained heavily for seven days in total.

By August 17th, the Southern Liang army had not advanced its battle lines any further in the month since crossing the Luo River.

(End of this chapter)