My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 270 Is he still human?
Prince of Taiyuan, Chancellor, not to mention the series of titles that followed, such as Grand Chamberlain, General of the Army, and Recorder of the Imperial Secretariat...

Whether it's a noble title or an official position, Erzhu Rong has already reached the pinnacle of his career, with no room for further advancement; in other words, there's no higher title he can attain.

Normally.

No matter how much merit they have made in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne, the emperor will bestow generous rewards upon them after his coronation. However, he will be slightly stingy in terms of titles and official positions, just to prevent running out of rewards later.

After all, when a minister reaches the point where there are no more titles to bestow, that's when things get really tough.

Either overthrow the emperor and take the throne as the supreme ruler of the world.

Either the emperor finds a pretext to eliminate them, thus completely removing the threat and hidden danger that powerful ministers pose to imperial power.

Which storyline will ultimately unfold depends on the power held by the ministers and the emperor.

Yuan Ziyou.

Even a puppet emperor can negotiate and have room to maneuver when bestowing official titles and ranks upon others.

However, there was absolutely no room for negotiation regarding Erzhu Rong's official position and title. Even when Erzhu Rong himself went to Yuan Ziyou with the imperial edict, Yuan Ziyou merely had someone make another copy and affix the imperial seal.

As for why Erzhu Rong immediately set himself up to the top of his official rank, leaving no room for further promotion.

"Prime Minister, what should be done with these surrendered soldiers?"

Heba Yue, Hou Jing, and others came to inquire.

The surrendered soldiers scattered all over the mountains and plains are undoubtedly a huge hidden danger. It should be noted that this group of refugee soldiers in Hebei is the same group of people who were the rebels in the original Six Garrisons Rebellion. This group has been around since the fourth year of the Zheng Guang reign.

They are either instigating a rebellion, or on their way to instigating a rebellion.

Those who were not brave and whose physique was slightly weaker would have long since become ghosts on the land of China. How could they possibly be alive now?

Those soldiers and civilians who have survived to this day, even if they were just ordinary people, would be considered rare and brave warriors in the Southern Dynasty, which enjoyed more than ten years of peace and prosperity.

Erzhu Rong, however, had already devised a countermeasure.

"Pass on my order to take away all the weapons and armor of the surrendered soldiers, and then disperse them without any restrictions. They can go wherever they want."

"lay off?"

Hou Jing was taken aback and couldn't help but remind him, "Prime Minister, many of Ge Rong's generals who were granted titles have already fled. If we disperse these surrendered soldiers, they could easily be gathered up by those with ulterior motives and cause trouble again, right?"

"What's so difficult about that? A bunch of defeated soldiers can't amount to much."

Heba Yun didn't take it seriously. "Those kings who fled under Ge Rong's command must be dissatisfied with each other. They will inevitably fight amongst themselves and wear each other down. Once they've finished fighting amongst themselves, the Prime Minister only needs to send a few elite cavalry to take them down again."

"These are all seasoned and valiant warriors; it's such a waste to see them go to waste..."

Erzhu Rong smiled and said, "Wan Jing is indeed meticulous."

He did notice something amiss.

Although both belong to the Six Garrisons faction, Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan have distinct differences.

The Wuchuan School is the ultimate worship of 'bravery' and the aesthetics of violence. They believe everything is decided by fists and are a group of sharp-minded martial artists.

Apart from Gao Yu, the Huai Shuo faction is generally less brave and skilled in martial arts, but they are very good at using their brains.

Fortunately, Wu Chuan and Huai Shuo were constantly vying for power and were unwilling to submit to each other. If one were to unite with the other, one a scholar and the other a warrior...

For some reason, Gao Yu's image flashed through Erzhu Rong's mind.

He shook his head and then said, "Disperse them. Xi Yi, Heba Yun, Chi Lie Luosha... You will now lead your men to the various passes in the north, detain the surrendered soldiers who have gathered, and then bring them back to Bing and Si prefectures. I will then send someone to tell you where to settle the surrendered soldiers."

Heba Yun frowned, seemingly not understanding why he had to go through all this trouble.

Hou Jing understood immediately.

He was also quite surprised. It was clear that Erzhu Rong had already thought about how to properly deal with these surrendered soldiers before the battle with Ge Rong began. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to make such a meticulous and thoughtful arrangement in such a short time.

This group of surrendered soldiers numbered over 100,000.

The current situation is merely due to Ge Rong's capture, which has temporarily left the group leaderless and temporarily rendered them unable to resist.

If they were to come to their senses, with hundreds of thousands of people imprisoned together, any slight collusion or instigation from those with ulterior motives would be a major disaster for Erzhu Rong.

Before the surrendered soldiers could recover, they were driven by their survival instincts to flee in different directions.

Firstly, it would effectively disperse these tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers.

Secondly, it can effectively deplete the stamina of these surrendered soldiers. After all, in their dazed state, they only care about running for their lives and do not conserve their energy. By the time they calm down, their energy will be exhausted, and they will not be able to gather a crowd to cause trouble.

He still used the same hunting methods he always did.

Always try to exhaust the prey's stamina before going in to finish it off.

Instead of confronting them head-on.

"The Prime Minister's work is indeed meticulous."

Hou Jing was genuinely impressed, even completely captivated.

Erzhu Rong shook his head, then looked in the direction of Luoyang. "I don't know what the current situation is in Luoyang. Pass on my order: rest here for one night, then come south with me to aid Luoyang!"

"Bring Ge Rong and all his kings to Luoyang, so that His Majesty, the ministers, and all the officials can see them!"

Having accomplished such a feat of destroying a nation, it's only natural to show it off.

The more than 100,000 surrendered soldiers under Ge Rong's command, whose core was composed of soldiers and civilians from the six towns, were quickly forcibly dispersed at Erzhu Rong's instruction. As expected, they scattered in all directions like headless flies.

Seeing this, Erzhu Rong felt relieved.

at night.

Apart from those who led troops out, Erzhu Rong summoned Hou Jing, Heba Yue, and others to his tent and had fine wine and meat served as a simple reward.

"In this battle, you have all made outstanding contributions. I will certainly not let you down. Moreover, the siege of Luoyang has not yet been lifted, so there is still an opportunity to make contributions!"

Hou Jing laughed and said, "With Mo Heduo and the Xuanjia Army inside Luoyang, defending the city shouldn't be a problem."

Heba Yun nodded, "The city has ample food and military supplies. With Mohe Du's bravery, he will surely be able to hold off the enemy if he defends the city."

Whenever the topic is brought up to Gao Yu.

The Huai Shuo faction and the Wu Chuan faction would reach a rare consensus, but this was also what made Er Zhu Rong most uneasy.

He didn't like the fact that his men were too 'united'.

"Come, let's drink together!"

Erzhu Rong took the initiative to change the subject. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Hou Jing and the others got up and danced and sang. The only pity was that there were no beautiful concubines to accompany them.

Given Erzhu Rong's personality, he would never do something like taking a beautiful concubine with him on a military expedition.

"The Prime Minister's victory over an army of 200,000 with only 7,000 men is unprecedented. Even the resurrected Hegemon of ancient times could not have achieved such a feat!"

"Hahaha, the Overlord is known for his bravery and has won every battle, yet he suffered a crushing defeat. The Prime Minister only needs one victory to conquer the world!"

Everyone chimed in with their praise and flattery.

Erzhu Rong couldn't help but feel a little smug, and the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

Ancient overlords?

He was indeed exceptionally brave, but in the end he lost the world, was besieged at Gaixia, and committed suicide at Wujiang.

He didn't want to be a tyrant; in his eyes, even a tyrant was nothing more than that.

What he wanted was for the Erzhu clan to eventually replace the Yuan clan of the Xianbei and rule the world!

I felt like I was one step closer to my goal.

The throne of the emperor, the supreme ruler of the world, seemed within his grasp after he had accomplished the feat of 'destroying a country,' so he drank a few more cups.

The wine in the glass was clearly not a fine brew, yet he tasted the flavor of the finest wine in the world.

Could this be a hint sent to me by the Eternal Heaven?

Even ordinary wine, once it passes through the hands of this "Son of Heaven," will become the most precious wine in the world.

"Hahaha, I... will never forget the merits you have made!"

Everyone has different expressions.

Was it really a 'slip of the tongue'?

Everyone heard the word "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor") very clearly.

Is Erzhu Rong so smug that he can't wait to become emperor?

Naturally, no one pointed it out; instead, they continued to shower him with praise.

Just as everyone's enthusiasm was rising, Prime Minister Wang suddenly barged in at an inopportune moment, interrupting the lively atmosphere. "What is it?"

Wang Xiang was Erzhu Rong's trusted bodyguard. He was a man of propriety and would not act so rashly. Something must have happened.

"Prime Minister...Prime Minister."

Wang Xiang stammered and couldn't say a word for a long time.

Erzhu Rong felt a vague unease, but he remained calm, only slightly frowning. "Speak, what is it that makes you so flustered? Could it be that... something happened in Luoyang?"

Wang Xiang's expression was slightly strange. "Something has indeed happened in Luoyang."

These words were like a bucket of cold water being poured over the heads of the people who were slightly tipsy, instantly sobering them up.

Hou Jing immediately pressed for more information.

"Something happened in Luoyang? How could this happen with Mo Heduo around...? How is Mo Heduo?"

Erzhu Rong's inner thoughts were also very complicated.

He hoped that nothing would happen to Luoyang, because he had already quelled Ge Rong's rebellion. If Luoyang were lost, although he could take it back, he would still suffer considerable losses. What he wanted was to smoothly take over the 'legitimate' throne from Yuan Ziyou.

But he also secretly hoped that something would happen in Luoyang.

after all……

If nothing happens in Luoyang, it means Gao Yu and his men have successfully defended the city.

With Xingyang and Hulao Pass lost, and the garrison of Luoyang being largely redeployed, they faced an absolute disadvantage with the prospect of being besieged by an army of 300,000.

Defending Luoyang would be a great achievement.

This is also a remarkable achievement, and it may even elevate Gao Yu's status significantly. Judging from Yuan Ziyou's previous actions, he may even be promoted exceptionally.

Defending Luoyang means defending the dignity of the Great Wei and the imperial family; even an exceptional promotion would not be excessive.

That would only make the situation more chaotic, and Erzhu Rong did not want to see that happen.

He even tried to comfort him.

"Erlang is exceptionally brave and skilled; it would be no difficult for him to escape alone. He should be fine."

Wang Xiang gritted his teeth, "News has come from Luoyang."

"On August 27th, the Southern Liang army mobilized 300,000 troops to besiege Luoyang. General Gao Yu personally led 3,000 Xuanjia soldiers out of the city to meet the enemy, and decisively defeated them, beheading 5,000 and capturing 50,000. In one battle, he captured Prince Yuyang Yuwen Luosheng, the self-proclaimed Prince Wei Yuan Hao, and Prince Gaoyang Xing Gao..."

"What??"

Hou Jing was completely dumbfounded. He even slapped himself a few times to make sure he wasn't drunk or hadn't misheard.

Erzhu Rong retorted incredulously, "You...you say that again!"

Wang Xiang gritted his teeth again.

"General Gao Yu personally led three thousand Xuanjia soldiers out of the city to meet the enemy, and utterly defeated them, beheading five thousand and capturing fifty thousand. In one battle, he captured Prince Yuyang Yuwen Luosheng, the self-proclaimed Prince Wei Yuan Hao, and Prince Gaoyang Xing Gao..."

Wow.

Everyone inside the tent was astonished.

Heba Yue and the others stared wide-eyed at the people next to them, and Hou Mochen Chong almost cried out in surprise.

Dou Taize seemed to be deep in thought. He had met Gao Yu a few times and had only heard of Gao Yu's bravery, but he never imagined that Gao Yu was brave to this extent.

Hou Jing was overjoyed, "That kid Mo Heduo..."

But he quickly shut his mouth and looked at Erzhu Rong.

Previously, they were touting the unprecedented achievement of "seven thousand breaking two hundred thousand".

Okay.

In Luoyang, there is an even more ferocious Gao Yu, so ferocious he seems inhuman.

Three thousand broke three hundred thousand.

In terms of both quantity and the difficult situation they faced, Erzhu Rong's achievements were completely overshadowed!
Capturing Ge Rong alive is considered a feat of 'destroying a country'.

Yuan Hao already harbored the idea of ​​ascending the throne and becoming emperor, so capturing him alive would be tantamount to 'destroying the country'.
Moreover, he captured three kings in one battle.

This……

This completely overshadowed Erzhu Rong.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Erzhu Rong stood there stunned for a long time, remaining silent.

At once……

It felt like I'd eaten shit.

He thought he had made great achievements and accomplished unparalleled feats.

Someone immediately told him.

There are people who are more capable than you.

Suddenly, I felt utterly bored.

Erzhu Rong's worst fears have come true.

Gao Yu not only defended Luoyang.

They even launched a counterattack and completely defeated the Southern Liang army!
His contribution in this battle was even greater than his.

Yuan Ziyou will surely use this to heavily promote Gao Yu to oppose him.

An unnamed rage welled up within him.

Bang!
Erzhu Rong slammed his hand heavily on the table, a rare outburst from him, without offering any explanation.

"I'm tired, you all should go and rest first..."

Erzhu Rong waved his hand, almost abruptly driving everyone out of his tent.

He snatched the official document from Luoyang from Wang Xiang's hands!
Upon seeing what was written on it, Erzhu Rong angrily tore it to shreds!
"what!!"

In a fit of rage, he overturned the table in front of him!
Like a furious tiger!

"Erlang...why..."

Erzhu Rong's eyes were red, and his hands were clenched into fists.

After this, how should he face Gao Yu?

After Gao Yu is promoted to a high position, can he really be as 'unambitious' as before?

After Gao Yu was forcibly pushed out by Yuan Ziyou.

Will the people from Wuchuan and Huaishuo under my command develop disloyal intentions?

If these talented and outstanding individuals who have pledged allegiance to me have ulterior motives, can I really rely on the descendants of the Erzhu clan?

Headache.

Erzhu Rong suddenly felt dizzy and almost lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Prime Minister!!"

Wang Lian hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

Erzhu Rong, however, forced himself to stand up and raised his hand to stop him, "I'm fine, go... pass on my military orders, the army will set off at dawn!"

"I want to go back to Luoyang!"

Erzhu Rong was eager to return to Luoyang immediately.

Back to the center of power.

Things had spiraled completely out of his control, and he had to go back and keep a close eye on them to prevent them from getting out of control!
Moreover, he must go with his elite Qihu cavalry!

otherwise……

His titles of Prince of Taiyuan and Prime Minister alone are probably no longer enough to intimidate certain people in Luoyang.

"No!"

"Prime Minister Wang, take your men to Xiurongchuan and send Yuechan to Luoyang!"

(End of this chapter)